Honing the Blade (ANBU)

[Toraono Kuro]

Birth of the Sunan Oracles and Kuro's training for Nanashi:

Kyojin Kuro and the Oushi Ouja clan members that had worked with Nanashi were celebrating their well spring of luck in her assistance. She had single-handedly (for lack of a better term) tripled the quarry's output and quality along with finding several sizeable deposits of carmot (sandwyrm excrement used for specialized creations). What worried Kuro was that with this many deposits found that meant there was a sandwyrm nest nearby or at least within thirty kilometers. This distance was vast for humans but sandwyrms of juvenile age would consider that a territorial marker which meant they would need a show of force to discourage the sandwyrms from returning to the quarry as a place of relief. Luckily the desert was vast and this would not harm the ecology. They also needed to make sure they kept the sandwyrm population at a reasonable level. No one but a master ranger would be able to determine how many adult or ancient sandwyrms were out there but a certain Anbu in Training could use her powers to discretely move the sandwyrm nest without having to kill any young sandwyrms and escape the notice of any adult sandwyrms using her innate powers last but not least it would give Kuro a chance to train her in Sandwyrm hunting techniques. Since she wanted to be in all the orders it was a start. Kuro would only join one order, he was qualified for all three but knowledge was the greatest power anyone could wield. The Cabal had taught him that in spades. If he could get Nanashi to become a well rounded ranger then he could honestly say he helped create the perfect ANBU but Kuro doubted anything would ever be that simple.

Akuma Kuro, Chouryoku Kuro, Mouko Kuro, and Sharingan Kuro all set outside of a naturally reinforced cavern that used to be part of an Ancient outpost. Long used as a lookout point prior to the attacks it was more of a novelty now that the Diamond Storm had been broken. It was now with Suna moving back to the surface the perfect place to house and protect knowledge. The valley beneath this mountainous ridge was significantly deeper than it appeared due to passage of time and sandwyrms. The stones and composition of the ridge-line had been set and reinforced by Homura himself, whom despite his avarice for all humans, he was a superb mason and meld-er of stone and metal. Kuro had already mapped out the original complex using his own sonic abilities in Chouryoku and the advanced vision of both Sharingan and Mouko Kuro. Now the structure would be redesigned and rededicated to something new instead of an outpost for war it would become a safe haven for knowledge and a place of refuge for the thinkers and planners. Adding Sousuke's designs and settings for labs and a menagerie of animal habitats for study and safe review became a simple prospect as Homura had already built these things for his personal amusement when he would use the Toraono Clan as gladiators or prey in his hunts. With the plans in place Kyojin Kuro gave Nanashi directions on where to meet Sharingan Kuro for her training to have her officially become an ANBU although even with the Anbu title she would need to continue to train. It was time for her strengths to be recognized. Sharingan Kuro donned his armor and weapons and left the ridge-line outpost to sit alone on the far west side of the mountain complex. A soft smile etched itself on his face as he came to admire the spunky red head woman that in many ways was alot like his wife.

 

[Nanashi]

The Nameless Shinobi felt a frisson of excitement, a palpable thrill, run through their collective spines as they mustered for their latest assignment. Finally, they were getting an assignment that would make proper use of their talents. They admitted to them self, after the paternalistic attitude he'd copped before, they hadn't expected the Sennin to be willing to assign a mission with this degree of risk to it. After all, from what she'd been able to garner from her readings and studies, the Sunagakurans viewed sandwyrms less as a form of megafauna and more as the wrath and power of the desert goddess so many of them worshiped made manifest. They wrote about them the way that others wrote of volcanos and cyclones, albeit ones that could bleed. Given that, they had made thorough preparations, including the preparation of a number of diversionary measures in case the creatures needed to be distracted from their presence at the nest-site. Every bit of their armor in place, every strap and scrap of their gear checked and double-checked, they approached the Sennin's position. Inclining their heads to the trio they met, they settled in beside them, awaiting instruction. They as-of-yet knew nothing of the construction or set-up of wyrm nests, nor were they certain how their instructor had intended the removal to proceed, beyond that the wyrmlings were not to be harmed.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Sharingan Kuro approached Nanashi with a grin, quite an evil grin at that. " Nanashi-san this will be your first mission to earn the title of ANBU, you will need all of your talents for this. Approximately thirty kilometers West of our current location is a sandwyrm nest where the adults or ancient sandwyrm that left the carmot deposits you found will likely be. Your mission should you choose to accept it is to move the creche or nest an additional 20 to 30 kilometers east without killing the younglings. If any Ancient Sandwyrms attack you or any excessively large sandwyrms attack you, you are to contact me via headset so I can talk you through how to kill or disable a sandwyrm. If at all possible however you are to avoid confrontation. What are your questions if any?"<i></i>

