Naruto Fantasy (AU) : The Rise of the New Generation

[Oblivion666]

[ Aiko's Command Tent, 11th Imperial Brigade's Encampment | Sevudia, Eastern Continent ]
[ A collab between @Oblivion666 and @Lesli ]
[ "I have always been proud of you, my little raven," ]
[ Kazumo and Aiko discuss briefly the events of the last mission. Then Aiko takes a decision that shapes Kazumo's future. From henceforth, he will be someone of his own making - adopting his new rank. ]​

The pitter patter of the rain drops hitting the canvas drowned out most of the soft ambience on what was happening outside Aiko's spacious tent. Her elbows were placed on the table, where several of the maps were still laid out. Despite the worsening of her condition, Aiko's still upheld the aura of authority that people expected of her. Her green eyes resting her gaze upon the young man that had been her pupil now for a good period.
"I gave you and that girl one task. Save one man." Aiko started calmly, but her tone was somewhat icy. "And then she comes back with eighty people."
It briefly seemed as if the rain started to rain harder on the canvas as Aiko's eyes narrowed.
"Do you agree that it is a good decision? To save so many people?"

He had some water droplets falling off his gear as he waited while Aiko… stared. It certainly felt like a mother stare as he felt like he was shrinking the longer the look on him stayed. Then she would speak bringing up the mission that had transpired and Meilin's choices in saving eighty people instead of one singular man. He was then asked his opinion on if he thought it wise. He remained silent as he thought about it and ultimately nodded his head.
"I believe it was yes. If Meilin hadn't and left all but one, if such a message was spread to the other villages that we let their people be tortured. They could hinder our progress in the war."

"So, you support this girl, still?" Aiko questioned, her eyes peering ever so more sterner at Kazumo. A crack of thunder followed the question, the loud booming making it seem as if it was almost ready to slam into the tent and annihilate everyone.
"I want to know," Aiko's eyebrows slightly perked as she slowly leaned back in her seat, her arms crossing out in front of her chest, "would you follow this girl into war? Or what would you have done if you were in her stead?"

The atmosphere grew more wild and violent as the talk went on, almost as if Aiko was bending the weather to her whim to make her more fearsome. Granted it kind of was as she continued asking him questions. Which ended with him sighing. "I do support her and yes I would. Cause she made the right choice in the matter, I would not have. If I had been in charge only one man would have come back and all the consequences that could follow. She however thought more of it than it being an order. Consequences of saving them all? Our enemy still is at war with us. Consequences if only one man came back? Still at war and possibility of all the locals turning on us."

Aiko remained silent, it being evident that she was far from happy that Kazumo seemed still willing to back up Meilin - despite the clear opinion of Aiko. Once more the weather roared, the crack of lightning and following booming being softer than before. Then a sigh escaped from Aiko as she shook her head lightly.
"I still think that you are making a mistake. You had a clear path and it seems that you're still willing to bend it as far as you can. Just for this girl?" Aiko asked, though she continued on. "She is no noble. She hasn't achieved anything to make her valuable for your ambition. And yet, you want to continue on? You think despite my advise, she is worth this trouble?"

Despite the weather it seemed they were hitting the meat of the discussion. His infatuation with Meilin. Kazumo gave a smile to his sensei, one of happiness and understanding. "I know you do, and I honestly appreciate you and how much you care for my well being. I do think of you as a mother so it does bother me when I upset you. Yet… I'm not going to be perfect. Clear paths can easily become an uphill trek. She may not be a noble but honestly my goal isn't to make people look at my wife. And as corny and painful as its going to sound, while she herself won't be able to make my ambition easier. She will still make me happy and kick me into keeping up with it. You've seen her, she has the drive to do what she wants, thats the exact drive I want to keep fueling me." Kazumo said waiting for the angry look.

Aiko didn't respond immediately. She had several things that came to mind. On why she disagreed. Why she thought this was an endeavour that was going to complicate things. But what stung the most was that he stated that she was like a mother to him. Truth was that neither he or anyone needed to say that. Nobody needed to confirm that. She knew what their bond was like.
"I see," her voice was softer and cracked a little as her gaze averted briefly from Kazumo. Rising from her seat, Aiko placed her hands at her back.
"I suppose that this is it then. You have shown so much progress this time that you were under my wing," a genuine smile that seemed to mix wryly with the sadness that her eyes portrayed, "but now it is becoming clear. You are starting to become the man you were supposed to be."

Pausing, she raised a hand to make sure he wouldn't speak up - the gesture portraying a certain strength and lacking any hesitation. With an once more firm gaze, Aiko spoke up again.
"Kneel, we are going to do this in the ways of old." She instructed him as she walked around the table while waiting for Kazumo to follow her instruction.

He kept a smile which slowly turned to a confused look when she stated that this was it then. Kazumo wasn't sure where she was going with this, he couldn't even say anything as she held up a hand for him to stay quiet. He wanted to say something but opted to remain quiet as she instructed. Then when she stated that they were doing this in the ways of old, his face took on a more neutral expression as he looked at the ground and kneeled as she asked him to.

"Give me your sword," Aiko instructed, reaching out her hand. Her hand was trembling slightly, her skin being much paler than it used to be now that she stood in the light and in close vicinity to Kazumo.

Arise, Kazumo of the Scylding Clan, arise as a jounin.​

He looked up at her briefly and simply nodded as his hand reached to his side and took the sword by the sheath and handed it out for her.

Gently and carefully, she took the sword. The beautiful craftsmanship provoked a smile to briefly adorn her thin lips. Seeing her own reflection, Aiko detected that a tear rolled over her left cheek. With a solemn motion, she raised the blade and gently touched the flat end on Kazumo's right shoulder.
"In Valdar's honour, I charge you to be brave," she said, her voice once more cracking. Raising the blade, she would gently touch the other shoulder with the flat end.
"With love of Audhild, I charge you to protect the weak."
Slowly and gently, she moved the blade away and placed it once more on his other shoulder.
"By the power graced upon me, I charge you to fulfill your destiny."
Removing the weapon away from his shoulder, she had to swallow a lump away. Several more tears flowed over her cheeks as a smile cracked on her lips. Placing the sword on the table, she turned back to Kazumo to say the final words.
"Kazumo of the Scylding clan, descendant of the Sigeberth lineage. Rise and accept your newfound role as jounin."

Reaching out a hand to help him rise, Aiko would further pull him in a tight hug.

He kept his look on the ground as she spoke. He could physically feel his throat getting tighter and more tense with each word. A small shake from him as the blade touched his shoulder. The more she spoke, the more he struggled as he felt like his breathing was quivering. It didn't help that he could hear in her own voice the cracking. After the last part with his sword touching the same shoulder it started with, he once again shook as a small drop of liquid hit the floor where his head stayed. The shaking was slowly increasing as he was trying his best to keep it in, yet her words followed by her offering his hand caused him to sniffle.
Taking her hand she would help him rise and pull him into a tight hug which basically let the floodgates loose as tears started to stream down his face. He wanted to speak but all that came out were sniffles every time.

Embracing him, Aiko wanted to say many things. But in silence they stood, tightly embraced as the bad weather continued to torment the world outside. A world that was unaware of what had transpired. Yet, Aiko couldn't help but feel happy and hurt about this new development. Only as nearly a minute passed did she gently break the embrace. Keeping her hands at his shoulder, she planted a kiss on his forehead.
"I have always been proud of you, my little raven," she managed to utter, the smile unable to fade away as she patted his right shoulder.
"Even though you are becoming slightly a pain in my rear," she tried to joke, yet unable to fight back a few more tears that escaped and dared to roll over her cheeks.

If her goal was to see a grown man break down in tears she was doing a wonderful job towards that. He choked on his words at the kiss on his forehead and being called a little raven. Her joked only making him smile softly.
"I….. I can still…. come to you for advice right?"

"I would be most displeased if you wouldn't," Aiko said, still trying to joke slightly, despite the emotions that were unleashed. Inhaling and exhaling softly, Aiko tried to get rid of the damned smile that seemed plastered on her face. Turning back to the table, she picked up the sword and carefully presented it back to Kazumo.
"Now, go and make me even more proud."

Still trying to suppress more of his tears, he had a happy smile knowing he could still get advice from her and gave… a rather teary big smile and nod to making her proud. Taking his sword and exiting the tent not seemingly minding the rain now. It did well to hide his tears.

 

[Gerontis]

~ 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 June,
This GM post is not without plots and secretive actions of others.~

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The Previous GM Event Post!
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* ADS = After the Death of the Sage.

In the West.

[ Wind Country / Sayyadian Kingdom ]​

A new foe

The conflict in the west has reached a new boiling point. The Sayyadians advancement has come to a crashing halt. The defences of the Fang legions crumbled but managed to stand tall. Not because of their desperate attempts to keep the southern invaders out. But because a menacing foe has announced itself and is unleashing its terrible wrath upon the Sayyadian people.
From the far west, a large horde has moved into Sayyadia. The border defences that have been erected and maintained near Galassa are overrun. The violence and belligerent nature of the Galassians isn't a secret to the Sayyadians, who've managed to secure the borders with these mysterious folk.

Some people whisper that the Fang has managed to strike a treaty with some of the Galassian clans - bribing them to unify and strike against a familiar foe. Another terrifying rumour is starting to spread faster, though, that the Galassians have to become hungry for glory and blood - wanting to honour their strange deities with the flesh of those not belonging to the clans. Various historians fear that this is just the first sign of a Galassian horde migration - not the first regarding its devastating event. Already, the Sayyadian military is amassing a counter-offence in hopes of slamming this ravenous horde back to the dark woodlands that these tribesmen call home.
For if they fail, not only the Sayyadian realm's safety and stability is at risk.

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[ Earth Country ]​

A fearsome Dillema

Stability and peace are no longer a common situation in the Earth country. The succession crisis has led to much death and bloodshed already. But it seems far from over. The mysterious assassination of the Tsuchikage has led to outbursts of anger among the two major factions vying for the throne. The Dragon Mother and her loyal supports have managed to win some ground but are losing it fast to the Dragon's Servants, who desire to see the brother of the late daimyo rise to the throne.
The Dragon Mother seemed to be winning; the Dragon's Servants are winning background and gain terrifying momentum. But, unfortunately, this successful series hasn't just made many within the realm wonder if this would be the end of the conflict.

A large force has stricken the Dragon's Servants from the south. A large host seemingly appearing out of nowhere appeared in the southern regions. This unknown force was estimated to be a small contingent of mercenaries but crushed anything thrown at it. Various allies of the Dragon's Servants now cry out for help as it appears that this force of foreigners is a disciplined mercenary force, mixed of predominantly Taika but with several Chonobi units.
Some individuals have claimed that the Akinians are behind this threat, but no official response has been given. Various diplomats from the Dragon's Servants have been spotted travelling south at a fast pace in the hope to gain an audience with the Little Empress of Akino.

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[ Empire of Akino ]​

Pax Akino?

[ The Tokugawa and Senju Clan | Tiger Claws ]
@Nim | @Oblivion666 | @RedFox ​

The Tiger Claws arrival has led to some peace and stability within the Senju and Tokugawa border region. The Tokugawa clan hasn't done anything to enforce peace on their side, and neither did anything to thwart the goal of the Tiger Claws. The Senju, however, have taken a different course. Aiding the Tiger Claws wherever the royal force required aid, the Senju have deployed more troops on their borders. This action has led to increased unrest and even small riots in border towns in both Tokugawa and Senju heartlands. The local Tokugawa people and nobility see it as a transgression from the Senju, which should be retracted immediately. The Senju opposition, however, is divided into two. The smallest part is furious that a large part of the clan's forces is sent eastwards, yet the leadership wants to deploy more of their population to guard the border. The more prominent group is stating that the Tiger Claws should keep the Tokugawa populace at bay or else they will take matters into their own hands.

The influence from outside has started to make matters more complicated. The presence of an Uchiha envoy has been travelling southwards but, much to the surprise of all, ignoring the presence of the Senju. This course of action has led many Senju nobility to fear that their strongest ally has abandoned them entirely and implores the Senju leadership to take action.
The Tokugawa and Senju have received an envoy from the Unkei, a diplomatic envoy, who has shown concern about the growing unrest in the region. The Unkei clan offers assistance in the matter by sending priests to calm down the Senju and perhaps prevent an uprising - seeing that they share the same faith, the Way of Fire. The Unkei desires to act as a mediator for the nobility, interestingly ignoring the presence of the Tiger Claws.

It's uncertain how this event will play out, but it is sure to surround clans that this can impact the very core of the Empire's nobility.

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[ The Hyuuga and Unkei clan | The Tateri incident ]
@GlitchyBugger | @Autumn Song ​

Peace seems to return to the Tatetari region. Its people praise the fashion of how the Hyuuga leadership has enacted decisions, showing wisdom and patience. As such, the local nobility has assembled and offer to establish a lasting relation - to see several members of the local elite and Hyuuga clan become intertwined in marriage, thus establishing the Hyuuga as the legal rulers of the region.

However, the envoy travelling to Konohagakure never reached - despite the letters and messengers sent out to inform the Hyuuga of this proposal. An investigation conducted by the local elite, with likely support of the Hyuuga forces present, has uncovered nasty truth.
Several daughters of the local elite and their guards have been ambushed and killed by the envoy of maidens. Tracks and evidence point out to the Unkei clan.
The local elite has become outraged at this possibility and demand Hyuuga support in accusing and bringing the culprits to Imperial court. The mere fact that several daughters of nobles are missing from the ambush site has led some to believe that there is a chance that they are alive and, as such, can be salvaged.
Some of the local Taterian nobility are amassing their forces - desiring to strike back, which may break the Empress's peace and bring danger to the Hyuuga clan as well.

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[ [ The Fief of Mitsuokan, Riojin Clan ] | The Silver Lining ]
@Oblivion666 ​

The Omari clan has made the steps, sending an envoy to Konohagakure to accuse the Riojin clan regarding their suspicion that the Riojin clan being behind several events. However, no official response has come from the Riojin clan, which have spent their attention to their fief - with excellent results.
Reports are flowing back to the Riojin leadership that the granted Imperial fief provides a constant flow of money. In addition, the backing of the Tamiyo and assistance in developing the area has led to more exciting scenarios pop up.

A prospector has informed both the Tamiyo and Riojin of a potential mine from which silver can be gained. This development has been quickly followed by the Tamiyo urging the Riojin to take this opportunity. The Tamiyo dynasty has even sent troops to safeguard the location from any rival faction to move in.
If that weren't good enough news, various towns would prosper further due to the infrastructure and agricultural sector investment.
But a messenger has arrived from the capital, instructing the Lord of the Riojin clan to travel to the Royal Palace - to be present at the court case between Omari and Riojin clans.
Some of the local populace as Riojin subjects have voiced their unbelieve and anger, desiring that Lord Riojin brings severe justice upon their rival clan for this severe insult to their honour.

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[ [ The Fief of Matsukotan, Miyazato Clan | A new prospect? ]
@FrostedCaramel ​

For a while, nothing but prosperity and stability have endured within the Imperial fief, reigned by the Miyazato clan by the Empress grace. The local populace has become quite cordial with the management of the Miyazato clan. Various local nobility has even suggested arranging a specific alliance - through a union. Even if the Miyazato have yet to fully acquire the rights, as the land is still under Imperial control officially, the gesture showcases the trust and growing loyalty to the Miyazato clan.
However, this increase of trust has also given rise to various questions and troubles.

The most prominent question that the locals have is what the Miyazato intend to do with the region. Aware that the Miyazato only are allowed to reign over the area for a while before they have to relinquish it back to the Crown, some villages have come together to request a joint petition to request a reduction of the Miyazato request as taxation. Instead, this cut will be saved and used for dire need when the Imperial fief needs it - thus being used for the interest of the people rather than the reigning Miyazato clan.
A problem that has arisen is a small group wanting to seize one of the local mines. Proclaiming themselves the Kotaku clan, they have sent an envoy to the Miyazato and Imperial court - stating that they had to hide during the reign of the Fire Daimyo because they were suspected of treason during the dawn of the Fire country. Now daring to return, this supposed clan has fortified their position with a good number of troops - willing to shed blood to 'protect what is rightfully theirs'.

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[ In the North ]

[ Dominion of Lightning ​

A new direction

[ [ The Lagyrian Pact ]​

The North has arrived with more forces in the east. Their total forces now number to a total of 45.000 troops. A general has led the reinforcements with the name of Nariko Jun, a known name among the veterans as a man that was once the trusted confidante of the Fifth Raikage. While the enemy force still outnumbers the Northerners, this change has allowed morale to rise, and that is just the beginning.
With clever diplomacy, the Northerners have managed to acquire more support from the Lagyrian people. To promise that they would become an independent kingdom, the Lagyrian leadership have sided with the Northerners and provided more forces to the Northern army.
This combined force is slowly tipping the scales, and many within this allied force are gaining the hope that they can drive Rong away from Lagyre.

The Rongese forces have been sighted to make an advance further towards the Northern-Lagyrian joint force. Outnumbering the allies, the Rongese seemed determined to crush them and retake Lagyre, potentially threatening the northern front on the eastern continent.

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[ [ The Call of Clans ]​

A call has been made, rallying the clans of the North and her vassals to Ranzaki. The great city itself has been prepared to arrive at the most powerful and influential leaders as nobles within the realm. The real reason for this summoning isn't apparent and has been greeted with both joy and wariness.
But the royal signature of the Ranzaki dynasty marks it clear that none can refuse unless they desire to bring the wrath of the Daimyo upon their clan and subjects.

Already, various diplomatic envoys have been sighted to travel. Moreover, from the far outskirts of the Snow country are travelling by sea towards the North over the waves, while many nomadic clans send their representatives to the grand capital. However, many are wary because the true power behind the crown isn't the Ranzaki dynasty itself, but the Hojo clan is puppeteering the crown at their behest.

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[ In the south, ]

[ The Jirou Authority ]​

The Jirian March

[ [ The Jirian Reinforcements ]​

It has become official. The Sayyadian Kingdom and Jirou Authority have entered into a military alliance. Some individuals of the Jirian administration were fearful that the Sayyadian would request the Jirou Authority for forces; the Sayyadians haven't done such a thing. A few of the Sayyadians ambassadors remained behind with their guards - coordinating with the Jirian authority to establish the embassy.
The arrival of the Sayyadians hasn't gone unnoticed by the locals of Kirigakure. Most have remained apathetic and kept their distance. A small group of two extremes have arisen but are with such few numbers that they barely have made any difference.

The Sayyadians have even offered some of their guards to join the Jirian military to clarify that their gesture and desires are benign.
The Jirian leadership have also arranged more forces to be sent eastwards. Arriving in waves, the forces assembling underneath the command of general Yuuki have reached a number of 45.000 Jirian state troops. On top of these, both the Hayashi as Akechi clan has sent a contingent of soldiers; the Hayashi sending 5.000 soldiers, whereas the Akechi has contributed 7.000, bringing the total force up to nearly sixty-thousand troops.

The increase of the Jirians has seen the development of the nearby Imperial forces of the 13th Imperial Brigade to take their leave. However, only one battalion seems to be active nearby and involved with the siege.
The sudden increase of soldiers has also led to the initiation of the siege constricting more of the nearby fortress - in which a force of roughly three thousand Rongese has barricaded themselves, ready for the Jirian onslaught.
The construction of two large siege towers in sight of the defenders has already sent an ominous message that the first attack is imminent.

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[ The Great Clans | The Shadow's Kill ]
@Lesli | @Aliceee | @Oblivion666 ​

The sudden and brutal murder has led the Mizuno clan to isolate themselves from several ongoing activities. It has become indisputable that the Mizuno clan has started to amass resources to find the culprits that call themselves the Shadows. Already, Mizuno agents and even squadrons of warships are sighted on patrol. Security has been tightened, and not many know what to expect now that the sleeping giant is awake and in the foulest mood.

Some smaller clans have attempted to make diplomatic contact to avoid acquiring the wrath of the Mizuno clan. A few others have offered free access to these agents and ships - trying to prove their innocence.
The Mizuno clan has yet to make any announcements on finding evidence. Still, rumours are circulating that the mysterious Shadows are likely relocating - to strike at another Great Clan or once more at the Mizuno.
As the situation remains unresolved and the trust of the Mizuno clan is shaken, the respective Great Clan has refused to aid the war effort - keeping its resources at home.

What has further complicated the situation is that an influential noble from the Akechi clan has been assassinated during a public event. The culprit managed to shoot an accurate shot from far away and high, the arrow piercing the victim in the back of the neck - delivering a swift death. This assassination has led to growing unrest in both the Akechi and Hayashi clan - for many suspects that this also the doing of the so-called Shadows.

 

[GlitchyBugger]

Team Hiron - Officer Hunt (Part The 2nd)
Kyoi Hyuuga, Masami Hyuuga, Shikaroku Nara & Junko Shiroi
@RedFox @BlueFlameNikku @ChromeHound

The penultimate step to capturing a Rongese officer for... unspecified reasons. Also being used as a method to reinforce the notion of co-operation between the team members.​

Operation Honest Effort

Kyoi would lead Junko through the trees towards the enemy encampment. Quick and quiet, avoiding small talk and just making sure Junko could keep up with her. As they began to close in she would slow her pace down and look back to the genin, gesturing for her to move ahead of her.

"All you need to do is make your presence known, a rookie mistake would be easiest... trip on a root or something like that. So long as they see you and cause a fuss it doesn't matter too much. And when they do, run back this way and we'll draw them to the others. No aggression yet, else they might just clam up and stay in the camp."

From this position, just hidden enough in the treeline for them to avoid being immediately sighted by a few men hanging around the outskirt of the camp, either maintaining a small perimeter or just loitering where they wont get any grief from their commander. They were talking and acting as though they had the easiest job in the whole war, as if they didn't have to worry about anyone going out of their way to engage this post.
Junko nodded in understanding the task given. The genin thought about how to gain the two sentries attention in the best manner. She was told to make it look like a rookie mistake but she felt simply dripping over a root wouldn't be believable enough. So Junko looked around at the trees at the edge of the treeline facing the encampment. Noting some rather thin branches that likely couldn't even hold her light weight before proceeding with her ruse.
She leaped up onto the branch and as it quickly began to crack at her added weight, bit her thumb in order to draw blood. As Junko planned, the branch snapped loudly causing it and her to fall back to the ground. To help play up the role, Junko used her bleeding thumb to paint a trickle of blood flowing down from the side of her head, hiding the maneuver beneath her white hair. She did this while turning to face the men, likely staring at her now, giving them her best deer in headlights wide eyed look of surprise before scrambling to her feet to dash back into the woods. The expression was of course lacking in substantial emotion but that is why the genin made up for it with the extra effects of her actions during her farce.
The two men were equally stunned at the sight of Junko's arrival, briefly struggling to use their words until she got up and started to run, the two of them shouting in whatever their language was and getting a response from within the camp, followed up by a louder voice booming above the rest.

Barking orders, likely, as the two stopped in their tracks and waited for three more men to join them, about as well armed as a band of brigands.

For Junko, the moment she retreated into the trees she would find Kyoi up in the branches above her, following her movements until they began their descent down the hill. As they made their way down Kyoi moved in such a way as to make sure she was within Junko's line of sight the whole time.
The thundering of five pairs of feet chasing would slowly grow, they had to keep a slow enough pace to not fall as they gave chase, similarly so for Junko and Kyoi to make sure their targets followed them all the way to the ambush point.

Shikaroku and Masami would soon see Junko and Kyoi breach the threshold of the clearing, Kyoi giving the two of them a nod and holding up an open hand, mouthing the word "five" to them and dipping behind a tree. With Shika and Masami lying in wait they had the first opportunity to strike.
From his position in the trees, Shikaroku kept a close eye on the area, trying to determine the best spot to ambush their targets. The time of day was in his favour as the low sun stretched the shadows further from the trees around them. Throwing a glance at Masami, he clenched his jaw before turning back to watch the direction Kyoi and Junko would be coming from.
It did not take too long for the two to run into the clearing and Shikaroku watched as Kyoi signaled that there were five enemies in close pursuit. Moving forward, careful to remain in the cover of the branches around him, Shikaroku formed a handseal and his shadow quickly shot forward, traveling down the tree he was in, blending in with the tree's own shadow. Expanding his shadow to fully fit inside the tree's shadow, the Nara would wait until the enemy crossed the threshold into the clearing. Counting in his head as all five finally entered the clearing, he held the seal, watching as they continued moving at a rapid face.
Almost...

Trusting that Masami would be ready on her end, Shikaroku focused his attention on the trap. When the last of the zealots had entered his range, the Nara's eyes narrowed and tendrils of shadow shot forth. Before the men would even have a chance to react, they'd find themselves frozen to the spot, their shadows tethered to Shikaroku's. Allowing himself a slight sigh of relief, Shikaroku felt a sharp pain in his chest that felt like it was coming from the mark near his shoulder. Wincing, he tried to block out the pain, focusing on maintaining his hold. It was Masami's turn now.

Masami waited patiently, her eyes jumping between the spot where Shikaroku was hiding and the direction from which Kyoi-Sama and Junko would be arriving from. She was taking slow, deep breaths and doing her best to suppress her emotions as much as possible. She closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them, her facial expression changed to a focused, almost emotionless one. As they came, she felt her emotions as if they were in a distant box, detached from her. Her body was tensed up, ready to pounce upon the opportunity Shikaroku would create. And he did so.

She leaped from the branch she was perched on and aimed to land behind the zealot last in the row. She focused her chakra into both her palms and thrusted her hand at the back of the men in front her. She struck both men on the area their heart is located on their back, sentencing them to a quick, hopefully painless demise. Using the fact that their bodies remained stiff, she used them as leverage and did a somersault, supporting herself on her hands. She landed behind the front two, with the grace of a predator on the prowl. But this was not the case - this was a massacre. Wanting to dispatch them in a similar fashion, she focused her chakra on her index and middle fingers on both her hands and turned out around, delivering two pinpoint precision strikes. The sight and the sounds this caused would haunt her for a long time.

Both faces were frozen, eyes wide in terror and without a doubt fear. One of them coughed up after the strike, blood landing on Masami's pale face. She pulled her fingers back and observed Junko in the back of her field of vision, hoping for her to make a move. The last zealot standing was behind the four already dying ones, wide open for her.

As Junko led the men to the ambush point, she took note of Kyoi's presence just ahead of her. Once the genin hit the clearing with the enemy on her heels it all happened in an instant. Shadows stretched past her feet along the ground. She turned on the balls of her feet intime to see four of the fools get eliminated by Masami with what looked like well placed powerful taijutsu strikes. Being restrained as they were clearly left them with no chance at all for survival.

Following up on the Hyuga's strikes, Junko broke out into a dead sprint. She rushed past the four standing dead men and locked gazed with the final doomed soul. He'd be able to see his last moments flashing before his eyes as this pale girl drew her curved blade and slashed the man's throat wide open in one smooth motion. Junko flowed her chakra around the blade more as a protective procession for her weapon to prevent chipping in case she hit bone. The man unable to instinctively wrap his hands around his throat simply stared wide eyed in horror, offering only a low pained gurgle in response before passing.
Junko watched the man's final moments closely, staring into his eyes with her soulless gaze as the light left his irises. After that the pale girl smiled while looking at her now blood baptised blade along with the healthy splash of crimson that now stained her left shoulder. It was her first true service to the empire and she'd make sure to never forget this warm feeling she felt inside, her cheeks would even flush red.
The pale genin turned on her heels and complemented Masami while still among the standing dead."You looked truly efficient Masami-senpai." Not showing a hint of shame at buttering up the Hyuga.
In part, Kyoi watched this simply to gauge whether Junko could capitalise on openings made by the rest of the team without being instructed to, but she also watched to ensure that none of them made a mistake… To which she was thankful that they didn't.

