Ayakashi moments after the distraction force had launched to accomplish their objective, she was gone, like a bat out of hell she would be charging at full speed through the land of Kumogakure for the hidden village in order to confront sanosuke for the act of war his country had committed, though she had no knowledge of the escape attempt already in progress by Tenmei, she could be certain that between her and her people that she would see justice done for his crimes. To back herself up, she held the tattered remains and ash of a fallen ninja with the blood stained clothing of the student that Sanosuke Flynt had lost to kirigakure. Proof of the demise of the student which the Mizukage felt had been the beginning of this course of action... Were she incorrect, it would have been a mighty coincidence to the contrary, and she would have had to get to the bottom of it one way or the other... However, to see the overwhelming support from her people, the Mizukage once again was blown away by the zeal of her nation, were she not there to temper their ambition, this very quickly could have blown out of proportion and into an all out war...

It was good to know that she had the support of Konoha in Kirigakure, and Iwagakure on the field in this very endeavor.

Ayakashi was wearing her equipment ready for war, from head to toe she wore the hood of the Mizukage mantle over her face, allowing the blue shimmering and glowing lines of her Mask, covering her face in its entirity, not limiting her vision so much as allowing her to breathe a reliable source of oxygen, hoping that toxins within the country would not be an issue for her. Next down was the armour of Tobirama Senju, a legendary carapace that had been treated and died in kirigakure colours, the steel now black and the formerly white frill now a navy blue. On her hands she wore the palms of the Aisu, another legendary relic of her mothers creation. Her kirigakure Hitiate tied around her upper arm as it usually was as a badge of pride that few would fail to recognize. On her legs, were the more standard basic armoured greaves of her nation's jounin, black steel plates on chain moving elegantly with her swift motion.

Her armour was clad, and still she charged.

Her weapons were another matter alltogether, while some would think her to be over-equipped for a ninja, Ayakashi thought contrarily. Changeling was sheathed at her back with the enlarged quiver for her arrows, while the fuma-shuriken lay folded up horizontally at her back. On one hip lay the two disembladed hilts of the raijin no ken and the sword of kusanagi. Each of them legendary in their own right. To her other hip was the coiled wire of the Sheng Biao - rope dart that she had already made use of in numerous encounters, quickly becoming one of her most powerful weapons in the field. Nobly, Bai, her tiger lagged behind a considerable distance as Ayakashi blatantly out-sped him, using her uncanny advantage as well as control to bound past any ninja of Kumo in her way as little more than a gust of air, impossible to percieve or sense with the power of her cloak hiding her chakra as well as her speed outshining the potential perception of even trained jounin.

It would not take long for her to reach the hidden city which lay within the heart of the thin strip in the countries' narrow paninsula, charging head-first for the hill-top which housed the administration building. Coming to the surrounding protections which held the village in place, the Mizukage would arrive like a blue and black streak of lightning under the cover of the dawn of the morning sun, shooting straight into the air to land dramatically at the summit of the mountain, civilians around Ayakashi would turn in shock as she hit the ground like a meteor, dropping to one knee and raising slowly, exhaling a chilling misty breath. The aura of anger around her was almost palpable by the people around her, this ninja, 'MIZUKAGE' written down her back, wearing armour and weapons looked like a monster to these people, not a human. Not a single centimeter of skin on her person was visible, covered by either cloth or armour as she stepped forward, her foot-steps leaving the natural moisture under her feet in frozen fractal patterns as she moved closer and closer to her target.

Looking back at the villagers she would speak, her voice muffled, made androginous by her mask.

"Bring me Sanosuke Flynt... And keep off the streets. GO! Tell him I will be at the tree..."

She would say with an almost sinister tone as the people would scatter quickly at her commanding aura, before stepping closer to the Durian Tree, the Bo-Staff form of Changeling in her hand as a walking stick as she would rest for some moments, Bai, bounding across rooftops to land before her within minutes of her arrival, having told those in his way that he was the ally of the Mizukage herself... Here Ayakashi would await her few vassals.

It was here all this nonsense would come to an end...

Ah, what a beautiful morning! Satoshi had risen before the sun, as he often did. Sleep was great but it was time lost. Time that could be spent on new experiences and feelings. With that in mind, he pulled on his jacket. His fingers deftly fastened the black wooden buttons and he pulled the base of the furred hood across his body. Something told him it was going to be a chilly morning.

As he continued past his coat rack he reached behind him and snatched his shell white headphones off the top rung. He placed them over his ears and let out a slow happy say as he drove the eighth inch jack into the cassette player in the pocket of his standard issue snow white pants. His hand followed it's natural course across his mid-section and brushed his fingertips across the plate of his Kumogakure headband. It was tied about his waist. The plate hung like a big flashy belt buckle while the cloth was strung through the belt loops of his pants like a belt proper.

As he passed the kitchen he placed a mug he'd been holding in his offhand on the counter with a clink. The mug had once been full of Kozue's Special Blend. An intensely aromatic and dark coffee that she was famous for (at least as far as Satoshi was concerned). Of course, Satoshi made sure it was full of sugar and milk... He couldn't drink motor oil, not like Kozue-Obachan. The kindly old woman had adopted him and raised him from as far back as he could remember. They'd lived a life as peaceful as the slumber that still held her this morning.

Satoshi waited until the door to his home shut behind him to reach down and depress the play button on his cassette player. The morning mountain air kissed his cheeks and awoke his senses. The quiet whir of the tape player against his hip eventually succumbed to the oncoming track that it heralded. Today, the music that found him was fast paced. High energy and semi-synthesized. Upbeat and easy to train to. Afterall he had plans this morning.

His hips swayed to the music cheerily as he headed through the barely populated streets of a pre-dawn Hidden Cloud Village. He was headed towards the Durian Tree of Demonic Knowledge where he had agreed to meet with Sanosuke to train. He was still a little unsure of the man. But Satoshi wasn't a thinker... So think he didn't. He was happy to have the attention and the new experience. The Raikage had a lot he could teach him... Heck his title implied more than anyone else in the village. He leaned against the tree, crossing his arms and nodding his head to the uplifting beats pumping through his headphones. Today was sure to be a good day. Even if it was going to be held at an evil tree...

It was exactly that he had that thought that he felt a chill run down his spine. He felt his extremities freeze up... Well. Not quite. They began to seize and shake. He began to shiver as if he'd accidentally stepped into some sub-zero ice water. But it was somehow... Worse. He could feel in his very bones that this wasn't a normal chill. And further... it wasn't emanating from the tree.

It wasn't until he managed to turn his music off that anything came into focus... An extreme expenditure of effort that resulted in him sliding his index finger into his pocket to click the stop button with an almost deafening *click*. It was then that he could hear the slow rumbling idle breath of a tiger as it sailed past him, bounding to the side of the ominous looking source of the arctic hatred that was slowly freezing his blood to a stand-still.

The genin struggled, closing his fist in slow effort. And after another few moments of will he offered the iron-clad interloper the only thing he could. A slow, naive, and bafoonish smile. Kill'em with kindness. Yep... That'll do it.

[WC| 704]

As soon as the distraction force had started their mission, it was time for the real purpose of their time here to start. Solstice took off with a boom of speed as she headed towards the meeting place. Bai was close behind her and that was the signal for Strafe, Momaru, and Mitsuo. "Let's move. Mitsuo can come at his own pace." He looked back as he spoke to his comrade. Using his own impressive speed, he took off after his cousin and Kage. Momaru followed closely behind as they headed for an ancient tree. His mind flashed to the various things that had happened to him recently. The appearance of the assassins and what they meant for his country. The return of his once lover. The ninja that abandoned his daughter. His face started to contort in anger as his mind then shifted to the former comrade and ally of Kirigakure that had now betrayed that same nation, Sanosuke. What was his reason. What right did he have to imprison any of his fellow villagers? The Sannin wanted answers and planned on getting them. His speed was impressive, and he blasted past most of the still targets with his arctic lion doing the same. He could feel the trail of cold that Solstice left behind, and it only caused him to move even faster.

It was not long before he caught up with the Mizukage and her tiger. He would land beside her with grace as he noticed her using her weapon as a walking stick. Both of his staffs sat on his back in an x formation, which signaled his prepared nature. If this came to a fight, he was more than ready. He had seen this man's abilities, including his Senjutsu transformation. He knew of the dangers before them, and yet he did not fear them. Momaru landed beside Bai Hai with a thud as he immediately looked around for any signs of danger. The two high ranking ninja and their comrades were sure to draw attention of all kinds, and he expected to see resistance soon. "Mitsuo should be on his way. I will not move until commanded." He spoke to his cousin with a formality that was rarely in his voice. He wanted to show the respect he had for her in this foreign place. He had never heard of a ninja that could match her power, at least not one that still drew breathe. He was curious to see how the Raikage would take such a showing from Kirigakure. It was guaranteed to be an interesting talk. He would keep his senses alert as it was now a waiting game.

Word Count: 448

Akira would shift from the border Iwa had stationed itself on. Having made sure they arrived and witnessed their numbers and tactics himself in case Ayakashi were in a curious mood about it. He had avoided Karumo in the process but still he had seen enough to get the general idea. A simple presence that was slightly disrupting but not hostile in nature unless forced to be. It was a good thing to be since it left room to state they had reacted to being attacked. It let Karumo avoid too much penalty from all this. A wise move which made Akira rather happy he had chosen the young man. He had hoped to see Nanashi or Tsuneo there in order to tag them to come along. Nanashi because limb regeneration was almost as valuable as the ability to rot everyone around him. Not to mention a guanyin of that caliber could negate any healing the enemy had. However for now they had enough med nin. Himself included. Tsuneo on the other hand was a two part hope. First was to keep him from murdering anyone he didn't have to, and second was another person who could shut down chakra. He knew of the chains and could certainly see their use.

