A Choir of Knives [Part One] [A Rank Mission]

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

“WHADDAYA MEAN YA CAN'T DO IT!” A giant man, round in every way, flailed his cup across the room. The cup's contents sputtered out violently in all directions as it soared through the air, aimed at the cowarding man's head. The coward dragged himself away on knees bruised, begging for the man to stop his foolishness.

“B-boss, we understand you need to make this deal happen but does it have to be THAT particular brand! You know damn well we can't even touch the gates of that place without getting our gods damned heads blown down our necks by their firepower! We're just ordinary men. Be reasonable!” He begged shrilly, pushing the frames of his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose with frantic motion.

“Reasonable, eh?” The great man grumbled, sitting back in his chair as he stroke the peppered strains of his bushy beard.

“Yes, boss. If not for the lives of your men, the repercussions alone are enough to halt your advance surely!”

“HA! When have we ever cared what the damn Shogun thinks! Are we not freemen?” His advisor seemed to wilt at the very sentiment. “Oh now, don't look so hopeless! Boss has got a plan, eh? I reckon we know just the type of people that can do this.” His eyes glimmered with unwavering self assurance, the kind that always seemed to make his right hand man groan. And groan he did.

---

She glared at the file with cold, leery eyes. He gulped down his fears. The rumors were quite true. She certainly did have eyes that tore through the soul. The man was determined to remain resolute. If he didn't face this dangerous woman head on here, he'd be facing much worse reprimand from his leader. She rocked from side to side ever so slightly in her chair as she tapped a pencil on the desk, grating away at every last bit of his nerves.

“You come with quite a request and yet you provide me with so little information.” Shima Haruka's voice dripped with predatory fashion as she locked her eyes with his finally. Not the smallest hint of a crack was seen in her wall, the man thought. He knew she'd be the one to convince or else their plan would never see the light of day. No glory, no riches, and more importantly no more breathing for him.

“My lady, please- I can only provide you with what my master has given me.” She held up her hand to silence him.

“What you ask of my village could quite possibly endanger its relationship with the Shogun, you are aware of this?” He nodded meekly in return. “Yet, this letter says it is for the good of the northern provinces.”

“Yes ma'am. Although I cannot go into further detail at this time, my master has promised that if you see the package delivered to him that he will explain all and grant your village a rather large cut of his deal. He's not asking you to confront them, no ma'am. This is the very reason why we hired you. We are considerate of the necessary balance of Lightning country and have no desire in tilting the scales in anyway. We merely need the cask without confrontation. It is only a feat a shinobi can accomplish.”

“So why not hire a mercenary band of shinobi? Why us?” She fired back instantaneously, as if she apprehended every step this conversation would take.

“Lets put it this way, your people have everything to lose if discovered. Mercenaries will tear right through the guards without a single thought. What a disgusting waste of life. Not to mention it will put my master's life on the line and endanger the provinces he is heavily connected with.” To this answer, she smiled. It was not a beautiful smile, as he envisioned a lady of her standing to have, but that of a cunning demon ready to take his soul for a favor.

“I see. So your master and the Shogun have a history? Hmmm...” She turned away from him, rotating her chair towards the window to look out at the spring sky. “Raise our cut of the deal from 22% to 48% and I will see to it personally that you shall have your cask.” He nearly fell over. She was playing at him all along!? He had been backed into a corner. How could he have given her such a desperate plea? She knew they had no one else to turn to for such a feat. He could only smile.

“My lady, you are all the rumors have told me and more. You have yourself a deal.” He reached into his portfolio, retrieving a rolled up blueprint and another letter. “My master asked me to hand over a second portion of the letter only after you had agreed. The blueprint is the only known record we have of the vineyard. It is severely outdated with their recent reconstruction, but surely a framework will help you in your endeavor.” She picked up the letter, unfolding it carefully as he explained.

----

Stealth she would regard as the highest priority of this mission. She was well aware of the dangers discovery would bring. However, after reading the mysterious client's second letter, Haruka understood this to be more than a mere mission of stealth. It seems their benefactor had attracted more than the Shogun's attention in the past. It was precisely why she felt the need to hire the help of a seasoned ANBU.

The Shima planned her roster carefully. This had to comprise of shinobi that not only were willing to pull such a task, but were capable. She felt only one man of the ANBU would accept her invitation. She summoned him by crow messenger, something he was familiar with. A strange and peculiar way of messaging that they both shared. She'd ask of his assistance.

If he so desired, Nobuyuki may bring one other from the ANBU branch. She wrote that she shall bring her own pupil, one of exceptional skill and encouraged him to do the same as a way to test their mettle. Her final pick was more of an agonizing choice. She knew that the Main Branch was seriously lacking leadership. She knew of only a few still able to lead. In the end, she chose a chuunin who's name was not well known in the branch. This would be a test for the shinobi. It would be a test for them all.

Her address to them noted the goals of their mission. She warned of the importance of discretion and the danger that the Choir of Knives possessed. Although she admitted there was not much information to go on, Haruka knew the league possessed potential to destroy their mission if not prepared against properly. They would all gather at the gates and travel to the outskirt of Kelmura near Raiden's Eye towards the vineyard of the Shogun and his precious Kelmuran wine.

[First round shall be set at the gates. I did this to condense the paper trail and simplify things for everyone. If you see a mistake, need clearer information, or are unsure what I meant in my writing please don't hesitate to PM about it. Be gentle. This is my first time modding a mission. Let's have fun!]