"If the initial response is anything to go by, we won't catch them like this a second time. We'll bide our time, try and drag them away one by one from here on out. The only one keeping order is their commander." She mused, somewhat to herself but more or less giving the three a basic idea on what she wanted to do.
"I'll make some ropes with my hair, snare some of their number from any exterior patrols. Then we drag them off and dispose of them, we'll aim for… four more. Any questions or comments?" As Kyoi spoke she had already begun to form a hand seal to weave noose-like snares from her hair, growing it out as well for extra material to work with. She pointedly gave a look to Shikaroku's shoulder, having just about caught the brief sign of pain in that skirmish.
From his vantage point, Shikaroku had watched as Masami quickly and efficiently dispatched her targets. Being part of the killing still caused the Nara to feel incredible discomfort, but at least he was not the one actually drawing blood this time… He knew he was simply rationalizing it in his own mind, but it allowed him to keep himself focused on the task at hand. The pain near his mark subsided, but Shikaroku was worried that this might not be the end of it. Turning his attention back to the killing field below him, the Nara watched as Junko eliminated the final hostile, seemingly unaffected by the deed or the blood that now covered her. Shivering slightly in disgust, Shikaroku waited until he was absolutely certain that the hostiles were all down before releasing his shadow and dropping from the branch to join the others.
As Kyoi described their next steps, Shikaroku listened intently, wanting to keep his gaze away from the bodies that littered the floor of the clearing. When the Hyuuga turned her gaze on him, he looked down and away, ashamed, before shaking his head. Cursing Hiron internally for sending him with two Hyuuga, Shikaroku knew he'd have to be even more careful as hiding things from a Byakugan user was all but impossible.
Hoping that his head shake would be enough to dissuade Kyoi from probing further, at least for now, Shikaroku folded his arms across his chest and waited for the others to respond before they'd move out.
Masami observed the way Junko dispatched the remaining foe. It was quick and efficient, but just not her way of doing things. As the bodies dropped and she was complimented, without knowing how to react to it, she just awkwardly nodded back. Shikaroku than jumped down from his spot, landing near them. Despite Masami turning to face him, he avoided to look at her and before anything more could happen, Kyoi started to detail their further moves. They would be taking down more of the guards by dragging them away from the remainder of them. While Masami knew that Shikaroku would most likely refrain from killing and seeing Junko's first kill, she frowned. Absolute silence was required to maintain, something she doubted Junko could achieve.Or perhaps she'll surprise me. Maybe I'm too harsh on her, the Hyuuga thought for herself.
" Understood. We should make as little noise as possible. Preferably none. I'm ready, Kyoi-sama. " She addressed the first part of her sentence at Junko, perhaps less subtly and more harshly than she intended to. She tried to fix it with a friendly smile and a reassuring nod, than she turned to Shika. The Nara stubbornly refused any and all eye contact, causing Masami's frustration to surface as she gave him a more intense look than she intended. She thought something was off with the Nara, but before she could look at him further, or inquire about the matter, Kyoi initiated the next part of their plan. Shaking her head, she forced her focus on the mission again, but a slight tingle of worries was present on her mind.

Junko felt it was good that she received a nod from the compliment she gave. Heck, even that level of affection towards another admittedly made the genin feel uneasy. Catching a glimpse at the shadow user however filled the girl with confusion. He was obviously not looking at the dead or herself for that matter. Junko decided not to dwell on it long for it was currently irrelevant.
Kyoi's words were clear enough. They were to dispatch some more pockets of foes outside the encampment, silently. It was simple enough. Having been addressed by Masami to be more silent, Junko faithfully followed suit to her superior's order whether she had questions or not. The already quiet genin said not another word and breathed so gently that if one looked away it'd nearly be as if she wasn't there. She had plenty of practice at doing exactly this whenever her father ordered the exact same command.
She quickly reverted back to what Kyoi saw when she first laid eyes on Junko; an empty shell of a person. A construct of flesh and bone awaiting the next order.
Seeing that all three of her team were on board with the idea, Kyoi lead them off through the trees and underbrush to skirt around the encampment and stalk the remaining guards outside.

From what they could see there were two patrols going around the camp in groups of three with two others noticeable at the main entrances of the camp keeping a watch out to ensure the patrols come around, accompanied by routine calls from the gate guards and a response from the commander whenever a patrol showed up. The men seemed worried, constantly looking the way their five comrades went in chase earlier but deciding against following in their footsteps.
With the snake-like nooses of hair under her command and one of the two patrols passing by, her ropes slithered through the grass leading up the hill and as the gaze of one of the men drifted to the movement in the grass they lashed out and wrapped around their throats to pull them down the hill.The tension around their necks was just enough to stifle their calls and in the initial pull one of the men fell in such a way that his neck make a notable crunch, a quick end for him at least whilst the other two men were starting to get back up after tumbling to the ground, more or less at the mercy of whomever decided to end them.
As one of the two remaining men was starting to stand up, the hair like noose still constricting his throat. He looked up only to meet Junko's cold soulless eyes as she stayed up in the trees. She hardly had to move a finger as she made the single hand seal for the temporary paralysis technique. Keeping true to what she was instructed she didn't say a word, she didn't even smile as she did before as witness this man fully succumb to the noose squeezing his life away. Since he was rendered helpless thanks to the paralysis, the hair soon gifted the soldier with the sweet release of death after an agonizing and fearful few moments of strangulation.
Shikaroku had wanted to fall in behind the rest of the team as they moved out but realized it would be pointless with two Byakugan users. Even if he wanted some privacy that wasn't likely to happen with Masami and Kyoi around. So instead he fell in line somewhere in the middle of the pack, trying to keep his mind on the task at hand.
They studied the guard patterns briefly, gathering what intel they could before Kyoi made her move. She struck quickly and for a moment Shikaroku felt relieved that he might not even have to engage. That moment passed quickly however when two of the men moved, attempting to regain their footing. The Nara hesitated, long enough to witness one of the men get rooted to the spot. Shikaroku's eyes glanced at his teammates and he saw Junko holding a hand seal, her face expressionless. Realizing the other enemy was still moving, Shikaroku cursed silently. He wanted to trust that Masami would dispatch the remaining guard, but if he delayed there was a good chance that the guard would call for help and that could put everyone at risk.
Withdrawing a kunai from his pouch, Shikaroku adjusted his aim and drew his arm back. Another sensation emanated from his mark, but this time it was not pain he felt. Instead it felt as if the spot was heating suddenly, spreading warmth from the mark across his chest and into his arm. Trying to maintain his focus, Shikaroku launched his arm forward and released the kunai. As his arm passed in front of him, time seemed to slow as the Nara realized with a mixture of curiosity and fear that his arm was coated in a roiling mass of shadows. When the kunai left his grasp, the shadow seemed to cling to it, leaving his arm clear once more. Shikaroku watched as the shadow formed around the kunai, appearing to solidify into a spear-link shape. His aim was true and the projectile struck the man in his chest, knocking him from his feet with more force than a single kunai should have had. As Shikaroku watched, the shadows around the kunai dissipated like a cloud of smoke, leaving the man stone dead on the ground. Shikaroku looked at his hand as he felt the warmth receding. His hand began shaking and he quickly clenched it into a fist to steady himself. As the warmth disappeared back into the mark, he could have sworn he heard a low chuckle in the back of his mind.
The relative effectiveness of Shikaroku and Junko's methods varied, both leaving a rather curious note in Kyoi's mind to look into later. But right now they had no time to cover that, not with the routine nature of the patrols and that the missing patrol would soon be noticed so she tightened the noose on the man suffocating and ended his life swiftly.

"Move quickly, we'll split into pairs and drag off the lone men at each gate then converge on the other patrol. Quick kills, Junko you're with me." Kyoi instructed, preparing to move around the north side of the camp to catch their gate guard as she manipulated her hair to weave it into something more manageable with how much she had grown it out. The moment Junko was ready she'd start moving herself.
Masami followed afterwards as the team moved out, but stayed a step or two behind them. Her eyes were on the lookout for their targets - and they found them soon enough. Opting to stay behind, ready to pounce at a seconds notice, Masami observed the situation develop. Kyoi made incredibly effective work off them. She felt her stomach churn at Junko's work - it was brutal, perhaps excessively for her liking - but she got the job done. When observing Shikaroku, Masami noticed that something was off with him. He performed his move flawlessly, and yet there was something wrong with it. Something alien, something that should not be there. Knowing better than to solve the matter right now, she rushed up and stood beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder and nodding at him."Forgive me, please." That's all she whispered.
Listening to Kyoi's orders, Masami nodded first at their Sensei, then at Shikaroku. "Understand, Kyoi-sama." After this curt reply, she tilted her head, mentioning for Shikaroku to follow her lead. She quickly darted off to the gate on their right side. The lone guard was an easy target and she decided again to use the high ground to her advantage. She landed on a branch above and reached into her pouch. Perhaps somewhat recklessly, she hanged off from the bottom of it and launched herself at the back of the guard. She stretched out her arms and grabbed him by the waist, her velocity pushing him into the ground, Masami on top of him. She raised her left side and pulled out her hand from underneath him, a bright glow surrounding it. She slammed it at the back of the guard, her Gentle Fist move ending his life in a quick, if somewhat grim way. She looked back at Shikaroku, as if she awoke from a momentary loss of consciousness - shocked.
After letting Masami and Shikaroku split off to handle one of the guards Kyoi wasted no time in taking off towards the other side to take down their assigned guard. Moving as fast as she could, Kyoi whipped a lock of hair to gag the guard whilst stepping in and delivering a swift series of jabs with her own Gentle Fist strikes to debilitate him, leaving him more than open for Junko to cut him down as she too passed him by.

At the very least, Kyoi would glance back towards Junko to make sure she actually delivered and successfully made the kill.
The genin nodded and swiftly hopped from tree to tree just a step behind Kyoi, focusing on the task at hand. Hardly missing a beat, Junko leapt down with a kunai in hand. Her windao wouldn't be needed for this kill. She landed right in front of the weakened foe and plunged a kunai into his chest directly into his heart. Junko followed up by striking the back of the kunai with her off hand to drive it deeper as if it were a railway spike. Just to make sure it makes it through the important organ before she steps away. A rather not healthy amount of blood escaping through the wound and staining much of the front of the soldier's clothes. Quick, quiet and efficient; just as her superiors ordered.
Barely having time to even contemplate what had just happened, Shikaroku turned his attention to their leader as Kyoi ordered them to split up and take down the remaining guards at the entrance to the camp. Masami approached him and he immediately, and involuntarily, tensed fearing confrontation. Instead, she asked for his forgiveness and the Nara stood puzzled for a moment while the Hyuuga moved ahead swiftly. Following in behind her, Shikaroku's mind was still reeling and he could barely focus. They closed in on their target and Masami surged ahead. As Shikaroku watched, the Hyuuga made short work of the remaining guard on their end. It had been vicious, but mercifully quick.
Masami looked back up at him and Shikaroku held her gaze for a moment before looking past her to make sure they had not been detected. From what he could tell, they were still secure. Of course his senses were not as well attuned as the Hyuuga's, but it gave Shikaroku something to focus on that wasn't quite as frightening as what was happening with him at the moment.
Taking a step towards Masami, Shikaroku glanced around before nodding. "We should converge with the others," he said softly, meeting her gaze once more. "We'll need to move quickly while we still have surprise on our hand." Turning so that he didn't give Masami a chance to ask any questions he didn't have an answer for, Shikaroku darted into the trees to meet back up with Kyoi and Junko.
As the two began to move for the trees the second external patrol was just coming around, barely spotting the pair and one of their number about to shout the alert before halting mid-motion, much to the confusion of his compatriots.

Yet a similar fate befell them mere moments later as they too tried calling for help, their bodies locking up whilst the first man's body began crumpling to the ground as it finally gave out under his own weight to reveal the familiar white-haired visage of Kyoi between the two remainders.
From Junko's view, she would see Kyoi focus mid-run for a second before picking up speed, moving with a greater sense of urgency. Rounding the bend of the exterior of the camp would reveal the second patrol just coming upon Shikaroku and Masami vanishing into the trees, their attention solely focused on the two shadows that fled mere seconds ago.
Without hesitation, Kyoi took action and lunged between the three, unleashing a series of strikes into the first man, soon followed up by similar strikes to the two men on either side who also collapsed before long.
With all three men down, Kyoi glanced between each of her subordinates and gestured for them to get close.
Not long after a prolonged silence, the commander could be heard shouting orders again with the pained groaning of the able bodied yet injured among their number began to arm up, said groaning proving to only add a tone of rage to all his barking.
"It's just the ones in the camp left, I'll trip them up as much as I can and subdue the commander, finish the rest off, stay together, no splitting up or underestimating the enemy, injured or not they still have a number advantage." At the moment she was confident in trusting the three of them to look after one another while she was occupied.
As soon as the three were ready Kyoi lead them to the entrance on the side that she and Junko had passed, unleashing the slithering mass of hair she'd very recently grown in order to tangle and snare the soldiers as they were just finishing with their donning of armour.
This elicited panic and distress among the men, followed by the sight of Kyoi rushing into the camp, locking her gaze upon the commander while the soldiers surrounding him were pulling their feet from the entwined mass of hair.

The three had free reign to engage.

 

[Oetje]

[ A dance of Ravens ]
[ The 11th Imperial Brigade Encampment | Sevudia, Eastern Continent ]
[ A collab between @Oblivion666 and @Oetje ]
[ Meilin seeks out Kazumo, something troubling her mind. Finding the blue-haired Scylding, the two engage and discuss the situation that exists between them. A rather satisfactory ending then takes place. ]​

The sun was setting on the world, slowly vanishing in the horizon. The ever-going activities in the camp were a sight and environment that Meilin had gotten used to. In a way, it reminded her of Keishi, though the many buildings were absent, the chaos as bustling of people and animals had that familiar feeling.
Making her way to the part where the Gwade Rangers resided, Meilin looked around. She was sure that she would find him here. Of course, she could ask any officer if he was assigned to a patrol or perhaps operation to keep the secrecy of the 11th's encampment a reality, a little bit longer.
But she didn't want to speak to them, instead with a brisk pace going through the lanes of tents. Her eyes scanned the sight of the blue haired Scylding, amidst the rangers.

Everything still felt so unreal to him now. No longer would he be called upon by his team leader instead now… he would be aiding others if not doing things alone. It all felt like it wasn't true. He stayed in front of his tent sitting on the ground attempting to distract his mind from the chaos of a camp trying to do multiple weeks worth of work in one. He could practise his swordsmanship or even develop his Obsidian nature more. Yet instead he sat in front of his tent fletching arrows. Seemed like basic camp chore but by looking at his face, one could see it did help relax him.

Moving into another lane, she walked once more with the same steady pace. Only to slow down as she noticed Kazumo sitting in front of his tent. Her mind tried to process once more what she wanted to say and discuss. Realising something all too well, she would pick up the pace and approach him.
"Hey, Kazumo," she tried to sound off friendly but her tone was far from it - almost demanding. Realising it, Meilin briefly shut her eyes and tried to calm herself down. "We need to talk," She began, this time more polite than before, "About… something. That has been crossing my mind a few times," wavering, she only started to detect that something was off. Frowning, she hesitated to continue on.
"Are you alright?"

Putting the last of the feathers on the arrow, he reached to grab another one when a sudden demanding voice stopped him in his track. Looking up he saw Meilin who then told him that they needed to talk about something on her mind. Blinking a few times he would offer a small smile and a nod to her last question.
"Yeah just keeping my mind busy was all. All the commotion makes it hard to focus, so I do simple tasks to help me focus better. Yet did you want to sit and talk or is there somewhere you had in mind?"

Looking around for a second, Meilin realised that privacy wasn't a common thing in an army camp. And going out of the camp during dark was prohibited, unless one was assigned to task or operation. Gesturing subtly to his tent, Meilin responded.
"Good. How about your tent? Unless you are sharing that with others. We could then perhaps talk in my tent." She responded, her cheeks flaring up red as she realised how that could be perceived. "Just to talk. But I would rather sit somewhere not being bothered by a constant cold wind."

"My tent should work then." Kazumo said as he would stand up holding the flap of it open for her, to a tent with books on the ground in piles, wood shavings in one spot of the tent where a table was nearby with what appeared to be half of a wood raven in progress, then his gear laid on the ground close to the entrance. Walking in himself he pulled the two chairs by his table and dragged them towards the center of the tent away from most of the clutter.
"Sorry about the mess.. So something was on your mind?"

Entering the tent, Meilin wasn't sure why she was surprised. The sight of books was something she should have expected. Sitting down in a spot that wasn't occupied, Meilin tried to pace her thoughts as Kazumo apologised for the state of his tent and asked what she had on her mind.
"Okay, don't take this in any wrong way. But," searching for the right words, she grew evidently frustrated, "I need to know. What this is," her right hand raised, her index finger first pointing at him and then back at her. The motion being repeated several times over at a rapid pace.
"Like, you have been very sweet. Supportive. To the point I am not sure what you're getting at. Even asked me to marry," a small laugh escaped her, betraying some of her nerves as she remembered those moments, "which was sweet. But," her gaze moved as wildly across the tent as her mind tried to find the words she wanted, her eyes desperate to find something she could find comfort in the chaotic mess of Kazumo's tent.
"I just need to know, I suppose. Are you serious? I grew up in Keishi. The guys there, well, you know, I know what girls and boys do. Or boys and boys. Girls ..."
Closing her lips, she realised that she was rambling. Placing her hands on her legs, she released a deep sigh.
"I guess, I am clumsy. And I just want to say that I like… you know, the idea. You and I. I guess, I like that? Well, no, I thought about it. And I like that. Us. I… fucking gods," covering her face with her hands for a second, the muffled voice resonated through.

"I like you."​

The entire time he was getting the chairs ready his mind was instantly racing wondering what he did wrong. Shit did he forget her birthday? No, it wasn't her birthday… Did he say something rude!? No he wasn't Madoc, eventually his mind stopped racing when she asked what this was. He blinked a few times as he was unsure what that meant as she kept pointing to him then to her. Like a child he was not picking up on any signs as he tilted his head slightly until she stated that he has been very sweet and supportive. Mentioning when he asked her to marry him.
Already his face was changing a different color, going from his white to a red hue as he now wished for his repetitive labor back. He still did his best to remain composed when she suddenly asked if he was serious. Wondering as she grew up in Keishi where he assumed they were more… playing around. The more she spoke the more his red hue seemed to fade as his nerves started to calm down.
In fact a smile started to grow when she started to hesitantly state that she liked him back. This caused him to fully smile when she did finally say it.

"Well I never grew up in a big city or large populated area, I grew up in the woods of Aldermarsh. So everything I was taught was by my father who told me to never hurt someone you care for. So of course I meant what I said Meilin. Everything I've said to you I meant. It's why I trusted you with my true lineage. Cause I do care deeply for you." Kazumo said a few seconds later as he looked at her he chuckled.
"I never thought you to be the shy type though."

Lowering her hands, the expression on Meilin's face betrayed her frustration and irritation that he seemed to enjoy her shyness. But a sharp response didn't follow as Meilin seemed to ease slightly. Eyeing Kazumo, it nearly seemed that she was seeking something. Anything that could betray that his words were nothing but a facade; a smokescreen to hide a sort of hidden agenda.
Slowly, Meilin's body leaned closer towards his. Her hazelnut brown eyes betrayed a glint of her caution and insecurity, her gaze peering to find something to warrant her wariness. Only as she was moving so close that her breath nearly touched his skin, did her motion halt. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest as her breathing became slower.

Suddenly, she leaned back and sat on her bottom again.
"Have you been crying?" She suddenly asked, gesturing to his eyes.

She didn't really respond to his comment, staying quiet instead as she seemed to study him, almost searching for something specific. Then she flipped things around on him starting to lean in towards him, causing his mind to start thinking at a rather…. dumb rate. She…. was she actually? It was a moment like this that he kind of hated the fact his father never actually gave relationship advice. His breath sort of halted as he stared into her eyes only…. she then leaned back. Leaving him with a flushed face as she asked if he had been crying.

It took him a few seconds to process what she had just asked him, only then did he realize his eyes must still be a little red.
"... Yeah I did. I had a talk with Aiko, she promoted me… Which I guess means I'm no longer on her team."

Surprised, Meilin then offered a friendly smile. "Promoted? Congratulations. So, what now? Do I have to address you with sir, Specialised Jounin? Sir Jounin?" She asked, genuinely curious. But if he wasn't part of that team anymore, then was he going to lead his own? Her curiosity was so piqued that Meilin sincerely forgot what they had discussed earlier. Only a few seconds later would a thought cross her mind that she had come here with a reason.

"I was promoted to Jounin, but no you don't have to address me with any fancy title. You can still use my name. Yet… I'm not sure what it is that Jounin's truly does ya know? I don't have a team, I guess I'm just someone a team can borrow for now?" Kazumo said while he did know what the job title entitled and the responsibilities, yet it was still something new and a bit weird considering the circumstances

Pondering about it, Meilin's lips curled up slightly. "A shame. I was looking forward to using my own jounin rank to boss you around. But perhaps you won't be removed from that team yet? Its not like you are on par with other jounin, simply because of a promotion. That would make a lot of things easier, I suppose. If it worked like that." She replied, though she shrugged mentally, trying to focus again.
"But, back to where we were. You like me and I like you back. Actually," frowning, Meilin's head slightly tilted to the side, "have you like… ever had.. you know."

Her comment caused him to smile and chuckle, they both knew she still planned on bossing him around, yet she also was promoted then? "Well congratulations to you as well then. Yeah you are probably right though, but I'm not sure how long they plan to keep me around on the team."
She then brought them back to the topic that she came here about, when she asked him a question to which he shook his head. "Nope. Forest life and focusing on improving myself… I never really left a lot of room for me to worry about that. Until well…. you."

Placing her hands behind her, she leaned slightly backwards. His response gave her a warm feeling. It was hard to really understand how she felt about it. A mixture of amusement and happiness was perhaps the best way to describe it.
"Thanks, though I got a long way before I will really accept myself as a jounin," Meilin replied back, "Huh, so you were a loner. That is… cute," she half-joked, a laugh chuckled away.
"Okay, so you never…" her eyes narrowed, the expression of the young woman betraying her amusement, "kissed? Or…"

Him being a loner was cute? Okay now she was having fun teasing him, as his face flushed a bit as he shook his head to her next question. "No I haven't. Most I ever did was…. hug…. huh wow I really havent even done that much.." Kazumo said a bit surprised he actually only ever hugged probably three people. He then tilted his head at her. "What about you? Have you ever kissed?"

The smile turned into a wide grin as he confessed that he had barely even hugged. Already, Meilin expected the response back. Shrugging casually, she gave a response back.
"I grew up in Keishi. When boys and girls get curious, experiments happen." Meilin said, at first. She would once more lean forward, her voice becoming softer. "Obviously, it starts with kissing," gradually Meilin once more moved in closer towards Kazumo. The insecurity and wariness of before seemed to be missing. "then I suppose, something as hugging follows. In the dark, away from prying eyes. Just two people, slowly intertwining with each other." Her voice softly trailing off as she locked her eyes with Kazumo's - still ever moving closer.
Settling closer to Kazumo, Meilin's eyes widened a little as once more their faces were close. A second of silence followed as they would be able to feel each other's breath on their skin, able to see the subtle movements of their eyes.

"But nope!"

Playfully stating the two words, Meilin settled down with a shit-eating grin. Gently she shoved his shoulder. "I was curious. But not that curious. I suppose I was sent to Konohagakure before I could indulge or be indulged? Anyhow, no, I haven't ever kissed someone like what you probably mean. Not on the lips, nope."

She was so doing this on purpose and he was almost certain she was having the time of her life making him panic and confused. Made him wonder for sure how sheltered his father actually kept him, he went to cities but his dad never mentioned any of this stuff happening in them.. Oh they were being sneaky! Well now he felt dumb realizing that. As she got closer once again she would stop talking before sitting right back down with the happiest smile on her face as she stated no. He blinked a few times lost in thought as he looked at her smiling away at him. He stared silently at her as he this time sat up putting his arms on her shoulders. He could feel his heart pounding faster, almost trying to choke out any words from escaping.

"Then do you…. care if I kiss you?"

Kazumo said softly as he stared into her eyes, subtly admiring their color as he leaned in closer.

It remained silent as Meilin didn't move. She had the brief urge to move away, a lump conjuring in her throat. The time between his question and her response couldn't be more than two seconds, yet it felt like an eternity had started and faded before her lips parted.
"I do."
The two words were whispered softly but a certain playfulness was missing. Despite her words, Meilin moved closer, her heart skipping beats as her lips touched his. Gently, one of her hands would be placed at the back of his head, her fingers caressing his hairs during the intimate moment.
Breaking the kiss, Meilin half opened her eyes. Peering through her eyelashes, she had to suppress a chuckle. Sliding her hands against his chest, Meilin would attempt to guide him on his back.
"Just don't ask silly questions." She once more whispered, leaning again to press her lips against his.

Wait did she say she does? Was his last thought before his lips touched hers, surprising him how soft they were. He felt her hand move to the back of his head gently holding onto his hair. His arm moved to wrap behind her as she parted from the kiss, seeing her gentle look which caused him to smile. It briefly made him wonder if her heart was also racing but he was positive he was racing far more, as she could feel her attempting to guide him to his back. Once again his mind was now racing at what felt like miles wondering what was going on now.
It would calm down when she said don't ask silly questions. Silly questions? he didn't even know how to phrase this to even start asking questions. He felt if he tried speaking now, that it would come out in a very stuttery mess. So he softly nodded, as she leaned in once again connecting their lips. While his brain certainly felt like a chaotic mess, he raised his hand to the back of her head this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

The ambience of the encampment was mostly held back by the tent's canvas. Putting her shirt back on, Meilin halted her motions for a moment. Her body was much warmer and she felt happy. But it was different than before. Pulling on her right boot, she threw a look over her shoulder.
"So," she began, turning her gaze away as she put on her other boot, yet continuing on talking, "I really enjoyed spending time with you. But I will have to go."
Moving on her knees, Meilin continued on to put on more of her attire. Tending to the last pieces, she flashed a smile at Kazumo.
"I am.. happy."

His mind was still very much racing, slightly calmer than initially but racing. He put his own shirt back on as she started to speak. Was…. was he allowed to look? Kazumo briefly wondered as he looked over at her still putting on her attire as she stated she had to go. He felt nervous until he saw her smile which seemed to take away his nerves completely. As she stated she was happy, he couldn't help but smile and move over giving her a hug.
"I'm happy too."

A bit surprised as he hugged her, Meilin didn't resist or fight back. Closing her eyes as he held her, she felt only slightly awkward. But that was a feeling, she imagined, which would ebb away over time. When he released her, she planted a kiss against his lips - brief and quickly.
"Good. I need to go. Do me a favour," she said on a soft tone, "don't start telling everyone what we are. Or what we did. It is best if we keep it for ourselves. Do that and," the playful smile of before found its way back to her lips, "I might have a surprise for you then." Rising up, she would move to the entrance of the tent. Only to throw a look back before vanishing outside - venturing towards her own tent.

As brief as the kiss was it still made him feel all warm inside as she asked him for a favour. Which was to not inform everyone about them and what they did. I mean that made sense, who the hell went around bragging about…… Madoc. Yet a surprise? He wasn't the biggest fan of surprises but he supposed he could put up with a surprise if it was from her. He gave a nod and smile as she would exit his tent. He would then slump on his back,as he thought of what he could do to make his mind stop racing about something new now.

 

[Oblivion666]

[ The camp of general Yuuki | Southern Sevudia, eastern continent ]
[ A collab between @Gerontis and @Oblivion666 ]
[ A shark and a wolf... ]
[ Koike and Yuuki meet to discuss a plan on taking the nearby fortress - which forms a major obstacle for the southern front to advance further into Sevudia. With the recent stream of reinforcements, the plan seems simple and yet viable enough to provide a good chance of success. ]​

The trip to the main encampment of the Jirian force showcased the difference. Koike could remember that some time ago, the Jirian force was one of the smallest force of the allies. But now it seemed that the Jirou Authority had decided to invest fully into the conflict. Accompanied by some of his men, Koike continued in a calm pace towards the commander's tent. The curious glances nor glares from the surrounding people did little to Koike. He didn't trust the Jirians either. But they had gained little reason to distrust each other, which meant that his plan had a chance of success.
Bypassing where engineers worked on creating a large siege tower, Koike recognised the tactic to attach fresh animal hides to the outer layer. If those hides would be drenched in water, it would become near impossible to set the siege tower aflame through most methods.

Arriving at the commander's tent, Koike would calmly address the guards and await what the response would be. His own guard seemed calm but the glances they threw around made it abundantly clear that they wanted to leave as soon as they could.
Hooking his thumbs behind his belt, Koike threw a look around the camp. He wondered for a moment about how large the Jirian force was in total. And what had actually sparked the Jirians to mobilise so many reinforcements to the eastern campaign.

