Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory... [Mission]

[Takaki Saeko]

Summit of Mount Baekdu, 2744 meters above sea level
200km within the Democratic People’s Republic of Marsh Country
…0800 hours

The ringing sound chosen to notify users of an incoming transmission had been carefully selected to instantly gain alertness, but not so sudden as to startle the receiver or cause any interruptions in action, at least in theory. In reality, it was an annoying, persistent beeping clang that could wake the dead from sleep, and there was no way to turn the volume down or make it go away except to answer the call. Fortunately, the designers had been smart enough to make sure that only the end-user heard the alert tone, as opposed to everyone within a ten meter radius.

“Have you reached the top yet? We’re already falling behind schedule,” sounded Takaki Masao’s somewhat annoyed voice in the party’s ears. In their ocular heads-up displays, a small pop-up window materialized, showing a green-tinted video image of the Sennin, who spoke to them from the battle-bridge of the Torre Celeste, located right under the office of the Raikage. “Anyway, welcome to freezing Marsh Country. The air should be breathable, but you might feel a bit out of sorts. That will be remedied soon. You’re probably wondering exactly why I had you climb a damned mountain like a team of sherpas. Well, it isn’t to plant our flag,” he said, smirking.

And indeed, it would have been a very valid point to ask why they were mountaineering. The last week had been a blur of activity that had culminated in a grueling climb to reach the summit of the highest mountain in Marsh Country, and frostbite and aching joints were unwelcome, but persistent guests. Crossing the border and infiltrating the country had been the easy part – allied Star Village shinobi had seen to that rather easily, and there were large tracts of the socialist nation that had been virtually uninhabited, with the population density nearly zero at the base of Mount Baekdu, which was a weird combination of sacred ground and military property unique to these sorts of dictatorships. Plus, along the way they had gotten to sample all manner of tasty treats, such as gal-bi and the famously foul-smelling but unspeakably compelling kim-chi. During that leg of their journey, only Masao had spoken with them, the other members of the support team he had assembled either silent or simply not present.

“First things first; at this point, I’d like to introduce the other members of the support team and tell you what you’re going to be doing from here on,” said Masao. “First, our medical support officer.”

“Hey guys! And Tamacchi!” said a surprisingly perky female with wavy hair and a mischievous smile whose image popped up next to Masao’s in the ocular HUD. “I’m Nara Hichiko, mednin! Some of you guys might know my dad, Nara Bii-Ryu. Anyway, Takaki-sama asked me to lend a hand. I’ll be monitoring your vital signs throughout the mission, and giving assistance over your headsets if you run into trouble. Although I can’t be there personally to heal you, it turns out that a lot of field medicine can be performed by laypeople with proper instruction. All of you should have a small supply of medications and basic wound dressings in your packs. So make sure you don’t throw them away, or I’ll be pissed!”

“Thanks, Nara-sensei,” said Masao. “Next, is our psychological support officer.”

“Greetings,” said a woman very familiar to Jo and Tama, whose green-tinted image also popped up next to Hichiko’s. “I’m Takaki Saeko, and yes, the Sennin is my father. To make things easier, you may call me Saeko-san as opposed to by my family name. As my father said, I’m here to provide psychological support, not only in terms of your own mental health, but also in case you run into much stronger opponents such as members of Yukimura Enishi’s terrorist organization. As a profiler, I am capable of analyzing past and future patterns of behavior to provide strategies and direction you might find useful in battle. If you face interrogation or psychic assault, I will also be able to help you as well.”

“Thank you, Saeko-san,” said Masao. “And finally, as I mentioned before to Kichida-san, there is a member of this team who has intimate familiarity with the facility layout and its security systems and staffing as of the last two years. Some of you may be familiar with him, and his presence on the mission support team is classified information, a breach of which could endanger national security. Hayata-san…”

“Present, and accounted for,” said an unmistakable voice, coupled with an unmistakable face, tinted in green as it was. Hayata Makoro stared at the members of the team through their HUDs, his face as cold and harsh in its expression as it had been during the fight with him on top of the Torre Celeste. Masao cleared his throat.

“The Raikage has authorized his construct, Deta, to manifest Hayata Makoro’s consciousness in a temporary body with the sole purpose of providing aid during this mission. His body has no capability of jutsu use and will automatically dissipate if he strays beyond this chamber. Once he has served his purpose he will be reabsorbed into Deta’s karmic matrix where he will continue to serve out his sentence of life imprisonment as handed down by the Raikage. The reason he has been utilized here is because he assisted in the construction of the Shadow Moses facility two decades ago while he was gone missing from Kumo. He will be providing navigational guidance for you in real time, and was instrumental in formulating the infiltration and exfiltration plans for you for this mission. He is also fully aware that if he attempts to harm any member of the team or compromise the mission through deliberate provision of faulty or misleading information, that he will be moved to solitary confinement for all eternity without chance for release or death. I realize that putting your lives in his hands is a lot to ask, but I felt it was best for the mission, and the Raikage feels that it is an important part of his uncle’s rehabilitation to do these things,” said Masao, before clearing his throat again.

“Now, the reason you have ascended the summit of Mount Baekdu is twofold. First, the Shadow Moses facility is located midway up the mountain, on a plateau on the opposite side you took to get up here, so climbing to the summit conceals your approach. Second, the facility has barricades, lookout posts, and sensor arrays surrounding it entirely, all save for from the top of the mountain. This is where your snowboards come into play. You will descend down from the summit for a distance of approximately 1300 meters via snowboard to the top of the facility and then enter via heating vents located on the rooftops. Hayata-san has outlined a particular entry point on top of the inner laboratory complex that will lead you directly to the chamber where the atomics research is likely taking place. It is the only part of the facility with enough lead shielding to properly contain harmful gamma rays that may be emitted from the research materials,” he said, calling up an overhead view of the complex with a red “X” over one of the rooftops closer to the mountainside. “Once you are in the facility, and have completed your mission, you will exfiltrate from the north end of the facility, which overlooks a five-hundred meter-high cliff face with an abrupt drop. Part of your mission pack includes a compact parachute and body-gliding gear. You will BASE jump from the cliff and navigate to coordinates XRay Delta Charlie Three-Niner where an Imperial Navy Special Warfare Team will transport you away into non-territorial waters and back to Kumo. Now, ready your boards and prepare to make the descent,” said Masao.

In their HUDs, a path now emerged, outlined on the snow with red dotted lines. Fortunately, the path chosen for them wasn’t quite a double black diamond in terms of risk (more like a single black diamond). If all went well, they would arrive with a gentle stop at the top of Shadow Moses within a half hour, provided no one fell.

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

Harsh winds tore at the top of the mountain as if the elements of air and earth were doing battle; the stone in it’s defiance had dared reach up and touch the sky, and the sky would not tolerate such an arrogant trespasser. The silent form of Narashi Jo was barely visible, save for the wind-blown snow cascading around his body as he sat in its path. His near-invisibility was due to the impressive stealth armor that had been issued to him back at the Torre. It was like wearing a suit of articulated plate armor, except the plates were all attached to some sort of stretchy sports-clothing material that hugged his body tightly, and in place of a padded arming doublet was a layer of kevlar. The suit had a some sort of special technological property to it that caused it to shift colors and patterns like a chameleon if you stayed still or moved slowly. Right now, Jo looked for all the world to be a snow-strewn rock sitting atop the mountain.

Attached to his feet was the snowboard he had been issued; supposedly of the best make and model, though Jo knew nothing of these things. He’d ridden them a few times in his youth, and had learned how to ride them as part of his winter-weather training at the Academy; but there would be no 540° spins or back flips going on. Attached to his chest-plate via an elastic bandolier was his primary weapon; a bullpup dragoon sniper-bolter. Modeled after the AK-47 platform (Automatic Kumogakure Bolter Model 47), the Dragoon sniper-bolter was pin-point accurate, and it’s steel-core 7.62x54r round was powerful enough to punch through most armor like a hot knife through butter. The fact that the armory had a bullpup model was just icing on the cake for Jo. All that power and accuracy in a package half the size of the original model made it useful at long ranges as well as close quarters combat; especially since the scope was elevated over the iron sights, so he could still use them. He’d also taken the liberty of attaching a silence, a flashlight, and a perpendicular forward grip that folded out into a bipod.

Strapped to his right hip was a suppressed Tokari Handbolter Model TTC-33. The guy that ran the armory scoffed at his for choosing a weapon that was so outdated, but Jo was more interested in the type of bolt that it fired. The 7.62x25 Tok round was so overpowered that it punched through body armor at up-to medium range. Jo didn’t want to fire at someone’s chest and have their trauma plate stop his bolts again. The tactical vest strapped to his torso carried four extra mags per bolter, and a combat knife strapped to his left pectoral. The parachute strapped to his back gave him some concern, but he was sure its inclusion in their gear would be explained later.

Of course, as soon as he thought that, his earpiece made that annoying-ass beeping noise. ’Well, at least it’s working properly.” He thought, listening intently to the intel his Sennin was providing while trying to ignore the biting cold (though honestly, whatever material the stealth suits were made of were doing a great job of regulating his body temperature). ’I wonder if it makes us invisible to thermal scopes as well?’

The medical professional would be useful, and the reanimated corpse of the man who built the facility would be a great asset, but Jo’s heart jumped into his chest when Saeko came on screen. He cursed the diodes that were sewn into their tactical gear that showed his heart rate, breathing rate, and temperature increase on their HUDs for everyone to see, and quickly adjusted his breathing so as to return to normal. As he thought about it, it made perfect sense that she’d be their psychological support officer. If her mind games were any indication of her skill, then she was perfect for the job. This had Jo thinking; ’Why would they have a psychologist posted as a simple bodyguard?' Either her father was keeping her stationed with the horse people to keep her safe, or there was more going on in Kagoshima than met the eye.

Alright; snowboard onto the roof, infiltrate the base, record what was found, destroy the base, then jump off a cliff to safety. What could possibly go wrong? Jo stood, not a single butterfly in his stomach as he prepared to make the descent. ”10-4.” His voice sounded confident even through the radio as he slid to the edge. ’I wonder how good a shot I am from a moving snowboard?’ Jo thought, remembering his more-than-decent scores when firing from a moving platform at the Academy. He hoped the rooftop was unguarded and he wouldn’t have to find out.

