The sun scorched, even hotter than was usual for the desert village. Light blazed with an intensity that caused shadows to creep close to their source, hugging what little cover they had to survive. Similar to this, those not used to the desert sun were withdrawn and hiding within the shelter of their buildings. Meanwhile, commerce continued for the locals, who were only slightly more warm than usual.

And at the gates of this sunny village, currently stood the Kazekage, Midori Ningyou. Clad in desert camouflage and beige attire, the Kage had many wrappings around her neck and arms to protect them from the sun, black hair done up neatly to trail down behind her in a nearly sickle shape. At her waist were two scrolls and a pouch for her equipment. Within the pouch was a simple kunai, and several rations such as food pills and water flasks, whereas sealed within the scrolls were puppets – two of them, to be precise, with one in each. Including her masterpiece. There, at the gates, she waited. As prior to arriving, a message had been sent.

Uchiha, Kuno

I trust your investigation is going well, however I am going to need you to halt with it for now. I wish to test how you are within the field itself, and to witness it for my own eyes. For this purpose, you are to meet me at the gates to the north of the village at 0900 hours. From there, we are going to be patrolling, so please prepare yourself for exploration. This expedition will likely take a few days, as we are going to roam through the recently unexplored areas, where the ANBU are too busy to patrol themselves. I do not know what, if anything, we will find, however please be prepared that this will not be a brief mission. I cannot express enough that you must prepare yourself. I have taken food pills and flasks of water, however if you can bring your own that would be preferable – that way there is less risk of needing to caution and ration the water.

Enclosed, you can find a map of the country. I’ve made sure to mark the route I intend for us to go. We will head directly north for about a day, depending upon our pace entirely, before we double backwards upon ourselves, and return to the village at a slower, more cautious pace. However, know that if we find anything that I deem important to investigate, we will be halting to investigate. Until then,

Ningyou, Midori.

Within the envelope were indeed a map, as well as directions to the gate of which Midori referred. Charted on the map were red lines, dotted for convenience of still viewing the map itself. The map itself was rather freshly drawn, on a fine papyrus paper. It also held details on areas that seem to be marked as “avoid”, however the reason for this would not be apparent on the paper itself.

So, at the gate, Midori waited. Her student would arrive shortly, and from there, she could see how he would act on a patrol mission.

525

The message arrived at Kuno’s home just three hours before he was expected to meet the Kazekage at the gates of the village. There was a solid knock at his door, and though some may have been asleep at that hour, Kuno had been awake for some time. Ever since the death of his mother and kidnapping of his sister, he had found himself rising early in the morning and retiring late at night. It most certainly was not the healthiest of sleeping habits, but it was the one that the Uchiha had fallen into nonetheless. Rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, Kuno stepped over to the door and opened it. He was greeted by a younger shinobi, probably a genin on one of their first missions, who handed him a small scroll before bowing and exiting the premises. Without a word of context given to him, Kuno opened up the scroll and read over the note sent by Midori Ningyou.

Though Kuno was surprised by the Kazekage pulling him off of his personal investigation, he actually welcomed the change of pace. Ever since the assault on the warehouse with Syekren Uchiha, the case of Autumn in Sunagakure no Sato had begun to run cold. Kuno was unsure as to whether it was because of how monumental their infiltration and elimination had been, or if there was something far more sinister being planned for the village as a whole. Unsatisfied with the current situation, the young Uchiha had opted to refrain from giving his report until he had more substantial evidence for Lady Midori.

But those preparations were now temporarily on hold, and Kuno viewed this as a perfect opportunity to rest his eyes from the case and change focus for a time. Furthermore, it would be the perfect chance for him to learn more about the Kazekage and her approach to missions of the village. Judging by the message, she must have expected some sort of trouble since she wanted to test his actions in the field, so rather than loading up on just survival equipment, Kuno prepared himself for battle as well. He threw on his Ninshiki cloak and belt, deciding that the compass in the clasp of the belt would be useful in the coming days, and even opted to attach his rebreather to his belt in case of any bad sandstorms that may arise while they were travelling. On top of that, he filled a pouch with a variety of water flasks and food pills, while also filling his ninja tool pouch on his pants with his shuriken and a kunai. Last, but certainly not least, Kuno strapped his crimson blade, Adolescent Ember, to his hip before heading out the door into the blistering head of the Land of Wind sun.

Luckily for Kuno, the single sleeved Ninshiki robe that had been given to him by Issei upon his joining of the group was light enough to allow the breeze to blow through it, while also protecting him from the sun. Judging by the sun that day, the Uchiha figured that he would need that protection for sure in the coming days. He could not help but examine the map that had been enclosed with the scroll as he travelled toward the specified gate, curious about the areas that were marked to be avoided on their journey, trying to recognize them as any landmarks that he knew of specifically, though none came to mind, He made a mental note to keep an eye out for them on their journey, and maybe even to ask abut them.

By the time Kuno arrived at the gate, he was only five minutes early, which he personally considered to be late, but he made sure not to mention that to the Kazekage. As he approached to woman he bowed respectfully before greeting her. “Good morning Midori. I must admit, I was surprised by your message, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity to get outside of the walls for a while.” Raising a hand and gesturing to the gate, he smiled. “I’m ready when you are. Lead the way Lady Kazekage.”

WC:695/2500

Somewhat earlier than she had expected, but early enough that she appreciated it, Midori nodded to Kuno as he arrived, returning his bow. He seemed ready enough at a glance, and so she did not hesitate as she gave her order, stepping away from the gate. “In that case, let us not waste time. I have intention on setting up camp at an abandoned outpost, so let’s try to reach there before nightfall. If you have concerns, please say them along the way. Otherwise, we’ll be making a steady, non-stop pace, keeping an eye out around us so as to not risk missing anything that could be of note. If you have the map with you, then keep it on hand so you can make a note of things. Might as well test your mapping skills while we’re out here. If not, don’t worry though.”

Like that, she started walking away from the village, not even looking behind her and simply assuming that her student was following. Feet light on the sand, she began directly away from the gates, in a roughly north direction. Her expression was serious, and completely different to the generally friendly disposition that she usually upheld herself with. Still, her posture seemed fluid, almost as casual as that of when within her office, or roaming the village. Time passed slowly, and she remained silent through the morning, just looking around across the horizon as the path progressed, or rather, lack of path. Aside from the odd dune, as would be expected of the deserts, there was a vast stretch, an expanse of next to nothing of interest, save the few sparse animals, and cacti that were scattered about. Unless Kuno had something to say, Midori was simply quiet, instructing for them to stop for a moment when the sun was in the middle of the sky, where she took a drink, and a food pill, waiting to allow their trek to get their breath back.

