He was ready to go the war was over for him. Setsuko and his mentor were with him and they were ready to return home back to the village hidden in the clouds. However fate seemed to have a different plan for him. A messenger from our village found us and told us we had to immediately return to the front lines. The front line was located in bird country. The last remnants of the Seven Bells were now in bird country. Zanto would have been lying if he said he wasn’t glad for one more shot at these guys. The money would be great to especially sense he had a new roommate.
Setsuko turned to Zanto with a worried look in her eyes and why wouldn’t she? Zanto was about to go right back into a bloody war. He was lucky enough that he survived this long, but play with fire long enough and you will eventually get burned.
Zanto just turned and smiled at her. Trying to calm her and comfort her with kind words, but what good was it going to do he wondered.
She dropped her gigantic pack. Her eyes were already shrink wrapped in tears. She wrapped her arms around him tightly as she could as if he would fade away if she let him go.
It was painful for him, but he endured. He gently ran his fingers threw her hair. He just stood there. He thought he could calm her down, but he quickly ran out of things to say and just allowed her to cry into his shoulder. He didn’t know what to do. What could he do?
“Setsuko… I have to go.” Zanto gently whispered into Setsuko’s ear. She shook her head no and refused to let him go.
Zanto gently lifted her chin so he could look her in the eye. He simply smiled and said.
“Don’t worry I promise I will make it back safely.”
Her tears were still flowing down her cheeks as she stared at him.
“I will hold you to that. And so help me if you die I will find a way to the underworld and beat you senseless.” She sobbed.
As scary as she was Zanto still appreciated the sentiment.
After she finally calmed her down he gave her his key to his apartment and told her to meet him back in the village.
Zanto watched as Setsuko walked down the dirt road to his home. He took a moment to reflect on the events that happened. Somehow he managed to get dragged into a comforting yet complicated relationship with a scary strong woman with anger issues. Although for some reason that was beyond Zanto’s comprehension he was happier with Setsuko in his life. It made him feel like a supreme idiot for leaving her so many years ago.
‘Well… putting my aside my think skull for a moment. It is time to get focused. It’s time for another battle and another bloody fight. This should be good.
When she finally far enough away Zanto turned to his mentor and grinned wickedly.
“Well Kenji-sensei up for another mission?” Zanto asked.

wc: 526

Kenji's legs tensed a bit as he had been weakened a bit from the ordeal of the entire war. His speed and dedication to agility had me him physicaly more susceptible to injury and fatigue. It was without a doubt one of the bigger reasons Kenji went into the espionage unit, so he could avoid such physically taxing campaings as this. His muscels still heaving, they were approached by a fellow cloud ninja who had a dire message to give the travlers. It was obvious there time in Kirigakure was not quite over yet. Kenji and Zanto were once again being called upon to lend their skills. The messanger didn't have all the information, the only thing he relayed was the urgency and where to go confront the terror that was laying waste to the "Bird country". Kenji couldn't say he had ever been or heard of "Bird Country". But based on the landmarks and general direction he was sure they would find it. On top of all that, there was apparently quite the commotion in that area, making the tracking portion all that much easier. Kenji was extremely skilled in tracking and strategy, and he was starting to see more and more why Zanto was trusted with him. He was a young shinobi with a lot to prove, he could tell by the way he thirsted for combat, the shinobi who had ascended way beyond the rank of Genin since their arrival basically volunteered to go on this voyage. Also, as Kenji has said to Zanto many times, his combat skills and intelligence has shone brightly on multiple ocassions.

Setsuko was beside herself at the news of Zanto being thrown back into the turbulence of war. Her passion, her love, it was so reminiscent of the link he once shared with a special woman years ago. A faint grin illuminated his face, he quickly erased the fragment of emotion as they continued to embrace each other. Zanto attempted to calm her with soothing words of sincerity. They were finally able to tear away from each other's grip as she grabbed her massive luggage. She trekked down the dirt road, leaving Zanto and Kenji behind. Kenji had actually attempted to leave earlier, as he had a wedding reception to attend, but on his way he was called back while he was with Kasfara. Now, here he was again trying to get back to his fiance... Looks like the wedding is going to be delayed. He now turned to Zanto. His face revealed little about his current feeling on the situation. It was his job, this was what he did, he fought, he tracked, he assassinated. As far as Kenji was concerned, this was just another one of his many obligations as an elite shinobi. Well, it hadn't always been a popular belief within Kenji, but he was starting to view it as such now.