 

[Morikou Asuchi]

Knock-knock-knock!

Asuchi yawned, scratching the back of his head as he swung the front door to his little home open. Clad only in a pair of pajama pants, he glanced downward at the bright young face of a courier, eagerly holding out a sealed document for him.

“Morikou Asuchi?” The older shinobi nodded sleepily. “You’ve got something real important, Mister. I was told to hand deliver this to you personally.”

He glanced down at the document in disdain. Sealed correspondence usually meant a mission briefing. He was so very tired of missions. Granted, they were kind of his job, but he was quite fond of Kumogakure. He would prefer to spend more time within its walls than outside of them. It appeared that this was not to be the case anytime soon.

”Thanks kid.” He grumbled, taking the letter and retreating back within his home. He warmed his hands by the fireplace before collapsing onto his couch and ripping open the letter.

As his eyes scanned over the mission briefing his features softened. The chuunin was used to long term assignments deep within foreign territory. This was a much more straightforward objective. He would be back home quickly, and that was good news. But his features turned sour once more as he read on.

”The Shogun? We’re stealing from the Shogun?!”

Surely there’s got to be some more to this mission. Kumogakure would not likely risk the wrath of the Shogun for wine, however rare that wine may be. Kumo could easily repel any attack the non shinobi military could muster, but they’d suffer economically and diplomatically. He knew the leadership of their village was rather turbulent at the moment, but he couldn’t help but wonder who approved this mission. They had to know something he didn’t.

The man sighed. He didn’t exactly have the authority to object. They needed that cask, and he was chosen for the job. He had a duty to Kumogakure. And anyway, if they did things right the Shogun would never even know who took the cask. And surely it would go well, even the newest shinobi should be able to infiltrate and exfiltrate without being spotted. Otherwise what the hell were they doing at that academy? The letter warned of a “Choir” that could throw a wrench into things, but they didn’t know if this group would even be there. And if they were, what were they going to do, break into song and blow their cover?

