Storm the Castle! [PotK]

[Takaki Saeko]

Outside Castle Nagamasa
Eastern Takadama Province, Kaminari no Kuni
…0900 hours

…Rao…​

Last night’s revelries had been kind of an enjoyable blur for Hokoro Rao, Jounin of Cloud, but what he did know as he groggily opened his eyes and re-oriented himself to sobriety, was that he was laying in bed in a large tent next to a completely naked woman.

“Morning,” she said as she caressed his bare chest, which now made sense for him because he realized he was completely naked as well. It was still hard to piece events together, but from what he could figure, he had probably gotten very drunk in the previous eight to ten hours and had come back to the tent with a camp follower. It would probably behoove him to go to the Aesculapium after this mission was over to get checked for veneral disease, as such things were rampant in…wait, where was he again? Well, such questions could wait for later, he figured, as there were more important and pleasurable things in front of him at this very moment. Gently, he rolled the woman onto her back, kissing her and making his way with his lips down to her neck and breasts (as opposed to freaking out and running away like a stereotypical male character in an anime). “Oh! You’re a healthy one, and good-looking too,” she murmured, enjoying his attention. “Tell you what, this one’s on the house,” she said, spreading her legs and shifting her hips…

Suddenly, a rustling noise as the tent flap opened, causing Rao to whirl away and get to his feet in a defensive stance, hands ready to form seals…

“Raiden’s Grace!” exclaimed a mustachioed sergeant in amazement, his helmeted head poking into the tent. Bowing ingenuously, the man let himself fully in. “Er, excuse me Sir and Miss, but I’m to deliver some orders from ‘Sannin Takai’ of Kumogakure to Jounin Rao,” he said, making no real effort to disguise the fact that he was feasting his eyes on the woman. “You’re to report to the Sannin and the Chancellor immediately for the assault at the top of the western hill near the batteries. That is all, Sir,” said the man, bowing facetiously once more and slowly tearing his eyes away from the delectable sight of flesh before ducking out of the tent entirely.

“Aww, too bad you can’t stay and play a bit more,” whined the camp follower playfully as she rolled to the edge of the bed and reached down to grab something on the floor before tossing it at Rao – his pants. “But you know, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” she said, rising and wrapping a sheet around her body as she started to pick up her clothes from the corners of the tent. His clothing was strewn all about, but fortunately, his gear was draped over a nearby chair. [Task 1: Get dressed and equipped]

…Keiji and Senna…​

”Genin Nemoto! This is Vice Commander Takaki! Open the door and get His Majesty inside at once!”

The heat of the fire was unlike anything she had ever felt. A nauseating, unrelenting wave of heat that blistered her skin but did not warm her frozen, stiff fingers that she tried in vain to rub together in the piercing cold of the night. The armored war wagon shone its lights on her expectantly as she trudged toward it, every step akin to moving through sand thanks to the weight of the Karashnikov slung from her shoulder and the heavy snowfall on the ground. Grudgingly, she grasped the door of the vehicle, straining to slide it open. Of course, she knew what would happen next. The scenario had played out so many times, like a bad television rerun. Hayata Makoro’s cold, hateful eyes would meet hers and the next thing she would feel would be a nine-millimeter slug in her chest.

“Senna, why? Why did you do this to us?”

Her father stood in the doorway, his face purple and swollen and his eyes bleeding from the effects of the deadly neurotoxin she had delivered to her own people in their most sacred of places. The sight was nauseating. She wanted to cry his name…to protest that she had been tricked…that she had been too weak to see through the Hayata’s disguise…that she had not abandoned her home…that she was sorry and that a part of her wished she had just died along with all of the rest of the victims that bombing…but the words simply refused to form. This wasn’t how it happened. This was so much worse…

Makoro now stepped into view, next to her father. Instead of the malicious glare he had given her before, he simply shook his head sorrowfully at her as he closed the door.

With a choked gasp, Nemoto Senna, genin of Kumogakure and survivor of the Raiden’s Breath, opened her eyes. Her body felt stiff and heavy, almost as if she were one of her own war-puppets instead of a human being. Her vision was blurry as well and her eyes stung, and so she rubbed them with a free hand, only figuring out then that what she had just wiped away were tears.

That dream was a new one. Her father’s appearance was another disturbing addition to her mental rolodex of traumatizing experiences, and one she definitely hadn’t wanted to add. All because of that damnable Takaki Masao. Wherever he went, only trouble followed for Senna. And now of course, she was in the middle of an Imperial Army camp about to be gibbed in a siege because of him. Uggh, at least the tent she had retreated to was relatively quiet. Where had Keiji and Rao gone off to, anyway? They had all been split up when the festivities had started…

Her midsection felt more constrained than usual, almost as if someone’s arm was resting on it. Also, for some reason she felt warmer than she usually did in the mornings, as if someone was laying closely next to her. But that was stupid to think about, right? Senna was single – she had never dated or even slept in the same room with another boy. It was probably just some phantom pain associated with her wounds, she reasoned. Thanks, Makoro. Not wishing to wake more than she usually did, and enjoying the unusual warmth, she casually cast a glance down to where she felt the pressure, and promptly saw someone’s arm laying across her.

Putting two and two together, she swore and with her other hand ripped the blanket off of her, only to be met with the sight of a shirtless Suzaku Keiji and her…”snuggling.”

Immediately, the girl shrieked and bolted upright into a defensive stance, which stirred the Hyuuga into wakefulness. His mouth opened and he was probably forming words, but at the time, the only thing Senna really could care about was that he was only clad in his boxers, which meant…Jesus Himura Saito in a Shinbatsu Sandwich…

Thankfully for her, she was actually fully clothed, although a bit sweaty. With a sigh of relief, she sank to her knees. Either that or promptly slapped the shit out of Keiji. [Task 1: Get equipped and prepared]

...A few minutes later…
Mood Music​

Now outfitted in the clothing and gear of his choice, Rao now strode to the tent’s opening and stepped out.

The light of the morning dazzled the shinobi as it crashed against his unaccustomed eyes from the east, washing away all sense of color for a few seconds until his pupils and irises grudgingly readjusted and allowed him to peer over the storm of activity below. At the same time, his ears were instantly assailed by the unceasing booming of arbalestillery emplacements hurling barrage after barrage of explosive shells into the air as well as the cacophony of screamed orders and sonorous hurrahs of companies of soldiers marching to the beat of drums and the shaking of the earth itself in their wake.

“…and while the nobles fight on the walls, we’ll be fighting on the city streets knee-deep in blood and shit and piss! But that means we’ll have our pick of the loot! Now fall the fuck In!” shouted a Lieutenant from below as he waved his sword in the air in front of a group of heavily-armored shock troopers.

“HOOUU-RAH!” thundered the men, pumping their mailed fists in the air.

Ah, that was right – he had just woken up in the middle of the Lightning Imperial Army’s siege camp, right before the planned final push against the impenetrable walls of Castle Nagamasa. He took a moment to peer out at his surroundings. As far as his eyes could see, the formerly pristine landscape was now studded with the white and blue tents of the Army arranged in orderly rows stretching to beyond the horizon with interspersed patches of brown from wooden stockades and supply depots. Nearby, platoons of soldiers stood at attention or marched in the direction of the castle dripping equal measures of sweat and excitement and fear. A few dozen meters away to the north were the brilliantly-colored and flag-bedecked central command tents where those in command slept and worked and planned the inevitable slaughter, and to the west, the ceaseless noise and dust of dozens of arbalestillery pieces flinging their hundred-millimeter caliber payloads against the soot-blackened, high walls of the castle a half-kilometer away. The castle itself smoked from within from fires set by shells that had managed to slip over the parapets and crash into the grounds, but its defenders, gnatlike in their size from Rao’s perspective, still scurried about the tops amidst the occasional gleam of glinting metal.

The air stank with the smell of burning cordite, metal, oil, dust, and sweat forming a miasma hanging over the camp, and he needed a stiff drink already. As Rao started to make his way to the assault staging point on the western hill, he realized that his was going to be an interesting day… [Task 2: Find Masao and the others]

</B>

<B>Meanwhile…​

​

Still wiping the grogginess out of their eyes, Keiji and a still-possibly-fuming Senna stood in a slowly-moving chow line waiting for a dollop of vegetable-and-meat stew to be ladled out by the cooks at the front of the column. Around them, similarly groggy and hung-over line infantry in various states of undress also waited for their breakfasts, which for some of them would be the last in their lives. The roaring of arbalestillery fire was a constant, undulating presence that the two genin had managed to tune out by now, although it handily prevented awkward conversation between the two. Senna, being mechanically inclined, could not help but peer at the weaponry most of the soldiers carried slung across their backs.

The SA-14 long-lever bolter was a positively ancient design by now, especially in the age of semi-automatic and fully-automatic weaponry. A falling-block, breech-loading single-shot weapon, its speed and handling were no match for Senna’s Karashnikov. However, there were two reasons it still made up ninety percent of the total armament of the Imperial Army: availability and sheer power. It could still punch through a foot of concrete with ease, and a full battle line firing in perfect drill could wipe out anything in its path, including even the toughest of shinobi. With a bayonet mounted, it also served as a handy spear and club for melee combat, all for a unit cost of less than 500 yen apiece.

“…Shite. Fucking thing won’t close,” she overheard a young soldier ahead of her in line muttering as he appeared to fumble with his bolter, trying in vain to jam the extractor lever closed with the palm of his hand.

“Sorry mate, you’ve fucked it,” said one of his companions, shaking his head. “Better hope the Nagamasa drop one.”

“Sergeant’s gonna kill me if the blokes in the castle don’t.”

“Can’t help you, mate. Not an armorer…they’ve all gone to fix the artillery. We’re on our own here…” she heard as they voices trailed off. [Optional task for Senna: Help the soldier or ignore him?]

Keiji, meanwhile, was quickly gathering attention of his own. For one thing, he noticed that whenever a female soldier passed him by, he would feel his rear being patted or groped soon afterwards, almost as if he were some sort of good-luck charm. The second thing he noted, however, that a group of heavily-armored cuirassiers were looking excitedly at him and pointing at him. Among them was a rather reedy-looking soldier who wore the same boots as the rest, but none of the armor. As he stared back at them, one of them finally came up to the Hyuuga, clearing his throat nervously.

“Er, ah, milord Shinobi, me and my mates couldn’t help but notice that you possess the Eyes. Er, you know, the Eyes that allow a man to see the magic in things… Oh, sorry, we haven’t introduced ourselves. We’re the Margrave Lee’s Death Hussars, and we’re going in with the first wave. To be honest with you, milord Shinobi, Nyubey-kun over there made a bet with some Grenadier Guards that he’d go into battle without any armor on,” said the soldier, pointing to the reedy, unarmored companion of his. “He made the bet because he happened to find this strange-looking amulet hanging off a gravestone and we think it’ll protect him from bolts and swords and the like. Would you oblige us, milord, and use your Eyes to tell us if there’s any truth to that?”

To Keiji’s perspective, the amulet he now saw hanging on the man’s neck did in fact resonate with a mild chakra signature, but in truth, he could not tell further than that if there was any real protection to be offered by the thing. [Optional task for Keiji: Tell the truth or lie?]

A few minutes later, Keiji and Senna sat down on a nearby bench, hungrily slurping down their bowls of soup. The food was of unusually high quality for the Imperial Army, and probably was that way because of the impending assault. Speaking of which, where the hell was their leader, and where the hell was their Sennin? [Task 2: Find out where Masao is and go to him.]

 

[Akemi]

'Okay, Senna; stay calm, think rationally, don't do anything stupid... now, how did I end up in the same bed as Keiji? I remember talking to him for a while because I couldn't slee- oh my gosh, I must have passed out in his bed! That's so embarrassing! Well, uh, I guess it could be worse... I'm still fully clothed- unless... no, no, Keiji wouldn't do that, would he? That would just be sick! No, I have to trust him.'

After what couldn't have been longer than a minute (but most likely felt more like an hour) of awkward, motionless silence from Senna; the poor, stressed out girl let out a small, relieved sigh. "Mornin' Kei... sorry if I was a bit of a nuisance last night, and for leaving you with only half the bed. I don't think these bunks were made for two people.... yaaaawwwnnn...." she said, still somewhat groggy from waking up. Senna scanned the room, looking for her gear (she remembered bringing it with her into the tent); after a few seconds she found the large summoning scroll which held all her weapons and equipment. Well.... time to get ready for the day...

"Please don't look over here for a minute..." Senna said before channeling a small bit of chakra through the scroll, after a few seconds pause her old clothes disappeared into the scroll's storage, leaving the little girl in nothing but her underwear and fully exposing her frail, withered frame. Another few seconds of focus summoned Senna's new outfit, a royal blue military uniform complete with a pair of combat boots and an army-style jacket, onto her person. After taking a few seconds to make sure nothing had been summoned backwards (hey, it happens sometimes), Senna grabbed the summoning scroll by it's carrying strap and slung it over her shoulder. "Okay, well, see you at breakfast!" she said as she walked out of the tent.