True to his war form, Zanto showed a frightful glee pertaining to being called back into battle. Kenji's tired eyes fell on Zanto. His student posed the question of whether or not he was up for another mission... How would he answer that? He could feel his heart steadily regressing back to its chilly nature as so many apathetic responses ran along the tip of his tongue. He retrieved them and decided to give a more neutral answer. "I think I have at least one more good run in me. Let's make it count Zanto." Kenji's combat pet and long time friend Kasfara was still roaming around in Kirigakure. The giant lion, despite his large size was incredibly stealthy. Kenji burdened the lion with running a few errands and intel trips while he went back to Kumo for the wedding rehearsal. But instead, it seemed like he would be joining up with the feline fighter once more. It then occured to Kenji that Zanto never met Kasfara. hmmm. "Zanto, have you ever met my second half, my fighting partner. The reason why I've earned the title of Lion Sage."


Mission Wordcount: 692

Zanto chuckled at his mentor’s question.
“Can’t say I have had the pleasure.”
He had ever seen an actual lion before and to him it was intriguing, but whether or not it could be of any use to them has yet to be seen. Even though his faith and trust in Kenji has been shaken he was still willing to fight side by side with him. Mostly because Zanto had it in his head that he would be able to handle anything that was thrown at him, but that was mostly hot air in his head. Still it put his mind at ease that Kenji would fight beside him. From what he has seen he has proven to be very capable and Zanto has proven much the same.
“I just hope your partner has some bite to. We are not exactly in need of a house pet on the battle field.” Zanto jested.
Zanto looked one last time down the dirt road Setsuko had taken. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He needed to focus. The thrill of war was just over the horizon and he needed to be ready. As much as he wanted to put his emotions aside for the sake of the upcoming battle he wouldn’t rest easy until he knew she was safe.
Zanto turned and headed down the road towards their destination.
‘I hope Setsuko makes it back to the village alright.’ Zanto thought.
Zanto was going through a vicious loop. On the surface he was calm and eager for his next fight but on the other hand he was still worried about Setsuko the road can be a dangerous place especially if you are a women traveling alone, but Setsuko was capable and as Zanto has experience first-hand. She packs a hell of a punch.
‘She will be fine… that women packed one hell of a punch.’ Zanto said as he rubbed his cheek.
As he was walking he checked the pouch on his belt to see what he had.
‘Hmm, all I have is a pack of Kunais and my Zanbato on my back. I really should invest in more equipment with little equipment I won’t have as many options on the battle field.’
Maybe it would be somewhat of a challenge this time, but who knows. There were a few close calls when Zanto had been injured, but it was nothing too serious. It was highly doubtful Zanto was going to be put in charge again, but as long as he was on the front lines it didn’t matter to him. Just as long as he wasn’t part of a suicide squad or put under an arrogant moron.
“Kenji-Sensei… Do we know who we are meeting up with? From the sound of it we are only going to be cleaning up the remains of the Seven bells forces and quite frankly from what I have seen so far I am not impressed.” Zanto stated.

WC 1018

Kenji thought on the capabilities of his loyal combat partner, Kasfara. In truth, Kasfara was more dangerous and more skilled than himself... "Yeah, he can definitely hold his own. I'm only proposing that he tags along because truthfully, my body can only take but so much more and my partner is as energetic as they come." Kenji had to be honest with his physical capacity... it wasn't the greatest. Kenji was frail. He often bruised much quicker and takes him much longer to recover. He is also quite tiresome, growing fatigue at a much more rapid rate than his contemporaries. "Last time I checked, he was cooped up in a cabin about 15 miles northeast of here." Zanto brought up the particulars of the mission, asking Kenji if he knew exactly what they were going up against and then Zanto gave his opinion. "You're probably right Zanto. Also, just so you know, Kasfara is quite the skilled investigator. According to the cloud messenger, the uprising is close to the position of Kasfara. So I'm sure upon meeting up with him we'll get some more helpful information on the issue at hand." With that, they set onward towards their destination.

