Team Akira: Systematic Elimination.

[Nujabes]

Systematic Elimination, Part I
Rank: A.
Members: 3 - 4.
Difficulty: High.
The remnant Yakuza cells left over from the Shodaime's criminal regime have began to once again draw in strength. In the past three months their numbers have nearly tripled, and rumors of them uniting to form a single cohesive unit are starting to surface. A few of the more prominent gang leaders have even managed to sink their fingers into a few shinobi, adding a few rogues from Kirigakure to their ranks.

The Mizukage feels this is a problem that would be best solved personally, being as it was a man in his seat of power that made it possible in the first place. Accompany your leader from point to point, eliminating the targets he given and bringing the criminal empire down once and for all.

---

Akira crouched down low in the shadows of the forest of Mizu no Kuni, retrieving the map tucked within his utility pouch. Sprawling it open on the small plot of grass before him, he ran his fingers over the red 'x' closest to their current position.

"We will strike here first." His voice was low, despite no intel suggestion enemies were patrolling this far out. "Keep in mind that the village these targets are located in are occupied by innocents. No matter what happens, we want to keep civilian casualties to an absolute minimum -- avoid harming them at all costs while taking out our targets."

A single eye-- the one not covered by the layers of bandages wrapped around his face --shifted to Taiga. "Presuming they are injured, Taiga, it'll be your job to ensure that they survive. I don't expect us to save everyone, but we aren't about to slaughter an entire village to get rid of a few scumbags."

Rolling the map back up and placing it within the pouch, he stood. "There are supposedly thirty target in the village. We don't leave until they're all dead." Standing tall, he'd given his team several moments to ensure they all had their equipment before pushing forward. They were about ten minutes out.

[Chae]

Crouched and directly across from Akira with a reasonable distance, Chae examined the map along side his team as Akira gave them the brief run-down of his expectations and demands. It was true, while running through a town and not experiencing civilian casualties when up against thugs that were likely to take hostages were high, leaving without some casualties seem rather, unrealistic. Nodding along as his spiel continued, Chae briefly looked to Taiga and Suzumi, noticing that she only had one active eye. Unable to readily ask, his attention eased back upon Akira as well as the severity of the mission. From the intel that he or his other more experienced scouts gathered, there were little over 30 men which needed to be dispatched in order for that mission to have been deemed successful.

"Right, doesn't seem too overly difficult, I know I'll have to be extremely careful with my raiton considering the population. "

Nodding and expressing his obvious 'weaknesses' regarding that specific situation, he fell in silence to gauge the reaction of his team, giving them a reasonable amount of time to speak before continuing.

"I bought supplies the other day, enough for all of us, so, if you need anything, just ask or signal me. I specifically purchased a hefty amount of smoke bombs, which, I believe in this situation will be quite useful."

Once spoken, he stood up with Akira, showing that Chae himself had been ready to face whatever laid ahead of the team.

[Taiga Hozuki]

Tucked away inside the high grass of the forest, crouched low and awaiting his orders from the Mizukage who was in front of him, Taiga's eyes scanned the map he took out. They had a complex mission awaiting them. Infiltrate a remote village under the control of the Yakuza and exterminate the scum who were terrorizing the innocents. The young boy was focused and ready, Taiga could feel the heat of his blood flowing through his veins. The hunt was almost ready to commence.

"Understood Sensei. If it comes to that I'll save as many as I can."

Replying lowly, Taiga's hand moved over his sisters head. She'd have to behave on this mission as they needed to be stealthy, but something told the young lad it wouldn't pan out that simple. They never did.... Once the Mizukage stood Taiga went through his packs, making sure he was properly equipped for the dangerous mission ahead of them. It only took a few moments for him to finish his survey of the gear. Gray hair swaying in the breeze Taiga pulled down his face mask for just a moment as he stood.

"Thanks Chae. Lets make sure this mission is a success guys. That includes you Shirohime."

Pulling it back down he stepped forward, ready to start the hunt. Taiga had been wondering since he saw Akira and Suzumi, but couldn't quite understand why both their eyes were bandaged. Maybe bonding time had gone wrong or something he presumed, but he would inquire later and not now. Now the wolves were set to chase the prey they were stalking. Like lamb they'd be cornered and killed without mercy. That was the way of Kirigakure. It was the way of those bathed in the blood of their enemies.