Later...​

As Senna waited in line for her food, she started to overhear a conversation between a couple of soldiers; apparently one of them had the misfortune of breaking his weapon... she frowned a little bit and took a step forward. "Ugh... when is the military going to learn that you can't make a proper crossbow out of cheap plastic and a shoestring? Here, let me see that." she said, swiping the bolter out of the unfortunate soldier's hands before talking a few steps away from the food line and seating herself on the ground. After taking a few seconds to get used to the weapon, Senna did her best to disassemble it and was more-or-less successful. The deconstructed weapon now laid out in front of her; Senna reached into her pockets and started to pull out an assortment of tools, screws, bowstrings, and other assorted parts. After a few minutes of focused effort the weapon was reconstructed; a quick dry fire test confirmed that the weapon was now more-or-less in working order.

"That should do it... good luck out there!" she said as she handed the weapon back to the soldier.


The distraction of the malfunctioning bolter had delayed Senna's breakfast by a few minutes, but she was okay with that. After finally allowing herself to receive a helping of the offered meal, Senna made her way over to where Keiji was sitting and sat next to him. "So... you ready for today?" she asked, after waiting for a few seconds Senna turned to her food; it took a minute or two for her to make herself eat, but once she was started the stew disappeared at an alarming rate.

"I guess we should find the others." she said as she put the bowl down next to her, she was ready to follow Keiji if he was done eating.

 

[Rao]

What is that smell, its a mix of something, something familiar. He sniffed the air and picked the sources out, scotch, smoke, fire, lavender and sex. It brought back memories, fond memories, of the tents kept by the whores that followed armies camp to camp. His eyes fluttered open from his sleep. A strange hand moved down his naked pink chest. His head felt clouded in the dark and aroma filled tent, he looked down and could see the woman lying next to him in the dim morning's light.

“Morning,” she said.

Rao grunted, he sat up and allowed himself to take in the curves of the woman's body. He couldn't remember what happened last night, only blackness and disjointed images remained. Its the perfect time to make new memories. He pushed away the dull ache in his head and limbs and pulled the woman onto the bare of her back. He smiled as she spoke. Her voice wasn't sharp, but soothing and gentle. Perfect for a woman that made a living taking advantage of drunk and hungover soldiers.

He lightly caressed her body, the skin felt soft as silk, goosebumps formed as she gave a meek gasp. Each bump was like braille, revealing him something different about her. Pressure built in his loins as the two moved to join together. A sudden light flooded the tent as he pressed next to her, he swore and jumped away from the bed. He landed in a defensive stance, his hands raised and formed the beginning of seals.

“Raiden's Grace!”

Rao stopped forming seals and covered his eyes, the brightness was blinding, he stumbled back for a moment before gaining his bearings. He recognized the uniform of the man in the entrance, Imperial Army a sergeant. “What is it sergeant,” Rao said annoyed. The man excused himself and relayed his message.

“You’re to report to the Sannin and the Chancellor immediately for the assault at the top of the western hill near the batteries. That is all, Sir.”

Morning messengers never bring good news. Rao turned away from the soldier back to the woman. His loins now throughly normal, he found the woman's voice vastly more grating then it had been before. He snatched his pants out of air and pulled them on one leg at a time. “I'll be back before the day is done,” Rao muttered as he made his way to the rest of his equipment. She gathered his clothes and handed them to him one-by-one. The black necktie finished the outfit. He pulled the greatcoat over his arms and checked the pockets for the remainder of his equipment, satisfied he then buttoned the coat.

“Not even going to say goodbye?” said the female with a pouting face.

He looked back with a flat expression at the sheet wrapped whore, I don't remembering saying hello. He shrugged before exiting, “See you tonight.”

---

Thrums of bolts and artillery created a bass that pulsated in his body, each beat matched rhythm with his steps. This is why he was here, it is something not many others could appreciate. A symphony that no music could match, the sight of war, the smells of battle, the feeling of adrenaline, the taste of bloodied dirt in the air, and the sound of chaos veiled with order. Fire and smoke flared to life as an artillery barrage crashed into the castle walls and beyond. Lieutenants were taking advantage of the dramatic scene, each spoke their words and encouragement with confidence.

Rao stopped and watched the men speak, somewhere in his mind he recalled the speeches he had listened to when he was younger. He rubbed his temples and eyes trying to dull the input, today wouldn't be a great day for a hangover. Only one way to get rid of that, he thought as he pulled out the flask from his coat. The weight of it let him know that he had enjoyed it too much the night before, but there was enough to comfort him today. He finished his gulp as one of the lieutenants finished, his men respond with a thunderous cry. Rao winced and rubbed his head once more before making his way away from the camp.

All around him soldiers prepared for the coming battle, he could spot formations gathering as platoons formed up. Many of those men would die from one man breaking the formation, others would catch a wildly aimed bolt, or fall helplessly to a shinobi. Up until now the imperial army had stalled and faltered. Rao knew it was taking too long to quell these upstarts, it wouldn't reflect well on the new shogun. He moved his gaze to the west looking for the battery hill the sergeant spoke of. It wasn't far from where he was now. The castle groaned in the distance as payloads exploded on its walls, Rao watched as he made his way to the battery. The walls of the castle looked unassailable and nearly impregnable. He looked forward to seeing the rampart crumble, shinobi made a living accomplishing the impossible after all. Yet, he couldn't help but wonder what was on the other side of those walls? How could one province hold out against the Imperial Army. He pushed his thoughts aside as he climbed the hill, his answers would come soon. At the crest he could see the beauty of the battle about to play out. He smiled knowing he could help paint the masterpiece.

“Good morning,” he said in a soft tone as he approached his Sennin.

WC: 928

 

[Keiji]

"Morning Senna-chan" His voice was trailing off as his mind slowly comprehended the situation.
My tent.. Senna? Sleeping? My bed?
Upon further investigation of his current predicament Senna was fully clothed and he himself in his boxers.

Supposedly she visited, fell asleep and.. oh.. Right.. Now I remember.. He remembered how she came into his tent because she couldn't sleep, probably worried or upset over something. At which point she was sitting on the bedside, after he had attempted to comfort her she just laid herself next to him, and Keiji being the nice guy he was attempted to further comfort her.. After a little while they had both passed out completely.. Nothing indecent with it at all..

A slight self affirming smile appeared on his lips. As he had remembered the entire thing.

Suddenly she replied to him after a little while of her looking worried and frustrated over the situation.
She seemed to have calmed down and gotten a better grip of the situation.
Keiji kept himself calm and collected, and merely smiled and nodded in a reply, "True enough, I suppose.. We'd better get ready to move regardless, breakfast should be waiting for us if I'm not mistaken!"

As Senna was looking for her scroll as was Keiji looking for his own clothes, sleeping in his underwear was the usual thing for him. Thankfully for Senna, he didn't sleep in the nude.
The second senna said he shouldn't be looking he couldn't stop himself but glancing in her direction, he clothes vanished for a second revealing her bare skin, thin and fragile body.
Keiji was stunned for a second, he considered to get up and just hug her tightly. Such a fragile and yet so strong in abilities was a rare sight to behold.

This was the first time he had witnessed the essence of her case, he remembered reading her medical journal he had read it over several times after their meeting. She was an interesting case her sickness served as a constant reminder of the fragile nature of the human body and mind. At least in Keiji's mind it did so.

He wanted to get up, and hug her tightly, invite her to dance right there, in the midst of canon fire, war and destruction around them, with the deaths of hundreds of enemies and allies, like a ballet of horror; grotesque to the naked eye.

His mind had wandered for a second and before he had noticed he suddenly snapped out of it as Senna talked back at him as she was heading out of the tent.
He waved and smiled at her as she went out. "Man.. I need to try and refrain from these kinds of thoughts.." He said to himself as he picked up his pants and began to put them on.

Later..​

The attention wasn't received unwillingly, he enjoyed getting attention, and getting this kind of attention from none-shinobi was a strange and otherworldly feeling, he felt powerful and important.
Thankfully for him, the attention was at first for the most part from the female counterpart of the army. The gropings, heh, funny and hilarious he felt like he actually had a chance at hitting on the older women, but refrained himself from even trying. As he had his mind elsewhere when the female body was in question.

A few male soldiers seemed might interested in him as well, but with a different goal in mind than pat or grope his butt.
Keiji didn't care much for them, it was funny as mild distractions with the female soldiers, but the male didn't matter one bit for him, he only cared if they were up for the task at hand.
And one of the cuirassiers. Looked none so prepared as he wasn't even wearing the armor necessary.
One of the armored ones came up to him, he seemed slightly nervous as he talked and pointed out his white hollow eyes.
Even today Keiji sometimes forget his exterior, the look of his own eyes, might scare and confuse even the most well trained soldier he imagined.

He asked if he could confirm suspicions on a tiny trinket if it were to grant the man known as Nyubey protection from attacks.
Keiji sighed in reply and looked up at the man with an annoyed glare. He walked with a heightened speed and an annoyed attitude. He stepped up to the un-armored man and grabbed the trinket, and pulled it off his neck as Keiji proclaimed "Let me see that!" "Hey!" The man shouted and looked at him with a surprised face, then after he realized who Keiji was he calmed down and refrained from doing anything brash.

As he held the trinket in hand he concentrated chakra around his eyes like always and activated his Byakugan and began to examine the trinket.
"Never trust too much in trinkets" Keiji spoke in a slightly annoyed and whispering tone.
After having examined it properly he handed it back to the man and held his hand in his. Keiji's eyes stared into the man's and gave him a cold and serious glare.
"Never trust your life on a trinket, trust instead in your self and your abilities. However this trinket does indeed project some form of chakra. But I can't confirm it's abilities or properties. But as I said, trust in yourself and your own abilities, more than an inanimate object." He released his Byuakugan and released the man's hand.
He looked to the side and away from the man "Want my advise? Put on some armor. But keep the trinket close regardless. It might save your life some day. Y'never know with these things.."

Keiji walked away and headed for the tent with food. His stomach was misbehaving, thankfully not while he was talking to the soldiers.
He grabbed a bowl of the grub and sat himself to eat it. Few seconds after, Senna joined him. "Perfect timing, heh" He said with a grin before taking another slurp.
"If I'm ready? Sure.. I am.. Not sure about the other soldiers though. One of them seriously thought a trinket kept around the neck could keep him from harm, so he didn't wear any armor.. I felt like punching him because his stupidity.."

After having divulged the information the soup went down fairly quickly.
Senna suggested heading out to find the others, and Keiji agreed with a nod.

"Let's look the most obvious locations first" He said as he got up from his seat.
"Wasn't there supposed to be a specific tent where the Sennin hanged out? Y'know like a King sized tent or sum'thing?"
As they got out of from the big tent where they had eaten, Keiji pointed up at a nearby hill.
"I think we either find em' on that hill or we'll at least be able to spot them from it.."

As they headed for the hill Keiji asked out of curiosity. "Y'know, I wonder why they didn't send someone out to talk to us about where to meet.. Like where the hell are we supposed to go?" He asked confused over the whole camp.
"Aren't we like.. Total big shots here or something? Like VIP's y'know?" He talked as he punched in the air in front of him energetically. He was ready to kick some dust.

[WC: 1224]

 

[Takaki Saeko]

Outside Castle Nagamasa
Eastern Takadama Province, Kaminari no Kuni
...0915 hours

“Er, wha?!” gaped the soldier, a not-too-bad-looking private with dusty-colored hair and hazel eyes that widened at the sight of the most petite little girl he had ever seen in a shinobi uniform swiping his broken weapon away, disassembling, and repairing it with the speed and precision of an old-fashioned Tenouzan gunsmith. Before he could even ask what she was doing or why, Senna handed the SA-14 back to him in complete and working order.

“I, uh…thank you, miss!” he said, dumbfounded, giving a polite and rushed bow to her. “Er, wait, I didn’t get your name…” he stuttered as Senna traipsed away to get her breakfast. The private reached out with his hand, as if attempting to get her attention again, only to have a nearby sergeant grab his arm to stop him.

“Don’t get involved with her any more than you have to, Balzer-kun. She’s a shinobi, that one. A witch in the employ of the nobles. She’ll curse you and the regiment if you say the wrong thing,” said the older veteran, eyeing the two genin suspiciously.

“But sir, she doesn’t seem like that…” said the private mournfully as he turned away to rejoin his column as it rose to get on the move.

Meanwhile, Keiji’s impromptu counseling session seemed to be having a good effect. Nyubey sighed as Keiji’s words confirmed for him what he had suspected all along.

“Aye, in that case you’d better gear-up, Nyubey-kun. Better to live another day and pay the Guard their gold than die like a dog for no reason,” said the Hussar who had originally approached Keiji. “And we were lookin’ forward to pissing on those guys, too. Ah well. We thank you, shinobi. If you need anything from us, we’ll be happy to provide!”

