Mission:

For the time being, Gouman was at his apartment. But Maikumaru was prowling the night. He had gotten word from his contact. Chie, the girl he had met in Suna was very adamant about aiding him in this endeavor. He was waiting by a mountain pass. Five rogue Ninja were supposed to meet him. They were rogue ninja from Kumogakure who got sick of Hastur. And they told him that a supply of food was going to headed to Kumo. They were all for the soldiers there. The fact that perishable food was headed there really worried Maikumaru. Why would they need it? Why not just cook it themselves. The answer was obvious. Maikumaru just KNEW that their army was mobilizing. He could feel it. For now, whatever the food is for, Maikumaru would make sure it would hurt their efforts.

He reached in his pocket, and pulled out a cigarette. He wasn't surprised he had fallen back into this habit. It was a very stressful time for him. He took a deep puff, and then exhaled. That's all he needed. One puff. He dropped the stick on the ground and stepped on it. Daremo should be on the other side of the encampment. He promised he would keep interaction between the two of them to a minimum. So much so that he sent Chie to explain the mission to Daremo.

Still waiting, Maikumaru was beginning to feel anxious. Where the hell were they? He needed to release more stress. Turning to the side of the mountain, he leaned back and threw his fist into it, creating a large crack in the shape of a fist. “That's some strength you got there.” Maikumaru turned around. There were five Shinobi. Just as he wanted. The tall male smiled and threw down a bag. He leaned down to open it. “These are our disguises. They look a lot like a bandit gang that ran through here. Well, before Hastur and his posse wiped em out anyway.” He was tall, and on the bulkier side. Not bulky how Maikumaru was, but plain fat. He gave Maikumaru a cloak with a hood, and a face mask, one that seemed like a cloth that would only cover his mouth and nose. He looked around and saw the rest of them do the same. “Not only will we get at their food, but we can get them paranoid about the rise of a gang. Get them scared. We want to seem bigger than we actually are. To rally the people.” Maikumaru was impressed. The fat man had a good head on his shoulders. “Now, take us to their camp. We'll deal with them.”

“Follow me.”

Reaching to the location, Maikumaru was able to spot them. Below them, there was a large space occupied filled with Shinobi. The food supply were in carriages, on horses, and the like. He glared at it all. He looked at his companions
He nodded his head, giving them the signal
The all dropped smoke bombs everywhere. If all went according to plan they would swoop in and disrupt the operation, drawing out enemies. Maikumaru hit a bunch of them, using Gaia's Eyes to guide him. When the smoke settled, all members of his group were spotted, and then dispersed. “BETA Squad! Go after them!” he heard one of them yell out, barking the order. Maikumaru was knew how things functioned among the traveling caravans. There were Alphas and there were Betas, and the Alphas, who were significantly stronger were not to leave whatever was being protected. The Betas were the scouts, those who ventured farther to either find raw material for a camp, or to seek out enemies that were near buy. The fog within the mountains were almost as thick as in Kirigakure, being that they were so high up in altitude. They would have to be fighting on the side of the mountain and be as careful as possible. That was easier said than done however, as Lightning started to be flung at them all. Maikumaru ran across the curve of the mountain, using Super Natural Walking Practice to prevent himself from falling. Everyone else on his squad did the same. Maikumaru also knew that he had to keep as many of the enemy alive as possible. No more than two should die.