The lion Sennin ran at a light pace compared to the speed he was capable of. Even in his deteriorated state he could see that Zanto still struggled to keep up with him. As the bottoms of their shoes stamped through the chaotic terrain they eased into the wild terrain that would take them to the cabin and their mission. The sprawling branches and leaves deflected the rays of sun causing them to beam down in mesmerizing patterns. Their path was truly illuminated. Kenji realized that they were going away from the village... "The normal road has been destroyed, taking us on a detour, once we reach the end we should run into Kasfara." The path continued to take them off away from the borders of Kirigakure. The village was smaller than Kenji could imagine, much smaller than Kumogakure. Birds began to flock over head as the quantity of trees waned. Now, instead of trees blotting out the sun, it was birds. "The Bird Country... I see." It was a bit eerie, the sheer amount of birds swooping about over head. Then a smile came on Kenji's face as a literal deafening roar filled the world, causing birds to scatter violently. It seems Kasfara doesn't like birds that much.

The two shinobi reduced their pace to a stroll. Kenji knew that Kasfara had picked up his scent by now. Kenji adjusted the ring of Supeketuro that adorned his right ring finger. He was now in uncharted territory and he had to be more prepared than usual given his less than prime condition. His supa Hane katana also lied on his hip. Topping off his arsenal was a crossbow with a 20 bolt quiver and several utility items distributed throughout his person. "We're close." As Kenji walked around the bend in the road that lead them out of the wild bird patch, he saw up ahead a large and gleaming cabin. "This is definitely not the place I remembered leaving Kasfara." Kenji hated how opulent Kasfara always had to be. He loved shiny things and was always so materialistic. The front door of the cabin flew open, causing Kenji to flinch a bit. They stood about 10 meters from the entrance. After a loud yawn came stumbling out the mammoth of a lion that was Kenji's combat pet Kasfara. On all fours the giant blue lion stood 6 feet tall, but then as he rose onto his hind legs to stretch, his height reached its full intimidating potential at 13 feet high. As his front paws latched back onto the turf a shockwave rippled through the ground as his strength caused earth to tremble. Kasfara was much stronger than Kenji, and he displayed it with every flex of his fine feline muscles.

Kasfara stared at Kenji with a confused look. His head tilted to the side. "Umm, are you married already, or did you chicken out?"


Mission Wordcount: 1408/3500

Bird country it was a place that lived up to its name. From a strategic stand point this was a wise move by the seven bells especially if they were using birds as carriers. It would be tough to spot one bird in a massive flock. Then there was the fact birds are so damn noisy, you wouldn’t be able to hear any movement and on top of that they were always moving around making it difficult to spot ambushes.
‘They must have done their homework. Sense fighting us head on was futile they are going to try guerrilla warfare instead. This proves whoever is in charge is pretty smart and clever. Maybe this time I will have a chance to test my wits against my enemy instead of cold steel.’ Zanto thought.
As the duo strolled through the bird country they came a crossed a large cabin. Kenji stated that he didn’t remember leaving this place. Either something has changed or he got lost. It didn’t matter either way. Zanto was more focused on his surroundings. Too many things were going on and the enemy was supposed to be in this area. There was no way Zanto was going to get picked off by a scout. If that happened he would have to suffer Setsuko’s wrath in the next life. That very notion sent shivers up and down his spine.
“Damn birds why can’t they just-“ Zanto was interrupted when the cabin doors flew open. Zanto acted on instinct and quickly drew his Zanbato and took his traditional fighting stance. There was a loud yawn and then a massive blue lion lazily stumbled out of the cabin.
“Huh… I didn’t know Lions were blue.’ Zanto thought.
The Lion paid no mind to Zanto to him Zanto wasn’t a threat, but he did know Kenji. Zanto sighed deeply and secured his Zanbato onto his back.
The blue lion then asked Kenji a strange question. Apparently Kenji was supposed to be married.
Zanto turned to Kenji with a bored expression on his face.
“Married huh?” Zanto said as he stared at his mentor. His expression quickly changed as he smiled and chuckled softly.
“Well Congratulations this calls for a drink I am sure Setsuko would be more than happy to brew you some of her world famous beer.”
Although it is custom to celebrate Zanto would make any excuse to get Setsuko to brew some beer. In his opinion she always made the best beer. It is his one true absolute weakness in this world.
Zanto bowed his head to Kenji and said
“May your litter be large and healthy.” Zanto stated.
He wondered if Kenji would pick up on Zanto’s little jab. Sense Kenji was a lion sage and lions were basically big cats.  Although he wasn’t sure if Kenji really wanted seven to ten kids. He was surprised about the fact Kenji was supposed to be married. He knew there was a lot about his mentor he didn’t know about, but the fact that he was supposed to get married was still a big shocker. In the end it was really none of Zanto’s business If Kenji wanted Zanto to know he would have told him. Out of respect and courtesy he wasn’t going to pry about details, because he knows he would hate it if someone else tried to poke around in his business.  
Zanto turned to the massive blue lion and said.
“So you must be Kasfara…. Have to admit I didn’t expect you to be blue… or live in a sparkly cabin…”
Zanto was still a little on edge not from the lion but the fact the damn birds would not stop chirping. The enemy could be anywhere, but he could hear anything. Even when someone is talking to him he would often quickly scan the tree line and his surroundings. This was a horrible situation to be in. An ambush could be around any corner.
 