Asuchi glanced over the key details of the mission and the warnings about the rival boy band once more, committing them to memory. Then, he rose from his couch and walked over toward his closet to get dressed, tossing the letter in the fireplace as he passed by.

~~~

He walked up to the gates, mission bag slung over his shoulder and hands in his pockets, looking around the area for any sign of his teammates. It appeared he was the first to arrive, although with shinobi you could never be too sure.

 

[Morishige]

Eyes scanned the paper, a smile forming on his lips. The Captain folded up her message and placed it in his pocket. He pulled out a treat for the crow that had delivered it and sent the bird on it's way.

A single finger found it's way to his chin and tapped slowly, his mind going through the files of ANBU that he knew who might want to go on a mission at this time. His thoughts went to the boy in the coliseum. If he had made it into the ANBU, then he was good enough to follow orders and stay in the shadows. If things got bad, Nobuyuki had no doubts that the elder shinobi would be able to protect their own charges. And, who knows, maybe the youngsters would be able to prove themselves under the pressure.

So he sent a letter to the boy whom he learned was named Sasaki Kotsuko. He explained why he had chosen him, and his expectations of the boy in the mission. He was given a choice; being a fresh faced ANBU it might be overwhelming to even consider an A rank mission where there was a serious chance of death should the worst occur. There was always the chance that Kotsuko would fudge up the mission, and the Captain would look like an idiot. But no one got promoted by doing D-rank missions forever. This was a rare opportunity. and Nobuyuki was sure the young man would take it.

So the day of the mission came. With Yoru --Nobuyuki's trusted avian companion-- on his shoulder, he set out for the gates from his apartment. He wore his standard armor, and was armed as if ready for battle. His spear remained latched across his back, rows and rows of blades and knives in pouches on his waist and legs. "Mask or no mask?" he asked himself. This wasn't an ANBU mission, but that didn't mean he couldn't treat it like one for Kotsuko to learn. Reaching behind him, Nobuyuki grabbed his mask and placed it over his face. The cloud symbol rested at the apex of the mask, the concept of duality was present by his decal. One side was black and the other white, both intertwined by a series of swirls down the middle. The symbol for duty was engraved in the black side, and the symbol for honor on the white side.

He arrived to find an individual he did not know who looked like they were waiting for someone. He approached silently and bowed politely, the bird at his shoulder copying him. "And now we wait." he chuckled. It was always the waiting game when it came to preparing to head out for missions.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

It had been so long since he had received any contact from her that he was actually taken by surprise when he saw the crow on his windowsill. Only she could have sent for him in such a manner, and though it irked him he retrieved the message and read through it carefully. Though the no nonsense way she wrote was familiar he could tell that this letter held more importance than any he had received previously. His first official mission outside of the village was to…rob the Shogun?

Masaru closed his eyes for a minute, then reread the objective for the mission one more time. Sure enough she had written that they were to steal from the Shogun, and as if that wasn’t challenging enough they were also facing competition for the coveted wine. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and sighed. She must expect a lot out of me…that’s a little unfair, Masaru chuckled briefly before pocketing the message and sending the crow on its way. Honestly he thought it vexing that after all this time avoiding him she contacted him out of the blue like this, but he swore to her that he would do everything in his power to be of use and if that meant joining her on an A-rank mission then so be it.

As he began making preparation for the mission he was also mentally preparing himself. As a genin tagging along on such a mission would prove for valuable experience and he was determined not to be a burden to any of the individuals that comprised their team. It would be pointless to try and convince himself that he wasn’t scared. If the Shogun caught any of them then diplomatically speaking relations with Kumogakure would suffer, and if this Choir of Knives proved to be as dangerous as they were made out to be then it wouldn’t be a stretch to say he could end up dragging everyone down. Ultimately experience in battle and missions was crucial, but Haruka was giving him a chance that few genin rarely receive. He resolved himself that night, and eagerly awaited for the coming mission.

----

Walking to the village gates fully prepped for the mission Masaru wasn’t surprised to see two shinobi already waiting. One was clad in a mask, obviously ANBU, while the other looked like your standard member of the Main Branch. His mentor had yet to arrive as far as he could tell, but Masaru wasn’t the impatient type. He walked up to the two men, bowing deeply seeing as they were both higher ranking than he was, but he waited to introduce himself until all the team members had gathered.

[MFT]

 

[Kazu]

Ko sat there, reading the pages letters. The words were starting to become incomprehensible, turning to mere squiggles and lines. He set the page down, unable to look at it anymore. He turned his attention to the midnight black raven that stood on the windowsill of his family's small house — occasionally it moved its head in a quick and sudden motion as it waited for the young boy to do something. Ko merely looked into its glassy eyes, wondering whether this crow understood anything that was going on. This was huge. Ko felt as if his possession of this letter somehow made him a criminal. He got up to the kitchen stove, turned on the gas burners, and let on edge of the page on fire. He held it in his hands, watching the flame slowly engulf the entirety of the message. When it got close to his fingertips, he released the remaining bits into the sink where the finished burning. The knowledge thus became lost, its only remnant stored safely within Ko's mind. He turned back to the crow and, seeing that it was still there, shooed the thing off. He had nothing to offer it, and the creature had other matter to attend to. Ko watched the creature in flight, soaring away until it was nothing more than a speck. His mind wandered back to the message. What was he to do, hm? A difficult decision indeed...