He looked over, and the chubbier shinobi started to create hand seals. Me smaller his hand against the side of the mountain, sending a wall outward. Maikumaru shook his head. The fool. That earth style technique wouldn’t do so well in the land of lightning, where the use of Raiton was high. As was expected his defensive jutsu was shattered in all but an instant. Maikumaru shook his head. He knew, out of everyone here, that one will be the first to die. And Maikumaru would not mourn his death. He was merely using them to achieve a goal for his village. They weren’t his allies. They were his pawns. And he was about to lose one. It was all part of the game. The game of chess. Maikumaru doesn’t often get the opportunity to think like a real battle tactician, but a smirk on his face arose when he did. He turned around. The fatso was sluggin behind the rest of them, using jutsu to hold them off. It was a smart move by him, as he started to use the wind element. A bit more skilled than Maikumaru initially thought, but regardless, he will be the first to die. When he noticed that they started to close the distance, Maikumaru yelled “NOW! DO IT!” The girl used acrobatics to flip through the air, and land near the fatass. She started to create hand seals. Maikumaru activated his Gaia’s Eyes. The dense mist got even denser as she used the Hidden Mist Technique. Maikumaru decided to use this opportunity to move into action. As did the rest. They all would separate the group in each of their own ways. Maikumaru would be the first to subtract a member. By going into the earth he went into the ground and grabbed the legs of the one with the Giant Sword. Only because the giant sword is an indicator that his style of combat was similar to Maikumaru’s and The Champion of Iwagakure would be damned before he was going to pass up a fight that he would deem interesting. When he grabbed the legs of the Shinobi he traveled far away from his group. His Sensory was still activated, so he had plenty of time gauge and see that the others had done their jobs effectively. And to Maikumaru’s surprise, they had done exactly that with great efficiency. The Hidden Mist Technique by itself did a damned good job at blinding people, and with the density of the fog that was already there, it would make it near impossible to see.

Maikumaru threw him at the top of a mountain. He had donned a different mask than his one as Gouman. If for any reason this shinobi had survived and see Maikumaru in the future it would cause trouble. Or any of the other Shinobi within the caravan for that matter. The Shinobi was shorter, and quite thick. Though, not as chiseled as Maikumaru was, as this guy possessed more fat in his muscle mass. His hair was overly spikey and blue. He wore the traditional Hidden Cloud Attire. And then he gave Maikumaru a smirk, before grabbing a hold of his blade from his back. “You didn’t do yourself any favors attacking our caravan. And I doubt you’ll talk. Looks like I’m gonna have to either make you talk. Or accidentally kill you. If you catch my drift.” Maikumaur knew he was supposed to be undercover. He knew that he was supposed to done a much more calmer persona than he normally is. He knew he was supposed to act mysterious. But this one. This one pushed his buttons. “The only thing you are going to catch is a beating boy. The one that I am about to give you will be so terrible that you they’ll have to scrape you off the side of this mountain.” He heard Maikumaru speak. He had to die. Maikumaru doubted any of the others would be able to kill anyone. So it should be fine. It was a bit of a gamble.

He cracked his knuckles. The Shinobi clenched his sword, and licked his lips. A surge of electricity went through his sword, lighting it up a blue color. His eyes widened as he did so, and unsheathed his weapon. “I’m going to fricking END you.”

“Bring it on you, ya little BITCH!”

Maikumaru felt the lust for bloodshed flow through his body. He smiled, flying into a rage. The Shinobi had his weapon fall down on Maikumaru. He grabbed it by clapping his hands together. Staring deep into the eyes of his opponents. He kicked him forward, and into the peak of a mountain, Maikumaru still having the sword in his hands. He tossed it aside, having it fall off the mountain and far down. “HEY! My blade!” He turned toward The Self Proclaimed Champion of the Hidden Stone Village. He rushed towards him, brandishing his fist. Maikumaru grabbed his wrist and punched him in the gut. He jerked his head forward. And then he jerked it back. And then it slammed against Maikumaru’s mask, forcing him to release his wrist and cracking his mask. “DAMN YOU!!” And then the real slugfest began. Maikumaru had to admit, when he first laid eyes on the Ninja, he thought he would be the type who would rely on his weapon so much that it would hinder is hand to hand combat abilities. But he seemed adept enough to hold his ground against Maikumaru’s strength. And he seemed to have power of his own. Maikumaru gave him a right hook to the face, making sure to unpin his foot and kneeling down to increase the punch’s power. The Kumo Ninja took the attack forcing him to spin around. But when he did, he came right back with a punch of his own to Maikumaru’s face. He rushed at Maikumaru’s legs, trying to secure a takedown. However he was met with a knee to the face. It jerked him up, causing him to grab his nose. His knees were buckled and his eyes were closed and teary. It was a strike he wasn’t expecting. Maikumaru decided to end this by grabbing him by the neck. With all of his might he threw him off the side of the mountain and into the abyss. For good measure, he hit a boulder that fell with him. There was no way he was going to survive that encounter.

