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Akaneya

Akaneya


C-rank
Mission:

The day had started much like any other. The weather was not particularly cold, especially not for the Land of Fire which, ironically, seemed frequently blanketed in snow each year. Today, the white fluff had all but melted away, leaving scant ice crystals on a crunchy, partially-frozen forest floor. These provided a satisfying crunch with each step that Akaneya took, even moreso than the forest would usually provide with its mixture of twigs, pebbles, and grass. She didn't have a mental map of the forest laid out, and never actively tried to, so that each time she came there would always be something new to find. A new clearing to play in was usually the goal of these expeditions, but there was a peace to be found in small surprises along the way.

Watching various particles dancing in the individual beams of sunlight passing through the thick canopy, and listening to the distant chirps and calls of the various local birds, Akaneya could not help but feel at peace. This is why she chose to come to the forest, time and time again. Few things could put her mind truly at peace, but the serenity and isolation of a forest fit perfectly. Away from the many crowds of the village, and the cacophony of their hustling, away from haste and away from view, in a place most private. The forest was, indeed, the perfect fit for Akaneya's meditations.

Finding a clearing of a sort, with more light than other parts of the forest and less density of trees within a small ring, she entered the space. Finding rocky platform to stand on, she pulled out her flute. As always, it was in pristine condition, doubly for its age. As always, she placed her leather-clad fingers on the cold silver holes and prepared to play.  As always, she placed her lips against the hole, and with a gentle stream produced music beyond compare.

Today's melody was mellowed and relaxing. It was not a droning and flat song, as one might find in any given temple during their meditations, but instead something that carried the spirit of a small breeze. Were one to close their eyes, they might imagine a leaf floating in the soft wind, each note a dainty gust that pushed the tender leaf ever-so-gently up and about. The notes did not have a large range, and did not skip over too many notes between them. They were mostly of high pitch, and played both quietly and lightly, each note flowing into the next and yet with small taps between like those an older brother might give his younger on the forehead.

Then, the small crunch of a footstep came from nearby. Akaneya assumed it to be an ANBU who had followed her - as they were wont to do in most circumstances - but believed it was always fair to play it safe. Before she could turn to look, however, a man wrapped his arm around her neck and put her in a headlock. Playing a shrill cry on her flute in surprise before dropping it upon the stone beneath her feet, she elbowed the man holding her in the gut. With only a small reaction, she tried to poke out his eyes, but her arms were pulled back by another. She pulled away, trying to use her feet for leverage, but was violently jerked backwards as her wrists and forearms were tightly crossed and bound.

Stomping on a foe's foot with all her might, she managed to break out of the hold and began trying to run - only to find herself grabbed by another. With now three men working against her, winding a rope just under her breasts and around her upper arms to bind further, she began to kick wildly. With a deep, guttural, bestial growl, she would deliver a kick with all the force she could muster straight into the gut of the apparent leader. The precision of her strike caused him to cough a bit, even to spit up a small amount of his acid, which seemed to enrage him. Slapping her harshly across the face, and delivering a punch to her gut that made her keel over, his accomplices then quickly crossed her ankles and bound them too.

Being hoisted up over one's shoulder, she bit into the arm and tore with her teeth, shaking her head to increase damage further. Blood spilled on the ground from the gushing wound, and she was dropped onto the floor and kicked for her resistance. Glaring up at them in spite, she tried to stand and quickly fell. The others looked at one another as she did so again, this time falling on her side. A strange ringing noise began to echo out, confusing them all but ultimately not disturbing them enough to stop.

Attempting to pick her up again, another kidnapper had his finger bitten and torn in a similar fashion. Pulling it away, he found that it'd been dug into quite significantly. Finally deciding to end her reign of terror, a rag was hastily shoved into her mouth and she was picked up again, a couple strips of tape sealing the rag before it could be spat out. Her forehead protector, which kept her hair in check and, just as importantly, provided her with identification as well as general protection, was hastily pulled from her head and tossed aside - to make her more vulnerable and deny her identification in the case of an escape.

As it hit the ground, she tried to wiggle out of their grasp. Managing to almost slip out, she was grabbed once more and hefted over a strongman's shoulder. Stretching as much as she could to reach his ear, she jerked on it harshly and was dropped back on the floor. Trying to climb to her feet once more, she found a stability in bending her knees and spreading them apart. Taking a hop before getting caught again, her knees were tied together both just below and just above the joint proper.

Now being held again, more properly cradled like a child, all her wiggling did her no good. Her clan technique able to detect all the signs of her fight lying around, and the trails that were being left as she was carried away, she knew that there was a way to find her. Akaneya only hoped that she'd be able to escape on her own before such was necessary, and despite her limited field of view, tried her best to memorize the path and the terrain using this technique.

As time went on, the technique would fade. They were going far into the forest, it was clear that they had planned ahead. The question was more whether this was a specific countermeasure to her abilities, or if Akaneya had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. She found herself growing somewhat tired, and it seemed that her kidnappers agreed. The daylight started to fade, and a clearing was soon found for camp. Akaneya was placed against a tree, her forearms unbound but quickly redone as pinned to her sides, and moreover she found herself tied to a thick tree. Her captors set up a campfire as she fought her bonds fruitlessly. Once they had set up their own bedrolls, the tape was torn from her mouth, and she spat out the now-wet rag. Before she could shout obscenities of every sort, a flask was placed to her lips. Forced to drink, it was as refreshing as water - but had the adverse effect of putting her cold to sleep. The light faded, and after a few seconds she no longer had the strength to shout, in a minute no longer the strength to keep her head up, and by the second minute she found herself in a very deep sleep.