 

[Nanashi]

Drawing in and releasing a deep, slow breath, the Assassin wreathed her hands and feet with a deep, nearly invisible flame. Now in place, the Darkling Flame seemed to obscure, rather than draw attention to, the former Leaf ANBU. Her outline grew hazy, indistinct, and broken up by rippling waves of heat distortion. She still did not know the way in which the technique operated, as her mother had never had the opportunity to fully explain its usage and quirks to the then-Uchiha prior to her death. "I have several questions. The first is: do you have a general or a specific description of either such nests or the nest I will be moving? Further, Am I to also transport any juvenile wyrms I encounter? If they sense by vibration through the ground, would rendering myself able to slip seamlessly through the earth be sufficient to prevent them from noticing me? Or would it be a better move to starkly limit my contact with the ground, such as by employing jutsu to render my weight effectively insignificant?"

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Sharingan Kuro nodded and appreciated her use of kinetic energy it would serve her well in the coming days. "The answer to your first question is thus... a large impression on the ground about 2 miles in diameter that sinks to the middle where a minimum of 4 to 8 mouths will reach out for food, these mouths being baby sandwyrms in what appears to be a giant antlion's den but it is far more than that. Each ring of sand leading to the center of this mound is intensely packed and layered with chakra making it significantly easy for any creatures that stray too close to the living trap to slide right into the hungry mouths of the children while being stunned and knocked out by the chakra pressure within the sand that keeps it perfectly smooth and shielded. Second...Juvenile wyrms can be flung as far away from the village as your powers are capable of. Make sure to rest between each contact and don't rush to finish the mission lest you drain yourself. They sense vibration both through vibrations on the sand and specific chakra frequencies of the element or elements they might be attuned to. Slipping seamlessly through the earth might help but eventually however you will be sensed and that is when you will need a broken pattern movement, non rhythmic movement type, if you have a way to not touch the sand at all or travel so light that you only leave the vibrations that birds and small animals under 40 kilograms would make then you will be fine. Just be wary all the same the ancient and adult sandwyrms can detect chakra and the amount present or being used can attract or deter them. What were your other questions?"

 

[Nanashi]

"When you say flung, are you speaking literally? How large are these creatures? What is their rough weight. Will they attempt to resist relocation, and if so is that a threat?" They had a solution to the problem of weight, being able to effectively nullify the weight of any and all of their bodies. However, doing so would involve a good deal of gravitic-aspected chakra, which might draw attention in itself.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

OOC: sorry about the wait my original laptop has some power issues and I have to find internet by other means.

Sharingan Kuro nodded for a moment as he was deep in thought, it seemed some of his blooded memories did not take to her but that was also to be expected as she was extraordinarily strong so Kuro decided to explain it directly using a sharingan projected hologram an ANBU jutsu that allowed the display of recorded memories to a certain degree. Kuro explained as he gave her a graphic example of an ancient sandwyrm he had fought while he was still an ANBU Captain. "To date the largest that has been encountered and defeated on my own was 20 metric tons and just under two kilometers long. There are records of larger and Baranyx itself was over 5 kilometers long. As long as you move the egg creche as a whole module with the surrounding sand you can place it where you like without worry, like throwing ball. Even the younglings are resilient as long as there is plenty of sand they will reset themselves accordingly. The adults will resist being flung away through their own means but if the creche is sent elsewhere they will follow without fail."

 

[Nanashi]

"Well," the Assassin said, "any chance you can give me the emergency shortlist of their vulnerabilities? In case one manages to surprise me somehow? Because right now, the most efficient method of relocation I can think of would be all-but-guaranteed to draw attention, given the amount of chakra simultaneously shaping that much sand would require."