Ko glanced at the clock hanging next to their small dining table. There was time. He grabbed his things, packing everything he'd need for this mission. As he went to pick up his gourd, however, the young boy stopped himself. He wouldn't be using that anymore. He slowly set the thing down, as he remembered the metal plating that had been added to the inside of his his clothing. Things were more discreet that way, anyways. Having secured all the things he'd need, he was about to walk out of his house when he remembered something. On his desk, still in the box it'd been presented to him in, was his mask. Should he take it? He wanted to, it was definitely tempting. This was his first assignment as an ANBU in Training, besides the mission with Tsuirakuya Shashu. He thought that he might as well look sharp...

Arriving at the gate's entrance, he noticed that he wasn't the last one there. Perfect. He was dressed in a dark brown jacket, with ribbed sleeves and waist, and his Kumogakure headband sown into the right upper-sleeve. His pants were black and formfitting, giving him just enough room to breathe. Heavy boots adorned his feet, and the shining white mask adorned his face. He was glad to see, at least, that he wasn't the only one with that idea. "Good morning." He greeted everyone upon his arrival, hoping that he wasn't seen as tardy. He looked at the sun's position and knew he wasn't late — still, they could always leave earlier than planned. He wondered who the last person to show up would be. Noting the people who were here before him, Ko saw the man, his mentor for this mission, who had asked Ko to volunteer for this mission. This man, Nobuyuki, had seemed to personally request Kotsuko on this mission. That was saying a lot. He didn't want to embarrass disappoint the man, and so would be doing his very best to stay on top of everything for this mission. From this moment on, Ko was on his toes.

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

Seems they are all on time. Haruka watched from a distance. She ended her conversation with a gate guard over recent activities as she saw the last of her squad gather together. She handed back the report to the chuunin, ready to address them finally. As her figure approached them, she rested eyes on each other them individually sizing them up.

It seemed Nobuyuki had picked a rather young AiT, perhaps a bit younger than Masaru judging on his height. Although she couldn't quite truly tell for his face was obscured by a mask. He mirrored his mentor who was hidden under a visage of black and white, a crow resting on his shoulder. She smiled. No wonder he seemed so enamored by her murder of crows earlier. Perhaps their choice of aviary companions proved they had more to share than political intrigue. She had seen the chuunin appear at the gates first and foremost. Punctuality was something she admired. It was a shame she did not know more about Morikou Asuchi, but this mission was meant to fill in the blanks.

She cut through the fog like a ghost, floating more so than walking. Her armor breathed effortlessly, moving like air around her body. The suit was an outdated issue of ANBU armor. The mark of the SEALOUS scouts division that served in Roenesia was sewn into the upper right arm. The bone white breast plate was scuffed and dented with various marks, an obvious hand-me-down suit that had seen its fair share of conflict. She halted, ending the ghostly grace of her walk.

“I thank you all for arriving on time. We shall be heading towards Kelmura on horse back.Time is of the essence, so if you don't mind, I will answer your questions or concerns you may have on our ride. I've secured horses for us all and they are waiting outside of the gates.” Being a mere member of a squad was easy. Leading a platoon of ANBU as acting commander was easier, but Haruka became a little uncomfortable with this. It was such a risky mission, one that might make the younger shinobi question their morals. The best she could do was remain confident as she ushered them out of the gates.

Once they were settled and on the right path down the pass, she began to speak once more. “This mission gives no room for mistakes. As you all probably understand, it could very well jeopardize our relationship with the Shogun. In order to prepare, I've studied the blueprints of the vineyard's layout. Unfortunately it is outdated by a few years but the core structure of the grounds and building remains.” She pulled out a rolled up parchment from a pouch attached to her saddle and passed it to Nobuyuki.

“Our employer's own men have reported that the Shogun have two hundred men from his military positioned at the winery, round the clock. The vineyard is located fifteen miles outside of Kelmura. We shall ride to Kelmura and proceed on foot to the vineyard so as to not attract attention. According to my reports, the guard has three watchtowers located on the northwest, northeast, and southern points of the property. Our cask is located three stories downward on the lowest level of the wine cellar, housed on the northern side of the property.” The watchtowers formed a triangle around the perimeter of the square plot of land, with the vineyard itself housed on the southern side and the wine cellar on the north side just in the inside of the gates.

“As we have no way to confirm this layout truly does exist,” she warned, thinking it best not to completely trust the words of strangers, “We shall break up into three groups and scout the perimeter before meeting at a rendezvous point to plan our infiltration. Captain Matsuura and his trainee shall scout the northern wall and gates, myself and Shinomiya-San shall take the eastern and western wall, and I leave the southern tower to Morikou-San. Be on the look out for not only guards, but the band of mercenaries know as the Choir of Knives. Be vigilant for any weak points in the guards' defenses.” She explained as she directed her beast with stern focus. She'd allow them to ask their questions now or add input.

Their journey would cost them two days, and they only would stop for a night's rest and to water their horses. It wasn't a particularly hard trek. At least not to Haruka. After all, she walked on foot to Port Cirrus, which was much further. A hard travel gave a shinobi a sense of character, or some bullshit like that. When they finally arrived to Kelmura, nightfall was approaching. They would rest for only a little bit until the cover of night came. Now was the time to test their skills.