Man did more problems come his way when suddenly sixty thousand men were around. Kiro growled as it was now daily to get what he felt like over hundreds of different reports and did he actually think he was going to have to drink his headache away. Yet one of the guards popped inside his tent to inform him of Koike Hon's arrival which made him sigh as he walked outside looking slightly down at the well equipped man. Letting out a whistle he could tell the kid had been in various fights. If he won was uncertain. Kiro simply motioned to come on into the tent,even the guards could enter. His own guards looked at him funny but he simply waved them off as he entered the tent.

"Man imagine that. Boss man back home finally sends an army and progress fucking happens. So I was informed you had some kind of plan you wanted to tell me about?" Kiro said as he placed his hands on the table in front of him with a map of the area roughly drawn out from scout reports.

Koike gestured to his guards to remain outside as he calmly followed Yuuki into his tent. He was slightly amused that the Jirian leader didn't request his weapons or show any concerns. Not bringing the point up either, Koike frowned slightly as Yuuki spoke.
"Good, means that we don't have to worry you guys can't hold this portion of the war," Koike replied, walking to one side of the map as he studied what the Jirians had managed to uncover. From a quick glance, it seemed that they had uncovered as much as his people did. A good sign, Koike thought to himself.
"I noticed that you have many more men. Which works great in my plan. I want to commit a two front attack." Pointing at the western approach, where the majority of the Jirian forces were encamped, Koike explained his plan, "I want the defenders to worry about you. Feign that you're ready to attack with the majority of your army. Ready whatever siege equipment you can in the next few days. Your numbers should be great enough to demand their full attention."

Placing his index finger on the other side of the fortress layout, Koike raised his gaze to meet that of general Yuuki. "The real attack comes from the other side. I will sneak in a contingent of my forces. They know some Rén and will go as those Red Cloaks. Last time we intercepted a Rongese convoy that attempted to bring some sort of box to the camp. My troops will do this late in the evening, while you keep their attention. When it is growing darker, I want to open the gates. My forces and a portion of yours will rush in and occupy this section of the fortress. It will sow chaos and disrupt their attention. When you move in, we can basically pincer them and deny them any solid foothold. Causing the place to fall in one attack."

A two front attack huh? Well it would keep casualties on their side lower anyway, not that the Rongese could honestly put up that much resistance. So the little wolf wanted them to feign a fake attack and cause full attention to be diverted to his force while his sneaks in and opens the floodgates. Certainly not bad at all, mostly if they had people that could infiltrate and open the gates. "Sounds simple enough. Saves lives in the long run if this works out too." Kiro stated as he saw no issues with this plan at all. Certainly took longer to enact but not a bad plan for someone that looked as young as they do.

Kiro looked at Koike for a second with an impressed look. "How old are you kid? Your face says you've been in many fights yet you still have that youthful look to you. Cause I'm impressed. Most would simply say overrun the fort with our clear number advantage and yet…. You are thinking of ways to minimize friendly deaths."

Glad that the Jirian general found the plan good, Koike simply nodded as the other man seemed to be willing to cooperate. The question of Yuuki surprised Koike slightly. Yet, he had no issue with satiating the Jirian's curiosity.
"Twenty winters old," Koike casually replied. "Been in some rough fights but my opponents are looking way worse than I do right now," the Hon joked before turning more serious. "Most would also think that numbers are everything. I will be honest. I don't care how many losses you are going to suffer," shrugging subtly, Koike continued on, "but we both already have learned that these bastards have a larger reserve. Every man they lose, they can easily replace. We can't afford to lose many compared to theirs. So I prefer to avoid either of us losing too many men and that this has been for naught."

Twenty huh? His comment of his opponents looking far worse made him laugh. "I'm sure they do hahaha!" Kiro said and gave a shrug to the next comment, most would take offense to their ally stating they don't care how many of their people died. It did no good though to get all hot and bothered about it.
"Honesty, I respect that. Well never lose that way of thinking and you will go far enough kid. Do you by any chance know if the fucks have any of those men that can survive multiple hits that would normally kill someone? It's been a while since I've seen any and that is slightly off putting."

Kid? Koike was slightly amused by the other man calling that. But he didn't care much about the other man's point of view. His troops were what Koike wanted. When the general brought up an opponent that could survive multiple hits, Koike's mind didn't require much to realise what the Jirian was speaking about.
"Vrykyls. Nasty shits," Koike answered, "we encountered some of them before. They are sort of chakra leeches. Some of them are actually fully sentient. Those fuckers are the worst, honestly," Koike paused as he remembered his own encounters with those. "It is best to use dragonsteel against them. That will slice right through their defense. Else? Tire them out or just hammer them enough. I have yet to hear from others if they can't otherwise be sealed away or some other method to quickly deal with them."
Wait, did this man actually seem disappointed that he hadn't seen or fought a Vrykyl in a while?

That was the word, Vrykyl. Kiro would listen knowing some of what they could do but knowing an easier way was something he didn't know. Good thing the Akechi's were here… well somewhat good anyway. Yet nothing reported of them recently, shame they weren't good on ally morale but they sure were fun to fight. "Yeah I know about constant attacking. I killed one like them, not really sentient, more brawn than brain. Oh well better for morale that they don't show up I suppose. Well anyway my troops can get the siege towers done in a day or two if they don't slack off. Just send word when you want us to enact the plan."

A day or two? Koike nodded, emphasising that he was content with that time. For a moment, he did find it a shame that this general and man was a Jirian. If things had been different, who knew? They could perhaps do more than find some respect for each other. His attitude already confused Koike slightly, reminding him vaguely of his kin and people's own desire to fight against strong foes. Focusing on the conversation, Koike replied.
"I will send one of my own to alert you. Once my stage of the plan works, I will alert you and yours with the sound of our horns. Then I will need you to drive your slackers to hurry before the entire garrison might be chopped by my and my boys." Stretching out his right arm, he nodded towards Yuuki. "So don't keep my boys waiting."

Finding Koike's answer satisfactory about how they planned to alert them. Giving a small chuckle at not keeping his boys waiting. Kiro stood up straight and extended his arm out too. yet he didn't shake his hand but instead gripped the Hon by his forearm. Giving a small smile.
"Just make sure your boys are ready for the bloodbath and i'll make sure mine hurry their asses up."

A grin grew on Koike's features as he shook the man's wrist before pulling his arm back. "Good. I might keep a few for you saved then," with their business conducted, Koike would give a subtle nod before turning around and heading out of the tent. It was time to go back and prepare things on his side.

 

[RedFox]

Gone in a flash

General Nariko Jun
[ General in The Lightning Country's Military | Kumogakure ]
[ Nariko executes the move long planned by The Lord of The North, getting rid of an ineffective puppet. Great thanks to the amazing @Oetje! ]

The ride to Kumogakure was a quiet one. The sun was hanging low, illuminating the road to the former capital, Nariko's eyes looking over at it from a distance. He was leading a small column of Royal Guards on a very special assignment, one that made him feel on the edge of the seat.Lord Keitaro made all the necessary preparations, he reminded himself. Now it was his turn to bring fruit to those efforts. He straightened himself on his horse and for the remainder of the journey, his eyes were on the approaching city and he went over the plan and the events that led to them over and over.

Nobody seemed to pay any attention to them as the small group entered the walls of the city, or as they steadily made their way towards the center of it. Nariko was travelling with a cape that had a cloak concealing his face, his gear underneath them. There was no resistance to be expected from the ANBU units guarding the Raikage. The man himself was a different question. Him and a dozen of Royal Guards should be able to handle matters, should they get out of hand. Nariko wanted to prevent even a single drop of blood from being spilt on this night.Even that single drop would be more than you deserve, Itagaki, he frowned. Upon reaching the building that housed his office, Nariko raised right hand and formed it into a fist. The group stopped at once and dismounted.

They quickly formed up again behind him and followed his lead as he entered the building. Administrative workers still in the building stopped in their tracks to look at them, but the guards remained motionless. Nariko ignored the bystanders and pressed towards his goal, feeling his heart pound the closer they got to the office of the man they were after. Upon reaching the floor with his office, Nariko signaled for half of the guards to his door and wait there. He looked at the remaining six." Clear this floor, no one is allowed to remain. Once done, secure the stairwell. We want no witnesses. Avoid use of lethal force at all costs."

The guard nodded and his group went to carry out the goal. Nariko walked up to the door and signaled the guards further from the door to remain at guard. He opened the door and the remaining four guards walked in after him, fanning out around him as he stood in front of his desk. The man leaned back in his chair and looked at them, his face calm and expressionless." Nariko Jun. To what do I owe the pleasure of having this visit?" Nariko reached for his cloak and revealed his face. He locked eyes with the Raikage and remained silent for a moment.

" You know why I am here, Itagaki. There was some dissatisfaction with your rule at certain places. What do you have to say to address this matter?" The man merely shifted forward in his seat and straightened up. His facial expression is still neutral." I rule to the best of my abilities. I gave all I had to this country. I bled for this country. And - " He was cut off as Nariko reached for Fūjin and held the man at the tip of his blade." You made others bleed for this country. If this is your best, than you leave me with no other choice."
The guards fanned out even more and raised their weapons as well." So you are judge, jury and executioner all at once, Jun? How uncharacteristic of you - a nobody from the North."

Nariko remained still. Itagaki cleanly tried to throw him off balance. A small smirk spread on his face.'' Who I am is not important. And who you are is irrelevant. If this is your best, it won't do." Itagaki stood up, and Nariko shifted his hand. His blade rested on Itagaki's neck and stopped there." Itagaki, in the name of Keitaro the First, Lord of The North and in the name of the people of this country, you are under arrest." Nariko shifted his blade in his hand and a red drop appeared on the tip of it." This is the first time you bled for this country. But we won't grant you the pleasure to die so easily."

After a nod from Nariko, the guards approached closer and Itagaki was pinned between the tip of five blades. Nariko looked into his eyes with cold dismissal." Your rule is over. And it was long enough. Take him away." Nariko pulled Fūjin from his neck, the single drop of blood landing with an inaudible splat on the desk. Unwillingly, Itagaki moved and the Royal Guards kept him wedged between their weapons. Nariko opened the door and the two Guards on guard added their weapons as well. Nariko walked in front of them. As they reached the stairwell, he mentioned for Itagaki's guards to come over to him." Lord Raikage is feeling unwell. He retreated into his quarters and is not accepting any visits."

Receiving the order with a nod, Nariko led the small group down the stairs and on different levels, another pair of guards joined them. They reached the exit from the building, and thanks to the flawless work of the Royal Guards, no one witnessed them. Just before exiting the building, the group stopped and Nariko took out a bag from one of his pouches and pulled it over his head. They walked to the courtyard and helped him on a vacant horse waiting for him. All the guards mounted their steeds and eight of them approached him while Nariko watched over him. They tied ropes around his chest, tying his arms tightly to his body. Once that was done, Nariko mounted his steed and assumed his position at the front. He was flanked by two guards, than came the eight holding Itagaki in check. The remaining two guarded the back of the formation.

Nariko signalled and the group moved out as one. Despite the sun already setting, Nariko avoided large streets, so their way out of the village was somewhat longer. When they left the village, he allowed himself to let out a sigh. He slightly cursed at himself for not controlling his temper better. The group rode silently, their eyes in the lookout.

Blood was spilt tonight.​

 

[Nim]

[ Sevudia | The Eastern Front ]​

[ Sergeant Dagrún "Badass" Hon and Chuunin Yoshikuni "Arseling" Sadako ]​

A Collab between @Aliceee and @Nim ​

Kuni gets a training session from Dagrún following the daily drill.​

---

The day had started early but that was all fine to Dagrún. Amused, she watched as the platoon trained underneath the strict supervision of Meilin. Now and then, Dagrún aided and moved in to help with certain exercises. But today, she had been hanging a bit back - content with observing. The platoon wasn't one of the best. This had to do with the influx of newcomers and in Dagrún's opinion, she was surprised that the other regions allowed young people like Hideko to join the unit. Knowing her place, she wouldn't complain about it. Watching as the platoon dispersed, Dagrún chewed on a piece of roasted potato - though the foodware had already been cold. Chewing on the bite, she saw one of the newcomers place the sparring weapons back.
"So," Dagrún spoke up in Taika, wagering that this was just another Taika joining the outfit, "newest pup to join the ranks, eh?" She nodded towards the sparring weapons before continuing. "What's ye favorite weapon, so far? Blade, axe or spear?"

After going through another tough drill, Kuni placed a few of the weapons back in their proper spot, before hearing someone talk to her in Taika. Turning, she looked at Dagrun as she spoke to her. When she was done, Kuni nodded and turned to look at the weapons "I'm new, yeah. And if you call me pup, guess you're a Hon huh?" She finished arranging the weapons a bit more properly, before turning back to face Dagrun.
"I'm not sure which I favor more. The sword has smoother movements, which I can appreciate, but the axe has more oomph to its strikes, which I definitely feel more comfortable with. Kinda used to hitting stuff hard with earth-covered fists, which can also hit hard." She told her, briefly glancing back at the pile of weapons. Walking towards Dagrun, Kuni offered a nod of her head "I'm Yoshikuni Sadako. Kuni for short." She introduced herself.

Slightly amused that the newling made such an assumption, Dagrún wouldn't correct her. "Koni," Dagrún said, slowly, as she had to figure out the name better. Seemingly pondering if she liked it or not, Dagrún kept leaning against the stacked crates behind her.
"Ah, fighting with fists is one of the best ways. I, meself, consider the axe more fun. Though nothing wrong with a sword. As long as it is proper made. I don't like those curved ones too much. Doesn't work with my style," Dagrún responded. She imagined that the newling had memorised the names of her sergeants and lieutenants. However, Dagrún pushed her back from the crates and nodded.
"Dagrún, one of the sergeants to kick ye behind if ye start slacking." Noticing the height difference, Dagrún frowned slightly. Yet, she seemed still more amused than anything else. "Ye ain't that tall, eh? Didn't get kicked at yer behind enough to grow further?"

Kuni was a bit amused to hear Dagrun say her name with the accent. But she didn't feel like correcting Dagrun about the pronunciation. Listening further, when Dagrun introduced herself, Kuni nodded. She had heard that was one of her sergeant's names. After the remark about her height came, she shrugged slightly.
"My mom wasn't that tall either. Think I might've actually passed her by a bit. And with how slow I've been growing and my age, I don't really expect to grow much taller." Kuni said, before turning away from Dagrun and going back to pick up some more of the weapons that had been left from the latest drill. She still had more work to do, and Dagrun did just say she'll kick her butt if she slacked.
"I can agree on the scimitars. They feel a bit weird. I think the sword I felt most comfortable with so far is probably a short sword. Not a lot of reach, but I can handle it with more ease, along with the shield." Kuni said as she picked up several more swords and axes, before moving to put them back in their place.

Eyeing Kuni once more, Dagrún wondered if where she came from people were this tiny. It was a curious prospect but one that quickly faded from Dagrún's interest and mind. Frowning as Kuni brought up scimitars, Dagrún's head tilted slightly to the side.
"That's how ye Asiske call yer swords? Scimi...Scimitars. Huh," a frown formed on the brow of the Hon, "Odd. Or well, just not my style or taste. However, do ye find yourself so far? Being part of this unit and what not." Dagrún decided to ask.

Placing the weapons in their spots, Kuni shook her head slightly "I suppose scimitars isn't exactly the right name for them. That's a name I learned back in the academy in Konoha." She remarked. It was the first name that popped to her mind when she thought about curved swords, but perhaps it wasn't the right name. Especially considering where Scimitars originated from.
Kuni turned back and went to grab a few more weapons "Well, to say I've completely settled in would be lying. I lived in the military barracks before coming here, so being among military people isn't too much of a change. Barely knowing anyone is what makes it harder. I had come to know a few people by now, but it's still different. This is a mostly Chonobi-based platoon, so I don't feel exactly like I fit." She said, with a neutral expression, although her voice would showcase a touch of sadness.

"Cause ye don't," Dagrún casually stated, "ye are small, don't seem like ye can actually pack a punch without needing a technique. Frankly, I wouldn't send ye to fight a pair of other cubs," the blonde Hon added to her statement. Shrugging lightly afterwards, she continued.
"But, ye can learn and who knows? Even grow? So, I will not keep my opinion on ye for now." The blonde paused for a second, "So, where do ye hail from though? Ye speak slightly differently than the previous Asiskes, if I am not mistaken. Oh," the thought of before surfacing once again, "are they all so small where ye from? Or are ye just needing some more porridge, heh."

And there was that word again. She hadn't heard it since Asmund said it to her. That felt like a lifetime ago. Asiske. Though he said she wasn't even that. She stopped moving for a moment after hearing it, before beginning to pick up the weapon by her feet.
"I'm from Amegakure. So definitely a fair distance away from the eastern parts of the country. So can't say I'm really surprised to hear that. As for height, no, I'm short even in Amegakure. My first sensei is probably like, two heads taller than me? Maybe even three." Kuni said as she picked up a spear. She definitely didn't see herself wielding a spear.
"Where do you come from? Only place I've been to in the Hon lands is Magnhild. And that was a rather short visit." Kuni asked as she turned to put the weapons back once more.

"Huh, Amegakore," Dagrún repeated as she rubbed the bridge of her nose for a moment. But the name did little to provoke much out of Dagrún as she seemed to willing to rather answer Kuni's question.
"So ye been to Ylfling's lands, eh? Magnhild is okay, I suppose, for most part. Meself?" Dagrún grinned slightly, "Proper Tryggve, through and through. Though I suppose ye Asiske call us what? Dowhon. We tend to like rougher climates than most ye folk. And even more than most of the other Ylflings," Dagrún answered. Watching Kuni put the weapons back once more, Dagrún spoke up again.
"Just let them be, pup. Ain't nobody going to whinge or moan about their sparring weapon being a tad dirty. Unless yer trying to convey that ye are willing to do some more training. Though, I am not as kind as the lieutenant, honestly."

After putting the weapons back and hearing Dagrun's remark, Kuni shrugged "Honestly, I could train more. My muscles might be aching a bit, but I still got energy in me. And I was mostly doing it because you said you'll kick my butt if I slack around. Didn't want to give a poor example. Idle hands are also a demon's playthings, or something like that." She said.
Turning to look at Dagrun, Kuni stretched her hands up "Well, if people won't mind their weapons being dirty, I suppose I'll go ahead and do this." She said, before moving herself to a handstand. After steadying herself, she turned to look at Dagrun, albeit upside down now "A bit of balance and strength training in one." Kuni stated.

Frowning once more, Dagrún raised her right hand. Observing it after Kuni's remark that idle hands were demon's playthings, the blonde Hon shook her hand before focusing back on the small individual. Looking down as Kuni had decided to make a handstand, the amusement seemed to fade away from Dagrún's features.
"Sometimes, I really don't get ye Asiskes at all. I was going to suggest that I could try to help ye out in some weapon training," scratching her neck, Dagrún gestured towards the other, "ye Amegakore folks like this? Or ye just eccentric like?" Dagrún decided to ask.

And again. Asiske. She just stared at Dagrun for a brief moment, before speaking up "I'm just kind of eccentric. Probably one of the best words to describe me." She started, before getting back onto her feet "And I'd definitely appreciate some help with weapon training." Kuni said. She may have talked a bit more casually until now, but since her sergeant basically offered to take some more time to help her train directly, she figured she'll be a bit more polite.
With the word still poking in the back of her head, Kuni spoke up again "Not sure if you'll want to answer this, but what does Asiske mean? I heard a Cho before tell me I wasn't an Asiske, nor a Ylfing." She said, trying to pronounce both words the best she could. She figured she had an accent saying both, but hoped Dagrun could still understand her.

The question in return didn't need much time before Dagrún gave an answer. "It is what we, how do you call us? Some kind of silly name. Ah," snapping the fingers of her right hand, Dagrún continued casually, "Chonobi? Something like that. It is what we call ye … non-Chonboi. Ye know, folk who don't belong to clans, have a lineage and all that." Dagrún explained, "It is nothing bad though, ye are what ye are, I guess." Though the words that a Cho had told she wasn't an Asiske made Dagrún consider something. Only to shrug lightly.
"Vythlings are clever. But unless ye have a lineage or such, ye an Asiske. No Scylding or such even comes from this Amegakore something."

As Dagrun explained what Asiske meant, Kuni started to understand better what she was probably told before. She wasn't exactly a Taika, nor exactly a Hon. Parents from both, but without accepting her Hon lineage. With that answered, Kuni looked at the pile of weapons close to her, before looking at Dagrun again.
"Thanks for the answer. I could explain more, but it's a long and boring story. For now, could I still take you up on the offer to help me train with the weapons some more?" Kuni asked.

"Dull stories, eh? Then ye need to learn how to make them interesting, obviously," Dagrún responded, the amusement of before returning to her voice and expression. "Aye, pick a weapon yer most comfortable with." Dagrún instructed as she pulled a sparring axe from the rack. There were other people still training but there was some space where Kuni and Dagrún could practice.
"So, how much experience do ye actually have with using a proper weapon?" Dagrún asked, "Ever killed someone with proper steel? Or did ye bludgeon them with yer earthen fists," a soft emphasis placed on the last part made it clear that the blonde Hon was still amused.

Shrugging, Kuni picked up a short sword and a shield "Guess learning how to be a better storyteller will go onto my to learn list. As for experience with proper weapons, mostly what I learned here. I didn't kill anyone with a steel metal, though I did kill one with an explosive tag. So definitely not a viable option for this situation, unless I want to risk causing casualties on both sides." Kuni stated as she ensured her grasp with the shield was firm, before turning to look at Dagrun.
"So I definitely lack the experience on that front. But I don't intend on letting myself be flinched by the sight of blood or such. I did once, and I regretted it for a long time after." Kuni told her.

Watching as Kuni picked her weapons of choice, Dagrún leaned the head of the axe on her shoulder. Scoffing as Kuni stated she had killed with a tag, Dagrún kept her opinion for herself.
"Ever been to a real battle? Not some weird fights ye Taika seem to favour. Talking about a real fight. With more than five screaming toddlers going at it," Dagrún asked, her eyebrows slightly raised, "where ye see and smell nothing else but shit, piss and blood. I think yer going to freeze. Or be one of those fooks who can't do much than keep a shield between themselves and their foes."
Gesturing to the girl, Dagrún continued. "Take a stance. I fear I got a lot of fookin' work to do with ye."

"Already been in one such battle. Back when the people were fighting to reclaim their freedom from under that force that basically suppressed all the shinobi with those big masts of theirs. Same battle was the one I froze during." Kuni told Dagrun, though she doubted even that could count, considering how little she actually did during that time.
Getting into the stance they were trained to utilize with her sword and round shield, Kuni looked at Dagrun, fixing her eyes on her now sparring opponent.

She didn't reply. Dagrún's expression didn't betray her thoughts as she let the axe hang. Watching Kuni take a stance, Dagrún sighed as she would suddenly raise the axe. In a fast motion, the blonde Hon slammed the head of the axe against the shield. But as she pulled the axe back, the blonde Hon kicked firmly against the shield.

Watching the axe hit her shield, Kuni started raising her sword, only to get kicked backwards by Dagrun with a hit to the shield. Looking at Dagrun, Kuni stepped back forward, sending her shield towards Dagrun's axe, followed by her sword being swung from above. She didn't want to stay on the defensive and just let Dagrun push her around.

An amused scoff escaped Dagrún as she watched how Kuni responded in kind. Letting her axe hang, Dagrúns other hand shot forwards as the blonde Hon pivoted. Grabbing the girl's wrist, Dagrún twisted Kuni's arm with more strength and speed. Instead of raising the axe, Dagrún kicked one of Kuni's legs away to let the girl fall on the ground.
"Never ever, go for an overhead swing. Not with yer strength or inexperience."

Landing on the ground after the kick, Kuni spat out a bit of dirt. Hearing Dagrun, she nodded "No overhead swings." She muttered as she stood back up, and got back into the stance once more "So should I hit forward, or try from below?" She asked.

Taking a few steps away to let the girl get back on her own, Dagrún shrugged lightly. "Ye shouldn't try to think too much. Much alone try to do more than what I was going to tell ye," Dagrún responded, once more resting the blunt end of the axehead against her shoulder.
"Ye got the advantage of a shield. Instead of moving it out of the way, ye better just drop it and invite the whole Rongese fooks for a jolly dance. A shield should remain between ye and me. Not moved forward, ye arseling," Dagrún said, tilting her head slightly to the right, "Got that? Keep it in between us. Force me or any fook'r to deal with it. Keep yer sword rested on the rim of the shield. When I make a move, ye move with or against."

As Dagrun explained things, Kuni slightly adjusted her posture, moving her sword according to what the blonde Hon had said. So her movement of trying to push with the shield the way she did was wrong "Right. Keep the shield in place and don't make it easier for the enemy." Kuni said, preparing herself for another go.

Eyeing the stance, Dagrún raised a hand to make sure that Kuni wouldn't get any dumb ideas to start swinging wildly again. Checking the stance, Dagrún grumbled something in her own native tongue before adjusting Kuni's stance, on several points. Once content, the blonde spoke up.
"Keep it like that. Dear Signý herself would be embarrassed if ye would try to fight like that," Dagrún stated as she took her previous spot. Once ready, Dagrún gestured to Kuni that she could try to come at her.

After Dagrun adjusted her stance, Kuni made sure to keep in mind the adjustments to her stance. She wouldn't be able to rely on people to look after her stance every single time, after all. When the blonde Hon gave the signal to come at her, Kuni lunged her short sword forward, aiming for the side of Dagrun's lower left body. She also kept a first grasp over her shield's handle, wanting to ensure Dagrun did not try and rip it out of her grasp with her axe.

Flipping the axehead as Dagrún easily avoided the jab, the blonde Hon didn't attack Kuni's shield. In a rapid response, she slammed the blunt end of the axe against the sword to disarm Kuni. In the following motion, Dagrún suddenly slammed her side against the shield that Kuni held in between them to force Kuni backwards.

As the axe hit the sword, it managed to push the weapon out of her grasp. While surprised, Kuni didn't have a moment to even think about it as Dagrun moved to force herself against the shield. Dagrun definitely had the upper hand when it came to strength, and she wasn't sure how long she could keep up like this. Initially, she tried to use her own strength to stop herself from being pushed too much. She kept the shield in its place the best she could, unsure what to do next.

Kicking the sword away, Dagrún cocked her head to the right for a moment. Testing Kuni's response out, Dagrún calmly walked to the right yet keeping the distance in between them. Only to repeat the same as she went to the left, the axe being lightly swung from side to side in Dagrún's hand.

Moving the shield along with Dagrun as the Hon moved around, Kuni heard the sword be kicked away. And now, even if she had a moment to breathe, she couldn't reach her weapon immediately. And with how the blonde Hon kept at it, Kuni allowed herself to start being pushed back each time Dagrun came in to push now. Her focus was on keeping the shield between them.

A content grunt escaped Dagrún as she turned towards Kuni fully. With a brisk pace, she closed in the distance. Feigning a hack, to force Kuni to raise the shield, Dagrún aimed to hook the axehead behind the rim of the shield. Only to give it a strong pull to the side.

The "attack" had worked, and Kuni raised her shield to block the attack, only to find the axe get a hold on the shield's rim. When Dagrun gave it a strong pull to the side, Kuni grasped even firmer onto the handle, making her skid to the side as she got pulled with the shield. Keeping herself behind the shield the best she could, Kuni made a small push forward with the shield, aiming to release the shield from the axe.

Recognising the desperate attempt, Dagrún simply let her axe handle loose as her other hand grabbed Kuni by one arm and used her now free hand to push the shield aside. Pulling the girl forwards, Dagrún rammed a knee without any mercy into the girl - using her own motion.

Despite her attempt to keep the shield between them, Dagrun was able to use Kuni's own movement against her, and Kuni soon found herself bent down, facing the ground, after the incoming knee hit her. She still held onto the shield, albeit lowered now, as her free hand went over where she was hit.
"Right.... I moved the shield again." She said with a weak voice.

"Nah, ye just a dunce," Dagrún said, lightly shrugging her shoulders. "Ye keep thinking too much or panicking. Fookin' balls of Valdar, ye need to stop and just respond. Worse is that we are going to train ye more on this but with the likely big confrontation coming? Ye are dead meat." The blonde brusquely stated as she went to grab her sparring axe. Turning to Kuni, Dagrún sighed.
"Alright, pick yer sword. Now, we are going to do it slower and I will teach ye a few tricks. Hopefully, that makes ye less easy to kill."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

Dagrún didn't really enjoy the training. Her frustration and annoyance at Kuni's inexperience was far from obscured. In fact, Dagrún often voiced it with cursing in Taika instead of Chonobi. After nearly an hour and a half, did the Hon halt the training.
"Yer learning some things. Still an arseling," she stated, "I even doubt ye can take out one of their grunts at this rate. Not sure who ye killed before but they must have been arselings themselves. However," Dagrún's voice became less stern, "ye kept up. That is a decent start. Now ye just need to keep going and maybe, ye can become a middling fighter."