For now he would burst along at full speed matching even Ayakashi in sheer meters per second and little more than a passing gust of wind as he bypassed a great deal of Kumogakure behind him. He knew where the meeting point was and he intended to hit it just after Ayakashi. He brought no pet but was wearing his typical suit. A pair of black dress boots with good tread and black slacks that were fitted to rest just above the shoe. Comfortable and flexible at the same time. A black belt held his knives in the small of his back facing each other by the curve of the blade with the hilts turned out. A silver button up shirt was tucked in to his pants with a grey tie buttoned to his shirt. A black backed vest over the front with a white front. Over all of that was a long suit coat that seemed to catch the light just right. An S rank armor that was extremely capable. Something ironically the last man to murder a Kage in this land had made for him. It was a sad irony but he would ignore that for now. He had enough to think about.

Akira would slam into the city and jump up to the roofs to escape getting into a head on collision with a fleeing crowd. He frowned as he continued on his way to the meeting place and watched them. In a way it was good that they were clearing out in case this did break into a fight. However he did not look forward to any high level combat within city limits. Too much would be destroyed and relations with Kiri after would suffer all the more. This made it all feel more like a conquering army instead of one bent on justice. Still he could feel a sudden change in temperature and with that he would drop down and lower his aura as much as possible while keeping his eyes and ears peeled. Ayakashi was blasting that chilling aura out like winter wasn't coming but into the depth of it. Windows were already frosting over. His silver eyes would shift to see Ayakashi and her pet with who he assumed to be her guard or perhaps her famous cousin and his pet standing with her. However his eyes would shift passed them to the young man greeting them. Poor kid was out of his depth. Still Akira would smile and step quickly so as to be to quick to be seen before landing behind the boy. Placing a warm hand on Satoshi's shoulder. With that touch it would seem like a weight was lifted and warmth was returning. He was closer to him than Ayakashi was so he could do this much. It might even be like he could breath again. Still Akira would speak. His voice like silk on the breeze and a smile that met his eyes. If Aya was the depth of winter he was the height of summer.

"Intimidating aren't they? So much power and someone decided to cross them. I wouldn't worry though. So long as you don't act foolishly no harm should come to you kid. My name is Hyuga Tsuyo. A pleasure to meet you....what might your name and rank be shinobi?"

773

Mitsuo Sarutobi had come to Kumogakure no Kato with a purpose, and that was to help the Mizukage Ayakashi Aisu take down the current Raikage, Sanosuke Flint. He had been enjoying his time in the village while he was here, but he knew that eventually the time would come when he would have to carry out his duty to the Mizukage, and since Strafe was going to be there as well he knew more than ever that he needed to do this and that it meant more to him than anything else at this moment. His footfalls were light and stealthy as he made his way towards the meeting point for the assault on the city. He could slightly hear the clink of metal as his new weapon, the chain whip known as Penance, was fastened around his chest and his great sword clanked against it. He did his best to keep that quiet, but while he was running there was simply no way for him to completely muffle the sound. He had certainly regained a few steps since he had returned from his journey, but he still wasn't feeling quite up to the point where he had once been. He had continued his training since coming back to the shinobi world, however, and was certainly feeling better than he had since he had left.

As he approached the meeting point he heard Ayakashi speak, moving to take a place by Strafe who he noticed seemed to be waiting for him. He looked towards his once lover and smiled softly, his eyes still hiding the pain that he had carried with him for so long. "Are you ready Strafe? This won't be an easy mission..." His voice trailed off as he saw the people making their way towards the village, each of them preparing for the assault and taking the quietest way towards their objective. Mitsuo looked towards the trees, his gaze sweeping over them as he prepared to take off towards the trees. He looked back towards Strafe once more; "We will be fine though, I'm sure. Nothing can keep us apart now that we're back together." His eyes continued to scan as he knew that he could sense a familiar chakra, one that he was fairly positive belonged to Tsuyo Hyuga. He hadn't been able to confirm if he was still alive but he had felt his presence when they were leaving Kiri and he was feeling it again now. He hoped that Tsuyo was here with him, as he considered him to be a great ally and the two of them worked very well together. He would stand beside Strafe and guard him, the perfect pairing of offense and defense standing side by side in preparation to take down corruption and protect the Mizukage...

(472)

The violet haired girl took a step back and watched the entourage as she took in a deep breath. She was home. This was her home. She let out a deep breath though her mask, as she looked over the familiar coast. She had been here a few times, not a lot, but a few. Before she even knew what she was doing, her feet carried her through the forest, notably make ground on everyone but Ayaashi and Tsuyo, not only due to her awareness of the surroundings, but also the fact that she was simply faster than them. And easily so, like in a race she would outright destroy them. But then she reached the village. The Ex-kumo nin immediately felt at home. For this was her home. She looked over the horizon i she stood atop the wall of Kumogakure. At she recognized every inch of the scene that laid before her. She hadn't even been gone all that long, but it still felt like forever, and not a single thing had changed. And it was for this very brief moment, as she looked over the village before Ayakashi made impact, that she forgot why she was here. She simply felt as though it were but a few month prior and she had just returned from a mission and happiness filled her for that very brief moment. But then Ayakashi made impact, and the whole village instant  felt like it was thrown into the dept of winter. Her voice was almost enough to make Hachiko cower, and she could easily tell the Kage's Outrage. She then watched all of the livelyhood of the village cease as though if on cue. Even those that hadn't heard the Mizukage's words still felt ice cold horror in the air, the air felt like a monster loomed in it, and for all intents and purposes, there was one, and she announced where she was going to the public. Not something Hachiko would have advised, but she was the Mizukage and she honestly doubted a whole army could take her on. It was in this short moment, Hachiko remembered why she was here. The reason for her return, and her heart sunk a little bit, as she lept off of wall and continued to trail after the Demon Ice witch. Though prefering a more scenic route than the others, not that it would have put her behind Mitsuo or Strafe for that matter, or at least it wouldn't have until she realized why her body instinctively moved to the place it had. She stopped dead in her tracks in the middle of the street as the shape of her house caught the corner of her eye.

The shape was all she caught, and that was enough to halt her progress towards the evil tree, and did she hope that was all she had seen. Upon seeing her home her stomach twisted in knots and her heart sunk further. The words "traitor" painted in red a crossed the front of her white house, with the windows smashed and the door kicked in and destroyed. The entirety of her the inside of her house had been destroyed too, or at least from what she could see. For that split moment, Hachiko looked down, as her emotions soared. They hated her. The people she loved. The people she wanted nothing more to protect, wanted nothing more than to know she was dead. She had kind of known this the moment she left. But seeing the scene before her eyes cemented the idea in her heart, that she was far more than ever welcomed here again. With that, she body flickered away. She hadn't been there for but a split second, but it was all that she had needed. Most people in the area at the time might not have even saw her there, but if they did, they would have just seen a gray figure for but a moment, likely leading to the conclusion they had 'Just been seeing things' or that nothing had been there in the first place. But now She was upset. Her home had been taken from her. Robbed, and destroyed, arriving about the same time the Mitsuo had, thanks to her little detour, and the minor pauses she had. She landed behind  and a little to the right of Ayakashi, a black and grey mask, and a solid grey robe, with ANBU gear underneath, and a black skin tight suit underneath that. She had kunai hidden up her robe sleeves, and her single sword strapped to the back of her hip, making it easily accessible with her right hand from a reverse grip style. The Aura that Sero had gifted her was in full force at the moment, coming close to the actual aura Sero himself held. Dread, and death hanging in the air, along with he frigid temperatures coming off of Ayakashi. Hachiko wore her full ANBU gear, simply because it was her duty. Not so Sano wouldn't notice her. With the reconstruction done to her face done to the man sitting on the opposite side of Ayakashi, Strafe, As well as the minor changes in her attitude, stance, and the major change in her Chakra. There was almost no way Sanosuke could tell Hachiko was who Sanosuke used to call Kaekio. The person Hachiko used to be so closed to.

---

WC: 909
Total WC: 909

Ayakashi landed, she could see everything around her, her senjutsu chakra would almost be palpable as the glowing green lines of her chakra would flare up like lakes of cthonic flame tasting the sunlight. The beautiful symbols that it painted over her body, the glow and power of her mastery of senjutsu shining through her clothing and armour like a ghost-light. The technique was tentatively called the Sage Mode Nature, where Ayakashi had discovered a means to change the natures of body, spirit and nature chakra into one another, effectively purifying them into intense displays, adding an incredible sum of power into but one function of sage mode, while sacrificing the others to do so. Ayakashi knew that Sanosuke, being a sage, would sense the intense swell of nature chakra radiating from the hill-top, it would be unmistakable to anyone who was a practitioner of Senjutsu to be sure, but to those ninja who were not learned in sage mode in the slightest, they would feel something different... it would be a type of chakra that they had never felt before, it would feel foreign, strange...

even alien in this quantity.

One by one her allies assembled, each of them may be willing to die should she give the word for a war to be called out, but, as much as her anger held in her throat, she could not allow it to overcome her... something needed to be done, someone needed to be punished and all of this madness needed to come to an end in such a way that it could never be allowed to happen again. The land they were in was now considered hostile, but as a portion of the Kumogakure forces would have been drawn away by the Iwa and Kirigakure distraction forces, all that was left was to get her citizens out of the country as soon as possible. So, as Hachiko appeared on the scene, it would be her that Ayakashi spoke to first, not looking, so much as directing the intent from her words to be aimed directly at her she would speak with all the command and authority granted to her by her station as the mizukage.

"Hachiko, move to the prison and work to release anyone from kirigakure who might be there, if things go south, we need to be ahead of any order that comes from Sanosuke and intercept any potential kill order should he be taking them hostage. Take extreme care, as we don't know what safeguards may be already in place... Strafe, you're trained in kirigakure's emergency practices, take Mitsuo and attempt to find any kirigakure ninja nearby and in the surrounds that have managed to avoid capture and gone to ground... Are my orders understood? Akira, stay with me, you represent Iwa's will here, former Tsuchikage."