WC:1677

Kenji glared at Kasfara, "You know why I'm here." Kasfara's head tilted even more. "No, I don't. BECAUSE, if you were here because of the violent uprising... THAT would mean, that you delayed your wedding to come back and help. Meaning that you committed a selfless act, which isn't possible in this universe." Kenji observed that Zanto was surprised by the news that his sensei was getting married. He decided to congratulate Kenji while making a sly joke at his expense, commenting on the feline nature of the lion. "Thank you for that kind sentiment." Kenji then turned his attention back to Kasfara, "I have changed quite a bit since those selfish days friend. Look, I have a student and everything. This is Zanto." Kenji gestured towards Zanto who stood next to him. He expressed his surprise that he was blue and how he chose to reside in such a gaudy monstrosity of a place. "Yes, I am. And my fur is blue due to the lineage of my species, a special breed of lions who grow much larger and of course... have blue fur. I hope your time with Kenji hasn't been too rough. He can be quite the sour snob at times. He has his reasons, but like he said, he is changing a bit."

Kenji quickly interjected as he didn't like the direction of the conversation too much. "Let's head inside, we need to discuss how we're going to deal with these Seven Bell fanatics. This is our final motion, we must destroy this desperate force that is bearing down on Kirigakure" Upon entering the cabin, Kenji almost fainted at the exuberance. Just like back at the Kasfarian Den: there was a chocolate fountain and large fur futon, several couches and a huge scratching post. "I don't even want to know how you got all this stuff in here." The blue haired shinobi's ears perked up at the sound of flapping inside the cabin. A bird swooped down from the second floor landing on Kasfara's shoulder. "How much longer will you be here." Kasfara just shrugged. "Alright, gimme a call before you leave" The bird flew off and out of the open door. Kenji slammed the door behind the slutty bird. Kasfara began to open his mouth with a smug look on his face. "I definitely, do not want to know about that."

Kenji located the fridge and snagged three drinks. He tossed one Zanto and handed the other to Kasfara. After taking a seat on the couch, Kenji began. "According to Zanto and I's sources, the forces are of average to above average skill, that's about it. What else can you tell us." Kasfara licked his paw for a moment before answering, "All I know is the force is large... and that they mostly utilize puppets and weapons. To be honest, you could probably take them solo." Kasfara yawned. The sennin began to blush a bit, as he hated asking for help. "Actually, I will need you and Zanto on this one." The giant blue lion burst out laughing. "Wait a second..." Kasfara managed to stifle the laughter for a short period. "You, Kenji of the clan of omnipotent force, The Third Lion Sage, the Blitzkrieg Specialist, the Blue Feather, The King of Dreams... need help." "..." "C'mon! I don't want to, give me one good reason why I have to get involved." "Because you swore to fight by my side on request." "..." "How the tables turn Kasfara. Finally, that is out of the way now. I suggest we go scout out the area of the uprising and get a closer look of what we're up against. It won't be easy given this erratic bird packed land. Lead us Kasfara"