They stood in the woods on the eastern side of the property, half a mile out from the nearest wall securing the vineyard. “We shall regroup here in twenty minutes. Good luck.”

 

[Morishige]

The trip was mildly uneventful. As most ANBU are required by code, he was to remain silent as much as possible as to hide his voice in case someone decided to get smart find him out. However, he knew why he was summoned and that the leader of this mission knew exactly who he was so that wasn't much of a concern.

Nobuyuki committed her words to memory with ease and contemplated them as they rode to Kelmura. Thoughts came and went through his mind like a morse code machine. "What if... then this..." over and over. Different scenarios, worst case situations, and different tactics to avoid two hundred people were all things Nobuyuki spent time considering. But in the end, what mattered was the scouting that needed doing before they proceeded with the theft. There was a instance in the back of his mind, questioning whether this was even a mission worth taking. But he could see that it should be them who had the wine rather than others who would do more harm with it.

Soon enough, they were a half mile from the estate, and their orders were clear. Nobuyuki was to take his trainee to the most difficult of the four sides and scout it out, at least that could be debated. The gates held it's own set of guards and the two towers on the corners near it as well. No wonder her was needed.

Nobuyuki looked to Yoru and gave him a little kiss. "Fly safe my friend, show me what you see..." he said in a low tone. Yoru took flight from his shoulder high in the air, on his way over to the vineyard. Nobuyuki formed handseals and looked to Haruka from behind his mask. He nodded to her and motioned for Kotsuko to start moving. "Through the brush, until Yoru gives us a sign it's clear to take a closer look." he ordered.

Nobuyuki would get as closer as he thought it was wise and then focus on the connection between his partner in the sky and himself. Slowly, the vision became more focused. Though the nights light was dim and clouds scattered the sky. Nobuyuki could see what appeared to be guards by the gates but they weren't facing it. They might not get another chance like this.

"Go, to the nearest tower I will take the far one. Do what you must, but remain undiscovered. Remember we are only scouting." he cautioned, and then disappeared into the shadows, on his way to the walls to climb with concentrated chakra on his feet.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

As usual her entrance was nothing short of captivating. Her short, black hair easily contrasted the white breastplate of her armor, and as she walked in their direction she did so with an unmistakable authority in her step. Like the many times he'd seen her she still had that standard expressionless face that the Shima were known for, betraying nothing as she greeted them.

It was a fairly short meeting as time was critical on this mission. Overall he thought her letter had described their objective in a straightforward way so there was little he had questions about, of course things might change once they actually got to the vineyard but for now Masaru was content with listening closely to Haruka's explanation of the vineyard's layout. He could picture it in his head, but of course didn't stick too much to the imaginary blueprint laid out in his mind since Haruka mentioned the intel was dated a few years. He needed to be as flexible as possible when it came to this mission, any false move and he could end up screwing Kumogakure in the worst way.

Avoiding two hundred people wasn't particularly easy, but nor should it be difficult for a shinobi. Masaru welcomed the shadows, and surely they wouldn't fail him during such a mission; regardless, the boy was still thinking of his training and what he could do to avoid detection both in the winery and around the vineyard. There would probably be a stretch of land before the towers that was relatively barren, but in the land of clouds it wasn't outrageous to think that even at night there would be some shadows from the sky. That was his element, the thing he was most comfortable in, and hopefully he would be able to keep up with the Spymaster should things play out favorably for them.

The teams were how he imagined them, and after the briefing it was just a matter of traveling to Kelmura which took a reasonable amount of time. Of course Masaru didn't really know if they were making good time, he'd only traveled to Kumogakure from Raiden no Mei a few years ago which if anything seemed like an average trip. Not too long, not to short. Then again he wasn't in a hurry to get to a coveted wine cask ahead of a group of thieves.

In the dead of night Masaru found himself looking out over the expanse of land in the direction of the vineyard, the slight rustle of trees behind him was nothing more than a hum as he focused on the actual structure replacing the one he'd made up in his head during the briefing. Occasionally he glanced toward the sky and true to his thoughts the night sky wasn't crystal clear. There wasn't a lot, but what few clouds there were would help for when he crossed the stretch of grass between the woods and the vineyard. As much as he would have liked to prove himself and take the initiative he was still a genin and this was his first mission, so Masaru waited patiently for the go order from Haruka while scanning the surroundings one more time.

[MFT]

 

[Morikou Asuchi]

Asuchi did not have to wait long before his teammates showed up. Two ANBU, a genin, and their leader of course. He was mildly surprised at the inclusion of the genin and the second ANBU, given their apparent youth and presumable inexperience. He’d have to watch them more carefully. Appearances could be deceiving, especially when shinobi were involved. Perhaps these two were something special.

He glanced at the approaching figure of their mission leader, gliding swiftly toward the gathered group. Her battered armor contrasted her graceful movement. You could tell a lot about a person from just a few moments observation, especially if you were trained in the art like Asuchi. However, in this case, he seemed to have more questions than answers. One thing was for certain, he didn’t feel like he should get on this woman’s bad side.

