Outside the village gates, was friction. A new bandit group had risen, and were causing a lot of trouble. The place that suffered the brunt of the assaults was where Kenji grew up, the Rice Paddy Fields. He was more than outraged, and has been assigned to the case for months. Even with Kenji's ego, he knew he couldn't the organization alone, well the Raikage convince him so. Now that he had a student, he was optimistic that he would be up to the challenge of accompanying the sage. Takeshii was a talented Genin, with a lot of potential. So he was somewhat glad to get the opportunity to tackle the task with him. This was however a tall order, and it would require the upmost focus and committment. He wasn't worried about seeing anything less. The student that had been assigned to train with Kenji wouldn't be able to make it. It had came to his attention that her skill set didn't quite fit the mission perse, he had something a bit more interesting in store for her, something that would urge her to display her entire arsenal, he was eager for that time to come.

Kenji stood on the branch of a tree, with his back against the thick bark. He as always wielded both his katanas on his back in a crossing pattern, and he held his crossbow with the quiver attached, aimed at the ground. He waited patiently for Takeshii to show up, he gave him a brief on the mission and the destination of where they were to meet. The area was dry and cold, any breeze kicked up a thin sheet of suffocating dust that caused hazard to anyone near the surface, he was confident Takeshii would be able to endure the slight envirnonmental obstacle. There was still at least 10 minutes until the two would have to begin their thorough investigation.

The blue haired shinobi remained alert, slightly pointing and his loaded crossbow at the sligtest sound, but he was disciplined enough not to pull the trigger recklessly and waste ammo. Out of the reflection of his gloves he saw a snake slithering behind him and soon after striked. Kenji let his footing slip, sending him falling to the surface fast, avoiding the venomous snake. He landed softer than a feather... He looked up and saw a familiar silhouette.


Mission WC: 401/2500

Takeshii had been informed that he and his sensei had a special assignment, apparently a group of bandits, probably missing nin, have been harrassing the nearby rice fields. The locals have been quite lenient towards the criminals, but that's changed now that a member of their community has been murdered. This will not be tolerated, and Takeshii has been given the responsibility along with his sensei to eliminate these bandits; with extreme prejudice.

Takeshii had waited by the gates fully prepared and aware of the hazards in the area, along with his normal gear he wore a peice of cloth over his mouth and nose to protect against the common dust waves. His wire was split into two 25 foot rolls, and concealed under each of his haori sleeves, his large chakram were held one on each side. Standard chakrams were held in a pocket on either side of his pants, while his four kunai were held two behind his back and two on either side. When his sensei passed him, apparently unaware of his presence, Takeshii took it upon himself to test his own stealth. He shadowed his sensei as long as he could, though he was aware that in all actuality his sensei was probably letting him follow under the impression that he was being stealthy.

As he traveled he remained aware of any dust particles in the air remaining lower than the clouds to avoid the hazard. Snakes also roamed around these parts, and so Takeshii to special care to avoid them as well. To his surprise he also spotted a dead pig, it looked like that farmer really needed to invest some ryo in better fencing for his stock. Though how the pig got all the way out here was quite impressive, and curious. However, this was of little relevance to the task at hand, and so Takeshii focused on what he was to do, and let this curiosity slip his mind.

As his sensei approached his tree Takeshii climbed a tree nearbye, and hopped to the branch behind his sensei. Him landing on the branch scared a snake which lunged over to the other branch nearly biting his sensei. His sensei fell from the branch and landed like a cat on the ground. No sound was made, no dust was disturbed. Takeshii hopped down in a similar manner, landing only slightly harder, though no dust was disturbed from him either.

"I'm here sensei, when do we begin?" Takeshii asked, looking over the rice fields where they would be heading. If Kenji got a close look at his eyes, he may notice that the hazel sunflower in the center was more vivid than before. This was a result of Takeshii's Kekkei Genkai which he only recently unlocked.

In fact since their mission briefing, Takeshii had added quite a few new things to his arsenal. His Kekkei Genkai which allowed him greater visual acuity and reflexes equal to a ninja two ranks higher than his own, and the ability to see farther than any other Shinobi. Short of other members of his clan of course. Along with this he had recently mastered Wire Manipulation which would aid in his primary purpose of capturing missing nin, and Manipulated Weapon technique which would aid in forming new and formindible tactics.

(Mission WC 448/2500)

Kenji looked at his student, "Well prepared, good, you'll need to be." The sun was up, and Kenji knew that the Rice Paddy was normally busy around this time with merchants and shopping. It was a perfect time to talk with the locals to get more info on the recent tragedies. "We'll begin now Takeshii, follow me, we're going to be heading into the Rice Paddy fields to talk with the locals, stay alert, the guys we're facing are professional. For all I know they already have intel on us, so we'll have to catch up by gathering details so we won't be running in blind."

Kenji locked eyes on Takeshii and turned around, "Remember, we're just gathering intel for now, let's go." Kenji took off like a bullet, almost disappearing in the wooded area. Soon they would enter the marsh land of the Rice Paddy fields. To think, my home, being raided by some thugs. They'll pay for this, they'll pay...

Kenji would keep his emotions under control the best he could, after all he had to set an example for his student, when the time came, when he met the person responsible for all this, he would likely enter a rutheless and vicious state. The swampy terrain made it difficult to travel by ground, so Kenji went to the air, he hadn't been looking to see where Takeshii was, but he was sure he was close behind.

The sun beams slipped through the clouds and began to beat down on the forehead of Kenji, who stood on the border of the Rice Fields. It was lush with green. It was a small and cozy town, everyone knew each otehr, which only made the past events that more infuriating. The shop, which Kenji worked as a child was vandalized. It was where he began baking, and crafting granola bars. The store was now ravaged. Granola bara and other grain and oat products were the source of their economy, so they took a huge hit.