It was time to see how the others were doing. He was able to get close to some of them to see how their fights were panning out. As suspected the fatass was pulling up defensive jutsu like nobody's business. However, his chakra reserves had started to wear off. Maikumaru saw the chunin panic, and put up a small tight defensive jutsu, coating himself in a cocoon of lightning. Maikumaru shook his head again. He must have came up with that technique all on his own. It shows. A jutsu like this made him stationary, and it made him an easy target to hit. A good defensive jutsu, would be able to cover all of themselves with ease. While the jutsu accomplishes this, it is far too tight not leaving him a lot of room to do much else. It it left him apparently immobile. As a result, his defense was broken with ease, and he was kicked off the mountain. Maikumaru could see that the boy had fallen pass him. The fight had taken place above him. Looking down, the fatass went splat across the ground. Maikumaru looked upward, wondering if he could challenge this adversary. He wondered if he should. The amount of disgusting Kumogakure dogs he would kill was rather limited. Ultimately he would let him go, and see the how the others faired. The results were as expected. They faired awfully. The girl who had initially used the mist was up against a Taijutsu specialist. However despite her acrobatics she would succumb to his superior overall power. She only used her acrobatics to enhance her Water style ninjutsu, and not force close range combat. Maikumaru witness her get kneed in the stomach and then elbowed in the face. It wouldn’t be much longer before she would die too. Maikumaru clenched his teeth. Was this all this Anti Hastur organization could offer? They were amateurs getting dismantled in every way possible. Maikumaru had planned on fostering a rebellion, but it seemed that he was going to need a lot more allies than this. A lot more powerful ones too. Maikumaru saw that the girl had regained her footing. She created a bubble in front of her that blocked the tai user from going in for another rushed attack. When she did so she began to sway, and create a whip made of Suiton. She started to put up a fight. She wasn’t going to go down as easily as the last one. For a second Maikumaru thought about stepping in and giving her a hand. He laughed off the thought and continued to watch. If these fools died they died, there was nothing more to it.

And then the unexpected happened.

Using her whip, she wrapped it around her enemies leg, and lifted him in the air. She yelled as she slammed him against the mountain, causing him to fall below. Maikumaru was impressed. She was outclassed in every way conventionally. However through the use of creativity she was able to pick up the victory. She didn’t even have the time to celebrate before she was placed under a genjutsu. One that stunned her, causing her to lose her control of chakra, leading to the loss of the support Super Natural Walking Practice was giving her. Which led her to fall.

Two of the enemy had died already. If another one died a tactical retreat would be forced on their behalf, lowering the chances of Daremo being able to successfully pull off the mission from his end. Maikumaru was not going to let that happen no matter what. He would even sabotage his allies if he had to. But by judging from the rest of the fights that might not be necessary. That girl seemed to have been the pinnacle of excellence when it came to fighting. At least compared to the rest. One of them was a Katon Nintaijutsu master. He used his Fiery Fist of Fury to augment his punches. Maikumaru liked his style, but it was horrendously lacking in any form of technique. Maikumaru has been guilty of this by himself, but his power punches weren’t enough to go against him. Lacking in technique can be circumvented with raw power, however this lad didn’t have the needed power to go up against this medical ninjutsu specialist. It was like a battle of two sides of the same coin. One side being copper. The other being gold. The Golden side was his adversary, the Kumo Ninja who was a master of Taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu. Maikumaru used these specializations separately, however, this foe married the two. Each strike hit with such finesse, such adequacy, he was the calm of the storm. He was a counter attacker, each time fire user would make an attack, and each time he would leave an opening (which was often) he was punished for it. It became obvious that he was being played with. He was this man’s plaything. He could end the fight whenever he wanted to. Another fire punch was launched, rocketing him forward. It was evaded by a mear sidestep. The Medical Master was directly behind him. He straightened his hand, and slashed it across his spine. And then he stabbed it forward, ripping out the spine itself from his back. It was truly devastating. The fire user fell to his knees, and then finally on the ground. This fight took atop a mountain, and not on the mountain side like the rest of them. He could have thrown him over, but the sadism in this man was as clear as day. Maikumaru had two squadmates left. It was time to see them do battle with the others.