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Kichida Kazuhiko​

Kazuhiko adjusted his goggles and mask as he sat atop the mountain with the others, listening to Masao introduce their support staff. Quite a list of characters. It seemed that Masao was pulling out all of the stops on this particular mission. Even going so far as to petition the Raikage for the use of Hayata Makoro. Takaki-sama must be extremely desperate for this mission to succeed, if it means using him as a resource. Kazuhiko supposed that Makoro was hardly in a position to betray the group, considering that only his consciousness was manifest. And he knew all too well about using whatever means necessary to complete the mission. He had told Haikuno not to hesitate. And if they crossed paths, Kazuhiko knew he wouldn’t. At the mention of the name Hayata Makoro, Tama seemed to flinch.

“Why are you still alive?” he heard her shaky voice over the comm, as did everyone else.

How could I forget, Mochizuki-san was almost killed by this man, he chided himself, of course she would have a problem trusting him.[/i][/color] She would be the only one who wasn’t told about the Raikage’s sentence. Probably because it was deemed unnecessary, or someone was trying to protect her by withholding information. Still, he should have said something to her about it earlier. He had just assumed someone else had done it. Now he would have watch her more closely, to make sure that the fact the Makoro was very much alive wouldn’t impair the mission. He tapped her on the shoulder saying, “Stay focused, Mochizuki-san. I’ll answer your questions once this is over.”

Listening to Masao’s instructions concerning their descent as he stared at the blinking red path on his HUD, Kazuhiko contemplated what manner of device they would be using to travel. A snowboard? How is this a good idea? I would have much preferred a snowmobile, but at least it’s not skis. Kazuhiko, being of the disposition that all work and no play made for an excellent shinobi, even if he didn’t force others to subscribe to that particular point of view, had never used one before, and was slightly nervous at the thought of his first run would be on such a course. The blizzard conditions made it difficult to sense the details of the space around him as well, so he wouldn’t be able to detect hazards as quickly. If all else fails, I will just warp the whole way there, he thought as he readied himself for the descent.

Mochizuki Tama​

“A real snowboard!!!” Tama exclaimed excitedly, momentarily forgetting the seriousness of the situation. “Ne ne, Barfight-sennin, can I keep it? Please, please, please!!!” she yapped over the comm to Masao. This is going to be so much fun, I’ve never been snowboarding before, but I’ve seen it all the time!!! Oh, I can’t wait! Tama busily thought of all the cool moves and tricks she had practiced in her head while Masao went about introducing the support staff. Tama would have continued to happily fantasize about snowboard technique had she not heard the last member of the support team.

“...Hayata-san…,”

“Present and accounted for,” came the voice that Tama remembered only too well. She instinctively clutched her chest, where the two scars from crossbolts throbbed painfully.

“Why are you still alive?” came her shaking, panicked voice. Didn’t they kill him on the tower? He should have died for the things he did. He’s too dangerous to live. He nearly killed me and Senna, he tortured Shiri-tan. How could they let him live? Rehabilitation? He can’t be rehabilitated? Such thoughts filled her head threatening to completely overtake any thought of the mission, regardless of its importance. Then a tap on her shoulder, it was Kazuzu.

“Stay focused, Mochizuki-san. I’ll answer your questions once this is over.”

Right, she thought to herself, mission first. Then I’ll find out why this bastard is still breathing, and why no one told me. Tama was now angry, but had nowhere to focus it. So for the moment, she would vent it on the facility below her. Anger could cloud the senses at times, make one oblivious to their surroundings. But in this case, anger provided Mochizuki Tama with focus. She would complete this mission, and then get some answers.

 

[Morishige]

My hands clenched into fists as the incessant beeping resounded on my ear hairs. I had heard it only a few time as my patience was already being tested. Thankfully, all I had to do was answer the call and it would go away. But sometimes, as we all know, the people on the other side of the line may be the people we don't want to talk to. However, thankfully it was not a passing radio tower broadcasting crappy folk music, but the rather important voice of our main branch sennin.

It seemed they while we had quite a bit of advanced technology for this mission, there was now way to precisely pinpoint our location on the mountain; his voice attested to that. His image popped up for me to see which was something new. I never knew we had technology like this before. What else were the ANBU hiding from us!? Not that it mattered. Masao began his silly little speech and I listened in intently. It was nice to here something other than the endless howling of the wind up on this gods-forsaken mountain.

But it would not only be Masao who entertained our ear drums, but others on the support team. A medical support officer, which I assumed was there to handle any emergency situations in case something horrible happened and we needed to patch each other up quickly. And based on her words, I was mostly correct. Monitoring our vitals sent a few worry some thoughts through my mind. Thankfully, the subject was quickly changed as our psych officer introduced herself. She would probably prove to be more useful should anything happen that required a more deft mind than our own. But I couldn't help but question whether or not she would be analyzing us for performance under pressure. Even though this was a high level mission, I couldn't shake the feeling of a test. And I hated being tested.

But the true treat was Makoro being with us over headset. I wasn't very old when the whole Makoro incident occured. I believe I had just become a genin when it was resolved, so I didn't know much. But for a criminal, he was here to help; whether or not it was his choice to do so or not was unknown to me. "Let's just hope he doesn't lead us into a trap on purpose. A last hurrah against the village hidden in the cloud would be quite interesting for him. I thought with a smile, though the movement of my cold lips couldn't be felt by my face mask. I really disliked the cold...

Thankfully, the introduction were done and the true meat of the information would began to be fed to use through speakers near our ears. I paid close attention as we stood at the summit. In a matter of minutes, it was all explained and I was pulling the snowboard from behind me and placing it on the ground. This was something I had done many times before believe it or not, so snowboarding down would be pretty easy. Base jumping on the other hand... While I always fantasized about sky diving, I had never thought I would actually take part in it. Let's just hope the hard part went easy so that I could enjoy the luxury of worrying about the base jump.

While Tama seemed apprehensive about Makoro, he partner seemed to calm her down and keep her focused, to which I was grateful towards. A distracted mind is one that gets you killed, especially on a mission like this. So, on my heads-up-display, the path materialized before me and I stepped onto my board. "No time like the present." I mumbled to myself and pushed off into the wild terrain following Jo who began to descent first.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

North face of Mount Baekdu, 2100 meters above sea level
200km within the Democratic People’s Republic of Marsh Country
…0810 hours

“Tamacchi, your heart rate just spiked to like, over 9000,” sounded Hichiko’s voice in Tama’s ear. “Take a series of slow, deep breaths and focus on the task at hand, or you’ll quickly pass out at this altitude. If that fails, there are some 5-milligram diazepam tablets in your medical pack, and you can take one if needed.”

“Mochizuki-san, I’m well aware of the history between you and Hayata-san,” now said Saeko. “It’s natural to feel apprehensive, but remember, you are free, and surrounded by your friends and allies, while Hayata Makoro is still in prison and powerless. Remember that you have control now, and that you defeated him once before.”

"Virtuous Mission" from the MGS3 OST​

As the team started to carve their way down the steep slope of the mountain’s north face, they dodged the usual obstacles of jutting stones and the occasional gnarly tree, and the only testament to their presence was a glistening, sinuous path through the softly-packed snow in their wake. After the first hundred or so meters, they had descended below the cloud line, and now the sun shone on their faces, tempering the chill of the frozen wind. It was easy to see why snowboarding was considered so much fun by those who could partake in it – it was a feeling of freedom unlike anything else in the world.

The slate-gray outlines of the facility’s rooftops were now coming into view far ahead, and the images on their HUDs now zoomed in to highlight the patch of roof that had been marked as the infiltration point. Even from far away, it was easy to tell that Shadow Moses was big. In fact, it probably covered a good six square kilometers of the mountainside, with untold extension into the mountain itself. Still, if the plan worked out, the shinobi team would not have to concern themselves with the vast majority of the facility. Makoro knew the value of a fast infiltration and exfiltration, to be sure.

Suddenly, the very mountain itself started to shake, and a tremendous gout of fire and shattered brick erupted from nearby the very spot they were supposed to be entering! The flames shot a hundred meters into the air, and the snow around the explosion itself rippled wildly as debris started to fall outward.

“Hayata! What the hell was that?!” growled Masao angrily over their headsets.

“I don’t know!” protested Makoro. “I didn’t cause it, though!”

“Then what, or who, did?!”

“Interesting…” replied Makoro as the sounds of fingers clacking on a keyboard intensified. “That explosion corresponds to where the blast doors are to the lead-lined chamber. I think someone else is attempting to break in.”

“Can the team still make it to the roof entrance? Is it safe to do so?” asked Masao.

“I don’t see why not, unless… Wait. Takaki…they won’t have time. It’s an avalanche.”

As the former missing-nin spoke, the rumbling felt previously accompanying the explosion now intensified rather than diminishing as expected. Although the gout of flame from before was now merely a rising column of black smoke, there was an ominous buildup of white haze from behind the team coming down the mountain, and it was rapidly getting closer.

“Godrotting… Shinobi team, continue your descent and brace for impact! Abandon the original infil point! Attempt to navigate to a protected section of the facility! Split up if you have to...”

The Sennin’s words fizzled out amidst a burst of static as a roiling tidal wave of snow, ice, and stone crested up right behind the team with the full fury and might of unbridled nature and engulfed them in a sea of white…

</B>

<B>Later…​

​

I’m leaving it to the players to determine how they managed to escape or get caught in the avalanche, what equipment may be destroyed or missing (pick at least one, except the headset and the cardboard box), and if they wind up conscious or not.

The ringing was persistent enough to wake the dead, or in case of the shinobi, those who were unconscious.

“Ishikawa Zaku, do you read? Mochizuki Tama, do you read? Narashi Jo, do you read? Kichida Kazuhiko, do you read?” sounded Masao’s voice in their headsets.

“Jo-kun… I mean, Narashi-san, are you okay? And for that matter, is everyone else?” asked Saeko.

“Vital signs are stable, sir. A little hypothermic but I don’t think we’ve lost anyone,” said Hichiko.

“Hayata, do you have any idea where they are?” asked Masao.

“They’re scattered across various locations near the outer ring of the facility structures. The avalanche completely covered the inner ring structure with twenty meters of snow and ice, so the original infiltration point is useless. They’ll have to infiltrate from the outer ring and go through chemical warhead storage to access the inner lab,” said Makoro, his analytical tone bringing Hayata Shin’s calm demeanor to mind.

“How do we get them to that storage area?”