Training: 2048/3500

Upon entering this gigantic blue lion’s lair Zanto was struck with disbelief. Everything in that cabin you would expect to find in some old crazy cat lady’s house. Except of course for the chocolate fountain; what in the world would a lion need with a chocolate fountain?
‘This is going to be a long day’. Zanto thought.
Zanto continued to look around this hideous cabin when a bird swooped down from the second floor. He noticed a smug look on the great blue lion’s face.
‘Huh…. So that’s how Griffons are born.’ Zanto thought.
Zanto moved towards the closest window and leaned on the wall looking outside scanning the area. Kenji through him a drink he wasn’t quite sure what it was but decided to drink it anyway.  While Kasfara and Kenji were talking Zanto continued to look out the window paying no mind to the two. His facial expression suggested he was deep in thought.
Zanto had a gut rotten feeling the whole time they had been in the bird country. That sensation that you know someone it watching you, but you are never sure.
‘I doubt the big blue lion would leave a trail for the seven bells, and we couldn’t have been followed otherwise Kenji-sensei would have spotted something… So why do I have this gut rotten feeling?’ Zanto wondered.
He began running scenarios in his head. Given the terrain and the number of wildlife Zanto saw a couple possibilities for the enemy if there commander had any brains whatsoever. One scenario would suggest they would litter the forest area with traps and booby trap some of the birds and wait for the enemy to come to them in the woods. However this would take a lot of time and normally wouldn’t be used if you were the invading forces. Another scenario suggests they would use hit and run tactics and wear us down with mosquito bites instead of hitting us head on, but that had its own risks. They also could try to divided our forces and take us few at a time.
They know we are the stronger force and there was no way they could fight us head on. The best logical tactic would be to use a combination of these three tactics. The fact they were puppet masters suggest they were experts at mechanics, so sophisticated traps wouldn’t be beyond them. If they had the coordination and smarts to pull this off it could get very dangerous.
‘No matter how you look at it they have to weaken us before they could attack us. The question is how are they going to do this.’
Zanto grinned wickedly as he stared out the window and softly chuckled.
‘I really hope the one in charge of the Seven bells has some brains. This could turn out to be very entertaining.’
Only moments later Zanto thought he saw something in the tree line. It was the slightest of glints. He wasn’t sure what to make of it until hundreds of Kunai with Paper bombs flew out of the tree line and towards the cabin.
Thanks to Zanto’s lightning reflexes he was able to react quickly. He summoned two null spheres and leaped towards Kenji and the blue lion.
“INCOMING!” He shouted.
As he was jumping he formed both of his null spheres into domes covering himself and Kenji with one and Kasfara with the other.
After the massive explosion the cabin was in ruins fortunately the null spheres were able to handle the massive barrage, but they were in a bad spot and had to move.

WC: 2277

Kenji and Kasfara rose up, getting ready to exit the cabin in search of the uprising. Kenji peered over to Zanto who had been looking out the window the entire time. As the pair walked near the door, Kenji stride slowed as distinct yet subtle disturbance outside the cabin could be heard. Kasfara's impeccable hearing allowed him to hear much more clearer, and he let out a growl in response. Zanto had confirmed their suspicions by calling out to them to find cover, which he would soon help them with. Kenji's student put on display his unique blood line ability by calling forth the mysterious energy to shroud himself and both Kenji and Kasfara. A multitude of exploding kunai ravished the cabin, reducing it to absolute rubble. However, all inside were protected from the damage due to Zanto's jutsu. Kasfara was the first to act. He took his giant paw and swiped at a large piece of debris sending it into the direction of the strike. The debris wrecked the bushes and five ninja jumped from behind the shrubbery. He then swiped at the ruins of his fountain, the metal structure was fired at deadly speed and hit one ninja in the head, knocking him out. The giant lion then took a few steps forward, all the ninja just stood and shook like leaves. The descendent of the Kasfarian lion race dashed forward, taking advantage of their shock. Kasfara had amazing speed (A rank), but because of his size, his strides were tremendous giving him the appearance of even greater speed. In less than 2 seconds the remaining four ninja were smacked down with an assortment of blunt force and ferocious slashes from the lion's claws.