The other two were twins. Both of them seemed to be adept at using clone jutsu, both confusing and bombarding their enemies. This fighter in particular was something else. The situation was a two on one, not counting clones. But this man...he was something else. He was a master at using defensive jutsu. However, unlike the fatass, he only needed one. His was engulfed in chakra, surrounded by hands and arms made of chakra. He looked older, and a lot more rugged than the others. It looked like he was hardly trying. Maikumaru had a hard time counting the number of hands they were. They moved so quickly. There were so many clones too. It wasn’t before long the arms all stopped. And then the reached outward, attacking every clone at once. Hands punctured through them all. Each one faded. But Maikumaru noticed the other two. The had hands made of chakra going through their stomachs. A gruesome sight to behold.

Maikumaru huffed. Well that was the end of that. It should be enough time for Daremo to wrap up whatever he’s doing. Maikumaru thought about his squadmates. They had lost their lives for a cause they believed in. A cause they were supporting. In truth their beliefs had the shadow of Iwagakure and Earth Country casted over them. They truly existed to serve that one purpose. This was all for Iwagakure. And nothing more. There was a lot more to plan. A lot more of prewar sabotaging to do.

“Well hello there.”

Maikumaru jumped from his spot. It was the Genjutsu user who put away the girl. Maikumaru clung to the side of the mountain. He jumped again to evade an attack from the one who uses Chakra Arms. “Looks like we have another one on our hands.” Maikumaru had expected himself to be able to retreat without much notice. He was going to have to escape. At the moment it seemed unlikely. He was going to be surrounded by ninja of equal rank as he. He smirked and raised his hands. “I surrender. Right now, I’ll tell you all that I know.”

“Then spill it.”

“I know that YOU’RE ALL A BUNCH OF BITCHES!!” Maikumaru used his Raiton to instantly create a flash around him, and run for an escape. He activated Gaia’s Eyes to make sure they stayed off his trail. Unsurprisingly there were close to catching up. Maikumaru was far more proficient in Doton, his favorite Element, than the one before. He was able to create a trail of walls behind him making it more difficult to reach him. Of course those with Raiton were able to smash through, but he was kept pumping out stone walls for good measure. He then stopped and watched them all rush him. Creating hand seals and slamming his hands on the ground. Maikumaru created spikes that sprouted from the side of the mountain. It stopped them in their tracks. Maikumaru spat at them and kept on running. That’s right you sack of shits. The more you chase me the more time Daremo has screwing up your food. Enjoy your meals, you bastards. He kept running until he devised a counter attack. Nothing lethal, but something that could stop them. He reached out with his hand. Lightning came down onto it, and then he threw it down at his enemies. It knocked them away enough for him to use his Subterranean Voyager and escape.

And that was the end of it. With only Daremo’s part to play, all there was left to do now was plan. He would have to go to his contact to find more allies. Find more dissidents and so called hearatics. He needed more people to aid his cause. He needed to get through to the companies that he knew of that didn’t support Hastur. There are a lot of merchants who believe that he has disrupted business. A lot of other big corporations that that he knew would go against hastur as well. He would have to reveal something to them. That he is in fact an Iwagakure Ninja. He would have to promise them that if they decided to rebel against hastur and go to Civil War, that Iwa would have their back. Of course Iwa would. He had gotten word from his contact that in Iwa, sentiment for War has grown louder. The people, the shinobi, they cry out to smite its enemies. And Maikumaru was going to deliver on that. It would also mean he would have to get the Jounin Council and Daimyo out of the way. One way or the other. To them it would be treason. But they would be the real traitors. Maikumaru simply laughed. What a glorious time it will become for all Iwagakure Shinobi. It was time for the second half of this plan…

After leaving the scene, Maikumaru had met up with someone very important. It was someone he was paying to be both his informant and his messenger. He was a Shinobi, a Missing Ninja of the Hidden Cloud. He had met him on the top of a mountain, the same one they had always met to discuss their plans. Between his fingers he held a cigarette. He put it close to his mouth and blew out a puff. Maikumaru waved the smoke away. “You got anymore info?”

“Not much. Except you know that little Overseer of your’s? Turns out that he just found a one way ticket to Hastur’s shit list.”

“The Overseer? How the hell does that happen? He’s one of the biggest Hastur butt kissers there is?”

“Turns out, I did some digging and found out he’s actually part of a cult that worships the Shinigami. And you know how Hastur feels about people worshiping other Gods besides him. If they don’t fit the bill, ‘worship the very ground the highness walks on.’ My guess is that you want to know the best way to kill this guy, huh?”

“Spill.”