Death was imminent to the unwary sheep.

[Suzumi]

Perhaps Akira handling the map was an improvement over their last mission in which Suzumi had gotten them lost. He got them there quickly enough that Suzumi was able to pass off any questions about the bandages covering the left side of her face. Her primary excuse was that it was a training exercise. In reality she avoided the questions out of some perverse sense of hidden power. Something had changed in Suzumi since she last saw Chae and Taiga. She did not realize it, but she had started feeling superior. It was not just in regards to her teammates, though. Somewhere along the trip she had stopped calling Akira by his title. Instead, she addressed him like a person, her godlike impression of him faded. Even her tone around him had changed. She was no longer subservient.

“What is the actual plan of attack, though? We go marching in announcing our intentions...some of them are going to try to escape.” She did not consider the panic that would also be caused. “We should take out as many as we can before they even know we hit them.” Her inner fire against the lawless had faded and been replaced by something else. She did not quite know what. “We could do a diversion of some kind...bring their attention to something. Or we could use bait.” Briefly her gaze shifted to Taiga.

“Anyways,” she continued before anyone could respond. “I don't need the smoke bombs. Putting the tip of a blade in someone's heart is a little more subtle than stabbing them with lightning.” Her fingers tapped idly on the hilt of her rapier. Suzumi stood by, almost looking bored, as the others checked their equipment. She did not need to check. She had everything.

Briefly she scratched at the eye through the bandage.

[Nujabes]

Akira glanced at Suzumi. "There's no point in forming a plan of attack when we know nothing of their defensive formation within the settlement. That's what you call being hasty." Regardless of how Suzumi had felt since her acquiring of the eye in her left socket, the difference between the two remained explicitly obvious and static -- they were worlds apart. "And you remember what happened the last time you were hasty, don't you, Suzumi?"

Turning toward the direction they'd be headed, paused. "Once we arrive at the village, we'll canvas the area. After we figure out what's what, we'll decide what's the best method of progressing forward." Half-turning, he looked at the three of them. "Remember, we aren't just worried about our lives on this mission. The people who call this settlement home are our top priority."

Confident they understood, he pressed on. "Let's go."

[Chae]

With the team collected as a single unit, Chae listened to the communication between Akira and Suzumi, immediately picking up on her seemingly superior attitude. Making little of it, he chuckled at Akira's light jab at Suzumi's first hand-to-hand exchange with one of Akira's many HYDRA operatives - Hutora. As expected, they needed to scout the area and whatever dangers that it entailed, finding any and all possible flanking positions within the aforementioned town.

"Well, I guess we shouldn't waist any more time then, lets get to it."

Well armed and ready, Akira obviously took the lead and as expected, Chae followed suit, trailing behind him by only a handful of meters - not too close, nor too far. While they had the time during their actual travels towards the town itself, Chae couldn't hold back his desire to inquire about the bandages sprawled across both Akira's and Suzumi's eyes. Opposite eyes between the two, he wondered if they acquired and shared some new power since the last time they came together.

"Can't help but ask, what is up with those bandages, no offense but I know Suzumi isn't skilled enough to create such a wound. So, what is it and where did you guys get it from?"

[Taiga Hozuki]

Watching as Suzumi inquired he listened in as Akira spoke, hanging upon each word and even without their sensei being the greatest man in the village he still agreed with his words. There was no point in devising a strategic plan for the unknown. They had no intel to go on and doing such would complicate things more. Taiga merely nodded to confirm he understood the mission and what he'd be responsible for should something go awry. Proceeding forward, Chae chose to cut the uncomfortable silence as he always did and questioned the matching bandages both Suzumi and Akira dawned.

Poking his head in he was quite curious himself so as they walked through the shadowed forest where light did not reach he eagerly awaited a proper answer. That is if they would explain cause given the atmosphere and the situation it may be put off until after the teams success. In the boys mind, failing with such a team was not a possibility. In fact the thought never crossed his mind.

Not even once....

[Suzumi]

Weeks before, Akira's words would have stung Suzumi. She would have hung her head in shame, knowing he was right. Part of her still wanted to admit defeat. Another part of her wanted to snap back at him. So let's go in without any sort of plan, because that'll work out so well. If we run into some patrol from the village we'll just say we haven't thought of what we are gonna say. Yeah. Instead of picking one of the extremes, her reaction was somewhere in the middle. She closed her eyes for a moment after he finished, breathing heavily through her nose.