Kenji smiled, this was precisely why he loved having Kasfara fight alongside him, he just takes over. His smile waned as their was a slight tremble around his feet. Without another thought, three strange human like creations surround him. Puppets. His Hane seemingly flicked into his hands, his speed allowing him to draw his weapon in record times. The following slashes from his favorite weapon lashed outwards at Kage speed, cutting the mechanical combat weapons into pieces with frightful ease. "Kasfara, I sense 8 more coming, what about you?" Kasfara nose and ears began to twitch. His species made him a naturally superior tracker and sensor. "There's 20 on the perimeter. It seems they sent this small unit as a diagnostic team. The real fight will be coming soon." Kenji's face scrunched up, his eyes zapped over to Zanto who was locked into combat as well, but he was winning. After he delivered the final blow to his opponent, "Zanto, keep your chakra primed, their is another and much larger unit coming, use whatever techniques you need to give you the best chance at combating a surprise attack." Kenji jumped from out of the destroyed cabin into the grass a few feet away from Kasfara. Not only was the lion immensely powerful, but he was equally intimidating. "I hate combat." he mumbled as he continued to sniff out the area.


"Alright, we can't stay here and let them go on the offensive, they'll eventually tire us out that way. Our only shot at winning this battle is taking the fight to them. They're coming from the north, so that's where we're heading. Kasfara, you'll lead the charge, utilizing your sensing abilities to give us the best chance at reacting to the enemy. Upon meeting the enemy, both of you will engage in close combat mostly. I'll anchor the charge, staying at least five meters behind, using ranged and ambush tactics to support you two." Without hesitation Kasfara bolted for the forested area. Zanto kept close, and Kenji trailed as planned. As they charged forward, taking the fight to the enemy, relieving them of their ambush and offensive preference. Kasfara glanced back, "be weary of traps!" With that Kenji took the trees and use his chakra sensory to pick out targets. Kenji had already found multiple enemies, he let three bolts fire from his crossbow piercing the hidden ninja, they fell out of their hiding places, and Kenji was on the move again, keeping as close as possible to the unit. Kasfara came to a screeching halt as his nose and ears were picking up a lot, a smirk came to his face as he took a deep breath. Kenji could see what he was preparing, "ZANTO! COVER YOUR EARS!" Kasfara let out a devastating roar that piercing a few trees, toppling them. Screams rang out ahead. In their moments of deafening despair, the beast ripped them to shreds, leaving flesh and metal from puppets in his path of destruction. He slayed around 10 ninja and 17 puppets in the 10-15 second span.

Cold steel could be felt by Kenji on his cheek, out the side of his eye he could see the puppet beginning to follow through. Kenji dipped down, causing the blade to scrape along his face, while in the crouch he cut the puppet in half and jumped from the position, moving forward again. He kept his chakra focused mostly on Kasfara and Zanto, making sure they were doing alright, he was ready at any time to assist. The force was catching on, and now all of them were hiding behind their puppets. Zanto was locked in combat and as he emerged victorious, Kenji landed beside him. A loud roar followed by a chuckle burst in the distance, signaling Kasfara was enjoying himself wherever he was. 



