Sending out his assassins on their own missions was the first half of the exercise needed to oust Wei. Simply removing the infiltrating informants to Wei from the Rebellion would only help the coming battle; and even then, only slightly. Toushin knew Michino, the would be 13th Kazekage. Knew that subterfuge was not his strong suit on purpose, and that the lad was most likely going to throw his coup openly and rely on the goodwill of the people. It was all good for the intent he had, which was to honestly change Sunagakure’s government for the better, but in the long run it left too many holes.
The assassin king had no doubt in his mind that there was going to be some within the Steward’s Guard that would drop weapons and surrender to the greater mob. Wei, however, was nothing but meticulous when it came to trusting his life to others. A snake that paranoid would only have those most willing to throw their lives away at his beck ‘n call, meaning the peaceful approach Michino wished to use would only carry so far before his little Rebellion ran across the horrors of war.
To circumvent some of that, the Uzu decided to cast a shadow. He would be a silent, but deadly, reminder of what ANBU was about. There were sycophants strong to Wei’s rule and way of life, and Toushin was going to make sure none of them would take another action against Sunagakure ever again. He had made a list of ten elite soldiers that would absolutely cause Michino problems, possibly even attempt assassinations against him, and started his long night via infiltration.
Altered Shadows was a technique he loathed using, despite its uses. The pain was one thing, but the fact remained that his left arm had been removed made transforming into alternative forms…difficult, to say the least. It wasn’t like he could simply regrow his arm, and altering his genetic code around not having an arm proved to be another sticking point as to why Uzu avoided such a useful technique. Push come to shove, though, he did what had to be done. Thankfully, there was a fake skin made by the local mad scientists, (he wasn’t sure which one,) that would cover his mechanical limb to appear real. Though because the arm itself could not change shape, he had to find someone who’s build could support the size without it looking funky; narrowing his selection by a lot.
The first target on his list was a man who surrounded himself with sycophants in much the same way Wei did. This guy was the “captain” of the Steward’s guards and like his master, every last yes-man around him was a person who you wouldn’t want to tangle with normally. And just like the former, if he took out the “brains”, the rest would crumble. The man Uzu was targeting was someone near his build, about forty years younger, and clearly a capable soldier in his own rights; an absolute miraculous pick.
He never saw Toushin coming.
While doing his normal patrols around the streets surrounding his target’s base of operations, the assassin king stepped out of the shadows without a single sound. Able to hide his bloodlust completely, a single strike to the back of the younger shinobi simply knocked him out. The youth’s body collapsed backwards into the Uzu’s arms, and with a soft grunt he dragged the back into the shadowy alley he had sprung from before sticking the boy with a special needle that drew blood via a pressurized chamber and a tiny motorized vacuum. He then injected a paralysis serum into the youth’s neck, causing his body to become suddenly ridgid before tucking him behind some trash near a garbage bin. The kid was going to feel like hell tomorrow, but he’d live. Much luckier than most who found themselves on his list.
Near the building his target was located in, Toushin injected the stranger’s blood into his veins, flexing his hand as the fluids assimilated with his own and not missing a single step as his flesh rippled and transformed. Using the “blueprint”, he layered the genetic code over his own and bent it on the go; pain meant little to someone as old as he. Passing through one alley and out the other end produced an exact copy of the man Toushin had knocked out that walked right up to the Captain’s post, and into the house. He had already dawned garments that appeared similar to the casual guard-wear the captain’s troops wore.
It wasn’t lavish by any means, but there were nice things lining the wall. Most egregiously, he saw some Takahashi blades stored behind glass and had to fight the sneer creeping up his face; how dare this fool hang such weapons for display?! Fighting down the insult to fantastic weaponry, Toushin made his way up the stairs and shouldered past the two guards standing post there without being stopped - they only gave him a weird look that he replied with a “panicked” one. It said “I have info I don’t want to tell,” and the two guards let Toushin’s disguise pass by without question.
Once inside the man was being bathed by multiple women, and shouted at him to get out in the most expletive way possible; clearly he was interrupting more than just bath time. In a single fluid motion, Toushin’s mechanical hand came up and shot a kunai that embedded itself right into his wind pipe. Before the girls could scream, the assassin had darted across the room and sailed through the window, breaking glass as he went. With a jerk of his wrist the blade returned, spraying blood all over the room that finally incited a well deserved scream. By the time the other guards looked out the shattered window, Toushin had ducked into another alley and undid his transformation before tapping a specific brick that opened up a secret passage.