~~~

The ride was uneventful. A ceaseless ache in his lower back reminded Asuchi of his hatred of traveling by horse. Fortunately he was able to distract his mind with the details of their mission. Two days was plenty of time to memorize the blueprints, although, since they were outdated, he wondered how much they would help. Their employer also had some information about the enemy numbers, and locations. He was always hesitant to trust any information that did not come from his fellow Intelligence Service shinobi, but in these circumstances it was the best they had to go on.

Asuchi agreed with what their leader had to say. They’d approach on foot, that was pretty much a given. What he really appreciated was her distrust for the supplied information. A squad of shinobi could be completely obliterated for trusting intel they shouldn’t have. She divided them up into teams, and Asuchi nodded silently as he was told he’d be on his own. Back-up was always nice, but hopefully he wouldn’t need it.

~~~

A few days later the fateful night was here. The air was crisp, and Asuchi took a couple deep breaths in anticipation. As his teammates began to spread out, each tackling their own wall, he skirted the edge of the woods, moving south toward his assigned tower. He figured it’d be best to approach the compound from the south-east, split the difference between the two towers in danger of spotting him, and stay as far away from either as possible. As he neared the part of the wall he wanted to head toward, he began looking at the lay of the land ahead of him, identifying the shadows that would help conceal his approach. Once he picked a suitable route, the shinobi’s figure began to blur and lose shape. Usually this technique created illusory images to make himself appear in multiple places at once, but by loosening the control on his bloodline abilities just slightly, he was able to take advantage of the additional shadows and optical tricks to make himself harder to spot. The chuunin then disappeared, appearing instantaneously in one of the shadows some distance away. He repeated this maneuver over and over, closing the distance to the walls each time.

[MFT]

 

[Kazu]

Ko had been wondering whom the last member of their team was going to be. He could have spent the entire morning, though, and not have guessed they would be working alongside Shima Haruka, one of the candidates for the Raikage elections. He let out a small and inaudible gasp from behind his mask, thankful now that the white ceramic face was there to hide his surprise. Her appearance in this mission was certainly not expected, but the fact that she was here made Ko feel a little more intrigued. Was this mission really worth it to send a Raikage candidate out on it? And if so, what the heck was he doing here? He glanced sideways at the other ANBU, wondering why exactly he'd requested the young boy to be here on this mission. Only time would tell, it seemed.

It seemed that Haruka was to be their captain for the mission. Ko didn't mind, and focused his attention on absorbing all the things she said. She moved with an element of grace and finality which gave the words she spoke exponentially more impact. Ko followed the woman's actions, preparing to mount the horse that had been selected for him. He'd never ridden one, but it couldn't be all that hard. Mounting the beast, Ko watched how the others reigned them around, nudged them forward, and gave commands on which way to go. Ko mimicked them, and while it took him a few minutes to get used to the bouncing sensation, he'd picked up how to do it fairly quickly. As they settled in for the long ride, Ko listened to their captain explain the situation. So, a fort surrounded by guards, hrm? They'd need to sneak in, and remain undetected until they could infiltrate the place. Sounds like something Ko could do. He mostly remained silent, simply observing and listening; though, he did give the occasional nod or brief, "Yes, ma'am," to signify he understood. This was his first real mission, and he wasn't going to take it lightly. He spent the remainder of the trip contemplating the task ahead of them, and wondering what sort of danger he might be walking into.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —​

The soft breeze tried to lull the young man into a false state of calm. He couldn't afford to relax tonight. They'd already left the horses far behind, and were only half a mile outside of the fort on its eastern side. They were in the thick of it, now. Ko remembered his orders well, and merely waited at this point for Haruka's signal. He breathed calmly behind his mask, steadying himself for what was coming. This would be his field test, after all, as well as a mission. Haruka's words cut through the night like a blade — that was their queue. Nobuyuki spoke a few words to his avian friend, then informed Ko that they would be moving through the brush until they got closer to the fort. The young boy stayed low to the ground, concealing himself within the foliage. The pair of them moved down, inching closer and closer to their goal. When they'd reached the end of the line, a short exchange was made between them. "Signal me if you get into trouble. I'll know if something goes wrong." With those words, Ko began to sink into the ground — it didn't take long for him to disappear entirely. The earth was his natural element, and so long as he had that on his side, he'd be fine.

Moving beneath the earth's surface, the young boy thought it necessary to use this as his first opportunistic moment of the mission. He formed a seal with his hands, closed his eyes, and focused his chakra. He muttered to himself, though no one would hear him. "Jiton: Tessei Shikai." He'd been working on this technique, ever since his fight with Shashu. He'd felt the presence of the Colosseum then, but he didn't know how to use that to his advantage. This was his way. With this teachnique, he could sense the presence of magnetic disturbances all around him. He could feel the guards moving around him, their metal armor producing disturbances in the magnetic fields around them. He smiled to himself, moving towards the Northwest Tower while keeping tabs on the enemies all around him. He was also looking for sudden movements, though, to let him know if anyone had been potentially spotted. He hoped that wouldn't be the case.

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

A moment of truth awaited as they scattered, ready to start their scouting mission. The Shima nodded towards Nobuyuki as he and his young companion began to tackle their first objective. Asuchi seemed comfortable in his task, taking off in a lone direction without further complaint. Now, she and Masaru had to make sure their part of the scouting wouldn't go awry. The other three team members all had excellent scouting abilities that helped them go undetected.

The first team comprised of Nobuyuki and Kotsuko were nothing short of amazing. It was to be expected from a pair of ANBU. They needed stealth more so than any other shinobi of the village. Nobuyuki's flying companion took to the sky. It soared high above just before swooping low to the eaves of the north-western tower. The visual connection between man and beast was a great advantage but the area was rather dark. Only the glow of the occasional torch posted on the walls and towers provided light out in the countryside. Yoru relayed the image of three guards inside the northwestern tower, their faces away from the open terrain in which Nobuyuki and his teammate approached.

“Oh?” Before Haruka took to the field with Masaru, she watched as the pair set out. She was highly impressed by Kotsuko's skill, especially for one so young. It was a perfect approach, one that would go undetected as he headed for the north-eastern tower. Haruka took the inspiration given, nudging Masaru forward. “Its our turn, Shinomiya-San. Let us stick together for the beginning shall we?”