Ayakashi had no knowledge that Tenmei, so recently would have liberated the kirigakure ninja in a battle with Kenji, but it would be information that would be interesting to ascertain... which would make the job of Mitsuo and Strafe all the more important, if there had been a jail, break in a potentially hostile land with a capture order on kirigakure ninja. The released ninja were behind enemy lines, no doubt in hiding, or actively seeking a means to escape as best they could... each and every one of them needed to know that the cavalry were here, and that finally now, after a couple of months of capture, that they were finally safe should they gather. Ayakashi would then turn to see the Kumogakure Genin that had moved up to the side of the hill, consoled by Tsuyo, Ayakshi would begin to approach the child, her staff in her hand as she would stop, pointing the end of the weapon directly at the Genin. No more than three words would leave the mizukage's mouth as she addressed the boy, and it was not killer intent that filled her voice, nor was it malace, or hatred... it was authority, power, and anger.

"Where. Is. Sanosuke?"

There was a time for apologies later, but here she could not allow herself to show weakness or kindness, it was her job to be stalwart, to prepare for an encounter that she had been dreading for weeks now. The thought had crossed her mind that Sanosuke's pride would prevent him from taking any responsibility for his mad actions from Ayakashi's perspective. That pride would no doublt lead to combat, and that combat could happily lead to the destruction of a national leader should things get out of hand... So the Mizukage had to steel her heart, face this adversary down as she did the first time she stared down the hollow eyes of Gan Ning of the Seven Bells. Her off-hand tightened on the blood soaked clothes and hitiate of the former kumogakure ninja who defected to their country, the only evidence they had of her death. Items Sanosuke would more than recognize on sight should he see them coiled there, the icey cold of Ayakashi's crip making the material starch-like, and stiff.

Chakra Break down:

Kashizudoto had been out in the Land of Lightning's Wilderness for a bit, training with his messenger hawk, "Hawky", out there until he could reasonably suspect that the manhunt for him had finished. In short, a couple genin had spotted him receiving one of Professor Ivan's letters from Hawky, although they had no idea what the contents were. They had, as most people under the pressure of war, immediately jumped to paranoia and half-baked conclusions, determining that he had been spying for Kirigakure, although that was far from the reality. In fact, he had intended to go to Kumo solely for the purpose of being a neutral bystander in the conflict; he had wanted, and still did now, to observe what war was really like and the value of the peace that he strived for in the shinobi world. Logic had convinced the tokubetsu jonin that, as they had no concrete evidence that he even was a spy, only speculation, they had probably given up by now and diverted those resources to more important things such as, well, the actual war at hand. Thus, he had returned to the village borders itself, this time a lot more secretive and less public, shifting through the darkest corners of the hidden village to learn more about how the war had affected citizens at every level.

It was well before dawn, and he, with his hawk perched upon his shoulder, had resolved to quietly climb as much of the ancient tree of "demonic knowledge" as he could to learn more about it; he had been hearing so much about it lately. Of course, he would come there to spot, from about fifty meters, a bunch of extremely strong-looking people assembling there with their weapons in tow, as well as a child. He would recognize one of the stronger looking fellows as Mitsuo Sarutobi, who he had met not all that long ago in Kumo while the man had been awaiting orders from the Mizukage. He would identify the child, after closer inspection, as the boy who had falsely claimed that Kashizudoto had been spying for Kiri in the war. He would spot the mantle of a woman with a glass eye; he would determine that this was most likely the Mizukage based on that article of clothing. What were all these people doing here? This must've had something to do with the war. He would consider that perhaps fate had led him to the invasion force, as he had come to see the war firsthand.

He would, for the first time since he had arrived at the Land of Lightning, take out his Konohagakure hitae-ate from within his robe and tie it firmly around his forehead, the loose ends of the tie flying in the gentle mountain breeze. He would finally choose to display his identity with pride as a shinobi of Konohagakure. Why would he have decided to display his identity now of all times? First of all, he had a practical motivation in terms of safety; if a Kiri invasion force found him, which they probably would considering that he wouldn't be watching from particularly far away (fifty meters), they would have no reason to suspect him as working for Kumo if they knew that he was from Konoha. That way, he wouldn't get detained. Also, it would show the kid, if he could see him, that Kashizudoto was not from Kiri and, therefore, did not have a predisposition to be spying for them. However, he would also have a symbolic intention in this action: although he had always intended to be a neutral bystander in this conflict who would use this as an opportunity to observe, he still recognized his status as a loyal shinobi of Konoha to the end. Of course, forehead protectors weren't always accurate, as one could just steal one or forge their own to lie about their identity; however, hitae-ate were definitely one of those things that even some of the biggest scumbags remained honest about, at least from the thirteen year old's limited experience with such things.

WC: 693

Things were getting awful complicated awful quick. What Satoshi expected to be a simple morning of simple training was turning into quite the debacle. The very aura of the person standing before him had caused his reactions to chill his blood.

Then another man appeared beside the first monstrous entity. While less armor clad than the first he didn't seem any less threatening. He showed deference and respect to them... A squad perhaps? Satoshi's eyes slid to the tiger and then back. If they were planning to attack he wasn't sure there was anything he could do about it... The notion that he might need to defend himself against the two assailants and their feline companion helped to shake the metaphorical frost off of his body.

He never saw the next entrant. He appeared behind him in such a manner that caused Satoshi to panic. He felt him penetrate his Pursuit of Sound field long before he ever had any auditory or other sensory information regarding him. That said, it would be apparent to Akira that Toshi had sensed him before he had intended him too... And while Toshi wasn't aware of Akira's bloodline, their two clans had a lot in common, as they were both beneficiary's of 360 degree sensory techniques.

Even with that additional information he wasn't even close to being fast enough to roll away from his touch. He staggered forward in an attempt to steer clear of what he could only expect to be an attack given growing tension in the environment. His feet nearly gave out beneath him and it was only Akira's grip upon his shoulder that kept him from falling. The runt-like kid was easily stabilized by the older man's comforting hand... And he couldn't help but feel the rest of the chill recede.

"K-kazuhiko Satoshi." He stuttered out quietly. Ugh! He sounded like a coward. He balled his fists and steeled his resolve. With a deep breath and a moments hesitation he stepped out from under the umbrella of the other's hand. He turned towards him, keeping the armored invader and their sword wielding escort in his periphery. His hands came down to his hitai-ate, which was tied about his waist like a belt. He braced the plate which held the symbol of Kumogakure proudly and was emboldened by the pride he had in his village.

"And I'm a genin of Kumogakure no Sato!" He declared this more proudly than his sheepish introduction. "Nice to meet you!" Came out with further forced boldness. The formality seemed a bit out of place perhaps, but Kozue-obachan would be ashamed of him if he forgot his manners.

Just then two more people appeared beside the other party. Just how many were there? He was starting to develop a bit of a headache trying to pay attention to all of them. Of course, one was about to command far more attention than the others.

The armor-clad assailant started to bark orders to their comrades. From them he deigned some further names and some of their mission objectives... But truth be told, Satoshi was ignorant to the political machinations of the adults. He'd only just recently graduated from the academy and his world-wising had mostly involved confronting bandits and sparring with his partner. Boy what he wouldn't give for some backup here.

Then the man who had appeared was addressed... Former Tsuchikage? What was a former kage doing here? Further, it had taken him as long as this to notice that the one spouting commands wore the mantle of Kirigakure no Sato. The Mizukage? He was in -way- over his head.

They took a step towards him and Satoshi took a staggering step backwards, no doubt back into the man who had appeared behind him in the first place... All of these people and the extreme anxiety they were instilling in him was beginning to scramble his senses. The kage pointed a staff at him, a condescending gesture that demanded attention and an implicit threat. Which, of course, was followed by a call for information.

A request...No, it was less formal than that. A decree that he would tell her what she wanted to know... And that information was the location of the Raikage. His would-be sensei. He could feel the cold overcoming him again... Though this time it was beginning to come into conflict with something welling up inside of him... A white-hot anger was building in the pit of his stomach... This person was a bully. If there was anything Satoshi hated it was... Well, boredom... Then sharks... Then bullies!

His fists again involuntarily balled as his body attempted to release some of the tension and pressure the environment was imposing upon him... He opened his mouth and no sound came out, his voice caught in the back of his throat, perhaps snatched back into his vocal chords by some sort of guardian angel.

He shook his head, refuting the divine intervention that prevented him from making a fool of himself. Satoshi was many things. He was kind. He was courageous. He was ambitious. But he was not always clever. He didn't step forward, not with his body, but with his spirit. While his body stay locked under the immense stress of the situation, his mouth ran rampant.

He spoke with greater confidence now and the melody of his voice carried his words in a somehow single-person harmony. "I'm sorry ma'am. But I can't tell you. If you want to find Sanosuke-sensei, you'll have to do it yourself!"

Here lies Satoshi Kazuhiko. He died doing the right thing...

(Edited for grammar)
[WC: 1669]

Two more people arrived before Tsuyo could gain the response he wished for. However he wasn't to concerned about it as of yet. His eyes drifted first to Mitsuo who by himself was an impressive man. He never could understand how the man had such an immense burning chakra. Will of fire was no joke with him. His chakra levels even surpassed Ayakashi by a tiny margin. No small feat there. It balanced the air nicely he thought as he took in a yawning breath. Deep intake with a short out take. The fires of the deepest forge and the Ice of the longest winter. He would almost chuckle if his own chakra wasn't so lacking in comparison. He would need to speak with them sometime to discover how to raise his own chakra further. He never really found himself lacking but next to the two of them. As always his pride would not allow him to be left behind. He refused it. Still his silver eyes would scan the next one to arrive. A Hachiko if he remembered correctly. Had only met her in passing at the speeches. She seemed more stressed than the others and the last to arrive. At least as part of their party for now it would seem. The ball was moving and he would need to see how much of a direction he could control it for the time being.

Still the young man before him had stumbled ever so slightly before he had even reached him which he found interesting. It was as if he had sensed him coming or heard him before he had even arrived. A feeble attempt to get away. Had he been heard though he would be surprised. He had thought himself silent in his approach. He knew of the rumor that Kumo had the best sensory in the business which had been his concern about the invasion. Not that they were not a beacon of chakra at this point anyway. Even if it was sensory though he had no way of knowing what type. Motion, chakra, blood, smell, hearing, sight or field. No idea about the range of it or if it had indeed been a coincidence that he had stumbled just at that moment. Still he caught the kids name as he stuttered it out and smiled. It was kind of cute really. Still he would step away and Tsuyo would raise an eye brow. Watching as the young man proudly displayed his head band around his waist. Stating himself a genin and even stating it was nice to meet him politely. Tsuyo would bow his head then and speak in return.