A few minutes later…​

Before them waited the Main Branch Sennin of Kumogakure, Takaki Masao. Leaning against a wall and smoking a pungently aromatic cigar, the man was dressed in the typical fashion of the capitol, save for the light coating of ash and powder dusting his tricorne and shoulders of his greatcoat. Noticing Rao’s approach, Masao sighed and straightened up, beckoning to the Jounin annoyedly.

“Hokoro, why are you so late?! Were you getting laid or something? And Nemoto, I explicitly said no Pocky. But you went ahead and got Pocky. Did you bring enough to share with everyone or will I have to brush you?” asked Masao, not really waiting for their answers before turning to walk up the hill, smoke hovering around his face in the fashion of an angry dragon. “Walk with me. We’re going to be late, and the Chancellor hates late people. The Raikage stood her up for a date once and that caused a diplomatic incident that took Donut-kun weeks to sort out. Anyway, I know you didn’t really get much of a briefing on the way out of the village, plus when you arrived here last night the entire godrotting Imperial Army decided to throw a massive booze-fest to try to loosen everyone up for their grand assault today. I swear, if the Nagamasa forces had wanted to, they could’ve walked in and slit everyone’s throat from ear to ear with butterknives. Just thank Shinbatsu that they probably decided to get wasted last night as well!

“But I digress. Your primary mission here, gentlemen and squishy, is twofold. First and foremost, you’re to guard Chancellor Tachibana and the other dignitaries you’ll meet from harm. Second, you’re to respond to feasible requests for assistance from the Imperial Army during their assault on the walls of the castle. I don’t know if you’ve kept up with events, but this little siege is a big godrotting deal for the Bakufuu. It’s the first major, public military operation they’ve had since the civil war ended and Shogun Shiranai came to the throne, plus this one is actually an attempt to punish a rebellion by a traitor from the nobility. So obviously, they have to win, and do it quickly and brutally. That castle doesn’t look very special but it’s actually well-defended and every day they spend on this siege piles more and more costs onto a government that can’t afford to pay for it. So the other reason they’ve gone into deficit spending and hired us is to make absolutely sure they succeed today.

“Oh, and one more thing that will make your job all the more pleasurable. Against all logic and self-preservation, Chancellor Tachibana actually wants to observe the assault up close, and even wants to ride in the godrotting siege tower and set foot on the walls with the first wave of shock troops. I nearly had a godrotting stroke when I heard this, but there’s nothing I can do to dissuade her. The only plus side is that it makes watching her a tiny bit easier. I’d accompany you if I could, but I need to be back at Kumo posthaste to prevent the rest of the Branch from doing stupid things. Anyway, here we are…” said Masao, as the two men mounted a final set of steps and came upon the top of the hill. With a hint of regret, the Sennin tossed the end of his cigar aside. It hit the ground with a shower of sparks and rolled into a pile of gravel where it continued to smolder.

A group of expensively-dressed nobles and military figures stood in a loosely-gathered group on a platform of boards, gossiping excitedly between each other or pointing to the castle. Among them, the figure of the Chancellor was instantly visible. Dressed in a flowery silk kimono, she would have been a perfect fit for the halls of the Imperial Diet, save for the fact that she also wore an armored cuirass over the top of her outfit, and a belt at her waist with a pistol bolter. The entire ensemble was horribly mismatched, but strangely her demeanor made it seem somehow right. Next to her was her bodyguard, General Gasai Yui - a tall, well-armored woman in shock-trooper gear who wielded a metal kanabo.

“Chancellor Tachibana,” said Masao, bowing to the woman before taking her proffered hand and kissing it. “Kumogakure gives its aid and protection as promised.”

“Sennin Takaki, always a pleasure. Congratulations on your promotion, by the way. Hopefully this means you will be spending more time with us in Raiden’s Eye,” said Ami, smiling warmly at the man. “And are these are your men?” she asked, eyeing Rao and the others.

“Yes, Chancellor. This is Hokoro-san, a Jounin, and his subordinates. He is at your disposal, and will work for your protection above all else.”

“Very good. We will mount the final assault today and we will win with shinobi at our side. Lightning Country reserves only the sword for traitors…as well as foreigners who seek to meddle in our affairs. This is something that you should keep in mind, Princess Ekaterina,” Ami said, looking straight at a youngish-looking woman nearby whose body seemed more like a little girl’s than anything else. Dressed in an outfit of more frills and silk than anything else, she was accompanied by a tall, well-built man who was obviously a personal bodyguard.

[KBC Crown Princess]​

“Madam Chancellor, again with the tired accusations. Why would the Serene Kingdom ever seek to brazenly buy Count Nagamasa’s loyalty? It simply makes no sense,” replied the ‘girl’ sweetly and with feigned innocence.

“Now now, Princess. You Haninozuka are known for your mindset that money can buy anything, and that even honor itself has a price,” interjected another woman, this one a platinum-blonde-haired model of icily perfect beauty. Those versed in foreign affairs would recognize her as Sumihara Kaede, sister of the current Dear Leader of the PRMC. She was dressed in the uniform of the Supreme Military Commander of Marsh and accompanied by another man, who was a stone-faced, pock-marked general in the same style of uniform.

“Don’t forget who won the war, General Sumihara,” said Princess Ekaterina, sneering. “My condolences on the recent death of your Dear Leader. How regrettable. I knew Choe Il-Jong personally, you know, and he was the most enlightened Nork I’ve ever met,” she said, attempting to sink her verbal claws deeper.

“Choe-sama was a great man who loved all people and would make time for everyone, even Imperialist Southern scum,” said Kaede, smiling daggers back at the Princess. “But unfortunately we’re being very impolite to our host, Chancellor Tachibana.”

“No apologies necessary, General,” said Ami, clearly enjoying the tension between the representative from Bear and the representative from Marsh. “I invited you both here to witness my country’s strength. And I intend to deliver. Take this battle as a message back to your superiors – Kaminari no Kuni is not to be trifled with.”

“Indeed, Chancellor. Alas, all of this dust and fighting is irritating my eyes and throat to no end, so I will retire to the command center now,” said the Princess, coughing in annoyance.

“And my brother expressedly forbade me to participate in the battle, seeing as our nations are still enemies. Will you be joining us back at the camp, Chancellor?” asked Kaede.

“As I said before, I will be accompanying my troops on the walls while Marshal General Nobunaga leads the men on the ground,” said Ami, smirking at the two. “We will converse later in camp once this is done.”

The two women and their escorts bowed politely to the Chancellor and left, going back down the hill. Ami rolled her eyes and turned to Masao.

“Nothing would make me happier than carving their loose cunts out of their bodies and sending the parts back to the King of Bear and the Dear Leader of Marsh in sacks. But the Shogun wants me to play nice,” she said, grumbling. “Did I handle them well, Masao-kun?”

“I couldn’t have handled it better myself, Chancellor. Unfortunately I will also need to depart to Kumogakure,” said Masao, bowing again. “Hokoro-san and the rest will accompany you henceforth. These are the elite of the elite. You will not come to harm.”

“I don’t care if I come to harm, as long as the castle falls and Nagamasa ends up drawn and quartered. Piss on my government, will he? I’ll make sure his suffering is extra special,” said Ami imperiously, signaling for Rao and the others to come with her into the massive, waiting siege tower nearby.

From afar, the “vehicle” had not looked very impressive – it was a vaguely rectangular thing on wheels and colored an ugly reddish brown which was actually just surface rust adorning its metal armor plates. However, up close, it was hard to avoid being astonished by the sheer size of the thing. Humans seemed like ants compared to it, and each individual armored wheel was easily the height of three people standing on each other’s shoulders. The armor plating was easily a foot thick, and seemed virtually impervious to harm. At the bottom, a massive hinged door was propped open, lined with soldiers and officers who all saluted to the Chancellor as she passed.

“General Katsuie, are the preparations completed?” asked Ami to a grizzled veteran-of-a-man who stood at attention.

“Aye, Madam Chancellor. We are ready to begin the assault. The castle will fall as long as we press the attack on the ground and distract their reinforcements from overwhelming our numbers on the walls.”

“I’ll count on Kouhei-san for that,” said Ami, nodding and passing by. As soon as the shinobi were on board, the door behind them started to close with the shrieking of metal rubbing on metal, and the entire tower started to rumble as its wheels slowly began to turn. At the ground level, Senna could now see what was providing the motive force for the impossibly huge siege tower; nearly a legion of men who strained to push the spokes of a massive central wheel that in turn rotated a series of cogs and gears that provided force to the various axles. The place stank of sweat and blood and cordite and the meager illumination provided by the dim, flickering electric bulbs on the walls was not enough to cut through the oppressive atmosphere. Fortunately, Ami and her bodyguard seemed to know where they were going, and started to make their way up a series of stairs to the next floor up.

At least three companies of Bakufuu line infantry were crammed into the next space, their uniforms already marred with sweat, and the bayonets on their bolters glistening in the meager light of the bulbs. Officers watching over the men were quick to clear a path for the Chancellor and the shinobi, yelling commands at the men to compress themselves even further.

“Privately, I do understand the Count’s motivations. I’m not blind to the fact that the Shogun is a mere boy who needs to learn the art of governance, and that the King of Bear Country is a rich and influential man. But Nagamasa should have known better than to just assume that he could publically spit in the face of the government and expect not to be crushed like an insect. We just came out of a civil war. Brothers killing brothers in their own houses! We cannot afford for personal greed to compromise our integrity like this!” said Ami, shaking her head as she talked with Rao. “Anyway, I know you know that we need to win this one. We’re already scraping the bottom of the treasury for this, but if you and your people help us win this one, I will personally grant you any wish of yours, within reason of course.”

With a thunderous clank of shattering metal and snapping wood, an arbalest bolt from the Castle suddenly ripped through the front of the tower and slammed into the middle of the packed mass of line infantry, sending smoke, dust, and bloody body parts flying around the room. The room quickly erupted with the screams of the surprised and dying, along with the curses of officers trying to keep order. Fortunately, the missile had “only” been equipped with a non-explosive penetrator tip for punching through the tower’s armor, so only the soldiers in its direct path had been afflicted. Ami and her bodyguard seemed to pay the event no heed, however, and continued toward the top. After a few more flights of stairs, they now reached the top. Ami now turned to Senna for a moment.

“You’re grown, Nemoto-chan. I hardly recognized you at first. But I’m glad you’re still well. My government will continue to cooperate with the Tenouzan rebuilding effort as long as they wish us to,” she said, gently petting the girl before turning to the less-packed throng of soldiers on the very top level.

Shock troopers intended for a frontal assault against heavy fortifications, these men were equipped far differently than the line infantry below. Instead of cloth uniforms and SA-14 bolters, these hulking men were bedecked in full plate armor and helmets that glistened in the small bits of daylight that seeped through the cracks on the walls of the tower, and carried either a Zweihander of some sort or a maul. Belts on their waists were studded with pistol-bolters and explosives. Unlike the soldiers down below, these men seemed to be eagerly waiting for combat.

“Loyal Patriots and defenders of the Nation, today you are to battle for your motherland!” shouted Ami, who was met with a resounding hurrah from the group. “What are we going to do?!” she asked.

“FIGHT!” they shouted.

“And what the fuck do we want?!” she shouted.

“VICTORY!” they chorused, pumping their weapons in the air.

“Chancellor, we approach the castle now. Please stay behind me, as the defenders are likely to greet us with bolter-fire,” said Yui now, readying her kanabo and taking a defensive stance.

“Shinobi, get ready to fight,” said Ami, doing as she was told and stepping behind General Gasai Yui’s large frame.

With a lurch, the tower came to a halt. For a second, all was quiet inside. With a rattling sound, however, the massive door that protected the front and also would serve as a foot ramp now started to fall, and with a deafening crash of metal on stone, slammed onto the parapets of the Castle! With a roar, the shock troopers surged forward, weapons raised in the air.

The cracking and pinging of bolter-fire now erupted from the direction of the parapet, simultaneously with the clanking of bolts penetrating armor plate and bringing men down in a mist of blood and sparks. The Bakufuu’s charge pushed forward, however, and the shock troopers now slammed into a column of similarly-armored Nagamasa heavy defenders, who met the push with their own swords and pikes.

Ami and Yui now advanced cautiously, along with the shinobi. From what they could see through the haze of smoke and dust, the Bakufuu vanguard were in a hard melee with the Nagamasa heavies at the front and center. To the sides and further up on the walls, Nagamasa light infantry, identifiable by their black helmets, peeked over the gaps in the turreted walls, pinching the attackers between two arms of withering fire.

Behind them in the tower, the line infantry from before were now starting to march across the footbridge in an attempt to set up their own battle lines, however they too were being mercilessly picked off before they could enter into position for concentrated volley fire. Adding to the confusion was the fact that the light infantry harassing them knew to target the line officers first, sowing disarray amongst the ranks.