She had a dream of Otogakure, as she did often. Akaneya would be hard-pressed to describe them as nightmares, because while such dreams were never pleasant, she never woke up feeling ill of them either. Those scarce few who she had told of her time always seemed horrified by the events she had underwent; on a personal level she simply could not stir any emotions about it at all, positive or negative.

Perhaps owing to her wakeful state, she woke in her dream tightly bound. It was a memory crisp as if it were freshly born, being replayed for the hundredth time in her mind. The room was dark, nearly pitch black. Her wrists were tied behind her, her arms wrapped around the back of a chair, and her ankles bound to the chair legs. Her head fell down, her muscles aching and her eyelids heavy, only to hear the hissing of a pit viper to keep her awake. Looking up to see The Snake, a tall and pale man with inhuman eyes and a voice like silk, she felt a sense of uncertain dread deep in her heart.

He cradled her face, she could feel the dark purple bruises on her cheeks throb as he did so. The young girl, only eleven years old at the time, couldn't understand why any of it was happening to her. He had told her several times before that he was trying to awaken her inner strength, and she remembered the speech he had given her when the mark was first branded on her skin, but it was incomprehensible to her all the same. Tears began to well in her eyes as she remembered her relatively caring father, only to be slapped once more for her weakness. This sent her into the next stage of her dream.

Now thirteen years of age, wrists bound and hung from a hook above her head, she felt the harsh sting of a cane on her back. All sense of longing and sadness had seemed to disappear, replaced by anger. A sense that things were simply not fair, perhaps because the mark didn't work? She felt like she was always the prisoner selected for these 'treatments', even though she consistently won her battles and behaved well enough at other times. She was informed by a vague voice that she had gone through enough for the moment. Nothing was stated, but she knew that there were hours of darkness to come. Nobody bothered to release her as the light coming in through the door began to narrow and fade, the heavy iron clicking shut and leaving her alone in the darkness. She knew it would be until dinner time that she'd be left alone like this, and could feel the rage inside of her, the sense that things were simply not fair, replacing the tears of old once more. With the loud clunk of the door's lock, the next phase of the dream began.

Fifteen years of age. Her fifth year in Otogakure. She was strapped to a medical table with metal restraints, her pupils narrow in the bright light. She whispered with a dehydrated throat through cracked lips, pleading for mercy, begging for relief. A needle dug into her arm, and a warmth spread through her bicep. She closed her eyes and braced as the warmth was carried by her blood to elsewhere in her body, where it turned from warmth to burning. Feeling as if her very blood had become acid, she screamed in sheer agony, but nothing she could do would ease the pain. No screaming could soothe, her writhing was prevented by her restraints, and she realized she was at the mercy of The Snake. It was a realization she had known for some time, but one that always needed a periodic reminder. She was at his mercy because she was powerless, and he was the only one who could give her power. She had sold herself to him, or rather her father had, years ago - and this is what it was leading up to.

That stain on the back of her neck began to burn as well. Orange lines began to grow across her body, glowing like an inferno. This was the key to her promised power, her internal strength manifesting in physical form. She had been trained and conditioned for this day, and it had come at last. There was something enabling, empowering, even triumphant about the pain. As the machines monitoring her vitals began to spike, her whole body fell into a deep, all-penetrating cold as the lines receded and her vision began to fade.

And that's when she woke.

Her eyes opening slowly, groaning into the reapplied gag, she briefly recalled the dreams. They were chronologically messy, emotionally conflicting, but each scene had a basis in the truth of her upbringing - and she could stir not a single emotion, positive or negative, to associate with each in her waking moments. Opening her dark eyes fully, she stretched as much as her bindings would allow her to. That's when she remembered that she was, in fact, bound; her arms crossed as before. With a small struggle, she blushed ever-so-slightly; it was somewhat embarrassing both to have been captured and to be helpless yet, but held an almost-comforting familiarity in its own twisted way.

Observing the room that she was kept in, it was entirely bare. Her flute and bag had been left behind at the scene of the kidnapping, her tools stripped from her. She had been left with herself, a mat, a floor, three walls, a roof, and a door. Bare indeed. Tugging harder at each of the ropes binding her, hoping to find a slip in any of the knots, she found the situation rather hopeless for the moment. She wouldn't quit, knowing that with enough effort any of them might come undone eventually, but coming out of a drug-induced sleep was not the time to be trying to fight.

Heaving a sigh, she tried to call out - prevented from doing so as punishment for her tenacious defense. All that she heard was her own echoing attempts as trapped as she was. Even still, Akaneya knew that there had been a sufficient trail left at the scene. With the ANBU's close observation of her at most times, it was only a matter of time before specialists would be sent. She never wanted to the a damsel in distress, but life did not always go as planned.

A quick assessment of her self assured her that she was safe. She had suffered no serious injury, only a few bruises from her previous scuffle and from the rough passage. She was not content to sit around all day, it was both inefficient and boring. Unfortunate as the situation may be, all she could do now was exactly that - to sit around and wait for her rescue. What an absolutely dreadful waste of time.