Kenji turned to face Takeshii who had managed to follow. "Alright, Takeshii, we're going to split up and talk to the local, I want you to try and gather as much info about the bandits abilities. Maybe their appearance as well, I have a feeling we'll know them when we see them. We'll meet at the front of the Fruit and Veggies store over there... in... about an hour. Stay alert."

Takeshii was a bright and promising shinobi, and he had no doubt that he would excel in the mission. Despite his age and lack of experience, he had a certain confidence about him, as if no task was too great. The Genin was prepared, now it was time for him to put everything he's learned into practice, to perform when it really matters. Lives are at stake, including his own.

WC: 892/2500

The sun was up and beating down on the two shinobi, and the area was unusually quiet. Kenji looked back at Takeshii in response to him.

"Well prepared, good, you'll need to be." He said, Takeshii could see the hint of a proud grin on his face. "We'll begin now Takeshii, follow me, we're going to be heading into the Rice Paddy fields to talk with the locals, stay alert, the guys we're facing are professional. For all I know they already have intel on us, so we'll have to catch up by gathering details so we won't be running in blind." He locked eyes on Takeshii before continuing "Remember, we're just gathering intel for now, let's go."

His sensei took off like a bullet, and Takeshii took off as well. Doing his best to keep on his trail. Though to be honest Kenji's speed so far surpassed him, that if it weren't for his eye sight he would've been lost as soon as he left. Though Kenji was surely aware of this. When the ground became muddy and sticky Takeshii took to the air, being careful not to use any of his abilities yet. He didn't know where the enemy had eyes and ears. For all he knew they could be watching them right now, gathering information on their new enemies.

Finally he made it to the rice feilds and stood next to Kenji. For a town that was recently ravashed by bandits it looked rather peaceful. The grass was green, and rice pods were budding making for quite a beautiful scenery. They met in front of a small broken down shop, grains and oats were scattered about. Takeshii presumed that this place had a special importance to Kenji. Sure they're mission was imperitive, but the vigor and seriousness that Kenji put into the mission told Takeshii that this was more than a mission for him. Perhaps it was the young man which was killed, perhaps something more. Takeshii figured that it wouldn't be prudent to delve into this observation. Instead he would focus his energy into helping his sensei.

"Alright, Takeshii, we're going to split up and talk to the local, I want you to try and gather as much info about the bandits abilities. Maybe their appearance as well, I have a feeling we'll know them when we see them. We'll meet at the front of the Fruit and Veggies store over there... in... about an hour. Stay alert."

"Yes sir." Takeshii said before heading out. He figured the best route would be to find the witnesses who saw the attrocity. They'd have the best knowledge of the attackers, they're abilities, what they looked like, etc. First he'd have to find the witnesses. He started with shop owners, they would know the most about everyone as they would surely have regular interactions with the whole town. After that he would speak to the village elders, they would have the most knowledge of the village and its history.

The first man he spoke to was the town's blacksmith, he was in charge of making and repairing the farming equipment and anything else around town.

"Hello sir, my name's Takeshii. I'm a shinobi from the village. I'm here to help with your bandit problem. But I'll be honest we don't know much about them. So is it ok if I ask you some questions? I'll be breif, I wouldn't want to impede on your work." He said after bowing in respect.

"Sure kid. Anything if it'll get those stinkin' good for nuthin' sons of bitches out of our lives!"

"Did you know the young man who was killed?"

"Yeah, I knew the kid. He was a little older than you. A nice boy, brave. Bandits attacked the granola shop and the kid tried to interfere. He didn't stand a chance. The bastards killed him in cold blood."

"Did you see it?"

"No, but Hanzo did. Old man sees everything around town."

"Ok, have there been attacks like this before?"

"Yeah, plenty. But no one ever got killed, nothing ever got messed up this bad. But this last time was different. They were more vicious, more violent."

"Have you seen any of the attackers?"

"Yeah, 3 of em'. I'm guessing their the real head honchos of the group. But I hear word there's more. Maybe half a dozen or so. One of them carries a huge sword, he's a mountain of a man and can cut down a dozen men with a swipe of his sword. But he's usually quite, I don't see him getting too riled up too often. The second one carries a katana, he's louder than the big guy. But he's fast, and he can back up anything he says."

"And the last one?"

"Don't know much about him. He doesn't say anything, he doesn't ever do anything. All he does is watch. But that second one, I'm telling you the way he yells at everyone. He's gotta be the boss!"

"Hmmm... thank you. And do you know what they look like?"

"Well sure, the one with the big sword is tall and muscular. Bigger than me even. You'll know him by his sword. The other one, he's short and thin. But he's not to be underestimated. Like I said, he can back up anything he says. He'll be the one that talks first and strikes first. The last guy... you know, I just can't remember anything specific about him."

"Ok, thank you for your time." He said with a bow. "One more thing, do you know of any witnesses, other than Hanzo."

"I'm afraid not. If there's anyone you should talk to it's Hanzo. You'll know his when you see him. He's always watching everyone."

Takeshii bowed again, and left the black smith in peice. Once he was outside he looked around, walking the street and talking to the other towns folks. Though he didn't get any additional information from any of them. Eventually he made it to the center of the town, and right there in the center was an old man. He had a ring of white hair around his head, but none on top. He wore a brown simple robe, and little else. He had a brown wooden cane, but he didn't look like he needed it. In fact this old man was in surprising shape. Takeshii appraoched the old man, who eyed Takeshii suspiciously gripping his cane.

"You must be Hanzo. I'm Takeshii a shinobi from the village. I'm here to help with your bandit problem. I heard you saw the attack."

"I see everything son."

"May I ask you a few questions about the bandits?"

"Ask away."

"How do they usually attack?"