Angrily, Yui batted a sniper’s bolt away with her kanabo as Ami instinctively ducked.

“We are NOT retreating!” snarled the Chancellor as she took aim at a Nagamasa infantryman with her pistol bolter and fired. The shot went wide, pock-marking stone.

“Shinobi! The Nagamasa are dug in like ticks! You need to take the pressure off of our shock troopers, or we’ll never get our foothold!” shouted the woman as she concentrated on shielding the Chancellor. [Task: Assist with the assault by dealing with the snipers and light infantry hiding overhead and behind the parapets. Be careful when fighting the heavy defenders who may be hiding amongst them.]

 

[Rao]

No need to yell... Rao thought as Masao scolded him, the harsh voice rang inside his head. “Sorry for the absence Takaki-sama.” He said with a quick bow. The man turned his attentions to the genin behind Rao, Memoto Senna. The Sennin didn’t have time to admonish the group further, as Masao had pointed out, they were late to see their employer, Chancellor Tachibana Ami. The group moved at an increasing pace up the hill as the aged Sennin expanded on the details of the mission. The focus would be the protection of the Chancellor, assisting the army would come second. Rao nearly choked as Masao told the group the Chancellor wanted to participate in the assault personally. “What’re the guidelines about employers that impede the mission?” Rao side with a smirk, no need for a formal protest, the decision was already made, a jibe would do.

“Anyway, here we are...” said Masao. The air went rank with smoke from the Sennin’s discarded cigar.

They crested the hill finding the impromptu war council gathered around the flowery Chancellor. Rao noticed the foreigners immediately, he didn’t recognize them personally but he knew the uniforms. Marsh and Bear country... Raiden’s light, what good is it protecting someone who invites wolves to dinner. He suppressed his disapproval as he bowed to the dignitaries. The group bickered and politicked, the feigned threats and veiled aggression entertained the Jounin. The foreigners soon left leaving perfume hanging in the air, Who the hell wears scents to a battlefield? Masao took the opportunity to introduce the team and bid his farewells. Rao nodded to the Sennin as he departed from the team. From the corner of his eye could see the Chancellor beckoning them into the siege tower. Rao looked at the tower with a distrustful stare, with regretful steps he entered. The gates closed behind them to a chorus of shrieking metal and rattling chains. Siege towers were nothing but death traps for shinobis, nobody should die in an oversized rolling box. The Chancellor and her armored bodyguard didn’t seem to mind as the quickly ascended the tower.

The next floor of the tower was packed full with Bakufuu Light Infantry, their officers cleared a path for the Chancellor and her entourage. Rao ignored the skittish looks they received from the infantry as the group moved through the crowd. Over the loud orders and speeches of the officers he heard Ami speaking to him.

“Privately, I do understand the Count’s motivations. I’m not blind to the fact that the Shogun is a mere boy who needs to learn the art of governance, and that the King of Bear Country is a rich and influential man. But Nagamasa should have known better than to just assume that he could publically spit in the face of the government and expect not to be crushed like an insect. We just came out of a civil war. Brothers killing brothers in their own houses! We cannot afford for personal greed to compromise our integrity like this!”

Sounds like it would’ve been fine to privately spit in the face of the Shogun... Rao thought as Ami paused for his response. “It would be a bad precedent, if one province successfully rebels, then others will grow bold and eventually attempt as well. It wouldn’t be one civil war with two sides, it would break out in several secession wars across the country. It would tear the nation apart...That isn’t to say what the KBC or PRMC would do either...Only Raiden knows.” He sighed before the Chancellor spoke again.

“Anyway, I know you know that we need to win this one. We’re already scraping the bottom of the treasury for this, but if you and your people help us win this one, I will personally grant you any wish of yours, within reason of course.”
“Within reason? Ha... Well don’t worry Madam Chancellor it’ll end today,” said Rao just as the arbalest bolt ripped through the wall of the siege engine. The inside of the tower burst into a rain of wood shards, the smell reminded him of a saw mill. Dead and dying men lay about the floor. Rao jumped between the large bolt and the Chancellor, but no explosion came, they were lucky this one had no payload. “Damn coffin.” The Chancellor appeared unfazed she pushed the group on up the stairs.They climbed higher and higher until they reached the top of the siege tower. The soldiers at the top were a different class altogether, they looked prepared, armored, and excited. The shock troops would be an absolutely terrifying force to most non-shinobi. Rao felt comfortable among the seasoned warriors, this place was reserved for the experienced.

“Suzaku-san, Nemoto-san,” Rao said as he moved closer to the shinobi. “When the gate drops there will be chaos. Their heavies will meet ours, they’ll stalemate in the center and it’ll be a struggle to gain a foothold... I’d like you two flank the main body or any outlier forces. I can protect the Chancellor easily enough with my chakra. I’ll be burning up a lot of it though, so don’t take too long.” Rao paused and unbuttoned his greatcoat. From within a pocket in his coat Rao withdrew two flares and extended them to the two shinobi. “I’m afraid my chakra will make my headset useless, yours might be as well, but that’ll depend on how close you are to me. If you’re in trouble use the flare, if you remember your hand signals use ‘em. Be safe.”

Rao nodded to the two and moved to the Chancellor just as she finished her rousing speech. “Madam Chancellor, take this,” He said brandishing a third flare. “If you’re in trouble use it.” He waited until she took the red cylinder and then continued, “I’ll be next to you the majority of the battle. If not me then a clone or barrier. We are here to protect you and help the army, please don’t make it too difficult Madam Chancellor.” With a quick seal Rao created a duplicate of himself next to the Chancellor. He charged the clone with magnetic chakra with the hope that any stray bolts would be drawn to the clone and not the Chancellor. The clone transformed into a perfect image of Bakufuu Shock Trooper outfitted with a greatsword and the colors of the Lightning country.

“Shinobi, get ready to fight,” the Chancellor said.

The bolter clasped to his left wrist sprung to life with chakra. An aura of magnetic energy formed around Rao as the thick wooden bridge crashed into the parapets. The mixed air of fear and excitement was ripped apart by bolt fire exchange. Rao pushed himself out onto the bridge under the continuous barrage, bolts warped around him in unnatural paths as they flew. Magnetized projectiles flew from his bolter, each projectile curved and moved guided by an unseen force.

The path was cleared in a slow and deliberate manner, the shock troops fought and died to gain the initial ground on the castle wall. Chancellor Ami and her bodyguard moved across the bridge to the opening, when they appeared Nagasama snipers let loose from high turrets and parapets surrounding the siege engine. It was a damn shooting gallery with the Bakufuu as the paper targets. Rao leapt back to the Chancellor and raised chakra shields around the woman. Bakufuu infantry streamed from the tower, the marksmen on the walls picked them off one-by-one aiming for the officers first then moving down the ranks.

“We are NOT retreating!” snarled the Chancellor. “Shinobi! The Nagamasa are dug in like ticks! You need to take the pressure off of our shock troopers, or we’ll never get our foothold!”

“Senna, Keiji, same plan as before -- fight outside to the center! I’ll be there at the center!” Rao said gesturing to the highest parapet, a large clump of bobbing black helmets could be seen around the far wall. “That should ferret out any shinobis or other surprises the Count is hiding.” He looked to the Chancellor, “Remember the flare.”

Rao scanned the battle for the largest anchor, his target was easy to find, an overweight and over armored Nagasama shock troop. With a burst of magentic chakra Rao repulsed his body against the anchor, the pressure and change of magnetic field threw him towards the parapet and the shock troop off the wall. Wind rushed and roared as he flew towards the targeted wall.

He slammed onto the parapet with a sickening crunch, the double edge to the polarity shift was always the landings. The black helms surrounding him looked stunned, flying shinobis were uncommon sight. Rao to advantage of the shock and funnelled chakra to his legs, he dashed at the nearest soldier, the man swung his bolter wildly in defense. Rao stepped under the blow and sunk his lightning encase fist into the sniper’s chest. A free-for-all bred by panic and fear erupted around him, he weaved out and around the frightened attacks of the Nagasama. With each miss and slight cut he dealt a blow back. Bodies fell around him as he moved from one side of the parapet to the other.

Yet, the shock of the shinobi in their midst was wearing off. The heavy infantry became the rallying points for the black helms. They fitted bayonets to their long bolters and lined themselves in formation with metal points out towards Rao. The Nagasama soldiers couldn’t see that the weapons used to protect and attack would be helpless against Rao. He felt a pain of regret for them as he reached out with magnetic chakra and ripped a sabre from an officer’s hand.

The smell of fear and excrement from the dead poisoned the air. All of his senses burned when he was in the midst of battle, this is life, what it was supposed to be. He caught the stolen sabre in the air as it spun towards him in a web of chakra. A blast of bright yellow chakra erupted from his free hand, it ripped through the line of marksmen in front of him. He smirked as he raced in, sabre in hand and raised to strike the unaffected heavy infantry at the center. He and the armored foe danced with weapons rising and falling in attacks and feints. The heavy Nagasama soldier grew visibly upset as his sword narrowly missed the Jounin swing after swing. Each swing the man took Rao was pushed off course by a pulse of magnetic chakra. The unfortunate man grew tired too easily in his armor, Rao parried the man’s next attack and ended his life with a deep slash across the neck.

His grey greatcoat was marked and slashed from the initial battle. A mix of his and Nagasama blood covered and coagulated around his coat and body. He let his mind wander for a moment to his team and their progress, he glanced out over the parapet of the wall looking for them and the Chancellor. A smile spread across Rao’s face as he turned his eyes back to the remaining Nagasama group. They gathered around the last of the armored troops, ready to mount their defense. Rao slipped into an aggressive stance with his sabre, his mind set on clearing the wall.

wc:1800+

 

[Keiji]

Thoughts are known to occupy one throughout their entire life, some more than others, and others serve nothing but simple distractions from the actual important ones.

Keiji's eyes were elsewhere when they approached the higher points of the hill, luckily they had approached the right hill, and luckily their lack of knowing where to go, didn't seem to have crossed anyone. Him and Senna were lucky, very lucky.

As all the discussions, the debating, the talk were taking place, Keiji's eyes were shifting between the blue skies being filled smoke, as the battle was preparing to initiate at last and Senna's petite, and small figure, which, to be fair, had intrigued Keiji ever since their little morning incident.

He coughed slightly as he realized the rest were bowing, and he quickly followed up with only a few seconds off.

The whole topic all in all didn't interest Keiji, neither did their importance, or their stature, there did seem to be some tension, as well as idiocy, especially at the moment Masao had described the core of the mission objectives. Keiji didn't take heed to the difficulty, more of what needed to be done, what could be done, and how he could complete it the fastest way as possible. His eyes shifted again at Senna, then back to the skies, then to the people around him.

Before his mind had fully comprehended the results of the discussions, he found himself in the midst of a moving unit. Him and the rest were moving on board the massive waiting siege tower nearby. To his astonishment it was literally just waiting for them and the chancellor, some girl, which had an almost just as intriguing figure like Senna, if not with the more appropriate curves. His eyes scanned across her body as they were moving on board the siege tower, and even more as she and her guardian led them up the stairs further up the tower, his eyes couldn't help but to try and look up her clothes, just a little peek couldn't hurt~ Unfortunately for Keiji her age didn't seem the more appropriate for him. But heck, he could spare a few looks here and there.

Further debating took place on the tower itself, between Rao and the General, as well as the General and the Chancellor. Keiji payed no heed and no attention to the talks. His eyes and mind were busy wandering across the deep brown tan of the metal pieces in the tower, the feel of it as he held the sides of the staircases inside of the tower, the smell of sweat and blood, and the great view of all the females in the midst of the burly male soldiers. Not to say that Senna didn't happen to caught his attention ever few seconds.

The long missile like attack, did in fact scare Keiji for a split second, but his reflexes had taken in effect the second it had pierced the wall, and resulted in him dodging it regardless if were even close to him. His eyes merely scanned across the dead bodies the attack had left. Keiji had grown surprisingly relaxed around the site, it was the smell that almost disturbed his mind, had the bodies been burned or roasted for that matter it would have been a different matter entirely in Keiji's case. He still had yet to fully accept and work through with those issues. He shivered for a second as they continued forward by the idea of it happening again.

As the speech from the Chancellor came to a halt everyone prepared. Rao spoke orders, which Keiji listened intently on, it was important, he handed him a red flare for trouble, his stance changed as he pulled out one of his Kunai and readied himself for whatever might happen in the next few seconds. As the giant clamps fell down on the walls the war had truly begun and started to strike Keiji with the sheer amount of sounds, the noises, the smell of battle, the smell of gunpowder, the grip on his Kunai tightening as the shouts of battle were fully comprehend able. He could actually understand them, which was a new experience, heck, all of what would currently be ongoing is a new experience for Keiji. It was a strange feeling for him. Here he was, a young man, in a pure and simple war. Battle was normal for him, but usually only small and usually unrelated in the long run. This was a big, and important moment, not only for Keiji but for a lot of people. The sheer idea of the importance in Keiji and the others' role in this battle was a little difficult to comprehend, but alas, easy to accept.