Ah, Tama’s secret labs. They were literally everywhere in Old Suna and a few had made their way up into the city that resided above the mess below; Uzu knew where all but one was. Stepping past the secret entrance the bricks re-aligned back into their proper wall-like self, putting the king in pitch-black darkness. Raising the mechanical hand up he shot a touch of chakra into it and twisted his wrist a full 180 degrees to reveal a small light in the palm that provided him with enough light to move around.
It was a basic lab without much to it - the newer ones were like that to throw off ANBU - but in the back was another secret door that revealed a spiraling staircase. Down those stone steps the assassin descended back into the Underground and into one of the older, far more dangerous, secret labs. A twinge of pain as his transformation finished falling off almost made him fall down the last three steps. Reflexes caught himself before stumbling inside one of those infamous labs were glowing fluids still bubbled on old fire chakra crystals; things Tama had forgotten to turn off decades ago. Toushin carefully picked his way over the debris, random research notebooks, and tables full of alchemical fluids before touching another latch that opened up a door into the back of an old bar.
Stepping out of the back-room and into the bar itself brought on a rush of old memories and the smell of wood rot. It was here he had found out he would be a father, and could see himself drinking alongside the man who was also becoming a father through the same woman. Neither had any idea that their collective paramour had been playing them both for fools, but at the time he had no doubt that the other man could have easily broken Toushin over his knee…at least, back then he could have. The ghostly memories of a lifetime before distracted him just enough that the king didn’t hear someone entering the front; of course that did little to stop him from vanishing as he dropped onto his belly without a sound.
A quick eye on the way down caught the faces of those two guards he had slipped past not but a moment ago.
“Chakra tracker…” he muttered to himself. Altered Shadows was a technique that offered hundreds of ways to disguise himself perfectly, but releasing the technique would give a small burst of chakra that could be tracked; not easily though. It appeared among Wei’s most trusted was actual talent not to be messed with. Sliding backwards, the Uzu moved back into the storage room and considered his options.
He could return back to Tama’s secret labs, but since they had managed to track him to the bar that meant that even though the duo couldn’t find the door, they did know where he was - roughly. Within were volatile chemicals that could…well, explode. Simple to cover his tracks completely, but then he’d too have survive the resulting carnage of force and fire. There always combat, but something in his gut told him the two outside of the door could exceed his current strength. He’d have better chances 1-on-1, but the margins were still slim at best. The assassin closed his glowing yellow eyes for a moment and considered his environment.
Upon walking into any room the first thing Toushin did was look it over entirely. He did this subconsciously, always looking for three things: weak structure, choke points, and exits. He didn’t always catch it immediately, but a quick review of what he knew combined with that initial mental snapshot usually gave him a handful of other options to work with. There was a number of broken/spilled bottles everywhere. The bar itself was cracked in half by part of the ceiling having caved in at least six years ago. The support beams holding that dilapidated roofing were also looking slightly warped, meaning that the right “tap” would snap them in half. He mapped the room with a quick strategy, and opened his eyes again.
One of the guards was standing right over him.
Without hesitation, Toushin’s boot soared up between the man’s legs while his right hand grabbed the door frame to drag his body around and out. There he met the other guard who proceeded to cut down with a very large scythe-like weapon that missed Uzu by a hair. His left hand stretched out and a hidden blade slipped out of his sleeve to cut at the guard; as planned the shinobi’s reflexes made him step back. This gave the Uzu a window of oppertunity that he used to shoot out a grappling dagger from his mechanical right that stuck right into one of those bending beams; with a quick flick he felt the mini-chakra engine in his shoulder kick up and reel in the wire; causing it to drag him under the other guard and over the bar. The moment he neared the pillar, Uzu curled up into a ball and launched himself with his hands to kick the rotting wood with both feet. He bounced back as it snapped in half, and then once again sailed through a broken window. A loud rumble was the only signal that the bar had collapsed behind him.
That was close…too close. His tracks would be covered well enough now, but…just for good measure…
Reaching into his right pocket, the assassin pulled out a pack of matches without any markings, struck one lit, and shoved it back into the box to start lighting the others before tossing the flaming box into the collapsed building. It caught fire almost instantly, and the Uzu didn’t stick around to make sure the fire would reach those chemicals in the back…an explosion that shook the entirety of Suna did that for him.