The brief “lunch” passed, and until nightfall, the trek continued, Midori answering any questions or conversations given by Kuno. As the sun set along the horizon and the darkness began to envelop the air, the ruins that Midori had mentioned prior came into view. The abandonment of the outpost was quickly apparent as the wooden frame of the hut seemed dishevelled, with sand filling within the ridges. The door was barely hanging on to its hinges, and the windows have long been broken. The roof was collapsed in several areas, and in general the one room outpost was simply a mess. The wood was oaken, although with how long it seemed to have been left here, it could easily have been any other wood.

Midori paced back and forth in front of the wall, muttering to herself, before ignoring the door and jumping in through the window, gesturing for Kuno to follow her. “This outpost had been abandoned a few years ago after one of the scouting squads that was left here disappeared. It has been assumed that it was due to the weather, although I decided I’d take this chance given by the assignment I’ve set for us to also see if that’s exactly true or not. If we can reclaim this outpost, it means there is more places that we can observe within the borders of the country. Also, perhaps in the future, we can expand where people work, so that the slums becomes… Well, less slum like.”

Stretching her arms, the Kazekage leaned against a wall, moving her hands expressively as she continued speaking. “Anyways, I apologise for my quietness earlier. I tend to prefer separating comfort and work, and out in the field, I find more comfort in being on edge, on alert, and at the ready. If there’s anything you want to talk about while we’re out here, please, just feel free to start the conversation. Also make sure to rest up. We will start no fires, and so you will likely be cold throughout the night. Because of this, I would ask that you preserve your energy. I will be taking night watch, although I will be waking you to do roughly 2 hours of night watch. If anything happens at all during that time, you are to wake me immediately. Otherwise, it shall be a short rest, and then we continue at the break of dawn. Any questions?” As she finished speaking, her eyes gazed to the side of the wall next to the door. Scratch marks indented into the wall, and breaks into the doors hinges. She doubted that a storm was why a squad disappeared. Likely bandits.

775 + 525 = 1300

The Kazekage was quick to respond with her own bow before launching into orders for the journey. “In that case, let us not waste time. I have intention on setting up camp at an abandoned outpost, so let’s try to reach there before nightfall. If you have concerns, please say them along the way. Otherwise, we’ll be making a steady, non-stop pace, keeping an eye out around us so as to not risk missing anything that could be of note. If you have the map with you, then keep it on hand so you can make a note of things. Might as well test your mapping skills while we’re out here. If not, don’t worry though.” Kuno nodded as he pulled out a map that he had brought with him. As the par departed from the gates, Kuno felt like he had to at least say something to assure her that he was following, given that she did not even cast a glance over her shoulder to confirm it. “Sounds like a plan. I’ve actually taken a number of charting missions for the village prior to this, so mapping out our route shouldn’t be a problem at all.”

With that as the last word spoken between them for some time, the true trek through the wilderness of the Land of Wind was underway. They were headed north, just as the route that Midori originally sent Kuno described. It did not take long for Kuno to realize that the Kazekage had entered a more serious state than he was used to seeing her in. He had seen her normally friendly disposition during most of his interaction with her, and she usually always had a kind or reassuring word to say to him. But today, Kuno was seeing the expression of a true Kazekage that was not to be taken lightly. He had seen this side of Midori only a few times previously. She had always changed to this demeanor when she was dealing with official village business, such as promotions or assigning missions. Considering that now the duo was on their own mission, it made sense for her to maintain a serious mindset for the duration, so Kuno did not question it.

Kuno spent the vast majority of the trip with the map in his hands, searching for landmarks to make note of along the way. Unfortunately for him, the wilderness of the Land of Wind was very…boring for the most part. Sand stretched in every direction for miles on end, leaving only the odd dune or overgrown cactus as marks to be placed on his map. Nevertheless, the young Uchiha made sure to note anything that stuck out, along with approximate distances from each other, using his compass in his belt to keep the pair on course once or twice. Occasionally Kuno would interject some small talk into the silence of the trip, receiving answers back from the Kazekage but not getting into anything too important and mainly asking simple questions about plans that she had for the Lily squad in the near future. Finally, as nightfall descended over desert the Kazekage and the chuunin arrived at the abandoned outpost that she had previously mentioned.

There was nothing special about it, save for the fact that it was empty. As they entered though a window, Kuno could already feel the chill in the air gripping the back of his neck. Shivering quietly, Kuno pulled his cloak around his body as he listened to Midori explain about the history of the outpost. “This outpost had been abandoned a few years ago after one of the scouting squads that was left here disappeared. It has been assumed that it was due to the weather, although I decided I’d take this chance given by the assignment I’ve set for us to also see if that’s exactly true or not. If we can reclaim this outpost, it means there is more places that we can observe within the borders of the country. Also, perhaps in the future, we can expand where people work, so that the slums becomes… Well, less slum like.” Kuno could not help but raise an eyebrow at the explanation of the disappearing scouts. They had not seen any overly disturbing weather, nor signs of serious sandstorms in the area. In fact, Kuno figured that judging by the size of the building that the pair were in, if a sandstorm had been the culprit, the building would probably be buried along with the scouts.

Keeping this in mind, he watched as Midori leaned against a wall and continued speaking. “Anyways, I apologise for my quietness earlier. I tend to prefer separating comfort and work, and out in the field, I find more comfort in being on edge, on alert, and at the ready. If there’s anything you want to talk about while we’re out here, please, just feel free to start the conversation. Also make sure to rest up. We will start no fires, and so you will likely be cold throughout the night. Because of this, I would ask that you preserve your energy. I will be taking night watch, although I will be waking you to do roughly 2 hours of night watch. If anything happens at all during that time, you are to wake me immediately. Otherwise, it shall be a short rest, and then we continue at the break of dawn. Any questions?” Kuno nodded to the orders, but followed her gaze over to the scratch marks on the wall and broken door hinges, nodding to himself as he noticed them. “No need to apologize Lady Midori. It makes perfect sense to keep on edge out here. I’ve had my fair share of missions and you never know what could sneak up on you when out in the desert.”

He extended his arm out to the wall, gesturing at them as he continued to speak. “But I must say, I’m a little skeptical about the explanation as to why the outpost was abandoned. Though I’m sure you’ve had the same thought. Those markings on the wall are evidence of a struggle rather than a storm.” He shook his head for a moment, trying to find a good spot to lie down under his cloak. It would be a little chilly, like Midori had said, but with his cloak he concluded that he would be alright. As he sat down in a corner next to the window through which they had entered, he nodded to her once again. “If you would prefer to take multiple shifts of night watch, I’m willing an able. Otherwise I will be ready for a fight, should one be needed. After seeing that bisted door, I'm beginning to expect trouble.” With that, he laid his blade down beside him, resting a hand on the sheathed blade as he pulled his cloak over the rest of his body, attempting to rest for a couple of hours before he would be woken for his watch.