Mission Wordcount: 2986

So far everything happened the way Zanto expected it to. Shock and awe, but it seemed the enemy underestimated the lion. The massive blue lion was able to rip through their ranks with relative ease. There were dozens of puppets and there masters all around them. Tacitly they are making good choices, but they couldn’t compete with the raw power before them. It was sort of sad to see really. Zanto concentrated void energies into his hand and lightly touched Kenji on his back before moving deeper into the woods. He was using his Void connection jutsu on Kenji so he would be able to keep in touch with him through thought.
“Kenji-sensei I am speaking directly into your mind. I am going after the commander. My best guess is in the back. I should be able to get there on my own, but I need you and you blue lion friend to create as much chaos as possible to divert forces here. If I can take out the brains the rest should be easy to deal with.” Zanto whispered into Kenji’s mind.
Zanto didn’t wait for Kenji to respond nor did he look back to see if he followed. That’s usually what happens in Zanto’s case. Once he had a plan he committed regardless of the odds or what he was up against. In his mind stopping to think gives the enemy time to breath and it was never a good idea to allow your enemy to recuperate.
Zanto summoned three null spheres around him and gripped his Zanbato. He shaped his null spheres into three long blades and surrounded himself with them. He charged the enemy position and utilized his chaos charge ability and in less time it took to blink an eye he was passed them. Several trees fell down follow by minor explosions tearing through the enemy ranks. The enemy tried to strike his back only to realize Zanto had already replaced himself with void grenades as they detonated it sent shrapnel in all directions.
‘This seems to easy… then again I do have Kenji-sensei and that big blue lion with me.’ Zanto thought.
Zanto ran deeper into the woods to cause chaos in their ranks and to draw out their heavy hitters, but Zanto was making a huge mistake by separating himself from the rest of the group. Pretty soon he was surrounded. Utilizing his null spheres he created two massive domes to protect himself from shrunken and Kunai. Zanto drove his Zanbato into the ground and pulled out ten Kunai and charged them with Void energies. He threw them as accurately as he could and once they hit something they all exploded.
‘I knew that shape charge jutsu would come in handy.’ Zanto thought.
Zanto was looking for the one in charge. He figured he would be in the back giving orders so that’s where he started.
Not before long he found what he was looking for. A ninja pointing his finger and barking orders tell-tale signs of someone in charge. Zanto formed a Void grenade in his hand and threw it directly at the commander as it detonated he charged forward towards him. Although Zanto did have the element of surprise the commander was still able to block Zanto’s attack all the same.
“Kenji-sensei I have found the commander due east of our previous position.” Zanto said through the void connection.
The commander was more skilled then his troops and kicked Zanto hard in the stomach sending him flying backwards into a tree.
‘Well this guy has some life to him.’ Zanto thought.
Zanto quickly realized he was in the absolute worst possible situation. He was deep behind enemy lines and surrounded. Not to mention the commander was a very skilled ninja he would have his hands full just dealing with him and he was surrounded by puppet masters.
‘I think I might have bit off more than I could chew. Well If Kenji or the blue lion doesn’t get here soon I might die… Then again I am not going to get my ass kicked by Setsuko in hell… so I better think of a way to stall and fast.’ Zanto thought.
Zanto took a quick survey of his surroundings. He had the commander to his front and he was surrounded by at least five puppet masters. So he had eleven things to deal with. This was not an ideal situation to be in. Zanto surrounded himself with his void spheres as they bombarded him with kunai and puppets. His shield was holding but it wouldn’t be able to hold for much longer.
‘Well I could pass this off as part of my plan… assuming I don’t die in the next five minutes.’ Zanto thought.
He used his spare null sphere to do as much damage as he could before Kenji and his friend showed up. He mainly focused on the puppet masters to get those annoying puppets away from him.

WC 3106

As Kenji blitzed along the treeline he sensed a huge spike in chakra. "It seems like Zanto is in an interesting situation." Kenji blasted to the area and saw that his assumption was true. Zanto was surrounded by 11 beings, 6 humans and 5 puppets. "How in the world did he get into this... it seems he still a bit too reckless, much like I used to be." Kenji jumped down and landed in front Zanto, Kenji could tell at least two of the puppeteers were aware of his location, so launching a surprise attack from the rafters would be pointless, besides, he was more skilled in close ranged combat anyway. Kenji drew his Hane and took off at Kage speed, the sheer force behind his movements allowed him to implement a simple shoulder charge that knocked out one of the puppet masters. Kenji immediately afterwards loaded his weapon with lightning chakra and released it in blades, five total, killing the four remaining puppeteers... but one managed to dodge the lightning strike. From his attire he appeared to be a high ranking officer of some sort.

Kenji stood motionless for a second... "If he's fast enough to dodge my Multi slash lightning feast..." Kenji rolled out a smoke bomb, masking his position. He used the diversion to give himself just enough time to catch the opponent off guard. He dashed to his right while hidden in the smoke and used that to emerge at Kage speed with his Hane drawn. He completed the attack with a vicious slash from his weapon. A smirk appeared on the officer's face as he was replaced with a log. The snap of a twig sounded off behind him, hinting him to what was coming next. Kenji knew the enemy was going for the kill, so Kenji entered his Cocoon of the Steel Spirit just as the officer was in range. The spiraling shield would repel and inflict several minor to severe lacerations. His body lied still as Kenji approached the enemy, his eyes stayed on the officer, never veering to acknowledge Zanto or Kasfara. "This uprising is over..." He mortally wounded the man right after.

Kasfara had entered back into the area bringing along with his azure greatness. "It seems we're done here guys, it is about time we report back, the last of the soldiers could use this intel and this area." Kenji nodded in agreement. All three had survived, that was the most important thing. Kenji couldn't fight at full strength due to the toll that the war had already taken on his body. He was now ready to get back home to his soon to be wife. He had delayed the wedding long enough since helping Kiri was unexpected as well, but staying as long as he had was even more surprising. "Zanto, Kasfara, I need to go Tux shopping, y'all got me?" Kasfara scoffed, "I only shop for scratching posts and sweets." Kenji exhaled, "Perhaps I'll go solo, I'm sure Zanto has a fiery lady to keep cool." Kenji sheathed his blade with that last statement and marched to the end of bird country.