"From the south side of town, the entrance closest to the mines. The three youngest come first. One of them uses earth he's short and fat, another uses wind he's tall and thin, and the last uses lightning he's hyperactive and lustful always has a weird grin on his face. They rarely have to do more than simple tricks, a short blast of wind, throwing a small stone, a small shock. Little things like this is enough to scare these folks into submission. After the three youngest come in and scare the town folks, than the two older thugs come in. One of them is short and thin, he's got a loud mouth and he's extremely violent. The other is quite, tall, strong, he's got a huge sword. He follows orders. There's another one, he just watches. I don't see anyone ever interact with him other than to take a quick glance and hurry along with their business. I reckon he's the boss, because of this. But many would presume it's the loud mouth."

"Mm... thank you. This is extremely helpful."

Takeshii bowed and left for the granola stand. Once there he would wait for Kenji. When Kenji arrived he would brief him on what he found out.

"There's six in total. Three lower ranked shinobi. One's described as fat and uses earth, one's tall and thin and uses wind, the other is hyperactive and uses lightning. There's three other shinobi but their ranks are unknown. One's short and thin, he's described as a loud mouth. No one described what his elements are, but from his description he's fast and uses a katana. From this I can deduce that he specializes in close quarters combat, with a specialty in kenjutsu. The second is tall and muscular, he's described as a mountain and is recognizable by the large sword he carries. The black smith told me that its big enough to take out a dozen men, from this description I can deduce that he also specializes in close quarters combat. He's quiet and only follows orders. From this I can deduce that he is a mid level enforcer. The last is not described physically. However, I'm sure from his description that he's the real boss. No one bosses him around, even though he doesn't speak its clear that the others are afraid of him and respect him. He only watches, this tells me that he likes to know his enemy before he confronts them. He's a planner, and this makes him even more dangerous." Takeshii took a breath and looked at all the information for the first time as a whole. In retrospect it just didn't fit.

"I have a feeling that this last attack wasn't random, sir. The black smith said it was different from the last ones, more violent. This tells me that it wasn't a normal attack. It sounds to me like it was a training drill. They've attacked this village dozens of times, yet the black smith said that no one ever died before and nothing got messed up to badly. Why now? Why, unless you were planning a larger attack. And why plan a larger attack, unless your planning to attack something larger? The only place I can think of that's nearbye that fits such a description is Kumogakure. This is all the intel I was able to acquire. I pray it was enough, sir."

(WC 2222/2500)[/color]

After Takeshii left to gather intel, Kenji walked slowly through his neighborhood that had been badly messed up. There were a few men doing cleaning. Kenji took a moment to watch the birds overhead, one swooped down right past Kenji's face. He didn't even flinch. Seeing his town wrecked had made him momentarily cold and unresponsive. He decided to shake free of his negative emotions as he would need to be clear headed to remove the bandits from thier perch of dominance. He knew Takeshii would do more than a thorough job of investigating, he could tell he was talented in that area. So, Kenji, instead of talking to locals, went to see someone else... his mentor, the man that had taught his Senjutsu.

Kenji walked into the office of the leader of the Chikara. His name was Ooame, he was a tall broad shouldered man, and he had a lot of explaining to do. He was signing a stack of papers when Kenji walked into his round and large office. Kenji had a stern look on his face, "What... is going on sir? How could you allow the town to be ravaged like this?" Ooame raised his head slowly, as he was totally aware that Kenji had entered, but chose not to acknowledge him anyway. "I may have surpassed you, but that doesn't mean you're not strong enough to mount a defense! How could you let it go this far!"

Ooame stared at Kenji, looked right in his eyes with no emotion, "Kenji, you're not as brash as you used to be, but still short sighted. I've had my men doing investigations of their own. The leader of this 'small' bandit group owns a force much larger than you can imagine. If we mount a defense without pinning the leader down... he will flee and retaliate with his larger force."

Kenji shook his head. "That makes no sense, if he had such a superior force, why wait, why not demolish whatever he wants now?"

Ooame smiled, "Because he's targeting something that not only is equal to his force, but equal in skill, he's targeting a shinobi village. In order to take out such a formidable fort, you not only need numbers, you need planning. This guy, whoever he is, almost flew under the radar, with his small badnit group, leading people to believe he was just some petty criminal. But i have men in the inside, and we learned he is much more dangerous, and his attacks on the Rice Paddy fields have only been a guise. He's using us as practice."

Kenji's eyes fell to the ground. "These attacks, these small attacks are to plan an assault on Kumogakure..."

"Correct, he doesn't know we know. He's getting more violent, more prepared, but also, more vulnerable. Now is our time to strike. I've been told you're handling the assignment with a Genin. You have that much confidence in him? These guys are professionals, even you will have to be careful, which I know is extremely difficult for you, but you'll manage I trust."

"Allow me to apol---"

"Cut the crap, we both know it won't be genuine. You hold a certain disdain for me, that's rooted deep, it won't be vanishing anytime soon."

Kenji only nodded and exited Ooame's office. Kenji had time to get a drink a catch up with a few friends, and see how they were doing. He stopped to get a soda and a small sandwich. He was met with many happy faces, not only at seeing him, but knowing that there bandit problem would be over soon, now that he was there.

He walked across the street to see Takeshii waiting for him, "What have you learned?"

"There's six in total. Three lower ranked shinobi. One's described as fat and uses earth, one's tall and thin and uses wind, the other is hyperactive and uses lightning. There's three other shinobi but their ranks are unknown. One's short and thin, he's described as a loud mouth. No one described what his elements are, but from his description he's fast and uses a katana. From this I can deduce that he specializes in close quarters combat, with a specialty in kenjutsu. The second is tall and muscular, he's described as a mountain and is recognizable by the large sword he carries. The black smith told me that its big enough to take out a dozen men, from this description I can deduce that he also specializes in close quarters combat. He's quiet and only follows orders. From this I can deduce that he is a mid level enforcer. The last is not described physically. However, I'm sure from his description that he's the real boss. No one bosses him around, even though he doesn't speak its clear that the others are afraid of him and respect him. He only watches, this tells me that he likes to know his enemy before he confronts them. He's a planner, and this makes him even more dangerous."