“The warhead storage area is protected by very strong blast doors that are built to resist bombing runs and S-rank jutsu. They’ll never be able to punch through themselves. The blast doors were disconnected from the generator a few years ago to save power, and the generator itself is in need of refueling last I checked. They will need to restart the generator in section 4, connect the power cables in section 2, and finally, access the control panel in section 6 with the keycard carried by the Major.”

“Who’s this Major?”

“He goes by the nickname ‘Revolver Ocelot’ although his real name is Shalashaska. He’s known throughout the People's Liberation Army for being a bit of an oddball, but ruthless in a fight and a master of the pistol-bolter. You’ll have to send a real gunslinger to take him down,” said Makoro. “Fortunately for you, he’s quite flamboyant and loves to make his presence known in a fight. He’ll probably be out there inspecting the damage from the explosion and avalanche.”

“Very well. Based on the locations of the shinobi team, it looks like Narashi-san is closest to where the Major will probably end up being. Neutralize the Major and obtain that keycard, and rendezvous with the rest of the team. The Major may be accompanied by others, so be careful and use discretion to avoid capture,” said Masao, highlighting the location of Jo’s signal, which was at the edge of a trench cutting across the inside of the outer ring.

“Ishikawa-san appears to be closest to the location of the generator. It’s underground, near the entrance of the warehouse you’re currently next to. Facility is lightly guarded, but there are potentially automated defenses and security cameras near the warehouse. You’ll have to proceed with caution.”

“Finally, Kazuhiko-san and Tama-chin, you two have managed to stick together somehow, so I want you to reconnect the power. According to Hayata-san, there’s a pair of breaker boxes located in an above-ground power substation nearby your location. If you flip the correct switches simultaneously, it should connect the generator’s output to the blast doors and allow the team to keycard in. You have to do it together, though, so you’ll have to go together. The area appears to be only lightly patrolled, though. Use caution.”

Jo​

Jo had drawn the short straw this time, and had ended up caught in a shallow trench normally used for drainage, his body just barely concealed from view if he managed to press himself close to the freezing ground below. A gray, slab wall of concrete rose high near him, and he could see the semicircular ring of buildings stretch off into the distance, with the inner ring mostly obliterated by a covering of snow, large chunks of ice, and also twisted concrete and steel debris knocked aside from the avalanche. The damage also dotted the otherwise open stretch of ground he found himself in the middle of, making it possible to find some concealment if he should get into a fight. None of this however, qualified as true cover that would protect him from bolts. The wind was chilly but visibility was good where he was. Off in the distance, near a toppled guard tower and the gouged-open shell of a communications center, he would see his target, or at least someone who might fit the description of an “oddball.” A relatively tall, impetuous-looking man, about twenty-five, wearing a red beret and flashy epaulets braided with gold. At his side, a leather holster carrying what looked like the latest and flashiest model of pistol bolter, a Suna Weapons Industries Desert Falcon in .50 “Aelephant Eliminator” caliber. A few other Marsh soldiers strolled around nearby, looking dazed and confused by what was going on.

Zaku​

Zaku had ended up taking cover between a pair of tall buildings whose gaping entrances suggested that they were in fact the warehouses Masao had been talking about. Through the dirty windows located at just above eye-level, he could peer inside and see that they were stocked mostly with what seemed to be armored war-wagons and field arbalestillery in various stages of disassembly, with almost nothing looking functional. Inside, were three pairs of Marsh soldiers on patrol – one pair walking the floor of the warehouse and peeking at the various pieces of machinery, another patrolling a circuit outside, and one more up on the second-level catwalk. These men seemed to be on-edge, and nervously gripped their Karashnikov bolters as if expecting an attack. Near the center of the warehouse, a concrete depression in the floor led to a stairway and door, over which was written the hangul characters for “generator,” as far as he could tell.

Tama and Kazuhiko​

The unlikely pair (hyperactive genki lovestruck powerhouse and dourly paternal straight-man) had ended up further away from the inner ring than the others, almost at the edge of the north cliff face that they were to eventually BASE jump from to exfiltrate. This was a woodsier area, and much less built-up than the rest of the facility. However, their goal was nearby. Through a copse of thick evergreens, they could see the slate-gray substation towers, and the myriad collection of high-tension power lines that emanated in all directions from the place. It did not seem to be well-guarded, and only a chain-link fence really prevented entry (although there were signs that it would probably be electrified). The circuit-breaker box highlighted for them was protected by a simple tumbler lock, and it would be no object to simply break it and flip the switches.

Before Tama could rush forward as she was wont todo, however, Kazuhiko’s sharp eye would notice something – nearby, a shoddy wooden sign with some hangul on it. He could not read the words, but he knew what they said all the same: mines.

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Kichida Kazuhiko​

Kazuhiko groaned as the incessant pinging of the communicator reminded him, painfully, that he was still among the living. What happened? Oh right, avalanche, he thought as he recalled the events that left him waist deep in snow and ice. Some fool had thought to blow their way into the facility, and he and the others had just a short time to react before the crushing wall of crystallized water was upon them. Kazuhiko recalled grabbing Tama, shoving her into his shadow, and having a shadow doppleganger offer a similar escape route for Zaku.

He had tried to warp himself above the wall, but the snow in the air made him misjudge the height of the wave of snow. And thus, he was stuck in this position. Luckily, Kazuhiko’s hands were free. A few handseals later, Kazuhiko had cast a warming genjutsu on himself. That will alleviate any concerns of frostbite. Once he could feel his covered extremities, he warped himself above the snow, and stood up. Nothing too damaged, his mask and hat had been lost in the avalanche, and his down coat had a few new tears in it, but somehow the comm device had managed to remain snugly on his head against all odds. However, Kazuhiko’s supply of shinobi tools was missing, the belt pouch stolen by the mountain.

“Kichida Kazuhiko, reporting in. Yes I am literate,” he irritably responded, “Now stop giving me a headache.” Not the way I would have liked to start this mission. Kazuhiko looked around as he tried to get his bearings. He spotted a copse of evergreen trees, under which, nestled in the shadows a figure sat huddled against the cold. He headed over, keeping a low profile, for he could not tell friend from foe at this distance due to the still-raging blizzard. But upon getting closer, he saw that it was in fact, Mochizuki Tama. But his relief was short lived, as she was unconscious. The shock of the sudden shadow transport must have caused her to pass out. This isn’t good, I need to keep her conscious, or at the very least warm. He rushed over to her, and checked to make sure she was still breathing. Summoning his blade, he held it up to her lips and sure enough, the summoned steel fogged up. Genjutsu only works on the conscious so I need actual heat until she wakes, he thought as he draped his torn coat over her shoulders. Her coat and tools had been lost as well, probably vanished through the shadows to some random corner of the mountain facility.

Transforming his Seikon blade into an axe, Kazuhiko quickly lopped off a few pine branches, piled them on the ground in front of Tama, and ignited them with a small fireball. Normally, Kazuhiko wouldn’t have risked revealing their location on such an important mission, but ensuring their survival was paramount. If they died from exposure, they wouldn’t be able to complete the mission. Still, the copse was dense enough to shield the pair from the wind, so Kazuhiko figured that the light from the fire wouldn’t be too visible either. Besides, the facility staff would have more pressing matters to deal with right now, than a small campfire on the mountain. “Kichida here, I have recovered Mochizuki-san. Awaiting instructions.”

Listening to Masao explain the situation that they had all ended up in made it clear, they were in dire straits. Jo was probably in the biggest pinch, and Kazuhiko felt slightly responsible for it. But he was a shinobi of Kumogakure and they were expected to succeed no matter the odds. The kid seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders, Kazuhiko just hoped that line wouldn’t become part of his eulogy. Looking at his own situation, Kazuhiko saw the station, and then saw the sign. He couldn't read hangul but he had a very good guess as to what it meant. Well, just my luck, he thought. It was a good thing that Tama wasn’t conscious, or Kazuhiko would have had an exploding minefield to deal with, in addition to the problem of rerouting the generator's power. Still since he had time to think, he came up with a plan that he could give Tama when she woke, and thus prevent her from entering the minefield.

Mochizuki Tama​

It had all happened so fast, the explosion rocked the mountainside, Kazuzu grabbed both her and Typical-kun, and then she was plunged into darkness. The next thing that Tama saw was the crackling of a fire and a torn coat wrapped around her body. Her comm device still stuck to her head, yet her bag of tools was gone. As well as her coat.

“Ah you’re awake. Good. Cast a genjutsu on yourself to help stay warm,” came Kazuhiko’s voice from nearby.

“Where’s everyone else?” Tama gulped as she fumbled with the handseals at first then sighing as the aura of warmth overtook her before asking, “Did they make it?”

“Don’t worry, they are fine. We’re finding another entrance into the facility. To do that we need to cross a dangerous minefield,” Tama heard the emphasis Kazuhiko put onto the words ‘dangerous’ and ‘minefield’ and made a face. How stupid does he think I am? “and flip some switches to reroute power from an old power generator.” Tama followed Kazuhiko’s gaze to where an objective marker on her HUD blinked.

“That’s it, then let’s-,” Tama caught herself seeing Kazuhiko’s stern gaze, “Right, minefield. Dangerous.”

“Here’s the plan. Since there is a minefield between here and there, and since we do not have the time or resources to navigate a safe path through them, we are going to bypass the field completely. Our target are the circuit breaker boxes. The facility staff will not have put mines so close to the building that they couldn’t navigate around the building's perimeter, and there shouldn’t be mines around the transformer towers either, as they would require maintenance periodically. So once we pass the initial minefield we should be in the clear.”

Tama nodded, she did not wish to end up as little pieces of Tama scattered about the ‘holy’ mountain of a foreign, enemy nation.

“You are going to use photon chakra to create a light near the breaker boxes, that light will create a shadow, I will use my shadow transport ability to maneuver us to wherever you create a shadow with your light. Once you get me close enough to the breaker boxes, I can shadow-port us both there.” Tama nodded. From what she could see, there were four transformer towers between them and the building. So roughly four points of light, bright enough to cast a shadow, were required. This might get them noticed, but then again this place didn’t seem too well guarded to begin with, not to mention the loud explosion that probably had everyone’s attention currently. If they were lucky, anyone seeing the pricks of light would take it simply as their eyes playing tricks on them. She ran through a few handseals, and prepared to cast the first point of light.