Post stats:

Takao

Takao


S-rank
A discordant song: where has the music gone? (Takao, Teiho, Kennosuke, N'Jobu) D6ehE4O

The winter months had overtaken autumn and cast a chill across the Land of Fire, its name ironic indeed, as one might expect the opposite. Cold as it was, he found himself enjoying the faint chill in the air, his coal-eyed gaze set upon the cityscape of the Hidden Leaf Village from atop his perch on the famous mountain. He sat atop the head of his predecessor, the Second Hokage, as his sweeping stare danced across his home. Beneath him, at the foothold of the mountain, the air was stagnant, the scents of the business district permeating the chilled morning air, carrying throughout the village that had only just began to awaken. But atop the mountain, brisk tendrils of wind ripped to and fro, casting a fine layer of refrozen ice over the stone surface.

On the surface, thin as the ice on the stone, perhaps it would seem as though everything was in order. The people had begun their morning rituals. The village shinobi had started their rounds. Bakeries fired their ovens, restaurants and shops opened their doors, streets became littered with people. But all was not calm in the Fire Country. Rarely was it ever. Beneath the surface, something festered. It was why Takao had taken his perch atop the mountain and set his gaze, cold as the ice he stood upon, onto the awakening village.

Cracking like a whip, the wind swirled behind him, yet he knew it was natural. His head turned, only just slightly, enough to look over his shoulder and cast his stare upon the porcelain mask-clad individual who had appeared, knelt on one knee with his head down.

"Commander," The man said. Takao didn't respond and let him continue.

"Our scouts found signs of a struggle this morning. We were unable to discern the source, however we identified four unique chakra signatures. One of them is registered with the Barrier Team, the other three we were unable to identify, however one of those three we were able to identify as being native to the Land of Lightning."

Turning, the rubber soles of Takao's boots carried him across the icy surface without so much as an inclination of imbalance. His interest had been piqued by the report, in particular the land of origin of the latter.

"And the signs of struggle?" Takao inquired.

"Four individual sets of footprints, very fresh, less than half an hour ago. There was blood that we identified to be one of the three unidentified signatures, as well as the signs of a general struggle. It seems as though they were alive at the time they were taken. Additionally..." Reaching to the small of his back, the operative produced a thin, cylindrical object, quickly identified as a flute.

"This was found at the scene of the struggle. Residual chakra suggests it belongs to the captive." Takao held his glove-clad hand out and the operative set the object in his palm. Takao lifted it, examined it, and nodded.

"Has the Tracking Division been dispatched and reported back?" As Takao spoke, he lifted his right arm and turned it palm-side up, revealing the seal formulae written upon the cloth bandages wrapped around his wrist. With a single hand seal, the flute disappeared in a plume of smoke, stored safely within his wrappings.

"Yes, they have located the trail using their signatures and are in pursuit at the moment."

While the operative spoke, Takao removed a radio from one of the two hip pouches, affixed it to his neck, and added the piece to his left ear.

"Frequency?"

"4-0.5-3. Tsuru Company."

Spinning the dial on the band around his neck, Takao nodded when the static faded and the chatter began. Pressing a button on the neck piece, he spoke.

"Tsuru Company, this is Command. Report."

Radio chatter silenced and a second passed before a response was given.

"Command, this is Tsuru Company. En route to target, currently ten klicks west of the First's Gate, heading west-northwest. Four confirmed signatures, no further advancements."

"Understood," Takao replied.

"Stay in pursuit but keep your distance and don't engage. I'll be moving out and taking over when I catch up."

From the radio, a staticy, muffled 'Understood' was reciprocated, and he dimmed the volume. Steely gaze set back upon the Black Ops Operative, Takao addressed him once more.

"Head back to Headquarters and get a retrieval and cleanup team ready, as well as a squad from the Medical Division. Dispatch them both behind me and keep in contact with Tsuru Company. Same orders as them, keep a good distance and don't engage until I give the order."

Some might view his methods as typical hero theatrics. Approaching danger and handling it on his lonesome to hog the glory; it was the act of a protagonist of an action movie, but in reality, his choice was often more selfless than not. His fiery fighting style was best suited when the only things around him were enemies, for his talent laid in widespread destruction, not finesse and pinpoint control of what was burned. It was both his strength and weakness; he was strongest alone, yet most vulnerable. Thus, he had decided to order them to follow, but keep their distance, so that his reckless abandon would not cause them harm. He already had the kidnapped to worry about after all, adding an extra dimension to that dynamic only complicated things unnecessarily.

"Understood," The man said. Takao had worked with him before.

He knew and Takao knew that he knew how Takao operated, thus there was no need for an unnecessary discussion attempting to dissuade his decision. Turning his back to the operative, the unmistakable distortion of heat growing from his body began to melt the ice in his vicinity. Small, candle-like flames began to grow upon his back, hovering just an inch or two above his shoulder blade, and gradually building both in heat and intensity. Within seconds, he was off with a burst of flames, propelled by the sheer power of his back-mounted jets of fire.

The distance from Hokage Mountain to the wall was covered in seconds, leaps and bounds across the rooftops barely disturbing the waking inhabitants. His movements were fluid, gliding through the village with practiced grace. He had mastered this form of movement after months of utilizing it, painstakingly, as his primary method of movement boon.

In this instance, he needed to be fast. He had taken a personal vow; all shinobi that held allegiance to the Hidden Leaf were his charges, and their safety was his personal concern and responsibility. A fool's errand, surely, anyone of sound mind could tell him that casualties were an inevitability, but it was his creed, and in said creed, his perseverance was unwavering.