He stopped briefly, Kenji soaked in the information, he was impressed that he gathered such high quality information. He knew right then and there that he was ready to go all the way.

"I have a feeling that this last attack wasn't random, sir. The black smith said it was different from the last ones, more violent. This tells me that it wasn't a normal attack. It sounds to me like it was a training drill. They've attacked this village dozens of times, yet the black smith said that no one ever died before and nothing got messed up to badly. Why now? Why, unless you were planning a larger attack. And why plan a larger attack, unless your planning to attack something larger? The only place I can think of that's nearbye that fits such a description is Kumogakure. This is all the intel I was able to acquire. I pray it was enough, sir."

"Nicely done Takeshii. You're right, they are planning an attack on Kumogakure, and with a much larger force than the three lower level shinobi and the three higher ranked shinobi. We have to defeat the leader, as he is getting close to his final preparations. There's no time to waste, do you have the information and equipment to face our enemy? If so, since you've talked with the locals and done such a great analytical job, share with me your thoughts on offense, we need strategy if we're to prevail."



 
WC: 2,016/2500

"Nicely done Takeshii. You're right, they are planning an attack on Kumogakure, and with a much larger force than the three lower level shinobi and the three higher ranked shinobi. We have to defeat the leader, as he is getting close to his final preparations. There's no time to waste, do you have the information and equipment to face our enemy? If so, since you've talked with the locals and done such a great analytical job, share with me your thoughts on offense, we need strategy if we're to prevail."

Inside Takeshii was pleased to be praised by his sensei, but this wasn't the time to wallow in self-appreciation. It would only make the future task that much harder.

"I believe we have all of the information which we require to mount an offensive sir. I'm fully equipped, and as ready as I'm going to be. From the information I've gathered, and from what you've said about a larger force. I believe that they're held up in the abandon mines nearby. I will scout the mines from afar and gain as much detail as I can about their forces and patrols." He took a breath in thought.

"Though as it stands. If we attack directly without being fully prepared. The leader will simply have his overwhelming force take us out. If it's big enough to attack the village, than I'm sure its large enough to easily take the two of out without much thought. Therefore, I believe that our best tactic is a stealthy entrance, with such a large force its imposible to know everyone. I think we can disquise ourselves as new entries, and make our way through the camp without arrousing any suspicion. When we make our way to the leader, I believe he'll have his enforcers take us out. To set an example for the lower runts. Also to gather intel on our fighting style. So at this stage of the plan it would be wise to use minimum effort, but maximum efficiency techniques. And to maintain a random style of fighting. This way the leader cannot get a good read on our true style and the full scope of our abilities. I believe he will hold out until his five enforcers have been defeated, though I'm sure the three lower runts will bulk at the first sign of real conflict. Ultimately, killing the leader should be the primary goal. Our secondary goal should be to kill the loud mouth. He will certainly claim leadership if he's left to live. With both defeated the larger man will have no one to claim loyalty to. This will make our tertiary goal much easier, gathering intel on their plan of attack. Alternatively we can spend time within the camp. I'm sure the loud mouth will give us plenty of information if we simply eavesdrop on him in disguise."

"So first I feel that we should scout the base. Learn the patrol patterns so we can more easily infiltrate under the cover of darkness. Second we should make our way through the mines to the leader's whereabouts. Once their, we will have options. We could try to assassinate the leader, quietly. Or we could challenge him directly. I don't feel that he would deny a direct challenge, especially in front of his men. This would be my approach, sir. And I feel it leaves the most room up for improvisation, which is good when your going in partially blind."

With this, Takeshii would stay quiet and wait for a response. From the information he gathered, this would be the most solid plan. Being incognito had a lot of bonuses when your going in blind. First of all you can gather a lot of information without being too suspicious. Second of all, should things change within the mines, having a flexible strategy allows you to adapt more easily.

(WC 2888/2500)

"I believe we have all of the information which we require to mount an offensive sir. I'm fully equipped, and as ready as I'm going to be. From the information I've gathered, and from what you've said about a larger force. I believe that they're held up in the abandon mines nearby. I will scout the mines from afar and gain as much detail as I can about their forces and patrols.

Takeshii made valid points, and Kenji would most likely second his ideas, and enforce them.

"Though as it stands. If we attack directly without being fully prepared. The leader will simply have his overwhelming force take us out. If it's big enough to attack the village, than I'm sure its large enough to easily take the two of out without much thought. Therefore, I believe that our best tactic is a stealthy entrance, with such a large force its imposible to know everyone. I think we can disquise ourselves as new entries, and make our way through the camp without arrousing any suspicion. When we make our way to the leader, I believe he'll have his enforcers take us out. To set an example for the lower runts. Also to gather intel on our fighting style. So at this stage of the plan it would be wise to use minimum effort, but maximum efficiency techniques. And to maintain a random style of fighting. This way the leader cannot get a good read on our true style and the full scope of our abilities. I believe he will hold out until his five enforcers have been defeated, though I'm sure the three lower runts will bulk at the first sign of real conflict. Ultimately, killing the leader should be the primary goal. Our secondary goal should be to kill the loud mouth. He will certainly claim leadership if he's left to live. With both defeated the larger man will have no one to claim loyalty to. This will make our tertiary goal much easier, gathering intel on their plan of attack. Alternatively we can spend time within the camp. I'm sure the loud mouth will give us plenty of information if we simply eavesdrop on him in disguise."

"So first I feel that we should scout the base. Learn the patrol patterns so we can more easily infiltrate under the cover of darkness. Second we should make our way through the mines to the leader's whereabouts. Once their, we will have options. We could try to assassinate the leader, quietly. Or we could challenge him directly. I don't feel that he would deny a direct challenge, especially in front of his men. This would be my approach, sir. And I feel it leaves the most room up for improvisation, which is good when your going in partially blind."