One down, one to go.
[Topic Entered/Left]
[MFT]
The assassin king had no doubt in his mind that there was going to be some within the Steward’s Guard that would drop weapons and surrender to the greater mob. Wei, however, was nothing but meticulous when it came to trusting his life to others. A snake that paranoid would only have those most willing to throw their lives away at his beck ‘n call, meaning the peaceful approach Michino wished to use would only carry so far before his little Rebellion ran across the horrors of war.
To circumvent some of that, the Uzu decided to cast a shadow. He would be a silent, but deadly, reminder of what ANBU was about. There were sycophants strong to Wei’s rule and way of life, and Toushin was going to make sure none of them would take another action against Sunagakure ever again. He had made a list of ten elite soldiers that would absolutely cause Michino problems, possibly even attempt assassinations against him, and started his long night via infiltration.
Altered Shadows was a technique he loathed using, despite its uses. The pain was one thing, but the fact remained that his left arm had been removed made transforming into alternative forms…difficult, to say the least. It wasn’t like he could simply regrow his arm, and altering his genetic code around not having an arm proved to be another sticking point as to why Uzu avoided such a useful technique. Push come to shove, though, he did what had to be done. Thankfully, there was a fake skin made by the local mad scientists, (he wasn’t sure which one,) that would cover his mechanical limb to appear real. Though because the arm itself could not change shape, he had to find someone who’s build could support the size without it looking funky; narrowing his selection by a lot.
The first target on his list was a man who surrounded himself with sycophants in much the same way Wei did. This guy was the “captain” of the Steward’s guards and like his master, every last yes-man around him was a person who you wouldn’t want to tangle with normally. And just like the former, if he took out the “brains”, the rest would crumble. The man Uzu was targeting was someone near his build, about forty years younger, and clearly a capable soldier in his own rights; an absolute miraculous pick.
He never saw Toushin coming.
While doing his normal patrols around the streets surrounding his target’s base of operations, the assassin king stepped out of the shadows without a single sound. Able to hide his bloodlust completely, a single strike to the back of the younger shinobi simply knocked him out. The youth’s body collapsed backwards into the Uzu’s arms, and with a soft grunt he dragged the back into the shadowy alley he had sprung from before sticking the boy with a special needle that drew blood via a pressurized chamber and a tiny motorized vacuum. He then injected a paralysis serum into the youth’s neck, causing his body to become suddenly ridgid before tucking him behind some trash near a garbage bin. The kid was going to feel like hell tomorrow, but he’d live. Much luckier than most who found themselves on his list.
Near the building his target was located in, Toushin injected the stranger’s blood into his veins, flexing his hand as the fluids assimilated with his own and not missing a single step as his flesh rippled and transformed. Using the “blueprint”, he layered the genetic code over his own and bent it on the go; pain meant little to someone as old as he. Passing through one alley and out the other end produced an exact copy of the man Toushin had knocked out that walked right up to the Captain’s post, and into the house. He had already dawned garments that appeared similar to the casual guard-wear the captain’s troops wore.
It wasn’t lavish by any means, but there were nice things lining the wall. Most egregiously, he saw some Takahashi blades stored behind glass and had to fight the sneer creeping up his face; how dare this fool hang such weapons for display?! Fighting down the insult to fantastic weaponry, Toushin made his way up the stairs and shouldered past the two guards standing post there without being stopped - they only gave him a weird look that he replied with a “panicked” one. It said “I have info I don’t want to tell,” and the two guards let Toushin’s disguise pass by without question.
Once inside the man was being bathed by multiple women, and shouted at him to get out in the most expletive way possible; clearly he was interrupting more than just bath time. In a single fluid motion, Toushin’s mechanical hand came up and shot a kunai that embedded itself right into his wind pipe. Before the girls could scream, the assassin had darted across the room and sailed through the window, breaking glass as he went. With a jerk of his wrist the blade returned, spraying blood all over the room that finally incited a well deserved scream. By the time the other guards looked out the shattered window, Toushin had ducked into another alley and undid his transformation before tapping a specific brick that opened up a secret passage.