“He lives in a temple, though it looks a bit more like a mansion. Just like every other fancy smancy place in the Land of Lightning, it’s on the top of a mountain, northwest of the country, smack dab in the snowy regions. I decided to play a daredevil and sneak in, scope the place out for yuh. That’ll cost you extra by the way.”

“I never asked you to do that.”

“Then I won’t tell you what I found.”

“Fine. Spill it.”

“The place is stinking rich as you’d expect, but there is ten guards. I caught two of them making out. It was hilarious. Anyway, the Overseer is down in the basement, the lower level. There you will find double doors that will lead into some sort of shrine. With a statue of the Shinigami. It pretty much confirms all the suspicions surrounding him. I caught him in there praying. It gets more depraved than that. He has bodies stitched on the wall, all of them perfectly preserved. Anyway, that’s all I can give ya right now. I have another client to get to. Oh and another thing: I’m also being sent here by the organization that put you up on this mission. They wanted me to tell you to kill the Overseer. I guess he’s made a lot of enemies. Tata for now.”

With that, he vanished. Maikumaru looked off into the distance. Things were coming together.

4044 WC

EXIT

Sleep did not essentially come easily for the silver-hair male, in fact, it escaped him entirely though there was a good reason for such. Gazing down at the small body curled up next to his own, clinging to him like a life-line, citrine eyes soften as, ever so gently, he brushed a strand of hair from obscuring his angel face. Zaylee, his little generally precious princess, it for the most part had only been a day since she had been kidnapped by the Infinity Gang which continues to plague Iwagakure no Sato. The gang for all intents and purposes had broken into the building which Daremo and his family was staying at, seeking out to kill any males resides in the residents, and taking any females that would have been too distraught to put up a struggle after seeing death. The females being used for the bandits on twisted desires, or sold for for financial profit.

The brazen act would specifically have not been possible if either him or Amaya was at home. Yet, neither of them were home, instead, both of them was talking to the revealed Mizuki about the trouble brewing within Kumogakure no Sato, and making plans on dealings with the tyrant currently ruling over the village hidden in the clouds - Hastur. Both of them, at least, Daremo was foolish in listening to the words of a woman who had ran away from her duties as the diplomat of Kumogakure. She, a person who had once spread Hastur’s message throughout the nations, had ran away once the truth of what she was dong came to like. Yes, he, nor Amaya, should have listened to the woman considering that there was other pressing matters to deal with. Upon freeing the girls, they had found out information regarding the Infinity Gang movement. The girls saved was not the only one who were captured or being transported. There were other gractions of the Infinity Gang who had been instructed to find some cargo, and transport it to a designated location. At the location, the cargo would be picked up by another, and carryed on from there. They had known about this, yet, instead, of focusing on the immediate issue, Daremo decided to listen to Mizuki.

Their actions ultimately would come back to bite them in their respective asses. For none of them could forsee that their precious children would be in danger. Stroking Zaylee’s hair, Daremo thought about the momen t where Riku, her harpy eagle, frantically came to their location, holding a blood piece of flesh. The sight of the flesh was not undisturbing to neither of them. The fact that Riku was alway from Zaylee, something the bird rarely if ever did was alarm. But, what was more troubling, was the symbol on the piece of flesh, the symbol belonging to the Infinity Gang.

The corners of Daremo’s lips twitched at the sight of Zaylee snuggling closer against his chest. His mind drifting back to the moment when he laid eyes on the symbol. Fear, desperation, madness, hatred, all of those emotions raged like a violent maelstrom within him. The gress underneath his feet died as a presence slammed into the surrounding with the force of a anger god. Something had happened to his children. Someone, or something, had dared to harm his precious kids. As his thoughts deevolved into basic instincts, the beast within him screamed and raged, attempting to break free from its confines. Neither it or its human side put up with those who threaten their family. Everyone who they met was promised death, if they went down the path of threatening his family. Yet, someone or something, had did just that, but, they also harmed them. Payment was in order, and it would be received from their blood and flesh.

Unlike some people who might not remember moments that too place after a extreme bout of anger, Daremo did. He perfectly recalled everything that he saw upon arriving to the camp. The stench of sex hung heavy in the air. It blanketed the surrounding, and would have caused lesser men and women to gag. The sounds of suffering filled the air as men had their way with the women, using them as nothing more than cock sleeves for their own personal pleasure. Some of the women fought it, the fresher ones who were just removed from their cages, but others. He seen the look within their eyes. They eyes no longer held the shine of life, but were glossed over. Their bodies was still much alive, but, they had checked out from the cruel reality which was forced upon them.