It didn't matter how energetic Kuni usually was, the training ended with her feeling very, very tired. Dagrun's training was tough and she found herself on the ground a number of times. Listening to Dagrun as she spoke, Kuni took a few deep breaths. She wasn't sure if it was meant to be a compliment of any sort, but she figured it was a first step among many. Standing up after Dagrun finished speaking, Kuni nodded "Well, then I'll keep at it. Until the big fight comes, and after it too." She said, before picking up the sword and shield, and moving to put them aside.
"I think for now though, I might go get myself something to eat. Still have a few duties to attend to today, and I feel like I'm running on empty now." Kuni said, after realizing she hadn't eaten for a rather extended period by now. Turning to look at Dagrun, Kuni bowed towards her "Thank you for the training session."

Frowning as Kuni bowed, Dagrún's head titled to the left. But she didn't return the gesture or any other motion in response. "Alright, arseling. Ye best keep to yer words then. Cause I wouldn't like to see anyone getting hurt cause ye don't know how to fight proper like."
Gesturing that the other could go, Dagrún would check the sparring axe before putting it in the rank. Perhaps she could bully Madoc now?

 

[Lesli]

[ Kirigakure, Kimi's --- REDACTED | Jirou Authority ]
[ Kimi Iomsaki | REDACTED ]
[ Cocky little brat... ]
​

The days in Kirigakure slowly went by. There was a lot to do and improve. Diligently, the majority of people worked hard. The damage of the Crystal Blight was surprisingly healing fast - much thanks to the innovative ideas of certain individuals. Yet, Kimi wasn't one of those people focusing on mending and restoring the damage.
Standing with her hands behind her back, she stared at the person behind bars. The other person could barely move due to the large number of crystals that had protruded from his body. Splatters of blood and other fluids made it clear that this process was far from harmless or painless. Listening to the report of one of her subordinates, Kimi couldn't but wonder how easily weaponised this kind of 'blight' could be. Treatments were reducing the impact but upon a settlement that had no such knowledge or access to treatments? It would wipe it out in some weeks, with the survivors on the run.
Or allow it perhaps to infect a certain individual with the process allowing to mature to the point of no return. After all, there were plenty of cases that normal treatment didn't work. The crystal growth for example in the person that Kimi stared at? According to the research, his organs were barely functioning due to being shoved or even penetrated.

"Keep the progress going. The treatment minimal," Kimi said, her voice neutral as she simply turned away. The sight wasn't pretty but didn't linger for long in her mind. She had pity and wished that she could release the subject from his suffering. But his suffering would aid the country, even if he wouldn't enjoy its development.
Being briefed on more results, Kimi couldn't say that her mood had increased. Everything was going well but nothing sparked her interest. Nothing that made her curious or caused her to feel anything spark. Returning to her office, Kimi released a soft sigh. Perhaps she should call it a day? What would the 'Lord Protector' do? Try to assign her something?
The mere thought caused her to faintly smile. Such a prospect would be better than to reside in such dull progress of nothing noteworthy jumping out. Just arriving at her office, one of the guards was ready to open the door. However, the sounds of someone running down the hall caused Kimi to halt and throw a glance. Spotting an ANBU approaching her, Kimi waited patiently.
A soft pant could be detected as the ANBU knelt and offered the sealed letter.

"Thank you," Kimi simply said as she walked into the room. The letter lacked any wax that sealed the envelope, let alone a signature. Already sparking Kimi's interest and causing her expectations to rise, she wondered if this would be the day she was going to receive one of those famed poisoned letters. After all, wasn't there some killing going on that disturbed the Great Clans? Not her worry, though. That was all on the Lord Protector and the Great Clans.
Opening the letter, Kimi waited for a second. Yet, she felt no change nor did any of her sensory guards rushes in - stating that they had detected some change in her that seemed threatening. Releasing another sigh, one that radiated more disappointment, Kimi decided to sit down as she read the letter.

"You cheeky tart," Kimi said, a wide grin flowing on her lips. "Making demands? Oh sweetie," Kimi whispered as she shook her head. Normally, she would have such a person be humbled and punished for showing so much spine. Perhaps by having something bad happen to them or their family. Incidents could happen at any given time, after all.
Yet, Kimi didn't feel the need to put the girl in her place and remind her who the actual top dog was. In fact, Kimi was enjoying that the brat was playing along with the rules that were set up, yet willing to make a demand.

"Nami, love. I need some stuff to write back to a penfriend.~"

Not much later, Kimi read what she had written. Content with her response, she would seal the letter but without imprinting something on the wax. She did consider putting a certain letter or symbol on it. But perhaps that cheeky girl would enjoy some mystery as well.

Dear Brat

"Big A,

From now on, I will address you as Big A. for you, good friend, bring up a solid point. If we are to indulge in this... friendship, we ought to have names for each other. Seeing your guts, I will affectionately address you as Big a. Of course, I am sure that you notice a certain modicum there. be a dear and try to remember to keep the prison lingo out of our replies. my friendly butt can only withstand so much before it gets irritated. but, I am, however pleased.
You played this game, so far, by the rules I have dictated. even for a cheeky brat, I can admire that. well done, love.

But you want to play with questions? very well. I find your rules acceptable. the possibility of what you can ask is as thrilling, hopefully, as what you can perhaps expect in return. For best of friends do not lie, surely? or perhaps they do to fool each other? all in good faith and nature, no?
My favourite hairdo? I was going to answer more traditional. However, I like it short. It is easier to maintain it and I have been told that I do seem to own the look. Does this sate your curiosity, Big A?


For it is now my turn to pose a question in return, isn't it? How thrilling. the things I already know, I won't ask for. But I won't play too mean. I would never want to risk our friendship. No, I will ask you a simple question in return! One that I hope you will be truthful about, my lovely Big A.

Have you ever liked someone?

Not as in that the other person was nice. Psh, no no no! I meant it as 'like-like'. That you want to be close to that person. Be able to smell their fragrance. To be able to touch them...
I am looking forward to your answer, my dear.

Ah, I almost forgot. Your request. I will meet you halfway. You can count on high-end medical supplies and cereal bars. But not too much, of course. I can't have people wonder if I have a bestie, that tries to abuse our friendship. That would mean your end. I can't have that yet.
Your desire for a massage bed? I can't yet see to that. That will require me to pull strings that may draw attention to you. and people will become very envious, Big A, very envious...
Do inform me what you intend to do with those. You stated it was going to be smart. I love clever plans, even more, when they can be schemes.

This letter became muuuch longer than I anticipated. I hope it provides a nice distraction while you are in that muddy mess. dear divine, know what? I will even send you a book. One regarding the herbs and plants that some nutjob discovered on his journey. It might even be useful.
Now, keep that research going. I enjoy the results. But don't tease me too much.

We wouldn't want to disappoint each other, would we now?

Taataa,

With love,
Little S."

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

General Yuuki's Army's encampment​

Chewing on some cold ration, Susumu chewed the bite. He wasn't surprised upon receiving the letter and with the task to deliver it. What he started to wonder was what was in it. But even despite being curious, Susumu valued his life. And his orders were clear: to deliver the letter and small wrapped package without raising any concern.

The infiltration within Alsanna's tent wasn't as easy as before. Susumu noticed the desolation that had been created around the tent. There was some space that didn't make it too horrible and attract any wise-ass officer to demand the rank and file to put their tents back. But it was also enough to be noticeable. And that was what irritated Susumu as it made his job just harder.
Sighing, he went for a small detour. Finding some privacy, it wasn't Susumu that approached the tent of Alsanna - but a copy of her. The girl walked a bit differently. Not her brisk pace but just the motion was slightly different. However, none stopped the girl as she entered her tent. Even though she had been assigned an hour ago to some dull affair - such as guard duty.

"Here we go," Susumu's voice murmured out of Alsanna's lips. The transformation technique was truly underrated in the man's mind as he placed the letter and wrapped book on the bedroll of Alsanna. "Now time to get out of here..."

 

[Gerontis]

[ The Foot Companions | Battalion of the 13th Imperial Brigade ]
[ Sevudia | Eastern Continent ]
[ Koike Hon | Colonel of the Foot Companions, Scholae of Akino ]
[ Something isn't right... ]​

Observing the defences from afar, Koike had a frown on his brow. His strategy would have to work. At the moment, there was little to be doubted as some of his men prepared to feign to be Red Cloaks. A risky manoeuvre but one that could avoid a lot of bloodshed if it all worked as he imagined. By now, the enemy would have prepared their rations and scaled up their security - as they hadn't received any new supplies.
Detecting some sound, Koike threw a look over his shoulder, spotting one of his captains, Skuli. The large man with his impressive beard took a stand next to Koike, staring at the distant walls as well.
"So, you think your plan is going to work?" Skuli asked, unleashing a burp after his words. "Cause if it doesn't, you and those other fuckers are going to be stuck between those thick stone walls and having a lot of angry bastards coming at you," Skuli threw a sideways look at Koike. "So there is no shame if you don't go and send a captain in your stead."

"It is my plan. I shouldn't cower behind you or the others," Koike said as he kept staring at the defences, "Besides, I aim to make you batter down the gate with your axe if I am in trouble." Hearing Skuli chuckle, Koike released a sigh as he decided to state his true frustrations.
"Worse is, Erling and the others are gone." Koike stated as he half turned around, throwing one more look at the Rongese fortifications before walking back to his encampment. Skuli frowned as he tried to progress what Koike's statement meant.
"Erling is gone? What do you mean?" Skuli asked as he caught up with Koike.
"Precisely that," Koike said, his tone giving away his frustration easily. "When I went to that Jirian camp, I noticed that the encampment was missing. I tried to investigate it further but nothing remained. Asking the Jirians didn't seem like a too good idea if my suspicions are right."
A low grunt escaped Skuli but he remained silent for several moments as he walked beside Koike. "So what now? If Erling is gone, why the fuck are we here? You told me and the others that the Jirians have easily over forty-thousand men. What difference do we make?"
Koike shrugged lightly before he spoke in return. "I honestly am not sure. First, we make sure that this fortress is taken. Perhaps Erling went northwards on the command of the Major General. But if not..."
Koike's voice trailed off as he shot a look at Skuli - his expression giving away what he thought. Skuli shook his head in response.
"Erling is a bastard, damn right. But a deserter? With the rest of the 13th? He won't bring shame on them..." Skuli began as he scratched his beard. "There is like, nowhere to go for him or the others."

Koike remained silent as they continued to walk back to the camp. He had his suspicions. But without any solid proof, it was just that: his thoughts and suspicions. Nothing that made it evident that Erling had betrayed them. Without any contact with the rest of the 3rd Division, it could be very that Erling and the rest of the 13th had moved northwards. The presence of more Jirian troops meant that there was no need for extra Imperial reinforcements in the southern front.
Entering his hidden camp, Koike threw a look around. The troops were most eager for what was coming. The prospect of ending this siege with a swift attack had a discernible effect on the men. The chatter and expressions showed an eagerness and joy that Koike hadn't seen for a while. The work most of them diligently attended to was done with whistling and singing. There was even more laughter than usual.
"Make sure that the lads don't get drunk for the next few nights," Koike instructed Skuli with a firm tone, "I want everyone with a clear mind when the time comes."
Skuli seemed slightly dismayed as that meant he couldn't indulge too much either. But he simply nodded before walking in another direction.

Reaching his more 'private' part. Koike had set up the canvas of his tent to act as a screen. The ambience of work and his troops wasn't muted entirely by the canvas but it did help somewhat. Sitting down on his bedroll, Koike placed his back against the wall of the cave. He couldn't shake his mind off that Erling and the others were gone.
Wanting to think of something else, he briefly thought about the siege. But everything was being prepared. All he could do was wait and join the men when the time came. Deciding to perform some maintenance on his gear, his mind started to drift off, wondering how Hayate, Saki and some of the others were doing. Hopefully, they were in less of a messy situation than he was.

 

[Nim]

[ Sevudia | The Eastern Front ]​

[ Alsanna Shirafuji and Hikari Torimoto ]​

A Collab between @DeliciousFood and @Nim ​

Hikari gets her training interrupted by Alsanna arriving at the same field. It leads to a talk between the two that ends in an unexpected way.​

---

It was another day, and after the morning drills, Hikari decided to spend some time in the training field with a dummy, practicing her tanto strikes. She had been going at it with both trying to figure out what strikes left her more exposed, and how hard she should hit with the tanto. Both seemed to feel like they were very dependent on the situation, but she still tried to think about different situations in her head. Both ones she just thought of on the spot, and ones she had witnessed before.
She didn't want to need to rely on her fire techniques, as she barely had any, or be without any training. Hikari had also requested training from some of the other members of the military, to help her not get stuck with just hitting a dummy. Landing yet another strike against the dummy, Hikari took a deep breath and loosened it from the dummy.

"Yeah, that's it, just a little further to the left." a familiar voice to Hikari had echoed through the whole training field, the source outside of the trainee's field of view. Alsanna, along with two other cloaked entities of similar height to her's, had just entered the same training field taken by the blonde. Considering preparations were being made for the upcoming assault on the fort, training zones were seldom available, as such a lesser populated one was chosen. The two individuals with the genin had been carrying sealed boxes, about half their size, and were made to place them near the center of the dirt-filled field. "Caaaaaaareful. Don't want those to go kaboom on you just yet." her lack of attention to those already present in the field made it questionable whether or not she was aware as to who was there, given she seemed absolutely indifferent to the evident intrusion she was conducting.

Hearing Alsanna's voice, Hikari lowered her tanto while she just stared at the dummy for a brief moment. The second line from her teammate, however, caused her to turn and take a look at the other two who entered. Something going kaboom on them? Why the heck did she need boxes that would go kaboom on anyone? Was she just that mad? Watching as the other two were lowering the boxes in the middle of the field, Hikari cursed under her breath before approaching Alsanna "Go kaboom? Are you planning on blowing up people?" She asked, her voice clearly showing anger towards her teammate.

As Hikari was approaching Alsanna, one of the crates were opened, revealing stacks of generic kunai and piles of explosive tags. Cheap quality, those used for low-level missions or training, although the explosives were still considered lethal. A roll of her eyes preceded a lazy turn of her head, allowing Alsanna to recognize her blonde colleague at the corner of her eyes. Her crossed arms briefly unfolded with one hand finger gunning at the direction of Hikari, "Yeppers." she responded with a tame but still somewhat whimsical chime.
Her visage returned to her current operation, to which she'd employ her already risen hand to nab one of the paper explosives, keeping it locked between index and major fingers, and soon slapping it upon the shoulder of one of the cloaked entities. "Now go to the other end of the field, m'kay?" and the figure obliged.

After the response came, Hikari just watched as the figure went to the other side. The way it so obediently followed her instructions and had a similar size to Alsanna, along with the fact it was hooded, finally clicked for Hikari. Turning to look at Alsanna, Hikari shook her head "So you're doing more experiments on those abominations? It isn't enough that they just obey your every whim and dont have a mind of their own, but you also just go and blow them up?" Hikari rolled her eyes "You seriously have no regard for life. I don't know why you claimed to be a medic, but you're probably the furthest thing away from it as possible." She remarked.
Despite saying all that, Hikari hadn't moved away from Alsanna, not wanting to take her eyes off those two beings or off Alsanna, not as long as there were explosive tags just laying around like that.

They were indeed malformed copies of Alsanna herself, although the extent of their disfigurement remained a mystery to Hikari, but they seemed capable of standing straight and following basic orders. The whole time the blonde had ranted and held her accusatory tone, Alsanna graced her with a dull stare. She was clearly listening, although nothing made her flinch or prompt a sort of reaction. And when Hikari finished it with her venomous remark, the dark haired female merely pushed out her lips in an exaggerated pout before she raised her hand into the 'Kai' hand seal. Kaboom!
The explosion wasn't big, but it was as loud as one would expect with the resulting smoke being plentiful. The hand that had performed the seal relented, fingers hooked and stretched to prompt a couple of cracks as she slowly veered her figure to make her way to the clone's position. The smoke didn't take long to clear, and both could see that despite being a clone, it didn't actually vanish upon taking such a hit. It was even breathing, albeit immobile and on its back. Its face was like Alsanna's, but it lacked a lot of hair and one eye was milky, likely blind. The arm was torn off and half the torso burnt. "Tell me Hikari," she posed while keeping an attentive, azure gaze upon the clone, "Since I am the least qualified to be a medic in your eyes, I do give you the honours of making an analysis of the situation. What have we learned from this little experiment?" her tone was unmoving, completely monotone. She was serious. When the question was set, she peered over Hikari's direction, an eyebrow raised.

Witnessing what occurred, Hikari just kept her eyes on Alsanna as she went to check on her now injured clone that was on the ground. When she was posed with the question, Hikari first offered just a pair of blinks. Was she being serious? Her tone suggested so. Stepping towards Alsanna and her clone, Hikari took a more proper look. The fact it looked like a misshapen Alsanna felt really weird. Like Alsanna had a twin whose body did not act properly, even before being injured.
Looking at the clone's body, Hikari shook her head slightly "Explosion took out the arm, so that'd be a lot of blood loss. Burns over the body. I don't know how to exactly treat that, but I think the first step would be to stop the blood loss. Aside from that, don't stand near explosive crates." Hikari answered, her tone being rather neutral. She still wanted to curse Alsanna, but she figured she could try and let her teammate show her a bit of how she does things. Perhaps that could help a bit.

"Uh-huh." the whole time, she just stared at the blonde, like a teacher looking over a student's assignment over their shoulder. Judging, scrutinizing. When the diagnosis was made by Hikari, there was a brief silence, with only slight wheezing from the dying clone. "The wound is also burnt, as such blood loss is manageable, even by you." self-restraint seemed to falter as a very brief and subtle sneer escaped her. "The torn arm isn't what's going to kill someone in this scenario."
The hand she had finger-cracked previously descended down as she kneeled next to the mangled clone. It set itself over the fried clothing covering their chest. And with that simple bit of contact, Alsanna could see in great detail the inner workings of this body, its vulnerabilities and strengths, its quirks and abnormalities, everything. Albeit, it still wasn't a perfect image, but it was enough. "The ribs are obviously shattered, which in turn makes one believe that what's behind them likely didn't take well to the pressure either, nor do bone fragments constitute a healthy diet for internal organs." and then she ripped the fabric to reveal the burnt core. "The biggest risk with burns is infection, or going into shock from the pain, but those are manageable outside the battlefield. What isn't is the internal bleeding from a punctured lung and spleen. They'll die in a few minutes. What do you do then, Hikari?" she peered up at her colleague's direction, wide eyed. "Hurry up, she doesn't have long."

Watching as Alsanna went over things, Hikari kept her expression neutral. Her hand went over her arm, where Alsanna had treated her before. She could see well that Alsanna had actual medical experience. But what she still didn't understand, what still bugged her wasn't her being a medic.
"Is this why you found a way to make these?" Hikari asked outloud, not bothering to respond to the question Alsanna had posed to her "To help you improve being a medic? To help study the field, just without, well," She turned her gaze to the dying clone "Without the risk of losing the life of someone else?" She decided to ask.

The dying creature kept a blank stare, and its wheezing constant. It didn't even look back when stared at. And now left without Hikari's input on the subject, Alsanna's pouty face returned as she focused back on the creature. The blonde did not entertain Alsanna's query, as such, she answered it herself. "What you do is hope you have someone as grand as me in the medical tent so that we don't waste time on the arm and immediately dive into the innards. Probably remove the spleen. Lung should be fine if we fix the puncture … May wanna check the heart just in case." and with her musing finalized, she very suddenly swiped the clone's neck with a blade hidden under her sleeve. The creature died a few seconds later, though still didn't vanish.
"These things? Yeah, I once asked some blokes if they were fine with me dismembering them. Didn't work out. So I made an alternative." her sarcasm was almost asphyxiating. Raising herself up with her back arching for a quick stretch, she seemed somewhat satisfied. "They're quite magnificent, aren't they?"

Magnificent was far from the word she'd use to describe these clones, Hikari thought to herself as she glanced at the now dead clone. Alsanna's response, as sarcastic as it was, at least provided an answer. She had even more questions in her head now, but at least seeing this helped her begin to understand, somewhat slightly.
"Guess those blokes had some sense in them." Hikari offered briefly in response "And seeing how freely you use them, I'm guessing they aren't the reason you ended up in prison. Even if a lot of people would want to throw you there for these." glancing up at the other clone, she pondered what Alsanna had planned for that one.
Turning to look at her teammate, Hikari rose an eyebrow "Give me a serious answer. How can someone turn to a medic and then find a way to create some kind of life just to take it away? " She asked.

Hikari's reply prompted nothing but a narrowing of Alsanna's eyes when she processed the information. She seemed confused, but it didn't stop her from marching over to the crate and whip out a kunai and a tag, which she promptly merged together by wrapping the bomb around the handle. "And how exactly are these things making me prison-worthy? Are clone jutsu aberrations now? - You, go to the other edge." her queries were obviously directed toward Hikari, but the order to the previous static clone, and it did as told.
"In what way does this practice make me any less of a medic or scholar, Hikari?" as the clone marched its way to the designated spoke, she fiddled with the explosive blade, swinging and spinning it with her limber fingers, "A lot of things I've learned are thanks to other medics conducting experiments on live folks. They were not lesser physicians and surgeons. They saved more lives than they took." she halted the blade play for a moment, peering into its pristine surface to get a glimpse of her own reflection. "Although it'd be a lie if I said that was my prime motivator. Hmm. Tell me, what's so wrong with my creations, Hikari? What makes them so wrong as to spit on me when I'm already down, hmm? Surely, there must be something deeply disturbing about these things. Insight you have on them that I certainly do not." her tone was more accusatory this time around, her gaze now turned to a glare directed right at her colleague.

As she listened to the response from Alsanna, Hikari kept her eyes fixed on her teammate. The tone and glare that ended up accompanying her questions showcased Alsanna's feelings pretty well. And after she seemingly finished her questions, Hikari wondered if Alsanna had just completely blocked out what others might think of these.
"Well, from how I see it, and how I reckon a lot of others see it, you aren't creating just a clone like in the other clone techniques. Other clone techniques are made from different nature elements, from our chakra. Your clones go a step beyond, they are flesh and blood, and they remain after dying. That is what feels so weird, so wrong about them. You don't create a temporary solution. You actually create a flesh golem that looks like a person. And to most people it is just freaky. And when I saw them, I thought of them as freaky too." Hikari answered, looking at the clone that stood on the other side of the field.
Sighing, Hikari turned her gaze back to Alsanna "I hadn't seen what caused you back then to be so shaken. I did notice that you were avoiding Karuko at all costs, so I figured it must be something with him. But I hadn't thought about it. Even if you told the team about your cursed seal techniques, it still caught me off guard."
Hikari shrugged before she continued speaking "I can't say I'll get used to them. Or ever stop thinking of them as freaky. But your explanation, and seeing how you observe things, does help understand you a bit better, I suppose."

When a response came from the blonde, Alsanna's oozing frustration never seemed to really falter. Her blue stare was consistently reflected from the blade while her lips parted ever so slightly, leaving a silent gap while her eyes narrowed further. When the term 'freaky' was first uttered, those azur pupils rolled with a conspicuous exhale being released from her nose. And Hikari went on, prompting further mannerisms from Alsanna, one being her jaw shifting to the side for a moment and then returning. Finally, she returned her gaze to the blonde.
"You spat on me, because you found them freaky. Shadow clones bleed, by the way, they're just more fleeting. You questioned my competency, you some average Genin, to ME." she sneered, immediately hurling the blade at the direction of the clone, or rather a few feet in front of it, prompting the blade to plant itself into the dirt and remain dormant for now. "Your teammate is clearly distressed, pale and unmoving. Your first reflex was to denigrate me. Not to assess the situation. Not to potentially wonder why my creations are the way they are. Not realizing the bigger picture." her tone kept rising, Alsanna's growing hatred made evident. "Fucking freaky. I'm made a witch, an occultist, a NON-MEDIC because I'm a little FREAKY." she even added exaggerated gestures to illustrate her frustrations combined with an infantile tone when meaning the 'freaky' term. And in the midst of it all, she had the kunai suddenly explode right before the clone with a veil of smoke making its fate uncertain.
Now, she faced Hikari, her anger no longer diluted by her sardonic take on everything. "Listen to me you fucking slag. You've proven to me that I cannot trust you. That you will act on impulse over observation. I WILL remain your stalwart medic. I will fix you no matter what fucking state you're in, whether you agree to it or not, whether you want to work with my MONSTERS or not. But I do not trust you. I see you as a potential threat. Perhaps not as virulent as that other fucker. But still. By what fucking right do you have to spit on ME?!" at this point she was practically fuming with her index consistently pointing at Hikari, very little keeping her from downright screaming, "Tch. We probably had no casualties thanks to my work, too. Nobody's kissing my ass for that. Because I'm freaky."

As Alsanna started her own rant, and all her anger and frustration came out, Hikari just kept her eyes on Alsanna. She had nothing she could possibly think to say in retaliation as Alsanna just let her emotions out. Her teammate was right, she didn't think back then. She reacted to emotions alone. The bit about not trusting her probably felt like the most deserved, of everything Alsanna had said. She didn't give her any reason to trust her.
Once her teammate finished speaking, Hikari just stood there for a moment, wondering if anything she would say could even make a difference at this point. Even if she let out all her anger, she figured that hearing anything more from the source of her anger wouldn't do much good right now. And yet, she still had something she decided to say.
"You're right. You don't deserve this, and I don't deserve your trust for how I acted. I'm sorry." She told Alsanna, before glancing towards the smoke from the second explosion "I'll let you get to your second experiment." Hikari told her, before beginning to walk towards the path away from the training field.

It took a surprisingly small amount of time for the steam to be unleashed and Alsanna resumed her more passive but clearly frustrated demeanour. Her lips remained parted, her tongue twisting about in her mouth as she processed more of the words uttered by Hikari. "Uh-huh." was the only answer one would get from that apology, combined with a duller stare. At least the anger pyre was quelled for a time. Although before Hikari could depart, Alsanna called out, "Slag. Come here."
She presented her hand, although not in an inviting manner, by her side before gesturing downward. "Get on your knees or sit down. Whichever. I won't hurt you." the seething had clearly stopped, though there was still a dryness to her tone that reeked of aggression. She didn't look too patient.

Hearing the call to her, albeit with the somewhat offensive nickname, Hikari stopped and turned to look at Alsanna. Seeing the gesture, Hikari started walking back, listening to her teammate's words. She imagined that even if Alsanna was truthful about not hurting her, she probably wanted to punch her, or perhaps spit on her just to show how much she doesn't trust her now. She didn't know, but with how Alsanna looked, Hikari felt it'd be better to not anger her teammate any further by just walking away. If she wanted her apology to mean something, she needed to show it.
Stopping next to Alsanna, Hikari got down on her knees, looking at Alsanna and waiting to see if one of the things she imagined would happen after all.

Slightly wider eyes greeted Hikari as she complied with Alsanna's request. They were not of surprise but rather of unsettling fixation. She was scrutinizing every detail of the blonde's visage before allowing her hand to cup Hikari's jawline, prompting the chin to raise and lower by Alsanna's whims. There wasn't anything actually forceful, the grasp itself was methodical and relatively gentle. However, barely a second into this contact, Hikari could feel something course through her. A harmless bolt of electricity passing through her body at the speed of, well, lightning. It didn't even prompt any sort of spasm, instead it actually gave the sensation that Alsanna could see far more into her than just her visage and the superficial. It felt invasive, though not to the degree of violation or assault, but she'd definitely feel the half-Sayyadian's eyes gazing into her being. "Healthy. With such porcelain skin. You weren't raised in a shithole, right?" her tone lacked any sort of sarcasm or snide tone, it was actually rather objective.
"Now, stand still." Her free hand slowly went to try and set itself upon Hikari's scalp, although she made the gesture slow enough to see if there'd be any sort of resistance.

Feeling Alsanna's hand move her head gently, and then the electricity that had felt as though it invaded her in some manner, Hikari wondered if this was how her teammate was capable of learning so much about what happened to that clone's inner organs without even looking inside. It didn't feel bad or such, just surprising a bit. When the question came, the blonde was actually surprised by how it sounded "Raised in Kirigakure. Okay life. Not poor, but not missing anything essential." She responded. When she was told to stay still, and she felt Alsanna's hand go towards her scalp, she was hesitant, but at the end, made no indications of trying to stop her teammate.