"The pleasure is all mine Mr. Satoshi. Please, call me Akira."

His attention would drift to the remainder of the group as he raised his head. Listening as Ayakashi sent the majority of her guard away. He listened to whom she sent where and considered each move. In his head chess pieces were moving. Mitsuo and Strafe were both knights in their own right moving with the most freedom besides the queen herself, Ayakashi. Hachiko seemed more of a rook to him. A straight moving piece with one purpose but one that could move far more than a pawn. Of course he thought himself their teams King. Limited mobility in this conflict but important to keep alive. His life was a priority to him at least. That and king just had a nice ring to it. Still his eyes would watch as Ayakashi would approach them. Surprised she would threaten a genin but understanding the urgency of their time tables. Iwa would pull out after the first day and that made this a time sensitive surgical strike. Still the young mans response was also a nice change of pace. Unwanting to give up his pride before obvious doom. Tsuyo would chuckle and glance between him and Ayakashi. Somewhat ruining the moment before he would speak his piece.

"My my Ayakashi, you seem to have found a stubborn one here. Not many can face you and speak valiantly. Should of kept your ANBU around for their ability to look into anothers mind. Mr. Satoshi, Be defiant if you wish but that road is only a delay. Your lord can't ignore our presence here. A genin defying us may only prove to be another thing to cause him hesitation. You don't want to be what slows him down do you? After all he is a mighty Kage. Surely he can deal with two intruders?"

A shift in the tree above him caught him at the end of his speech though and caused him to glance up. Searching the branches for the source. He was on high alert for a Kage level individual after all. His senses were at their limit. A special jounin was just at the limit of his perceptive abilities it would seem. He had to squint to try and tell much about him and was unable to determine much. He could tell it wasn't a kumo headband though....Konoha maybe? Odd that anyone from Konoha would be here instead of Kiri. Still from 50 meters away they were not a whole ton of a threat. Not unless he was high ranking. Just to be sure though Tsuyo would sigh and speak as veins popped out over one eye before pulsing even more. His body engulfing in a strange green aura almost like flames as his max ranked Byakugan activated and he doubled its range. Spotting everything within 200 meters that wasn't withstanding S rank chakra sensory. The one up in the tree wasn't a joke for the amount of chakra he had. If he chose to attack he could likely do something rapidly within those 50 meters. However the one in front of him was indeed a genin.

"I have thrown up a sensory field at two hundred meters Aya. Should anyone approach we will know. Assuming they approach soon anyway. I doubt Sanosuke will run and leave his village to your rage."

1789

295/350:

The Sword Saint of Konoha was made quite curious by the young boy who was standing up to the Mizukage. There had to be something wrong with him, as even Mitsuo would think twice before telling her no. He also knew that this boy should have been shitting his pants when surrounded by all of the powerful ninja who were currently around him. He was clearly a very brave or very stupid child and Mitsuo was quite curious to see what his motives were or what he thought was going to happen here. He was pretty sure that the boy knew that he was in over his head, and that perhaps getting him out of the situation would be a good idea. He didn't want to see anything bad happen to him, or any harm to come to him. He was around the same age as Mitsuo's daughter, Kaia, and he couldn't help but think of her being in the terrible way that he had found her in originally when he adopted her. He thought of her and how he didn't want to see harm come to any kid like this one, and he decided that he had to think of a way to get him out of that situation.

He looked towards the crowd, seeing mostly familiar faces, though one person he didn't recognize. He looked towards Strafe, smiling at him and also to Tsuyo as well. They were people who always made him feel comfortable and he was happy to have them around him. With those two he felt safe, no matter what situation he was in. When Ayakashi told Mitsuo and Strafe that their job was to find other Kiri Ninja and get them to a safe area, Mitsuo thought of the way out for the boy. He had spoken with Gin, who was under house arrest in the Raikage's house. She was the only Kiri nin around that he knew of, and so therefore he would go and talk to her about getting her out of Kumo, but he knew that he would need to bring someone with him.

"Lady Mizukage, I need a favor." He stepped up beside the young Kumo ninja and put his hand on his shoulder. His grip was warm and firm, and he was hoping that it would have a similar effect to when Tsuyo put his hand on his shoulder, though it would be a little bit different. Mitsuo's chakra level was absolutely massive, and it created an uncomfortable heat, which Satoshi would feel when he put his hand on his shoulder. Where Ayakashi was like a cold snap, Mitsuo was more akin to a furnace. It would be unnerving for anyone to feel him so close to them, and his iron grip of a swordsman would make the situation even more uncomfortable. "I happen to know where Gin Kuroka is in the village. She is being held in the manor of the Raikage, and I have been in contact with her since coming to Kumo. In order to break her free of her prison, I will need someone to be able to get me into his manor, and I believe that this child may be the key. His defiance is brave, but it is also possible that he is simple and doesn't know any better, and possibly really doesn't know where the Raikage is. I ask that you allow me to take him with me, as I believe I can either use him as leverage to get into the manor, or use him to at least to draw people out. He is a young kid and he poses no threat to us, and if he does seem to threaten us, Strafe and I will have no issue taking him out."

He looked down at the child, hoping the Mizukage would sympathize with his plot and allow him to take the boy with him. He wanted to keep Satoshi safer automatically, his paternal instincts kicking in. There was also a little bit more to his plan, as he wasn't sure if Gin would come by herself, but he knew that she seemed to have some sort of obsession with broken children, and she would likely want to add Satoshi to her collection. Mitsuo would use the boy as Gin bait if he had to, and he was fairly positive that would work. He expected that Strafe would back him up, and therefore had no issue with asking the Mizukage of this favour.

1234

Spoiler:

Sano...

A grunt could of been heard from the Raikage as the Kumo sensory network was tripped by several strange individuals. One, in particular, caused goosebumps to appear on his arms that he ignored passively. His anger was what kept him warm. It was the Mizukage herself. The anbu sensory agents that assisted Navi in establishing this network voiced their fears to the wasp who then relayed it back to Sanosuke. They were afraid. One would be a fool if they weren't afraid. Sending orders to Navi, he commanded them to focus the center of where these individuals did meet up.

The people in front of him were the councilmen and women of the village hidden in the cloud. He was sitting at the head of the table, with the Lightning Daimyo to his right looking rather displeased with the developments. The daimyo had come to him once word reached the lord that kiri fleets were approaching his country. Before the daimyo would reach out to the water daimyo himself, the elder man reached out to his general of the shinobi: the Raikage himself. Sanosuke, himself, believed that he could handle the situation before the daimyo himself could hear about it. And now the daimyo was not pleased and demanded an explanation. He had already distinctly voiced his annoyance of the situation to all members of the council. He wanted this fiasco to put to a hold now. When the daimyo learned about the kiri shinobi being detained had disappeared, amount of rage that escaped the elder man's throat reached biblical proportions. Currently, Sanosuke had his own ANBU agents searching for the shinobi to bring them back to the holding cells. The fact that nothing was reported bothered him, and angered the daimyo.

But then the Kiri forces themselves decided to approach his village with armed forces. The shinobi of the council could sense the pressure that were being released by the Mizukage. Uneasiness could be sensed from the room.  So she made her move this boldly, and why of all times? At the moment there weren't much that could be done to quell the rage being emitted from Kiri's kage. But then Navi notified Sanosuke of another individual that was also there with the shinobi. The genin that he had taken under his wing: Satoshi. That was when his state of panic was shown: what was he doing there? If he had so much as harmed a hair on his head, Ayakashi will answer for this dearly.

"Sanosuke! Answer! What is going on?!"

The Raikage's attention was snapped to the meeting being held at the moment. All eyes were on him while the daimyo was glaring daggers at Sanosuke demanding answers. First the safety of his citizens came first. "Takumi, Machiko, Hanabi. See that the safety of our citizens are secured. Genin and chuunin to all homes of civilians as safeguards. I want a medic ninja on every block." Sanosuke ordered his shinobi. They nodded before disappearing from the meeting themselves. "Koga, Ren. Defend the daimyo, I want him protected at all times. Ko and Bo, see to the daimyo is informed of the current situation while ensuring all orders are executed." His advisers gave their nod of confirmation of his orders.

Before the daimyo could voice his disapproval of the sudden urgency coming from Sanosuke, he also dismissed himself in a flash of light as he appeared out of the hallway and walked briskly down the halls to the nearest exit he would encounter. Navi floated by his side as he shed his kage cloak and tossed it to a shinobi passing him. Just one glance was taken at the newly appointed chuunin to communicate that the robe would be taken back to his office. The aura building around him left no room for questions: execute his order, that is simple. On his body was cloth armor that had the same density and durability of plated armor, but looked like simple cloth armor. His boots from the wasp village quickened his steps to the point that Navi was beginning to fall behind.

Upon exiting the administration building of the village, his breath became visible from the coldness in the atmosphere. Navi locate where Ayakashi is. Sanosuke mentally commanded Navi. It was thanks to the disease he was born with where the mental state of his chakra was contained in an object that he had around his neck in the form of a necklace, that left him virtually untrackable through normal uses of sensory techniques that were based on chakra detection. It’s not until he uses the energy from the necklace in sync with his body’s physical energy that chakra can be detected by normal means. Until then, he will have Navi be his source for sensory as Ayakashi and whoever she may be with will not be able to track him unless he personally uses chakra; thus, giving away his position to the hostiles in the area.

The second Navi informed Sanosuke of where Ayakashi’s forces were, all restraint that he had of the situation that were keeping him level headed began to snap apart at the seams. She had the audacity to bring these forces upon the same mountain that his office was: essentially scaring his villagers by sitting atop of his own head and daring him to do act. Who the hell did the woman think she was, and what act of disrespect commanded her to think she was going to do this unquestioned? Sanosuke could feel his blood boil to dangerous levels. ANBU agents near the vicinity…approach the mountain and place a barrier. Nobody will leave the tree unless I permit it. Sanosuke growled mentally his orders knowing that Navi would relay it back to his ANBU agents.