Just like the time they had been assigned to take down a rampant driver and restore order, Suzumi did not care about the victims so much as she did the criminals. While the others saw “take out the Yakuza influence to better the lives of the people in the village,” Suzumi only saw “take out the Yakuza influence.” Still, part of her knew this to be wrong, so she did not voice it. They departed, and Suzumi was glad for the silence until Chae chose to break it.

“I got an infection,” she said in a rush. She had to answer the question before Akira did. While she wanted to showoff, Akira might have thought it best to share all powers before getting in danger. If he wanted to tell them the truth he would have to contradict her. “I told Akira-sensei I felt unfit for the mission because I couldn't see my left side. So he covered up his right eye and said that way we have a full field of vision between the two of us.” She had the nerve to appear ashamed by her fabricated actions.

“So I know we have something like thirty targets...but how many are shinobi?” The shinobi were the ones Suzumi wanted the most. Common criminals broke only the codes of society to achieve their status. The shinobi had betrayed much more. Such atrocities warranted a harsher punishment. Suzumi had decided such the night before when she had stayed up late making sure her blade was especially sharp.

[Nujabes]

Good lie, Akira immediately thought as he listened to Suzumi's explanation. It was an entirely feasible scenario, only made that more believable by Akira's personality and the nod he gave in agreement once she'd finished speaking. She was correct in assuming that he wanted to keep her new found power a secret of sorts; the Sharingan eye inside of Suzumi's left eyes socket could easily become a crutch for the team, rather than a strength, if they got sloppy and started depending on it.

"Our most recent intel gathered suggests only five are shinobi. More than likely, their the boss's elite cell of bodyguards. I doubt we'll encounter them until we either: reach the boss, or cause too much trouble (which isn't what what they're for) and draw attention to ourselves."

One hour later

.

Akira, once again, was crouched down as he glanced down at the village in the small valley beneath them. Their canvas of the area revealed there weren't any patrols, which made sense. The settlement in question wasn't overly large, nor had its operations really gained any real reputation that would warrant a higher-than-necessary defensive protocol. In fact, chances were, they were completely oblivious that they'd become such a high-profile target on the wanted list.

"Chae Yoon and Taiga, you'll enter the village from the far east. It shouldn't be hard to discern the Yakuza from the civilians. Look for elaborate art work-- Yakuza art, like you were shown in the debriefing. Furthermore, it's late. Not many people should be up at this time of night, so those that are probably aren't up to any good. Be sure to thoroughly identify your targets before taking them out, and when you do, use the least amount of sound and flare."

Then his gaze full upon Suzumi. "You and I will enter from the far west. The same rules apply, Suzumi. We take them out quietly and do our best not to involve the the civilians."

"We'll rendezvous at the center of the village and press on to the Yakuza stronghold. With any luck, we'll be able to get in and get out before anyone even knows we're there. Beyond everything, I want the three of you to be safe. If you find yourself in a situation you can't handle, get out of there and wait at the designated safety zone." Sure they remembered the small cave several miles out, he nodded. "I'd say good luck, but I know neither of you need it."

With that, he gave a casual salute and vanished, heading off into the distance.

[Chae]

As Suzumi's little story unfolded, Chae merely smirked and looked ahead as he personally found it bogus. Sure it sounded possible with Suzumi, but with Akira's general healing doubled from the Yonbi's protection, viewing Akira as the type to 'heal' over long periods of time had just been something he couldn't do. Not wanting to make too much of a fuss over it, he let it fly the way it'd been presented and merely decided to continue on with the mission, heading towards their primary destination.

Before long, the group made their way to the apex of a valley hill which provided them with the opportunity to overlook the town itself. Making effective use of said opportunity, Chae keenly examined and memorized the lay of the land as much as he could have within the small amount of time they'd been idle. Ordered to breach the towns perimeter through the east in groups of two, Chae signaled Taiga as Akira finished with his spiel, informing him that they'd been ready. Speeding down the hill in the dead of night, Chae took the lead and after a few heavy seconds, reached the side of a squared building.