Actions:

Spoiler

Tama creates 4 points of light that cause the transformer towers to cast shadows in their immediate vicinity, Kazuhiko then uses the Shadow dodge technique to transport both himself and Tama through each shadow until Kazuhiko can safely Shadow-Port (self-made term) both himself and Tama to the breaker boxes. If spotted, Kazuhiko will Seikon warp to the assailant to dispatch him/her, and then back to Tama. Once the breaker boxes are reached, Kazuhiko will radio Masao for instruction on which switches to flip simultaneously.

[OOC: I thought this would be a good way to quickly separate everyone, if it doesn't work let me know and I'll edit it accordingly. Also, I will not be able to post again until Sunday evening, just so you all know.]

WC: 1199
MFT: Tama WC: 446

Edited to remove Jo from the shadow-warp, as per his request.

 

[Morishige]

Zipping past trees, and zooping (yes zooping) past protruding rock formations, I kept it simple on the way down. I had never really been one for tricks on a snowboard, though I did like taking risks in my free time. I followed those ahead, whomever it was as it seemed to change every so often based on the minute differences in the routes we were travelling on.

As we passed under the clouds, the blinding rays of Sol ravaged our retinas and we had to re-adjust. Our destination was approaching both on HUD and eye sight, and I could feel my heart pumping from more than physical exertion on the board. I was eager to get the job done and ready to show Masao that I had what it takes for more trying missions than sitting around at the gates. Sure it was an important job, but one could only beat Katsu in chess so many times. But that didn't matter now, it was time to focus, or die.

However, nature wanted to expedite to dying part herself. I could feel my board shift as the snow pack seemed to be under stress, then suddenly a pillar of flame and debris shot out of the infiltration point. I slowed my descent for a moment in awe, both question why and what now. However, this was a mistake based on what I heard from Makoro on the headset. "Avalanche?" I questioned and looked behind myself. A wall of white seemed to be plummeting toward us and Shadow Moses. Direction was quickly given to use and I looked to see what the others were doing before taking action. As the connection with the sennin broke, things grew hectic and I found myself engulfed in some kind of shadow before blacking out.



The irritating ringing of the headset was enough to bring me to consciousness as I immediately grabbed my head. Heavy confusion and blurriness kept me from talking for sometime. Naturally, they kept pinging at me and that didn't help at all. "Yes. I can hear you. Where am I..." I asked myself as I looked around. It didn't seem like I was in snow at all. What I was sitting on was coarse like sand paper; and after some inspecting I determined that it was actually just sand, hardened sand, shaped like an egg. "What the?" I questioned, a bit concerned. There was a crack in the formation that was letting light through, so I pumped chakra into my hand and punched through, letting a bit of snow fall in and giving myself a way out. With my head throbbing, and this...egg around me, I had no idea what had happened.

But that didn't matter, I needed to pay attention to what my superiors were saying. It seemed that I was closest to the generator and would need to go turn it on so we could get past doors of some kind. It was still kind of fuzzy. "Hai. I'll get on it." I responded shortly, climbing out of the sand cocoon. As soon as I had stepped out, the substance lost form and collapsed in under the weight of the snow around it. "Twice I've saved your life." I quickly drew a kunai and looked around for the source of the voice. In a crouching position I slowly looked for enemies of any kind but found none. Then who said it? Shaking my head, I assumed it was the hit to the head I suffered that was causing me to hear things. "Stay focused, complete your task." I told myself, and began moving around, peeking through the windows of the warehouses.

Six targets, and a destination in the middle of the warehouse I needed to get to. They seemed to be alert after the avalanche and explosion from inside the facility which would be problematic. I needed to strategize just how I might get through. "The two on the perimeter shouldn't be a problem if I just time my entrance. There is enough random junk in there so I should be able to slip passed undetected. However, they mentioned automated defenses and cameras. And unless it has an friend/foe indicator, I think it's safe to assume none of those defenses just yet. Cameras might be an issue though." I thought, trying to decide on a proper course of action. Stealth was of the utmost importance, and leaving bodies around would definitely tempt fate into making it so I would be discovered. "A distraction perhaps?" I said to myself softly. Or was it really that simple? I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the compact cardboard box.

A goofy smile lit up my face and I formed hand seals to make a Crystal Eye. I with my true eyes on the pars of individuals, I moved the conjuration up into a corner of the warehouse so I could have a bird's eye view of the guards at all time. As the perimeter guards took a turn, and with the help of the crystal eye, I moved quickly through the entrance of the warehouse and covered myself in the cardboard box which happened to be like some others in the warehouse. Using the Crystal Eye so that I would know the movements and lines of sight for each guard, I scurried along the concrete floor, closer and closer to the depression and stairwell that lead to the generator.

And once I was close enough, and those on the catwalk and ground floor were preoccupied, and exiting my hiding place and made a dash for the door! I was sure to fold up my box and put it back in my pocket as well.

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

Jo stood on the edge of the drop, the front of his board hovering out over nothing, his weight shifted back to keep him planted on the spot. The winds tore at him for a few brief seconds before he cleared his mind, and leaned forward. It felt like forever before he started to move, but once he did it was as if the entire world were a blur of white. He was flying! Flying over a sea of snow, flying through the clouds! It only took a few brief seconds before he had broken cloud cover and the sun was on his face, its light revealing the obstacles in his way, but doing nothing to keep him warm. It was as if nothing else in the world mattered. It was just him vs. the mountain, and Jo was winning! He neatly dodged every rock and tree; the entire experience no more difficult than walking, but much more exciting! He was kicking the mountains ass!

As the facility came into view, Jo raised the Dragoon to his shoulder; one eye sighted through the scope, the other paying attention to the path before him. The marked area of rooftop they were supposed to be landing on seemed clear enough until it exploded. Jo slammed his right eye shut against the blinding flash of light and lowered the weapon, reopening it and readjusting his focus on the now destroyed infiltration point. The voices of Sennin Masao and Makoro shot back and forth through their headsets, but Jo was more concerned about the rumbling he felt beneath his board.

He felt the avalanche before Makoro had said the word. His fears were confirmed as he glanced over his shoulder at the wall of white. He wanted desperately to shout a curse or two, but his words stuck in his throat as he turned back to the path ahead, his mind focused completely on the task of staying alive. He crouched down and leaned forward in an attempt to create less drag and wind resistance and increase his speed, but to no avail. The facility was growing closer, but the wall of snow and ice was gaining ground too quickly for Jo to hope to make it on time. He made for a trench that cut across the inside of the outer ring, hoping to take cover and use the board to create a makeshift roof.

’Almost there… almost there!’ His mind screamed as the snow and ice nipped at the tail of his board. Then, as if the ground had a mind of its own, it picked Jo up and sent him ass-over-teakettle, tumbling in a world of white. He felt himself fall into the trench and instinctively curled up into a ball as he had been trained. The snow slammed him into the ground and suddenly, everything went black…

…

“Ishikawa Zaku, do you read? Mochizuki Tama, do you read? Narashi Jo, do you read? Kichida Kazuhiko, do you read?” A combination of Masao’s voice and the annoying beeping sound brought him back to reality. The image on his HUD lit up the small pocket he had been able to create in the snow. The image flickered over to Saeko’s face next.

“Jo-kun… I mean, Narashi-san, are you okay? And for that matter, is everyone else?” He smiled at that. Jo wasn’t much one for suffixes or prefixes, but when Saeko acknowledged him with that kind of familiarity (in front of her dad, no less!) it warmed him enough to forget that he was buried in snow.

”Narashi reporting; I’m fine, but I got separated from the others. Just a little buried is all. Give me a sec to dig myself out.”</I>] Then Jo did something he normally wouldn’t do in front of a girl his was romantically interested in or his superior officers. He snorted, hocked the phlegm into the back of his throat, and spat. The globule of spit flew about half the distance to the edge of the pocket he’d made before falling back into Jo’s face, landing with a disgusting “splat” right onto the forward facing camera lens of his headset. Grabbing a handful of snow, Jo wiped the lens clean and apologized. ”Sorry; had to find out which way was up before I started digging. Only got so much air in here.”<i></i> The tumble and waking up in the dark had made him disoriented, and testing for gravity was the only surefire way to know which direction to dig. He prayed a silent thanks for the winter-survival training he received at the Academy and dug his way out.

It only took a few seconds to break the surface, the influx of cold, fresh air and sunlight bringing Jo some relief. He was now standing neck-deep in a snowdrift, his head poking out of the hole he’d dug. He remained still for a moment, allowing the suit to camouflage him before turning his head slowly left and right to take in his surroundings in a manner befitting a meercat. ’Alright, status report, Narashi…’ he thought to himself, organizing his thoughts. He patted himself down, checking for injuries and making sure he had all of his equipment still. Other than being a little chilly, he was physically fine. His equipment, however, had seen better days. Despite Hichiko’s instructions, Jo had lost his medical pack in the avalanche. He’d also lost all four of the extra magazines for his Dragoon, leaving him with only the twenty rounds in the bolter. ”Damn… He cursed out loud at what he found next.

The scope that had been previously attached to the top of the Dragoon was now hanging limply by a tiny scrap of metal. The rest of the bolter was in fine working order, but there was no way Jo would be able to snipe now. He unscrewed two nuts that held the picatinny rail to the top of the bolter and tossed the twisted bit of metal back into the hole, pocketing the scope. ’At least it can still be used as a spyglass.’ He thought as he crawled out of the hole and down into a clear section of the trench. The ditch was just deep enough to give him complete cover if he stayed prone.

As his instructions radioed in from the Torre, Jo propped himself up onto his elbows and used the scope to spot the Major and the half-dozen or so soldiers milling about the yard in complete confusion. There wasn’t enough cover to give him a stealthy approach to the target or protect him from the rain of bolts that would surely meet him if he dared try and cross the field at a run. There was nothing for it; he was going to have to kill those soldiers if he wanted to get at the Major. His first idea was to snipe the Major outright, then pick off the soldiers when the crowded around him to see why he’d simply fallen over. He could probably take the Major out from this distance without a scope, but even if he did, the soldiers would figure out what was going on before he could pick them all off. Once they returned fire, the reports from the bolters would give away his position and it would all be over. If only he had a fully automatic machine-bolter, he could simply mow them down.