It went quickly, allies were dying like flies around them, Rao had given them orders to do, and he had already used his first Jutsus, barriers and a clone, sophisticated jutsus in Keiji's eyes. He had activated his Byakugan and looked at the Chakra veins in use in Rao's own body. An interesting sight to behold when using such advanced Jutsus his veins were in full use.

The battle had begun, Rao jumped out first in the middle of the battle to strike behind their main lines. Keiji looked quickly at Senna, into her eyes, and a firm eye contact he nodded in her direction. He then jumped away with Chakra concentrated at his knees and feet. He pulled out 2 Kunais with Explosives notes strapped to them and threw them first at the lines across the left side. Right in front of the people, the black helmets seemed to have been thrown slightly into disarray. Which gave Keiji enough time to drop down at the side of them to start running behind their lines, taking them down one by one, with his Byakugan activated through the smokes left by the explosions every single enemy were easy to spot and easy to attack.

He was swift and precise, for every stab that was proceeded from his side were deep, and blood became an almost permanent accessory to his white clothes and his steel Kunai. The enemy only figured out what was happening at a too late stage of his attacks, their eyes, gleaming with shock and almost awe when they finally realized that it was a small kid that was the one who had initiated to attack them at this close range. But the ones who actually noticed him, was the witness of a cold and dead stare, staring deeply into their eyes. After which a stab into the gut, stomach, heart or a slice of the throat quickly soon followed.

Keiji didn't feel much at this point, he had in some way grown accustomed to the sheer amount of death involved in the current situation.

When the smoke finally cleared Keiji were standing at the corner of the wall looking down at Rao looking back up. Behind Keiji the last of the smoke were clearing, and as it did it slowly revealed one of the large and heavily tank like armored defender. As he approached, every step was easy to hear, but Keiji's attention was set on Rao as well as Senna.

As the defender approached just one more step he touched Keiji's own circular vision, and in almost a split second Keiji dropped down on the ground and with a swift movement with his legs and arms he slid underneath him, and as he did Keiji concentrated Lightning chakra through his hands and merely touched the bottom areas of his armor, stopping himself in the slide he held onto the armor as he poured lightning chakra in through the armor electrocuting the man inside.

Keiji's eyes were cold as he continued. As he finally released his grip and began to stand up, the very armor was smoking, the body inside was roasted alive, the smell of burnt dead bodies filled the air around Keiji. His nose twitched in reaction to it, his eyes blurred and his attention shifted at the next line of snipers which the smoke had revealed were still trying to look down and pick targets for themselves to kill.

"There's no rest for the wicked..." His words were empty and with no real meaning, at least not to himself. He spoke as he pulled out another Lightning note tied to a Kunai.
"I had better clear this out before I start to consider doing anything else, hmpf."

 

[Takaki Saeko]

"Path of a Kingslayer" from the Witcher 2 OST​

The chaos created by the three shinobi was as expected – brutal, bloody, and confusing. Rao thrust himself into the thick of the action in the center, moving like a deadly whirlwind of blades and tossing men wearing a hundred kilograms of armor into the air with ease as if they were mere ragdolls. With every hit of his fists or his steel, plate and mail crumpled and shredded like paper, prompting the heavy defenders to start literally shitting their own pantaloons as they withdrew in terror. Meanwhile, Keiji moved along the flanks, a deadly and silent assassin amidst the shouting and screaming and heapings of “fuck!” that came from every soldier’s mouth. With a final flourish, his column of lightning incinerated a defender, coating him with a thick miasma of white, porcine-smelling smoke.

The defenders had gathered in a last stand now before the entrance to one of the castle’s barbicans, keeping the Bakufuu at bay with their pikes, which the shock troopers attempted clumsily to disable with their zweihanders. All of a sudden, however, they were instantly bowled over by a crashing impact from above! Something large had landed in their midst – something looking like an angry red oversized tin can sporting a pair of strut arms with cartoonishly exaggerated claws and another set of arms boasting ridiculously oversized multi-barrel autoballistae. The machine now began to swing, knocking men away with its claw arms and blasting away with its cannonry, and before even a minute had passed, the defenders were now either dead or surrendering.

The Chancellor and Yui’s face were agog at the sight of this “Killer Can”, and the attacking soldiers quickly readied themselves for yet another round of combat, when the top of the device opened and out poked Senna’s head, her face comically stained with grease and soot. Giving a cheery wave to Rao and Keiji, she ducked back down into the machine, which attempted to walk toward them, only to suddenly seize up and start smoking. A moment later, the small girl jumped out of the hatch and started to blast the machine with a portable fire extinguisher.

“It’s busted again! Sorry, I’ve gotta fix it! Go on without me for a bit,” she said to the two of them, coughing and blushing a bit. Chancellor Ami and Yui now strode over to the three shinobi.

“Excellent work, you three. I was afraid we’d be pushed back from this one,” said Ami, sighing with relief. “Yui, where do we stand?” she asked the bodyguard next to her, who surveyed the scene with a spyglass.

“We have control of the outer walls but General Katsuie reports that the main gate is still closed. If we don’t open it, our ground forces are going nowhere and the Nagamasa forces will quickly regroup and attack us again,” said the woman, closing her spyglass.

“Then we need to proceed to the gatehouse tower and open it. I believe it’s in that direction,” said Ami, pointing to a circular tower in the distance. “

“Shinobi, two of you will need to go do that. The Chancellor and I will stay here with Nemoto,” said Yui, rubbing at a scar on her face. “The tower’s roof and main slipwheel is being defended by Nagamasa Kotone, the Count’s daughter. She’s not a shinobi, but don’t underestimate her. She’s a prodigy with a blade and more than a match for many of your weapon-masters. I’d try to negotiate a quick surrender from her if possible. We’re after the Count, not her or her retinue, and she has a major weakness for shota like that dreadlocked boy,” she said, glancing at Keiji. “But if that fails, well, prepare for a hellish fight.”

“Tell her the Shogun is prepared to offer her and her men immunity from prosecution in the Imperial Court if they cooperate. I’ll even sweeten the deal and allow her to take her father’s title and holdings, or what’s left of them,” sighed Ami. “If she doesn’t accept, just kill her. I have many loyal subordinates in need of ennobling.”

Meanwhile…​

“Milady! Two irregulars approaching along the parapet!” shouted a Nagamasa soldier to a shapely woman in armor as he peered at the figures approaching with his spyglass. “Shall I give the order to shoot them!?”

“Hold your fire!” commanded the woman, as she strode over to the soldier and took the spyglass from his hand, now also peering at Keiji and Rao. “As I thought, those are shinobi. With our current armaments we cannot win at distance against them,” she sighed, shaking her head. “But the fact that they’re walking toward us like that means they probably want to parley. Let them up, but have the men go into enfilade. If I give the order to attack, hit hard in a pincer attack and do not be concerned about me. Concentrated fire is your only chance of survival, Captain.”

“Milady, that’s…” protested the soldier

“It’s an order, Captain. We preserve our honor no matter what.”

[Sorry for the delay! Anyway, seeing as Senna has maybe dropped out again, I'll just have you two continue without her for now. Keiji, Rao, for this segment you can do shorter posts since this is going to kind of be primarily dialogue between you guys and Kotone. I'll also post more frequently with her responses.]

 

[Keiji]

Coughing the smoke from the flank, Keiji jumped down and joined Rao after having cleared the area of snipers.
After a short while Senna joined with her rather intricate machinery of sorts.

The machinery resembled that of tens of dolls strapped around her body making it look like one giant suit.
Her soot and greased face popping up from the top made a smile appear on Keiji's grin, and almost forget about the blood stained, death filled flank that remained after he left it.

The next few seconds went with the Nobles whom they had accompanied into battle, closing in on them and barking orders again, naturally orders are orders so they were followed. Regardless how reluctantly it's being done, it needs to be done. Ami pointed out that the main gate remained shut. And needed their attention, also that the the person in charge of the gate can be discussed with. And that she had a thing for Keiji's sort.

As she pointed it out Keiji's eyes widened, "Who, me? What? What'd you want me to do!?" He shouted as he flapped his arms around.
In response, Ami merely nodded and pointed towards their destination.
Taking a deep breath he sighed loudly and turned and began walking. With Rao next to him at least Keiji wouldn't be in too much trouble if shit were to hit the fan.

Upon their walk, Keiji asked almost whispering to Rao at his side "You think she's hot?"

Keiji had strapped his Kunai back to his wrist band. He had a calm demeanor to him, but he was at all the time ready to quickly pull out weapons.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

At first, they carefully made their way up the stairs winding along the large gatehouse tower, taking every step with a grain of caution and watching for an ambush. There was no rail on the side to prevent them from being pushed or blown off to fall from a great height. However, the expected resistance did not come, and eventually the two shinobi found themselves at the top.

Surrounded by an irregular wall with scaffolding along the edges and strewn with boxes and other sources of cover for hidden troops, the terrain was not the most welcoming. Keiji’s byakugan would be able to detect the presence of a large number of troops hiding nearby, nervously readying themselves for a fight. In the center of a small, cleared-out area, stood about six heavily-armored defenders carrying mauls, and in the center of the group, their relatively petite commander, Nagamsa Kotone.

Like her father, she was blessed with soft features and dark eyes whose beauty was not detracted from by the utilitarian warrior’s ponytail she had arranged her hair in, nor the steely glare with which she regarded Keiji and Rao. The armor she wore was also custom – the twin bulges on the chestplate were definitely not standard-issue, and spoke to at least a size C bust (which was still uncommon in ethnic Kaminarijin).

“So it’s come to this. Chancellor Tachibana is incapable of winning a real fight, so she immediately resorts to calling on the hidden village. How utterly typical of her,” spat Kotone with undisguised disdain. “Yes, I know what you are, Shinobi of Kumogakure. And no, I’m not actually afraid of you either. Despite those flashy chakra techniques of yours, you’re still human, and you still piss and shit and above all, bleed,” she said, haughtily. Her gaze fell on Keiji, whose dreds shone almost golden in the sun.

Jesus Saito! He’s super cute! God damn it, why did we have to meet in battle of all things?! She quickly suppressed those thoughts, starting to pace and keeping her hands close to the hilts of her twin blades.

“So what do you two want, and why shouldn’t we simply attack you right now while you’re on unfamiliar turf, at a disadvantage?”

 

[Rao]

"Just stay behind and look after the Chancellor" Rao said with a sharp look to Senna. Her machine was grand and destructive as anything, but it wasn't much use broken down.

With the area now cleared Rao and Keiji were joined by the Chancellor and her bodyguard. It didn't take long for the bodyguard to recount the situation and establish what needed to be done. His gaze followed the Chancellor's finger as she pointed out the gatehouse tower, it was guarded by the Count's daughter. The daughter was apparently a resource the Shogun didn't want to lose, easily that is. His bloodlust slowly dwindled as the woman described the terms the Shogun was willing to offer the daughter. His nose started to pick up the scents of the death that surrounded him, the cacophony of smells urged him to leave the area. With a forced smile he bowed to the chancellor and departed for the gate with Keiji.

"Women in armor have an appeal to some men, I I'd rather them just be naked...But, a Count's daughter is a good enough trophy. Can't see much in the dark anyways..." He said to Keiji. They were approaching the tower quickly. "Let's get this over with, eh?"

They reached the top without any hints of the enemies or their commander that Rao expected. However, at the top of the tower they found the Count's daughter, Nagamasa Kotone, surrounded by a retinue of heavily armored soldiers. Rao "Nothing to the imagination now, you got nothing to worry about there-" before he could say more Kotone spoke to the advancing shinobi.

“Yes, I know what you are, Shinobi of Kumogakure. And no, I’m not actually afraid of you either. Despite those flashy chakra techniques of yours, you’re still human, and you still piss and shit and above all, bleed,”

"Yes we certainly do bleed, but your soldiers seem to bleed so much more." Rao said as he wiped Nagasama soldier's blood from his forehead. "But, there is no need for anymore hostility my lady. We really have no interest in fighting more, truly. We've come to provide terms for the surrender of our gatehouse. But I'm all tired out from that walk up here, I think I'll let my handsome young partner here tell you the rest while I rest." He said with a sheepish smile. He patted Keiji on the back hoping to encourage him to talk.

 

[Keiji]

Keiji nodded in reply to Rao's words as they continued on their path up to the Tower.

As they approached the scene with Kotone standing with her heavily armed guards, she had already begun talking dirt about their contractors. To Keiji this whole battle meant little to anything for him, as long as he gets what he rightfully deserve, a good paycheck and the chance of being good use to the village, and he got experience. And in the shinobi world experience says a lot.