"Cool." she passively replied to the added details of Hikari's origins. The hands finally descended down upon the blonde's skull and just stayed there for a moment, before removing itself. There wasn't anything noticeable, despite the fact that Alsanna had left a mark upon Hikari's head, though mostly invisible if she wasn't bald. It wasn't anything like the clone mark, or anything she had shown before. And the effects were difficult to discern by design. Hikari had been hexed, and that spell was none other than her own mind finding ways to 'improve' Hikari's disposition and mindset. The Hex: Placebo, used to reinforce the power of the mind over the body and help certain struggling spirits cope with the baggage they had to bear. It was essentially a happy-pill, it made life more bearable to a subtle degree, even if it's all just an illusion, and so easily shattered when one rejects it. "That should do it." she muttered, releasing Hikari completely from her grasp with a final, cheeky tap on the blonde's cheek, "Now to get blueprints on Nishi ..."

After the seal was placed on Hikari, without her knowledge, she didn't really seem to notice any change. Had Alsanna done nothing when she touched her? That would be a better outcome than she expected. After the tap was given on her cheek, Hikari took it as a sign that her teammate was done with her examination.
"Okay. Well, I'll let you be now. Hope you have a productive experiment." Hikari stated, before beginning to walk away once more. She wasn't sure what it was, but the weight of all the deaths that had been on her mind all this time felt a bit easier to handle. Maybe this was due to the upcoming assault on the fort that she felt this way? She wasn't sure.

A brief fixation with wide, eccentric eyes was set upon Hikari's figure before Alsanna sucked in one of her cheeks as her pupils rolled up. "Hmmmmmm." and then a shrug. With her musing done, she'd merely gesture passively in dismissal when Hikari manifested her intention of departing, "Uh-huh. Ta-taa." her voice divorced of any emotional investment or motivation as she immediately twirled her silhouette to face the fading smoke cloud of her second experiment. Eager to pursue her work, Alsanna skipped over to the 'body' and continued what she did to the previous clone. This would go on for a while, with bigger explosions being heard throughout the day, and a hole-riddled terrain being left in her wake. She seemed content with the results.

---

It took a good afternoon for everything to be completed, but the data was supposedly worth it. A tired, sweaty and quite dirty Alsanna had returned to her tent, absolutely pooped and hoping for a quick communal shower. However, she felt a change in her domain, a similar feeling from that other day. There was no reaching for a weapon, instead she immediately peered toward her bedroll. She smiled while brushing her hair back a tad.

"Ah right, I do have a friend."[/hr]

 

[RoranHawkins]

[ The Royal Palace, Konohagakure | Empire of Akino ]

[ Kensuke Nimatsu | Scholae ]
[ Zakito Hon | Lord Commander of the Imperial Military ]
​

The sounds of his boots resonating as he walked through the hall, Zakito's mind had been occupied since the first signs of trouble had reached Konohagakure. First, the whole mess between the Senju and Tokugawa. That alone should have been enough to alert him. The mere fact that unrest was brewing between those two clans wasn't a mere chance. Then the sudden attempt of the Tamiyo trying to kidnap Hyuzu smiths?
The spacious halls filled with art and other marvelous items did little to halt or distract the man as he considered his own moves. The trial that was prepared to see Lord Hyuzu and Lord Tamiyo against each other in front of the Crown would come soon. Yet, Zakito had something else in mind.

Arranging a meeting within the confines within the palace was easy, more so than many people likely could imagine. What was less easy was to arrange any meeting without spies to eavesdrop and whisper of it happening to their masters. And spies were plenty among the servants, even if they were quite loyal to the young Empress. The affiliation towards their clans, Uchiha, Cho and so forth did little to stop them to talk in return for a few silvers. The only force that could be trusted were the Sworn Swords. Yet, ironically enough, they stoically took orders from no other than Kiyomi.
And Zakito was certain that his current plan wouldn't be endorsed by her Imperial Majesty.
The meeting would be held in a small room that usually was used by some guests of lower rank to wait and potentially be graced with the presence of someone of higher rank. Usually fitting for the lowest of nobles or else a subtle insult; to remind one of their place.
Seeing no one guarding the door, Zakito opened it and saw that the other wasn't there. His mind drifted to question if the invitee would even come to meet him. But there was some telling in his gut that he could rely upon it. Even if their relationship had strained these last two years.

Waiting in the room, Zakito started to pace back and forth, deciding that he would wait ten minutes before likely being forced to withdraw.

It was strangely rainy in Konohagakure when he arrived. The rain fell down on the roofs which gathered itself in torrents of water, neatly down to the underground sewers. That was a difference from many a place he had visited in the past few week, nay months. This was a city, guarded by shinobi of the Empire of Akino. Here engineers had their dreams come true in imagining a beautiful world where people lived at peace with each other. Even in his hometown that wasn't the case. Across the landschap, many towns and villages had to do with less, because if the ever-present danger of shinobi.

Kensuke found the elaborate world of Konoha weird, now he had been for most of the year away.

Quickly rising up throughout the village he ascended towards the Royal Palace. He could still imagine that this village had been ruled by a Hokage, not even four years ago. Kensuke shook his head. Times had changed, and he had to change with them, or drown. Arriving there, he greeted the guard and entered the building.

Kensuke had come here upon a curious invitation from his old mentor, with whom he had done his jounin mission together. They hadn't seen each other in quite a while. Their last meeting dated back to… Hmm… He'd last spoken with the former Hokage almost a year ago, through his headset. Seen? That was even longer. How strange the times went. He entered a room that was engraved in his head, and closed the door behind him. It was strange seeing him again. Turning towards him was the same face he'd seen many times. Not even a hair had changed, or was that his imagination?

"Hi."

Fighting back to chuckle as his old pupil greeted him in such a simple fashion, Zakito turned to the taller Nimatsu, his own hands at his back. The silence only lasted two seconds before Zakito spoke.
"Good day to you," Zakito began as he then gestured to one of the chairs present in the small room, "my apologies for the rather lack of details why I desired to meet with you. But my thanks for coming nonetheless," taking a seat in one of the other chairs, Zakito folded his hands together on the table as he leaned slightly forwards.
"I trust you have been well? Or well, nobody following you?"

"Not that I noticed." Was the answer, urging Zakito to keep talking.

A soft sigh escaped Zakito as he became silent for a second. He locked his eye with that of his pupil, though not betraying his own thoughts and emotions in the process.
"I suppose I shall cut to the chase then? Shame, I was hoping to catch up, even if I am aware of your… adventures," he began once more, "I doubt that you haven't heard of the trouble that has come to pass between the Tokugawa and Senju clan? The border incidents and important trial that has taken place already. Or the fact that a contingent of Tiger Claws has been dispatched on the Empress orders to establish peace between the two?"

"I have heard of this, yes." Kensuke said, looking away at the design of the chamber. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"As Lord of the Nimatsu and favorite of her Empress? Scholae? More than you imagine," Zakito answered in turn, "These trials and happenings aren't without the meddling of other clans. As you can imagine, politics even with a strong ruler can be," a pause fell, "harmful, as ambition and greed can corrupt the best. However, I requested your presence because while we haven't seen eye to eye, I still consider you as I did before."
The voice of the Hon became slightly softer as he finished his previous sentence. His gaze became harder as he wanted to say it. But his pride wouldn't allow him to state the words, conveying his emotions.
"You are under no obligation to follow my instructions anymore. But I do hope that you still trust my judgement. For I need you out of Konohagakure. For a while."

Kensuke's eyes were up in arms against his former mentor, but in the end he relented. He knew that there was an element of distrust within the governance of the Empire of Akino, but it surely wasn't him. That would be impossible. He sighed. He had to figure out another way to uncover that, but so far he'd made no progress. Thereby, this was the first time that he was confronted with a person that was of a higher rank than him, and it would do him any good if they, whoever they were, were aware of his position. And he knew Zakito well enough. He wouldn't include his former team members into the zero teams.

"Alright. What is the problem?"

Already, Zakito was mentally bracing himself for Kensuke to resist. The signs were there that the blonde young man wasn't going to let himself be commanded around. However, these signs quickly flowed away as Kensuke seemed to be willing to cooperate.
"Good. The current problem is exactly your presence. Various influential parties will seek to impact the decision of the Empress. We both know how stubborn Kiyomi can be. And it is most likely that she will seek counsel from you as you are here. Making you a target. I need you out of Konohagakure for the time being to avoid this. For both your and her sake," Zakito paused as he would let the words sink in. "I can provide even some means of security, as I imagine most will else seek to find your presence back in the Talon. Instead, I can provide you a place in my own holdings, if you would desire so. Unless you have a desire to go somewhere else, I can easily arrange transport and see to it that you won't be disturbed. Within some time, I should, hopefully have subdued some of these parties and have it so that all of us can enjoy some peace until the next chance comes for these people to scheme."

"Hmpf. The situation's that hard here that I will need to go?" Kensuke asked. "Part of me wishes to stay, really. I'm halfway convinced that in order to take me down, they'd need to have a real good nin lying around these parts. But-" And he raised his hands in surrender, already knowing what Zakito had to say towards this. "I'll go. I hate the court." He said curtly.

Thinking on Zakito's question he wondered where would be the best place to go. Back home? He didn't like that. Masami would be overjoyed to have him back, and he didn't really know what to think of that. His sister could be … very manipulative. And that was his court, in a certain sense, even though it was ruled by Masami. Empre- I mean, Kiyomi, would be sad to see him leave as well. Hmmm. Thereby, Tsubasa had departed from this region. As part of the zero team, it was of course hidden were their next deployment would be. However … Tsubasa had said something of a sort …

"I'll go East. Surely, if I go where the fighting is, the court won't mind?"

A smile touched down on Zakito's lips as Kensuke already stated that he would go, before Zakito could parent him and state that assassination would be far from the worst that could happen to him. However, when Kensuke brought up where he was willing to go, the smile vanished. Despite trying to keep calm, the concern broke subtly through his features.
"You desire to go east? Surely you are kidding? If you desire to seek some excitement, I can easily arrange an endeavour far less risky. The east already claimed enough lives, boy, don't be so hasty to go there. I can arrange some lodging and matters to attend to in the south. Or north. Far more suitable for someone of your calibre and reputation," Zakito began, hoping to convince his former pupil, as his heart already skipped a beat - aware that it could be futile.

"Hmm. No, I'll go East." Kensuke said, as if determining his destination for himself as well. "I'm sure that someone as yourself can do me a favour? I don't have to be on the frontlines either. I can train the nin in camouflage and kenjutsu, as well as hunt for any hidden shapeshifters that might be hiding around there, as I'm one of the few nin who can go eye-to-eye with one of them up close." He said calmly. "Thereby, Kiyomi won't mind if I do that, where she will mind if I choose to do anything else."

Zakito remained silent. He should have known that Kensuke would be far from taking something easy if he had to go away. But the east? Already, Zakito could name fifteen reasons why it would be most unhealthy. Even if it would make the Nimatsu Scholae leave Konohagakure. The concern only increased as it seemed impossible to change the young man's mind now. Somewhat begrudgingly Zakito replied.
"I fear that she will mind it. But before she can drag you by the ear back, I can have you far east that her influence won't be felt," he said, his conscience weighing heavier on him than before, "surely, she will become most upset, angry, that you are departing to the east. But I will survive and it is important that you can't be touched by the clans."
Sighing heavily, Zakito leaned back as he kept his gaze locked with Kensuke's. "I will do you this favour on one condition. You won't risk anything. I can bear and deal with the Empress being furious. But..." Zakito frowned as he slightly shook his head. "I will arrange for your departure."

Zakito didn't know what he knew. Kiyomi could be angry, but maybe she wouldn't be. Kensuke'd rather have it that she'd be okay with him going east, but he had other reasons for going there. Reasons he couldn't tell her right now. "Good. Then it's settled." Kensuke smiled, sticking out his hand.

Reaching his hand out, Zakito met Kensuke's hand. Firmly shaking it, he held on to it. Words wanted to escape Zakito. This could be very well their last meeting, the last chance to say what was on the heart. To confess regret and perhaps see amends for mistakes and misunderstandings to be resolved.
"It is settled."

 

[Nim]

[ Sevudia | The Eastern Front ]​

[ Nishi Hirashima and Hikari Torimoto ]​

A Collab between @Oetje and @Nim ​

Hikari asks Nishi to meet her in a training field, and the two talk about what it is Hikari wanted, train together and Hikari gets taught a few things.​

---

Heading to one of the training fields, Hikari had asked Nishi to help her train. She wanted help with the tanto, seeing how the jounin had been utilizing the weapon as well. And she also had another training in mind. She wasn't sure how much Nishi would be capable of helping her with it, but she figured she'd let Nishi know she wanted to pursue that regardless. She was her sensei, and even if Nishi didn't practice it, then the jounin might know others in the camp who did know and could help Hikari begin training it.

Heading to the field, Nishi chewed on a piece of bread. It had gone stale but there wasn't yet any mould - so it was better than chewing on air. Arriving on the field, it was easy to spot the genin standing alone. Sticking out worse than a sore thumb, Nishi mused to herself as she approached the genin.
"You asked for me," the jounin threw a look around before settling her gaze on Hikari, "presumably to ask me to train you." Nishi said, before taking another bite of the piece of bread she held in her right hand.
"So," she finished chewing, "how will you ask, I wonder."

Hearing someone arrive, Hikari turned and saw it was Nishi, who was quick to make an accurate assumption. The genin nodded "You're right sensei. I wanted to ask you to train me. Training with the tanto, which I have seen you utilize in battle, and I also wanted to ask if you'd be capable of training me in barrier ninjutsu. As for how I'll ask, I was slated for cooking duty yesterday, so I still have a couple of things that could be tastier than stale bread to eat." Hikari said, having noticed what Nishi was eating.
"So I could offer that we share what I have left after the training." The genin said, shrugging slightly as she offered it.

"You are a shit bargainer," Nishi stated as she threw the remaining piece of bread away. "Very well. It might actually save my life, if you won't be someone needing me to watch your back." Nishi proclaimed as she placed her hands on her hips.
"First things first, I need you to understand a few things. We can't train with a sharp edge. A lot can already go wrong with sparring tools, let alone with actual weapons. So you will need to fetch those," Nishi began, "Then, you will need a proper warming up. It gives me time to come up with actual training in mind. Something that I could have done before, if you had used your brain and informed me of your ambition of requesting my presence here," Nishi paused, "If you do this within ten minutes, I actually might decide to train you. Chop chop."

Listening to Nishi, Hikari nodded. She should've let the jounin know ahead of time. As Nishi finished explaining what needed to be done, Hikari gave a brief nod before running off to fetch a pair of practice tantos. It took her about three minutes to get to the weapons and then three minutes to return to the training field. Upon returning, she put the weapons on the ground and steadied her breathing, as she did sprint a bit in order to get to the weapons and back in time.
"Here are the weapons, Hirashima-sensei." She said. Hikari wasn't sure if she should suggest a manner in which to warm up herself, so she elected to wait to hear what Nishi will say next.

"Well? What are you waiting for? An invitation?" Nishi asked, her eyebrows perking upwards on her brow. "Get to it, you won't have a warming up while gawking at me," the jounin said as she waited for Hikari to conduct her warming up. After the genin was done and would return, Nishi had the next instructions ready.

Nodding, Hikari went and started to warm up. She didn't know exactly what Nishi had planned for training, but she figured she'd cover all bases during her warm up. She did a couple rounds of jogging around the field, made sure to warm up her arms and legs properly, before finally returning to Nishi "Ready to start the training sensei." She said.

"Good." Kicking one of the sparring tantos upwards, Nishi easily caught it. The heavy weight didn't relate to the actual weight of a tanto. But it was meant to help one get used and wield an actual weapon easier.
"So, what do you already know about using a tanto?" Nishi decided to ask, turning her gaze to her student.

Picking up the other tanto, Hikari did feel the weight more prominent now, having carried the two tantos with her arms before and not holding them in her hands. It was heavier than her normal tanto, but she wouldn't complain.
Hearing Nishi's question, Hikari looked at the tanto in her grasp "It's a weapon that was made more for stabbing than slicing, being similar to knives. And it's meant for close range with the size it has. I received a bit of training with it, a technique to help defend myself, so I'll be capable of retreating and calling for aid. But seeing the orders we received, I know I need to train more and learn more ways to utilize the tanto. So you and anyone else won't need to worry about me. That I'll be capable of holding my own." She said.

Nishi didn't respond, at first, only to look at the sparring weapon as Hikari began to give an elaborated answer to the question. "It is simply a weapon," Nishi said, shrugging lightly, "I really miss the days that genin were just seeing the world for what it is. Not trying to bloat things up." A disappointed tone rang through Nishi's voice.
"It is nothing but a sort of knife, that is it. There is nothing special or amazing about it. Now, I will ask another question. Don't overthink it. Don't try to impress me with bloated information. Just think and answer," Nishi paused before posing her question. "What is the difference between holding a knife and just fighting? It doesn't seem to offer me much reach, so why even bother using it?"

So her answer was too bloated. That made Hikari a bit disappointed in herself, though the feeling seemed to float away from her mind pretty quickly. Listening to the next question, Hikari took a moment to think.
"The difference between holding a knife and fighting. It gives you a tool to help fight regardless of reach." Hikari answered, not going into detail this time around, even if she had a bunch of reasons floating around in her head.

A disappointed expression flowed over Nishi's face. "You are still thinking too much." The jounin shook her head lightly. "Your face tells it all. Stop thinking so complicated. This," raising the tanto, Nishi continued, "is a knife. The difference between fighting with and without is simple. It aids you. I am going to be completely honest with you kid."

The expression became harder as Nishi spoke further. "You and I are going to be always considered weaker. Men have more strength and muscle. As such, people will consider us weaker. That we can't win, because we lack the muscle and weight to push behind our attacks. The thing is that when you hold a weapon, you are evening the playfield."
Flipping the tanto back and forth with relative ease, Nishi's head tilted to her right.
"The truth is that a weapon makes it easier to wound and tear flesh. That is their purpose. Maim, wound and kill. Nothing complicated about it. It doesn't have some weird kind of information or mystery behind it. It is a dull metal tool that evens the playfield. Sure, you can make it complicated with techniques and what not. Seems genin and chuunin these days are really dumb enough to over rely on shit like that. But if you can't weave signs because your enemy is pulling a knife on you from close, what are your ninjutsu going to accomplish? Hm?"

Not giving Hikari time to answer or perhaps Nishi didn't seem to want an answer, she gestured to the sparring tanto she held. "That is the simple truth. It is a weapon that helps even the playfield. Nothing more. Keep that in your mind when you approach a new weapon or want to understand something. Don't make it bigger than it is, Hikari. Just see what things are for what they are. Like Alsanna's creepy shit, for example," Nishi calmly stated. "Sure, I detest those things but it is no more stupid than you overthinking things and make them more bloated than fucking Yukimi's ego."

As Nishi started talking and explaining the harsh truth of the world, Hikari turned her gaze to her sensei and listened. It was definitely a lot to take in like that. The mention of Alsanna did sting a bit, as it reminded her what Alsanna had told her before. That she won't trust her. As the jounin finished speaking, Hikari turned her gaze back to the tanto.
"Just weapons to help even the field." She repeated in a more quiet voice, before looking up at Nishi. She brought the tanto a bit higher, and moved into the stance she had learned to wield it with. She was trying not to over think right now. Not to say something that could cause Nishi to frown at her even more. Her hand slightly shook from the increased weight, but she tried holding it as steady as she could.
"I don't want to over rely on ninjutsu or techniques." Hikari muttered.

"Good, cause you already are responsible for 200 sailors drowning. Painful death, drowning that is." Nishi said to remind Hikari of what ninjutsu in a pitched battle could cause. Walking over to Hikari, Nishi adjusted the stance of the genin - though her handling wasn't as rough as her words to the genin.
"Also remember that stances and what not are fancy but the primary usage of a weapon is instinct and reflexes. In a fight, you can't think or else you are going to be two steps behind when fighting someone that is actually experienced. Thinking where to stab them, slice their arms or legs, cost valuable time. Most fights with weapons are over and rarely does the thinker win." Nishi informed the genin as she once more eyed the stance. Content, Nishi would stand to the right of Hikari - with sufficient distance between them so that they wouldn't be able to harm each other.
"Now you simply repeat the same motions as me. The goal isn't to build up stamina or anything you might over-think. It is simply to adjust your experiences and build up muscle memory. That when you wield a tanto and find yourself in a fight, you don't need to think. You just do it as a response."

Paying attention to Nishi, Hikari nodded a few times over the course of the explanation. Stance doesn't matter as much as instincts and reflexes, and this exercise is to build muscle memory. And thinkers rarely prosper in fights with weapons. Taking a deep breath, Hikari glanced in the jounin's direction.
"Muscle memory. Understood. Ready, Hirashima-sensei."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

It was far from exciting. And if anything, it started to become exhausting to weave and swing a heavy knife around without any real breaks in between. But after roughly two hours, Nishi would signal that they could stop. Feeling the beads of sweat rolling down her skin, the jounin rolled with her shoulders.
"There you go. No overthinking. Simple practice that you can do on your own. And next time you see someone swing a blade, you might actually realise that you moved without thinking."

When Nishi gave the signal, Hikari rather quickly dropped the practice tanto to the ground. She could feel the muscles in her arm aching from how much they moved with that additional weight.
Glancing towards the jounin, Hikari nodded "Right. I'll continue practicing those. And also stick to the practice tantos." She said, sounding tired. After a moment, she started to stretch her arms "So, about the other thing I asked you about earlier, the barrier ninjutsu. I don't intend on trying to use it in the upcoming battle, but I still want to learn it. To make sure our enemies won't get to just run away after causing harm to others. Like how it was on the farm." She told Nishi.

"Then you already fail at learning barrier ninjutsu," Nishi said, "trapping a foe with barrier ninjutsu is a possibility. But trapping us with someone of such calibre? Then you are really proving that your skull is as thick as Yukimi's. And dear Divine, her skull was thicker than a dragon turtle's shell. Fuck, do I hate Yuki's in general," Nishi muttered the last sentence, though it was still audible for Hikari.
"Barrier ninjutsu is centred around the principle of containment, but to isolate it and protect. It is like using a shield. You don't use a shield primarily to kill a person. Sure, it is possible but most barrier techniques rely on the principle of setting up a defence or even a chokehold. Not to isolate yourself with someone that can take an entire team on their own and blocking your allies from moving away, because you make the same kind of decision Yukimi made on that ship." Frowning, Nishi continued. "I think I even rather drown than having such a foe impale me with crystals, you dumb idiot."

Nishi's words now were harsh once more, but she could see what the jounin was meaning. She just thought about the containment part of barrier ninjutsu, not the defensive part the barriers have.
"If that's the case, then barrier ninjutsu could've prevent the fire from spreading further once we were out. To help stop the spread. and-"

"You are overthinking, once more again," Nishi said, her tone radiating the irritation clearly. "You wouldn't be able to do anything against someone like that. If they wanted to blow something up, you wouldn't be able to keep up. Stop thinking and see what things are. Divine's sake, are you a Yuki in disguise, Hikari? Cause if so, I will strangle you here and now."

After getting interrupted by Nishi, but sensing her irritating, Hikari looked down "It isn't easy to just shift how I see things. I grew up and kept being told to think and think and think from my father and grandfather. Always think about what I'll say and do and always keep everything in mind." She said, before just moving her hand to wipe some sweat off her brow "So it isn't that easy for me to just see things without overthinking. Sorry if it makes me seem like a Yuki, Hirashima-sensei, but I'll work on how I see things. To just see them for what they are and nothing more. Like how Alsanna just views her flesh clones as tools for medical experiments."
Finishing her brief rant, Hikari shook her head a bit "I'll work on myself. I'll practice the muscle memory movements and work on seeing things for just how they are. Damnit, I'll work on myself until I won't see a shred of my father in me if I need to." Hikari muttered the last sentence more to herself than to Nishi.

Nishi had enough to say in response. Reminding the girl of who was here and who wasn't. But she opted against it as it seemed that the words of before seemed to gain their desired effect. Flipping the heavy tanto, Nishi presented the handle towards Hikari.
"Good. Then store these sparring tools up and please wash yourself." A crooked smile crept on Nishi's lips. "You smell like the back of a horse."

Looking up towards Nishi, Hikari took the handle of the tanto, feeling the aching muscles again, before nodding "R-right. I'll go wash myself. And you can drop by my tent afterwards, Hirashima-sensei. I still have the food I offered from earlier that we could share. It isn't more than some salty rice and a bit of local herbs, but it's probably better than stale bread." The genin decided to offer again, as she picked up the second practice tanto from the ground.

"Nah, you can go and enjoy yourself. I have other matters to attend to. Now, shoo, before I decide to give you a task myself." Nishi responded as she already half turned around.

While she was a bit disappointed by Nishi rejecting the proposal, Hikari turned as well "Then have a productive evening, Hirashima-sensei." She told her, before beginning to walk away from the training field. The entire session was quite the learning experience for her, though she tried not to think about it too much now.

 

[GlitchyBugger]

Lightning Dominion's Camp
Niji Yakei
Unwelcome Repercussions​

It hadn't been long since Genji had sent the rest of the team and the initial point of contact. Yet Niji had to make her way to the medics and sensory specialists to examine her and determine whether she had been affected by using that knife.
It was either the notion of something being wrong with her or the somewhat dismal weather that left her feeling cold at the moment, though it was more akin to a chill creeping up and down her spine. Though regardless of how she felt, she'd made an agreement to be checked after every outting she made and she would stick to it, but first she would go put her gear away.

Her tent was as orderly as usual, her equipment neatly placed next to her bedroll just in case of an emergency. The last thing she set down was the knife, she didn't need to bring it with her just for a check-up, but maybe... Just maybe she should bring it with her in case they needed to see it as well. That made sense, who was she to assume that they wouldn't need the main catalyst of this test present for any additional checks?

A matter of minutes spent being checked over by the medical team brought no fruit of concern, physically she was doing as fine as she had been before the latest mission, no sign of any trouble after a single use. As uneventful as it could possibly be seeing as she didn't come back injured this time.

Upon meeting the sensory specialists, Niji gave them a simple nod of greeting. "I've had my medical check, do you have time to check my chakra for abnormalities?"
A simple question, met with a simple answer from one of them. "Sure, just wait in that tent and I'll be ready soon." To which Niji followed their instruction, waiting within the tent with a couple of other sensory shinobi waiting outside, just to be safe.
A few somewhat tense minutes passed as a sense of tiredness, exhaustion even, began to settle in alongside the slight chill she was still feeling. Niji just about caught herself starting to doze off, jolting awake as she heard some kind of whispering coming from... Somewhere. Coincidentally as she woke herself up the specialist joined her in the tent, raising a brow in curiosity at the knife still strapped to her side. "So, did anything strange happen when you used that thing?" They said, gesturing at it as well.
A twitch of discomfort hit her as the knife was mentioned, drawing her attention to it briefly as she had forgotten that she brought it along. "Some dizziness... a strange taste in the mouth, though maybe I'd just swallowed some kind of bug or something whilst moving." Her explanation felt appropriate, there were likely some unfamiliar things in this land that she could've had an adverse reaction to.

"Uh huh... And you've not felt anything since?" The specialist's curious look persisted at her reaction, though they didn't press the issue, perhaps her reasoning sufficed for them too. Niji shook her head, so what if she felt cold? That was something she could fix as the climate shifts to something warmer, it was spring after all, some cold spells were expected here and there.
"Well then, it seems your chakra system has distorted ever-so-slightly. It's nothing serious but take it easy before your next assignment, just to be safe." They explained briefly, presumably still having more work to do outside checking on the test subject that Niji was, either way she would nod in response and make her way out of the tent, she'd go eat and then maybe get some sleep, it was starting to get dark after all.
________

The chill hadn't gone away just yet, maybe she was more tired than she had originally thought, even a hot meal hadn't done much to alleviate it. Maybe she'd caught something, a flu or some other ailment.
Honestly, it felt like one of those brute things had shown up, that's how pervading the chill was right now. Of course that wasn't the case though, else everyone around her would have felt it as well, so it had to be an illness of some sort as that was the only way to explain it. She felt she'd gotten a few strange looks having the knife at her side but no one said anything. Maybe they weren't actually watching it, but Niji was exceedingly aware of it's presence and just felt that everyone else was as well, surely anyone would be wary seeing a weapon belonging to the enemy.