WC:1189+695=1884/2500

Midori stayed silent throughout the night, watching as Kuno prepared himself for sleep and huddled up. Once she was sure he was asleep, the Kazekage set to work. It seemed that the Chuunin had made the same speculations as herself, which merely furthered her suspicions on the nature of this outpost falling. To this end, Midori opted to begin investigation. Bandaged puppet arm to her chin, she walked around the room in contemplation, gazing at what she could. If this was the site of an attack, she wanted to make sure of every detail. First, the area that began her intrigue. She strode back to the door, footsteps light on the sand strewn flooring. From there, she turned, and faced inside the room once again. From there, it was a matter of watching, gazing around the room. Something had happened, long ago, and while there would no doubt be very little in the way of clues, she had to theorise as best she could, lest the deaths and disappearances be in vain.

The outpost was a one room complex, with no stairs, and no beds assigned – it was designed to be cheap, and to survive the weather of the desert. It had one entrance, the door, and a window placed on every wall to allow for ease of vision, while maintaining safety. The fact that it was so run down disconcerted her. She looked to the area which held the scratch marks, gently tracing her fingertips along the wall, tracing against every groove. It was fine, but, featured a lack of sand within its recesses. Not a grain. The Ningyou closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating as she began to keep moving her fingers, back and forth, testing the ridges. Only the smallest specks of sand.

With a shake of her head, she then moved back to the door, inspecting its hinges. While she was sure it’d be something brutish, what it was ended up beyond her expectation. The hinges were not broken. Instead, a vast majority of the screws that held it in place had been finely removed, and had gone missing from the scene. If that was the case, the possibilities of what had occurred narrowed down swiftly. Next, she strode over to the nearest window, inspecting around the empty frame. Nothing. Not even shards of glass. Using her puppet prosthetic, she checked around the sands on the floor. Still no shards of glass could be found. As if the windows had never been there to begin with.

Continuing with her private investigation, Midori walked around, crouching by the various piles of sand and feeling around. No shards of glass, anywhere in sight. Yet, beneath one pile, there was something she hadn’t expected indeed. The hatch to a trapdoor. Given the unstable nature of the desert, this was one of the last things the Kazekage had expected to find in her investigation. Although, this did lead to a large amount of questions she would ask herself, things to further her investigation and discovery. Perhaps, by mistake, the shinobi had built on top of a mine, or cave system. If this was the case, then it would explain why a trapdoor would be made – perhaps the shinobi inhabiting the area had opted to expand downwards. Yet, this was years ago, and in that instance, why would the shinobi not report back to the village that they had done expansion work?

Standing up with a stretch, she looked out into the dark expanse of the desert. No signs of movement or life, no sound aside from the still breeze, and the ever so slight shifting of the sands. With the light levels like this, the reflection of light within someone’s eyes, or something’s eyes, would make it easy to notice. Yet there was nothing, and the world around her was nearly pitch black from the night. The investigation wouldn’t be able to continue for much longer, yet a thought concerned her. The sand. Sandstorms most certainly would have come around this way, at some point or another, and even the most minor of them would have caused this place to simply disappear beneath the ground. So, why was it so clear? The trapdoor further added concern, for she couldn’t see light beyond it – the seal between the joints and hinges was too tight, perhaps designed like that to prevent the sand from getting in.

Finally feeling she has enough evidence to convince herself that it was far more malicious than she was happy with, she stepped over to the hatch, being sure to open it quietly as she could and looking inside, hand moving with a silent precision. The hinges made no noise, suggesting it had been well maintained. And down a wooden ladder, Midori could make out the details of a tunnel, a slight flicker of light faintly below. That was all the proof she needed. With the same careful nature, she closed the trapdoor once more, before stepping over to Kuno and gently nudging him. Not even half an hour had passed, but she felt the reason dire enough.

“I apologise for waking you earlier than intended. It appears that, unsurprisingly, the reports were wrong. We are not alone out here. I suggest you keep your voice down, and act as stealthily as you can. Beneath the sands is a hidden trapdoor, and within there, a source of light. I don’t know who is down there, but someone is, and it’s our duty to find out who. Given that this was a sand shinobi outpost, I don’t want to take chances. If they’re armed, take them out, but do it quietly. We don’t know how many there are, or how powerful. Caution advised. We proceed down when you’ve woken up properly and are ready.” Her voice was hushed as she spoke, pointing her bandaged prosthetic at the trapdoor with a nod, her left arm up to her face with a finger to her lips in a hushing motion.

1001 + 1300 = 2301

Barely any time passed, but Kuno already felt himself drifting off to sleep. It was a product of the lack of sleep brought on by the insomnia he experienced since his mother’s death. His exhaustion sometimes became so through, that he would fine respite in sleep’s embrace rather quickly, which was a nice change from his usual experiences on an average night. These bouts of exhaustion usually found their way into his path after he had completed missions, though in this case, the mission was yet to be finished and the need for sleep was already overwhelming his senses. He did not protest through, and before too long the grip of unconsciousness took him, allowing him to regain some semblance of strength for the time being.

His dreamless sleep did not last long however, and just as he was beginning to fall into a much deeper sleep, he felt himself being shaken awake. Before his eyes had finished snapping open, his sheathed sword was already pulled to his chest and his other hand had found its place on the hilt. He sat up straight and turned toward Midori, who put his immediate adrenaline to rest as she explained the situation. “I apologise for waking you earlier than intended. It appears that, unsurprisingly, the reports were wrong. We are not alone out here. I suggest you keep your voice down, and act as stealthily as you can. Beneath the sands is a hidden trapdoor, and within there, a source of light. I don’t know who is down there, but someone is, and it’s our duty to find out who. Given that this was a sand shinobi outpost, I don’t want to take chances. If they’re armed, take them out, but do it quietly. We don’t know how many there are, or how powerful. Caution advised. We proceed down when you’ve woken up properly and are ready.”

Kuno’s gaze followed her pointed finger to the trapdoor that she had uncovered, further confirming the young Uchiha’s own suspicions. He stood up silently, putting his cloak back on properly and pulling up the front to cover his face slightly in hopes to muffle the sound of his breathing as he slowly and nearly silently made his way across the room to the trapdoor. He took a moment to sand over it, ensuring that all of his tools and equipment were attached to him in such a way so as to not make any noise before he glanced back to the Kazekage. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper, but he was confident that a ninja of Midori Ningyou’s rank would be able to hear him clearly. “I’ll go down first to ensure that the coast is clear, Lady Kazekage. Not that you need my protection, but you did say you wanted me to prove myself. Give me sixty seconds once I’m on the ladder before following me down.” Unless she stopped him after that, Kuno slowly drew his crimson blade and held it in his right hand before squatting down and carefully opening the trapdoor with his left.