Rao replied with a rebuttal to her trash talk of the shinobi way. Which made Keiji have a slight smirk on his lips. As he continued though, he seemed to make a backhand threat, but at the same time being nice. Is he CRAZY?! A backhand threat like that might as well be asking for trouble! Suddenly as Rao continued he tapped his back and pushed him slightly forward, and then continued to apparently rest, rest, rest?! REST?! NOW?!

A confused Keiji stood and looked around at the area they found themselves in, his eyes skimmed across the area, quickly he realized they were surrounded, the area fitted perfectly for a surprise attack, not only that, but the skittering, sound of breathing could be heard with a fine tuned hearing.
Keiji took a step forward, extended his hand forward and indicated Rao standing next, slightly behind him. "As my friend so gracefully put it, we mean no harm, no trouble, and no more unnecessary bloodshed. The situation is just that you, and your men are the only thing that's between us, and taking over that castle." He pointed out the window indicating the Main castle right outside of the window. "Regardless of your choice." Keiji turned his head quickly making his dreadlocks roll blissfully around in the wind they had caught his movement. He tightened his muscles ever so slightly, not to seem bragging, but to at least make his well trained muscles hidden under his sleeves noticeable.

Quickly he activated his Byakugan, making his eyes almost sparkle, small sweat drops flashing from the area around his eyes, quickly he saw the chakra signatures of the many soldiers around them. As I thought. She might know we're shinobi. But does she know Hyuuga I wonder, a slight smirk appeared on his lips.

He took a few steps forward closer to Kotone, his eyes scanned her from top to bottom, analyzing, looking deeply into her chakra lines. Potential..
"My lady. All the soldiers you currently have stationed around us are practically already dead." His words were dark, deep, and well calculated, they also rang with truths for as all Hyuuga his circle was almost already at it's full potential. With just a split second he could practically dodge any incoming attack from any direction and he could just as easily kick any of their asses within seconds as well.

He rested his eyes into hers, staring deeply into her pupils, his white husk-like eyes staring into hers.
He remembered Ami's words precisely. "What we offer, is that the Shogun, is prepared to offer you, and your men immunity from any and all prosecution in the Imperial court, that is of course if you cooperate and open the gate."

He leaned back and smiled. "Heh, and you know? You'll even be granted your old man's title an holdings."

He awaited a reply.

Admittedly, Keiji couldn't stop admiring her looks, the bust was just magnificent, and he had difficulty containing the joy of just squeezing them blissfully in his hands, her hair was a beautiful shade of brown and her eyes seemed almost intoxicating, beautiful, her petite figure remarkable and left Keiji for better or worse in love with her looks, and her personality ooh boy, the rough, tough exterior. Keiji made a bet in his mind, that deep down this girl was just a playful little lovebird wanting to spread it's wings, a cute, funny and playful girl. A little tumble in the hay would be highly appreciated.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

Kotone glared daggers at Rao as the jounin wiped a splatter of blood from his forehead. Her fingers tensed, moving millimeters closer to the hilts of her swords. It was obvious that the green-haired one was a powerful shinobi – probably a jounin from the looks of him. She continued to pace, seemingly lazily and without purpose, but in reality assessing the subtle body and eye movements that he had no choice but to make in reaction to hers. Warriors won battles before they even started, after all. This was all part of the dance.

“You, I don’t like at all,” she sneered to Rao. “Have your lackey speak quickly. My patience grows thin and my men grow vengeful seeing you here,” she said haughtily to the green-haired shinobi.

"As my friend so gracefully put it, we mean no harm, no trouble, and no more unnecessary bloodshed. The situation is just that you, and your men are the only thing that's between us, and taking over that castle," said Keiji now, seemingly cracking his neck but in reality provoking yet another unwanted reaction from deep inside Kotone’s subconscious. "Regardless of your choice."

Jesus Himura Saito on a Stick, did you just see that thing he did with his hair?! This has got to be the prettiest guy I’ve ever laid eyes on! Kotone-chan WINS!

“You’ve got a lot of gall, shounen, addressing me like that. Perhaps I should whip you,” she scoffed.

And do some other unmentionable things to you as well…in bed, that is...

"My lady. All the soldiers you currently have stationed around us are practically already dead,” added Keiji now, fixing the gaze of his own byakugan into her eyes. If the intent had been to scare her, however, it seemed to produce the opposite effect as Kotone now began to laugh.

“What always gets me is how arrogant you shinobi have become in the last few decades,” she said, baring her teeth in a feral expression. “You’re used to ignorant peasants falling to their knees as you pass and calling you things like ‘my lord shinobi’ as if you were gods or something. But do you think for a moment that the rest of us are resigned to simply roll over and give up to your kind? Do you really think that Chancellor Tachibana doesn’t have secret battle plans already in place against Kumogakure should your village turn traitor? You’re going to drown in your own arrogance, shounen. So just spit it out. What are you offering?”

If you’re offering your body that’s a great place to start. Oh Raiden I hope he’s not gay. He’d better not be gay, dammit…

“What we offer, is that the Shogun, is prepared to offer you, and your men immunity from any and all prosecution in the Imperial court, that is of course if you cooperate and open the gate. Heh, and you know? You'll even be granted your old man's title and holdings.”

Now, the meat of the matter was at hand. The armored men around Kotone now shifted around uncomfortably, casting gazes at her. They knew, as well as she, that this was the best chance of their returning home in one piece. But on the other hand, there was the matter of the Nagamasa family’s pride, as well as the fact that many of their number had died today. The Count’s daughter lowered her head for a second, hiding a look of resignation. The dreadlocked boy might fall without too much difficulty, but with the green-haired jounin as well as the fragile-looking girl from earlier in reserve, the fight had already been decided. Still, if they were able to hold out for a few minutes and keep the gate closed, then the bakufuu would have no choice but to withdraw. Kotone fixed a hard stare at Keiji.

“Answer me truthfully, shinobi, for I care not for my own life and title as much as I wish to preserve the lives of my loyal soldiers. Can I actually trust you?”

 

[Keiji]

Looking to both sides Keiji examined the chakra lines of the surrounding people, they seemed tense, worried and slightly confused, their facial expressions said it all, but the chakra lines never lie.
His eyes shifted back to Rao, his eyes screaming WHAT DO I DO?!

All his previous words were naught but bluffs, he had no idea how strong he actually truthfully were as he had never had an opponent he couldn't dodge or beat to a pulp..

He turned back, and looked with the same eyes as he had before, with a slight blink he deactivated his Byakugan, he saw, and understood what their predicament was, they wanted a way out. And Keiji could be the messenger to give them just that.

His eyes having returned to normal, he took a few more steps forward, his demeanor was calm, collected, and sincere, his eyes even more so. He took step after step closer to her.
"My lady. My words." He took another step closer. "Are as clear and truthful as my very eyes." Another step, sliding his hair to the side behind his ear, "By my own life's honor." Another step, his face was almost right in front of hers, his breathing could be heard by her as clear as day, his every word echoing through her, his eyes staring calmly into hers. He grabbed her hand, and held it on his chest to let her feel his heart beating, which it did, very loudly. Even if there were another area that was bulging, he had no intention of moving her hand there (as of yet) "And by the beating of my heart. I speak the truth."

It was troublesome, hitting on a count's daughter so bashfully, but it was his only option, at least in his own eyes, he needed to be truthful and he needed to exploit every nook and cranny he could. Hopefully his charms would work, at least trying to act all manly and tough in the act of battle threats didn't work. But maybe this approach is more fitting? His every thought planned out his movements, his every bone and muscle movement was gracefully executed with the every intent of trying to become more appeasing in her eyes, a little sway here, a little hand gesture there, sliding hair to the side, his eyes took the most of his concentration, as he did everything in his power and ability to look into her eyes and make her mind break to his charms.

If it didn't work.. Well.. At least he would have tried.. Which, when considering the girl, would have been well worth it!

 

[Rao]

Yes, let's dance my armored lady. Nothing like unspoken threats to kept us lively. Rao moved gently from side to side keeping his body positioned with Kotone and her retinue in front. He frowned becoming more and more annoyed as she tested him, the petite girl put on quite a confident front. Their dance would continue as they both feigned a disinterest, Rao yawned and rubbed his eyes as Keiji and Kotone started to talk.

She appeared slightly more distracted as they talked, perhaps what the Chancellor said was true, she did have a thing for the short, spindly, and dreadlocked type. Keiji was pulling all the stops for her as they spoke, the two were getting along easily. The Count's daughter appeared to have even overlooked how forcefully Rao pushed her and Keiji to talk. The bitterness and disdain in her voice seemed to soften when she spoke with the younger shinobi. Young love, how nice for the two of them to find each other here in the middle of a battle. Poets would just love this material, the young daughter of the count and the handsome assassin of her father's enemy. Ha!

As the two continued to talk terms Rao could see the disposition of her guards changing. If she wanted to strike she was losing the chance, she had left them standing and thinking for too long. All the stories of gruesome deaths to shinobis played through in their heads, and now they stood in front of two, the two even came outmanned and unarmored. They could hear of a way out, a way to avoid death, something that would get them home to their families at the end of the day. Rao just hoped they were lucky enough that Keiji's and Kotone's voice carried enough to reach the men she had hidden around the tower. And now she was asking if she could trust them, or Keiji rather, What will happen now? What if he says yes and you don't take the offer? Your loyal men may stay beside you, the rest will give us your neck. Poor maneuvering for a child of nobility.

Keiji looked to Rao with pleading eyes, the green-haired shinobi shrugged and titled his head in way to show the Hyuuga to just do what she wants. He started to finger the freshly torn gashes in his coat as Keiji gave Kotone what she was asking for, and a little more. Rao rolled his eyes as the younger shinobi grabbed for the hand of the woman. That scarred bodyguard did say she was a master with a blade, I wonder what she can do with his sword?

WC: 446
mft

 

[Takaki Saeko]

“Nnnhhh…” she gasped, her cheeks turning a violent shade of pink as she felt the tautness of his chest and the beating of his heart. Just as quickly as she had started to lose control, however, she regained it, haughtily wrenching her hand back from his grasp. “S-s-stupid shinobi! As if I’d ever t-t-touch the likes of you except in battle!” she said, slapping him across the face (but not too hard). She stepped back, and now slowly drew one of her blades, holding it out on front of her. The men around her tensed now, their hands on their weapons. For a few seconds, the tension was thick and oppressive, causing everyone to sweat.

With a somewhat pained look, Kotone let loose her grip on the weapon, which clattered to the stone floor. Similarly, her men now dropped their weapons to the sound of clanking and clattering metal, and the hidden soldiers now rose and set their bolters down before them. A few minutes later, the area was now swarmed with bakufuu troopers who quickly bound the surrendered forces and started to work the controls for the main castle gates. The Chancellor and her guard Yui now approached Keiji and Rao, with Senna in tow.

“You just can’t let a hot girl go to waste, can you, shinobi?” smirked Ami to Keiji. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, she actually will inherit her father’s titles and holdings, minus of course the justified reparations owed by the Nagamasa to the bakufuu. I don’t renege on deals unless reneged on. Troopers, take her away,” she said, pointing to Kotone, who knelt on the ground in chains, seething with rage.

“Chancellor Tachibana!! Remember your promise to not hurt my men!!!” shouted Kotone to Ami as the heavy troopers now lifted her by the arms and started to drag her off.

“Her men we can let go after some time in the gaol. She will be tortured a bit, of course. Like it or not, she did raise a sword against her liege lord the Shogun, along with her father, so there must be some consequences to pay,” shrugged Yui. Upon seeing Keiji’s reaction, the tall woman shrugged. “It’s actually a very good deal for her, shounen. Her father the Count faces a sentence of being slowly boiled to death.”

“Yui, darling, now that the gate has been opened, how fares the fight?” asked Ami, crossing her arms as she looked down on the smoky chaos below.

“My Lady, General Katsuie reports that the main defense forces in the castle town have been routed and that his men are now entering the castle in search of Count Nagamasa.”

“Ah good, then we have won this day,” said Ami with a triumphant smile. “And it was in part thanks to your efforts, shinobi,” she said, patting Rao on the back. “I will personally arrange a sizeable bonus to be paid to each of you for your efforts here, and give Sennin Takaki my earnest praise on your behalf.”

“Good news, My Lady!” suddenly interjected Yui, tapping the earpiece radio she wore. “Special Forces have captured the Count alive and mostly unharmed.”

“Even better news, then,” said Ami. “We will make an example of him here. Have the men prepare a cauldron and a crane apparatus. Make sure that the press is present and that the bitchy little Crown Princess and that Nork General are in attendance. The entire country and its neighbors will soon know that only agony and death awaits traitors.”