Stepping back, the Assassin made way for the Monster. The raven-haired former jinchuuriki gave the Sennin a crooked grin. "I could lift the entire creche from the desert intact and transport it, with me riding it, to the destination. But that's a lot of chakra."<i></i>

Stepping forward with a swish of his trailing cloak, the Black Swordsman favored the Sennin with an aggressive grin. "Or I can use this body to grab the younglings and haul them out there one by one. Might be less likely to be noticed, but it will take significantly longer. And if it fails, then they have the chance to cover the creche and prevent me from moving more of the younglings."

 

[Toraono Kuro]

"Well given your affinity for gravity I was hoping you'd simply grab them up in a ball of force and hurl them to a deep patch of desert. I'd do it myself but the sandwyrms know my pattern and will attack me without fail as I have hunted them one time too many in the past. These creatures are not stupid and learn from everything. There are no exact weaknesses, it is known they don't do well with ice and water but then again few creatures of the desert do."<i></i> Kuro was beginning to wonder if sending Nanashi to move the creche would actually do her justice, her abilities all but mirrored his own. Were her chakra not different from his own and more efficient there might be a problem with them detecting her but she had two aces in the hole. She had her sharingan and she had acquired the abilities of a Sunaku. With just those natures alone she should be more than up to the task.

 

[Nanashi]

The various faces of the Nameless Shinobi gave their own versions of a scowl at that, quickly thinking over the matter. One of them opened their mouth to speak, but then stopped. Not sure why we were using voices. Telepathy seems the superior option when on missions, given the lack of unlinked individuals. Anyway, I'm not going to say gravitic manipulation doesn't work that way per-se, but I have yet to learn a way to make it do so. It's not the same thing as telekinesis. I'm more making things fall in a direction other than down than picking them up and throwing them. The closest I can accomplish to what you're thinking is a ability to make a creature fall skyward, then fall earthwards at roughly twice the rate it fell heavenwards. There's not a significant horizontal component beyond whatever momentum the creature had when the effect began. In effect, I'd have to get the beast to charge me, and even then it'd only move perhaps a half-dozen yards to the side, perhaps less. Either way, with that quantity of wyrmlings, this is going to take a significant span of time. I had previously thought the beasts were blind but to the vibrations carried through the ground. Given that, I'd hoped it meant that lifting the entire creche and the sound around it would immediately blind the adult wyrms to its location until the moment I settled it back to the desert floor. If they can yet pinpoint the floating creche's location, then it would doubtless turn into a running fight along the desert, and one I am rather uncertain I could win. Given that I can only move such quantities at a steady, jog-like drift...it would take a matter of some hours to reach the destination. Likely around three, and that is if it goes without hitch or interruption.

They considered a moment further. That leaves perhaps two alternative approaches. The Swordsman's strength is sufficient that he could likely man-handle them well enough to run them out to the destination. That would take the least amount of chakra expended, so if done correctly, then there would be the least chance of detection...barring the wyrmlings being able to communicate with the adults or one another and thus being able to notice and react appropriately to the disappearance of one of their fellows.The third option involves one or both of the others, but with the addition of a distraction, perhaps a series of detonations triggered by the Artist elsewhere in the creatures' territory. For obvious reasons, this isn't my first choice, given it relies upon having the creatures' attention.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro smiled as she considered all the possibilities before jumping headlong into the endeavour, "You limit yourself like someone else I know, gravity like telekinesis is multidirectional except in gravity's case you must use inertia instead of standard analysis of up and down. You think of yourself as simply an adjuster of mass and force when you are far more than that, you are the fulcrum and the lever. You are the center of mass and the creator of orbit. You limit yourself because you believe the laws of physics apply to every thought and direction. They do but not in the manner that you are thinking. Watch ..."<i></i> Kuro used gravitic manipulation to move a large set of boulders high into the air then he swiveled on his heel to indicate direction and manner although he did not have to. Just simply put having been a martial artist for so long it was simpler for his body to imitate the motion he needed instead of just using his mind. SHINRA-TENSEI!!!<i></i> The boulders he had levitated were immediately forced in the direction he motioned at a high rate of speed to land outside of the quarry. Sharingan Kuro then looked to Nanashi knowing she would immediately understand what he was getting at.