The silence of the hinges was surprising to the young Uchiha, but it also tipped him off to the fact that this was probably a regularly used entrance, which meant that the duo would not be alone for long. There was a wooden ladder that led down into darkness that Kuno could not see the bottom of, save for an infrequent slick of what seemed like torch light in the sea of shadows. Regardless, Kuno knew that he would need to get to the bottom quickly in order to make his assessment, and so without wasting any more time, the young Uchiha climbed into the ladder, miao dao still in his one hand, though in a reverse grip so that the blade faced away from him. He then slowly but surly made his way down the ladder, doing his best to ensure that he was being as silent as possible.

Much to his surprise and fortune, he reached the dirt floor within twenty seconds, leaving him with over half of a minute to ensure that the coast was clear. Glancing around, it was clear that there was only one way for him to continue down the tunnel, which meant that the entrance that he had come through was one end of the lair that Midori had stumbled upon. With his sword in hand, Kuno padded his way down the dirt tunnel, which was reinforced with wooden planks to hold the desert at bay, moving swiftly and nigh silently. It took him only thirty more second to find a single guard, leaning against a wall and smoking a cigarette and a three way junction of tunnels. His back was to Kuno, since he obviously did not expect any visitors from that end of the tunnel. Using this to his advantage, Nayoko stalked closer to the bandit, closing the distance with him within five seconds, and reaching up from behind him to slit open his throat, leaving Kuno with three seconds to spare as he pulled the body back toward the tunnel entrance.  

He would wait for the Kazekage to arrive before giving her a brief report. “It looks like some sort of tunnel network that will no doubt be filled with people like him,” he gestured to the body of the fallen bandit. “Things are definitely pointing to the weather as a less likely suspect in the disappearance of our shinobi. How shall we proceed?”

WC:933+1884=2817

As Kuno descended down the ladder, Midori watched, waiting for the time he had suggested. He was taking it seriously, and while she wasn’t sure she approved of his method, it held its own ingenuity, and it prevented the risk of an ambush from behind. As sixty seconds passed, Midori took the subtle way of jumping down, landing with grace and poised with the balance one would expect from a crane, only on two legs. And like a crane, she spread her arms wide, sighing out lightly as she examined her surroundings. Before her, Kuno began to describe his encounter and what he had discovered. The nonchalant gesture to the fallen bandit rubbed her the wrong way, but, that mattered little. Given that these bandits were likely responsible for the death, or at least missing nature of the previous squad, it would perhaps lead to a death confrontation regardless. Crouching down, she put a hand into the pockets of the bandit, searching through each of his small belongings for any clues. Some yen, a packet of cigarettes, and a piece of paper with orders to watch the front. Orders…

Shaking her head, Midori stood from her crouch, stretching her prosthetic limb across her body as if she were preparing for an exercise. Finally, she handed the piece of paper to Kuno, looking around the room. Unlike above, it was completely unscathed down here, clearly used regularly. The ladder meanwhile struck her as one that was used as a portable one in a construction site, however it was apparent that it had since been sealed to the ground. Crossing her arms, she paced back and forth on the spot. After a few moments of pure silence, she turned to Kuno, nodding. “Okay. I have a plan. But, before we enact it, I will state that, I would prefer we keep as many alive as possible. We need information, and the dead don’t speak. I understand situations happen, and so I will not fault you for shedding blood. If you cannot engage without killing, or end up forced to, then it will be fine. However, it is clear you took an… Assassination approach. Tell me, do you wish to be in the black ops?”

She shook her head, shrugging the thought off. “That matters little. This operation does not currently call for bloodshed. People will die, however, we need at least a few left alive, depending upon how many are here. If there is a small contingent, only one will do. If we’re looking at double digits, we’ll need multiple. That way, we can make sure they are not lying by gathering intel from all hostiles, and compare to find any discrepancies. As for how we shall proceed, I want you to take point. You are an Uchiha, which means you have access to the sharingan, correct? For that reason, I would like you to take point using your sensory skills, so that we can manoeuvre around any hostiles we come across before they see us coming. From there, strike from the unseen places. If we come across a main hallway, or a large cavern, or room, then do not worry about taking them out – focus on avoiding being outnumbered, and I can eliminate any threats as they come. Spacious areas are better for me regardless.”

With a nod, she walked over to the tunnel from where the guard’s body was, pressing her back up against the wall as she looked down. From there, she faced Kuno again, continuing her plan talk after ensuring nobody was nearby. “If you recall your map, to the north of here is a mine that is still in use, a place where they quarry for salt and ferrous clusters. I have a suspicion that this tunnel network may eventually lead there. If you look closely at the ladder, it is the sort found in such mining operations, and it would explain why people would know to look for a tunnel underneath the ground. If this is the case, it would mean one of two possible outcomes for this mission. Either someone has taken over the mining operation north of here. Given that we still have contact with the workers there, I doubt that they would all have been killed in such a recent time, with the ladder moved for fixing as well. Another possibility is that the miners have no idea this has occurred, and the operations are occurring behind closed doors. I know there is also the possibility for this group to be non-hostile, but the one you killed had orders to guard this exit. That means this organisation regards this as an exit. Perhaps in case of emergencies. Given the scene we saw, and the fact that the trapdoor was not originally planned or mentioned in planning, I don’t quite have faith in that possibility. So, either the miners are involved, or this is a shadow operation. Of course, this all relies on my theory about the mine being north as correct, which we cannot prove as of yet. So, in short… Here’s the plan. We go through, combing the area and taking out any targets we find. We have two primary goals, to find the leader of this operation so that we can interrogate them, and to find a map or some such that indicates the routes of this network. One will lead to the other, of course, but both are a necessity. Now, if you have no questions, take point. II will be your shadow, and should you fall under any risk, do not fear. I will be a safety net.”

With that, Midori stepped away from the wall, waiting for Kuno to begin to act. The moment he moved, Midori moved behind, channelling her chakra to her feet in the basic supernatural walking technique so as to muffle her footfalls, having said her plan in as much detail as possible for Kuno. She didn’t want any slip ups during this operation, as things have turned a lot more serious than she had expected.