Later​

Courtyard of Castle Nagamasa
Eastern Takadama Province, Kaminari no Kuni
…1700 hours

A few hours later, the beginnings of twilight darkened the sky which was still hazy with smoke and dust from the battle that had transpired across the land below. The bakufuu forces had won the day, and true to form for warfare in Lightning Country, as soon as the clash of arms had ceased, an orgy of atrocity had begun throughout the castle town and spilled over to many of the cities in the province. It was the typical evening “after party” that followed the ritualized slaughter of the day, and while it allowed the victorious soldiers to vent their anger (and more importantly, supplement their meager pay through looting), those in charge knew that eventually it had to stop, lest the fragile balance of victory be tipped into resentment and insurgency on the part of the losers. A gruesome public execution was always a great way to distract an army from pillaging and raping, and allowed the victims to gain some recompense through the agony of their former leader who had failed them and left them to suffer.

The castle’s courtyard was now illuminated with torches, although they were unnecessary in the remaining light. Nobles, senior military officers, and of course the press, were all gathered in the large open-air yard in front of a hastily-assembled platform supporting a metal cauldron heated by a somewhat laughably small fire underneath. The flame’s weakness was deliberate, however, for it allowed the person being executed to stay alive that much longer. Next to the platform, a wooden crane apparatus with a hand crank to control the lowering of a person-sized metal cage that now contained Count Nagamasa Yoshi within. Alongside the cauldron stood the Chancellor and her bodyguard, the three shinobi, and the two foreign dignitaries from earlier.

“People of Kaminari no Kuni! This man here, the Count of Takadama, attempted to betray his nation and the trust placed in him by his Lord the Shogun Shiranai, and inflict violence upon the soldiers of the Bakufuu!” announced Ami to the crowd, amidst the nonstop bursts of light from flashbulbs from the assembled press. She had taken off the metal cuirass from earlier, and now looked serene and stately in a formal black kimono with alabaster trim. “But his injustice could not stand before the righteous might of the Imperial Army and the shinobi of Kumogakure. Many lives were squandered today, both on the side of right as well as those of the soldiers whose trust he betrayed with his avaricious pursuits. No amount of suffering on his part could ever hope to compensate those angry souls for their loss, but we are honor-bound to at least make an effort. Count Nagamasa, as you boil, think about the lives your actions have cut short today. Executioner, please begin.”

A squat, muscle-bound man with a black hood over his face now began to turn the hand crank, lowering the cage toward the simmering oil, feet first. Nagamasa merely scowled in response at first, but quickly lost his composure as the oil started to lick at the soles of his feet. By the time his ankles were submerged, he had started to howl.

[KBC Crown Princess]​

“I must congratulate you on your victory, Chancellor. Perhaps what transpired here today will convince my father to invest more heavily in our own hidden village. Perhaps one day they will be as plentiful as yours,” said the Crown Princess Ekaterina to Ami as she blithely gazed upon the execution.

“I have to ask. Is your executioner intoxicated or something?” asked General Kaede as she squinted at the man at the crank. “He’s lowering the Count far too rapidly. At this rate the subject will lose consciousness in a mere three minutes. My personal squad could have drawn this out for at least an hour, maybe two depending on the subject’s body fat content,” she said, somewhat disappointedly.

“There’s such a thing as professional courtesy, even though Nagamasa was a traitor,” responded Ami to Kaede. “I really don’t care how much he screams – I care that my own men put their dicks back into their pants and that the citizens of this province don’t go on harboring fantasies of revenge. The goal is to turn this place back into a source of tax revenue, not to burn it down…”

Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed from above, and the Count’s screams were abruptly silenced. All head immediately turned to the body within the cage, which was submerged only to the knees, but now had a large, gaping hole in the middle of its chest.

Shit just got real music​

“What in Raiden’s name…” began Ami angrily…

“SNIPER!” shouted Yui as she suddenly dove and tackled the Chancellor right as another crack issued from above. A thin gash now appeared on the back of Yui’s cloth armor, followed by a spray of blood. Undeterred, the woman drew her kanabo and fell into a defensive stance to deflect projectiles. “Shinobi! Over there!” she said, pointing at a figure on the roof.

A woman sporting a head of pink hair gathered into long twintails, grinned back, a fang-like tooth glinting in the reflected light. It was now beyond any doubt that the earlier noise had come from her, as she held in her hands a massive, scoped antimateriel ballista that radiated pure destructive power. Keiji’s eyes would be able to spot the weapon’s identifying information: “.408 CheyTac – Intervention”

By now, the crowd had erupted into screams and curses, and started to flee from the scene. The military brass in attendance had drawn their own crossbolters and were now starting to fire almost randomly toward the twintails. From the flanks, however, now erupted the definite sounds of steel clashing against steel.

The torsos of two soldiers now flew through the air and landed at Senna’s feet, splattering her with blood from the spaghetti of intestines dangling from the exposed abdominal cavities. Looking to where they had come from, the shinobi now saw a fearsome sight.

A blonde-haired woman, clad in the gear of a Kirigakure ANBU with the symbol of the village on her armband crudely scratched out, stood at battle readiness. Held in each hand were gigantic, six-foot-long serrated samehada blades. The weapons, affectionately known as “two-handed chainsaws,” were usually slow and unwieldy, but the way the woman handled them, they seemed to have no weight at all. She slowly started to approach the group, her killing intent unmistakable.

To the other side, a group of soldiers had now started to run toward a seemingly unoccupied doorway, only to suddenly fall into a heap of bloody pieces where they stood. Rao’s sharp eyes now caught the unmistakable glint of chakra-infused ninja wire, strung in a deadly matrix around the entire courtyard. He realized at that moment that there was no simply escaping these adversaries. They would have to fight to live.

Rounding the corner of the doorway, a man with a face familiar to most shinobi of Kumogakure. The badly-done bleach job on the hair and the swagger with which he walked also nailed the man’s identity. He was perhaps the second most wanted man in Cloud: the one who had been responsible along with Yukimura Enishi for the assassination of Kagetsu Kiyo. The “Light Sage” of Neo-Konoha, Tanaka Daishi.

“Dattebayo, compadres. Dattebayo…”

 

[Keiji]

"N-n-no!" Keiji's eyes were wide as they dragged Konote off.
"I didn't want this.." Keiji looked to the ground in disappointment as the General explained their actions, and it being a good deal compared to her father. But as Keiji expected nothing of what his opinions or thoughts was, was taken up on his words and no one reacted. except for the explanation. He was left disappointed and slightly upset as the war raged on. Politicians.. He sighed for himself.

It wasn't long for the news that the battle had efficiently ended thanks to the capture of the primary target; The Count.

They made their arrangements and their plans right there.

Later​

It was a show, a freaking show, disgusting but understandable tastes. And we support these people? A little brutal. But the results will tell if it works. Personally Keiji was curious towards the efficiency of such a display. He was curious to know if there existed a simpler approach. One that demanded less.. Screaming..

The Nobels and Generals debated on the results of the war, and one even proclaimed her soldiers could prolong the effect. Keiji sighed loudly to himself.
He looked to his side at Rao and proclaimed to him in a mellow tone
"I find this slightly distasteful. I mean, couldn't we just kill him when he was captured and simply display his corpse in the courtyard for a few weeks or sumthin'?" He paused for a second grimacing at the display.
I mean, at least treat your enemies with some decen- His words were cut short by the loud echo of what resembled a short burst of a lightning's crackle. And the sudden display coming to a halt as the Count's chest were practically non existing anymore.


In an instant Keiji drew out his Kunai strapped on his wrist, activated his Byakugan and looked up as Yui shouted and pointed up at the roof.
With his eyes he easily spotted her, the clear pink hair waving in the air, and the giant weaponized pole stick resembling that of a giant sniper.
The name of it didn't ring any immediate bells, but the timing between each firing made it clear for Keiji it was a Bolt Action. Giving him clear reaction time between each bullet firing.

The next few minutes resembled that of an action movie, the real culprits only show themselves around the ending, crashing the happy endings. Keiji assumed battle ready position ready to dodge as soon as the next firing were to occur.

The flying of bodies and the blood gushing over Senna made Keiji bite his teeth together. Trouble.. Serious trouble
His thoughts weren't ready for this kind of battle, these people were highly trained, and highly dangerous. And here Keiji was just about to think this whole thing was too easy

The approaching man walking into the carnage with a swagger, silly.. So damn silly..
Keiji had seen the wanted posters planted around, this man was dangerous, seriously dangerous, like. Serious seriously dangerous.

Keiji gulped loudly, his attentioned shifted quickly though, to the Pink haired girl now under fire by the none Shinobi allies. All their shots was for naught. But it was worth the shot.
Keiji's eyes were fixed upon her, staring at her trigger finger and the movements of the barrel. She was under the scrutiny of his stare.
A small drop of sweat appeared on his forehead as his eyes kept on.

Keiji was worried, but self assured, Rao was a Jounin, himself and Senna was Genin, but powerful Genin to say the least.
He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but nothing good can come up of tight situation like this.
Surrounded and no way of escape. This is seriously serious.

 

[Rao]

"How in the world did you expect to be win without any shinobis?" Rao said towering over the chained Kotone. "Arrogance... Hopefully you make better decisions then your father..." He sighed quietly. Turing away he muttered to himself, "Waste of time, no one worth fighting... Barely even a damn war." He left the noble women kneeling on the ground to join the group huddled around the chancellor.

Yui gave the rundown of the battle and progress of the Bakufuu forces. The battle was on course for victory, the castle soon taken, and word came down the wire confirmed the Count was alive and in custody. The Chancellor's cheerful attitude became infectious She praised the shinobi for their work, Rao smirked, he honestly expected it to be harder than it was. During the civil war the battles seemed much more brutal, and visceral.

"Well Madam Chancellor, we're happy to help 'n all, don't forget you promised me a favor though, eh?" He said jokingly to woman. Ami spoke again saying the Count would boil to death in a cauldron of oil where he would die slowly and painfully. Barbaric, but good for a show. Rao wondered what boiled human smelled like, and if that whore back at the camp would be ready for another all-nighter.

Later​

The entirety of the army is drinking and fucking, and I'm stuck here being paraded in front of press and damn foreigners.

Rao stood next the Chancellors bodyguard, Yui, the day was slowing fading the last light creating a haunting scene for the Count's death. Rao had taken his time in between the fall of the castle and the execution to visit his lady of the night and dress his wounds. The hot and cleansing bath was the most welcome of the interludes, the scent of the apple oil stuck to his skin and hair. Taking a deep breath he adjusted his ill-fitted new coat. The tailor didn't have much time to fit it, but it had what Rao felt was important for a coat, pockets, an incredible amount of hidden and internal pockets.

To his side Keiji and Senna stood lit by the dim light of sun and the flickering light of the torches that kept the castle courtyard visible. The torches were unnecessary, the flashes of bulbs from press in the crowd illuminated the entire area in a continuous stream of unnatural light. Ami was basking in the glow, taking every opportunity to draw out the speech pronouncing the Count's end. The Chancellor finally gave the order, the Count screamed and writhed in pain as the oil crept from his feet to his legs. He could barely hear the Chancellor and the foreigners talking, what he did decipher through their accents and the Count's screams was enough to make him roll his eyes.

"I find this slightly distasteful. I mean, couldn't we just kill him when he was captured and simply display his corpse in the courtyard for a few weeks or sumthin'?" Keiji said.

"Don't forget he's a traitor Keiji, only soldiers and generals should die on the battlefield. It's an honor he shouldn't get."

"I mean, at least treat your enemies with some decen-"

Keiji was cut off as a loud crack sounded across the courtyard. Rao jumped in front of the Chancellor his hand raised in the direction of the sound. The Count's screaming ended abruptly. A bolt took the Count's life, and from look of the man's corpse the work was that of a sniper.

Yui screamed out to the group pointing to the location of the pink haired marksmen, rather markswoman. Panic spread through the crowd like a wildfire, the people were trampling over one another to leave. Rao could see the sniper, but his attention was dragged away from her as he saw two soldiers fly through the air towards the shinobis. This was an all too familiar scene for Rao, he recognized the signs, shinobi.

Adrenaline flowed through his veins as he saw the woman ANBU, she held two massive swords. "Yui, I'm afraid we're not going to be able to look after the Chancellor. We will be a bit a tied up." In the distance he saw the flicker of light against a metallic surface. Wire. Ninja-wire were strung about the entire courtyard, trapping the spectators and shinobis in. "Don't leave the courtyard, we are trapped in, wire is all over the damn place. Yui, call it in now. You won't get another chance."

Out of a singular building a blond hair man strode, dead Bakufuu soldiers fell around him, their eyes still wide with surprise. "Raiden's light..." Rao said as the man walked out with an unmistakable strut. Rao's blood boiled as the man's face became clear. "Tanaka Daishi, the fucking Light Sage." A mix of fear and excitement slowly pulsated through his body. The man before him could kill him, Rao knew it, but these feelings were what brought out the best in a man. This battle would be his best. He quickly threw off his coat revealing a tight fitting white gi and a body corded in muscles underneath.

"Keiji, Senna, I'm afraid my attention will be focused here. Don't die." He said moving towards Daishi. He pulled on his chakra enveloping himself in an aura of magnetic energy, nothing would be held back against this murderer.