That’s when it hit him. He laid back down in the trench and began field-stripping his bolter. As he removed the magazine and ejected the live shell, the memory of a day at the firing range flooded to the front of his mind. One of his classmates had reassembled the bolt assembly of his bolter with the firing pin upside-down, resulting in an uncontrollable slam-fire that emptied the magazine when he released the charging handle. Jo never thought he’d be breaking his firearm on purpose, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Pressing the button on the back of the receiver allowed Jo to remove the dust-cover, revealing the return spring and the bolt-carrier group; he removed the spring and the bolt assembly, smiling at the simple effectiveness of the design as he pulled apart the bolt assembly, reassembling it with the firing pin upside down. He continued putting his bolter back together in complete silence, never once mentioning to his CO’s what he was doing or why. ’Let them enjoy the show…’ he thought as he rocked the magazine into place and pulled back the charging handle, holding it in place until the time was right.

Now, to get the attention of the soldiers on the other side of the field… Jo wasn’t completely fluent in Hangul, but he’d the basics of the language quickly enough during the trip through Marsh (Quicklearner). His accent was even pretty decent, if he did say so himself. Besides, the voice he was about to create would be strained and scarred anyway. <I>”H-help! I’m t-t-trapped under the sn-sn-snow! P-please help!”<i></i> He shouted in the guttural Hangul tongue. If there was one thing that Jo knew about soldiers, it was that they’d do anything to help their brothers if they were in trouble; besides, they were dazed and confused after the avalanche and the explosion. They needed to look like they were busy doing something, especially in front of the Major. Hell, the Major looked like the kind of guy that might even join the men in trying to rescue their trapped comrade; or at least supervise their efforts. From what he’d heard over the radio and seen of the man, he looked too egotistic not to be involved somehow.

Jo thought grimly about the ridiculous size of the bolts in his Dragoon and the obscene amount of power behind each one. The round was originally designed for trench warfare, when men would line up a hundred long and three to five men deep and run screaming across an open field while being shot at. The concept behind designing the round that powerful was to conserve ammunition. Each round could go through three people before stopping in a fourth. With a quick sweep, Jo would be able to wipe out the entire group that came to him, each of the twenty rounds capable of taking out three people. If they grouped up tight enough, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel. He thanked Raiden for remembering to suppress both the Dragoon and the Tok; because, once that mag was empty, Jo would have to switch to the handbolter. He only had one chance.

He continued to cry out for help as his victims drew near, his voice growing fainter with each step. Laying in ambush was completely different from open combat, and nausea at the thought of what he was about to do filled his gut. There was no helping it, it had to be done. When he could hear their footsteps pounding in the snow in front of him, he’d pop up and spray them down with a wave of steel, dropping the Dragoon and drawing his Tok when the mag ran out. He’d kill them, he’d kill them all. When he was done, he’d retrieve that keycard from the Major, along with one of his eyes and one of his hands in case there was a retina or handprint scanner that the keycard couldn’t get them past. Jo planned on taking that fancy bolter as well. He’d need the backup since his dragoon would be worthless after this.

 

[Takaki Saeko]

”Warhead Storage” from the Metal Gear Solid OST​

Zaku​

Slowly but surely, the nondescript cardboard box moved along the floor, padding by on a pair of little feet before abruptly stopping lest it attract notice by the guards. The Crystal Eye overhead proved to be a boon for Zaku, as it allowed him to coordinate his movements for maximum stealth. The explosion had put the guards on edge, and they scanned the warehouse keenly for a human intruder, but not a cardboard one. Zaku had almost reached the door to the generator stairwell now, and all he had to do was wait for the pair of soldiers passing in front of him to walk by…

“Yah, byungshin! called out a voice from the entryway to the warehouse. Zaku’s top-down view now spied out a new arrival entering the warehouse – this one appearing to be a sergeant of some sort. The pair of soldiers patrolling the floor now stopped, practically in front of the disguised shinobi as they saluted to their superior. The sergeant walked up to the pair, starting to converse in rapid-fire hangul. Zaku started to sweat – why weren’t they moving along?!

“Hey, look, this isn’t for the commander’s ears,” said the sergeant now, switching to Kaminarijin. “But I’m freaked out by the explosion. The brass say it’s a drill, but I don’t believe them, and I haven’t been able to talk with the guys in the inner ring since then. I want you guys ready to an all-out assault. Those foreign ‘Kingslayer’ people are probably up to something. Shit, and I was looking forward to retirement soon,” he said, sighing as he lit up a cigarette, and then proceeded to sit right on top of the cardboard box containing Zaku!

“But…you know, General Sumihara trusts them,” said one of the soldiers, stretching his arms in the air.

“I don’t care what that woman thinks,” said the sergeant, shifting his weight on the box. “Shit, what’s in this fucking box, spaghetti and meatballs?” he said, bouncing his rear up and down on it. “Anyway, just keep an eye out for trouble. Fuck, I’ve got to get off of this, it’s ruining my back,” he said, rising from his seat and tossing his cigarette before leaving. The two soldiers shrugged, and resumed their patrol.

Finally, with an aching back of his own, Zaku was able to slip into the generator room. As he folded up the box, he winced at the memory of being sat on – but such was life as a shinobi. The underground chamber was far larger than he imagined – the generator was a square structure in the center of a pit sunk into the concrete floor, fed by wires and pipes full of coolant. On the walls, more pipes and valves leading to who-knows-where, and all matter of protrusions, breaker boxes, and low-hanging ducts. The space seemed to be unoccupied, however.

In front of the generator, a large red button sat next to a large green button. An electrician he was not, but Zaku surmised that the green button was the one to press. Strangely enough, however, there was no response.

“Interesting. The power coupling has been detached,” sounded Makoro’s voice over his headset. “It looks like a metal cylinder, about the size of your forearm, with exposed connectors that plug into the gap right below the ignition buttons. It’s not a part that usually needs service, however, so someone must have taken it…”

“Looking for this?” asked a female voice behind Zaku. As he whirled around, he would come face to face with a strikingly pretty girl with long, raven-black hair and a pair of piercing red eyes. She was dressed in what looked like some sort of armored schoolgirl uniform complete with miniskirt, and carried a wicked-looking katana in her right hand that swirled with ominous energy. In her left hand, she casually balanced the power coupling on her palm. “Sorry, but you can’t have it. The Boss said so,” she said, her voice a monotone.

“Ishikawa-taichou, that girl is named Shinya Mitsuru, and she’s a Kingslayer,” said Saeko over Zaku’s headset. “She’s a war-orphan from the first Bear-Marsh conflict and was raised in an elite training academy run by the People’s Republic. She is highly skilled, virtually immune to pain, and probably commands chakra use for taijutsu as well as any shinobi of your rank. Also, her blade is poisoned with multiple chemical agents and even a nick from it can mean paralysis and death. Due to her childhood, however, she is severely emotionally stunted, likely autistic, and you may be able to utilize her affection for another one of the Kingslayers, a boy named Haikuno, to distract her. I’m sending you the complete profile for him right now.” Images of an unkempt, wild-haired teenage boy flashed over Zaku’s HUD – enough for him to transform or otherwise mimic if necessary.

Kazuhiko and Tama​

The universe involuted, imploded, and then spontaneously reformed as Tama and Kazuhiko blinked out of existence and then blinked back into the world of the living in the intersecting shadow of the four towers in front of the breaker box.

In another universe, Tama’s head exploded into squishy giblets of brain matter and gore as a chance bird flew by and disrupted the flow of Higgs Bosons into a stream of nearby Muons, causing a mini fusion reaction to form in her amygdala.

In another universe, Kazuhiko’s innards suddenly became outards because of an arbitrary violation of the second law of thermodynamics by a towel-wielding hitchhiker on a planet far, far away.

In yet another universe, Captain Kichida and Leftenant Mochizuki stood aboard the bridge of the ISS Kumogakure and watched as their proton torpedos impacted the surface of the primitive planet “Ninpocho Prime” and vaporized a small “hidden village” called “Leaf” in a flagrant violation of the Prime Directive. Admiral Takaki merely chuckled and called them both to his ready-room for a brushing.

“You’ve made it to the box. Open the cover and find switches marked ‘Hanna’ and ‘Yossot’ and another pair marked ‘Dassot’ and Dul’. You must flip these four simultaneously in order to avoid catastrophically overloading the generator and making it blow up. If you mess up, Ishikawa will likely die,” said Makoro over their headsets. “Do you understand these directions?”

In front of them, the breaker box cover was only protected by a simple padlock that did not appear to be connected to anything. Once opened, it would reveal a long, horizontal row of small red levers marked in hangul characters. Devilishly enough, though, anyone who could understand the language would realize that the switches were not actually ordered according to number, making it easy for a would-be saboteur to flip the wrong switch with devastating results. A final look around by Kazuhiko did not reveal any obvious threats, but as he and Tama prepared to flip the breakers…

A sudden, loud, metal plinking sound erupted right above Kazuhiko’s head, throwing a shower of sparks down on the two shinobi. A freshly-formed .408 caliber hole now adorned the metal housing of the breaker box, and both of them would realize the same thing…

“Sniper! Get to cover, dammit!” growled Masao over their headsets.

“Fu fu fu fu! That first shot was a deliberate miss, so don’t get cocky!” lilted a woman’s voice over a set of loudspeakers overhead. “Anyway, you can’t see me, but I can see you! You can call me Marie-chan, by the way. Let’s play a game, shall we? I am somewhere in these woods, tracking your every movement. Unless you can find me and take me out in five minutes, I will blow up the entire substation. And if you try to exit the minefield, I’ll simply shoot you – believe me, I can tell where you’re going to warp. Don’t worry though, I’ve left you with something to even the odds. Look to your left, silly girl,” she said, likely indicating Tama. True to their attacker’s word, there was a wooden box painted in standard olive drab green to Tama’s side. Inside of it, an FIM-92 chakra-guided “Stinger” rocket launcher with an optical sight. Along with the launcher, there were three of the meter-long projectiles, each of them fully charged and fueled. “You have three chances, and five minutes. Have fun!”

“Your enemy is one of the Kingslayers, most likely Senada Marie. She’s a half-Kaminarijin who is a master of long-range weapons systems and explosives, and can likely make good on her threats,” said Saeko over their headsets. “Although the weaponry she has apparently provided you is unlikely to be unsafe to use, it is really a distraction piece and will be ineffective in neutralizing her as she will be rapidly moving from place to place, instead of staying in one location long enough for the FIM-92 system to achieve a positive lock. Based on her profile, though, she’s not the most coolheaded person, and unable to deal with multiple stimuli at once. I would suggest splitting her attention in any way you can. This will buy you time to corner her.”