Asuchi had no problem handling himself. His Kekkai Genkai gave him the advantages as he flickered in and out between shadows. He grew closer to the tower, creeping up until he was in the shadow of its wall. The tower stood over him above, but its high walls made it impossible to see just who was up there. As he looked above, he heard the faint sound of a muffled gasp. A figure rolled over the side of the tower and came crashing down below.

Kotsuko's Tessai Shikai was a handy tool indeed. He was able to feel the disturbances the guards' metal armor caused. It seemed only two guards were stationed on the ground outside of the walls, both at the gates. Five sat in the north-eastern tower. However, all of them were unmoving. The air was surprisingly silent except for the occasional howl of the wind. Not a whisper from the guards as they stood stone still.

“Sometimes the fanciest way isn't always the best way.” Haruka smirked, summoning a crystal eye out of the minerals around them. “Follow my lead in whatever way suits you best.” She instructed Masaru before transforming into the simple form of a rabbit. She'd allow the crystal eye to go ahead to scout as they inched closer to the eastern wall. Her teammates certainly had amazing skills in recon, something she'd readily admit she was lacking in, but it wouldn't get her down. This wasn't a competition after all. She valued the skills they had. She wondered if Masaru had any recon skills of his own. Perhaps she needed to learn to be a bit more delicate on the battle field.

Nobuyuki found the guards' lack of interest in his direction to be his advantage as he too snuck under the shade of the wall. He got a little ahead of himself, deciding to take a closer look from the top of the wall than staying low. As he began to climb, he saw the shadow of a person leap from the roof of the watchtower to the walkway on top of the wall. They didn't seem to pay him mind as the rushed overhead and leaped into the inner part of the property. The amazing feat of acrobatics to took to leap from such heights was no simple task. The average human being probably couldn't take the fall without breaking something if they weren't of shinobi origin. So, he quietly climbed atop the wall. He had lost the shadow, but soon became enamored with a much bigger problem.

Haruka and Masaru finally met to the same point their companions had, camping under the shade of the wall without so much as a problem. The crystal eye began to slowly float its way to the top of the wall as Haruka came out of her transformation, hugging tightly to the center most part of the wall, just within the blind spot of the towers. Perhaps their employers had been over exaggerating when they spoke of the heavy defenses. This had been all too easy. Her crystal eye floated up, finally reaching the top. It swept the horizon before turning towards the walkway. It was then she knew why. It was also the moment in which her crystal eye was lost.

Asuchi stood camouflaged as the dark lump of a person fell to the ground. A guard laid sprawled out upon the grass, blood pouring from his neck as his lifeless eyes stared above. He too saw the flash of a shadow leaping its way across the breach between the tower and the wall. He began to signal to his team when static crackled over their frequency.

“The Choir of Knives has already begun infiltration. Disengage from primary objective! Head for the wine cellar.” The voice of Haruka informed.

The information was a little too late for Nobuyuki as found the bodies of many guards atop the walls and inside the watchtower. Before he could radio in his compliance, the glint of steel gliding upon the air caught his eye. He dived aside in time as the kunai sailed past, whistling in his ear. A figure jumped atop the walkway from the inner courtyard.

“What an exciting surprise. This makes for a more rousing night!”
The strangely masked woman proclaimed in a sing song expression, drawing her saber from her side.

Haruka turned to Masaru, signaling him to follow her up towards the top of the wall. She drew her spear, knowing fully well that the same person who destroyed her crystal eye might still be waiting above. As they both gained their footing, they did a quick scouting. “Stay close. We don't know what these people are like.” She whispered to Masaru.

“Allow me to enlighten you, mademoiselle.”
He bowed, his hands making a grand sweeping gesture. His fingertips disappeared under the cloth of his cloak and as the asssain stood, he sent throwing knives flying in their direction. She deflected with a wall of ice, but lost sight of the man as her jutsu dispersed.

[I'm sorry if its jumbley. I did this at 2am because I promised to get it up. If anything is confusing, pm me. As far as the objectives/standings go: Nobuyuki must fight off assassin #1, Masaru/Haruka must deal with assassin #2, Kotsuko/Asuchi must make their way fast to the wine cellar]
[MFT.]​

 

[Morikou Asuchi]

The wall was reached uneventfully. Staring straight up, it looked much taller than it had from a distance. Asuchi suppressed his Kekkei Genkai as he glanced to each side, deciding the best path upwards. Just as his feet began to glow with chakra, he heard a shuffle above, and he immediately froze. The night combined with his dark clothing and the shadow of the wall would be adequate to hide his presence, as long as he didn’t move. Annoyingly, evolution had assured that people were damn good at detecting movement.

His precautions turned out to be worthless, however, as the guard who would have noticed him landed none too gently a few feet to his left.

”How the standards for the Imperial Army have fallen. Can’t even manage to stand guard atop a tower without taking a nasty spill.” Asuchi mourned, glancing to his left at the prone figure.

That was blood. That was a lot of blood. That man was definitely dead. And the jagged gash across his neck said it definitely wasn’t his own clumsiness at fault.

The shinobi turned his gaze skyward once more, just in time to catch a glimpse of an odd shadow. It appeared that their competition had arrived, though Asuchi was mildly disappointed they hadn’t announced their presence with a sick beat, or some other musical flourish. They should really rethink the whole choir name if they weren’t going to live up to it. Just as he reached up to his headset to warn his team, a hiss of static indicated Haruka had beat him to it. “The Choir of Knives has already begun infiltration. Disengage from primary objective! Head for the wine cellar.”

The mission parameters had changed. Summoning his chakra, he jumped up onto the wall, and was at the top within seconds. He hesitated slightly at the apex, checking to make sure it was clear before he heaved himself into the tower.

The man he met down at the bottom of the walls had some friends, but they had not met a kinder fate. The Choir took no prisoners. Consequently, the stealth aspect of this mission just got a whole lot easier. You can’t be detected when there’s no one to detect you. Asuchi took quick stock of his surroundings. His teammates were likely at their respective towers, but due to the distance and the layout of the property, he couldn't actually confirm that. He was currently at the southern tower. The wine cellar was on the northern edge of the property. That meant he had some ground to cover, it was time to get moving.

He vaulted over the other side of the wall and slid downward, one hand trailing behind him against the facade, slowing his descent. Landing gracefully, he began to make his way through the vineyard, grapevines flying past in a blur as he sprinted toward the supposed location of the wine cellar. Asuchi was still on guard, however. The Choir member whose shadow he saw earlier was currently missing in action, and evidently his teammates had seen additional members of The Choir elsewhere across the property. It would do no good to get ambushed and taken out, for the mission or for himself. So, as his feet blazed onward, his eyes scanned his surroundings intensely.

[MFT]

 

[Morishige]