With food sorted, Niji decided she should try and deal with this cold sensation by lighting up one of the vacant fire pits, setting up a sizable amount of wood to produce a significatly bright, warm and lively campfire. And she sat close by, leaning closer still to let the heat soak in as much as possible.
Yet it didn't seem to help all that much, the combination of food and a fire just proved to emphasise how tired she truly was, those whispers from before seemed to return and drew her attention once again. A glance around didn't provide her with a source for the whispers, it's not as though she was significant enough a figure that people would be talking about her, so why did she keep hearing them? Clearly whomever it was just didn't want to catch the ears of any eavesdroppers, so she should just ignore it, let the gossip she was no doubt missing just go about it's merry way.

As Niji threw some more wood into the fire and was considering that maybe she should get some sleep, she finally noticed that a couple more soldiers had taken seats around the fire itself, a couple of them jerking back at the scattering charcoal and spitting embers that resulted from her haphazardly adding to the pyre. "Mind yourself, that fire's getting way too big. Ain't you got enough wood on there already?" One of them piped up, rising from his seat to move the remaining firewood.
"What do you mean? It's cold." She gave a simple answer, cutting straight to the point. And the soldier paused, caught off guard by the forcefully simple way she spoke all the while trying to find the right words for his response. "Lass, it's mild at worst, warm even. You taken a few too many knocks on the head or come down with something?"
"No, no, I'm just going to go and sleep." She didn't give them time to respond as she left, returning to her tent.
________

And yet rest did not come easy as the whispering crept back into life when Niji tried to slip off to sleep, it would help if she could at least understand what was being said.

By the time sleep finally embraced her, it felt like she had been there for hours if not longer.

But her problems didn't stop there, fate would be too kind to let her get some sound sleep. No, her dreams were plagued with ambiguous visions, barely anything one could make sense of even if they could spend their whole life trying to figure it out.
Whatever this experience was it didn't feel like she herself was the one doing the feeling, she was merely reliving their own hellish experience. Their body warping, burning and reeling in response to whatever was being done to them, the sensations sunk deep into her own sense of self, this victim's stress and panic overriding her own feelings and instilling an uneasy dread as to whether or not this was something that was set to happen to her now that she's taken this path.

Was she even going to wake up from this? And if she did, should she try and cancel the test?
No... That would mean losing the knife. Her knife. For some reason she didn't want to get rid of it, she felt secure with it in her grasp, that was a security she couldn't lose. Discarding it or having it taken away would hurt more than the experience that was bleeding into her dreams, surely.

She couldn't go back now, even the first step into this pit was irreversible. Her dream began to stabilize, finding herself in a near limitlessly expansive city, miles upon miles greater in scale than any other she'd seen. The architecture seemed similar to some of what she'd seen of the Rong encampments, with people passing her by head to toe in similar, yet foreign garb, none of them gave her even a fraction of their attention, like she wasn't even there.

She was definitely still dreaming then, perhaps if this dreamscape bore any landmarks she might be able to figure out where it actually was with a map once she woke yet a sweeping gaze to the horizon showed only more of the city. At the same time something in the sky caught her attention, her gaze shifting upwards to find the most unsettling realization yet, something had been watching her this whole time from above, whatever it was, it was aware of her. A pair of eyes impossibly large to belong to anything alive.
And it was not pleased about her presence, it's glare pressing down on her the very moment her gaze met with it.

But she awoke in a cold sweat, throwing herself to a side and scrambling to stand, that knife already in her hand as she tried to get a bearing on her surroundings. The hairs on the back of her neck risen and her body in full-on fight or flight for a moment until she found she was back in her tent, no longer stuck in that dream. The image of that city and those eyes still fresh in her memory.
She was safe now... Right?

 

[DeliciousFood]

[ Sevudia - Authority's Encampment: Alsanna's Tent ]
[ Alsanna Shirafuji - Big A]
[ More time and care is dedicated to this pleasant correspondence. ]
​

---

RE: Little S
​

Happy Correspondence

"Ah right, I do have a friend."

This time there was even a gift wrapped up with the letter left in her humble abode. It made Alsanna smile- a very toothy smile at that- when she finally concluded that this was going to be more than a mere prank. Like a greedy child during a festivity, she was eager to check the gift first. Said eagerness almost drove her to touch the goods without at least some degree of inspection. Of course, she did so, ruling out any sort of seals as a starter and then carefully managing her approach to avoid any sort of substance contamination.

What hid behind the package's walls was a book to which she'd quickly skim through to get a grasp of it. "Plants? Huh. Haven't dived into flora in a while." she raised an eyebrow, lips slightly pushed out as her curiosity was certainly piqued. The book was kept open at some random page, one dedicated to a unique lotus that only grew in the Earth territory's springs. Her attention was veered to the letter which she'd quickly open to get a taste of her penfriend's response. She giggled at the first line. "Big A. Lovely."

It would take Alsanna a total of three days with at least seven drafts of the letter passing the bin. From little walks to the nearby woods, to solitary rests in her tent, to even writing down unique ideas on a little notebook when she lined up for rations. It occupied her mind more than she expected, with frequent breaks between her explosive experiments to just musing. Especially when it came to the questions. Something simple but useful. Or maybe two somethings?

At the eighth draft, she pondered for a moment, sitting quietly in her tent with only the dangling lantern serving as a light source for her evening writing. There was a red owl perched next to her improvised surface, merely staring. For the first time, the avian had shown its true form and for no apparent reasons. Although its master was keen on speaking to it without any response.

"Hmm, what do you think? Little S wants it to be a bit more proper," she turned her visage to the bird while her head kept shaking shifting left and right, "and she did give me a goodie. Maybe we can be a little sweeter?" her posed question came with no verbal response from the creature as it just went to nibble its plumage under its wing. Alsanna smirked, "Though, just a little sweeter."

Dear Hag

Little S,

It warms my heart to hear from you. It does tend to get lonely in Sevudia. I like the names! They are so on the nose, which tells me a few things about you, little S! But now I feel a little sad. This asymmetry of information between the two of us must make this exchange and game a little dull for you, even if you like my work. Speaking of, how did you find my short summary? If you want more tangible results, I'm afraid only Big A can conduct them!

So, I've decided that I would send not one, but TWO brief reports with even little sketches on them. That way, at the very least, you can have something to chew on and I can ask more questions. Although, as I've promised, I will also answer yours.

The answer is YES. Now, the issue with yes or no questions is that if you ever want some elaboration, well, you would be brought to wait a while with this correspondence. So, I am adding a new clause! There should be at least some explanation to our answers. Brief or long, so long as we can gossip and chatter like the harpies we probably are.

It was a boy. I think I was thirteen, or nearly fourteen, he was in my class. Painfully average. But he always gave me a little something during snack time. For no reason too! He smiled and gave me food. I was looking forward to saying hi to him for the longest time. My little, vacant heart palpitating so eagerly when my mind realized what it was seeing! And then I got bored.

Now it is my turn! And I spent a while thinking what would really be worth asking. But I like the theme you have chosen.

Have you ever been in love, Little S?

Given your contacts, inclinations to use pretty demeaning pet names and even call me brat, I'm left to assume you have since lost your youth, hit the wall like my teacher and slowly lost what may make others desire you. And by the way you write, I almost feel like you're a woman. But you do not have to confirm or deny, keeping that in the dark adds some mysticism. I like that! And, yes, it must be with a person, little S.

What value do you put on a human life?

I will let you answer that one in any way you see fit. And interpret it in any lazy or overdone way you wish. But ultimately, my work often revolves around tinkering with life itself, even if my motives are more altruistic than egocentric. Maybe.

Thanks for the book! Botany knowledge is something I've ignored for a bit after the academy. I'm certain I can make decent use of it in a deadly shithole full of hostile and mysterious biodiversity. as for what I want ... A few pretty masks! And one of them being my Shinsetsuna Ishi mask. Oh, and some fancy attires too! Surely what I've provided justifies a frivolous thing or ten! Thanks for the supplies, by the way~

The smart thing? I'm kind of trying to make people not hate me as much for dumb reasons. So I've been pondering some image promotion stunt, add maybe a massage there or three. Give quality check ups when the medical tents are both saturated and rather foul. However, a second idea has arisen! I will keep you updated, if you keep me satiated!

Much love, my far away friend!

Yours,
Big A

With immense care applied to this letter, there was actually a wax seal applied, albeit its shape was a mere, barren circle. It also had a basic fuinjutsu on it, one that would cremate the letter if it were opened by a novice. There seemed to be growing expectations from Shirafuji's part, although the seal was no issue to Kimi's caliber of course.

Along with the letter was a much thinner package than the one given to Alsanna. It contained two documents with a few pages of raw information in each, though summarized due to a lack of a proper workplace.

• The Sleeping Beauties, An analysis on a comatose patient, their nervous system, the manifestation of their chakra network and new methods of diagnosis.​
• Takeda's Storm, A summary of the procedure conducted on Yuyuko Takeda, the potential for medical procedures to be done in order to force out latent abilities, among other things.​

And of course, a small energy bar for Little S to snack on as a bonus. As usual, the response would be placed as instructed, although the next time Little S' proxy entered her tent he would be greeted with a glass of water and an apple for the road along with a post-it with 'You are FIRE!' written on it and a small doddle right under burning with energy.

 

[RedFox]

Big game hunt

[ Eastern Continent | Near the camp of the 11th Brigade ]
[ Hideko Koyabashi | Hylli Hyuzu | Mamoru Senju ]
[ A collaboration between the amazing @Autumn Song, the equally amazing @RoranHawkins and @RedFox. After their previous agreement, Hideko, Hylli and Mamoru put their plan into action. What ensues is a big game hunt that has more than one prize at its end. Enjoy! ]

She felt energized! It was 5 AM in the morning, she really shouldn't be up this early, but woah man! She had first sneaked into the cook's tent while it was unoccupied, which was way harder to do than she had originally planned. She'd anticipated that it was best to strike during the night, but clearly that was wrong. The late-night watch was coming towards the cook's tents then. Less people, sure, but still a lot of people. She had a new respect for camp cooks, who really were up night and day. Nevertheless, she had succeeded in her mission to 'relieve' them from the ingredients that she required. Especially fresh greens had been a problem, but fortunately there was a new batch of those just around the corner. Saved! While walking here, wearing a tiny rucksack with all of the ingredients in, she thought about the hunt. Ooohhh boy! She could not wait for her teammates to arrive! What fun they would have!

For the third time today, Hylli wondered why she had agreed on this unholy hour. Suppressing a yawn, Hylli continued towards the point where she was going to meet the others. It had been a hassle to get the components that they would need to hunt. Arrows, three bows, rope, materials to make traps and such. The weight of the tools and weapons were far from light, causing Hylli to arrive with a deep sigh. Placing a bag on the ground, she nodded towards Hideko.
"Mornin'," she said, trying to sound cheerful, gesturing to the bag, "took me some convincing but I got the stuff that we going to need. The quartermasters are a stingy people, so far. Can you believe that I had to convince one of them that I was acting on the orders of the lieutenant before he was going to comply? Fat oaf tried to persuade me to hand over some coins. I swear, I have half a mind to not return this back."

Mamoru woke up to the experience of having his face sliced up again. He was panting and gapsing for a few minutes before he realised he was in no real danger. His hand grasped at the amulet he received from Meilin and it helped him to calm down sufficiently that he could think straight.Hunt with Hylli and Hideko, he reminded himself. He got up and quickly prepared himself - got dressed, managed to wash his face and took his wakizashi, Ash. Also opening his chest, he grabbed his tea bottle and a small bag with some mint leaves and other ingredients to make his favourite tea. Walking out of the tent, he grabbed the bag he filled with firewood he gathered. Grunting a bit as he lifted it, he walked through their camp, stopping to fill his bottle. He made his way across the camp and then to their agreed spot. He smiled as he saw Hylli and Hideko already present. He waved at them and approached them, placing the bag with the wood down."Good thing we have so many fireplaces. A log from here and a log from there - should last us the day. So - how do we do this? And are we really doing this? Don't you feel bad about the porridge?" He asked, chuckling a bit.

Mamoru joining them made Hylli perform a polite nod towards the Senju. His questions made her think briefly, before she offered a response. "We first go out. It is safest and best to not stray too far from camp. The best direction is to go north. More ground for wild to spot and take out. And less chance we get in contact with Rongese patrols." Hylli explained as she remembered her hunting with Kazumo.
"We then set up a spot and go from there. You guys ready?" She decided to then pose the question in return to the other two.

The Senju returned the polite greeting and listened to the Hyuzu lining out their day.I'm so glad we decided to do this, he thought as he gave Hylli a smile.It's so admirable, the certainty in her voice, it's firmness. I'll follow what she says to the letter, he thought to himself."Understand. I'll follow your lead, Hylli. Let me give you some extra help." He bit his thumb and performed some hand seals and placed his palm on the ground. A low, excited whine filled the air along with a puff of smoke and Mamoru reached out with his right hand, caressing the fur behind the right ear of Tenkó. His companion wagged his tail in excitement."Today is your big day, buddy. We're on a hunt today. Be a good boy and help Hylli out as best as you can." Another low, excited whine and the fox turned and approached Hylli, sniffing at her leg. His tail started to wag again. With a smile, Mamoru stood up and nodded at Hylli."He'll help you. And he'll listen to your orders. Right?" He asked, making sure the fox heard him.

"And when it is all over, I'll take care of the cooking." She said to hylli, before noticing a little fox. "Oh my God, are you kidding me? It's so cute! Why didn't you summon that before?!" She exclaimed while she was practically all over the fox. "What's its name?" She tried to get the fox used to her smell, but she might have acted too impatiently at first.

When she learned they were hunting North, she took that as common knowledge. "But yeah. I don't have any arguments there. That is your territory." As she smiled towards Hylli and Mamoru.

Crouching, Hylli also seemed quite happy upon the sight of the fox. "What a cutie!" The Hyuzu exclaimed, almost forgetting that they were going on a hunt. When Mamoru explained that the fox would help and listen to her orders, Hylli rose up. She was about to response but Hideko stating that this was her turf made Hylli raise her hands slightly.
"Okay, wait, wait!" A nervous chuckle escaped her lips before she could say anything more, "I am not an experienced hunter like sergeant Dagrún or master Scylding,"
Lowering her hands, she did grab the bag of before and hoisted it. The warm rays of the sun started to down upon the camp. A sign that they should probably get going.

"Okay, let's move northwards then!"

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

The hike was actually pleasant, if one would ignore the weight of the equipment that they had to carry with them. Remembering what Dagrún and Kazumo had taught her, Hylli wanted to look for a proper place first. If they were planning to use the entire day, then a place to make preparations for both before and after the hunt would be best.
Finding a small clearing, Hylli dropped the bag as she knelt next to it.
"We can use this place, I reckon!" A slight excitement evident in her voice, "now we just got to decide what we should aim for. I hunted deer last time I went with Master Scylding. The bow is a bit tricky but else we can try to set up traps. For small game, like rabbits," Hylli explained as she laid out some tools, pulling them from the bag and removing the attached bows from it.

The trekking as one might call it that team 8 did was cool. They traversed over little routes known to no man but a hunter, and saw sight that were at times pretty wonderful. Then again, most of it they spent in the underbrush, tracking and seeing where the animals were. or rather, as Hylli paused and set her bag down, they weren't on the actual trip yet. She blushed as she put down her bag as well.

"Well, aren't we here to actually hunt something? I mean, traps are cool and all of that, but I know it can take several days for something to get caught in it." She said. "But, to be fair, I've never actually used a bow before. Is that a problem?"

As they made their way across their nature, Mamoru felt a sense of calm wash over him, the kind he didn't feel in a long time. Tenkó kept running around them, sniffing at everything in their path. Eventually, the fox came up for scratches to both Hideko and Hylli, interrupting their trek for a few seconds a few times. As Hylli stopped them, Mamoru looked around and nodded. It reminded him of the trips his father used to take them on. He placed down the bag of firewood and knelt down, his buddy coming up to him, and he scratched his ears again."Okay, okay buddy. They like you too. Now be prepared, the real hunt is about to begin." He looked up at Hylli explaining."I have only scant experience with bows as well. But my guess, Hideko, is that we'll set up traps and move out on our own, hoping to hunt down something ourselves. Do I get it right, Hylli?"

Hylli listened to the questions, the Hyuzu nodded after Mamoru posed his. "Yeah. Though Hideko isn't wrong. Trapping is a matter of patience. But also luck. Ah, I also want to try something out," gesturing to the other two as well the fox to stand back, Hylli would deeply inhale and exhale.
Biting her thumb, the pain was quite annoying, even if it was necessary. Not quite happy with the obnoxious aching in her thumb, Hylli would start to weave a distinct set of hand sings before crouching. Placing the hand with the painful thumb on the ground, she watched as black lines rapidly crossed the ground. The black lines seemed to herald something large as they kept expanding before summoning a cloud of smoke.
Rising up, Hylli pressed her fists against her hips as a loud and deep vibration seemed to originate. As the dust slowly started to settle, a large shadow became visible. Only for a sudden gust of wind to sweep the dust aside - towards the sides. Two savage scarlet eyes narrowed as the beast Hylli summoned observed who dared to be in its presence.
The wings briefly stayed stretched, making the dragon seem much larger and intimidating. But upon sighting only the trio 'hunters' and a fox, the antler-crowned dragon clearly seemed disinterested. Its wings folded and slowly it turned around.

"Well, I--" Hylli started, half turning around, only for the dragon to curl down on the ground and disappearing in a large puff of smoke. Staring back, the lips of Hylli curled down as she stared at the place where the dragon had been.
"Guess that was one disappointment. Dear gods…"

Mamoru listened closely to the reply and he felt that luck would be on their side. Before they could say anything, Hylli gestured them to stand back and so he did, gesturing for Tenkó to get behind him. Mamoru was curious about what Hylli's summon was, and a few seconds later, he learned. He slightly dropped into his knees, ready to turn tail and run. A low, terrified whine was coming from behind his legs and he gestured to his companion to stay. He looked at Hylii and shook his head.No, she's got the situation under control. I trust her, Mamoru thought to himself. He avoided the crimson gaze of the dragon as he didn't want to provoke it by accident. He observed it turning around and - disappear.

He stood motionless for several moments, trying to process what he witnessed. He slowly made a step towards Hylli, Tenkó sticking to his leg. Another few steps and he was right next to her, and he slowly reached out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder." It's - It's okay, Hylli. It really is. Not many people can do what you just did. You're - you're impressive."

"So, am I wrong, or was that a dragon?" Hideko said almost idly. She had spent most of the time working on her pack, partly to hide the blush, partly to adjust her things once she had set them down, and was suddenly faced with this massive reptile. "That's … amazing? Well, was amazing?" She said, still not comfortable with the idea of just summoning a dragon. What if she went home like; "Oh yeah Mamoru was a chunin and Hylli could summon a fucking dragon." That wouldn't look too good on her. Really, at all. Woah. How did she even have enough chakra to do all that?

"Woah, hahaaaahh… Indeed!" She said after Mamoru, but her face spoke other parts. She really has to catch up with them, but she simply did not know how.

Hylli didn't respond to Mamoru and Hideko's words. Ironically, there was a whole pack of Hyuzu that could summon similar or even more powerful creatures than what she had done. The disappointment and frustration drowned out the sting of exhaustion that had followed by trying to summon and have the beast aid them. Feigning a friendly smile, Hylli raised a hand - giving them a thumbs up.
"Thanks guys. But let's get to work and what we came to do," she simply replied, turning to the few tools and weapons she had brought. Even if her skill and experience with the bow was minimal, she imagined it would be a better choice than trying to kill with a shuriken or kunai throw.
"Okay, we need to search for tracks first. How good are you guys at reading them? And how do you both fare at staying stealthy?" Hylli questioned as she hoisted a shoulder bag, together with a quiver that held some arrows in it.

"I'll just use my rocks. Tiny ones. I know of a guy who tried to use a bow and got hurt, so yeah." Hideko said, and with a minor earth jutsu formed a rock or two and put those in her equipment bag. She listened to Hylli with a newfound respect, until she realised that she was talking about tracks. Huh. I actually already know how to do that, just for humans. Well, sort of. She didn't really receive any training in it, but she knew what routes you should put your traps on and lie in ambush, and what routes you shouldn't take. Her old sensei would have been very eager to learn that she needed this. She sighed. Damn him. Maybe it'd translate to animals as well?

"Maybe I can? At least, tracking. Or I hope. About moving stealthily? I mean we learn that at the academy, right? I can do that. Just don't make it too fast." She said a bit too sassy for her own good, hoping that her brashness spoke for her.

Pulling back his hand from Hylli's shoulder, Mamoru took a step back. Not wanting to press the matter any further, he listened closely. Observing Hideko create stones in her palm, Mamoru opted to do this without the aid of any Ninjutsu. He would save that for setting up their fireplace. He reached for a bow and the notch to tie it."I'll take my chance with the bow. It was years since I used one, but I feel like I could learn something today. " He gave Hylli a smile as he started to tie his bow, securing the nktch at one end of it, then at the other one, doing his beat to avoid it from being too loose.

He did his best to recall his trips to the forest with his father, but the memories were hazy at best. "I can keep myself stealthy pretty decently. As far as I do it, I take it slow. Think over every step twice before making it. And for tracks, basics, basics I learned years ago. But I'm sure together we'll do just fine."

Readying herself, Hylli did wonder if it was wisdom to not bring either Kazumo or Dagrún with them. But it was too late for regrets and this could else serve as some sort of training, the Hyuzu pondered to herself as she gestured to the others to follow. She wasn't sure why she had decided to take charge but perhaps it was due to neither Hideko or Mamoru being more experienced in tracking or hunting? Pushing the thought aside, Hylli continued to trek northwards. The ambience of the forest was a welcoming change from the constant activity that one would hear and encounter in the encampment.
While enjoying the change of environment, Hylli looked for tracks.

Finding some, Hylli crouched and observed the imprints.
"You see this," Hylli started as she tracked the outline of the small tracks with her right index finger, "you can actually learn an awful lot of tracks. The depth of the imprints and frequency can tell a lot of how the creature or person traveled. Were they in a hurry? Then the imprints are deeper and further apart, due to the stride that many creatures have when sprinting." Hylli explained.
"It seems that isn't the case here." she continued, "Some imprints can also tell you if its a male or female. Most species, males tend to be bigger. But I suppose that is a given." Pausing, Hylli frowned as she inspected the edge of the imprints.
"A way to tell if it is fresh? Look for moisture at the edge. The edge is soft but not deformed. So that means that its somewhat fresh actually."

Straightening her back, she shot a look around. Grabbing the bow that she had readied, Hylli nocked an arrow. "If we can shoot down one deer, we will have our hands full on dragging it back and getting the best parts. Perhaps we can even later ask Master Ylfling to help us," Hylli suggested, certain that they could inquire Dagrún's aid once they would come back with a good bounty.

Hideko followed the genin-turned-master-huntsman around. She would've had questions if she did not attempt and fucking succeed at summoning a dragon just now, but so was life! She enjoyed being away from camp for a while and took in the 'beauty of nature'. Soon it will bore her, but not now. Or at least, not yet. When they encountered their first set of tracks she bent over, cautious not to make too much noise. She nodded along with what Hylli said. If you let her say it, it actually made sense for once!

"So, judging by this here," And Hideko waved at the footprints, "How long until we encounter this deer?" She asked. "I mean, if we encounter it at all, y'know?"

Mamoru followed Hylli's lead quietly, his eyes on the lookout for any sort of movement. He felt invigorated by the nature around him, by the silence. The young Senju always felt close to nature. While it was true that he was spending a lot of time in nature during missions, it was nothing compared to a peaceful trek. All the killing and violence threw him off balance, something he seemed to be forgetting for the moment. As Hylli stopped them, Mamoru crouched over it and observed it closely. Listening to the Hyuzu, he felt his respect and admiration grow. He kept nodding, reminiscing about his childhood in the back of his mind.She really knows her way around, he thought as Hylli stood up. Mamoru touched the track - she described it perfectly." Hylli's right. It's got to be near. Tenkó!" Mamoru called his companion to them and as it ran up to them, it gave both Hideko and Hylli a look. It walked up to Mamoru and rubbed it's nose against knee."Here. Can you him, buddy?" The fox started to sniff the track. After a few seconds, his tail started to wag and it headed out northwards. Mamoru stood up and notched an arrow as well."He'll find the deer. The rest is up to us."

It was actually fun to do the investigation. Hylli nodded as Mamoru stated that it had to be near. Glad that Mamoru's fox had much better scent than any of them, Hylli followed the fox. Yet, she kept her vigilance as well. Only for a moment did Hylli throw a look at Hideko, to offer something to the other genin.
"If you want, I can teach you later some other stuff regarding camping and survival. Or you should approach Master Ylfling or Master Scylding. They are much better in those skills than I am, heh," a polite smile would be flashed as Hylli refocused once more on where they were heading. Hopefully, they would have a clear sight on their quarry.

Hideko needn't much convincing. If the rest thought it was a good idea to go, then she went as well. She actually found it weird to be the follower of the group for once. This wasn't like their teacher was around, then they'd be at the command of their sensei. This was … new. But also kinda funny in a way. Usually she'd be the one calling the group to a halt back in Konoha. When Hylli said something towards her, she opened both of her eyes in amazement.

"Woah! Master Ilf-ling-u and Master Skil-ding-u?" She tried, hopelessly failing. It was all too clear that she spoke Taika, and not really anything else. "Eh. Hopefully I'll remember those names when this hunt is over. I, how do you say, don't really get those names with their many syllables, sorry!"

Mamoru listened closely to the interaction between the girls and could not help but smile at it. He was glad they could stick together outside of a battlefield as well. His eyes kept scanning the direction they were heading."I might as well join you, Hideko. You can never know when these skills will come in handy. Especially in a place like this." He thought about possible situations that they could be useful, but it was taking him to places he didn't like. Shaking his head once, he returned his focus to the present, and as he did a low growl was let out by Tenkó.

Mamoru lifted his hand and signalled for the group to stop. He dropped to one knee and caressed the fox, resting his forehead against its for a second. He then looked up at Hylli."It has to be close . There are four of us, we can cover basically all the directions. We can have Tenkó go ahead and make it move against us. That way one of can get a shot off. What do you think, Hylli?"

Slight amused on how Hideko struggled with the names, Hylli didn't mind to speak again. "I was speaking of sergeant Dagrún and a Scylding that I know," she began, "and it is fine."
When the fox began to growl and Mamoru signalled, Hylli followed suit. The plan to cover it from four directions was a sound strategy.
Considering, however, some other possibility, Hylli replied. "I would normally find that a good plan. But perhaps it is best to approach it with a wide fanned tactic. Before one of us makes a mistake and spooks it before others have circled it." Pausing, Hylli gained a wry smile before she spoke again. "I am, after all pretty crap with a bow."

"Heheh, right! Those names I can remember. I'll just have to try with Skil-ding-u." Hideko said, raising her shoulders in a sort of apologetic way. When they moved on, chasing the deer, Hideko agreed and fanned out like Hylli had planned. No offense to Mamoru, but Hylli seemed to actually be the one with experience. She chose to go on the far left side, ready for anything. She couldn't see a deer yet, but the caution was infectious.

Mamoru listened to Hylli's suggestion and upon a quick consideration, he realised it made way more sense in this scenario. He nodded his head at the Hyuzu."I appreciate your insight, Hylli. I'll be on your right." Mamoru looked at her after the statement and realised that he's not that much either. He slowly moved forward, eyes peeled for any movement on the horizon. Looking at Tenkó, Mamoru nodded and pointed at Hylli. The fox slowly approached her and brushed against her leg before slowly walking in front of her." Just give him the word when you think, Hylli. I'm ready." Saying that, Mamoru tightened his grip on the bow and the notched arrow.

As both Hideko and Mamoru moved away, Hylli was going to say something else. Sensing something rubbing against her, Hylli noticed the fox. Crouching, she scratched the animal behind his right ear.
"Okay, Tenkó was it? I want you to direct me where this deer is," she spoke softly in Taika to the animal, in hope it would be able to understand her. The fox threw a curious glance but then simply turned to the way it had growled before.
"That works," Hylli murmured underneath her breath. Slowly, she focused on her pacing and to remain silent. Her gaze was peering for anything that could betray the deer. A few tracks did show the animal was heading towards the direction Tenkó had pointed out.