It'd been quiet, eerily so, however, it made sense considering how late it'd been for most civilians. Nevertheless, he quickly looked back to Taiga to ascertain his position, and once in place, a quick jump to the wall's belly with chakra laced feet carried Chae up to its roof. Once at the top, he ran to its opposite edge, crouched and overlooking the village for any possible targets.

"Remember, we've got to do this one quietly. If you see anything let me know. "

Once spoken, a swift set of handseals heralded the coming of his main tool for that specific mission - quiet and effective. While not as potent as its parent technique, well, for Chae, it got the job done when needed.

SPOILER: Click to show

1_____

[Taiga Hozuki]

Taiga raised a brow at the response, but paid it no mind. Suzumi was reckless, but also she was more vulnerable than she let on. Something Taiga witnessed through their time together. It made sense she'd feel she 'd be a burden so he kept it moving, shifting his thoughts to the task at hand. Swiftly the cell moved in unison, Akira's words carved through the wind as he spoke and Taiga was sure to listen carefully to the intel he was providing the three genin. The burden of lives laid heavy on his mind while he traveled. He didn't want to see anyone innocent die, he didn't want to let them down...

[1] hour later...

Body low to the ground, the young Inuzuka found himself scoping out the valley below where the yakuza infested village was. He licked the sweat that roiled from his lips as Akira gave guidelines to the operation. He and Chae were to split up and infiltrate from the far east, taking out any dangerous looking individuals, meanwhile Akira and Suzumi would do the same, but from the west. The center of the small village was the meet up place. Nodding, Taiga breathed in slow, it was almost about to start.

"Good luck Suzumi, Akira`sensei..."

They were both gone as he spoke and the boy turned to Chae smiling. Moving silently into the valley, Chae and Taiga approached with caution, reaching a squared building they both stopped, Shirohime like glue, sticking to her brother. The night did well to cloak them; however the silence alone was stifling. The boy wondered for how long would it stay that way. Acknowledged Chae, Taiga followed suit, scaling the building's epicenter all the way to the rooftops where they had a better vantage point. Shirohime had latched onto her brothers back for the ride.

Unlike Chae, Taiga didn't have any fancy jutsu for silent elimination so he'd merely do it the old fashion way.

"Of course!"

Responding, Taiga's ears raised, listening closely for sound. The prowl was upon them and the wolves were starving...

[Suzumi]

The canvasing had been tedious work. Suzumi itched to get to the action of the mission, eager to try out her new abilities. Hearing that she was to partner with Akira was hard for her to cope with. Part of her saw it as an honor. Especially with their new eyes, the two were most similar in fighting styles, and it would be a great opportunity to learn. Perhaps it was an insult, though. Maybe Akira was afraid that she would be unable to perform well enough on her own, needing the most supervision of the group. The thought was sickening. Whether he actually was or not, Suzumi interpreted many of Akira's actions as cautious around her. Even then she thought it possible that Akira wanted to make sure she did not go loose cannon on the mission. Suzumi still felt terribly about her attempt to kill Hutora, and was increasingly cautious about using gates since then. Still, something about the watchful eye of Akira made her feel inferior.

The excess of emotions did not transform this feeling of inferiority into something positive. Instead of wanting to prove she could control her newest ability, she wanted to prove how strong she could be with it. To her, strength was more important than control. Being the best was her redemption for being the most wicked. If she was to meet with Taiga and Chae at the center, she planned to have already cleared out the building by the time they arrived. She would show them just how powerful she could be.

With her head full of all the wrong ideas, Suzumi took off with Akira.

[Nujabes]

For the better half of their journey down into the valley, Akira was silent. He'd said all that he felt was necessary for his pupils to understand the severity of the mission, and though he hadn't touched on the consequences of their failures, he presumed (perhaps wrongly so) that they were capable of figuring it out. It took the pair all of ten minutes to properly descend, halting when the giant of a man extended a hand out to block Suzumi's path.

Just up ahead, roughly three meters out from the treeline, were two men casually strolling. Had it not been for the excessive amount of 'ink' on their bodies, sprawling up both arms and undoubtedly over their entire torso (though their chests were covered by their kimono), or the weapons fastened to their waists, you would've presumed they were nothing more than villagers.

"Take the one of the right. I'll handle the one of the left."