The densely packed village of the Hidden Leaf became a rural countryside within the walls, then beyond the walls, a dense forest laid sprawled out before him. He headed out of the First's Gate, where the Tracking Team had departed, and set his heading west-northwest. En route, he had activated Ibugan, and the cold black irises of his eyes were lit aflame with radiant reddish orange hues, glowing like the coals of a fire. In half the time of their departure, Takao had caught up with the Tracking Team that had been dispatched, and saw the glowing images of their body heat clear as day in the distance. He approached, explosively, and the quartet of specialists came to a stop.

"Already--?" One of them said, his voice laced with disbelief that despite their fastest efforts, Takao had caught up with them so soon.

"Report," Takao said immediately after coming to a stop. His voice, stern of tone, made his interests clear.

"Where are they?"

"Two klicks north, and they've stopped." The leader of the four said.

"Right. Two of you, follow behind me, and linger at one kilometer. When I engage, keep your distance. The other two, locate the recovery and medical squads and guide them here."

Orders given and accepted with a unanimous 'Understood', Takao resumed his explosive bounds through the forest, leaping between branches beneath the canopy, guided by the directions he had been given, the images laid out before him by Ibugan, and a stern sense of intuition building in his gut. His speed had eclipsed his pursuers already, they were little more than an idea behind him now. He was moving even faster now, the bark and wood of the branches he landed upon splintering from the sheer force of his advance. Brothers and sisters bound not by blood but by a single, shared ideal, the Will of Fire. The 'King' of his land, his home, had been taken.

"This shall not stand."

TOTAL WC

1,473/4,000

Kennosuke

Kennosuke


D-rank
The morning air carried the briskness of the winter, evident to Kennosuke by the small fog his breath created as he exhaled. The sensation of being cold was foreign to him however and as he left out of the Kimura compound shorty before dawn, the sleeves of his tunic were still rolled up to his shoulders. He had his gear secured to his person, his tool pouch and quiver full, with Warpath holstered across his lower back and Rekka sheathed on his side. In his mind, he was mission ready; however he wasn’t exactly going on a mission. He had made friends within the Tracker Division and was going out with Tsuru Company today to learn the ropes and expectations of being a member of the Tracker Division. He honestly doubted they would have anything to do today, but it’s always good to get to know people you may have to work with soon. He was meeting the squad he was working with at the First’s gate at dawn so after pulling his hood up over his head he moves across the Hidden Leaf village to the designated meeting place.

When he arrived, his friend Inuzuka Shiba was talking quietly with hooded figure. Two other members he recognized as being part of Tsuru Company stood nearby along with Shiba’s canine companion Inari. The hooded figure shimmers and vanishes and Shiba turns to Kennosuke and with a curt nod motions him over to join the others. Kennosuke noted the fairly serious look on Shiba’s face as he joined the three man squad.

“Alright. Seems some scouts found something interesting. Signs of a struggle with at least four unique Chakra signatures, one of which belonging to a member of the Barrier Team. As of right now, we are to head out,  track them down and await further orders from there.” Shiba says in a quiet, yet commanding voice.

“What about Ryushi?” One of the other trackers asks, casting a glance at Kennosuke. Shiba tosses a radio and ear piece at Kennosuke, who catches it without problem, before tucking the radio into his belt and sliding the ear piece into place.

“Ryushi is tied up dealing with some other matters. This is Kimura Kennosuke, he’ll be taking Ryushi’s spot. Kennosuke, this is  Yoshimatsu and Tsugahara. Now, let’s move out. First we’ll go to where the trail starts and track them from there.” Shiba says before her and Inari bound off into the wilderness followed by Tsugahara. Yoshimatsu eyes Kennosuke for a moment and shakes his head.

“Keep up, Kimura, or you’ll get left behind.” He says before darting off after the others. Kennosuke smirks and leaps forward into the trees. This morning had definitely taken an interesting turn. Together the team of four sped through the tree’s, Kennosuke keeping pace with ease. Yoshimatsu may think Kennosuke was a nobody, but he wasn’t a Chunin for no good reason. He would however, obey orders and follow the direction of those who had been a Tracker. It wasn’t long before they came to a stop. The scene before them was what Kennosuke had expected.  Signs of a fight, foot prints and a decent amount of blood. The team spread out, each using their individual talents to find a trail. Kennosuke knelt in the middle of the fight scene, his eyes studying everything. No signs of any type of elemental damage and lack of discarded ninja tool’s led Kennosuke to think that whatever happened here, it wasn’t Shinobi verses Shinobi. But there was no real evidence to suggest it wasn’t that either.

After a moment Inari growls, obviously picking up the trail. Shiba pauses for a moment and calls in on the radio saying they found the trail and were in pursuit, before nodding to Inari, who surges forward. Once again in motion, the team moves swiftly across the wilderness. They spread out slightly, moving in a horizontal line, with a bit of space in between each of them. A familiar voice chimed over the radio asking their status. Shiba soon replied they were enroute 10 klicks west bearing west-northwest. The first voice came across again ordering continued pursuit but at a distance and not to engage.

Kennosuke couldn't help but grin. Takao was on his way now and Kennosuke could barely wait to stand side by side with his mentor in the heat of battle. It wasn't much longer after that Takao appeared from the rear of them, his body propelled by the jets of Burning Ambition. Tsuru Company halted and waited the last moments before Takao joined them.

"Already--?" Yoshimatsu mumbled in disblief as Shiba began to report to Takao. Kennosuke pats Yoshimatsu on the shoulder and smirks.