Her heart pounded as she pushed some foliage aside, carefully and slowly. Spotting the deer up ahead, the animal had its back towards Hylli. In front of the animal was what appeared to be a creek, from which it was drinking.
Throwing a look to the right and left, Hylli raised her right hand. Gesturing as good as she could for both Hideko and Mamoru to move slightly forwards, Hylli waited. Her attention went back to the deer, raising the bow and using the arrow point as aim, Hylli's fingers already started to slowly pull the string back.

Hideko, forewarned by Hylli's signal, tried to spot the deer. She couldn't see the deer quite yet, and cursed the tree trunks in doing so. Slowly very slowly she crawled forwards until she could see the deer. It was strangely peaceful how it just sat there, drinking. Always an eye out for predators, but this time, they were the predators. That made her feel somewhat uneasy. She grabbed one of the stones from her sack, and was about to throw them, just waiting for a signal. Hmm. Perhaps they should have agreed on that?

Mamoru held back his breath as Hylli gave Tenkó a command. Relief washed over him as the fox obeyed at first command and moved forward with Hylli and Hideko, holding the arrow nocked, prepared to draw on the notch on a second's notice.Come on, Tenkó, don't let me down, he thought as the fox slowly advanced. He kept his eyes peeled, looking at his side. He tried to stretch out his senses as much as possible, but the first signal came from Hylli. Observing it, he made one last, quiet step forward and he saw the deer though the foliage. He nodded at Hylli, not sure whether she would be able to see him and pulled back on the notch. His thoughts went to the deer, praising its life, and asking for forgiveness in advance.

Fixating her attention on the animal, Hylli realised that they had missed several steps of their plan. But it was now too late to either back out or make themselves known. Not if they wanted to have any sort of success. Adjusting her aim through the arrow, Hylli waited for a second. Pulling the arrow back, she could feel the weight of the draw resisting as she did so - though it wasn't hampering her.
The mere moment she had pulled the arrow as far as she had done, Hylli released the projectile. With held breath, she watched as the projectile punctured through the deer's skin and flesh. However, the arrow had punctured the animal's right leg and did little to hamper as the spooked quarry started to sprint off.
"Damnit," Hylli mumbled as she panickedly wanted to notch a second arrow.

Oh shit! That was the signal! She realised too late, as the arrow hit the deer. In her imagination things went differently. The deer was struck by the arrow, and died. The deer did not actually die. It motored into full speed, and was off. The stone that she'd thrown was off, and she broke cover. "Fuck!"" She said, as she pitched her second stone, already infused chakra, was on its way.

Mamoru watched in silence as the first arrow punctured the deer's leg and it sprinting away, panicked, it's fight or flight instinct taking over. He let his arrow fly a second too late, missing the deer. Not wanting their prey to get lost, Mamoru took off, somehow managing to nock another arrow. He saw Hideko doing the same as him. Remembering his hunts with his father, he was sure he was not doing the right thing, but under the circumstances, he thought it to be a good idea."Tenkó! Steer him back to us! Hylli, come!" Mamoru tried to follow the deer's path with a slight offset, giving the rapidly accelerating fox some room to steer the deer into.

Rushing out of the place she had used as cover, Hylli focused her attention on the deer. When Mamoru called her, she only threw a glance as she gave chase after. Her heart pounded as adrenaline shot through her body, the thrill of the hunt beginning to dawn on her. Keeping an arrow nocked to the bowstring, she barely registered the cold water that they had to cross in order to run after the animal.

In the corner of his eye, Mamoru noticed Hylli also taking off after their prey. Turning his attention back to the chase, he ran as fast he could think not get too far behind the deer.He's wounded so that'll slow him down a bit, no matter the situation, he mused to himself. Maybe he just hoped it will slow down for them to catch up. Splashing water as he crossed at almost the same time as Hylli and Hideko, he turned a bit more to the right. He quickly lost track of time and before he realised, growling could be heard in the distance. Keeping up the effort to run at the same pace, when he heard Tenkó barking some distance ahead. He signalled for them to stop and aimed his bow in front of himself.
"Foxes use barking to mark their territory. The deer should be heading our way now, away from another predator. Be ready!"

A few seconds later, tumbling steps were heard approaching them. Mamoru pulled back his notch and aimed at the point from which the deer was approaching. Mamoru let an arrow that landed around the deer's middle, but not accurately enough. The sound the animal let out tore into Mamoru's core. Reaching for another arrow, he saw Hylli landing an arrow closer than him. The deer tumbled, sliding on the ground. The pain it was experiencing was obvious. Mamoru gritted his teeth and dashed forward, pulling out Ash. He knelt next to it and placed his hand on it's head, gently caressing it. His right hand was shaking as he placed it at its neck. Gritting his teeth together, he pushed the knife in, cutting through just under its vertebrae. He started to move his hand, and a few agonizing seconds later, the knife was out. The deer was out of its agony. He closed its eyes and turned to Hylli and Hideko. Mamoru dropped Ash and placed his hand on the ground, causing a small fissure to open for the blood flowing from the neck, and a few seconds later, he closed it."Balance above all things. We thank you for your sacrifice, and know it will not go to waste." He stood up and stares at the deer for and closed its eyes. He looked at it for a few seconds before turning to Hylli and Hideko.


"It is dead. My arrow pierced its lungs, but yours seemed to nick the heart, Hylli. Excellent shot. He would have died eventually, but it would be excruciating. I couldn't stand to watch it. My father taught me not to let them suffer. We- we did it. " There was a very slight hint of triumph in his tone, and he gave the girls the warmest smile he could.​

 

[RedFox]

Do you know what makes you you?

[ Eastern Continent | 11th Brigade Camp ]
[ Meilin Cho | Mamoru Senju ]
[ A collaboration between the amazing @Oetje and @RedFox. The day Mamoru is allowed to rejoin the training with his unit, Meilin approaches him with an unusual training session. The realisations and wisdom passed to him promises to set Mamoru on the path he wants to walk on. Enjoy ]

The exercises in the morning went much better. It seemed that the cohesion of the platoon seemed to grow. Even if they had members that were not on par with the average soldier in terms of physique, Meilin had some hope that they would weather the imminent battles. Her gesture and statement that the platoon was done ushered relief from many, who decided to take a rest before attending to their tasks or further training of the day.
Watching most take their leave, Meilin noticed Mamoru. Gesturing to the Senju to stay, Meilin waited as most casually took their leave - in the usual small groups or duos.
"You did very good today," Meilin said as she threw him a flagon, filled with water. "If you don't have any tasks assigned, I want to continue some training with you," Meilin said, awaiting if she had remembered correctly that Mamoru hadn't been assigned any patrol or other mundane tasks.

Despite enjoying the two days off given to him by his Sensei after his injury, a part of him was glad to be back on the fields. The beginning was a bit stiff but he eventually got back into it, and the similar feeling after a well complex session was as good as ever. He raised his eyebrows in curiosity as Meilin signalled for him to stay and while they waited for the others to clean the field, he did some light stretching to prevent his muscles from becoming stiff. Mamoru caught the flagon and nodded a polite thank you at her." Thank you, Sensei. I gave it my all. " He took a few gulps from the flagon and nodded. His eyes lit up with excitement "I'm not assigned anything for today. I'd love to pick up training again, Sensei. "

"Good," Meilin said as she gestured him to come with her. They would have to make room as another platoon went in to do their training. Managing to find a some space, Meilin was grateful that the ground wasn't wet. Sitting on her bottom, Meilin released a sigh of her own. Whereas she would be slightly frustrated that her clothes would grow dirty, they were already dirty and sweaty from the long drill session earlier.
"Okay, take a seat. Today, we will take a different approach," Meilin explained to Mamoru as she waited for him to sit down.

"You have already shown growth in skills as fighting. But an important skill is also developing discipline. Patience and understanding. Not just of fighting, but also yourself." Meilin paused as she tried to find the right words to convey the lesson to her pupil. "See it as that you can't grow further as a person if you can't accept yourself. That sort of thing, you understand?"

The young Senju followed his superior off the training field to a more secluded area, where he joined Meilin sitting on the ground. He gave her a curious look, waiting. As he listened to the approach to training today, he felt surprised. He expected that as a Chuunin, an emphasis would be placed on further developing his skills. But after giving it a brief thought, he saw the reasoning beyond her words.She wouldn't want to hamper you in any way, dummy. Trust her, she has your best interests in her mind.

Easing up a bit, a certain unease spread at his face as he looked at her."I was afraid it would come to this, Sensei. I - I feel so conflicted at times. Since the - the operation in Ardara. At times, I felt so - so angry. And I don't even know about what. Was it myself? My teammates? I - please, Sensei, don't take it as a slight towards you. You did everything you could, went above and beyond. I'm so grateful for that. I just." He gave her a look - something between an apology and a plea for help.

Hearing Mamoru out, Meilin remained silent. She did nod on some occasions, to emphasise that she was attentively listening to what he had to tell her. When he brought up Ardara, Meilin had to dig in to remember what they had done there.
"That is fine. Just stay calm. I won't judge you. We all have emotions and it is best to recognise them. Then to know if it is the time to act upon them or not," Dagrún and Aoi briefly flashed in Meilin's mind, but she reckoned that it was best to keep focus on Mamoru himself.
"Besides, the past is the past. At one point, if you don't even know why you were angry, then just let it go. There is no need to cling on to it." She said, "What else is weighing you down?"

He took several deep breaths as he listened to Meilin.Stay calm, stay calm, he kept reminding himself. He knew letting go of these feelings would take time and effort, but he felt like acknowledging them was the best place to start."You're right. It - it won't be easy. I held on to these feelings for months and I couldn't find a way to deal with them. I remember our first meeting, when you introduced me to the team. I knew I was like a sore thumb, sticking out. I hoped I will be able to blend in. To earn their respect and trust. " A brief smile flashed on his lips. Despite everything he just said, deep down he respected and admired his teammates." I grew frustrated. I desperately wanted to be accepted. But at the same time, I wanted to remain myself. And now, I even question that. I wanted to protect the ones who I fight with, but I couldn't even protect myself. " He pointed at his face, the scarring still visible on his face.

Taking the flagon of before, Meilin took a swig. The water wasn't cold but it was better than nothing. Then again, perhaps some sake or light wine would be better. Listening once more to Mamoru, Meilin did offer the flagon so that he could enjoy some water as well.
"Ironically, such a conflict isn't rare." A wry smile crossed her lips as she remembered her first team. "I served under the command of the Green Blade for a while. I was very eager to win his admiration and thrive under his tutelage. Yet, some matters forced me to pick. Either remain true to myself and who I am. Or continue to win the admiration of other people," pausing, Meilin wondered how different things would have gone if she hadn't gone on her own. Had she then discovered what had happened to her family? Would she then have saved Irene and the others? Pushing the questions aside, Meilin released an audible sigh.
"I am not the wisest. But I do think that being true to yourself is far more important than earning the admiration or loyalty of others. If they can't like you for who you really are, do you even want their admiration? What is their loyalty worth if you can't even be yourself?" She calmly posed those questions and would allow them to sink in.

"If protecting others is who you are, then stay that way. Besides, you'll get used to that scar. I have seen people who have looked far worse," she half-joked before turning more serious. "Eventually, it isn't just a scar. It is a reminder of what you are. Someone who tries to protect others. No shame in that."

Mamoru took a swing from the flagon as well, finding the water to be pleasantly refreshing. He listened to Meilin speak about her experience and viewpoint. He heard about the famous Green Blade and nodded in respect. He wondered about what events transpired, and wanted to ask about them but a hunch told him it was a discussion for another time. But she spoke the truth. He sat there, partially dumbfounded as the realisation started to dawn on him. Again, realising it was only the beginning. He pondered on all the questions she asked." I - I never thought about this, Sensei. I was under the impression that in order to blend in, I have to change to how the others want me. But it never crossed my mind that the loyalty and trust of those who don't accept me are - fleeting, at best. "

He remained silent as she spoke about who he truly was. As she spoke those words, he felt the feeling swell within himself. Many things changed since he became a member of Team 4, but that one thing always persevered. That strong, overwhelming desire to protect the others. He touched his scar with his fingertips and thought about it the way Meilin said." If what you say is true, Sensei - and I believe you, then you're right. I thought about it as a remainder of me failing to protect someone. But now with what you said, I think I might be able to see it as an attempt. There's nothing wrong with trying and failing, in my opinion. Far worse is not trying at all and cursing the outcome. " He looked at Meilin, as of he was asking for confirmation of what he just said.

A friendly smile flowed on Meilin's lips as she subtly nodded, confirming that she agreed with Mamoru. Raising her left hand, she pointed at herself with her thumb, feigning a somewhat arrogant tone - meant to half joke as she spoke up.
"That is why you got me as mentor," lowering her hand and dropping the feign, she continued in a friendly yet serious fashion, "What many don't realise is that failure isn't the end. I failed several times. Even lost a genin before you were assigned. If I had managed things differently, who knew? Maybe she would be still alive. Maybe you and I would never have met," shrugging lightly, Meilin's tone did betray some sorrow and guilt, "it is okay. For experience is gained from those mistakes. And I certainly don't intend to let them happen again. The same should apply to you. You know more about yourself. How to accept yourself. With that, you can look differently at past actions. And embrace who you are."

Leaning slightly forward, Meilin chuckled softly.
"This isn't perhaps as thrilling as learning some new cool technique, I could teach you. But it is important to be at peace with yourself. Not just to be able to gain control over your emotions but outside of the missions and military. To be able to escape any soul crushing guilt or sorrow."

Mamoru listened closely to what Meilin had to say. He chuckled at the impression Meilin did, but he felt it to be true. He couldn't imagine anyone else to be his mentor now. Meilin Cho became a person he would follow into the most dire of situations and give his all for them to make it out of it. Mamoru than contemplated the nature of failure. He realised that there were two viewpoints at it, and he hoped he'll be able to adjust his standpoint toward his past actions.Time, dummy, give yourself some time, he told to himself.

As she leaned forward, Mamoru listened to it. He couldn't help himself but disagree."I think that in a way, this is more thrilling than learning a new technique, Sensei. An unsteady hand guiding the sharpest blade is bound to fail. I think if I make peace with- with who I am and who I want to be, I'll become stronger. Not because I'll know more techniques, or more flashy moves. But because I'll be able to act without doubt. "

A chuckle heralded Meilin's laugh as Mamoru replied.
"Tried telling me that a few years back. I would have disagreed, by a lot. I was all about wanting to become stronger, so that I could just do my job and go home with a heftier pocket, filled with silver." Meilin responded, "But you are right. If you can stay calm, it allows you to respond much better. Granted, it takes time and discipline. The latter? You will develop that if you keep this up. It certainly helps against the likes of those who want to use your anger or frustration, for their own gains."
Pausing, Meilin only realised that it hadn't been that long since she had been a genin. Two years? Perhaps three years ago, her own journey in the Imperial corp had started. It felt like a whole lifetime ago.
"That and not to mention, chakra tends to be fickle. If you are too emotional, your control will never be good. With being at peace, I suppose one could say, you are more viable to have better control over it. Allowing you to progress better than you would if your emotions were all over the place."
Once more, Meilin enlisted a pause as she thought of something else.
"Not to mention, it is nice. To sometimes let something go off your chest and tell it to another person. Funny enough," a smile found its way back to Meilin's lips, "I tried teaching that to my siblings."

He remained silent again. He imagined he would end up the same way not not this conflict. As impossible as it was to find a silver lining on this war, it were moments like this one. Moments when he was able to sit down, and learn more about himself."I won't stop moving forward, Sensei. I'll run when I can, walk when I'm tired to run, and crawl if there is no other way. But now I know that sometimes, it is necessary to stop and look back at how far I already am." He than thought back for a moment, about the nature of chakra.

" Chakra reminds me of the rivers my father took me to as a child. He taught me not to fight the currents when crossing them, not go against it. Is it- is it a similar principle, I believe. Fighting myself could end up in me being washed away by my own emotions." He nodded at her words of letting go. Having experienced it just now, he couldn't help but agree. Meilin than mentioned her siblings and this time, Mamoru was the one to lean forward."If - if I'm not intruding, Sensei. How did it go with your siblings?"

"Hmmm," Meilin pondered for a moment. She was content that Mamoru understood the whole message and what was being conveyed. While the words of wisdom from Mamoru, originating from his father, were new to Meilin, she couldn't certainly not disagree with it.
The question, how it had went with her siblings, Meilin had to chuckle away another laugh.
"Horrible. They are a bit too young. Their attention span is all over the place. Perhaps once they have matured a bit more, I can try to teach these kind of things. When we get home, that is," Meilin became silent for a moment. Her smile faded slightly as the gaze of the young woman became more blank - her mind evidently trailing off towards something else. But suddenly, Meilin seemed back at the here and now.
"But yeah, this is what I essentially wanted to teach you. So that you can improve yourself. Not just in terms of combat skills but more than that. Yourself."

He listened to Meilin talk about her siblings and could not help but smile. The way Meilin described their attention span reminded him of the way he used to be and be nodded. Meilin then mentioned going home and her expression changed suddenly. He could only guess what she was thinking about, but somehow, he felt he could relate to it." We will get home, Sensei. Maybe a bit more scarred than we were when we arrived, but we will. If we work together, we'll make it. All of us." He decided not to give any thought to a different outcome. He smiled at Meilin and nodded, a small, warm smile on his lips. Today's training was an unusual change compared to their previous sessions, but a welcome one." It was an unusual change of pace, I admit. But I never doubted your methods, and I never will. I think I needed this more than a new technique. Thank you, Sensei." He gave Meilin his most heartfelt, honest thank you he ever said.

The idea of them going all home was one that Meilin clinged on to. Desperately, even if she wouldn't showcase it. Nodding slowly, she released another relieved sigh. Only when Mamoru brought up that they could come back with a few more scars, Meilin shook her head lightly as the smile stayed on her lips.
"Not sure about you, but I am fine with my collection of scars. I rather not have any more trophies," Meilin responded. Becoming silent, she stared off at the various people that trained.
"You're welcome, Mamoru."

Mamoru chuckled as well at the remark about scars and nodded in agreement. He leaned closer again to Meilin." How about we make a deal, Sensei? We'll make it out of here in one piece. No more scars. We get back to Konoha, and I'll invite Team 4 to an after war - all you can eat barbecue. There is an awesome place I know. How does that sound?"




""

​

 

[Aliceee]

[ Lagyre | Eastern Continent ]
[ Northern Army | Squad Asami ]
[ Operation: Painful Mist ]
[ Team Asami is set out to intercept some Rongese scouts, preventing them to learn too much about the Northerners and their army. While Asami does her best, the inexperience shows as the operation almost go wrong. ]​

Gearing up for the mission, Asami's mood was noticeably bad. She made sure to double check her tools and items before she would exit her tent. Today's she would be leading a squad to a mission that she considered the genin unfit for. Hells, even Reyna was someone she wasn't ready for what they were sent out for today.
However, the brass had given out the orders and it was now their duty to fulfill them; to their best.
Only Asami wasn't eager to test the best of her assigned team against their targets; who were likely more physically developed and had more combat experience.
Despite her disdain, Asami still went to the rally point. She was the first one to arrive and it just made her worry only more. Would the vices or activities of the war camp be too much for the team?

The transition from the capital city of Ranzaki to the eastern continent was like entering a whole new world. The travelling had allowed Otome to see more of the world. And instead of being motivated to do better; she was scared. The world was huge and terrifying already, making her feel small. Moreso when they got moved into the large camp of the army. The constant buzzing of activities and number of people was intimidating.
When she had to share a tent with others, Ottome wasn't sure if she could survive for long. This was part of the military and thus part of a kunoichi's life. But was she ready for this? Self-doubt was creeping and seeping every day further into Ottomo.

Heading towards the rally point, she noticed Asami and already noticed that the woman wasn't looking happy. Striding forth to Asami, Ottome would make a small bow and remain silent; figuring that small talk wasn't an option anyways.

Once the two had entered the boy's vision the paced he had walked drop, slowing down to a more stride. He had felt relief for he wasn't first to arrive, being second was perfect for him as he wasn't too early and also too late.

Finally reaching the two women Asami and Ottome, Jin's eyes would take their facial expressions, everybody was silent. He made a slight bow, unsure as if he must do it a second time. "Now we wait for the third." He thought.

It was all happening again… She was back in the East and questioning herself on why she had agreed to come back to the place she had witnessed so much horror. The journey itself had not been overly difficult. Reyna had simply done her best to remain isolated wherever possible, hoping that by keeping her distance from the others she could reduce the amount of potential damage she tended to cause. Thus far, it seemed she had been successful. With only a few minor incidents along the way, Reyna had managed to avoid destroying anything or causing irreparable damage. That was a win in her books.

The girl knew she was supposed to meet with the rest of her team, but she had wandered off to a small field not far from the tents to take a moment for herself. The beast had not spoken with her for a long time and, despite her relief in not having to deal with the creepy turtle creature - who admittedly had some pretty coloured coral covering his massive shell - Reyna felt a strange sense of loss. The monster was still a constant source of fear for her, but… there had also been a strange sense of companionship in knowing that she wasn't truly alone anymore. Even if that companion was a murder-hungry turtle monster...
Finishing her silent prayer, Reyna rose from her knees and glanced skywards. The dark clouds above brought her a small sense of comfort, but it was fleeting as her mind immediately flashed back to the task at hand. Clenching her fists the girl made her way to the meeting point.

She was not surprised to find that she was the last one to arrive. Glancing towards Asami, Reyna was familiar enough with the Jounin to recognize her look of displeasure and frustration. It was such a common sight that Reyna wondered if it wasn't just Asami's natural expression. Biting her lip, the girl folded her arms across her chest before speaking. "I take it this isn't going to be a very fun mission?"

Asami enjoy the 'silence' between her and the genin. It was not comfortable but it did beat to hear the genin asking questions that either didn't matter or Asami couldn't answer because she wasn't omniscient. When Reyna arrived and asked her question, Asami frowned. It was enough to answer the question, the woman figured.
"We ought to move closer to the border. We need to take out some patrols and then set up traps. They don't need to be complex but just effective to give our enemies a scare when they go looking for their brethren."
She didn't ask if they had any issues or questions. The time of pampering was over; if there was ever such a time. Gesturing the team to move on her lead, Asami didn't hesitate. A quick pace was picked up and held on for a long while.
The ambience of the army camp was traded for the wilderness. For a while they saw nothing but lush plains and small smooth hills. Only after two breaks and hours of travelling did the team start to encounter an area that seemed to become more populated by vegetation other than tall grass and flowers.

Reducing the pace, Asami raised a fist - signalling the team to halt. There wasn't anything that betrayed that they were already encroaching on any enemy patrol. The sounds of the forest started to become more dominant as Asami continued to lead them forwards after a short break.
"Try to remain silent and be on the lookout for tracks." The jounin instructed them. She was aware that none of them had an expertise on tracking and killing. Finding eventually a track of her own, she would signal the team to rally around her and the few tracks.

"Pay close attention. I will try to explain and teach you all this now. So try to memorise it as good as possible," Asami emphasised as she crouched and pointed at one of the footprints. "See this? A footprint. Judging by the size? A male, average height if we guess by the size. You can tell a lot from a track. It rained this morning and you can see there is still some moisture around the track. Meaning that it is somewhat fresh. The edges are a bit soft and almost seem like they are blown over, correct? You have to take into factor that the wind doesn't just stop. So I would say that this not too old of a track," Asami paused, her sharp gaze flashing between the students before back at the track, "now we can also learn how fast they were moving. Were they in a hurry? In pain? You see this by how close the tracks are together. See how the next isn't that far? The general rule is, the further apart the tracks are, the faster the animal or person is travelling. Aside from the fact that if your target is a bounder, galloper or a runner. Another way to check speed is the dept. See how this track isn't that deep into the dirt or mud? The faster you try to go, the deeper the imprint you leave. Faster tracks are also vaguer, due to more soil being dashed up by the increased pressure of the stride."
Pausing again, Asami would let the information flow to her pupils. There was an awful lot more to it but she decided to keep it at the basics.

"Now we simply follow them and remain cautious. Always be on guard. Just because you are tracking them, doesn't mean that it won't lead to an ambush or other nasty surprise. Come on," ushering the others to join her, Asami continued to follow the tracks. Now and then pointing out another fact.
Eventually, they started to hear some voices penetrating through the forest ambience. Signalling to her team, Asami gathered them close as she whispered her orders.

"They are holding a break," she whispered as the five Rongese soldiers were standing in a circle - their backs to the environment. "Spread out and wait for my signal. Use weapons or ninjutsu, as long as it kills and doesn't produce too much of a ruckus. My signal will be a whistle. Now shoo."

Ottome paid attention to what Asami taught them on the way. The woman gave far more details and was straight to the point; something that Ottome could appreciate. It was better than how the Academy had dealt with the basics.
Following the lead of Asami, Ottome had almost forgotten about their actual objective. Realising that they were about to descend and try to take the enemy out. Ottome's heart skipped a beat as she tried to gulp away her fear.
Asami's orders were clear but it still took a second for Ottome to register what she had to do. Nodding absentmindedly, the genin would spread out. Careful to not make too much noise, Ottome would crouch down and pull out two kunai. There was a lot that went through the girl's mind and not for the first time that she had arrived on the eastern continent, she ushered a soft prayer to Akemi - hoping that the father of storms would aid her in this imminent clash.

Jin tried to soak in the words of Asami, as much as he could, definitely the boy was intrigued and wanted, yet felt he needed to know more, however due to situation and the limited time, the lesson was caught short, of course it was better than staring at bored. He wanted the touch print, but he didn't dare move muscle in front of his Asami, not until her command.

His head nodded slowly to show he understood his orders, to pick a target and execute them. Jin's hand would move to his bow, but after a second thought, and he would mimic Ottome, choosing his kunai, though preferred to attack from a distance, he believed the execution wouldn't guaranteed, as his bow was only a training and would not be able to pierce, no, this not drill, this could be life or death, which included pissing off Asami, no Jin had to make sure he was competent. He had his kunai ready, his spot was secured, all he needed was the sign.

The jounin's original answer to her question indeed provided all the information Reyna needed to know. Cursing inwardly, the girl fell back into silence and followed the team as they moved out. It felt nice to be on the move again, though she couldn't quite shake the sense of unease in her gut. Reyna wasn't exactly accustomed to killing yet. She understood that sometimes it was necessary, but as someone who hailed from a clan that focused primarily on medical ninjutsu, it seemed hypocritical to take another life.

The first part of their journey was oddly peaceful, despite the rapid pace Asami had them moving in. Reyna knew from her experience with the jounin that she would not be traveling at such a fast pace if they were in immediate risk of being ambushed. The woman was too smart for that. Smart or paranoid, it was hard to tell the difference sometimes. Taking slight comfort in the knowledge that it was unlikely they would be caught by surprise, Reyna allowed herself to survey their surroundings and focus on the natural beauty. When they neared the forest and slowed their pace, the girl's nerves began kicking in once more. This was an area they were more at risk in.

Reyna listened intently as Asami described how to spot tracks and what they meant. She found the lesson quite fascinating, almost enough to forget that these tracks meant they were getting closer to their enemy. Reyna took some time to try and find more tracks, but had difficulty spotting any. Wondering something, she glanced behind her, trying to locate her own tracks. At first she could not make out anything through the foliage, but eventually she found a small imprint in a patch of mud that she had walked through. Proud of herself for managing to find it, Reyna turned back to the group, only to realize that the others were already moving on. Cursing herself for getting distracted, the girl tried to quickly catch up while doing her best not to make too much noise.

Listening to their orders, she swallowed nervously before following the others as they moved into position. Watching as Ottome and Jin pulled out kunai, Reyna thought for a long moment. She preferred having her hands free in case she needed to use any ninjutsu, but she also realized most of her techniques were defensive and might not help much here… She did have one technique that could potentially help, however, so Reyna decided not to take out any weapons, for now.

The wait would likely be an agony for Asami's pupils and subordinates. No signal came and every time someone dared to throw a glance at the Sanosuke, they saw the woman observing their enemies as a curious cat - ready to jump and make her move. The five soldiers weren't doing anything that spooked Asami. They seemed quite relaxed and had a pleasant conversation. Until Asami whistled softly - barely audible.
In a quick succession, Asami dashed forward - resembling a shadowy figure that sped through the night towards the Rongese soldiers.