Pushing ahead, Akira reached the city boundaries just as the yakuza duo turned a nearby corner. Plucking a rock from the ground, he waited until Suzumi was in a favorable position before casually tossing it off to the side. It clanked against a drain of some sort, ringing loudly several times as the stone rambled down to the floor. Almost immediately, the two doubled-back, drawing their weapons as the neared the origins of the sound.

"What the hell as that?" The shorter man inquired (on the left). He took the lead, entering the alley first.

The taller of the two raised his hand to his eyes, shielding them. "I don't fuckin' know. I can't see anything in this darkness."

Before the short one could reply, Akira had already crossed the distance separating them. Retrieving a single kunai from his utility pouch, a flick across the man's throat separated the majority of flesh and meat, spewing a torrent of blood in every which direction. The taller of the two, still blinded by the night, could only hear the sounds of his partner gargling on his own blood before falling flat against the ground of the alley.

"Yoshi, are you alright?" He whispered, his voice strained. "Yoshi!"

[Chae]

Nodding to Taiga who, at that point, acknowledged his intentions and hopped on the wagon as a result. Nevertheless, as the two readied himself, Chae's right hand silently charged itself with raiton chakra, acting to be a significantly quieter 'chidori'. His eyes darted from building to building, studying the lay of the towns land further among other things. As a drinker and common bar visitor, it went without saying that Chae held a sixth sense for finding taverns that offered decent drinks. Not wanting Taiga to get the wrong impression, Chae explained -in a whisper- his idea and plan before the two actually set it in motion.

"As a drinker, I can spot the tavern from here. See it? Just north east of where we're facing about 30 meters. There two men wildly drinking. While I'm not sure if they are Yakuza, I'm damn sure that a good amount of them are hanging out in that tavern, especially at this hour."

Once spoken, he looked to Taiga, gauging his response and reaction before leap up and forward off the ledge and onto the paralleled building. Repeating the process until he reached the peak of the tavern, he looked around the roof, searching for a flat wooden door that could've led them inside the tavern's highest floor. Unfortunately, through the darkness, Chae's eyes seemingly failed, however, he had an undeniable sense of smell.

"Taiga, as a man who has been banned several times from bars, nine times out of ten they have a flat, wooden pull-up door on the roof. Sniff around around to see if you can find one, I'll keep an eye out on things. "

[Taiga Hozuki]

Watching as Chae's hand was baptized with Zeus's wrath, his thoughts trailed to the situation of the rest of his team. He wondered how they fared and though he was not worried over the absence of them from his back, he knew they'd be reunited at the center; however, for now he had but a single purpose. Track, kill, eliminate... It was simple, nothing complicated and though it'd be the boys first taste of dismissing life from another he had to embrace it. Welcome it, and take hold of its reigns to truly be a wolf. The young Inuzuka had already bathed in the blood of Kirigakure's worst enemies and he would soon do so again.

"I expected nothing less..."

A laugh followed his words as he paused, eyes panning to the tavern a ways off.

"Lets go, and try not to swipe the booze, okay?"

A smirk was hidden beneath the boys face mask as he looked Chae in the eyes before flowing suit, and Shirohime as well. Short strides brought Taiga from rooftop to top, and the final one was a little exaggerated, but Taiga couldn't help himself, the adrenaline pumping through his veins breathed life and vigor into his body. His body launched from the edge with a subtle twist he'd flip and with the grace of a cat land upon all fours, not a single sound made...

"Hehe, when i'm older I may just yet buy you a drink..."

Chae's knowledge was put to good use, albeit late though. Taiga nodded to Shirohime who simply shook her head. While his sister searched for what Chae asked of, Taiga crouched low maneuvered to the front of the Tavern and peered over the edge and down below. His ears could hear nothing but the boisterous laughter of drunkards, he could smell the stench of wine and alcohol as if he were partaking in its intoxicating brew himself. Shaking it off, he made sure to check the shadows for figures, but to no avail were his efforts rewarded.

Ears perking at the sound of Shirohime's subtle bark, Taiga moved to her and found the hatch Chae spoke of.

"Here... how do you want to proceed?"

Taiga awaited instruction. He'd let Chae lead this mission, he was too inexperienced to take leadership and instead the boy sought to learn.