1012 + 2301 = 3313

Chakra: 265/270 (-5 for supernatural walking practice)

Kuno stood and watched the tunnel leading forward as the Kazekage crouched down and began searching through the possessions of the corpse on the ground. The young Uchiha could have kicked himself for overlooking such a simple step in their investigation, but did his best not to betray his frustrations, hoping that he was at least performing as well as expected by his sensei. After a moment or two of searching, Midori stood up with a piece of paper in her hand, which she promptly handed over to Kuno. He took it carefully, scanning over the contents as he realized what he was looking at. It was a paper with patrol orders, or at least, guarding orders for this entrance. As he processed this new information, understanding that these bandits must be far more organized than he originally thought, Midori stopped pacing and began to give him his own orders on how they should proceed. “Okay. I have a plan. But, before we enact it, I will state that, I would prefer we keep as many alive as possible. We need information, and the dead don’t speak. I understand situations happen, and so I will not fault you for shedding blood. If you cannot engage without killing, or end up forced to, then it will be fine. However, it is clear you took an… Assassination approach. Tell me, do you wish to be in the black ops?”

Kuno would have answered in the affirmative, hoping to tell her that he was interesting in using his skills to assist with the village as part of the ANBU. But before he could start, the Kazekage shook her head and continued. “That matters little. This operation does not currently call for bloodshed. People will die, however, we need at least a few left alive, depending upon how many are here. If there is a small contingent, only one will do. If we’re looking at double digits, we’ll need multiple. That way, we can make sure they are not lying by gathering intel from all hostiles, and compare to find any discrepancies. As for how we shall proceed, I want you to take point. You are an Uchiha, which means you have access to the Sharingan, correct? For that reason, I would like you to take point using your sensory skills, so that we can manoeuvre around any hostiles we come across before they see us coming. From there, strike from the unseen places. If we come across a main hallway, or a large cavern, or room, then do not worry about taking them out – focus on avoiding being outnumbered, and I can eliminate any threats as they come. Spacious areas are better for me regardless.” Kuno simply nodded at her orders, as it appeared like she was not finished speaking. He waiting until he had to complete outline of her plan before responding. She spoke once again as she pressed her back up against the wall and looked down the tunnel that laid ahead of the pair.

“If you recall your map, to the north of here is a mine that is still in use, a place where they quarry for salt and ferrous clusters. I have a suspicion that this tunnel network may eventually lead there. If you look closely at the ladder, it is the sort found in such mining operations, and it would explain why people would know to look for a tunnel underneath the ground. If this is the case, it would mean one of two possible outcomes for this mission. Either someone has taken over the mining operation north of here. Given that we still have contact with the workers there, I doubt that they would all have been killed in such a recent time, with the ladder moved for fixing as well. Another possibility is that the miners have no idea this has occurred, and the operations are occurring behind closed doors. I know there is also the possibility for this group to be non-hostile, but the one you killed had orders to guard this exit. That means this organisation regards this as an exit. Perhaps in case of emergencies. Given the scene we saw, and the fact that the trapdoor was not originally planned or mentioned in planning, I don’t quite have faith in that possibility. So, either the miners are involved, or this is a shadow operation. Of course, this all relies on my theory about the mine being north as correct, which we cannot prove as of yet. So, in short… Here’s the plan. We go through, combing the area and taking out any targets we find. We have two primary goals, to find the leader of this operation so that we can interrogate them, and to find a map or some such that indicates the routes of this network. One will lead to the other, of course, but both are a necessity. Now, if you have no questions, take point. II will be your shadow, and should you fall under any risk, do not fear. I will be a safety net.” Once again to this, Kuno nodded, finally replying once he felt that there was nothing else for Midori to tell him. “Understood. Just a heads up though, while I do have access to my Sharingan, it is incomplete, and therefore my sensory abilities only extend about 50 metres from me. In a confined space like this we should be more than alright, but if we run into a particularly large cavern, I won’t be able to see the whole thing. That being said, given the winding nature of these tunnels, I doubt we will run into any sort of cavern like that until we reach the mine proper, assuming your theory is correct.”

With that, the Uchiha closed his eyes, channeling his chakra into them before opening them once again, revealing two pools of crimson, accented with two black tomoe each. With his legendary dojutsu activated, he could now see Midori as a burning mass of chakra flowing through her body, which meant that anyone else in these hallways would be just as visible. He then activated the supernatural walking practice in order to give him better maneuverability and keep his footsteps properly quiet for the rest of the mission. He then nodded to Midori once more before turning down the tunnel ahead of him, sword now sheathed for the time being to prevent him from killing possible sources of information. It seemed that the guard that Kuno had killed was the only one in this branch of the tunnel, allowing the duo to travel freely for around 40 metres before Kuno peered around a corner and had to pull himself back to prevent being seen. He had only caught a glimpse of the burning mass of chakra ahead of them, but was not sure that it was the only one present. Turning back to Midori, Kuno indicated that there was one person ahead, then pointed upward to the ceiling before stepping onto the smooth tunnel wall and eventually up above onto the top of it.

Crouching into the shadows of the turn on while upside down, Kuno looked around the corner for a second time, able to take in a full look at the chamber ahead. He was correct in his original observation; there was only one person in the larger chamber ahead, and it was small enough that Kuno could look around and know that much for sure. The one man present seemed to be sitting on a stool, sharpening a scimitar with a whetstone and mumbling to himself. Unfortunately, Kuno’s eyes were far superior to his ears and he could not understand what was being said. In any case, it mattered little as Kuno slowly but surly stepped around the corner, still on the ceiling. His movements muffled by his chakra, it did not take the chuunin long before he hung over the bandit, looking up at the man below him and smiling. He gave no warning as he sprung from his position, reaching out and wrapping his arms around the man’s throat and covering his mouth as soon as he good, while they both rolled onto the ground. It took longer than he had hoped, but before too long, the man was unconscious on the ground and Kuno was standing, brushing himself off. The man was strong, and Kuno was certain that if he had not had the element of surprise, the bandit probably would have broken out of his grasp. Luckily for Kuno, it was over, and he had managed to choke him out without making too much noise.

Unless Midori stopped him, Kuno would search over the body, finding nothing of interest unfortunately before continuing down the tunnel that seemed to lead further into the tunnels, eventually turning north. And so the pair continued for the next few hundred metres, only ever coming across one or two men at a time, with Kuno incapacitating them if they were alone and avoiding them all together if they were in pairs. This went on until Kuno felt a draft waft pass himself and the kage, causing him to look back at her, silently asking her if she had felt it too. Regardless of her answer, the chuunin peaked around the next corner as quietly as possible, and the sight he saw caused his eyes to widen. The room ahead had at least a dozen men and woman, armed for battle standing around as if they were waiting for something to happen. Not only that, but the cavern ahead was too large for him to see in its entirety without getting closer. Unsure of how to proceed, he turned back to Midori to report. “Lady Kazekage, it looks like there are at least twelve more bandits ahead, all armed and ready for battle. There could be more, considering I can’t see the whole cavern due to its length. I don’t think I will be able to lead us through the whole room without being spotted, so how would you like to proceed?”