Ah, Tama’s secret labs. They were literally everywhere in Old Suna and a few had made their way up into the city that resided above the mess below; Uzu knew where all but one was. Stepping past the secret entrance the bricks re-aligned back into their proper wall-like self, putting the king in pitch-black darkness. Raising the mechanical hand up he shot a touch of chakra into it and twisted his wrist a full 180 degrees to reveal a small light in the palm that provided him with enough light to move around.
It was a basic lab without much to it - the newer ones were like that to throw off ANBU - but in the back was another secret door that revealed a spiraling staircase. Down those stone steps the assassin descended back into the Underground and into one of the older, far more dangerous, secret labs. A twinge of pain as his transformation finished falling off almost made him fall down the last three steps. Reflexes caught himself before stumbling inside one of those infamous labs were glowing fluids still bubbled on old fire chakra crystals; things Tama had forgotten to turn off decades ago. Toushin carefully picked his way over the debris, random research notebooks, and tables full of alchemical fluids before touching another latch that opened up a door into the back of an old bar.
Stepping out of the back-room and into the bar itself brought on a rush of old memories and the smell of wood rot. It was here he had found out he would be a father, and could see himself drinking alongside the man who was also becoming a father through the same woman. Neither had any idea that their collective paramour had been playing them both for fools, but at the time he had no doubt that the other man could have easily broken Toushin over his knee…at least, back then he could have. The ghostly memories of a lifetime before distracted him just enough that the king didn’t hear someone entering the front; of course that did little to stop him from vanishing as he dropped onto his belly without a sound.
A quick eye on the way down caught the faces of those two guards he had slipped past not but a moment ago.
“Chakra tracker…” he muttered to himself. Altered Shadows was a technique that offered hundreds of ways to disguise himself perfectly, but releasing the technique would give a small burst of chakra that could be tracked; not easily though. It appeared among Wei’s most trusted was actual talent not to be messed with. Sliding backwards, the Uzu moved back into the storage room and considered his options.
He could return back to Tama’s secret labs, but since they had managed to track him to the bar that meant that even though the duo couldn’t find the door, they did know where he was - roughly. Within were volatile chemicals that could…well, explode. Simple to cover his tracks completely, but then he’d too have survive the resulting carnage of force and fire. There always combat, but something in his gut told him the two outside of the door could exceed his current strength. He’d have better chances 1-on-1, but the margins were still slim at best. The assassin closed his glowing yellow eyes for a moment and considered his environment.
Upon walking into any room the first thing Toushin did was look it over entirely. He did this subconsciously, always looking for three things: weak structure, choke points, and exits. He didn’t always catch it immediately, but a quick review of what he knew combined with that initial mental snapshot usually gave him a handful of other options to work with. There was a number of broken/spilled bottles everywhere. The bar itself was cracked in half by part of the ceiling having caved in at least six years ago. The support beams holding that dilapidated roofing were also looking slightly warped, meaning that the right “tap” would snap them in half. He mapped the room with a quick strategy, and opened his eyes again.
One of the guards was standing right over him.
Without hesitation, Toushin’s boot soared up between the man’s legs while his right hand grabbed the door frame to drag his body around and out. There he met the other guard who proceeded to cut down with a very large scythe-like weapon that missed Uzu by a hair. His left hand stretched out and a hidden blade slipped out of his sleeve to cut at the guard; as planned the shinobi’s reflexes made him step back. This gave the Uzu a window of oppertunity that he used to shoot out a grappling dagger from his mechanical right that stuck right into one of those bending beams; with a quick flick he felt the mini-chakra engine in his shoulder kick up and reel in the wire; causing it to drag him under the other guard and over the bar. The moment he neared the pillar, Uzu curled up into a ball and launched himself with his hands to kick the rotting wood with both feet. He bounced back as it snapped in half, and then once again sailed through a broken window. A loud rumble was the only signal that the bar had collapsed behind him.
That was close…too close. His tracks would be covered well enough now, but…just for good measure…
Reaching into his right pocket, the assassin pulled out a pack of matches without any markings, struck one lit, and shoved it back into the box to start lighting the others before tossing the flaming box into the collapsed building. It caught fire almost instantly, and the Uzu didn’t stick around to make sure the fire would reach those chemicals in the back…an explosion that shook the entirety of Suna did that for him.
One down, one to go.
[Topic Entered/Left]
[MFT]