Kenji rubbed his chin. "From the information I've required, the back up is more than a few days out. I agree that we should scout the base, but infiltrating perse may not be necessary, I like how you think though, not being afraid of going behind enemy lines. The only forces they have mobile right now are the three lowly henchmen and the mountain of a shinobi, the motor mouth, and the boss. We'll take the small fries out first, then go from there. We want to dispose of these low level pricks as quickly and as quietly as possible."

Kenji exhaled, as he was relieved that he would finally get the chance to defeat his home's terrorizers.

"Normally we would wait till dark to ambush, but given that I'm a long range specialist, I say we go now, and upon determining their position in secret, I'll pick as many off from a distance as possible."

He was sure the fact that he perferred long range combat was obvious to Takeshii, seeing as he wielded a crossbow, that was currently slung across his right shoulder, and being a master in Genjutsu.

"Travel quietly, like I said, I'll take out the first wave, after that, our position will most likely be revealed and we'll have to take on the real deal. As you stated, both of the guys we know the most about are close range fighters, one extremely strong and the other extremely fast. The big guy, I'll detain him with speed easily, the fast one appears to have an ego from what you've told me, trust me, I would know a thing or two about ego."

Kenji smiled proudly of his arrogance.

"Takeshii, you've shown great aptitude in strategy, fight smart, find his weakness. If the boss enters the fight, we'll have to adjust of course, and by adjust, I mean... he's mine. If I need your help, I'll let you know. I'm sorry, but it's a bit personal."

"Let's head out!"

The two left the marsh lands of the Rice Paddy fields and entered the outskirts of the abadoned mine. They reached a cliff, where they looked down on the enemy base. Adjacent to the cliff and away from the mine was a steep downward slope. The enemy was sure to target the cliff, aiming to destroy it, so if that time came, that would be there escape route, and from there it would be an all out fight.

Kenji immediately spotted three guards that walked aimlessly, he had to admit, he was impressed. They seemed vigilant and alert. But given their distance (>70 meters) they were sitting ducks. Kenji looked over to Takeshii, then loaded up his crossbow and aimed. "From this range, it'll take the bolt just over a second to hit the target, in that time another will already be fired. The third guard is who is probably going to survive, at this distance, there's nothing we can do. To stop him from escaping and alerting the others, I won't you to go down the slope and gain a closer position, after the second bolt is fired, and you see him make a run for it, you stop him, by any means. If we can sneak up on the other three, that's what we want."

Kenji wasn't as skilled in the strategic department but he was sure Takeshii would agree with the plan. If he didn't he was all ears of course. If Takeshii agreed and made his way down the side of the cliff, closer to the base, Kenji would load up his crossbow. What Kenji didn't take in to account was that the men may have another means of alerting their superiors, so despite the plan, it could still be in vain.


WC: 3,150/2500

Kenji rubbed his chin. "From the information I've required, the back up is more than a few days out. I agree that we should scout the base, but infiltrating perse may not be necessary, I like how you think though, not being afraid of going behind enemy lines. The only forces they have mobile right now are the three lowly henchmen and the mountain of a shinobi, the motor mouth, and the boss. We'll take the small fries out first, then go from there. We want to dispose of these low level pricks as quickly and as quietly as possible."

"Yes sir." Takeshii replied with a short nod. This made sense to him.

"Normally we would wait till dark to ambush, but given that I'm a long range specialist, I say we go now, and upon determining their position in secret, I'll pick as many off from a distance as possible."

"Makes sense, sir." Takeshii said.

"Travel quietly, like I said, I'll take out the first wave, after that, our position will most likely be revealed and we'll have to take on the real deal. As you stated, both of the guys we know the most about are close range fighters, one extremely strong and the other extremely fast. The big guy, I'll detain him with speed easily, the fast one appears to have an ego from what you've told me, trust me, I would know a thing or two about ego." Kenji smiled. A brief silence broke between them.

"Takeshii, you've shown great aptitude in strategy, fight smart, find his weakness. If the boss enters the fight, we'll have to adjust of course, and by adjust, I mean... he's mine. If I need your help, I'll let you know. I'm sorry, but it's a bit personal."

"I understand, sir. I figured this was a personal mission for you, I just didn't mention anything before. I'll do everything in my power and tear down any mountain that gets in my way, in order to make this mission a success. It's as good as done."

"Let's head out!"

The two of the moved swiftly and quietly through the woods, until they made their way to the abandoned mine. The mine was at the foot of a hill, across from it was another wooded hill, and surrounding the mines was a wooded area. In front of the mines were the three Genin. The fat one in the middle, the tall wiry one on the left, and the twitchy one on the right. They were less than 70 meters away from Takeshii and Kenji, and less than 10 meters away from each other. Takeshii eyed the genin, his hands went up in front of him just below his waist and twitched seemingly at random. His eyes darted back and forth, his lips muttering something beneath his breath. His eyes closed slowly, and opened and his hands closed to his sides.

"From this range, it'll take the bolt just over a second to hit the target, in that time another will already be fired. The third guard is who is probably going to survive, at this distance, there's nothing we can do. To stop him from escaping and alerting the others, I won't you to go down the slope and gain a closer position, after the second bolt is fired, and you see him make a run for it, you stop him, by any means. If we can sneak up on the other three, that's what we want."

"I can stop them all long enough for you to get all three shots off with minimal effort and maximum stealth. But the heavy one is the one I'll have the most problems with if he lives. He's an earth user so he can easily shut off the entrance to the cave and give his comrades time to escape to their main force. We absolutely cannot allow this to happen, so he must go first. Give me a minute to set a trap, I'll signal you with when its ready. Once your first arrow hits, I'm wagering that the twitchy one is going to make a run for it. The wiry one will likely run towards the heavier set genin giving you an easier target for your second shot. If he runs for the mine he'll run into my trap. Either way, my trap will take care of the stragglers quickly and quietly, so long as the heavy one goes first. Is this change of tactic ok with you, sensei?"