 

[Nanashi]

Sharingan activating as the Sennin began shifting stones about, the Nameless Assassin watched his gravity-manipulating jutsu, memorizing the seals and chakra flows required to carry it out. As she did so, the Artist crafted a series of winged explosive constructs, in case the distraction was needed as a backup plan. Very well. I had not realized such was possible. I believe I can replicate the feat. Running through a series of handseals, they shrouded their bodies in an envelope of gravitic alteration. I will notify you if things go pear-shaped. That said, both the Assassin and the Monster set off in a long-distance, arcing leap, touching down with all the impact of a small insect before launching into yet another set of jumps to carry them toward the location provided for the nest.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

She leapt further and further into the deep desert, where fewer and fewer stones were visible as the the coloration of the sand changed from the burnt orange of Suna's industrial grade sand to the white golden tone of all natural wilderness settled sand.

 

[Nanashi]

Continuing her arcing passage over the dunes, the pair kept their senses honed for the site of the creche. Sharingan active, the Assassin hunted for the slightest sign of movement. The Monster, meanwhile, searched for changes in the sand's consistency or motion which would indicate wyrmsign. All the while, they held themselves at the ready to react to any attack or motion.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

The sands began to brighten in color and tone as she got further away from the village, through her Sunaku body Nanashi could literally feel all kinds of movement within the sand. As they began another feather touch landing in the sand before leaping yet again. Upon touchdown she could feel a large mass of movement to the Immediate west. Several objects clustered close together at the very center of what appeared to be a giant antlion sinkhole. Patrolling its perimeter was a juvenile sized sandwyrm. It was a good distance away dutifully patrolling for rival sandwyrms and challengers of its creche and younger siblings while the large mother sandwyrm appeared to be away from the area entirely. Nanashi might have a really easy opportunity here. Or it could be a trap....only the future knew what it was that Nanashi was getting into.

A few weathered stone cliffs peaked out from the sand dunes letting Nanashi know there are deep pockets of sand and stone,

 

[Nanashi]

Seeing the juvenile wyrm patrolling, the Assassin and the Monster coordinated their landings to occur with almost no impact exerted. In two long, gliding leaps, the pair made their way to the top of the weathered stone cliffs. Sharingan watching the juvenile beast and sand senses trained on the immense mother to the west, they took a moment to gauge the motion of the roaming monstrosities.

When they were certain they had the general pattern of the patrols memorized, the pair prepared themselves for matters to truly hit their critical stage.

Taking a carefully calculated leap apiece, the pair set down with all the impact of insects at the edge of the creche. Immediately, the Monster began to lift the sand of the creche itself--wyrmlings and all--into the air while the Assassin touched its outer edge and conferred weightlessness upon it. Having done so, the Monster drew in close to the Assassin, releasing the sand-sphere to cling to the Assassin as she carried out a precise copy of the Sennin's jutsu from before, though without the shout the Sennin chose to accompany his version with. As the sphere of gravitic repulsion knocked the creche and sand away, imparting momentum on the floating, weightless mass of sand and wyrms, the Assassin dropped into a crouch, before launching herself as powerfully away from the former nesting site as her weightless status and her leg muscles could collude to carry her, the Monster hanging on as they were launched skywards. In midair, the Uchiha watched the creche fly away, tracking the projected motion of the mass as it departed until it seemed to have reached a suitable distance for the Sennin's request, and then cut the null-gravity field about it, allowing it to fall slowly to the dunes, the mass of sand about it cushioning the wyrmlings from the fall every bit as much as it had insulated them from the force of the copied Ninjutsu.

They did not stop moving there. Again and again they launched themselves into arcing jumps until they felt a sufficient distance had been reached, at which point they released all the jutsu they were using and utterly ceased to use any chakra. Both stood stock-still as the Nameless sent a mental message to Kuro. Out of curiosity, what is the sensory range on an adult sandwyrm? Because the mother was in the vicinity, and I have no idea if I've moved far enough away that taking normal steps wouldn't tell it where we are. Also, would an elder sibling chase the creche or me? Because if it'd chase me, then I might've just made a horrible mistake.<i></i>

[MFT]
[OOC: if I need to dial it back a step or three, just let me know, and I will.]