Jo​

Jo heard the chorus of crunching bootsteps racing toward him, and with an unintelligible battlecry burst up from the snow and let go of the charging handle. The incomprehensibly savage recoil from sending an entire magazine of 7.62x54r bolts downrange at 700 rounds per minute was enough to almost rip the weapon out of his hands, and only by pressing down on the forend with all of his might was he able to keep it pointed roughly in front of him. As the greasy armorer from the Sileo had gleefully promised him they would, the stout projectiles ripped through armor plating, clothing, and flesh with ease, even managing to punch through multiple soldiers despite deforming into unrecognizable fragments by the time they slammed into the wall at the far end of the courtyard and burrowed into concrete like it was mere butter. In front of Jo, some of the men dropped immediately, while others rolled out of the way or simply slipped and fell. Knowing his weapon was now empty, the genin dropped his improvised machine-bolter and drew his ancient sidearm, methodically aligning the bladed sights on anything that still moved and pulling the trigger twice to insure a kill.

Two bolts from a Karashinikov went screaming past him so close he could feel their invisible contrails, but he continued, taking a moment to roll behind concealment and quickly reload before popping out and continuing to lay waste. His eye caught a flash of red moving in the periphery, and he spun to line up his sights on the Major, who had now drawn his Desert Falcon and was bringing it to bear in an exaggerated karate-like stance. Jo was not one to simply stop firing because the other guy had his weapon out and was making a cool pose, so he merely pulled the trigger right as his barrel intersected the Major’s face.

Instead of the expected cloud of red however, Jo’s bolt merely seemed to explode in midair with a flash of sparks as the Major’s sidearm also fired. Undeterred, the genin dumped the rest of his magazine in his enemy’s general direction, only to have the same thing happen every single time. Now there was only silence, and the sound of steam rising from the end of Jo’s empty weapon. The Major’s face broke out into a haughty leer as he started to spin his pistol-bolter around his finger with the leisurely arrogance of someone who had never had a negligent discharge in his life.

“You’re pretty good, shinobi...” purred the man, who up close was surprisingly young-looking, with a rounded jaw despite his otherwise chiseled cheekbones. “In fact, you’re the only one I’ve ever met who’s ever forced me to return fire to defend myself,” he said, licking his lips. “It’s kind of…stimulating! Still, I have to say, now that we’re up close I’m kind of embarrassed to have been equaled by the likes of you. I mean, what is that stance you’re in? And your bolter…it’s older than grandpa!” he laughed as he circled Jo, who also cautiously rotated to face his enemy, ever ready for another attack. “Let’s face it; you’re hopelessly outclassed by me. I’m more up to date, more high-speed, less low-drag, more…tacticool. Yes, that’s right, tacticool. Tactical AND Cool.”

Despite himself, Jo could not help but laugh at the sheer, mallninja ridiculousness of his foe. Upon seeing this, the Major’s face contorted into a mask of indignant rage.

“H-h-how DARE you insult The Ocelot?! S-s-s-self-Esteem Team, come out!” cried the man, holding back tears. He threw his head back, as if to utter a battlecry, except what came out was more like: “MEEEEOOOOWWWWWW!”

“Jesus Saito, he’s completely batshit. And that’s coming from ME,” said Makoro, shaking his head.

Unfortunately, the shameful feline utterance had actually been a summoning call, and from around the corners of nearby buildings and behind blocks of scattered debris, at least two fireteams of men clad in black balaclavas, red berets, and sleek black uniforms carrying Karashnikov bolters rushed onto the scene, surrounding the Major and pointing their weapons at Jo.

“Did the bad man insult you, Major Ocelot?!” one of them asked angrily, pointing at Jo. “Don't worry, WE think you’re cool!” said another, patting his commander on the back. “Do you want us to dispose of that shinobi?! He's not even worth your time! Hahaha!” they laughed in unison.

“No, not yet,” said the Major, regaining his confidence. “I’m going to make you eat your words, shinobi. Me and you, we’re going to settle this like men, with our fists. That’s right, roll up your sleeves and come at me, bro. If you beat me, I’ll give you…I’ll give you whatever you want, but if I beat you, you have to get on your hands and knees and kiss my boots! And...and you have to let me go out with your girlfriend!” he said, taking off his gloves and balling up his fists as he started to hop around on his feet. The apparent elite “Self-Esteem Team” now spread around the two in a circle, ready to prevent Jo and the Major from running off.

“Narashi-san…I’m actually at a loss for words here. I can’t help you with this guy. I’m really sorry,” said Saeko over his headset, facepalming.

 

[Morishige]

With Saeko feeding me information in my ear, I faced my opponent with a look of determination. However the truth was, I was afraid. The fact that someone could sneak up on me was a problem in itself, but her attitude is what intimidating me the most. The title kingslayer was not an easy one to earn, and based on what I was told, she was no grunt of the operation. Things were not looking good for me and I needed to think-- fast.

Even with the information about her emotions towards another of the evil group, I still needed to keep myself out of the range of her sword. But what I really needed was a plan. It was the power coupling that I needed, and she either needed to be dead, or taken care of in some way so that she wouldn't alert the entire complex to intruders. Neither would be easy, but my main goal was disruption of the situation so that I could have more time to think. She didn't give me much to work with speech wise, so I slowly peered around to find all the possible exits. One thing was for sure, I didn't want her running away with what I needed.

With swift precision, I pulled a smoke bomb from my pouch and deployed it, retreating away from her while forming hand seals. In mere seconds, I had taken on the appearance of her 'friend' and then proceeded to make a few more seals, throwing my hands against the ground to force chunks of solid earth to raise and block all the exits. Of course, it could have been a waste of chakra if she had behemoth strength hidden in her little body. But based on Saeko's information, I believed that not to be the case.

With the exits blocked, and my new identity assumed, I needed to think quickly about how I would incapacitate her. One thing was for sure, I didn't want her to get close to me, so that required a ranged tactic; but I didn't have a ranged tactic aside from some ninjutsu. However, ninjutsu was noisy and I had already chanced compromise by sealing off the exits. Also it took up quite a bit of chakra and I wanted to conserve just in case a harder fight was ahead. My mind rifled through my arsenal until it came upon an option with was so ridiculous it had to work.

Pulling out the cardboard box and a vial of lullaby powder, I proceeded to place the box on the ground as a decoy. I took a look around and could tell the smoke was dissapating and I needed to make myself scarce... or did I? I conjured up a single Mud Clone in the image of Haikuno and had him stand next to the card board box and then dashed over to the nearest exit to slip into the earth itself with Inner Earth Reflection Lure. Inside of the Mud clones head was the vial of Lullaby powder.

Here was the plan: When the smoke cleared, Mitsuru would find what she would think was me in Haikuno's form, next to the card board box. Her reactions were limited to offensive or perhaps confusion because of her disability, either way, I would need to somehow her close enough to the clone for the next step. When within range, I would use the mud clones primary use: debilitation. The clone would leap onto her, dissolving into a thick mud and quickly hardening. Hopefully in this time of surprise and immobilization, I would be able to shift the mud within the head of the clone to push the vial to the surface, and the crack it with the 'hard teeth' of the clone, turning it into an aerosol form. Unless she had special training, she would hard pressed to stay awake. I couldn't risk the coupling getting damaged from a direct confrontation, and this was the best course of action my time-restricted mind could come up with.

If this didn't work, trickery wouldn't work again. I would need to face her in combat... Something I did not want to happen.

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

Jo burst from the cover of the trench, shouting a battle cry as he released the charging handle on his Dragoon: ”Eulalia!” the faces of the young men before him didn’t have time to switch from hurried concern to shock as the bolts ripped into their ranks, shredding them into bloody piles of death. Screams filled the air as those who were wounded fell, and the sound of bolter fire from karashinikovs tore through the din. Jo felt two bolts fly past his face, making his manhood jump up to where his heart would’ve been if it weren’t already in his throat. Had it not been for the forward perpendicular grip on his now-autobolter, he would’ve lost control. Instead, he was able to sweep it back and forth once before the magazine ran out; a devastating broom of death. Once it was empty, Jo dropped the Dragoon and drew his Tokari, dispatching the remaining combatants, and giving mercy to the survivors.

Thoughts about what he was doing didn’t stop him, the horrors of war didn’t stay his hand. In battle, he was fierce and relentless. He would remember the torn bodies later; he’d see them in his dreams, whenever he closed his eyes. He’d remember men begging for mercy as he leveled the bolter at their heads and pulled the trigger. He’d feel the kick of the Dragoon he’d unleashed, and watch them die over and over again. None of that mattered now. All he cared about at this instant was retrieving the Access Card and getting home safely to the ones he cared about.

Then he saw the Major; Jo cursed at the mans luck for not being caught in his ambush before he turned and fired on him… then again… than again! And again and again until his bolter ran out. Had he been granted with the ability to see the world in slow motion, he’d see the oversized rounds of the Desert Falcon swallowing the relatively small bolts from his Tok, absorbing the impact before dropping to the ground. Jo automatically dropped the empty magazine and reloaded; ’Last mag…’ he thought sullenly, loath to fire again at the wall of lead before him and waste the ammunition.

Jo watched his enemy carefully, circling around even as he did, all the while listening to the mans monologue. Jo couldn’t help but snicker at Ocelots arrogance. The Major’s “Battle Cry” turned Jo’s snicker into suppressed laughter, and Makoro’s comment made his sides hurt in an attempt to conceal his humor. What wasn’t funny was the heavily armed backup that surged out of nowhere. Ocelot’s “Self Esteem Team” might’ve been mindless fanatics, but they were heavily armed mindless fanatics; and that made all the difference. Jo aimed his Tok at them, switching from one target to the next, knowing that even if he got off the first shot, he’d be torn apart in a hail of lead.

He was surprised, however, at the Ocelot’s demand of hand-to-hand combat, and his terms if Jo should win or lose. Jo smiled his small smile then, and holstered his Tok. Jo spoke as he removed his heavier winter gloves, revealing the fingerless leather gloves strapped to his hands beneath them (Billy-Badass Gloves: D-Rank unarmed weapon that allows handseals), letting the biting chill numb his hands for what was to come. ”You know as well as I do that if I lose, my life is forfeit. So it won’t really wound my pride all that much to kiss your boots. As for my girlfriend…” Jo chuckled, knowing Saeko was listening in. ”She’d readily kill us both before she let you touch her. Me for losing, and you for making the mistake of thinking she’s a prize to be won or lost. So; here’s what I want if I win. I want to teach you a lesson in humility you’ll not soon forget. If I win, you will command your “Self Esteem Team” to commit seppuku here and now. You will then strip naked and run to the nearest monastery and devote your life to their memories; for they so believed in you that they’d willingly give their lives in your honor.” Jo knew it was a long shot; but from what he’d seen, they were all so bat-shit crazy that they just might do it. If they didn’t, well, he’d have to show them why it was dangerous to back a shinobi into a corner. Besides it being amusingly humiliating, Ocelots stripping naked would leave Jo the keycard without giving away his intentions if things went south.