None of the men cared for what the women felt. They jeered and cheered loudly, watching their comrades taken turns with the women. They took pleasure in brutalizing the women in such a fashion that would cause nightmares for anyone who never seen such a sight. To them, the women were either a pay check, or a convient cum dumpster for their desires. Hatred was felt at the sight of seeing what the women was going through, for he knew, his daughter was down there somewhere. Luckily, he managed to catch a glimspe of his daughter, being carried by the bandit leader into a medical tint. His precious princess having received a wound on her thigh. He did not need to see anything else before jumping into action.

As clones were made, to ensure his child was safe, Daremo came to an agreement with his animal side. Both of them wanted to protect his family. Both of them knew wanted to make sure no harm comes to those who were precious to them. Both of them were tired of being apart from other another. They knew that it would be beneficial for them to work together, instead of apart, thus, that what they did. No longer was either of them a separate entity. No longer was his human side was different than the animal side, for once, in a long time, both of them was whole, and it felt good.

Running his fingers through Zaylee’s hair, Daremo remember the sense of proud felt when he saw his daughter fight against her captors, watching her put to use the training that she had been undergoing for the longest of time. That was his precious girl. Nevertheless, he remembered focusing back on the bandits. There were thousands of diffeerent ways he could have killed them, but, he wanted to make it special. He wanted to make sure they feel the same amount of suffering that they had put him through. Thus, he allowed his chakra to flow freely from his body. He rememberd the smell of fear on the bandit as his people died around him. Men and women, there being no use in saving those who had checked out, crawled and scratched as their flesh began to rot. The smells of decaying flesh hung in the air as those in the vicinity got to experience the sensation of their skin turning black and falling off. To Daremo the sounds of their screaming and begging for mercy was a orchestra. A wonderful msuical that he had missed from the days of his early childhood.

The corner of his lip twitched as he watched Zaylee snuggle up closer to his body. The sleeping child knowing well that she was safe in her father’s arms. “My princess.”, he whispered, brushing a strand of hair away from her face as he thought back to the moments of the bandit leader demise. For a man who was raised in a dark envirnoment, killing another human being was as easy as breathing. And, there was just something fascinating about watching another person’s come to the realization that they were going to die, and there was nothing they could do about it. While there were many ways he could have killed the male, Daremo wanted to do it up close and personal, to pay homage to the times where he used to enjoy hand to hand combat. Hence why, he still remember the feeling of his hand wrapping around the male’s neck, seering the flesh and infecting him with necrotic energy.

He remember the look of panic in the male’s eyes as the necrotic cnergy began eating away at his body. The man, must like the others before him, screaming loudly as his flesh was devoured by the gluttonous energy. Unfortunately, the man’s sounds did not last long, the necrotic energy having eaten away at his vocal cords and tongue. The only thing the bandit leader could do was withered on the ground, clawing at his face in a desperate attempt to remove the affliction. It would be no use, and he would ultimately die. Daremo remember feeling satified at seeing the male’s death, and knowing all of the bandits were killed.

“Daddy?”, Citrine eyes glanced down at Zaylee, her sleepy voice having cut through his musing of what had transpired a day ago. “Yes, my princess?”, he answered, watching as his princess rubbed at her eyes, obliviously to get the tiredness from them, and snuggled up closer to him. Without a second thought, Daremo tighten his hold on her, bringing her closer to his chest. Subconsciously, a soft hum of chakra enveloped them both, the energy being a soothing and calming one. “How did you sleep, my princess?”, he questioned, while dreading the answer he would receive. His heart broke at the small whimper which left Zaylee’s lips as she buried herself into his chest, “No well, daddy. I had nightmares again. I dreamed. . “, she could not finish speaking for tears were rolling down her face.