"Believe it, Yoshimatsu. Takao is a walking Legend." He said in a hushed tone as not to interrupt Takao's orders. They were to split the team up, two following Takao, the other two finding the Recovery and Medical squads and bringing them back. As soon as Takao took off, Kennosuke followed, the same jets that Takao had used covering his back and legs as well. He wasn't about to get sent off some escort job when Takao was about to walk into the unknown. No matter what they faced, Kennosuke would stand beside his friend and mentor until the end. Takao's speed made him look like turtle in a hare race, but now moving with his Burning Ambition, he was able to out pace the other member of the Tsuru Company who followed him. He reaches back and unholsters Warpath, flicking the bow open. He didn't know what lay ahead but he intended to have Takao's back regardless.

Shiba catches up to him, struggling to match his pace. She looked angry, no doubt she was going to send him to fetch the Recovery and Medical teams. He winks at her as just as suddenly as she caught up him she stops. Orders were to linger 1 kilometer and keep their distance while Takao engaged the threat. He refused that order. He wouldn't sit back while anyone from the Hidden Leaf Village could be in danger, no matter who told him to do so. Not to mention he couldn't see Takao in action if he followed his orders.

WC: 1067

Teiho

Teiho


D-rank


His breath was barely visible in the cold brisk morning air. The dim starlight barely afforded to him the gift of sight as he naviaged himself away from the hotel that he and Shizuka had been staying in. The quiet of the early morning afforded him a great deal of peace as he steadied himself, his mind a mix of emotions and ideas as he made his way towards the outer gates of the village. His travels had no major ulterior motives, he hadn't necessarily deigned for this day to be anything special other than to possibly gather himself before he moved forward in his life. The cold however was a welcome partner in this endeavor, the chill forcing him to pull his warm furry winter coat tighter across his body as he marched vehemently towards the great forests that surrounded the village.

He had chosen no particular direction, and while he lacked any sort of guide of the surroundings, he was fairly confident in his ability to at least navigate his way back to the hotel if necessary and so he pushed on. Further and further he travelled until he had come to agreement with himself that the possibility of losing control over his own emotions would no longer put himself or Shizuka in immediate danger. And with that knowledge, he would take to the partially frozen forest floor, and with practiced ease would slip into a sort of pseudo mediation stance. It was testament to his dedication to better himself that he even remembered the steps that were taught to him long ago, the Monk’s at Iwa’s temples having worked with him for months just to get him to understand the basic necessities of meditation and how it would help better himself. He still lacked the necessary patience to even remain in a sort of meditative trance, but if he could at least clear his mind of turmoil, he would declare it a victory, if only an incomplete one.

His body shifted to and fro, his attention waning as his brows furrowed with thought, his mind wandering from intense mental deficiency to the next as he struggled to hold in his inner demons. His teeth gnashed against each other as sweat seemed to ignore the cold of his surroundings and coat his forehead in a thin sheen of moisture which only helped in infuriating him as the moisture quickly cooled and drew his ire even more. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, it was almost impossible for his body to sit still long enough to get more than what he had already accomplished out of the exercise. The knowledge that he was constantly failing at what he deemed to be a fairly simple task only served to increase his ire beyond what most would consider a normal limit. Finally he would forgo the exercise, the exertion no longer worth the continued energy and time he was seemingly having to put into it.

He wiped his brow with the sleeve of his coat, the moisture clinging to the fur like fabric with ease as he stepped out of his stance. His breath came out heavy and full of moisture creating a soft white cloud of mist with each exhale. A quick glance upwards would have him gauging the time to be just a bit after sunrise. The hustle and bustle of the village would likely begin soon and that also meant that he would soon have to return to wake Shizuka up from his slumber. Sighing, he’d shrug off his heavy coat to reveal a black skin tight bodysuit. He would get something out of this morning even if it was just more bodily conditioning.

Stepping into his standard stance, he would begin by adjusting his footing slightly. Bringing his right foot back and further to the right while bending his knees with the motion to bring himself lower to the ground. Establishing a solid center of gravity, he’d move his hands from their usual orthodox boxing guard and hang them further by his sides in an open guard that had him balancing his body appropriately for kicking instead of punching. It was something that he recognized during the exams that his normal repertoire of attacks and strikes was somewhat lacking in the department of reach and viability. The exams had showed that he could not always depend on punching people out. The multitude of powers and techniques used against him had intrigued Taiho greatly, and with help from Shizuka he had learned how to use some, even if they were basically like the moves he had already had in his repertoire but with more versatility and power behind them.

His fingers clenched as he mentally imagined himself grasping at the power he had began to claim as his own. It was small now, but he knew that in the future, as long as he worked hard and put his mind to it, it would blossom into something greater. And with the inaudible metaphorical gunshot, his body uncoiled itself, unleashing in a burst of energy and activity a kick of immense power and speed. The harsh cold wind whipped at his body as the gales tore through the branches and dead leaves alike leaving a soft carving in the earth. His right foot hung in midair as his gulped down healthy amounts of air. His lungs working in overtime to steady his heart rate as his eyes studied the less than stellar result of his kick. It was supposed to be an improvement of the only kick in his arsenal now, but if he were to do a comparison... this was nothing like it.