Jo squared up to the man named “Revolver Ocelot”, and analyzed his opponent. He was a good shot; Jo had only ever seen one better, and he had been the marksman instructor at the academy. The boy was only eleven years old, but he could shoot an aspirin out of the air at a hundred meters. They’d nicknamed him “Hawkeye-sensei” for his absurd skills. Everything about the Major gave Jo an insight into his personality. He was flashy, that much was certain; between the brand new double-action semi-auto that he was twirling like a single-action revolver (asking for a misfire) and his “battle cry”, there left no doubt that he liked to put on a show. That and his wounded pride led Jo to believe that he would more than likely be a head-hog, swinging at his opponents head in order to prove a point or teach a lesson. Jo knew better than that. You were supposed to focus your attacks on the soft parts of the body; the joints, the abdomen, the throat, the groin, or the pressure points. Unless you liked the feeling of broken knuckles, you never punched the head. Jo made a mental note to keep his guard up, and to bob-and-weave enough to make his cranium a smaller target. If he was as showy as Jo thought, he’d also use a lot of fancy-looking moves that looked cooler than they were effective. He also made a note to keep his attacks short, sweet, and to the point; nothing fancy, just a good, old-fashioned ass kicking.

If things went south, Jo could always draw his knife and his bolter and go all out. He smiled inwardly at the fact that the “Self Esteem Team” was standing in a perfect circle. They were just fanatical enough not to think before firing. All he’d have to do is drop to the ground at the last second and let them kill each other in their own crossfire.

Revolver Ocelot had made a mistake when he challenged Jo to a fist-fight. Jo was way better at hand-to-hand combat than marksmanship. Besides, if Ocelot spent as much time as Jo surmised he did at the range, that would leave precious little to train in martial combat.

Actions & Stats:

Spoiler

Active Effects:

Core Ability: Quick Learner

Sharp Insight - Passive (2 points)
An enemy's weaknesses are open for a Quick Learner to read, and to hit them with, that they can tell what their opponent is less skilled at and what they need to do to hit them.
Effect: If the targeted opponent's Ninjutsu is lower than their Taijutsu, the user's Ninjutsu damage is increased by 10%. If the opponent's Taijutsu is lower than their Ninjutsu, the user's Taijutsu damage is increased by 10%. If both stats are equal, both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu are raised by 5%.

Offensive Insight- Boost (1 point) x2
Restriction- May be purchased twice
A Quick Learner who has been gifted with Insight can easily learn to take that power to an offensive end rather than defensive. Instead of analyzing enemy movement to see when they should evade attacks, they do so to see when is the best time to strike.
Effect: Adds a 5% auto-hit to the user's attacks.

Upgrade - Passive (2 points)
Quick Learners are naturally a bit faster on their feet than their opponents, so this leads them to have a bit more time to formulate specialized techniques. This comes at the sacrifice of a bit of action beforehand, but to work out one of their plans, they often find it worth it.
Effect: User can choose to have .5 AP removed from one round and added to the next. Cannot change over more than 1.5 AP this way.

Tactical Mind - Passive (2 points)
Every battle is a game of chess to a Quick Learner, a means with which to hone their minds and skills. Those opponents they choose to practice these skills on don't generally fare too well.
Effect: +1 accuracy with all Mastered jutsu. Additional +.5 accuracy to all attacks every round after the second. Cannot gain more than +4 accuracy on any attack.

Abilities:

Quick Reaction
Some shinobi are able to move and react at a quicker pace than others. Because of this trait, the user is more skilled in hand to hand combat, knowing that by moving in close to attack, the enemy has left themselves vulnerable for a moment, giving them a window of opportunity for a more precise strike.
Information
Prerequisites: D-Rank
Effect: If the user dodges an attack, the user may declare a jutsu to be used as a counterattack against the attacker at +1 Accuracy/DC. The user pays all costs normally.
Notes:
- This includes Basic Strikes / Called Shots (They are a part of Taijutsu).
- This action is modded immediately after the attack they dodged, can only target the attacker, and cannot be a bind.
- This can only occur twice per round and may not be used in conjunction with the Teamwork ability.
- An Ally can not set off the effects of quick reaction.
- The user can not quick react and target multiple people, but may still use an AoE technique on a single target.

Initiative
Whether it be a fight or a race, these people will always take the chance to move ahead of time, before their opponents could even react. Gaining the advantage of surprise to those who would fall behind.
Information
Prerequisites: D-Rank
Effect: The user is capable of prioritizing 1 AP worth of actions per round which are modded as 0 AP but all costs are paid as normal.
Notes:
- This does not include Binds.
- Does not stack with other AP-prioritizing abilities (such as Seikon's Unreal Celerity).

Combo Master
The user is gifted with fluid agility and and quick speed, and is able to link together their attacks in a fashion which can often overwhelm an opponent, allowing the user to hit more effectively.
Information
Prerequisites: D Rank
Effect:
- The second attack in the users Combo-attack cannot be auto-dodged, and has a 10% of auto-hitting if the first attack hit.
- Once per round, the user may Combo up to three attacks (Instead of the cap of two).

Taijutsu:

Janken: Master Rank
A simple 3-hit combo given the title of a child's game.
Information
Prerequisites: E-rank, A weapon with the Unarmed Damage Type.
Rank 1: 3 Strikes at normal Accuracy dealing 65 Damage each.
Rank 2: 3 Strikes at normal Accuracy dealing 85 Damage each.
Special Action: By paying an additional +20% Cp, the user may choose a single effect:
- Rock: The user combines all three strikes into a single strike dealing 200/250 Damage with a +6%/+8% chance to cause suppression.
- Paper: The user combines all three strikes into a single strike dealing 200/250 Damage with a +4%/+5% chance to cause bleeding.
- Scissors: The user combines all three strikes into a single dealing 200/250 Damage ignoring 5% Damage Reduction.
Rank 1 Cost: 65 Cp
Rank 2 Cost: 80 Cp
Notes:
- Rock can only cause Suppression successfully once per round.
- Paper can only cause Bleeding successfully once per round.

The One-Two Master Rank
A simple set of punches or kicks delivered to an opponent.
Information
Prerequisites: E-rank, A weapon with the Unarmed Damage Type.
Rank 1: 2 Strikes at Normal Accuracy dealing 100 Damage each.
Rank 2: 2 Strikes at Normal Accuracy dealing 125 Damage each.
Rank 1 Cost: 65 Cp
Rank 2 Cost: 80 Cp

Low Sweep: Master Rank
A low striking blow meant to trip an opponent.
Information
Prerequisites: E-rank, A weapon with the Unarmed Damage Type.
Rank 1: 1 Strike at -1 Accuracy dealing 210 Damage. Upon a Full Hit, this has a 6% chance to inflict a -1 Accuracy to the targets next Offensive Action.
Rank 2: 1 Strike at -1 Accuracy dealing 260 Damage. Upon a Full Hit, this has a 8% chance to inflict a -1 Accuracy to the targets next Offensive Action.
Rank 1 Cost: 70 Cp
Rank 2 Cost: 85 Cp
Notes:
- This does not stack.

Uncalled-For-Shot: Master Rank
A dirty strike in which the user strikes quickly snapping a kick between the legs of a target.
Information
Prerequisites: E-rank, A weapon with the Unarmed Damage Type.
Rank 1: 1 Strike at +3 Accuracy dealing 170 Damage. Upon a Full Hit, this has a 8% chance to inflict a -1 Dodge to the next Offensive Action targeting the target.
Rank 2: 1 Strike at +3 Accuracy dealing 220 Damage. Upon a Full Hit, this has a 10% chance to inflict a -1 Dodge to the next Offensive Action targeting the target.
Rank 1 Cost: 55 Cp
Rank 2 Cost: 70 Cp
Notes:
- This does not stack.

Actions:

As I’m not quite sure how many “rounds” this fight will last, I’ll Simply give a list of the attack combo’s I’d use. If you need to G-Mod me performing an action I didn’t list or RP my intent to perform, or if my characters actions exceed his ability to perform them, please feel free to modify them. Also, if Jo must die so that the mission can be sucessful, I'm OK with it. He's probably one of my favorite characters ever, and I'd hate to lose him; but this is an S-Rank Mission; so I knew the risks when I signed him up.

-Combining Janken’s 3 special moves into a 3-part combo using the Combo Master Ability, and increasing the speed at which it’s performed using the Initiative Ability

-Declaring Uncalled-For-Shot as the counter-attack for the Quick Reaction Ability, and increasing the speed at which it’s performed using the Initiative Ability

-Combining The One-Two and Low Sweep using the Combo Master Ability, and increasing the speed at which it is performed using the Initiative Ability

-Any other combination of hand-to-hand combat strikes you feel like throwing in

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Kichida Kazuhiko​

Kazuhiko instinctively pushed Tama to the ground as the bullet slammed into the panel above them. Sniper, Kazuhiko thought, Damn this blizzard! He hadn’t been paying attention to the trajectory of the bullet, but if this girl was as good as Saeko-san was saying, she would be moving immediately after shooting anyway.

“Fu fu fu. That first shot was a deliberate miss, so don’t get cocky!” came the voice over the loudseakers. Great a talker, Haikuno should train his friends better. She would have had an easy victory had she just sniped us both. Naive. But it’s two-on one, and now that I have a grasp on her personality and background, I may have a shot despite her environmental advantage.

Warping to the roof of the building, he used his chakra to magnify his voice, this was the first time he had ever been this angry. “Senada-san, you are one of Haikuno’s friends no doubt. Thank you for taking care of him all this time.” He bowed to no one in particular, knowing that she would see him from wherever he stood. “Still, as Haikuno’s former teacher, I can see that you have much to learn. Making mistakes that I know I drilled out of Haikuno long ago. Don’t you think you’re biting off a bit more than you can chew?” Kazuhiko took a deep breath as he composed himself, his idea was an extremely risky one and he was angry enough to go through with it. He was betting completely on Saeko-san’s analysis and the one-liner he had just heard. A cocky person, sure of her abilities and proud of her accomplishments. Still as a sniper she had her disadvantages. As was pointed out, dealing with multiple targets was a weakness of hers. Still, I doubt that Enishi or Haikuno would send her here alone knowing that. This means that I might have a hidden assailant to deal with as well. If that’s the case, her taunt may have been planned. But if it wasn’t I will be extremely angry.