Ayakashi you have made a grave mistake. Pulsing chakra to his feet, Sanosuke rocketed from the bottom part of the mountain in one bound. Wind blasted his face as futon chakra wrapped around his body to create an upstream that soared him to new heights. Silver energy leaked from his body as more chakra was used to shot him farther up the mountain of the administration building. For those already at the top of the mountain where the durian tree of knowledge was located would only see a shadow launching itself towards the clouds themselves. Winds would pick up from the draft of his movement. That alone would signify that these intruders' presence had indeed caught his attention.

His velocity slowed down once he reached the height of his leap. By looking down Sanosuke could see exactly who had gathered upon the summit; essentially barging into his home. Currently his chakra was what was slowing down his decent as he would eventually land right on the highest branch of the durian tree where he will be elevated as he will tell all company to vacate the premises less they face the wrath of the Raikage. His body was still rather high up that only those with at least jounin level could see the tiny spec that was Sanosuke as he hung high in the sky.

Ayakashi was looking rather decked out for war as the Mizukage brought out all pieces of armor and weaponry she could find. The infamous war tiger she had was also there to accompany her. The former Tsuchikage also accompanied her by standing by her side, along with a member from the Legendary Swordsmen of the Mist that he had himself had fought alongside during the Seven Bells War, and there were two others he didn't identify with however one of them did look rather familiar. Maybe he had trained with the boy, but the woman was odd to him. If it wasn't for the current situation, he'd be perplexed. Finally the sword saint of konoha, Mitsuo was there. From even his high point in the sky, Sanosuke could make out the words he was saying.

How dare he? It was the only remotely comprehensive thought Navi could pick up from Sanosuke as pure rage boiled forth. Winds picked up in the sky as what seemed like violent winds were picking up. The coldness of the air was turning into something short of a storm at the Raikage's fury. White lines streaked across his eyelids as his hair turned black and twisted from the amount of senjutsu chakra he was taking in at once. Normally when he had entered sage mode, a light buzzing could be heard from the Raikage as the chakra would do its best to imitate the nature of the wasps. This time it sounded more like thunder crackling as all of those who were at the summit could hear the sounds of the chainsaw like buzzing.

It hung through the air as those who were bellow him would hear the wrath of the Raikage at those who would defile his village. More winds picked up the closer he got to them. Static electric pops filled the air, and got stronger and stronger for anyone in the vicinity. Considering the amount of raiton chkara that was being generated by Sanosuke, it was acting like a lightning rod to the skies as thunder could be heard from the skies themselves. It was as though the skies were coerced to follow the will of the Jyuudaime Raikage. His seals on his forearms pulsed with energy as it was circulating his chakra for optimum efficiency. It began to pulse as he leveled himself down as the storms between the senjutsu users, and kages, were being had as both auras were fighting for dominance.

Once he landed softly on the top branch of the durian tree, his eyes took in what he saw in greater scale. By the time he had landed, his ANBU would have set up the barrier that was strong enough to hold most chuunin leveled abilities in the barrier. One would expect his eyes to be cast on the Aisu user before him, but instead they were towards the sword saint who suggested he'd use his student as leverage. The demon tree was rumored to have contained demonic energy as a lightning rod to the village. That rumor held a bit of truth as his illness of having the phalactery was rooted to a demon itself. In fact the demon influences could be felt as he took in more chakra from his surroundings.

The energies played off his emotions of rage and anger as though it was a new toy. The energies whispered empty promises of power should he let it engulf him. Of course the sage wasn't going to let this power control him, he would use it for his own purposes. The seal of the demon, that normally would only appear on his right eye when he commanded it to do so, appeared now on both eyes. The eyes of the demon were being cast at the sword saint Mitsuo.

When he opened his mouth to speak, chakra was laced in his voice to have it echoed for all to hear that were close to the mountain top. Storms picked up as thunder roared to show just a small reflection of the rage that built up in Sanosuke for this rude arrival; plus the comment Mitsuo made. This was all before the veteran. Ayakashi could wait, his shinobi came first. "Sword Saint....if you so much as harm a hair on the boy, I will personally send you to the heavens where you claim your title to be from." The archaic words lingered from his lips as each word resonated an even stronger buzzing sound per syllable. "Satoshi, down the mountain. Now." The threat hung true as his gloves sparked into the form of his gauntlets as more chakra pulsed into them. His silver energy, now began to showcase shades of black from the demonic energy he took in. He would allow the boy time to escape to the ANBU agents bellow the mountain. There was no place for him here among these shinobi.

The sword saint had only seen him in combat during the Seven Bells war. That was years ago when he was a jounin and still a young master to the ways of the sage. His abilities now reach proportions that put his past abilities to shame. Mitsuo must have felt that already upon his entrance. Now his eyes looked at Ayakashi's form as her energy was still combating his own. This was the woman who was the cause of this. Kaekio's disappearance, that he knew was responsible for. The Kiri shinobi were being held to get her attention and come answer for her crime. She was also the reason for sending that kamikaze shinobi that was bathed into flames to attack the prison. He still remembered how hard it was to contain her rampage. And yet she let that loose on the same shinobi forces she was to liberate? It seemed close to a kamikaze attempt to look for a chance of war.

The time for games were over, Ayakashi would answer for her acts here and now. The other people here were of little significance at the moment, at the moment the only people he was cognitively focused on were Ayakashi and Mitsuo. "Ayakashi...you come to my village. You and this sword saint. Threaten my people with your forces, have them cower from your presence. Sword Saint, you personally believed you would enter my home and raid it. Have both of you gone mad?" His voice was low but still carried to all parties. He had to take a minute to collect his thoughts as he tried to calm his instincts down to not lash out. The tree branch itself sturdy as more chakra blasted from his body. Anger glinted in his eyes as the eyes of a demon were praying upon Ayakashi to answer.

"WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT AISU?! SPEAK NOW!" A thunder clap from the skies signaled for another blast of wind to blast from him and onto those that were still on the summit. Little did Sanosuke know, that his former student was before them. This would be the first time she personally would see this side of anger: one that emulated that of a demon engulfed with a sea of rage.

OOC: Mitsuo and Tsuyo both skipped over Strafe. I'll not be doing the same. Waiting for Strafe to post before i make mine.

((OOC: Thanks Hachiko!))

It wasn't long before the rest of the company showed up, along with a surprise genin. Strafe looked to Mitsuo with an expression of determination. He tried to send encouraging thoughts to his head, as being here alone put the former Konoha ninja at a severe risk. "We're together, so I fear no enemy." He spoke to him in a calm manner, telling the truth while doing so. It wasn't often that this many high level shinobi were all together under one banner. The idea of fighting them all was suicide at best. He would turn his attention back to the Mizukage as she began giving out her instructions. Their task was to rescue any Kirigakure ninja that they came across and to evacuate them to safety. A simple nod would enough response for her to gather his understanding. However, she turned to what seemed to be a genin and asked for the location of the Raikage. The genin, despite the obvious gap in power, refused. Strafe instantly appreciated the bravery it took to show that loyalty. One he shared for his Kage, so he understood it completely. Akira then spoke up, and while he spoke calmly, he further pressured the boy to give up the Kage.

It was then however, that Mitsuo spoke. He talked of Gin, the former Kazekage as he understood, and how she was being held in a place that the boy could help penetrate. Strafe instantly thought of Kaia, Iro, and immediately understood his former lovers idea. He was behind it instantly, as he would never have to kill the boy. He just wanted to keep him out of the crossfire. He was about to speak up to back his play when it happened. The familiar buzzing, though at a much louder volume, filled the area. He looked up to see the man they had been waiting for, Sanosuke. Strafe's eyebrows furrowed, and he did not let his attention waver from the man. It was then that he heard words that fueled the Sannin's rage. He threatened Mitsuo's life over a boy he was literally trying to get out of the way of battle. The Sannin's chakra burst outwards like an icy blizzard in response. The already low temperatures that Solstice channeled dropped even further as his fury rose.

The Kage continued his speech, speeking to both of Strafe's loved ones as if they were his subjects. He could not stand by and let such a thing. Happen. As soon as the Raikage finished, Strafe's voice echoed forth. "TALK TO MITSUO OR AYAKASHI IN THAT MANNER AGAIN, AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE MEANING OF PAIN!" His body breathed heavily as his eyes seemed to pierce through the ninja. He was in no position to be making demands, though Strafe was probably wrong for speaking up. He couldn't help himself. A man he once bragged about and fought beside was dogging his closest in front of him, and he would die before he stood by idle. It was taking every ounce of strength he had not to rise and attack at that moment. Momaru's low baritone made noises that only showed his readiness to fight. Strafe moved slightly in front of Mitsuo, as a subtle suggestion. If he wanted to attack either Mitsuo or Solstice, he would have to go through a Sannin first. That was a feat that no ninja could accomplish easily and he would not survive if it was the last thing Strafe did. It was now time to show Mitsuo that regardless of the past, Strafe was always willing to fight and die alongside him.

Word Count: 1063

(Disclaimer: i don't mind posting order so long as people only post once per round.)

The child did seem to stare at her openly, his eyes filled with equal parts fear and defiance, he was a brave child to stand againt her so, she was a hostile element, and he was keeping her from her destination... should he die here, the people would hail him as a hero while his parents wept for his passing and his friends and family mourned him. Ayakashi was happy in this moment she wore a mask that hid her face in its entirety and her expressions, as under the direct gaze of those eyes, something would have cracked in her, something that would take a long time to repair, if it could ever. More then ever Ayakashi was feeling the weight of every action, like each and every move she made was one with the weight of hundreds of lives on her shoulders. With but a wave of her hand she could condemn the souls of thousands to death, liberate a nation, trigger a war or have peace fall on these silent hills like the pitter patter of a mid-summer rain. To err on the side of caution here was essential, yet she couldn't help but say aloud with a slight huff.