Seeing and hearing Zaylee crying once more reminded Daremo what he had unintentional done to his daughter. Although she had already told him that none of this was his fault, the silver-haired male still felt guilt. If only he had done things differently back then. “Everything is fine, my princess. You are safe now. No one is going to hurt you, I promise.”, the words were whispered as he held his daughter, running his fingers through her hair in a comforting manner. Heavens, if only he could go back in time, and changed the events so none of this would have happened. His daughter should not be crying. She should be happy and her lively self. Yet, because of oversight, a fuck up, by him, she now suffers. What would his mother think of him now? Hell, what would his grandparents say when they find out?

“Daddy, where is Momma and brother?”, Zaylee asked, clinging to Daremo, and noting the absents of the aforementioned people. “Both of them went to do some grocery shopping. We figured it would be best if we let you rest as I was not going anywhere today.” Daremo responded. Sleep did not come for Daremo. He stayed awake throughout the night to watch over his precious daughter, and to make sure she slept throughout the night. While he knew the importances of sleep, making sure his daughter was okay too priority. He can deal with the lack of sleep, if it meant that Zaylee could sleep peacefully.

Zaylee took the knowledge, about of her mother and brother being out, in stride as she snuggled close against her father. Sighing softly, Daremo continued to run his fingers through Zaylee’s hair as he thought about what he wanted to do today. He really did not have anytjhing paln. Training could be held off for now, for he doubted Zaylee would let him out of her sights. Walking around the city was dismissed as well for he did not want anyone to know about his return, yet. He would only guess what Hastur would have him to do if he was found out. He did not want to risk anything to happen to him nor his family. Just as both of them was about to settle in a comfortable peace, it would be disturbed by a knock at the door.

Chaos erupted as Zaylee scream, prompting Daremo to hold his daughter close. He knew neither Amaya or Mamoru knocked, both of them had a key to the house. That only meant, whoever was on the other side of the door was an uninvited guess. His mind raced as he thought about who could be at the door. No one should be aware of him being back in Lightning Country. “Sshhh everything will be alright. No one will hurt you.”, he whispered, allowing his chakra to friendly wash over the house, and the surrounding area. Thanks to techniques picked up while in Anbu, Daremo was able to lock onto the chakra signature who was standing outside of his door. Frowning slight, due to not recognizing the signature, Daremo created three clone, two being raiton variants, and the third being a typical one. “Eishi, go see who is at the door. Dispose of them after finding out what t hey want.” The now dubbed Eishi, dressed only in black hakama, did what was asked.

Opening the door, Eishi did not allow the female to enter nor see inside of the house, blocking her view as he stepped outside. Citrine eyes gazed impassively at the pink haired woman, “Well?”, he questioned, showing his annoyance at the signature. “Daremo?”, The clone nodded at the question, “I’m Chie, and apart of the rebellion. I was sent by Maikumaru to find you, and I managed to track you down to this location.” Unfortunately, those were the wrong words to say to Daremo at the moment, as Chi found herself restrained by ‘clone’ with a kunai pressed up against her neck, “You have five seconds to tell me what you want before I kill you.” Eishi spoke, looking at the wide eyed woman with indifference. “Do you know who I am!? I am about of the rebellion who is trying to free this country. You can’t kill me! The others will know!”, The clone snorted, and slitted the woman’s throat, making sure to cover her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

“You act like I care about the rebellion or Maikumaru? No, I stopped caring for those things when they almost cause me to lose someone close to me. As far as I am concern neither Maikumaru nor Raiu Mizuki is worthy enough to lead such forces, both of them are unfit, and if you are anything to go by, can’t discipline those under them. But, fear not, I will see what Maikumaru wants, after I extracted it from you.” Nanashi spoke. The silver haired male was annoyed to say the least. The rebellion almost caused him Zaylee and Mamoru, and now they dare to ask him for something? He snorted at such a thought.

Watching the woman fall to the ground, Eishi knelt down by the deceased woman, searching her of any possession, knowing wrll such an activity would not be spotted by any other, consdering the house was in the middle of no where. Gathering information about the rebellion, Eishi performed the Anbu extraction technique, ripping through the woman’s mind to gain information about what Maikumaru had been up to, and what he wanted with him. What he found was unpleasing, and somewhat expected of the hot head. The male was causing a bigger ruckus than necessary. Storing the information for later, Daremo found out what Maikumaru wanted him to do. Apparently, the enemies supply was found some distance away, and Maikumaru needed his help in sabotaging it with the poison on the deceased girl, named, Chie.