They were finally back within the city limits of Kirigakure. The three shinobi told the task masters everything, they were very pleased on this victory and it was sure to go a long way in solidifying Kiri's victory against Seven Bells. Kenji and Zanto agreed to meet at the gates in 15 minutes. The Sennin needed a moment alone. He walked back to his empty quarters. He took perch upon the roof, looking out onto the misty town. A sparkle flared in his eyes, for what we reason he didn't know. Kenji was a complicated person with many dogmas that clashed with each other. The ninja chalked the microscopic moment of sentiment up to the different location, but it was over as quick as the duration of the tide.

See Jutsu list for Moves:

Mission Wordcount: 3500+/3500

The mission was less than ideal, but he did earn some good money out of it and he got to meet an interesting character. The only question that remained was when they are going to get tasked out to get rid of some more Seven Bells forces. Zanto may have to go alone. He couldn’t ask Kenji to join him again. After all Kenji was getting married.
Zanto was glad that they were leaving the bird country behind. On their way back to the village hidden in the mist Zanto decided that he was going to stay until all the Seven Bells were gone and who knew maybe he would return a jounin after the war was over: although it was highly unlikely. Kenji and Zanto were going to meet at the gates in fifteen minutes. Zanto didn’t tell his mentor that he was going to stay quite yet, because he wanted a little more time to think before he made his decision. He leaned against some rubble and began to polish his Zanbato. It was covered in dirt and blood and needed a good cleaning.
If he did decide to stay it would no doubt upset Setsuko on the other hand if he left more people were going to die, at least that is the excuse he was going to tell her anyway. Ultimately Zanto decided he was going to stay and he would ask his mentor to tell Setsuko for him and he knew they were both going to get beaten by that short tempered girl.
‘If I am going to be on my own out here I can’t be as reckless as I was in the bird country.” Zanto thought.
Zanto was just going to have to be more careful when fighting. He also needed to create new jutsu’s something that would help him out tacitly. That is usually easier said than done. The shape charge jutsu nearly killed him when he created it. Either way this was something he had to do when he got back home.
Zanto realized it was almost time to meet his mentor by the gate. He wasn’t sure how he was going to break it to him, so he was just going to do it as simply as he could. Nothing fancy nothing creative just straight facts.
Zanto approached the gate and leaned against the wall and waited for his mentor.
The mission was less than ideal, but he did earn some good money out of it and he got to meet an interesting character. The only question that remained was when they are going to get tasked out to get rid of some more Seven Bells forces. Zanto may have to go alone. He couldn’t ask Kenji to join him again. After all Kenji was getting married.
Zanto was glad that they were leaving the bird country behind. On their way back to the village hidden in the mist Zanto decided that he was going to stay until all the Seven Bells were gone and who knew maybe he would return a jounin after the war was over: although it was highly unlikely. Kenji and Zanto were going to meet at the gates in fifteen minutes. Zanto didn’t tell his mentor that he was going to stay quite yet, because he wanted a little more time to think before he made his decision. He leaned against some rubble and began to polish his Zanbato. It was covered in dirt and blood and needed a good cleaning.
If he did decide to stay it would no doubt upset Setsuko on the other hand if he left more people were going to die, at least that is the excuse he was going to tell her anyway. Ultimately Zanto decided he was going to stay and he would ask his mentor to tell Setsuko for him and he knew they were both going to get beaten by that short tempered girl.
‘If I am going to be on my own out here I can’t be as reckless as I was in the bird country.” Zanto thought.
Zanto was just going to have to be more careful when fighting. He also needed to create new jutsu’s something that would help him out tacitly. That is usually easier said than done. The shape charge jutsu nearly killed him when he created it. Either way this was something he had to do when he got back home.
Zanto realized it was almost time to meet his mentor by the gate. He wasn’t sure how he was going to break it to him, so he was just going to do it as simply as he could. Nothing fancy nothing creative just straight facts.
Zanto approached the gate and leaned against the wall and waited for his mentor.


WC3500/3500