Chump Ninjaz; [M][-hitodama]

[Raglao]

NUKE-NIN?!
RANK: B
NINJA NEEDED: 1-3
MISSION INFO: A TRIO OF CHUUNIN NUKE-NIN HAVE MADE THERE HOME IN THE SOUTHERN FORESTS. THEY RAID CARAVANS AND THE LIKE, TAUNTING THE SHINOBI OF THE COUNTRY TO COME DEAL WITH THEM. GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT

Kiijin, Kirigakure's loyal shark warrior found himself leaning against the rough bark of a hulking tree just outside of Kirigakure's village gates. Arms folded, legs crossed out in a slant, his maw parted with a powerful yawn, hinting away at the boredom that threatened his mind as he waited for Takeda to arrive. He hadn't been late, not by far, in fact Kiijin decided to be early than expected since his social life had been relatively non-existent given his outward appearance. It seemed the only people that he related to were those who enlisted into the shinobi military just as he had done. His eyes traveled over to the gates every few seconds, praying that they'd soon open up so some fun could begin.

"Guess I should go ova this thing while I've got the time."

Whipping out the missions scroll itself from his pants' pocket, he unrolled it to read over its contents once more for the sake of clarification if anything. According to the missions statement he and Takeda were to dispatch of nuke-ninja of which were considered chuunin leveled, shinobi, not that it mattered. He was relatively confident that this task would have been far too easy, especially having known his own limitations for so long, and having recently witnessed the powers of the Yukina clan.

"Heh, piece of fuckin' cake of you ask me, hopefully these guys aren't from kirigakure, I need to taste some blood, feeling quite famished today hehehe."

[—calamity]

For the first time since he had become a Jounin, Kou Takeda would have another shinobi accompany him during his mission; he felt slightly uncomfortable about this, though the fact that it was Shark-san who would be at his side did put his mind at ease, albeit slightly.

"I see you're eager to begin," Kou wasn't shocked to see the Hoshigake waiting outside the village; he faintly overheard Kiijin make remarks towards his appetite, and he could only assume what that might mean, "there shouldn't be any reason to delay then." He stopped at the shark-man's side, offering a glance first to his comrade and then to the horizon.

"These Chuunin were kind enough to request us, we shouldn't keep them waiting, after all," he said, slipping his arms into the long sleeves of his coat.

[Katsumaru]

Several days ago…

A caravan travelled along the roads, wheels leaving deep tracks in the dirt from the weights of goods within. ”Looks like a fine day, eh?” a dark haired, strong jawed man said with a glance to his companion. The comrade, sitting on the horse directly beside nodded,”Aye, and with the silver we’ll make enough money. Can buy things for my daughter, finally.” the other man spoke with a smile, eyes widened in joy. That momentary bliss soon came to an end as a figure leapt forth from the trees, blocking the road.

Before them stood a man, five feet and eleven inches, clad in rags, donning a longsword on his side. His lips formed into a scowl as he roared, voice deep and commanding,”We’ve come here for your things.” The horses came to a quick halt, hooves digging even deeper into the dirt. The bandits struck quickly and suddenly, much to the shock of the two merchants. The smaller of the two, the father to be, folded his arms, retorting,”Don’t think that is a good idea. You’ll just cause more problems for yourself. Already a bounty on your head. Don’t want to worsen that, eh?

From two sides, both left and right, kunai darted forth from the tree, striking the merchant in the temple and throat. Two exploding tags were wrapped around each kunai, gleams suppressed. The remaining merchant recoiled, eyes widening in fear as he espied the exploding tags. An explosion roared in the forest, tearing through flesh and bone.

With a wicked smile upon his face he beckoned to the trees. Two further men stepped forth, clad in cloaks and armor,”This should get them coming after us boys, eh?

____________________________________________________

Days later, shinobi mobilize…

As Kiijinn leaned against the tree, light winds send the leaves into a flutter, dancing left and right. A spider fell from the tree, landing on his shoulder, its eight legs scurrying in desperation as the arachnid ran for cover. The horizon’s darkened as heavy clouds covered the skies. Wind intensified as a storm brooded, its fury but several moments from unleashing. With the spreading clouds, a light rain began to fall, droplets plummeting onto the ground, intensity worsening by the moment as the storm was quickly approaching.