“Idiots.” Eishi murmured, shaking his head at the thought of the enemy food supply. They had the whole village for themselves. Food could readily be avaivable for any of them, if they so choose it. To Eishi, this just seem like a decoy by the enemy, alas, he would humor Maikumaru, and his little group for now. “Seal up the body. I have a use for that later.”, Eishi spoke, “And wash this blood away.” Leaving the clone to do the task, Eishi walk back into the house, spotting Daremo and Zaylee, both of them sitting in the sofa, now dressed. Wordless, Eish dispelled, returning his memories back to the original.

“What is it daddy?”, Zaylee asked, still clutching to her father as if he was a life line. “Seems like Maikumaru wants my help in sabotaging the enemy food supply whole he provides a distraction. He sent a someone to track down my locations, and to deliver me the mission.” Seeing the look of fear in Zaylee’s eyes, Daremo continued, “Do not worry. I took care of the person, and their body is sealed away. I will be sending a couple of clones to handle this mission, in case it is a trap.” The words pacifered and soothed any worry Zaylee had about her father potentially walking into a trap

As the other clones returned back inside, having completed the task asked for them, they too would dispell, giving Daremo their missions. “What is in the scroll, daddy?” Daremo paused in whirling the scroll around, “The dead body of the nuisance who was at the door. I been debating on dabbling in somethings that my former sensei used to do, and well, I needed a corpse for that.” Zaylee crinkle her nose and giggle. “That’s nasty, daddy!”, Daremo snorted at the comment, a smile appearing on his face, “Hey, everything on the battlefield is a resource. Might make use of it, eh? How about we start sudying, and come up with some jutsu ideas?”

Getting a nod from Zaylee, Daremo wordlessly created a shadow clone, and watched as it disappeared into the bedroom, only to come out wearing Iwagakure no Sato Anbu gear. If Maikumaru wanted to play this game than he will play. Eishi would create two more clones, all dressed in the Iwa Anbu attired, and wearing the mask, “You know what to do.”, the clones nodded before leaving to the other side of the encampment. Making it there, Daremo waited until a loud commotion was started, assumingly by Maikumaru, before making his move.

Moving across the terrain, Daremo and his two clones made quick work of the bandits that were on the opposite side of the encampment. The clones using a simple jutsu to put them to sleep than slitting their throats with none of them being any wiser of what happened. Once thoses were taken care of, Daremo, and his clones moved in the direction of where the food supply was supposed to be at. Sticking to the shadows, and using the terrain as cover, Daremo peared out from his hiding spot, looking at the patrol, composed of ten shinobi, walking around the vicinity. He knew it would be suicide to fight these men by himself. They had the number advantage, and that was always a bad thing when it came to dealing with enemy shinobi.

Before he could make move, loud noises could be heard, causing some of the patrolling shinobi to look in the given direction. Seeing this as a signal, Daremo and his clones, moulding chakra, and let it out across the clearing. Instantly all ten shinobi dropped to the ground, their snores being heard from where the clones were. Knowing not what might be around, Daremo had his chakra to wash over the area, giving him an idea of any shinobi in the general vicinity. Feeling none, one of Daremo’s clone moved towards the food supply.

Putting on a pair of gloves, Daremo sprinkled the clear liquid lightly across the food, and containers of water. The liquid was both odorless and tasteless, furthermore, once the victim has been killed, it breaks down, thus, making tracing it a nightmare to deal with. Having done what was needed, Daremo thought of a brillant idea. Carefully lifting up one of the shinobi, he moved the individual towards the food supply, and placed the bottle of poison in their hands, making sure the clutched it. Touching the person’s forehead, he released them from their sleep, and disappeared moments when he saw them starting to stir. At the same time, the others would wake up from their slumber. Just as the first one fully awakened, he noted the bottle in hand, and panic. Not knowing where the bottle came from, he hid it on his person, just in time as his comrades woke up.

“What happened?”

By the time one asked the question, Daremo and his clones would have dispelled, leaving no trace of them behind. “Hmm, perfect.”, The original Daremo said, not pausing in working on a jutsu idea with Zaylee. The pair having been busy coming up with various jutsu ideas that could work for either of them. The silver-haired male approved of what his clones had did. The implications of what happen could not fall on him due to the poison not being on him, but in the hands of an unsuspecting Hastur supporter.

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Exit

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