Frowning at this, he'd lower the leg back to the ground before settling himself back into stance. He'd continue to practice, his muscles working overtime as he struggled to improve himself past his current limitations. Without further knowledge into the world and skills of shinobi, he was limited to simple bodily improvement, and if he couldn't improve his attacks, then his body would have to do. Strike after strike, kick after kick, he threw himself into a frenzy as he danced around the trees in the clearing, his body unleashing what felt like pools of moisture. His body was drenched when a sharp shrill call pierced through his morning exercise, snapping him from his single minded focus, and forcing him to look about in confusion.

The sound had been relatively close to him, meaning it hadn't come from the village itself. He wasn't surprised too much, if Konoha was anything like Iwa then he fully expected some Ninja to come out into the forests surrounding the village to get that most privacy possible during their morning exercise. It piqued his interest to at least observe what could be some interesting Konoha martial arts and thus collected his gear before taking to the trees to move in the general direction of the sound. With the low light of the early morning, and the various foliage blocking his view, it was difficult to pinpoint exact details as he arrived. There were clearly some things his eyes missed, as sharp as they were, night vision was still one of those skills he was working hard to perfect. However even with his restricted vision it was clear to him that the smaller person was struggling with what looked to be three larger assailants. It was unclear what the situation was, something that stayed Taiho's hand and mouth as he attempted to watch with trepidation. He would later regret this moment of cowardice when he presented his report to the newly appointed Hokage, and offer his sincerest apologies to the affected, but as it stood now he had no basis to jump in.

He would wait patiently, the figures finally subduing the smaller form. He was unable to see that the smaller figure had managed to harm the larger ones, as well as the fact that they were leaving a rather visible trail behind them. Without this knowledge Taiho realized he had to make a snap decision. Did he follow what was clearly an abduction, or did he turn back to the village to report back what he saw? His mind spun quickly as the sounds began to fade, his mind rationalizing the fact that even his own training location was fairly distant from the watchful eye of the village gates. This person had been even further, most likely not intentionally due to the struggle they had put up before they had been taken, but with how far they both were it would take him another thirty minutes to get back to the gate and alert the proper authorities before he could even begin to gather information and possible help identify any of the assailants.

Biting his lip in mental discordance, he finally relented before peeling away from the tree he had perched himself on, moving with a purpose in the direction of the abductors, he would pull out a single kunai and use it to mark the trees he passed in his attempts to actually chase down the abductors. Without the gift of light, and only being able to follow the vague sounds of their movements, it wasn't long before he eventually lost the trail and was left standing around in the dense Fire Country forests that surrounded the village. His eyes and ears strained themselves to their best abilities, trying as hard as they could to pick up anything to use as he stumbled aimlessly through the forest. By time he had managed to actually stumble across what could barely be described as a shack in the woods, the light of the sun had finally managed to peek over head. The cold had managed to seep into his body, hardening his heart as he trudged forward in his fairly delusional if exhausted body. However even with these ailments he knew that he didn't have time to wait, he didn't have time to think anymore. He didn't bother with reconnaissance, information gathering was never his strong suit. He was a shock trooper if anything. He took in the information given to him and made plans accordingly. But if there was no one else to provide information, well...

The guards had been mid conversation when one of them suddenly found the act of breathing difficult. His shaking hand reaching towards the small black blade that was now creating a hole where his trachea had once occupied. He grasped at the offending object, blood rushing to fill the hole causing him to choke on the crimson fluid. He was dead before his partner had even had a chance to realize what was going on before a figure clad in mostly dark clothes stumbled out of the darkness of the surrounding treeline. The second blade was not nearly as pinpoint as the Brigand clutched at his pierced shoulder, the assailants now obviously a Target as he reached to sound for the alarm.

Turning his back to the approaching figure, he wouldn't get the chance to move further than he had already gone as a blade pierced itself in his lower back, a sharp cry of pain puncturing the clearing as the body lost its warmth and strength before the man finally collapsed next to his compatriot. Dull red eyes would observe their handiwork before finally taking the time to assess the situation. The first hurdle had been conquered, but the lack of information and backup still made whatever he planned to do equal to suicide if he was to be honest with himself. However a lack of clear thinking prevented himself from agreeing with this rationale and instead fed into the heroic standing that he had worked himself into. He was into the deep now and no amount of backtracking would get him out of this situation. It was effectively do or die at this point.

Gathering his wits about himself. He would psyche himself into a frenzy, the sounds of bodies moving about inside of the shack telling him that someone had realized that something wasn't right. Hindsight was coming to bite him in the ass again. He could hear Maikumaru harping on him about his lack of foresight again. Forgetting to do basic reconnaissance so that he at least understood the guards patrol patterns. Growling in irritation at his short-sightedness he did the only thing he could do in this situation.

Hunching his body and presenting his shoulder, he would charge shoulder first through the wooden door. The force of his body breaking through the poorly maintained wood with ease. It was clear that the cottage itself was likely a front for the actual base underneath and that there were probably better entrances to go through, but Taiho didn't know that. Taiho's mind had long since forgone these details. There was nothing left for him to do but to act. For when no option presented itself but to go forward, one must not hesitate after all.

Combat Summary



Resource Management

All current locker items are equipped.

Used x2 Kunai.