The darkening day was a broody foreboding, omen of the horror that was soon to ensue, a brutal battle, the fate of several men determined. Be it the shinobi or the bandits who shall be victorious, the ultimate result remains the same, a perpetuation of violence, one necessary, for it gave purpose to the world of the shinobi. While the mission was only minor, a simple task to strike fear into the hearts of enemies, it was a duty nonetheless necessary, for otherwise, the hapless merchants of the land shall face terror as they travel along the roads.

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[Raglao]

His eyes swung over towards the bottom corners, looking over to his right shoulder as the nimble legs of a small spider swept across his scales. Despite his scales being durable and harder than most skin, it was quick sensitive to the touch, but he paid no mind to it as it seemed to scurry off in fear. A voice towards the gates called out towards Kiijin, Takeda it seemed after his head and eyes fixated upon his figure upon arrival. Kiijin? Eager? An understatement. He grinned at Takeda's comment, before he'd taken a quick gander at the sky, watching it agitate as the first droplets of water came down in a fine sheet light rain.

"Heh, looks like a storm is approaching, this is good, for both of us actually, should it pick up, it'd make for a suitable cover for espionage."

With that, they had a previous idea of the area in which the Nuke-shinobi occupied, a helpful tip from one of the militarys sensory ninjutsu scouts, at that was left for was for Kiijin and Takeda to handle the situation. Uplifting his muscular body from the tree's bark, he took to the tree tops with muted steps, crouched upon a thick bout some 15 meters off the ground. From there he simply skipped discreetly through the trees, silent and hidden. Ardemus' glow that had usually throbbed with power turned a dull, dark blue, a perfect blend with the lingering mist that cursed this land.

[—calamity]

The sudden onset of a storm hadn't bothered the Jounin in the least bit; in the land of water, rain was a common occurrence—if anything, the ominous onset was a blessing in disguise, as the falling rain would make for a plentiful source of ice, should the need for combat arise.

Feeling little need to validate Shark-san's comments with words of his own, Kou took to the trees shortly behind his Hoshigake comrade. Like the larger shinobi, the Yukina moved with a soft step. However, unlike Kiijin, Kou did not appear to skip through the canopy, but rather, simply seemed to flicker to and fro, his movements giving the illusion that he was walking amongst the winds themselves.

In the silence, he would begin to take especial care to observe his surroundings, looking for anything that might hint at a trap or ambush; though he was told that his opponents were mere Chuunin, it was best not to underestimate them—this was especially true for these particular Nukenin, as they appeared to desire hunters to come after them.

[Katsumaru]

The rain intensified as droplets plummeted from the skies, the melody of the rain drowning out the sound of all speech. Branches swerved wildly as the winds trashed into the trees, storm showing not the slightest sense of mercy as nature’s coils carried tiny insects and bugs through the skies, sending them to a quick death as they slammed onto the grounds. Seeing more than ten meters ahead became difficult with the heavy rainfall. Grounds had become muddy, each step leaving a thick imprint.

Within time the two came across the scene of a disaster, a looted caravan, corpses sprawled on the grounds, three bodies lacking their heads as limp, lifeless bodies sat on their knees. An execution had taken place here, each of the merchants brutally slaughtered without the slightest sense of decency. Of the bodies, only two remained with their heads atop the bodies of horses, but an explosion tore through their flesh, limbs and guts spread out on the ground. The bodies lied on a hill; blood intermingled with the water as a crimson stream descended into the lower plains. Strangely, only five corpses lied in the area, but the amount of horses, six in total, suggested that a total of five should be found.

While numerous footsteps tainted the scene, four pair of footsteps lead away from the bloodied grounds, one set directly behind the other. The tracks lead into the distance, west, and went on for quite the distance. For over a mile they continued to lead into a small grove shrouded by the heavy rainfall. What lied within? Only further explanation could tell.