(WC 3664/2500)

"I can stop them all long enough for you to get all three shots off with minimal effort and maximum stealth. But the heavy one is the one I'll have the most problems with if he lives. He's an earth user so he can easily shut off the entrance to the cave and give his comrades time to escape to their main force. We absolutely cannot allow this to happen, so he must go first. Give me a minute to set a trap, I'll signal you with when its ready. Once your first arrow hits, I'm wagering that the twitchy one is going to make a run for it. The wiry one will likely run towards the heavier set genin giving you an easier target for your second shot. If he runs for the mine he'll run into my trap. Either way, my trap will take care of the stragglers quickly and quietly, so long as the heavy one goes first. Is this change of tactic ok with you, sensei?"

Kenji smiled, once again Takeshii proved his sharp intellect. "Of course, I'll wait for your signal."

Kenji loaded up his crossbow, waiting for the signal for Takeshii. The blue haired shinobi from his perch, had his eyes set on the bulky guard, who was a doton user, like Takeshii pointed out, he had to got first. Then, then next victim would be sure, and the trap would snare the last, allowing the two of them to initiate a sneak attack on the three main figures of the group. There was little breeze, making his shot that more easy, even though he was so adept in Kyuujutsu, the wind could be moving at 10+ mph and he'd still hit a bullseye from 40 meters.

"Alright Takeshii, just give me the signal."


WC: 3,457/2500

Kenji smiled, "Of course, I'll wait for your signal."

Takeshii nodded and slid down the right side of the hill. He went right a bit more before circling around, remaining completely silent. He moved as close as he dared staying completely silent and out of sight until he was close enough to set up his trap. Grabbing both rolls of 25 ft wire, he flowed chakra into it and snaked the wire under the soil beneath the leaves. They wouldn't produce any sounds. He crossed one of the rolls of wire behind the twitchy guard and snaked the other to the openning of the mine, wear he looped the wire into a wide noose. He took out two kunai. Both ends of the roll of wire which looped around the twitchy guard was tied to one. One end of the other was attached to the second.

Takeshii gave a short bird whistle. The whistle he used was for a common bird in the region, so it wouldn't arrouse any suspision. This was Kenji's signal.

Wire Manipulation:

(WC 3842/2500) (CP 140/150)

(OOC~XD Your trap seems so complex to me, please forgive my dullness.)

Kenji had his Crossbow loaded and ready, and upon hearing a bird whistle, the signal they agreed upon. An almost mischievous grin stretched across Kenji's face. "The big one goes first, then the second guy with the calm appearance, the twitchy one will be the one to fall for Takeshii's trap. I hope this plans comes together" Kenji closed one eye and took a deep breath, he pulled the trigger quickly and with great force. Then instantly, just as the bolt whizzed through the air with intention of piercing the doton user, Kenji deftly plucked a second bolt, and by muscle memory he slid it into position with little focus, and as soon as the bolt hit the doton user, the second bolt was fired. The calm guy didn't even have time to interpret what just happened before a bolt hit him in head, sending him collapsing in the leaves.

Just as expected, the third guy had ample time to try and escape, the twitchy fellow though would fall victim to the trap set by Takehsii. (Because I don't understand the trap, I'll let you describes what happens to him, sorry).

Kenji swung his crossbow and quiver over his shoulder. And started to make his way down the slope to join up with Takeshii. He joined up with Takeshii, he spoke quietly, "Was the trap a success." Kenji looked over at the scared guard and smiled, "I guess so."


WC: 3,714/2500

OOC: No worries, I left the outcome out so I could RP it according to who you let survive.

IC:

THUNK! The bolt pierced straight through the heavy set kid, and a trail of blood exited his head along with the bolt that was now stuck to the floor. The twitchy kid turned just in time to see his second comrade fall dead with a crossbow bolt straight into his heart.

'Damn! Remind me never to piss you off, Kenji-Sensei.' Takeshii thought to himself as he sprung his trap.

In an instant the kunai he gripped in his right hand to which was attached a length of wire hidden under the ground surrounding the twitchy one was thrown into a tree behind Takeshii. The result, the wire sprung from the ground and wrapped around the twitchy boy's throat and stuck him snuggly to the tree behind him. He struggled briefly and tried to use a Raiton jutsu to escape. However the result was him electricuting himself. With the wire around his neck the electric jolt hit his brain instantaneously resulting in immediate unconciousness, and with the wire around his neck and his body slack. A red line of blood could be seen on his neck as his body weight fell into the wire causing him to choke himself to death. This would happen in mere moments.

Once Kenji made it to Takeshii's position, Takeshii would allow Kenji to see his handy work briefly before removing the kunai and retracting the wire back to their individual spools and replacing them in his pocket. This he would do without the use of his Wire Manipulation Jutsu which he had cancelled immediately after setting the traps.

With a Nod, Takeshii would wait for his next command. If Kenji went into the cave Takeshii would follow. If Kenji wanted to take a moment to come up with a more in depth strategy Takeshii would be more than happy to do that as well. However, the strategy they had now was more than adequate for Takeshii. Kenji takes the big slow dude (rather easily considering his emmense speed), Takeshii takes the fast and loud one. Easy squeezy lemon peezy. Finally Kenji takes on the big bad boss, and Takeshii gets to sit back and drink freshly squeezed lemonade while watching his master fly into a murderous fury and beat the literal and metaphorical sh*t out of the dude that's been attacking his home town.