"Huh, youd've made a pretty solid Kiri ninja, though a word for the wise, when you think of this moment for the rest of your life, steel yourself to it, cage your anger and your fear and use this to become more than you are now. Any emotional state can be a disadvantage to a trained ninja. " With her piece said he would give the kid an affirmative tap on the head, enough to hurt a little, a long tradition for pain to be used to forever remember a lesson. Her attention then moved to the sword saint Mitsuo and shaking hers, signifying that the use of the child was not what she was here for... Ayakashi had a lot to thank this child for, Ayakashi was not so far gone from the path of good that she would strike down a child protecting his master, and that act had shattered her rage and pushed her to taking her own advice. The kid didn't know it, but he could just well have saved more lives than he could have possibly fathomed. The Mizukage was not here to start a war, that was for certain, but she was here for justice, and defiant words from a couragous heart or no, they could not stem the strike from a just hand.

'something stirred in the wind.'

Ayakashi would listen to the warning from Akira as Sanosuke speedily approached, though the chakra sensory effect of Tsuyo's Byakugan would not be able to sense anything but the pulsating bauble hanging from the Raikage, the perfect three hundred and sixty degree vision and the ability to see through objects would no doubt spot the fast moving object coming from its maximum range shy of the Raikage being far more stealthy than the Mizukage gave credit for. His chakra was overpowering and the raw raiton power reminded her of Dameon and Kaguza, both raiton users who had prompted her to burrow deeper into the natures of her Hyouton techniques, burrowing into fuuton due to its sheer proficiency against the element that was so proficient against her own ice. It was a godsend, an awakening to a weakness that had long stood in her way, but was no longer relevant. A weakness that had been long closed, so once, where she would have stared at the storm-clouds brewing and felt worry, now she barely batted an eye.

He was strong, but no stronger than they were.

Ayakashi awaited his words, to her surprise the fist words that left his lips were a threat to the former Hokage... though they seemed to be aimed in a tone of defense as well as aggression, it was within moments a squad of 3 ANBU would move in consolidating around the hill, forming a barrier that would surround them all and enclose them in, little more than a hundred meters across. The ANBU barrier technique... it was something Ayakashi had seen a hundred times before, should any of them wish to escape it, it was simple enough. The half dome expanding around the area alone was hard enough maintain, yet alone change the shape of. But while Ayakashi had been reduced into a state of seething calm by the boy that he rushed so quickly to defend. the Mizukage was quickly harrowed by the second verse that flayed from his tongue and scorched across her moral form like a cat of nine tails. The fact that he had addressed mitsuo as the sword saint, using his title and moniker followed by Ayakashi's name, then little more than her clan... Was something she would have punished alone.

The Mizukage would allow his words to hang in the air for a moment, as it would be strafe's voice who would cut through the silence, defending his cousin with every fiber of his being, passion welling within him like fire. So strong was his love that any poet would write that 'twould be sure to melt the ice of his own chakra. Aya knew he had always been this way, there was no means on earth nor iron made by man or god to contort Strafe's moral compass nor his sense of duty to his country and those he loved. But now was not the time to be making threats, the morn was young, and there was much for the group to go through. Raising a hand to rest it on the young Aisu's shoulder Ayakashi would mutter simply, "Quiet yourself Dear Cousin, now is not the time for hostility..." As much as she could Ayakashi attempted to hold back the venom dripping with her words, made only possible by her mask, her tone escaping as little more than objectively neutral, hiding what little amount of ire her infliction held within it.

"Lord Raikage, I will say this but once, disrespect me and my company again, and I promise you, this will end very differently than how I want it. I am a slave to the will of my people, those here included, and I shall support them in their endeavors even were it to place me against you. Now..." Ayakashi would look to the others that she had ordered to perform their tasks, their exit now sealed by the barrier somewhat. "You lot will escort the boy to the foot of the hill, and do as I asked of you before. I'm sure the Raikage will agree that the smaller the audience here the better for everyone involved. Am i right?" Ayakashi while not able to look directly at Sanosuke, would turn her mask to face him, using it as one would in a theater to insinuate that she was no longer addressing them, but him for his approval on the matter. Awaiting for little more than a nod, Ayakashi would then move to act again.

Taking a step forward, tossing the bundle that he held in his hand to the ground at the Raikage's feet, no doubt he would recognize the vestments of his former pupil, a saturation of blood from the neck of the clothing running down as a small cloud of crystalline dust would erupt from both the sudden toss and the sudden stop of the clothing. The weight that compounded on her now was staggering, like she had been placed at the crust of the mountain ranges of Iwagakure, and been tasked with raising them from the very sea that formed them... yet action was needed, and action was what would be had.

"Lord Raikage, you're one to speak of madness, you pushed us to this very eventuality with your actions followed by your lack thereof. But allow me to confirm the sequence of events that came to pass under my understanding. Equal ground cannot be made under a misunderstanding of its foundation. So... " Ayakashi would point to the cloth of the ninja set before him "Two months ago, a missing ninja of your village came to my country under the pretense of seeking sanctuary, you must have assumed a kidnapping, or something similar. In truth what happened was far more simple, a missing ninja came to the land of the bloody mist seeking aid in a risky and desperate attempt, i spoke with them, and in thought of you and your states security, allowed that ninja to defend themselves, and ended her life for treason. A deed my hunter ninja perform in your country every day. Ayakashi would add, pausing a moment before continuing. Raising her hand politely for Sanosuke to allow her to continue should he move to speak.

"But you, rather than consult with me, or question, or send word by messenger, take such a drastic action as to systematically target, hunt down and imprison the people of my nationality in your country in something one could describe as a witch hunt... And for two months, leave me and my people in silence as they'd lost contact with their loved ones while I'm sure even your people don't know of the act. Yet, you deign it appropriate to ask what right I have, and ask me if i am mad? You gave me this right Lord Raikage, as your actions are those of a paranoid madman too afraid to loose his power. Our only recourse was to assume that such a sudden drastic action meant open hostility between us. Your foolish, rash and ignorant actions risked plunging our nations into a state of war, putting thousands of lives in harms way. So, I consoled with my allies and came here to seek the truth, and seek justice for your crimes against our nation, taking appropriate steps to ensure our safety, and the safety of my people here, who, might I add, we've yet to know if they even live..." Ayakashi motioned towards the nearby sea, where more than a thousand of her people awaited a signal should more action need to be taken.

"A nation of mercenaries and famed hunters of missing ninja, kill a missing ninja... With all due respect Lord Raikage, you were lucky we didn't send you the bill... If you wish for proof of my words, your medics will identify blood and spinal fluid from those tatters. I'm sorry for your loss. Her remains were scattered as usual with any other missing ninja, should you wish to give her a burial and ease her soul. That's your prerogative." Ayakashi didn't mean the phrase to offend, it was simply a matter of fact. A part of her thought it was strange that a member of the cloud nation thought it a good idea to come to kirigakure of all places was either a sign of dire desperation, or sheer stupidity. Either of which were worrying as the ninja she had watched Sero fight, was clearly a talented ninja. Otherwise they would not have spent such effort they had in the events that followed...

It'd be now that she would await the Raikage's actions, Ayakashi watching the man like a hawk with everything she had at her disposal. He hadn't struck at them yet, which was a good sign, but there was a lot riding on his actions now. Would Ayakashi's words fall of deaf ears? Would they do little more than enrage a man already spiraling out of control? Would they quantify her actions and quell the hornet like a cloud of smoke? There was no way to tell. So the Mizukage's mind raced with the hundreds of possibilities, attempting to ready herself for as many of them as possible, her chakra at the ready for an immediate strike. Bai-hu, waiting for but an excuse.

Chakra Breakdown:

(( I am going to hold my post till my escorts post! Mitsu and co.))

OOC:

Naruto Saga wrote:

Basic Rules

1. Please follow all of these rules accordingly. Any violations from the rules may be sanctioned by the Administrators or the moderators of this site.

Naruto Saga wrote:

Other Rules

4. Follow the Posting Order of a topic. Unless someone has become inactive, you cannot post in the wrong order. For example: Person 1 posts, Person 2 posts, Person 3 posts. It should continue this way for the rest of the topic.

That's against basic site rules. Follow the damn rules please.

For those of you who don't know the Current posting order, it's currently
Ayakasi -> Kashizudoto -> Satoshi Kazuhiko -> Strafe Aisu -> Tsuyo -> Mitsuo -> Sanosuke -> Hachiko

Then it resets back to Ayakashi. It's a rather simple concept and one that is the rules, and must be followed. If this nonsense keeps happening, i will be seeking moderation from staff as this IS against the rules.
http://www.narutosaga.com/t18-general-rules#85
Link to the rules if you don't believe my quotes.

---

Shortly after Hachiko landed next to the mizukage, her attention was called. Her gaze shifting over towards the mizukage. "Hachiko, move to the prison and work to release anyone from kirigakure who might be there, if things go south, we need to be ahead of any order that comes from Sanosuke and intercept any potential kill order should he be taking them hostage. Take extreme care, as we don't know what safeguards may be already in place..." Without a moment's hesitation Hachiko would move. Heading towards the direction she knew the prison to be be. Heading off the Mountain. She was honestly kind of glad that Ayakashi was sending Hachiko away before sano showed up. The girl wasn't quite sure if she would be able to contain her emotions around the man, and so focusing on the primary objective for the reason Kirigakure was here felt good to her. However the idealism was quickly cut short, as ANBU appeared behind her shortly after having gotten to the mountain top. Putting up a barrier locking the other people inside. Hachiko let out a small sigh. She wasn't going to let Sanosuke have any sort of advantage in this. So the girl actived her cloak of concealment and drew her sword. Now being hidden from site to the point most ANBU couldn't see her, unless they had special sensory. Hachiko drew a long breath, before dashing back up the mountain. Jumping before she would come a crossed the first ANBU working to maintain the Barrier Technique. A technique she knew required perfect concentration to maintain. She landed next to him without him noticing due to the stealth of her technique. She would then drive the hilt of her weapon a crossed his head, possibly leading to a fair amount of damage, but it wasn't enough to kill him. Hachiko, keeping her stealth technique maintained, went one by one, taking out the evenly spaced ANBU members, moving as fast as she possibly could. She did this until not longer after the barrier had risen, it fell back down, due to all of the ANBU members being incapacitated. She hadn't killed a single one.