 

[Akemi]

Senna followed the Chancellor's troupe and was constantly alert for anything which might have posed a threat. She had swapped out her machines for her bolter, yet again she had gone back to basics... well, the basics were quite effective.

She watched as the scene in front of her played out, the enemy had surrendered... little thanks to her effort. There would still be a punishment for them, but compared to what the Count would receive it was merciful; not that Senna liked it one bit. "Is all that really necessary?" she sighed. At least the fighting was coming to a close; the latest report from the army all but confirmed that much. It had been a bloody day, but it was over now... hopefully, the shinobi backup had helped to end the fighting that much sooner. That was what they were there for, right?

The next report served to cement the battle's closure, the Count had been captured... presumably all that was left for him was a quick (or not so quick, if the executioner and/or the nobles felt particularly spiteful) and painful execution.


</B>

Later​

<i></i>

Looting and public executions; two things that Senna hated (with some exceptions made for the former), and two things that were both likely to have taken place by the night's end. Senna had no taste for this kind of display; the nobles thought it was necessary to dissuade further rebellion... Senna had a different take on all of it... 'Killing him off like this changes nothing, if someone else is going to try to cause a war they'll just use him as a martyr.' she thought, if she had any say in the matter she would have handled it different, put the man in solitary confinement.... give him some time to consider if his actions were really worth it. Would she have let him go? Maybe, but only after stripping him of any rank, influence, or honor.

Or maybe she just would have killed him in the field and not wasted time with public displays. He would have had to really piss her off for that honor, though.

Senna's willfully averted her eyes from the doomed Count as the execution began. <B>"I'm just looking at the ground... just looking down..." she said, seemingly to no one in particular. The screams were harder to ignore, though....

Before the execution could continue on for too long a sharp noise broke the constant screaming, and for a moment it was eerily silent. Senna looked up and saw the now dead Count, the hole in his body was large enough to have been caused by an artillery strike. 'A mercy kill? No... no one uses that kind of weapon for that. WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!' Senna's hands outpaced her thoughts, pulling her bolter up into a firing stance. Two more soldiers dropped dead, and from there on it only got worse... the soldiers didn't seem to stand a chance against the attackers. When all was said and done, there were three opponents; all of them seemed competent, and one was unmistakable, Kumo's Most Wanted... in the flesh. Oh boy.

Senna fired a quick burst from her bolter, not a kill shot, but hopefully enough to break the sniper's concentration. This was going to be a tough fight... the bolter wouldn't be enough for all of them, not by a long shot. 'The puppets would provide okay protection... but if I'm going to win this, I need something that can- oh boy... look's like I'm going to need to use that, and it's even more of a prototype than the siege armor...'

"Keiji! I need a second! Can you keep them off me?" Senna barked out as she unsummoned her bolter and started weaving the seals for a summoning jutsu... she was in a risky position; if the sniper got off a clean shot, if the swordswoman got a good hit, if the Light Sage so much as sneezed on her, she was as good as dead.

So, no pressure, right?

- Basic attack at the sniper. (Using the bolter)

- Unequip bolter.

- Basic Summoning Jutsu (Master Rank)
Summoning 'Knight'
Teir 3 Puppet
Equipment: Drill Lance, Sword

 

[Takaki Saeko]

Great job sending me your actions and on your posts. As I may have said before, the actions are a general guideline to what your characters would do. Because this is an RP battle and allowances must be made for dramatic moments and plot progression, I have not used all of your actions, and determination of whether they hit or miss, as well as the enemy's actions, are completely arbitrary. For this next round (which will be the final one, since I like to move fast), again send me actions as well. You may also tell me to simply continue the prior course of your actions from before. Also, keep in mind that Rao has at least one new ally and Senna was successful in summoning her puppet.

"Passion and the Opera" by Nightwish​

“Agreed, Hokoro,” growled Yui as she witnessed several of the fleeing men turn into piles of bloody steak tips as they ran into the barrier of wire that the Light Sage had strung up around the periphery. “All soldiers present! Stand and fight! Protect the Chancellor! That is an order from the Captain Commander of the Bakufuu Security Agency!” she bellowed.

With several more booming cracks from the rooftop, the heads of several more military officers down in the courtyard disintegrated into puffs of pink mist, and their bolters fell silent. The sniper cackled as the headless bodies fell to the ground, twitching and soiling their pants from the sudden, violent lack of a brain.

“What the hell!? These idiots shoot like Imperial Stormtroopers*,” growled the twintails in disgust, adjusting the crosshairs to center on Yui, who stood resolutely covering the Chancellor. A valiant attempt, but in the end, a futile one. The .408 caliber bolts shot from the “Intervention” were lathed from solid rods of tungsten carbide, and would penetrate the bodyguard’s kanabo, armor, and body with ease, and still have enough energy to blow a hole in the Chancellor’s torso.

“Use caution, Marie. There are shinobi guarding the primary target. Under the circumstances I do not believe that we can abide by Haikuno’s wish to leave them unharmed,” said the blonde-haired woman wielding the twin samehada. With a flick of her wrist, one of the massive blades swung to the side and messily ripped a charging samurai captain in half. As his blood splattered on her face, her expression grew perturbed. “Oh dear, this color does not go well on me…” she sighed.

“Uggh, always with the damned shinobi! Baka Haikuno needs to grow up and face the facts! Just eliminate them! I’ll blow Tachibana’s head off right now!” snarled Marie, finger tensing on the trigger. In the corner of her scope’s limited vision, she noticed a flash coming from a small, fragile-looking girl whose presence she had dismissed earlier. Instinct made her pull her head back, throwing the shot off as a result. The swoosh of a near-miss from a 7.62x39 bolt passing near her head was accompanied by the sudden static feedback of her headset radio shattering. With a growl of pain and surprise, she tore the headset off and cast it aside, before taking another look with the scope. To her amazement, the fragile-looking girl stood at the ready, aiming a Karashnikov bolter straight at her position. “That little bitch!” she swore, quickly centering her crosshairs on Senna and pulling the trigger. With a satisfying crack, the bolter fired and sent its lethal delivery straight at the little Tenouzan girl’s head.

Every chakra-generating nerve cluster in Keiji’s body instantly went into overdrive, cramming his axonal junctions with so much epinephrine that there was no room for a single molecule more. The power of the byakugan combined with his overriding desire to never let a single hot girl go to waste instantly sent his body lurching toward the source of danger. Time slowed for him – every single speck of floating dust, every droplet of sweat and blood flying through the air, they were all outlined in perfect detail, shimmering as they slowly moved. He could see the reciprocating charging handle on Senna’s weapon slowly traveling back to re-engage the prods and chamber another round, and he could see the glinting missile that was hurtling toward her forehead. It seemed so easy to grab it or swat it out of the way…

With a searing flash of pain, time returned to normal. The ground exploded just to the left of where Senna’s head would have been, as the round made its final contact. A small wisp of her brown hair floated to the ground, the only evidence of the danger she had just been in. Keiji’s hand throbbed in pain, and he could see the neat gash across the palm of his hand where he had contacted the projectile, enough to divert its path. Blood welled up from the wound like an overflowing faucet, however, and he knew he would have to patch it up soon. Senna was safe, but the twintails was still out there and was already working the bolt to chamber another round. Clones of the Hyuuga now budded off of his body, and Keiji now ran toward the building, accumulating a whopping charge in his hands. Realizing that he was about to do something to the building she occupied, the twintails quickly snatched up her ballista and darted away as the jutsu connected, tendrils of electricity licking at her behind in a way that reminded her of the unpleasant sensation of grabby hands.

Totally gross! That was like getting groped in a dark closet!! whined Marie to herself. “Yukiko-chan! I need you to deal with the Dreadlocked idiot!” she shouted into the courtyard, before disappearing from sight.

“Affirmative. Switching targets,” said the blonde as she changed the focus of her attention to the dreadlocked boy instead of the frail-appearing girl. As she approached Keiji, she started to whirl the twin sawblades in the air, faster than his eye could see. As they cut the atmosphere, the blades started to roar as a result of the distortion of the air. Undeterred, the Hyuuga boy now tossed forward two of his explosive kunai, both of them detonating at once and enveloping Yukiko in flames…

A moment later, he found himself pinned on the ground, the deadly, whirring edge of a samehada mere centimeters from his face. The only reason his head was not cleft in two was because he had managed to catch her arms in a lock. It should have been painful for her, but the woman’s face registered none of that. Instead, she seemed to purposefully be straining herself against her own joints in order to push the weapon downwards and rip his face off. For the first time in his life, Keiji wondered if this was it for him. Near Senna’s position, however, he heard something…

“Goliath Online…”

Meanwhile​

"Tanaka Daishi, the fucking Light Sage,” growled Rao with unbridled vengeance as the jounin tossed aside his greatcoat with flair. The garment crackled and shimmered with energy as it floated to the ground, such was the overflowing rage that possessed Rao and infused his body with chakra. Small flecks of metal and spent bolt-heads on the ground started to quaver and move away from him, ionized by the protection jutsu he now engaged.

“That’s my name, handsome. I’m glad at least one of you is to my taste, dattebayo,” cooed Daishi, thin, bloodless lips drawing back into an unsettling smile that made him seem more predator than human. For a moment, none of them moved, and one might think that the two opponents were simply mooning over each other without any intention to fight. But that perception only applied to civilians and weaker shinobi.

In the blink of an eye Rao’s wrist bolter had sent off a double-tap aimed straight at the Light Sage’s brainstem. In a millisecond the projectiles were less than a meter away from the target and freed from their sabots, dividing into a hail of deadly, splinter-like submunitions that would gouge hand-sized holes in a fully armored target. The Sage’s form blurred and blinked out of existence just as the first of the bolts slammed into a sacrificial decoy and shredded it into a pulpy mess. As if he had teleported somehow, Daishi was now immediately in front of Rao, his right hand drawn back and attempting to slam a malevolently shimmering brace of fingers into the jounin’s forehead

Rao cocked his head to the side at the last instant and the thrust went wide, opening a small gash above his ear. The wound was superficial but the force of the pain nearly made the jounin lose himself in a blanket of white agony. Anger, however, kept the green-haired man cognizant enough to now form a swirling, glowing ball of pure energy in his hand which he slammed into the Sage’s gut.

The force of the chakra blast blew both men apart from each other and sent Daishi across the yard and Rao onto his back. As the jounin leapt to his feet, he noticed that his formerly white gi was now ripped and torn and stained with crimson from the small waterfall of blood dripping from his scalp. Meanwhile, Daishi coughed and hacked as he picked himself up. Ordinarily, a direct hit with a Rasengan had the effect of coring people out like apples hit with shotbolters, but in this case, the source of his continued life was apparent. A multitude of tendrils of ninja wire were wrapped tightly around his midsection like mail. With a tinkling sound, a large number of loops of wire now fell to the ground, smoking and smoldering.

“That wasn’t very nice, cutie,” said Daishi, spitting a long slick of bloody mucus to the ground. “Oh, your Kage was much nicer to me, dattebayo,” he said, suddenly forming his hands together and sending a dozen streams of arcing plasma toward the jounin.

It was no good – Daishi had him covered from all angles with this multi-armed attack. So Rao did the only thing he could do, which was to use the magnetic energy in his body to wrench the gigantic cauldron off of the execution platform and harness the impulse to slingshot himself away! The plasma streams tore through the metal with ease, but also managed to superheat and ignite the oil in a titanic burst of flame. Tumbling in midair, Rao completed his combo, drawing a coin from his pocket and seemingly flicking it at the Sage. The air suddenly distorted as invisible, preformed magnetic rails now caught the coin and rocketed it forth at several kilometers a second, slamming it into the spot where the Sage had just stood. The ground shook uncontrollably from the sheer energy deposited into it, raising a mushroom cloud of dust and smoke that choked out all vision. As Rao landed on the ground, he attempted to peer through the dust, ready for what might come.

All of a sudden, an alien presence looped around his neck. Before the jounin could slip a hand or a blade between his neck and what he realized was a garrotte, it tightened and he fell to one knee, desperately attempting to find some way to breathe… Close by, he heard the cackling of none other than the Light Sage…

A singing sound cut through the air, followed by the sound of wire snapping. Now, he could breathe again, although his neck was going to be sore as hell.

“Well, I never expected to be helping a shinobi,” smirked the Marsh Country General from earlier, as she assumed a ready position with her sword. Unexpectedly, the weapon radiated a type of frost aura not too different from chakra. “But that bastard Tanaka Daishi also killed our Dear Leader, so he has to pay for his crime. My name is Kaede, by the way. Shall we make sure he dies slowly and painfully?” she asked to Rao, batting her eyelashes coquettishly at him.

The Stormtroopers were a short-lived elite division of the Imperial Army originally charged with enforcing order in the Lightning Colonies in the Sea of Kirigakure. They were notable for their all-white battle armor, brutal treatment of native populations, and inexplicably horrible marksmanship.