________________________________________________________

Back in Kirigakure…

A doorbell rang, sound loud as a woman rushed towards the door. With a grunt, she opened it to reveal her large-bellied figure to a gray-haired shinob, drenched in rain. With a shrug she inquired,”What brings you here Kanoi?’. Her left hand slipped downwards to rest the palm against the belly, a thin smile across her lips. ”She has gro-“ the man interrupted her with a wave of the hand, eyes red and cheeks glistening from the tears flowing down. ”What happ-“

Again she was interrupted, this time by speech. The man’s voice nearly broke as he spoke, tone quiet and frail,”Endazu, he, he –“ the shinobi came to a short pause, gulping as teams continued to stream down his cheek. ”A bandit attack, he is dead.” The woman’s eyes widened as she stared upon her friend in disbelief for over a minute, attempting to espy the slightest sign of deceit. None was seen. She fell onto the grounds, palms, with little strength, keeping her from collapsing entirely. She wept and wept and wept, loud sobs drowning the sound of the rain.

These bandits were truly cruel. A woman had lost her husband. An unborn daughter has lost her father.

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[Raglao]

One after another the droplets of ran intensified, raining down harder and harder with each second that passed. The pelting licks of rain kissed Ardemus' flesh, satisfying her insatiable desire for water as Kiijin's right hand continued to curl about its hilt. Kirigakure's constant ran fall had always been heavy and incessant, however, the healthy trees slowed down their pace, not that it mattered, besides, Kiijin knew this country like the back of his own goddamn hand. Kiijin's vision had actually been impeded from the constant rainfall, making it difficult to see over long distances even with his heightened sense of sight.

Even without that heightened sense, it wouldn't have taken an advanced eye to notice the streaks of crimson paint that cluttered the road ahead (few meters to Kiijin's left). To the right of the 'accident' within the middle of the road, Kiijin's gaiting came to a momentary halt, both knees bent up high with his left hand -which reached inbetween both legs- palming the surface of the thick bough. He looked towards Takeda to meet gaze where his eye then flickered off to the side, motioning towards the moist footsteps that dug deep into the earth.

With that he simply turned back towards the west and continued flickering through the columns of trees upon fine boughs. There had been no point in stopping, as it could have been a potential trap, aiming to lure those foolish enough to 'care' and closely examine the situation. Kiijin needed not such things, and he expected Takeda to be the same. From what he gathered from that quick second gander was indeed the works of a ninja, exploding notes, the lacerations around the necks which confirmed the user of some ninja-esque weapon be it a kunai or a ninjato.

They'd been making good time, but would they reach them before more innocents became victims?

[—calamity]

Though the wind had become vicious, and the rain grew heavy, Kou moved with an undeterred delicacy. He seemed to follow the reckless sway of the branches ahead of him, landing for but an instant before leaping to the next, keeping a steady pace that would only slow as he came upon the clearing ahead.

He took in every detail, as if the information satisfied some carnal hunger. Five bodies, many marred with cuts and explosions. Six horses. Four sets of tracks. The Chuunin either had an informant or a hostage.

Kou acknowledged Kiijin's gaze with a short nod, then took off in pursuit of him, his vigilance renewed. The thought that they were being led into a trap had already crossed his mind, as it was very unbecoming of a Chuunin to leave behind tracks, especially if they were openly expecting shinobi to come tracking them.

The Yukina slipped his left hand beneath the folds of his coat and gripped the handle of Touketsu firmly.

[Katsumaru]

Thunder roared in the distance, bellowing mightily enough to almost shake the earth’s. The weather continued to worsen, winds blowing all the fiercer; standing sturdily gradually became more difficult as the storm wept with a majestic grandeur, lightning flashing and clouds outlined by a covered sun. Several wild beasts, prey and predators, scurried beneath the branches, desperate for the slightest cover from the storm that refused to waver. Lightning struck a nearby tree, sending a bright sparkle into the skies as it lit ablaze, but so heavy was the rain that the fire was extinguished almost in the blink of an eye.

The grove, in contrast to what the footsteps suggested, was almost completely empty except for a figure shrouded by the gloomy, spreading dark. A man, unarmed, and kneeled on the muddy grounds, clothing completely drenched by the falling waters. His breaths were heavy as his palm supported the figure, covered in blood. Curiously, he wore a heavy cloak unfitting for the clothing. Dyed a deep red, it was starkly dissimilar to the yellow tunic and trousers. No more footsteps covered the grounds here, neither near the body nor anywhere around.