Re-sheathing her sword after a job well done. She then continued on her journey to head towards the prison in which all of the Kirigakure Shinobi were being held. Having actived her Current Perception to extend it's range, as well as keeping her stealth technique maintained so as to prevent herself from being sensed by anyone she might meet along the way. She was ready for whatever she may encounter. And she was glad she was getting away from the mountain top. Shortly after the barrier formed, she could feel Sano's chakra presence, and Hear Sanosuke's booming voice. He had chosen to to the top of the mountain in full on hostility. Not a decision she would have recommended. She just hopped this didn't turn into all out warfare and that lives would be sparred. But a part of that was making sure that Kirigakure Ninja got out safe, and so on her way to prison she would head, leaving behind the chaotic scene behind her.

---

WC: 538
Total WC: 1447
Chakra: 290/320
-25 for activation of Cloak of Concealment
-5 for Current Perception Combat Range

Techniques Used:

(OOC: There's no way that Hachiko knows about the barrier strategy with the ANBU agents as the order was given telepathically between Sanosuke and Navi as stated in my post. Hachiko has no knowledge of Kumo ANBU  regulations in terms of their jutsu or formations as when she was Kaekio her application of enlisting in Kumo's ANBU was denied due to unsatisfactory performance; thus her leaving the village. She shouldn't know of the positions of the ANBU agents nor how close they each our and their distance of proximity of each agent as that would entail that Hachiko is familiar with Kumo ANBU regulations. Her also knowing of the details of the barrier technique of Kumo doesn't make sense, as you say that you were able to one shot all of them without any of them knowing and thus picking them all off one by one.

Navi is also linked with the ANBU agents as well thus could have ordered more to arrive and thus continue the barrier and look for the source of the leak before Hachiko herself could leave while under the pretense that she completed her sub-mission of disposing of the barrier.

Hachiko will have no knowledge of what the ANBU agents are doing upon their arrival until the barrier was actually put up. She may be able to escape from the barrier before it is raised due to her cloak, but breaking the barrier down before it was up without any suspicions being raised is out of the question. Her knowing about the barrier being formed before it actually went up and disposing of them all without resistance from the ANBU or retaliation is illogical and something I would personally deem as metagaming.

I would suggest you edit the post before we continue, or have a staff member rule in on the decision)

OOC i'd prefer to move this discussion somewhere else as to prevent clogging up the thread.

As for the matters in which you stated, Hachiko is currently using an S-rank Sensory technique which senses electrical signals and not chakra, thus she should be able to easily detect any and all ANBU within the area. I stated she only went back to take on the ANBU after the barrier was up, not that she was taking them on before the barrier went up. Though she could have easily sensed them moving into position. As for the one shotting, i attributed that to the fact that they are NPCs and not actual PCs meaning they are going to be significantly weaker than any PC, on top of the fact that Hachiko is also using a relatively high skill stealth technique.

As for the barrier it's self, i merely assumed they were using the standard ANBU barrier technique, a technique which all ANBU know and by proxy could easily recognize. If you wish to have Navi alert ANBU to the situation and have more come in, that is your own prerogative, and something you can easily state is occurring. The proximty of the anbu agents was a best guess on my part given how you didn't clarify the the ANBU's positioning nor the fact that they were hidden (not that it matters)

if you still feel unsatisfactory with this response, feel free to have a discussion with me, or take it to a staff member. I'm not really opposed to either. but i can assure you, this wasn't out of malice, nor do i believe this is meta-gaming.

(Probably going to get a mod to look to see if this is valid as i do not agree with the barrier being taken down so easily)

OOC:

The young tokubetsu jonin would observe the total shitshow from afar, atop one of the branches of the large tree. He had already observed the Mizukage seeming to threaten the boy who had accused him of being a spy, probably a genin based on his skill level, and ordering her group of extremely strong people, probably equal to or maybe even more strong than Kenta, he'd wager. This would be certainly interesting, and dangerous, to watch; after all, he figured that this team's goal was to kill, or perhaps "violently negotiate" with, the Raikage Sanosuke. Really, the tokubetsu jonin felt no malice towards the Raikage or Kumogakure as some of the others in his village had expressed, only concern for his well-being. Momentarily, he would pray for the safety of all parties involved and hopefully a speedy, bipartisan resolution to the conflict at hand.

The boy from Kumo would seem to take an aggressive, defiant stance towards the Mizukage who had confronted him; Kashizudoto would observe the man that he recognized as Mitsuo Sarutobi from their meeting much earlier showing some sort of sympathy towards the boy that Kashizudoto only knew as "Toshi". Meanwhile, one of the powerful people standing next to the Mizukage noticed the tokubetsu jonin atop the tree and squinted, activating what clearly seemed to be a dojutsu; as a shinobi from the Leaf, Kashizudoto would recognize this as the Byakugan even from the distance, as he had at least a basic familiarity with its appearance. How did that man get a hold of a Byakugan? Was he perhaps a Hyuga? The man would scan the tokubetsu jonin from afar momentarily before looking throughout the rest of the area. It would appear that he found no immediate significant threat in Kashizudoto, although he of course could probably cause considerable damage even from that distance before getting killed, not that he'd ever want to pull off some destructive escapade like that: he intended to come here for peace and peace alone, although he had recognized that his engagement against his accusers was not necessary, in hindsight. It would've been much better to just escape without using unnecessary violence; however, he had gotten at least a little trigger-happy, he supposed.

He would not have much time to ponder the set of events: the Raikage was coming. Though he would not be able to see the speck of light in the sky that was none other than Sanosuke, he would hear a loud, incessant thundering in the sky, looking up only to see great bolts of lightning striking that same speck in the sky as if the Raikage were a lightning rod, of course he still wouldn't understand what this thing truly was: he would prep his hands into a snake seal so that he could activate his Chakra Barrier Jutsu whenever necessary in order to block any S-rank or below jutsu to come his way. Of course, as a third-party figure, he would doubt that he'd be the one getting attacked, but it was better to be safe than sorry in situations like this. Almost instantly, faster than even the tokubetsu jonin's ace eye could catch, the Raikage would land upon the top branch of the same tree that Kashizudoto, with Hawky perched on his shoulders, was on top of. Meanwhile, a giant barrier would show up all around the area, which Kashizudoto wouldn't pay all that much attention to; he could summon his own barrier to protect himself while sealed inside this arena of sorts, although it was nothing compared to the skills of the people who were only dozens of meters away from him. He knew that if he would cause any trouble, quite a few of the people here would summarily dispatch him, though he intended nothing of the sort, fortunately.

"Sword Saint....if you so much as harm a hair on the boy, I will personally send you to the heavens where you claim your title to be from, Sanosuke would project across the area with vigor and passion in his voice, addressing the Sarutobi who Kashizudoto had met earlier, before ordering to the boy, who apparently meant something significant to himl, "Satoshi, down the mountain. Now." Damn, how come this genin had such significance to him, even more so than his battle with the Mizukage? Though Kashizudoto understood that every Kage had the responsibility to protect their civilians like this, this would be the first time that he would truly see that obligation being fulfilled in real life. As he had intended for, watching this battle would certainly prove itself as a learning experience for the young tokubetsu jonin.

"Ayakashi...you come to my village. You and this sword saint. Threaten my people with your forces, have them cower from your presence. Sword Saint, you personally believed you would enter my home and raid it. Have both of you gone mad?" the man would yell with the same thunderous boom in his voice before releasing a howl formed of pure rage, "WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT AISU?! SPEAK NOW!" Kashizudoto would find this as much a learning experience as the last one, as he would get to see more of the range of human emotions: the extreme end of anger, which would, at least from his voice, probably be pulsing through this man's body right now, and for good reason. His village, which he had most likely been cultivating for years, was being attacked, for Kannon's sake! Of course this guy was flippin' out like crazy, and he had every right to do so!

"TALK TO MITSUO OR AYAKASHI IN THAT MANNER AGAIN, AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE MEANING OF PAIN!" one of the clearly stronger men who the tokubetsu jonin had not taken notice of yet would scream. To be honest, he seemed rather insolent in the tokubetsu jonin's view; however, he would be aware that he had no right to judge, as he knew nothing of who the man was or his situation, nor did he know all that much of the war in general except whatever he was able to gloss from the Tsuchikage back in that meeting a while ago. To this statement from the man, the Mizukage would appear to raise her hand to quiet him, though he wouldn't make out much from fifty meters away.

"Lord Raikage, I will say this but once, disrespect me and my company again, and I promise you, this will end very differently than how I want it. I am a slave to the will of my people, those here included, and I shall support them in their endeavors even were it to place me against you. Now..." the Mizukage would explain in a more or less professional manner. A slave to the will of her people, huh? He didn't hear that kind of thing very often, and he wouldn't rush to believing her so soon. Actions spoke louder than words, and he would need to see some real proof of it before he could make an objective judgement of the Mizukage. Only time would tell what kind of heated exchange would ensue as a result... Meanwhile, the tokubetsu jonin would do a backflip off the tree away from the others, trying to back away at least ten more meters from all the action going on, as he wouldn't want to get caught in the crossfire of actual battle itself, considering that Sano, the primary target of the Kiri ninja, had perched himself atop the same tree which was supporting Kashizudoto and his hawk with one of its lower branches. If any stray jutsu came his way, he'd be able to defend himself (hopefully) as long as there weren't any direct attacks on him.

WC: 2006

At his words, Solstice moved forward and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. She would speak normally, with the smallest hint of venom in her words as she asked him to be calm. She was right, as this was a dangerous situation and countries could hang in the balance. He took a deep breathe, bowing slightly to his cousin in apology. He knew that she understood him, and that was enough for him. She proved Strafe right as she spoke to the Raikage, warning him of the actions that would follow another comment like the one before. She then requested that they take the boy to the foot of the mountain. Strafe would do little more than nod before looking to Momaru and Mitsuo. "If you don't mind Satoshi, would you ride on Momaru? It will be faster that way. Believe me, you are in no danger as long as you are with me." He spoke honestly with a glance to Mitsuo. This was something they would agree on, so he felt comfortable with saying it.