WC:1694+2817=4511

Chakra: 185/200:

“Understood. Just a heads up though, while I do have access to my Sharingan, it is incomplete, and therefore my sensory abilities only extend about fifty metres from me. In a confined space like this we should be more than alright, but if we run into a particularly large cavern, I won’t be able to see the whole thing. That being said, given the winding nature of these tunnels, I doubt we’ll run into any sort of cavern like that until we reach the mine proper, assuming your theory is correct.” As Kuno gave his explanation, Midori nodded. Not long after, he did as she asked, activating his sharingan, the black and red swirling into his eyes. She’d not seen the eyes too often, yet she recalled performing a transplant of one of them. Powerful eyes that pulled out the worst in some people. Greed. Wrath. Malice.

Regardless, she gazed on as he walked forward and peered around the corners of the tunnels as they walked. So far, they were in the clear, and so she continued to simply walk quietly behind. Finally, they came to a position where Kuno stopped, looking around a corner and holding a hand up in gesture. From there, she watched as he walked on to the roof, sneaking around the corner. She stood still, waiting for him to return. A quick shuffling sound as Kuno’s clothes rustled through the air, followed by the light thud of the body hitting the ground after a brief silent struggle was the indication she needed to walk around the corner. There, Kuno was crouched over the unconscious body, checking through it like Midori had earlier. Still, his search seemed to pull up nothing. The two continued, and Kuno continued his method of silent take outs whenever a single person arrived. At the moment when two were around the corner, Midori took over. Silent and swift, she rushed out, grabbing the closest by the mouth to keep them quiet before quickly spinning and kicking the other one down from the legs, planting her heel on their mouth to stop them from making a noise, before promptly kicking the one that was down in the head to knock them out, while moving her puppet arm to knock out the other with a swift punch.

Finally, they reached a place where Kuno stopped once more, pausing before entering further. A quick look and Midori could see the problem, a large cavern that all but proved her theory on the situation. “Lady Kazekage, it looks like there are at least twelve more bandits ahead, all armed and ready for battle. There could be more, considering I can’t see the whole cavern due to its length. I don’t think I will be able to lead us through this whole room without being spotted, so how would you like to proceed?”

Nodding, Midori pulled one of the scrolls from her waist, spreading it down on the ground and kneeling beside it, allowing the chakra in her feet to fade. Not bothering to look back, she glanced down at the scroll parchment, placing her hand to the seal that was to be found there. “Go back and gather up the unconscious guards. Use their attire or anything you can find to tie them up and make them unable to fight back. I’ll clear the room. We should have enough to question, and too many would be far too difficult and dangerous to return to Sunagakure for imprisonment and questioning. For this purpose, I am going to personally deliver death. If they’re ready for battle, it means they’re under instructions. Perhaps killing them will lure out the boss.”

And with that, Midori activated the seal, unsealing a human sized and shaped puppet. Two katana’s in hand, the kimono that covered the body, and the styling of the wooden hair. This was Midori’s current best puppet. The Ace of Diamonds, Miyamoto. Motioning with her flesh arm only, Midori allowed strings to catch onto the puppet, attaching to the limbs and back so that she could control it as best as possible. Unravelling the bandages from her puppet arm, she stepped forward into the room, no longer caring to be stealthy as she did so. Quite the opposite in fact, as she stepped forth, declaring aloud her presence with a single shout. “Stand down! Any who do not lower your weapons will be judged, and thus, will die! Step forth, however, if you wish to pass on to the next life!”

As she expected, nobody among the crowd lowered their weapon, either out of a feeling of peer pressure, overconfidence, or pure malice and wish to fight. Tapping a finger on her puppet hand to her chin, she shook her head, speaking up once more. “Then, as Kazekage of the village hidden among the sands, I hereby sentence you all as guilty of treason. I apologise.” At that, she began, channelling chakra through her puppet strings to the gears in the legs of her puppet. Raising its blades in preparation, the dance of wood was about to begin as Midori ran forwards, her puppet mimicking these motions. As the chakra reached the puppet, however, the gears and cogs that caused the legs to function kicked into overdrive, the puppet acting like a blur as it ended up on the other side of the nearest person. The bandit paused for a moment, standing there as the realisation hit, before collapsing in half, blood slicked on the right handed blade of the puppet. Midori meanwhile ran to the next closest, not quite as fast yet still respectably swift, channelling chakra destructively through her right arm before thrusting it forward, pistons in her arm activating to cause it to thrust forward in the blink of an eye. The man took the hit square in the chest, dropping his bladed weapon and collapsing, a burnt hole in the centre of his chest, breaking through the skin, yet mostly causing internal damage as the man sputtered and coughed up blood.

Desperate and terrified now, the next closest waved a blade at the Kazekage, moving to strike her with a lethal motion. In return, Midori formed more threads with her puppet arm, one upon each finger, and quickly lashed all four strings in a violent motion towards the arm wielding the sword. While not heavily damaging, it caused enough hesitation for Midori to move her left hands fingers, the puppet moving with them to insert its left handed blade through the back of the enemy, who dropped to the ground in an ever increasing pool of blood. Three down, nine to go.

Shifting her middle digit on her left hand, the mouth of the puppet soon opened, sending out a total of three shuriken flying towards the furthest bandit, embedding in their leg as the puppet swiftly moved into the thick of it, slicing through another person as if they were little more than butter, while stabbing into the arm of the one nearby, legs leaping off the ground to stab the twin dirks into the chest of the poor woman who screamed out in agony during her last moments, the two bodies slumping over, before the sharp right blade once more sliced through the third bandit, which still had the shuriken in their leg. Of course, it’d be daft of Midori to stand still during those brief few seconds, taking advantage of the swiftness her puppet moved to dart to the next one, simply taking the subtle approach and punching with her full force, the bandit going flying backwards as the sound of breaking bones emphasised the power behind the strike. Spinning around, she brought her puppet back to her, having it stand back to back with her as she prepared herself for them to come, looking around.

More than half of them were taken out, lying in either one or several pieces on the ground in pools of blood. This put her at an advantage. She hoped to eliminate them quickly, so as to be able to gather information, and before her own… Problems took over. Still, to help with those problems, she prepared her own little trick. Inhaling, she began to gather fuuton chakra into her throat, mixing it with medical chakra while it was there and simply preparing it there. The stern look on her face, and the blood that was only to be found on the blades of her puppet gave an intimidating look considering she was surrounded. And it were not as if those she were fighting were slow, as the bandits repositioned themselves, not far from being as fast as Midori herself. Yet not as fast as the Ace. And through fear, not as fast as they perhaps could have been.