___________________________________________________

Three men walked amongst the forest less than an hour travel away. One of them was the man from before, the assailant that had halted the caravan. With him were two large men, both over six feet, bulky, muscled, and completely bald. The shortest of the triad spoke, voice loud to be heard through the rain,”Did we have to kill them?” he inquired, voice not confrontational, but rather quite curious.

The man standing to his left replied, voice deep and resonating,”We need those Kirigakure bastards to come after us. We’ve got our plan. We have to mock them, taunt them, make them send their shinobi after us. It will all be over soon.” His right hand clenched the hilt of his long sword, knuckles whitening with a growing anticipation.”It will all be over soon. Then you can go back to your mother.”

Nodding, the short one spoke yet again,”She needs the ryo we make from this. But still, I don’t feel right, killing them. We’ve seen that war, we lost Janru and Enzuki. Didn’t make us feel too good.” Grimly, his companion nodded, remaining silent for several moments as his head tilted in thought. The grip on the hilt loosened as he put his other hand on his comrade’s shoulder.

”Sometimes we have to do what we have to do. It’s not too pleasant.” he uttered, voice trailing off.

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[Raglao]

With an ample pace, Kiijin continued to race through think boughs, his near webbed feet meeting its barked texture every few moments. His steps, still muted, pressed forward, carrying him into what he could only have described as a fine grove. The road, had still been relatively close, namely 5 meters off pass the tree line to Kiijin's left flank, but he stopped upon noticing a man who knelt down along the moist earth. It was uncertain what he was doing, or if he'd even been alive for that matter, but Kiijin was determined to find out - safely.

With the incessant downpour of rain, it provided a near limitless range for Ardemus to deploy its suiton creations, even without the demand of handseals. Using its most prominent abilities, with a simple spike of chakra -while crouched & hidden within the trees- beckoned forth a clone from the amassed water created by the harsh weather. A single meter to the kneeling mans (who was 10 meters below Kiijin) immediate rear, a clone began to rise up from a body of coalesced water, morphing into a six foot shark man covered in toned muscle.

And it spoke.

"Hey. . .hey you, tha hell are you doing out here in this storm, huh?!"

The clones right leg slid back about a foot behind its left, both shoulder width apart, fist bawled, ready for action.

[—calamity]

The Hitodama came to a standstill a few feet shy of the Hoshigake, though unlike his comrade, Kou would not crouch, instead opting to stand amidst the waving leaves and flailing branches. From his vantage, he could see the clearing, as well as the man who was crouched at its center. From his distance, he could tell that the man was bloodied, which likely suggested he was the owner of the sixth horse, however, the circumstances of his discovery were quite foreboding.

The footsteps which had led the two ninja to the grove had vanished, which was concerning; it suggested that the Chuunin had been aware of their trail all along, and had indeed led them to this location. However, what was their reasoning behind this? Was this a trap? Were they laying in wait nearby, or was some terrible pitfall looming in wait amidst the borders of the grove?

It appeared Shark-san had his own suspicions, as he opted to interrogate the man with a clone rather than approach him outright. Believing this to be the best course of action for now, Kou remained as he was, keeping a sharp eye on the surroundings, less something give itself away.

The storm, even as it grew more intense and raucous, did not bother the young Jounin. Oddly, it seemed as if the chaos was welcomed by the shinobi.

[Katsumaru]

”T-They’ve taken me from the Carvan. Killed five of us.” he uttered with desperation, head tilted upwards, eyes looking at the trees. He gasped as the rain fell into his mouth. The gasp devolved into a cough, and soon the man fell forward from hyper ventilation, face first into the mud, covering his ragged, blood covered face in mud. As he plummeted forwards, his hands were revealed, bound tightly by a rope. Feebly he attempted to struggle against them as the rope tore further into his skin.

”There were three of them. They went east! Said something about catching anyone who comes after them off guard.” he continued after turning onto his back, mud flowing into his mouth. The man seemed rather desperate and utterly frustrated, for his words were spoken hastily, fear evident in his voice. Weakly he attempted to push himself to a sitting position, pushing the cloak to his side to reveal his back for the slightest moment, and something seemed off, for white lines covered his back, scarcely visible in the rain, even more so from the distance.