Momaru walked beside the ninja and crouched down for him to get on. Once he had done so, The lion would await Strafe's orders. "Let's go." He would speak calmly now as it only took her voice to quell his anger. He would wait for Mitsuo's confirmation before taking off and heading down the mountain. He expected resistance, but as they went further down, He noticed Anbu lying unconscious on  the ground. Strafe would silently thank the Kirigakure ninja responsible and move further down. "Mitsuo, I follow your lead as you know more about the situation." He loved that his former lover was here to help guide him in a foreign land. He felt even stronger when beside the man he considered family. Regardless of what happened or will happen, he would always be family.

Word Count: 1379

[Exit Thread]
Endurance: C -> C-1: 575/575
Enduracne: C-1 -> C-2: 600/600
204 words left

Tsuyo would only glance up as the sky began to darken and storm clouds rolled in. He had noticed the shining orb of chakra approaching at high speeds. It was far too much to be any single jutsu. His head would tilt to look directly at it. An approaching storm all its own. Whatever it was it likely had something to do with the Raikage. No one else should have that kind of raiton energy present. He would hold up a hand before signaling upwards just before the chakra began to spread. His silver eyes looking at it as it shifted and moved along the chakra pathways of the mans body. Molding into an active chakra system. So, The Raikage was capable of localizing all his chakra into one point eh? Perhaps it was a safer means of travel. Either way he could see the man above them now. Pulsing with energy and trying to draw in every bit that he could all at once. He certainly was putting on a show. Intimidation tactics seemed a little passed the point of no return now but hey, he was just here to watch and see if he could maybe have some of his own input for the moment. Either way it appeared as if his Byakugan wouldn't be needed anymore. Not as teams of ANBU began to surround them letting only one of their number out in time.

He would see the energy in the air popping as each individual began to yell back and forth. The group being scorned first by the Raikage before a response from Strafe. His eyes looked to the barrier around them before back to Ayakashi replying to them all. She was reminding Strafe and Mitsuo they had other places to be. Thus would begin the conversation between enemy Kage. He himself of course had been allowed to stay. He wondered in part if it was for his medical abilities so she didn't have to worry about being wounded or, perhaps she didn't want to give orders to anyone who hadn't sworn undying loyalty at this point in time. Either way he would notice the wall flicker and fade rapidly. His own hand shifting into his coat pocket to pull out a smoke. The one who got out must be dealing with the ANBU from the other side of the barrier. Or an ally of some sort. His eyes would shift to the building static in the air as he noted the pattern of sparks building. He would idly take a step to the left and lift the smoke to his lips before tilting his head. Letting the next pop of sparks happen right on the tip of his smoke. Lighting it for him as he inhaled the sweet herb and exhaled.

Strafe had been reminded that he was to complete his assignment. So the young man was packing up with the intention of escorting the young boy down the mountain and bringing Mitsuo with him. Idly Tsuyo would glance to where the other had been in the tree to find he had moved. He couldn't see him anymore that well but he was well out of range for most techniques. Good thinking on his part for staying alive and that certainly kept the idea of him as a threat at bay. He could only hope Mitsuo and the boy with them would consider the same distance. If not also completing their mission. For now though Tsuyo didn't bother counting the downed ANBU. There would likely be more, there always were. Not many though he suspected since he doubted Kumo could afford to just ignore two standing forces of Jounin on their lawn. He would tilt his head as he watched the lord of the land shouting from on top of a tree like he thought himself some sort of god. Should the others leave just Ayakashi and him there he would step up and take another drag off his smoke before speaking normally, so as not to be heard from so high up. Uninterested in flexing his own power nor feeling bothered by the energy in the air. A simple man in a suit with no headband or visible weapons. He looked out of place here but still his silver eyes focused on the Raikage without fear. Powerful as he may be Tsuyo felt no fear from any man...or woman.

"Do you think he will come down to examine the gear and talk or just go off and fight you? I hope the former. We don't want him frying his own men. Honestly, Did he expect they would serve a purpose against us?"

2575

The jounin had gotten up quite early this morning but he had been chilling till the time was right and now he was almost prepared. Since his return to the village, today was the one he had picked to re-visit the raikage after going to his office once and not meeting him on seat. He had to report the status of his mission and it's details. He had done as the he was ordered and now he was back, ready to be accepted. He put on his black knee length coat over his camelio suit as he tied the laces of his black high soled shoes and tucked his pants into them. His scrolls were about his waist and his ninja pouch lay right by his tigh though hidden by his coat. He then lay the demon's fang slantly on his back as he slid his kumogakure no sato head band over his left eye to cover his sharingan, a newly found power and yet one lengendary in it's own might.
He exited his home as he headed for the administration building. He had not left his home today until now and things were not looking good. The village appeared to be scanty, people had shut their doors and this was far from the usual. He took to the roof tops trying to see if there was anything suspicious going on. The unusual darkening of the clouds and the presence of lightening about one single point was ominous enough. It was as if the heavens were coverging atop the same mountain where the administration building stood. Not wasting a single second, he would head over to the location, following the trail of lightening closely.
He would arrive at the location of the durian tree and the happenings on the mountain would bewilder him though this wouldn't show on his face. The durian tree was about fifty meters away from him but still farther away from a small group of people up ahead. He would look up to see the raikage high atop the durian tree and he of course was the one drawing the raiton chakra from the atmosphere. Syn would squint his right eye to make out the figures ahead but another lightening roar would disrupt his attention and the crackling of thunder in the skies would not seem to cease. The atmosphere was surely interpreting this Raikage's actions and by this he could tell that these people were obviously not friendlyg... Still, he would stay at alert while gripping the base of the demon's fang. He was on the raikage's side on this one as he would watch the event unfold before him for He was new in this uninvited meeting.

WC:461

Satoshi's attention turned back to Tsuyo... No, Akira. He nodded slowly to the man's words. Whatever it was about him that made him feel safe was greatly appreciated. It didn't loosen the tension in his bones. His muscles felt like they were made of cement as he challenged a -far- greater force than he with insolence.

He nodded slowly to Akira, something that he found easier after he'd let his mouth run wild. The consequences of his actions could surely be dire... But the alternative route, the route of safety, was one of betrayal. For better or worse, was a route that Satoshi's heart could not traverse. He was bared from acts of outright cowardice that could endanger his friends and allies.

He'd only just met the Raikage. He had some concerns about him and perhaps some were warranted. But he had taken him under his wing. But he was something else as well. He was symbol of his village... The representation of an ideal. Satoshi wouldn't be able to call himself a man if he had turned that over. He would rather have died a man than lived as the sort of human refuse he'd become if he betrayed even a single person that had fostered him!

Even with these thoughts emboldening him Akira's words rang true. Somehow, their logic had been sound enough to penetrate the impressively thick skull of the Kumo Genin. He stood in an arena not meant for him. He was a lamb in a lion's den. Certainly he could forestall this troupe of monsters from harming the Raikage. He was certain he could give them approximately .23 seconds of pause before he was decommissioned as anything more than mulch.

"You're probably right Mr. Akira. He is really strong."

Next another would step forward. One of the swordsmen. He too addressed Satoshi, though not directly to him. Rather, he spoke to ice monster before him. He suggested that he could be of use... Used as a tool to inflitrate the Raikage's estate and secure a... Gin? The name sounded familiar. Was that the self same Gin whom Lin spoke about in fondness? The one who trained her?

Finally, the center piece for this whole conflict stepped towards him. He stood fast, not backing up. In this, perhaps, he looked like a true warrior. The reality of the situation was that he couldn't get his body to move. The very presence of her seemed to chill his aura to a stand still. He couldn't feel anything but her presence. As she spoke, he was captivated by her words. Not simply because of their philosophical value or weight as advice. But because he had no choice. He was physically and metaphysically locked in her frostbitten grasp by the sheer psychological strain of the situation.

He could guarantee that he would remember this situation. This feeling of weakness. This inability to contribute beyond being a mere distraction... It had been the second time in as many days that he was a mere hurdle for opposition who aimed harm, at least potentially, against those he wished to protect. Even as she brought her hand to bear down upon him he was unable to move.

She struck, a simple gesture with a single finger. What would be a casual movement for a normal person felt like a blow from her. He could feel the strength behind her and it drove him back a step with a wince. Had it been a closed fist he was confident that his head would have been dislodged from his shoulders. This had been a gesture of no ill-intent. He couldn't imagine what an attack might feel like.

"Yes ma'am." He responded, his stability finally returning to him. And as he spoke he felt another disturbance. The rapid approach of who, in a few moments, he'd be able to identify as the Raikage. Sanosuke.

He felt far different from any other time he'd been around him. He was a force meant for war now. A veritable being of combat as opposed to the semi-stoic Nekokage he'd been before. His presence manifested in a display of preturnatural power. Audible pops accompanied the steady growl of rolling thunder as clouds gathered about the mountain village.

He spoke then, a command in the form of a veiled threat to the swordsman who intended to use him as an infiltration tactic. He didn't tell him not to take Satoshi... Rather, just not to harm him. Then, a less opaque command was given to the boy from his would-be sensei... A command he was eager to acquiesce.

Akira's words felt more true than ever now... There was no way Satoshi would do anything but slow the Raikage down. If he were to be embroiled in this conflict he would be as a mouse to harvest machinery. A barely felt abnormality. His estimation for survival, that of less than a quarter of a second, had been a -gross- overestimation.

He bowed low to Sanosuke, expressing his subservience. "Yes Nekokage-sama. I did my best sir."

From the depths of that bow, his eyes found a lion beside him, kneeling to take him upon his back. And he couldn't help but smile... Terrifying as the predator was it was pretty darn cool. Besides, Lions were one of his favorite animals. He took in a deep breath as he swiftly mounted the beast. Then released it in a long, low sigh as they eventually vacated the area.

It looked like today -wasn't- his day to die. It was this sort of ridiculous luck that served to encourage Satoshi's impertinent personality and impulsive calls to action. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.

[WC: 2654]
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