Word Counts


Post WC 2,170
Total WC 2,170

Mission/Training/EP Tracker


Mission WC 2,170/5,000
Mission Bonus Ryo WC 0/8,000 (+2,000 Ryo)
Mission Bonus EP WC 7,210/12,500 (+5 EP)
Topic EP WC 0/12,500 (+5 EP)

N'Jobu Aburame

N'Jobu Aburame


C-rank

Rays from the moon snuck through the cracks of his curtains to rest upon his face, interrupting his peaceful slumber. He opened his eyes, still drowsy from the lack of sleep but he knew he needed to wake up as today was his first day out as a part of the medic corps. Unknown to most of his comrades, he was quite a skilled medical ninja, although he never really showed his capabilities off to those who didn't have a need to know. Most of his practice and experimentation was on himself in the privacy of his own little lab in the Aburame compound, outside of the purview of most. One of his more recent experiments was actually his greatest achievements, pulling off a feat only a few before had been able to accomplish in their lifetime. He was one of the few able to genetically alter himself to gain the famed wood release of the Senju clan. He had "acquired" some of the DNA of a Senju clan member while out on a mission during his time in Suna during the war. She was certainly quite the specimen, one he would never forget. He would have to find her again one day as he hadn't seen her since that day but that was a thought for another time. He would need to start getting himself ready for the day's work.

It was still relatively dark outside, as there was still about an hour or so until dawn, leaving most of his room quite dark as well. He shook the sleep from his eyes as he sat up in his bed while throwing the sheets off of himself. After taking a quick moment to stretch, he rose from his bed before heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a quick shower. After going through his morning routine, he grabbed some of his new clothes he would be wearing with as a part of the medic corps. A new khaki jacket with a black hoodie and green scarf covering most of his head, with a new set of goggles covering his eyes in the signature Aburame style. He had gotten some new gear bags to store his medical supplies and some of his other trinkets which could be quite useful on a mission. He quickly put on his clothes and made his way over to his weapons rack where he retrieved his bow and strapped it to his back along with his new quiver. After securing all his gear, he motioned over to S'Yan who was off in the corner surveying for any stray insects which made the poor choice of entering into the compound uninvited. The curious mantis scurried from his corner and made his way over to N'Jobu, spreading his wings and flying up to his usual perch atop N'Jobu's shoulders. The pair would make their way toward the exit of the Aburame compound, heading to the main facility for the Medical Corp.  

The morning's air was cold and crisp as the breeze swept across the small parts of his face which were exposed to the elements. It wasn't so bad however as the Aburame mostly cover their entire bodies with their attire so the elements are rarely a concern. The walk wasn't too far from the compound as it only took a few minutes to reach the facility where he would meet up with the rest of his unit. He wouldn't even be able to sit down for a moment for as soon as he walked into the facility, a Black Ops operatives rushed in requesting support for a medical unit to assist Tsuru company out in the field. His words were blunt and quick before heading back out and moving towards the Black Ops headquarters not too far off. The commander for the Medic Corp snapped into action, setting the squad into prep mode before setting out. "N'Jobu! Looks like you get to start off with your feet to the fire! You are on the squad assigned to this detail. Hurry up and grab your gear and follow along with others! Go! Go! Go!" He yelled as N'Jobu snapped into action. He was a quick learner so it wasn't to difficult for him to figure out what was going on as he grabbed all the basic supplies and packed them in his medical bag. The squad quickly set out to tag along behind Tsuru company until their prescience was necessitated. This would truly be the first test of his medical skills out in the field as he had simply relied on his evasion and scouting skills in the past to avoid harm. Now he would have to rely on himself and his squad to assist others on whatever mission they happened to be tagging along for. The all headed out of the First's gate in the front of the village and proceeded to move out west-northwest to the rendezvous point where they would catch up with Tsuru company and await orders. The squad moved quickly with N'Jobu flanking behind, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger or suspicious activity.

They continued on through the trees outside the village heading towards the last known location they would be dispatched to. Before long, another Black Ops operative had made their way to meet up with N'Jobu'S squad. "Follow me. We'll be hanging back about two klicks back from the others. Move out!" they would say as the operative sprinted off. The Medical Corp would follow behind with N'Jobu anxiously awaiting what kind of mission they were getting themselves into. "Should be interesting," he thought to himself as he and S'Yan maintained the flank of the squad, barely keeping pace with everyone else but trying his best. "I have to do well..." he lamented to himself as they continued their trek to the stall point. The minutes passed like mere seconds as they soon arrived to the meeting point where they were told to hang back and await the signal to engage.

WC: 1029

Akaneya

Akaneya


C-rank
The room was solitary, lonely, quiet, in fact it was very quiet - most likely soundproofed; well-soundproofed at that. As she was, even Akaneya could not produce any unpleasant noises to disturb it. Entirely unfurnished, and a little small, in total isolation the room was just about ideal for meditation. In almost any other circumstance, she could appreciate her surroundings. Were the motives of her captors not so uncertain to her, she might even take pleasure in the serenity of her own kidnapping - as much as she felt pleasure to any given thing. The inconvenience of being bound and gagged might be considered an obstacle to such a serenity, but this had hardly been the first time she was and, through her trials in Otogakure, had instead become relatively comfortable with it. At the very least, she was not uncomfortable. To become comfortable with discomfort, to flourish in adversity, this is what she believed gave her true strength, and why she would refuse to admit that her time with her old master had been a negative - despite the protestations of those around her.

