Re: Into the Howling Dark [Open/Anbu]
Aya Kozuki. Uri Eru. Honnou Hyuuga. Kano Arakaku. Hoshi Shouyu. Mishiku.
There was a good purpose in the selection of candidates for the quest, though the many reasons would reveal themselves in time. Some were obvious though— the young shinobi needed to be tested in various ways. Among the group of five came an assortment of youth; fresh-faced candidates, loners versus others deliberately separated from their familiar comrades, and prodigies chipping away at the ceilings of their limits. While Kaji Okada did not know most of these ANBU personally, he intended to take away knowledge from witnessing this new generation in action. As their commander, he was sure to provide a wealth of knowledge to the candidates on the expedition, in return. There was much to gain from this foray into some potentially uncharted depths within the Sileo Tempestas; at was quickly shaping up to be an adventure of the purest variety. Just what they’d encounter down there was a mystery, even to Kaji, who had flipped through a few volumes of historic manuals provided by one of his aides. The history of the Hidden Cloud’s mountain and her people was incredibly vast— but one thing promised to Kaji was that there was more forgotten to time that there were records saved. Various regime changes and the occasional disaster all have a way of erasing even the most protected secrets over time, especially in such a secretive society. In truth, Commander Okada and his squad might have been undermanned for the quest, or find absolutely nothing but a dead end awaiting them below— only time would tell.
Just as Kaji finished preparing and idled about, he was approached by the first of his ilk. Kaji immediately assessed Aya Kozuki as being of the rough and tumble sort of kunoichi, energetic, tenacious, and direct enough to greet him rather than shirking away shyly. She said hello, earning a welcoming smirk from Kaji Okada in return.
“And a good morning to you— Miss Kozuki, I presume?” Kaji made a safe assumption of her identity as he made eye contact with Aya, watching as her pupils seemed to shift hues in the light. As the only girl of the bunch, she stood out from her peers. “You showed up early, that’s good. Assessing the environment before your allies arrive— that’s the making of a smart shinobi. It’s also how you find the best equipment. Here, take this.” Kaji reached into the traveling pack on his hip and drew a small hardback booklet and handed it to Aya. It had a plain cover the color of goldenrod, and stained parchment pages full of printed glyphs and translations. Inside the cover, the book was titled The Ancient Kaminari Field Manual, Fifth Edition.
“I believe we’ll need this once we’re below— think it’s a challenge you’re willing to accept?” It was like Kaji to expect the fist-fighter to become the translator, though he waited for a potential protest. “If it's not to your liking you have comrades... delegate.”
On cue, the first of those comrades began to trickle into the warehouse, though Uri Eru wasn’t likely someone Aya would try delegating her job to give he was a superior and all. Normally, Uri would have been more of the candidate for leading this sort of task than a mere follower, but the events that caused it was actually his fault. Bringing him along seemed more like punishment for Uri, but Kaji did foresee some use in Uri’s skill set if things took a turn for the worse below. For the moment though, Kaji attended to any questions Aya might have, that is until Honnou and Kano emerged.
“Your burns appear to be healing well, candidate Honnou,” said Kaji observantly as the blue-eyed lad came forth. “The scales should start peeling in a couple weeks— eh, by the looks of it with minimal scar tissue. ‘Bhelzira does good work.” He formed a slight smile at the admiration of his beast comrade’s work but felt especially awkward when he noticed the subject of scarred tissue all over Kano. His emeraldine eyes squinted as Kaji observed Kano, instantly recognizing him for the features his Sileo record highlighted— scarring that even Bhelzira wouldn’t be able to heal. But Kano didn’t let it stop him, therefore neither would Kaji Okada, who stepped forth to meet him. “Kano Araraku... your reputation precedes you, but I’m ready to see what you’re really made of. This’ll be your chance.”
But before Kaji could delve into more conversation with Kano or Honnou, the sounds of someone most familiar came within an earshot— indeed, it was the return of the fabled prodigy, Hoshi, who had come accompanied by Mizu. “Ah, Hoshi its you, I knew you’d make it” exalted Kaji in call to Hoshi. The were squadmates in the past, enduring an incredible adventure on the high seas unlike anything seen in The Cloud’s long history. It was a long stretch to summon Hoshi from his training in isolation, but there was, in good form. “Now we’re ready for anything” chirped Kaji, confident in the ragtag bunch as he reached for a brotherly, fraternal handshake with young Hoshi that almost resembled hand seals being formed. Perhaps the other anbu would learn in time.
“Alright, that should be everyone” surmised the Commander as he called the attention of the room. Alas, he had forgotten someone, the last stranger who was marching into the warehouse as Kaji addressed the squad. Aye, Kaji had forgotten about a last-minute addition to the team, an unsavory one to Kaji due to a single feature disclosed in the young candidate’s portfolio. Mishiku had come; he was among brethren as a worthy cloud shinobi, though there was a curse running through the core of his DNA… he was born as Uchiha scum in the emerald eyes of one prejudice Kaji Okada, who loathed their kind. “Oh, I almost spoke too soon,” said Kaji, keeping a professional tone despite cutting a suspicious glare at Mishiku. “Welcome comrade, join us. We were just about to begin.”
Aside from his own belongings, Kaji revealed another backpack which he set on the floor. He squatted low and began fishing through as he resumed his speech of sorts. “For those who don’t know me, allow me to introduce myself formally— Grand Commander Kaji Okada, though you can refer to me by whatever title suits you; O-san, Master Okada, Kaji-sensei, or just Kaji if we have a personal rapport like that. ‘I don’t really care. ‘Anyways, we’re gathered here today for an expedition… I recognize that exploring isn’t usually in the ANBU purview but it's necessary when it comes to our own domain. ‘Overseeing the security of the Sileo Tempestas is a chief responsibility of our branch, particularly The Silent House Division, which you are all a part of until you receive permanent assignments.
‘The purpose of this expedition is to map out a new expanse discovered within the Sileo. Given the dubious nature of this mountain’s system of chasms and tunnels beneath it, we are sure that potential for finding risks to the village’s safety is rather high as long as we are unaware of where the opening leads. There could be some form of terrestrial species habitats within, or, no bullshit, a demon asleep for the last thousand years or something. Skies the limit here.”
Kaji then revealed two pairs of high-tech looking goggles and tossed one to Honnou and Hoshi. “Hoshi will take the point and Honnou will shadow him— these goggles are designed to harness the residual chakra from your byakugan and emanate a short-range light source; the dial on the temple adjusts the intensity.” The pair were state of the art developments from R&D, made to fit comfortably beneath their masks if worn in combination.
“Uri— your job is to carry the rear as party sentinel. I’m also burdening you with duty as the gourmand; this mission could take days so you’ll handle preparing meals and building our campsites with your subordinates.” He tossed the rest of the backpack to Uri, which revealed an ample selection of cooking supplies stowed in labeled item scrolls, and preserved foodstuffs in the event the party could not source up some game to eat, which was likely.
“Kano, Aya, and Mishiku, your tasks will be charting a map of our journey, translating anything ancient we might discover, and covering the flanks of our movement if we have moments where the tunnels become broad. You may decide amongst yourselves who does what, or just work together.” Like before, Kaji set out the tools for those details; Aya was already handed the book, but Kaji tossed a satchel containing a compass, a map of the pre-established Sileo Tempestas with room for expansion, and various tools for marking additions.
“The hole is in one of the training cells and begins in a straight drop that descends pretty far down into the uncharted territory. While I’m recommending that everyone prepare to rappel down, I won’t argue if any of you think you can handle wall walking the entire way. So, let’s be on our ways; I’m itching to get underway.”
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