(WC 4326/2500)

Takeshii's trap had incapacitated the guard in every sense of the word. They were now ready to move on to the next phase of the mission. Kenji looked at Takeshii, "we don't want to get in a brawl inside the cave, the more space we have the -- " Kenji saw something peculiar that caught his attention and caused him to stop mid sentence. The stocky fellow that he hit first, had his fist balled, it wasn't uncommon but it seemed strange. By this time Takeshii was sure to know what Kenji's attention was on. Kenji kneeled down, "It looks as if he was holding something, or triggered something." Kenji used a kunai to pry his hand open, in his palm was a small rectangular device, and it was blinking red.

Kenji looked up at Takeshii with an upset look on his face, "It's a silent alarm, they already--" A smoke bomb went off at the entrance of the cave. Kenji leaped back several meters, giving himself time to react to whoever might emerge from the smoke. Kenji slid into his long range stance as he propped his crossbow and loaded it quickly. He shuffled backwards ready to aim and fire.

There were a disturbance in the smoke, and emerging from it was a hefty man that wielded an incredible broad sword. Kenji let off a bolt immediately, but he came out with his sword shielding him, deflecting it away, "He thinks ahead, good, that'll make this more fun." Kenji then switched to his Hane and dashed forward into the air, he could tell that the strong shinobi didn't even sense him he was so fast, his movements were probably untraceable to all who was in the area. As Kenji floated a meter above the swordsman, looking to decapitate him in one swing, another shinobi appeared from the smoke. He was fast, and was barely able to intercept Kenji's aerial strike with his own katana.

Kenji spun mid air and delivered a spinning side kick to the speedy shinobi's face sending him flying several meters away. Then, as he came out of his spin, the big guy had realized his situation and had tried to take advantage by attacking the airborne Kenji with his lengthy weapon. Kenji easily met the strike and he channeled raiton chakra through his Hane, and upon contact the raiton flowed into his opponent's weapon and then to his body, electrocuting him. He was almost disarmed, he could see his grip waver, but he didn't need to disarm him anyway, all he needed was a split second in where his opponent was vulnerable, as Kenji landed, he watched his enemy convulse. In that moment Kenji unleashed a deadly slash to his opponent's leg, his Hane cutting them limb off with ease. The man dropped his sword as he growled in agony, as he was toppling to the ground Kenji, in a whipping motion he slid his katana across his neck, decapitating him before he hit the ground.

The other guy had been repelled away by Kenji's foot, and Takeshii was now or had already most likely engaged him, Kenji would look to see how things were progressing with him, and if he needed assistance he would be able to offer it. "Where's the other guy?"


WC: 4,275

"We don't want to get in a brawl inside the cave, the more space we have the -- " Something had gotten Kenji's attention. He eyed the hand of the heavy set kid, and in it was a small device. He must have been holding it when he was shot. Takeshii's mind wandered briefly to how the kids were set up.

'He's smart. Leave the earth user in the open like a sitting duck, obviously the attention would be drawn to him. This whole thing was a trap.' Takeshii already had his Kunai in his hand and was already tying a 25 foot spool of wire to either end, this took mere moments as Takeshii had practiced this movement hundreds of times.

"It looks as if he was holding something, or triggered something." Kenji looked up at Takeshii with a grave face. Takeshii knew already but allowed Kenji to say it. "It's a silent alarm."

Takeshii jumped back quite a distance and placed his kunai on the ground so that they faced diagonally away from eachother and slightly upwards. He than threw chakra into the air around the kunai, visually nothing was different, however from this point forward on the kunai will fly forward on their own trajectory on Takeshii's command. He than took a large chakram from his side, closed his eyes tapping into his Kekkei Genkai and waited.

First the large man came out, and blocked a bolt from Kenji. Kenji ran at a barely discernable speed even to Takeshii's eyes and appeared above the large man swinging his katana Hane. The smoke billowed as the loud mouth leapt over the large man and struck Kenji's sword in mid air. Kenji spun and kicked the loud mouth about 20 feet from Takeshii's position. He slid about 5 feet towards Takeshii turned towards Kenji.

"Hey, Slowpoke! Over here!"

He turned with a glare towards Takeshii and flourished his sword behind his back. "Slow huh? I'll kill you before you can see me!"

"I'll watch you try."

To a normal person he would appear to leave his location bolting straight for Takeshii, but Takeshii could see every movement. He willed the Kunai to fly, and they did hurling past the kid's feet. By the time he realized wire was attached to them, the wire spun around his feet wrapping him up from his ankles to his neck. He slid towards Takeshii whom touched the wire and fused it into one solid mass of metal with his left hand. His right hand thrusted his Chakram into his jugular. Cutting his carotid and jugular veins in one blow.

"H-how?"

"My name is Akata Takeshii. I can see your every move."

The chuunin fainted from blood loss, he would be dead momentarily. Takeshii took the Kunai from his wire and replaced them to his back. Unfortunately there was no unfusing technique, so he'd be down a roll of wire. However it was worth it.

The large man fell to his knees as his legs slid out from underneath him. His head rolled to the ground and Kenji turned.

"Where's the other one?"

"Taken care of." Takeshii said pointing to the now dead loudmouth lying at his feet in a steel cocoon of wire with his eyes. Kenji would certainly notice the more pronounced sunflower in the middle of Takeshii's eyes.

Manipulating Blades Technique:

Hawk Eye:

(-15 for Manipulating Blades Technique, -15 for Wire Manipulation, -10 for Hawk Eye; 100/150)

(WC 4897)

Kenji looked over and saw that Takeshii's enemy was taken care of as well. He had set a trap that the speedy shinobi ran right into, victim of his own arrogance. Takeshii capitalized flawlessly with a chakra to the jugular. Kenji walked over slowly to Takeshii. His Hane drawn, his face stern, searching for the last one, the boss.

*Clapping*

"Well done, Kenji isn't it? Who's the twerp?" Kenji scoffed, "This twerp as you call him just killed your right hand." The man was dressed in a tight jumpsuit, he was well trained physically and he stood with confidence. "I am Jayzume, I've become aware of your intel on me recently, just this morning actually. But Ooame and his people have people patrolling all over and of course you were drifting about in the vicinity. Forcing me to engage. But this will be your downfall, not mine. You will see soon that you and... the kid are no match."