The first that was on her path would be killed near immediately as Asami plunged a kunai into his neck - causing him to gurgle and collapse mortally wounded to the ground. Before the rest of the group could respond, Asami kept her momentum and slammed another kunai into the throat of a surprised soldier - ignoring only his gasp as he shortly collapsed, choking on his own blood.
The remaining three soldiers were obviously shocked and surprised, grabbing their weapons with the clear intent of attacking the Northern that had ambushed them.

Tightening her grip on her kunai. The sight of the enemy made her stomach twist and turn slightly, having a good hunch on what would happen soon. Truth be told, she had no idea to what extent the ability of Asami ran but she knew her own limitations. A straight fight with one of these soldiers would end poorly for herself, Ottome. Focusing on her breathing, she tried to pick a target out of the enemy - hoping to find one she could quickly overwhelm and kill before they would resist or worse: fight back. Yet, she had her plan and trap set out.
Then it happened fast as Asami pounced on the enemy as some sort of devil, striking like a ravenous predator upon mere cattle. Before Ottome realised what had happened, she dashed forwards as well - kunai at the ready.

One of the soldiers attempted to run a spear through Asami. But instead, a sharp pain started to sting from his back. Not allowing her opponent to respond, Ottome used her momentum to drive the kunai deeper into the back of the enemy - the sharp edge of the weapon shredding skin and cloth in its ragged path.
Releasing the kunai, Ottome quickly lowered herself in order to skid of the enemy's spear swing as he turned. Already armed with another kunai, Ottome rapidly stabbed the man in his thigh and twisted the weapon. Releasing the weapon again, Ottome quickly backed away as she had only her speed and surprise of striking over her foe.
The Rongese spearman grunted but managed to recover as he aimed the tip of his spear at Ottome. Shouting something in his language the soldier charged at the genin, who seemed to raise her hands slightly in defense.
Before the soldier could move further, his eyes widened. An invisible force seemed to hold him in place.
"Gotcha," the genin thought as the wire held the man in place. Placing her hands together, she weaved through the required signed before grasping the wrist of her right hand.
Lightning started to quickly gather and jump around the open palm of her right hand. Narrowing her eyes, she hissed as the lightning started to growl. It became clearly heavy as Ottome started to gather more before suddenly lashing out, conjuring a large hound that sprinted towards the man. Lunging at the trapped spearman, the hound suddenly reformed into a sharp point and penetrated the man with little effort.

Reyna had waited nervously for the signal, paranoid that the pounding in her chest would give her away and alert their enemies. Her fears were for nought, however, when she heard the low whistle and watched as Asami surged forward - a blur. Asami had already slain two enemies before Reyna even managed to stand to her full height. Rushing forward, she quickly weaved four handseals before stretching out her hands, sparks already gathering around her fingers. If she timed this right, she was hoping she could catch at least two of the enemies before they had a chance to engage Asami or her other teammates.

Just before she could make contact with her target, Reyna noticed Ottome as the girl sent a hound of lightning towards one of the enemies. Her eyes widened at the sight and, in her distraction, Reyna failed to notice the root sticking out of the ground in front of her. The girl's foot caught in the crook of the root and she tumbled forward, arms flailing. Before she collided with the ground, Reyna felt one of her hands hit something semi-hard and it set off her Lightning Surge technique. Her other hand flew out to the left, desperately trying to stabilize herself against something and she released the second surge without even thinking. Hoping that it would either make contact with the enemy or miss harmlessly, Reyna thudded to the ground, coming to a stop against the same firm shape as before.

Her eyes widened once more as she realized for the first time that she had stumbled into one of their enemies. Thankfully, it appeared that her first surge had hit him, paralyzing him temporarily and the momentum of Reyna's fall had knocked the two of them to the ground. Reeling backwards quickly, she scrambled for her weapon's pouch, hoping she could grab something before the man regained control over himself.

The boy's body tightened as he felt the unruly current look for exit, his jaw clenched and hands gripping his kunai. Jin fell to the ground, along with the enemy, unable to move and turned towards the enemy. Both their eyes locked and now it became a game of who would recover the quickest. Jin cursed to himself, "Shit, I can't die now." He thought, hoping his comrades would kill the man before he had time to recover.

Before the soldier could strike, something soared through the night's air. With a resounding thud, Jin would hear the soft gasp escape the man as he collapsed on the ground - an axe embedded in his skull. Another axe would hit the paralyzed foe of Reyna. His eyes widened as his lips parted when the steel bite through his skin and flesh, blood briefly gushing out of the wound at his neck. Asami's voice resonated after a painful silence dawned upon the area.
"Well, this is going to be a long night."

 

[Gerontis]

[ The Foot Companions | Battalion of the 13th Imperial Brigade ]
[ Sevudia | Eastern Continent ]
[ Koike Hon | Colonel of the Foot Companions, Scholae of Akino ]
[ Welcome to Sevudia, Jirians! ]​

At dawn, they moved. A group was no larger than twenty-three men. Clad in the distinct red cloaks and straw hats, they moved out with speed. The formation adopted as they had witnessed the Red Cloaks using when they moved alone without additional forces. One of them carried the mysterious box that the previous Red Cloaks had tried to bring to the fortress. The discovery that it had some kind of fingerbone had made Koike believe it wasn't some kind of weapon - rather a token of religious import, to bolster morale. At least, if this 'Chant' was similar to the Way of Fire. In any regard, his men hadn't been able to uncover any unique properties to the fingerbone.
Approaching the fortification, Koike did feel a sense of dread flooding over him. There was no telling if his plan was going to work fully to the extent he wanted it. It would save a lot of lives and time - something that they required more than Rong did.
His group moved to the gate and wasn't welcomed by a hail of projectiles. A fortunate sign but not yet giving any relief to Koike or his disguised troops. Approaching the gates, it was opened for them as they were welcomed by the sight of many Rongese troops running around.

"Seems something has them spooked," Katsu mumbled as he peered around. "Also, I thought there to be much less." The Uchiha further whispered, but Koike subtly shook his head as one of his men took the word - speaking Rén with what appeared to be an officer.
"Hopefully, they are now captivated by the Jirians. Else we need to get out of this hornet's nest," Koike mumbled back as he followed suit. Marching with the others, they seemed to have gained new coordinations, to move to the keep. Well aware that they had to open the gate, Koike didn't yet give the sign. It was best if the Rongese had full attention on the Jirians being the main threat.
None of the Rongese soldiers bothered or halted to inspect the Red Cloaks. The likes of officers and captains were ushering their troops to get into position. Pots with heated oil and water were carried to the battlements as other soldiers carried anything that could hold arrows in it for the archers at the wall.

Entering the large keep, Koike recognised the more professional soldiers of Rong. Clad in better gear and evidently better disciplined, their attention was too focused on preparing for the imminent fight. It was ironic that the infiltration tactic that the Rongese had applied in the west was now working against them.
Finally, the troop of Koike deliver the chest which held the fingerbone to some decrepit old man and his guard. An exchange followed between Koike's 'translator' and the old man, which ended with the translator bowing deep and commanding the unit to follow suit.

"Here we go?" Katsu muttered, as they were to exit the keep again. It was clear that they were heading to the wall. Koike wasn't entirely sure. The signal hadn't been given as his translator spoke with another officer before signalling a few of the troop.
"Aye, soon."
The troop split into three groups. With the majority standing guard at the gate - directing the Jirian forces. The other two were to move around and head to the opposite gate. After all, Skuli and the rest of the battalion were laying in wait together with a Jirian contingent of troops. Luckily there weren't many Rongese guarding the other side - only a skeleton force in case the Jirians wanted to pull off a surprise.
Whistling softly, Koike saw how his group subtly dispersed. Now left together with three men, Koike walked towards the gate. Half a dozen Rongese stood guard and seemed rather confident that this was an easy task.

One of them noticed Koike and the other three approaching them. Raising a hand, he spoke up - the respectful tone that one would imagine a subordinate using against a superior. However, Koike didn't reply as he continued to walk further. The lack of a response confused the soldier, who lowered his hand but spoke again.
Before he could actually finish his sentence, an arrow struck him from behind - the projectile piercing through flesh and skin. A gurgle escaped the soldier as he started to collapse to the ground. The other Rongese were quickly taken down in surprise as Koike's men surged forwards. Throwing a look over his shoulder, he couldn't see anyone raising the alarm.

"Go, hurry. By now," Koike instructed his men as they started to remove the wooden bar that reinforced the gate, "the others should be done with their work."
Peering the sky, Koike was looking for the sight of smoke. He had expanded his plan by spreading the group in three. The risks were big but the payoff would make it worth it. One group would start to spread fires in a different section of the fortress to redirect Rongese troops there. Another remained at the gate that was barred against the Jirian's troops. At the appropriate moment, his men there would sabotage the situation and, hopefully, escape with the agreed method - for, in the chaos of battle, friendly fire was assured with no way to rid themselves of their disguises.

The sound of the gate slowly opening made Koike turn his head, his gaze back to the double gates. His troops worked up a sweat as they pushed the gates wide open. With no shouts coming from the walls, Koike was certain that the rest of his troop had taken the other troops on guard.
"They are coming!" Katsu's voice sounded as he waved from the battlements down to Koike. "Skuli and the others. Shall I sound the horn?"
Koike made a gesture that made it clear that he didn't desire that yet. They had to wait a bit longer. He imagined that the Jirians were waiting for the signal but they had to time this correctly. Then he could see the small spiral of smoke rising in the air. Removing the red cloak, Koike also rid himself of the straw hat. Only wearing his chainmail, he drew his sword.
Just as Skuli lead the first men through the open gates, Koike signalled with a fist in the air to Katsu.

A loud horn resonated through the air as the battalion of the 13th cried out their battlecries and started to secure their portion of the fortress.

 

[GlitchyBugger]

Team Hiron - Officer Hunt (Part The 3rd)
Kyoi Hyuuga, Masami Hyuuga, Shikaroku Nara & Junko Shiroi
@RedFox @BlueFlameNikku @ChromeHound
​

Operation Honest Effort the third

Masami was still recovering from dispatching the last guard in a manner that was so uncharacteristic for her. Before she could speak up, Shikaroku was gone. She opened her mouth, wanting to voice her agreement, but all she got was a look at his back as he quickly headed back to rejoin with the others. She bit her lower lip and let out a frustrated tsk before she rushed after him. She took several deep breaths to get herself under control and within a moment, they regrouped with Kyoi and Junko. It was apparent that their operation was entering into its final stage and Masami gritted her teeth. There was no room for even the slightest of mishaps or errors.

Kyoi formulated a bold plan that she quickly put into action. Afraid that her voice might give away the turmoil within her, Masami just nodded as she gave Kyoi a brief look.I'm sure she knows what's with you, Masami. Nothing escapes her, she thought as they reached the gate. Kyoi gave them freedom to engage at their discretion and even before she made her move, Masami took charge and turned to her teammates."I'll take point. Junko, I want you on my right, stay close enough so that we can support each other. Shika - on my left. Use your techniques to slow them down as much as you can. Every second you can buy us is precious. And remember- no fancy moves. Efficiency is key. I'll be calling out any stragglers that might get up and cause us trouble. " As she said that, her face focused, the veins around her eyes more protruding than usual."Follow me." With that, she charged after Kyoi, going taking leftwards direction and focused her chakra on her hands, in a higher concentration than usual and reached for a kunai, channeling the chakra around it and hurling it at the foe the farthest from her, aiming at his neck with deadly accuracy.


The genin watched Kyoi work with an unflinching gaze, taking in how easily she dispatched a few of the troops on her own. When signaled to get in close, Junko stood on one of the men's bodies, hardly acknowledging it any differently than the grass and dirt as she listened along with everyone to the commander barking orders.

Junko could feel a dull thudding in her chest as it seemed the finale of their mission was now underway, her heart was pounding. Was it fear… excitement? Maybe it was both. She kept it all squashed down under the surface as she readied her window and rushed after Masami just to her right as instructed. The genin recited every order she'd received on this mission so far in her head chronologically just to make sure she was complying with them all.

Thanks to Kyoi these meager troops were full of openings but the genin had her orders. She stayed close to Masami. As they were set to pass two soldiers practically tangled up with each other in Kyoi's hair, Junko weaved three quick hand seals, focused her chakra through her weapon and swung her blade outwards towards them. A crescent of wind screamed towards them that cleaved them both in two along the same vector. Their two struggling forms now still, in a heap of four.

She would continue to keep pace with Masami, ready to step into fray with her if this lot managed to start banding together and come down on them in a group.


Shikaroku heard Kyoi speaking, but his mind was somewhere else. When the group split, he fell in line on Masami's left as the Hyuuga had requested. They surged forward, making their way further into the enemy camp and Shikaroku felt his unease growing. Masami easily dispatched an enemy in the distance, but it was Junko's brutally efficient kill that caught his eye. Fighting off a wave of nausea, the Nara quickly weaved a series of handseals and held the last seal, causing three tendrils of his shadow to shoot forward.

The tendrils connected with three enemies in their path and Shikaroku skidded to a halt, holding them in place. He wasn't looking forward to what would come next. He could eliminate all three right now if he wanted, but that was the furthest thing from his mind. The Nara couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong with him and until he figured out what it was, he didn't want to take any risks.

As if on cue, Shikaroku felt that same strange sensation coming from his mark and a chill ran down his spine. Not now, he prayed silently, gritting his teeth. Something caught his eye at the edge of his vision and Shikaroku glanced down. The shadows around his feet seemed to be swirling and shifting. The Nara's eyes narrowed in concern as he realized he was not the one making them move. Feeling his grip on the three enemies loosening, Shikaroku quickly shifted his attention back to them, not wanting to give them any opportunity to hurt his team.

Masami surveyed the situation as closely as her distressed condition allowed her, and she was satisfied. Junko, despite being as gruesome as ever was incredibly effective. She observed Shikaroku - and she almost cried out in surprise. His chakra flow was far from steady and he seemed to have some issues to maintain his grasp. Masami turned her vision to the other part of the remaining enemies. Five of them, regaining their bearings and about to cause problems to the group. She made her mind up quickly.[

"Junko!" Masami pointed at the three stragglers remaining on their side. She turned to the remaining five and moulded some of her chakra, then weaved a quick series of seals. Several vertices of water started to form around her, the technique much faster with the handseals. Around a dozen of water senbon formed around her and she launched them at the Rongs, as fast as she could and as evenly distributed as possible.

Junko didn't waste any time, immediately turning to face and eliminate what and whomever Masami pointed her towards. When the genin laid eyes upon the three restrained foes, she swiftly began drawing kunai from her pouch. It'd be no different then tossing them at wooden targets. She aimed for their throats, throwing one towards the left man. It hit its mark striking him in the jugular. The second passed through most of the side of the second man's throat. They'd both bleed out quickly or suffocate from damaged windpipes. The third man still had some fight left in him though.

The man had partially broken free of the tendril shadow that'd bound him in the moment they had loosened up. The Rong roared some righteous nonsense that Junko couldn't understand nor would she care, as he chucked his spear with everything he had at Junko. The genin was in the middle of her kunai throw as the spear came at her, whistling through the air. Much to the man's shock, the spear's tip slashed along the side of Junko's face… but the girl didn't so much as flinch. All the Rong could see were the soulless eyes of this murderous girl staring back at him. With fresh blood flowing down her check, Junko finished her throw but the man still partially free moved his hand into the kunai's path, becoming embedded within his palm. The man let out a groan of pain, impulsively looking down at his wounded hand. Only then to look up and see those same eyes right in his face. Junko's blade reathed in chakra slashed downwards from above. Instinctively he raised the wounded arm to block but the sword sliced clean through the wrist and deeply into the torso beyond. Within a few fleeting moments the man was a goner. With them taken out, likely freeing up Shikaroku; Junko started heading back to Masami in an effort to regroup.

Shikaroku watched with growing horror as Junko dispatched the first two enemies in a thoroughly bloody, yet effective, manner. Wanting to avert his gaze, the Nara was forced to keep watching as the third Rongese troop escaped the shadow binding. Cursing inwardly, Shikaroku went to reach for a weapon but felt himself frozen in place. Panic flooded through him as he wondered if there was an enemy he had missed who had techniques similar to him. As his eyes scanned the area, however, he could see that the only remaining enemies appeared to be the ones Masami had engaged further ahead. Something else caught his eye and Shikaroku glanced down, seeing the tendrils of his shadow withdrawing back towards him. They moved strangely, but the Nara was thankful that it at least distracted him from watching the mutilated bodies of the now-dead Rongese soldiers fall to the ground.

Trying to move again, Shikaroku felt a spike of pain from the mark near his shoulder and he gritted his teeth. As the shadows withdrew, he watched them gather at his feet, a swirling mass that reminded him of fire. Movement in the distance drew his attention and the Nara watched as two of the Rongese troops had managed to avoid Masami's attack and were charging towards him. One of them pulled back his arm and Shikaroku realized too late that the man held a vicious looking throwing axe in his hand. As the soldier released his weapon, throwing it towards Shikaroku, the Nara tried once more to move, feeling his muscles straining against some unseen force. Closing his eyes, he waited for the end…

Only it didn't come. Opening his eyes again, Shikaroku for a moment thought they were still shut as all he could make out was darkness. The darkness shifted around him, however and he could see that he was surrounded in shadows. The axe had been stopped mid-flight, a tendril of shadow wrapped tightly around the blade. As the Nara stared, confusion filling his mind, the tendril seemed to toss the weapon aside and Shikaroku once again heard that chilling laughter in his head. He could see the two Rongese soldiers ahead of him. They had stopped in their tracks, a look of fear in their eyes.

Standing in front of them, where Shikaroku had been moments earlier, was a towering figure, seemingly made entirely of swirling shadows. The figure stood at least a head taller than Shikaroku, with two large red eyes staring menacingly back at them. Opening its mouth, the creature smiled, revealing a large mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Letting out a piercing shriek, the shadow entity bounded forward.

Shikaroku felt his body moving forward but could not control it, instead he could only watch as the two soldiers readied their weapons, their fear not stopping them from trying to defend themselves. One of the soldiers brought his sword forward and Shikaroku watched as one shadow wreathed claw swatted it aside. Another claw slashed outwards, carving three deep wounds in the man's chest. The second Rongese trooper attempted to bring his axe down in a savage swing. Before he could connect, however, a tendril of shadow caught his arm and Shikaroku once again heard that low chuckle. One of the clawed hands shot forward, grabbing the man by the throat and raising him in the air. Wanting to vomit, Shikaroku closed his eyes as he felt the clawed hand tighten and heard a sickening crunch.

At the start the team seemed to be doing fine, Kyoi was aware of their actions as she advanced on the officer because she was putting her Byakugan to use expressly for the purposes of watching them. Shikaroku's initially wavering chakra brought some concern, but that could be handled as soon as she was done with the officer.

As capable in armed combat as this Rongese man was, the gap between him and Kyoi gave her all the advantage she needed as she whipped out a vacuum palm, the invisible projectile smashing into the man's shoulder as he tried to side-step, anticipating that something was there only to be blown off his feet. Of course she'd weakened the blow in order to keep him alive, but with him on the ground she was a much easier time advancing, hammering several well-placed gentle strikes to shut down any means of opposition he had.
And without missing a beat she entangled the man in her hair, gagging and binding him to prevent him from moving even if he did recover from her strikes.

Job done, officer captured, Kyoi dusted herself off whilst the other three were handling the stragglers. The continued strange behaviour of Shikaroku's chakra brought her attention to them fully, witnessing the shift from Shika being in control of whatever was going on to some shadow entity seemingly deciding to run the show. It was acting in a way she definitely hadn't expected of the young man, practically brutalizing the two who just tried to kill him and screeching like some form of beast.

"And to think we almost had no trouble." Kyoi muttered to herself with a sigh, cutting off the excess hair she'd used to bind all the enemies to free herself up some more and began her approach on the Nara's shade. "Masami, Junko, finish the last two and go collect our officer, rendezvous outside the camp. I'll handle Shikaroku."

"Shikaroku Nara, if you're in there I expect you to take back the reins on this shadow creature of yours. Can you do that?"

Masami frowned as her technique didn't have the desired effect. Two Rongs were still alive and by now ready to get into the fight. Keeping an eye both at Junko and Shikaroku, she was deeply concerned by what was happening with the latter. What's happening with you, love, she thought to herself before suppressing a scream. The shadow entity surrounding Shikaroku had a chakra that sent a shiver down her spine. She turned on her heel and was about to approach him just as he brutalised two Rongs. She was stopped only by Kyoi's voice. Letting out a curse uncharacteristic for her, she turned and dashed against them.

"Junko! Behind me!" As she approached the first guard, and before he could strike at her, Masami dropped into a slide. Sliding past his legs, she reached out with her hand and tapped his leg, severing all his tendons and muscles. Coming up from her slide, she narrowly dodged a coming strike, and made her. Her fingers tapped the man on his collarbones, shattering them on impact. She brought up her leg and delivered a kick across his face. Knowing Junko will know what to do, Masami rushed to grab their target.

Junko whipped around to see Shikaroku's shadow demon event taking place. Having no idea about what the hell it was or if it posed a danger to the team, she looked at it with indifference as he dispatched some foes. Shortly after this Kyoi and Masami's latest orders snapped the genin back into the mission at hand. From how things sounded that shadow entity was indeed a threat of some kind based on the team leader's reaction. Junko had full confidence in the Hyuga that she'd quell the threat.

She took off in a dead sprint in order to catch up and fall in just behind Masami. While the Hyuga went low, Junko struck high. The first threw out a reckless swipe with his axe as he fell to a knee. The genin leapt over the attack and sliced the man upwards from torso to collarbone, ending him promptly with a bloodcurdling scream. Junko ended up landing upon the head of the second man who's fallen over from Masami's two previous attacks, warranting a sickening crunch as her full weight came down. Not being a heavy person however, the man was still alive as a groan of pain would emanate from the man. So, Junko efficiently decided to give the man's head one more stomp as his neck vertebrae snapped loudly, proceeding to keep in step with Masami towards the subdued officer.

Opening his eyes as he heard his name called, Shikaroku watched as the clawed hand tossed the limp body aside. He tried to respond, attempting to open his mouth, but felt resistance, just like before. Instead, he watched helplessly as his body turned and looked down at the man at his feet who was bleeding out from the jagged wounds across his torso. The soldier weakly attempted to pick up his sword but the shadow entity simply pointed one closed fist towards him and a single black tendril shot forward, piercing him through the heart.

As the tendril dissipated, only then did the figure turn towards Kyoi, tilting its head slightly. Shikaroku could feel his body tensing and realized in a panic that whatever was taking him over right now may attack anything around him. Friend! he screamed internally, She's a friend!. He felt himself take another step forward before stopping. His relief was interrupted by the piercing scream that came from the shadow entity.

The execution wasn't all too big a deal for Kyoi, at most the towering figure before her could prioritise what was and wasn't a more immediate threat so there was some sentience in there somewhere, but no sign of Shikaroku being in control yet.
"You need to stand down, whatever you may be, you've got one of my team in there and I need him back." She calmly stated, watching carefully to see just how open it was currently leaving itself, the flow of chakra surrounding Shika's body was full of openings and gaps… It would probably be easy to handle. "I'm giving you until the count of five to release my subordinate."

"One..." She would say as she relaxed her posture, not making any obviously hostile moves just yet.

During the moment of silence that stretched on after Kyoi had finished speaking, Shiakroku continued trying to push through with all of his might. He could feel the dull throb in the back of his head that usually indicated a migraine was coming on. Gritting his teeth kept pushing until he heard a deep, disturbing laugh.

"And if I refuse?"

The voice sent chills down Shikaroku's spine. It didn't sound natural, but what disturbed him the most was that he felt his own mouth moving when the words came out.

Kyoi raised a brow at the shadow creature's sassy response, allowing a wry smile to appear. "Two..."

Feeling himself take another step forward, Shikaroku pushed once more, the throbbing in his head getting stronger.

"Three…" Kyoi slid one of her feet back, taking up what seemed to be the typical gentle-fist stance, just with one of her hands behind her back.

Another step forward and another low chuckle was released. Shikaroku could feel his muscles straining but still he could not regain control.

Without much warning, a second Kyoi was conjured, holding the same stance as the original and rushed forwards to deliver a flurry of 32 gentle-fist strikes.

The shadow entity watched at first, with mild amusement, as Kyoi's clone approached rapidly. When the first strikes hit, it tilted its head to the side and shifted its body slightly. It wasn't until two of Kyoi's strikes made it through the gaps in its swirling mass of shadows that the entity realized the threat. Stepping back, its form shifting to try and cover its weak points, the entity let out a howl of anger. Kyoi's attacks kept coming and the entity attempted to swat her aside with one viciously clawed hand. At that moment, however, one of Kyoi's many attacks pierced through the veil and struck Shikaroku's shoulder, rendering one of his arms virtually useless. The shadow entity howled in rage once more, a single arm hanging loosely at its side.

Inside the somewhat protective shell, Shikaroku felt blow after blow strike his tenketsu. The strikes themselves were not incredibly painful, but they caused his body to grow increasingly weak. It seemed the only thing currently holding him up was the fierce determination of the shadow entity. The last of Kyoi's attacks connected and the creature, in one last attempt to defend itself, shot a tendril of shadow outwards, piercing the clone through the chest.

As the shadow pierced the clone's torso, a jolt of lightning would be sent through the tendril and right into Shikaroku's body as he realized, too late, that Kyoi had summoned a lightning clone. The shadowy form around his body began to dissolve and Shikaroku fell face first to the ground.

The clone took the entire brunt of the retaliation that the shade could muster as it picked through the holes in the shade's form, swiftly dispatching Shikaroku and whatever this thing was that he'd pulled out before the electrifying finisher. "Eight Trigrams, thirty-two palms." She coyly chimed, moving in to catch Shikaroku's limp form before it could slam into the dirt, carefully hoisting him up and over her shoulders. "Rest up, Shikaroku, we'll have a talk about this once we get back, Hiron may have to know what's what here." She quietly muttered to him, assuming he was even conscious at this point.
Regardless she would rendezvous with Masami and Junko, dismiss any and all questions they may have and lead them home with both Shika and the Rongese officer in tow.

Upon return to the camp, Kyoi passed Shikaroku over to the medics and proceeded to deliver the captive officer to someone who knew where to take him. "You should probably go wait for Shikaroku to awaken, provided you have the time to spare."

 

[RedFox]

Invitations

[ Hiroshi Hon | Captain-Commander of The Tiger Claws ]
[ Empire of Akino | Somewhere at the Senju-Tokugawa border ]

It doesn't make any sense to me.

Hiroshi sighed as he leaned against the table with the maps spread on it, and a few scrolls unfurled on them. He understood that there were bound to be border disputes in an empire that involved so many different clans. But there was something odd about this one. The quarrel between the Senju and the Tokugawa was one thing. But the appearance of an Uchiha envoy, seemingly ignoring their longtime allies was odd to say the least. And then there were the Unkei, acting as mediators, as they call themselves. Those give Hiroshi the most worries, mainly because they completely ignored the authority The Claws enjoyed. Something had to be done about them, and it will have to be the first thing.Undermining the authority of The Claws is making appealing to either side difficult, he thought as he reached for a sheet of paper and a quill.

The letter he wrote was an official invitation for a representative of the Unkei present in the area. He requested an audience with them, asking for them to explain their presence, co-ordinate their efforts with those of The Claws, or stand down completely. He had several ways of making them stand down, theoretically all within his rights, given to him by The Empress.They will either oblige or escalate things further, he thought to himself and frowned. He finished the letter with his signature and the stamp of The Claws. He than reached for another three pieces of paper and continued writing. The next two letters were to the representatives of the Senju and Tokugawa. He needed to find out what caused this dispute in order to settle it, and for that, he needed to know both sides of the story. These were much milder in tone and they politely requested an audience.

The final letter was addressed to the Uchiha. In this one, he requested a meeting as well, and should he be denied, at least an explanation. It took him a couple of minutes to finish all the letters, seal them and prepare them for being sent out. He than turned to his aide." Get me Lieutenant Reiko." The aide bowed and left, coming back a minute later with Reiko, who saluted Hiroshi."At ease, Lieutenant. I want you to pick three of the men you trust the most and have them deliver letters to The Senju, Tokugawa and Uchiha. You, Lieutenant, you will deliver my letter to the Unkei delegation. Get to it immediately, Lieutenant." Reiko saluted back." Yes, Captain!" He grabbed all four letters and left the tent, causing an exhausted smile to spread on Hiroshi's lips.Such a good man, he thought as he looked over the map, going over everything he knew one more time. One thought filled his mind.

There's something more going on there than it seems.​