With several more heavy breaths and gasps in-between, the bound man spoke once more,”I don’t know what they want. They’ve mentioned something about doing what they have to. They spoke when they carried me here. Please help me, please, I need to get back. I don’t even know where I am.” his speech quickened even more as he spoke. For some reason, the man gradually grew more fearful despite the bandits disappearance. For what reason? Only he knew.

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[Raglao]

So that had been it. That man was the fifth and missing person from the group, the one that went without a horse. His figure had been displeasing to the eyes, beaten, battered, and near disfigured. Signs of being helpless. Slowly he leaned forward, almost falling to the moist ground, but Kiijin's faux half reached out to curl its fingers about the backs of the mans collar, keeping him from falling forward. And then he continued.

He went on to explain that they traveled towards the east, damn, this meant they'd been going in the word direction? It was no ones fault, besides Kiijin had his prey freshly etched into the forefronts of his mind, there was no escape for them. Not now, not ever. Even within the faux shinobi's firm grip, the man managed to move around and placed himself in a near sitting position, where his cloak whipped to the side, revealing something that he hadn't been expecting.

"Sure thing, just calm the hell down you frickin' safe. But tell me, what the hell are these white markings along your back, can't say I know what the hell they are. Fill me in"

All the while, the real Kiijin looked to Takeda, making sure he coud hear the conversation, he figured he did, given enough concentration, but with the loudness of the rain, he continued to quietly convey the information extracted from the man via movement of the lips without a voice.

[—calamity]

The words were faint, but from his perch high in the trees, Kou could manage to listen to the man's musings through the growing chatter of the rain. For much of the conversation, the Jounin was scanning the area, adamantly searching for anything that might clue them into what was going on, and then he heard the clone mention white markings, and as if the clouds had parted, everything became more clear.

The man; his growing fear; his constant unrest. He was a living trap. Kou wasn't sure to what extent this was so, but he was certain that it was true. There was a significant fact being withheld from the two ninja, and though he could not see the white markings of which Shark-san spoke, he was certain it had something to do with them.

The Hitodama drew back slightly, bracing his body against the sturdy junction of tree and branch. Earlier, the corpses he seen had been heavily marred by explosives. It was very likely that what they were dealing with now was also explosive in nature, and were that so, it was best to be in position to react swiftly.

Hidden beneath his right sleeve, he formed several handseals, and waited.

[Katsumaru]

The bandits had decided to turn around. The time had come to bring this to an end. No longer will they lead a chase, but rather, face the shinobi, complete the task they have been given. With a quick run they proceeded to the grove, sound of the steps suppressed by the rain. For some time they darted through the storm before reaching the outer skirts of the grove, still over one hundred meters away from the two shinobi. All three nodded in synchrony as they split ways, a fine maneuver. They needed no more words, for they worked together perfectly as a three man unit.

From three sides they approached, two of them splitting to flank to the right and left respectively and the other one approached directly, all under the cover of the trees. The steps of the three were already silent, but with the rain, not a single sound was heard. Worsening the impending ambush was the low visibility, shrouding their figures amongst the trees. Slowly the trio approached, breath heavy as they prepared for yet another battle. This one surely more severe, more dangerous, for now they faced trained me. Several more moments passed before they reached the grove, from the east, west, and north respectively. Even from his elevated position, spotting them would be difficult, if not impossible as the weather continued to worsen, the heavy layers of falling water blocking and spreading for blocking nearly all sight.

”White markings? What?” he seemed to know little of the matter, for he turned, feebly attempting to look at his back to no avail, nearly toppling over again from the quick jerk of the neck. ”They knocked me out for a while. Not too sure. Look at my head.” he muttered. As he suggested, a marking, likely inflicted by the hilt of a blade, could be spotted easily on the back of his head. ”Please, please tell me I am alright.” he yelled, desperation in his voice.

The wretched conditions provided difficulty for the bandits, but one of them possessed a rather fine ability, sensing. They had to find targets somehow, after all, and a simple search will not do well at all times, hence, one of them dabbled in the arts of the Kagura. With eyes closed, his senses expanded outwards. He possessed not only proficiency in the arts of sensing – that ability required an already fine chakra control, for his sixth sense spread out forty meters.

SPOILER: Click to show

Kagura Shingan (Kagura Mind's Eye); A

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