The man who called himself Jayzume, was extremely calm. Which gave Kenji an eerie feeling. "I'll break his confidence." Kenji thought to himself. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to make this quick, you've enjoyed your reign long enough." Kenji's entered sage mode, and watched his appearance morph. The sage shot a glance at Takeshii cueing him to stay back, and then lunged forward at speed beyond Kage tier (X rank speed). It took the Sage only a fraction of a second to reach Jayzume and he delivered a roundhouse kick to the face of the shinobi. Kenji grinned as he watched his enemy's body flail to the right, after crashing the side of his foot against his chin. The body that lied on the ground began to transform into water, leaving no trace of the once Jayzume.

Kenji heard a swooping sound, and spotted that from the south of both Takeshii and Kenji, and large dragon, about the size of a bus was flying like a missile aimed right for Takeshii. Kenji gritted his teeth, Takeshii was quick, and he had shown impressive reflexes during his time in his squad. Kenji used his pouncing lion jutsu to propel himself in front of Takeshii and then after swooping in front of his student, he drew his second katana and began to rotating violently releasing a spiraling cocoon of wind infused chakra that repelled the water dragon forcefully.

Jayzume was actually standing atop the water dragon that was being ripped apart, Kenji was well aware of his position thanks to his sage mode. The light footed shinobi leaped from the top of his jutsu before it was completely repelled. Water rained downed on the area as the suiton jutsu was destroyed.

Jayzume landed a few meters away from Takeshii, aiming for him once more. "Jayzume, your fight is with me." Kenji raised his glove of reflection in front of him after sheathing his rusty katana, trapping him in an illusion. He then sprinted in front of Takeshii once more, the skilled ninja however would see him running away, leaving him startled to see Kenji standing right in front of him, with his Hane to his throat.

"And now your fight with me is done." Kenji stared into the man's eyes, and then once again flexed his other worldly speed by delivering a quick knee to his opponent's stomach, forcing him to the ground. "Takeshii, detain him..." He was gone again.

Then came another storm from above, but this time it was an incalculable amount of shuriken heading right for Kenji. Takeshii was most likely already out of the area. Kenji lowered his head and closed his eyes. Kenji took every last shuriken. His body was completely mutilated. Then in a last gurgle, Kenji's form was replaced with a log. He then leaped into the air behind the unsuspecting Jayzume and stabbed him the heart with his Hane, and kept it in as he drove him into the ground.

The collision left a 2 meter deep crater in the earth. "You will never harm my people again." It was done, he had resolved his home's issue. "Takeshii" He shouted to wherever the Genin was. "Nice work. I couldn't have done this without you." Kenji sighed as he was relieved that the mission was finally over.


5001/2500> Mission Complete

The moment that the loud mouth was dead, a figure appeared at the mouth of the cave. His features were largely hidden by his skin tight suit that covered him from his nose to his toes. Takeshii backed off, knowing the fight was Kenji. However he kept his eyes and ears open, fully aware that he was the most obvious target. He was younger than Kenji, and obviously a lesser rank. Being that he was with Kenji it wouldn't be illogical to assume he was a subordinate. Knowing this he began to think of how one would attack him. If it were Takeshii he would make a distraction on the opposite side of Takeshii, in front of Kenji. Than using the distraction as cover would assault the unguarded Takeshii with ruthless abandonment.

"Well done, Kenji isn't it? Who's the twerp?" Kenji scoffed, "This twerp as you call him, just killed your right hand."

"I am Jayzume, I've become aware of your intel on me recently, just this morning actually. But Ooame and his people have people patrolling all over and of course you were drifting about in the vicinity. Forcing me to engage. But this will be your downfall, not mine. You will see soon that you and... the kid are no match."

'Distract...' Takeshii thought to himself watching Jayzume intently.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to make this quick, you've enjoyed your reign long enough." Kenji said calmly before entering his Blue Lion sage mode. His features morphed to become more feline in nature. He looked at Takeshii and than in the blink of even Takeshii's eye, was on Jayzume and kicked him in the side of the head.

Takeshii heard a rumbling behind him, and turned quickly to see a giant watery dragon blowing through the hill behind him. He leapt far out of the path of the water dragon while Kenji deflected it with wind chakra. 'Engage.' Surely enough the other was a clone.

He looked over to the dragon and on top was whom appeared to be Jayzume. He leapt from his disapating dragon and landed in front of Takeshii who rolled backwards away from Jayzume. "Jayzume, your fight is with me." Kenji said as he reflected an illusion into his eyes. In the span of a heart beat Kenji was behind the boss man.

"And now your fight with me is done." Kenji stated as he swiftly knee'd the shinobi in the stomache with forces sufficient enough to obliterate his internal organs. "Takeshii detain-" a splash of water on the ground.

Takeshii heard whizzing through the air, turned and took a deep breath. However before he could exhale Kenji leapt in front of him and took every one of the thousands of shuriken.

"KENJI!!" He shouted as his sensei poofed into a splintered log which split into dozens of peices once it hit the ground.

"GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" A wave of air and dust passed over Takeshii and the trees rattled. The deed was done. Takeshii could feel it.

"Takeshii!" he heard his sensei's voice. "Nice work. I couldn't have done this without you."

"Yes sir. I'm just happy I was able to keep my promise to you. And help you make this mission a success." Takeshii said candidly, giving his sensei one more bow before the two left. He closed his eyes finally and released his Kekkei Genkai. The two would return to the rice fields on their way home to announce that their bandit problem had been taken care of, before reporting back to the Hokage at the village. Takeshii had learned a great deal from this mission. Lessons he couldn't wait to apply to his next mission. Whatever that might be.

~Exit~

(WC 5527/2500)