1464 + 3313 = 4777

Chakra: 230/270 (-35 for a C rank jutsu, 2 E rank jutsu, and activating Ace of Diamonds ability)
Born Ill: 1/8

Items used:

Jutsu prepared:

Jutsu used:

When Kuno saw Midori reach for the scrolls on her waist, he would be lying if he said he was not excited to see what would come next. As the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Mists, the woman before him was one of the most powerful ninja in all of the shinobi world. And now, in the darkness of this bandit stronghold, the young Uchiha was going to see her in action. As she unrolled the scroll and placed her hand on the seal held within, she turned to him; Kuno still holding his breath in anticipation. “Go back and gather up the unconscious guards. Use their attire or anything you can find to tie them up and make them unable to fight back. I’ll clear the room. We should have enough to question, and too many would be far too difficult and dangerous to return to Sunagakure for imprisonment and questioning. For this purpose, I am going to personally deliver death. If they’re ready for battle, it means they’re under instructions. Perhaps killing them will lure out the boss.”

He would have protested under most other circumstances. He was a fighter, and a pretty damn good one for his rank at that. He was ready to fight alongside his sensei, wiping out the criminal scum that had killed members of his village. But instead he was being put on clean up duty. Again, he would have protested under any other circumstance, but as the Kazekage released her chakra into the scroll, unsealing the human sized puppet and attaching chakra strings to her instrument of death, Kuno realized that he would probably only be in her way. With a nod, the chuunin turned to do his job, running back through the tunnels from which they had come, his Sharingan ever active to ensure that he was not caught by surprise.

If it weren’t for the length of the tunnels, the task would have taken Kuno no time at all. It seemed that the damage the duo had inflicted earlier had been sufficient to keep them unconscious for some time. That on top of the fact that stealth was no longer an issue and he did not have to concentrate on silencing his footsteps with chakra or otherwise, the process was simple enough. Moving from enemy to fallen enemy Kuno deftly used his blade to shred their clothes into bindings that he could use, and then subsequently bound their hands and legs. He also made sure to gag them and search each and every one for hidden radios, though he was not lucky enough find one. He repeated the same steps all the way back to the entrance of the tunnels where the body of the first fallen bandit laid. Nodding to himself, the young Uchiha spun on his heel and sprinted back toward the battle. Even if she did not need his help, Kuno would be there as back up regardless.

As fast as Kuno though he was, he was nothing next to the speed with which the Kazekage could dispatch her enemies, and he realized that quite quickly when he rounded the corner back into the large chamber. The floor was riddled with the bodies or the parts of over half of the men that had previously stood in the room, leaving only five, terrified criminals standing. With his blade already drawn, Kuno stepped maneuvered over to the Kage and spoke quietly, though he was sure that Midori would hear him. “The men in the tunnels are ready to be carried out when we leave. For now I’m back to help. I assume we are not worried about stealth any longer?” He would then look to her for at least a nod of approval, not wanting to overstep his Kage’s commands. If she gave her approval, or did not protest at all, Kuno would begin to attack. If she did not allow him to thoug, he would merely wait by her side.

Given permission to do away with stealth, Kuno would run forward toward three of the still living criminals while also inhaling and forming a series of one handed seals with the hand that was not holding his sword. Then when he was close enough that he knew his plan would work, he jumped over the group and exhaled mist that would be impossible to see without a dojutsu like his own. Landing on the other side of the men, he sheathed his sword even as they turned and began running toward him. They did not make it far however, as Kuno finished yet another string of hand seals and exhaled a fireball that was smaller than what he could produce, but far more intense. With them running toward him, it was so issue for him to catch the gas that he had released earlier, causing a small explosion to occur in the cavern that shook some dust around him loose. The flames that were created did not simple fade after making contact with the three bandits though. Instead, they clung to their skin and the floor all around them as the smell of burning flesh filled the space alongside their screams of agony.

With only two of the men remaining and flames separating them from the exit near which Kuno stood, the young Uchiha was confident that after Midori took care of them her hunch would be correct and their boss would show up. Wanting to be ready for that eventuality, Kuno rushed turned to keep his eye on the remaining criminals, but also made sure that he had each entrance in sight, ready for whatever may come toward them. From there, he waited for further instructions, hoping that the flams on his side of the cavern would not be too much of a hindrance for the Kazekage.

WC:979+4511=5490

Chakra: 145/200:

After however long it took Kuno to return, bodies littered the ground, with very few bandits remaining from those that had originally been there at Midori’s combat start. As Kuno returned, Midori was stepping forward, pinning one of the men against a wall with her puppet arm against their neck. Glancing back at the sound of his voice, Midori simply gave him a nod, with only a sparse few from the original clutter remaining standing, some quivering in their boots at the sheer slaughter. Midori meanwhile held the man to the wall, a vice like grip preventing him from moving as she simply held him there, puppet standing with its back to her and facing outwards as if to simply be a deterrent.

Shortly after she gave her nod, screams rang out through the room. Midori didn’t flinch, or even look back, only sniffing the air somewhat at the smell of burning flesh, the sound and crackling of flames resounding out with a sickly echo. This left two bandits in total: The one in Midori’s hand, and one more, who simply dropped their weapon to the ground and put their hands up in terrified submission. A quick glance around to check the state of the room, and she released her grip on the man, who sunk to the ground gasping for air and clutching at his throat. From this, Midori looked at the duo, pacing back and forth as she withdrew the puppet strings, shaking her head as the puppet went limp. “This doesn’t make sense. We made enough of a racket that if whoever was in charge was on their way, they would have come by now. And I have doubt there was the leader among this rabble… There wasn’t any authoritative presence throughout the group. No offense.” She glanced at the guy who had previously been against the wall, who simply shook his head slowly as if in a passive, submitted motion – allowing the minor insult to pass after being subdued.

Sighing, Midori walked over to the fallen one, looking down at him while gesturing for the surrendered bandit to walk over, who did as instructed and meekly walked over in a defeated state. Upon the bandit being close, the Kazekage exhaled a green mist, which seemed to ease the nerves of the two bandits, the woman of the two now no longer shaking. Smiling, Midori moved her puppet out of the way and stood in front of the two, so that they were both clear in her line of sight. From there, she looked down at the two. “I’m willing to let you and your friends that are still alive have a choice. Return to Sunagakure, hand yourself in. If you do this, I am willing to allow you to become rehabilitated into society, and become… Free people, as it were. Alternatively, you may leave. However, if you opt for that approach, then know that if I catch you committing a crime again… Well, I’m sure you can put two and two together.”