 

[Toraono Kuro]

ooc: Nope I made some checks you did not trigger than sandwyrm defense response instead you triggered the protective response.

The wyrmlings landed like a only a sand cushioned ball of baby monsters could providing an alternative site for the growing wyrmlings as the juvenile elder streaked across the desert to comfort them and reassure them unable to figure out exactly how they had been moved or what had moved them as it had sense nothing but a dull surge of unfamiliar chakra. The assassin and the monster landed and searched about to make sure they were not being chased by any adult sandwyrms. They were not, the plan had gone off without a proverbial hitch it seemed… until lances of fire and steel rained from the sky to encircle Nanashi and her avatar. Three shrouded men emerged, dressed in sandtone armor, cloaks, and odd black rings that gave off a strange resonance to Nanashi’s sharingan they approached her with sandwyrm teeth blades in hand but they weren’t approaching in a hunter fashion. They were all in plain sight, it seemed they were advancing to speak with her and her other form.



One separated from the 3 man team which was visible and sheathed his blade and removed the black iron spear from the ground before her before he addressed them. ” We mean you no harm as you did not harm our charges. You have come to the deep desert and moved the sleeping wyrmlings without killing them or engaging their guardians in combat using techniques that only the ancients were capable of. You smell of the demon guards of Sunagakure, what is your purpose here? Before you answer know that we can tell if you are lying.”<i></i>

 

[Nanashi]

The pair tensed at the incendiary arrival of the armor-clad pursuers. The Assassin's Sharingan once more set to spinning, as she tracked the newcomers. Both bodies had shifted into guarded postures, ready to move at the slightest sign of hostility. Something seemed odd about their garb, their claims to have charge over sandwyrms not-withstanding. In a sing-song voice, the Monster offered an explanation.

"Why ask what you already saw~? Meant to do what we already did, and that's the whole extent of it. Needed to move the little-wyrms without hurting them or startling the momma-wyrms, and not having to fight anyone was part of the plan~!" The black-haired sand-controller gave a lazy half-shrug as she rocked back and forth in place, from the balls of her feet to the tips of her toes then back again. "Didn't know someone was watching them. Just didn't want either wyrms or people to get hurt. And one or the other seemed likely if the nest stayed in place."

As she did so, the Nameless sent the Sennin a mental message. Encountered potential complication. No wyrms thus far. Human or human-like third party claiming to guard the nest are interrogating us. Apparently not fans of either the Toraono or of shinobi in general. Unsure which. Will alert if they turn hostile.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kyojin Kuro received a broken telepathic message which meant either Nanashi was out of range or in some kind of trouble. ((Encountered ...complication...Human...interrogating us... not fans... will alert)))<i></i>

"Why ask what you already saw~? Meant to do what we already did, and that's the whole extent of it. Needed to move the little-wyrms without hurting them or startling the momma-wyrms, and not having to fight anyone was part of the plan~!" "Didn't know someone was watching them. Just didn't want either wyrms or people to get hurt. And one or the other seemed likely if the nest stayed in place."

~ (Nameless of Nanashi)

Extending his senses as far as he could Kyojin Kuro homed in on Nanashi's general location and with a surge of chakra leapt and began moving toward his trainee.

The spear resonated blocking some of Nanashi's telepathic message but she couldn't know that. Seikaku however did intercept her message and smiled to see she wasn't an aggressor or a wyrm thief.
"You do not lie and you are not here to hunt the sandwyrms. You are free to go, know that the Wyrmriders of North Blue are grateful for your actions in this and you will not be accosted by us for traveling across our lands. As rangers we have impunity to punish transgressors of the law, but you have not broken any. We bid you good day."<i></i>

With that the 3 men backed away and slipped into the Sands with no sign even with her Sunaku senses.

 

[Nanashi]

The pair nod their acknowledgement of the wyrmriders' words, then watch as they depart, testing to see if they truly are gone. Contented that the group would not return, the Assassin let her Sharingan subside. Dusting the sand off the tops of her feet and the legs of her pants with a wave of the Monster's hand, they awaited confirmation.

And they left. They called themselves the wyrmriders of east blue, and purported to guard the sandwyrms. Also, they claimed we were trespassing. They seemed content that I didn't harm the sandwyrms, however. So now what?