Nobuyuki quickly rose to his feet after diving to his right, draw the lengthy pointy thing on his back. He quickly drew his spear from it's latch on his back and pointed it towards the enemy. He did not want to waste time. From his point on the wall he surveyed the situation and his allies he currently had vision of. The captain spoke low into the microphone: "Hiding our presence here will be much easier with the damage they have done. I'll cover you all. Proceed to the cellar and I will follow once I've taken care of anyone looking to flank us." he said, a direct tone to his voice. Mission lead or not, Nobuyuki knew what he was doing. His skill-set was most suited to support his team from behind.

He'd lead with a jutsu to ensure his allies safety. Handseals, chakra, darkness. The sky began to darken, and Nobuyuki began to target the enemies whom sought to stop his allies with piercing pillars of shadows. Secondly, he summoned two Specter Shades and sent them to deal with anyone who was being troublesome else where. Finally, should those fail to keep his comrades safe from harm, he himself would intervene with his pointy thing, ready to impale any would be hero of the Choir of Knives.

Now he turned his attention had the the person who had thrown the projectile towards him. "If you are wise, you will take your leave and not look behind." he said ominously before slowly stepping backward into a portal of shadows. If his focus was spent on her, his support of his allies would be unsatisfactory. He appeared again in a particularly dark area of the walls shadows and kept an eye out for those trying to make their way inside.

 

[Kazu]

Kotsuko's invasion was perfect. Over the last year or two, the young boy had become increasingly familiar with his abilities—he knew their strengths, weaknesses, and when the right to time to use them were. He knew an opportunity like this when he saw it, and using his skills to the maximum on this mission was his duty as a Kumogakure Shinobi. He owed it to his nation to do his best. As the young boy sat there underground, focusing as hard as he could on making out the smallest and most minute of all movements around him, he noticed something was wrong. He sensed a lot of bodies around this compound, that was for sure. The place was definitely fortified. What he didn't see, however, was a whole lot of movement. The guards in their thick metal uniforms...he'd have sensed them a mile away if they so much as clinked or clanked. The fact that everyone was this still was a little alarming. Something felt wrong to the young boy, and he was about to call in on his radio when their squad leader beat him to it. He listened as the voice, distorted by a lack of decent signal strength, came in a bit choppy and unclear. Annoyed, the young boy coursed some of his electrified chakra into its electronics, boosting the signal and creating a clearer message for himself:

"-dy begun infiltration. Disengage from primary objective! Head for the wine cellar." He'd only missed the first bit. He could guess what she was saying to begin with, and the young boy realized very quickly that the real mission was about to begin.

"Race to the Finish Line"​

Their enemies had probably already beaten them to the fort, which meant that they had a leg up on trying to get the wine. The band of Kumogakure shinobi would have to be imaginative, and a little bit creative, if they were to regain the upper hand in this situation. Ko wasted no time in heading deeper underground, turning himself towards the northern side of the fort as he reached his hand to the headset to try and get a quick signal in. "Roger. En route to interception." Ko did his best to boost the signal for them all to hear him, but he had no way of knowing how good the signal would be when it reached their headsets. For all he knew, it could have been static by then. He couldn't dwell on that, though, and focused his attention towards the task in front of him. Guiding his Tessei Shikai's field of vision, Ko noticed a rather large structure of steel and iron beams crisscrossing down into the ground. Was that the bottom levels, where, perhaps, the object of their mission could be held? Ko decided to investigate, getting closer to what appeared to be an individual room. Ko was careful, realizing that while he may have the elemental advantage in this regard, he was far from having the skill or power advantage. The only chance he had of getting anything done was remaining undetected—to that end, the young boy was cautious to the extreme.

Gathering the metals in the ground all around him, Ko melded together a small orb into the palm of his hands. The orb, filled with his chakra, would allow him to peer into the rooms ahead without revealing his location. The young boy pushed the eye just until it was at the surface of the wall in front of him. He intended to scope the place out first, and see what there was in front of him, before he made any decisions or wandered deeper in search of the casket.

 

[Shinomiya Masaru]

Crossing to the wall was hardly a challenge, using the shadows the clouds cast on the ground he made an effort not to use up any chakra. There was a chance that he could be spotted, but he made sure to keep a close eye on the wall before him. Training for as many years as he had the young man had grown comfortable with shadows, such was the way a shinobi would operate most times, but more importantly he had become more observant. The shifting of grass and leaves, telling where movement would occur next, such things were becoming more second nature to him. He wasn't underestimating the guards, after all they were hired for the protection of the Shogun's treasured wine, but he didn't expect things to go so smoothly.

He met Haruka at the wall, waiting patiently as she attempted some recon for the top of the wall, but the wait was not long as she suddenly called into her radio. So their enemies had managed to get here first. Masaru readied himself for the sight that would greet him at the top of the wall, it wasn't too farfetched to think that they were somewhat responsible for the group's easy access to the wall.

At Haruka's signal Masaru gave a curt nod and followed suit. It was clear that the two of them weren't going to make it to the cellar quickly, but maybe one of the others would have better luck. He had no time to waste thinking of the others, instead preparing himself for whatever lay above. Though he had completed quite a bit of training he had no real combat experience, a point that reared it's ugly head right before the two reached the top of the wall. It was something that couldn't be helped, yet Masaru found himself eerily calm for what was a do or die situation.

The man that stood opposite them certainly had a sort of flair to him. Oddly dressed with a mask he addressed Haruka briefly before bowing, a movement that caught Masaru's eye quickly had him unsheathing a kunai in order to deflect two throwing knives thrown their way. Haruka's ice wall had done it's job, but the quick action had caused him to lose sight of the man. Masaru turned on his heel, going back to back with his cousin while noting the sudden darkening of the sky. He couldn't tell who triggered that, but it would work in his favor. Despite the recent awakening of his bloodline the scenario called for adaptability.

The use of ranged knives could mean the man was more of a long to mid ranged opponent, however such assumptions could pose risk to him. Should he focus on another ranged attack, Masaru would prepare a ball of fire to strike from a distance, however should the knives be a ruse Masaru would take to making a clone out of his own shadow to be used to block any melee attacks directed at him. He couldn't take the guy on by himself, and Haruka was the one who had years of experience under her belt, so he would try to avoid serious energy while providing any form of support he could.

[MFT]

 

[Morishige]

[I'm gonna inactive leave this. Bounce]

 

[Kazu]

[ooc: Doing the same. Will re-join if this gets posted in at some point.]

 

[Morikou Asuchi]

[Same here I guess.]