Despite their nerves clearly calmed, and their postures relaxed, the duo nodded slowly, taking in her words. Making sure that they were paying attention, Midori spoke up once more. “Now, before I let you go, I have some questions. Who is your boss, where are they, and what is the cause of this little operation? I trust you wouldn’t be foolish enough to lie to me, correct?” Without hesitating, the woman who had surrendered first shook her head, speaking up. “I don’t know our bosses name, but, he’s working with a gang from Amegakure. They’ve got information that they took from the people that used to live here, and they were planning on meeting up in a couple weeks. When they heard the ruckus, I imagine the boss took his guards and left to go begin the meeting early. The information, if I remember the plan right, is some scrolls the patrol and scouts held regarding the defences and locations for fall back routines. I don’t know any more than that, so, please don’t kill me!”

Midori glared hard at the speech, running through the specific bits of information one at a time, slowly, and repetitively in her mind. From there, she shrugged, gesturing away. “Go get your friends, and get out of here: Either to flee, or to rehabilitate yourselves. And let them know that if they even try to attack us, they will die. Describe it if they truly are daft enough. I apologise if any of them were your close friends.” She bowed, and as the two quickly took the cue to run off, Midori moved to walk further into the cavern, gesturing for Kuno to follow after resealing her puppet. “I know you probably think I shouldn’t have let them go, but, we don’t have the people to escort them back, so, I figured I’d offer them to do it alone of their own will. Now, we need to do a quick check for where any clues of the bosses location are, and then we’re going to go track them down, and put a stop to this little betrayal. And unlike before, this will be… No survivors. Our mission to scout the area is a success Kuno, however, that doesn’t mean we can rest. I am assigning a new mandatory mission, effective immediately. Our objective is to track down and kill the boss of this gang, and any escorts working with him. We will eliminate the bodies, and leave no evidence – let the sands consume them. Innocent lives are at risk, and we must recover those scrolls before Amegakure obtains them and puts our village in danger. Regardless, our routes are going to need to change, but that won’t matter if Amegakure gets any form of information – they’ll think Suna is weaker, and perhaps plunge us into a war itself. Now, let’s go!”

She gestured forward, before heading further herself, looking around the area with a keen eye. Run down desks, miners tools, and assorted ores were scattered around from where the previous use of the mine came in. A sad state in Midori’s mind. Still, she looked over a map. As expected, nothing was circled. That would make it far too easy. However, it wasn’t hard to work out the most likely situation. The route from the mine to Amegakure was a fairly straight one, and given the size of Kaze no Kuni, she doubted they’d take a longer route to avoid pursuit – they couldn’t afford the risk. Still, it was a large expanse, so, she’d have to keep her eyes sharp – and Kuno’s. After thinking in silence, she walked towards the mouth of the cave – the mine, gesturing for Kuno. “We go straight for the border, no stopping. It’ll be exhausting, but, once we find them, it should be obvious, and from there we can eliminate them, retrieve the information, and return to Sunagakure to rest. Move out.”

1160 + 4777 = 5937

[EXIT]

Training:

The cracking of the flames along with the shrieks of pain did not seem to phase the Kazekage, not that Kuno had expected it to. The smell of burning flesh had become fairly familiar to the young Uchiha in recent times, and so he also shrugged it off as the bodies continued to burn in the flames that would remain for some time. Taking a moment to ensure that the three victims would not be trying to escape, Kuno that leapt over the flames, propelling himself off of the wall to ensure he was not singed in the process. He landed next to the Kazekage who seemed to be talking to herself, trying to determine exactly what had happened here. “This doesn’t make sense. We made enough of a racket that if whoever was in charge was on their way, they would have come by now. And I have doubt there was the leader among this rabble… There wasn’t any authoritative presence throughout the group. No offense.”

Kuno stoically watched and waited for his sensei to deal out the punishment that she felt fit to the criminals, only observing as was his position. She exhaled a green mist that seemed to soothe the two men before moving her puppet out of the way and addressing the men directly. “I’m willing to let you and your friends that are still alive have a choice. Return to Sunagakure, hand yourself in. If you do this, I am willing to allow you to become rehabilitated into society, and become… Free people, as it were. Alternatively, you may leave. However, if you opt for that approach, then know that if I catch you committing a crime again… Well, I’m sure you can put two and two together.” It was not a choice that Kuno expected, and had his partner on his mission been anyone other than the woman before him for whom he had a great deal of respect, he would have questioned the choice outwardly. Instead he chose to sit and wait for her to complete the interrogation that she followed up with. It seemed that the organizer of this operation had already fled upon hearing Midori’s initial attack. Not only that, but their boss had managed to get a hold of scrolls containing orders from the village. The tension in the cavern shifted drastically with that knowledge and the implications that it held. If that information was released to Amegakure…the results could be catastrophic.

After allowing the two men to flee from them, Midori resealed her puppet before addressing Kuno while they left began to continue into the tunnel system. “I know you probably think I shouldn’t have let them go, but, we don’t have the people to escort them back, so, I figured I’d offer them to do it alone of their own will. Now, we need to do a quick check for where any clues of the bosses location are, and then we’re going to go track them down, and put a stop to this little betrayal. And unlike before, this will be… No survivors. Our mission to scout the area is a success Kuno, however, that doesn’t mean we can rest. I am assigning a new mandatory mission, effective immediately. Our objective is to track down and kill the boss of this gang, and any escorts working with him. We will eliminate the bodies, and leave no evidence – let the sands consume them. Innocent lives are at risk, and we must recover those scrolls before Amegakure obtains them and puts our village in danger. Regardless, our routes are going to need to change, but that won’t matter if Amegakure gets any form of information – they’ll think Suna is weaker, and perhaps plunge us into a war itself. Now, let’s go!”

With a curt not, Kuno followed his Kazekage wordlessly, taking in the significance of her statements while she looked over some documents that she had found. The mission had become far more serious, and now he was part of it. It was going to tough moving forward to be sure, but if ever there was a chance to prove himself to the Kazekage, it was now. The duo stepped toward to maw of the mine as she turned back toward him, a severe look on her face that reminded Kuno that he should be thinking of the mission rather than his own performance. “We go straight for the border, no stopping. It’ll be exhausting, but, once we find them, it should be obvious, and from there we can eliminate them, retrieve the information, and return to Sunagakure to rest. Move out.” Turning as they began their long run across the desert, Kuno replied simply, ensuring that Midori knew he was listening, and that he would be by her side for the duration, no matter what would come. “Understood, Lady Kazekage, Following your lead.”

[Exit Thread]

WC:829+5490=6319

Mission Complete! (2500/2500)
500 extra ryo (2000/2000)
Unused WC:1819