Having enjoyed the serenity briefly, the helplessness of her situation would not deter the enterprising young woman from plotting an escape. Any plan would do. Struggling briefly to test the firmness of her bindings, she found them inconveniently well-tied. She followed this with groping around the ropes to see if there was a knot - any knot - within reach. Although a few vague lumps could be felt on the tips of her fingers, nothing immediately useful was to be found. Not without at least a little bit greater reach, anyway. Once this fruitless task had been accomplished, she gripped one of the loops around her wrist and tried to pull it off. Just one loop off just one wrist would loosen the entire thing greatly. The ropes, a bit stiff, put up a great fight at this, and so Akaneya let out a deep groan - almost a growl - though heavily muffled.

To increase her grip ever-so-slightly, she made an active effort to get one glove off. They were well-fitting, of course, which made their removal even more difficult. Pulling her hands in as much as her bindings would allow, she grasped just the tip of her finger and began to repeatedly pull, simultaneously fighting the pull of the ropes to bring her arms back to their straight position. In a few moments, the managed to get the glove to slip just a bit off of her finger, and from here began to pull. It slid off a bit further, prompting her to try to ram her hand into the ropes to essentially scrape it off. With a few more minutes, it finally fell to the ground. This was the first success that she needed to escape.

Gripping one coil of rope, she pulled with all her relatively-mediocre might to get it just past the wrist of the other hand. There was just enough slack to allow this move - though now it felt as if it was crushing her thumb instead. Jabbing at it and scraping it against the wall and her back, the rope slipped further and further down the line. Holding her thumb as far in as she could, it finally got past her knuckle, then over the thumb entirely, and then off the whole hand, though taking her other glove half with it. Stopping to catch her breath, having given enormous effort for such a small feat, she realized then that a little over half an hour had passed since she started the effort.

After a few moments of breathing heavily through her nose, her being forced to making the recovery all the more difficult, she continued the effort. Pulling her arms up and down respectively to try to loosen the whole by using the length she'd just pulled off as spare space, she repeated the process. One time. Two times. Three times. By five times, she was starting to feel that she could actually make an attempt. Each loop pulled off had become gradually easier, even though she lost her other glove in the process and, thus, the relative lack of friction from sliding on it instead of her hand. Although she was not entirely certain she could just slip out, she had enough slack that she could reach the knot placed firmly on top of the whole system. Picking at it with the top third of her fingers proved to be nearly as ineffective as picking at it with her fingertips, and she surrendered that she would not be able to undo it. Instead turning her effort to pulling a few more loops off, she made one great struggle. Over an hour after she had first started, and she finally pulled one wrist free of her bindings. Though her whole forearm ached somewhat from the struggles, it had paid off in the end.

Sliding the coil off her other wrist, she immediately turned effort to undoing the thinner, lazier, makeshift bindings on her feet. These came off easily, the knots being frankly superficial. Feeling around for the knot binding her upper arms, Akaneya realized that this was firmly out of her reach, and that was quite frustrating indeed. She reached to her side for a kunai, only to be reminded that her tools had been taken from her - there would be no cutting her way out of this one. At the very least, she ripped the tape from her mouth and spat out the dirty rag that had been kept in there all day long. All night? How long had it been?

Akaneya pressed her ear to the door and felt vibrations. Despite the soundproofing, it was clear that someone was coming. Positioning herself to the side of the door, she hid; the seeming leader of their group had decided to quickly check in. The cocky thug had probably assumed she had no determination and would never get out, because enough effort had been put in that she'd just give up, but this would only serve to be his downfall - as he would soon find out.

The door, having slid open, revealed a grand and empty room with several piles of rope lying at the other end. A hundred pounds of weight flung itself against him and knocked him down, though with her upper arms still bound she couldn't hope to try punching. Instead, lying atop, she began biting ferociously. When he regained awareness of the situation, the fight quickly came to an end. He pushed her off and spun her around, making an attempt to wrap his arms around and restrain her. This failed in turn, as she kicked hard into his shin. Falling on the ground once more, she delivered a few kicks before her foot was grabbed and she was dragged down with it.

Now on the floor, he pinned her. A dirty grin came over his face, "That was a good fight," he told her, having now more lacerations on his arms than she had given him in their first encounter, "I underestimated you." The cultist looked her over, "But I see that, though I spared some effort, you still couldn't fully untie yourself. You, more than likely, only just got out a few minutes ago anyway, not that you could get this last bit off if you wanted. Am I right?"

She looked at him scornfully, but something in her expression, the specific type of scorn present in her gaze, that confirmed it for him. "I see..." he whispered, "We shan't be making this mistake again. You can't really fight back anyway without full use of your arms. All the same..." he climbed off of her and held her flute up.

Akaneya went wide-eyed.

"This must be important to you, yes?" Although she did not reply, his grin turned to a smirk. "Maybe it's something sentimental...or..." he gauged her reaction, though it had not seemed to change, "You didn't even try to use jutsu, back then or now. Maybe it's a tool. Are you even capable of doing anything without this?" He checked once more, and her glare somewhat softened, "You're helpless without it. Am I right? You can't really stop me from doing anything."

He closed the door and went to collect the rope. She didn't follow him, she didn't try to attack. He knew that, so long as he had the flute, she wouldn't take any chances. He walked back and gave her the gloves she'd just left on the ground. Almost as if being courteous. This 'gift', this 'courtesy' would be part of his plan for her - to break her, to build her anew for his little cult. To seem harsh, to seem friendly, all the steps involved. Of course, once she put them back on, he jerked her arms backward and tied them, crossed and straight, tighter than before. He followed with the legs, and then gently helped her back into a sitting position as if doing her a favor. Follow with a fresh rag with some new tape, and we're back to square one.

At least he pretended to be nice about it?

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