He began forming handseals he knew she could see. Whether or not they were understandable to her were another thing. “Your first mistake. Not shooting one of us when you had the chance. You are in a two-on-one situation, neither of us knew you were there, wasting that opportunity on simply startling us was foolish and reckless. You are up against shinobi. Take every advantage you can, because we will do the same to you.” Shadows began to swirl around Kazuhiko’s feet. Step one completed. “Your second mistake. Preparing this ‘game’ of yours. Seriously, if you knew we were coming you could have prepared traps, worked to separate us, the possibilities were endless. When I had heard of the battle between Nemoto-san, Keiji-san and that Kingslayer, Yukiko, I had great respect for her as a warrior. She did everything in her power to place her opponents in unfavorable odds, putting her very life on the line in pursuit of her goal. You call yourself her comrade, you don’t have an ounce of the dedication that Marie did to your cause. Even Haikuno, who only recently joined your group, knows to take this seriously. Or did you simply come here to die? Your actions shame her sacrifice.” Preparations complete. Let’s hope she falls for my provocation. Kazuhiko was trying to provoke her, but he was legitimately angry. How were these people going to defend Haikuno’s dreams? With this kind of half-assed attack? I will force you to be serious. He had prepared himself to take a shot, now how would she respond, how would Tama respond? Kazuhiko didn’t know, and a part of him didn’t care. He struggled to get a hold of his emotions as his Seikon blade shimmered into existence in his left hand.

“Bigger.” The katana shimmered into a claymore, and then a larger monstrosity of a sword that seemed to defy physics. “Bigger.” The convenient thing about the Seikon’s reality-sundering blade was that it was not made of metal, but from the very fabric of reality itself. This meant that the Seikon could wield a blade that defied even the crazy physics that allowed people to wield swords as large as the humans who wielded them. It weighed nothing, and cut through only what the Seikon wished to cut. Soon the blade was ridiculously huge, about as wide as the building Kazuhiko stood on, and the length extended to the opposite edge of the grove of trees. But it was missing something. An image of Masao tending to his hair supplies flashed through his mind. Ah yes, that would be appropriate. Strands began to descend from the understand of the blade, each extremely flexible, yet razor sharp. The rest of the sword began to change until Kazuhiko was now wielding the largest, and deadliest, hairbrush in history. “Forgive me if my technique is off. I usually don’t handle the brushings in my department.” With that he began to slowly draw the physics-defying brush across the forest from left-to-right.

Mochizuki Tama​

Tama had suddenly ate a faceful of snow as she was thrust down by Kazuhiko. “Oi! Bakahiko! What was that for?” she yelled into the snow so it sounded more like, “Mm! Mmm! Mmmmm!” Then she heard Sanada Marie arrogantly taunt them through the loudspeaker.

“You have three chances and five minutes. Have fun!”

That cocky sniper! Just who does she think she’s dealing with! Have fun! Oh, I will alright. I’ll have so much fun, I’ll explode!

But then she heard Kazuhiko and froze. He was angry, crazily angry. Angrier than she had ever seen him before. Tama’s original plan was to simply shoot the minefield with the rockets and wait behind a barrier as the stupid Kingslayer girl tried to dodge the explosions. But knowing that Kazuhiko, a man who rarely showed emotion to begin with, with bursting with rage, was enough to make even Tama calm down and think. Even if the reason was so that his attention wouldn’t turn towards her. I can flip the switches while he’s being angry! That way I’ll be helping and putting that girlie in her place. She was grinning as she silently ran through handseals, summoning two wind clones that would stand at either circuit box, ready to flip both switches on Tama’s command.

Kazuhiko seemed to be goading the sniper chick into taking shots at him, and if this girl was as good as Saeko-san said, he might not survive the onslaught. I also need to distract her. Tama looked around and remembered her original plan. But why use rockets, where I can use meteors! “Make sure you pay attention, audience member, because you’re about to see stars! Sniper no sniping!” Tama yelled as loud as she could. Running through the required handseals, Tama summoned large streaks of light to bombard the forest, setting a few ablaze with the energy released. While the stars were falling, Tama signaled her wind clones to flip the switches simultaneously, Hanna and Yossot, and Dassot and Dul..

Actions

Spoiler

Kazuhiko

1. Warp to roof & Begin Lecture
2. Set-up Shadow Auto-Dodge
3. Finish Lecture & Activate Sunder Reality
4. Modify into Swordbrush (Soulsword Overdrive)
5. Begin brushing

Tama

1. Summon Wind Clones
2. Set-up Barrier
3. Reinforce Barrier with Light Barrier
4. Use Meteor Storm on the forest
5. Activate Wind Clones to flip switches

Action timeline

K1, T1, K2, T2, T3, K3, T4, K4, T5, K5

Notes:
Kazuhiko set-up an auto-dodge in case Marie shoots him, but he can only dodge one bullet that way. He has steeled himself to be shot if necessary. Tama memorized the correct switches and programmed her clones to flip them simultaneously

 

[Takaki Saeko]

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Kazuhiko and Tama​

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“Former teacher, eh? You must be that guy! Kichida Kazuhiko!” exclaimed Marie over the loudspeakers in response to the chuunin. “Haikuno-kun still gushes over you like a stupid schoolboy…” she purred. “But you must not have been a very good teacher for him, because he’s still a clueless git! That’s okay, though. When you’re dead you can be confident knowing that I’m going to take care of him from now on!”

“Your first mistake. Not shooting one of us when you had the chance. You are in a two-on-one situation, neither of us knew you were there, wasting that opportunity on simply startling us was foolish and reckless. You are up against shinobi. Take every advantage you can, because we will do the same to you.”

Over the loudspeaker, Marie tittered mockingly. A mere centimeter away from Kazuhiko’s left temple, a small hole suddenly gaped open in the painted breaker box cover, accompanied by a *plink*.

“Hey sensei, that wasn’t a miss. If I wanted to, I could have nailed you right between the eyes. Or maybe in your left nut. But you have to understand, shooting people has gotten boring lately. I’ve killed stronger goons than you from across entire countries. So I like playing games, because compared to my power, your little handseals, your little advantages ...aren’t going to do shit,” she snarled.

“Your second mistake. Preparing this ‘game’ of yours. Seriously, if you knew we were coming you could have prepared traps, worked to separate us, the possibilities were endless. When I had heard of the battle between Nemoto-san, Keiji-san and that Kingslayer, Yukiko, I had great respect for her as a warrior. She did everything in her power to place her opponents in unfavorable odds, putting her very life on the line in pursuit of her goal. You call yourself her comrade, you don’t have an ounce of the dedication that Marie did to your cause. Even Haikuno, who only recently joined your group, knows to take this seriously. Or did you simply come here to die? Your actions shame her sacrifice.”

A .410 caliber tungsten penetrator bolt suddenly slammed into the meat of Kazuhiko’s thigh, tearing a ragged exit wound that splattered red, steaming blood across the snow. Funnily enough for the chuunin, it wasn’t immediately painful – it was more akin to suddenly being punched in the leg by Tama, but he felt his leg buckle and give way, forcing him to one knee.

“Never say her name again, asshole!” she growled over the loudspeaker. “You didn’t know her! You don’t miss her like I do! You godrotting shinobi killed her!” she shrieked, as a hail of projectiles now exited from the woods and peppered the ground, the other circuit boxes, and Kazuhiko as well. Violent fireworks of crimson erupted from the backs of his arms, his other legs, and the side of his temple as a bolt nearly entered his brain but was deflected at the last second by latent Seikon self-preservation. The snow around him steamed from scarlet gore and Kazuhiko struggled to stay upright. “Bleed to death and get blown to pieces! I was going to let at least one of you fuck off back to Kumo but now you can both just DIE!”

Her tears occluding the focusing iris she wore as a monocle, Senada Marie tore her view away from the high-powered scope with Kazuhiko in centered in the crosshairs, and with shaking hands reached down to a pouch on her waist, taking out a simple, yellow control box with a large red button in its center. When she pressed it, two tons of Sunan explosive clay would detonate under the substation, enough to disintegrate an area of at least a kilometer in diameter. Yukiko-chan, I’m sorry he’s not the little bitch who killed you, but at least I’ll have killed a few more of them… she thought, before moving her thumb over the button. She started to press it…

Before the trees near her abruptly shredded into tiny slivers of bark and denuded leaves under a silvery curtain of what looked like the hairs of a brush!

She let out a wordless shriek as she suddenly leapt away, dropping the control box in her haste. Before she should get to it, however, it shattered into tiny slivers of metal and plastic as the deadliest brush in human history gently passed over it. Her sniper ballista shared the same fate, literally falling apart like wheat through a thresher, and Marie avoid the same fate only by leaping aside again and starting to bolt through the woods.

As she ran from her destroyed sniper’s hide, the Kingslayer reached into the small, stylish backpack she wore and pulled out a gray rectangle of metal and polymer that with a flick of her wrist unfolded into a compact, Kelmura-Tec SU-16 carbine-bolter. She was rapidly running out of forest to hide in, and if she ran too much longer, she’d be in danger of falling off one of the mountain cliff faces that was a guaranteed ten-thousand-foot drop. But she had taken out targets from further away with mere slingshots – her small carbine would be enough to kill the two shinobi, for sure. Finding a convenient forking branch, she rested the weapon on it and took aim. The first to go would be the bastard of a sensei, and then after he was dead she would grant the silly kunoichi with him a quick death as well. She took aim at Kazuhiko’s chest…

“Make sure you pay attention, audience member, because you’re about to see stars! Sniper no sniping!” shouted Tama suddenly.

The forest around Marie suddenly exploded into a hellstorm of falling stars, sending deep, roiling echoes of the blasts bounding off every mountainside around them. A second later, delayed by the differences in sound transmission from differing locations, a roaring*BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTT* sound erupted from the clouds like divine or demonic flatulence. A split second later, four switches went from up to down…without incident.

“Excellent kill, Mochizuki-san and Kichida-san. The chance of her surviving a direct hit from an A-10 level jutsu is less than 0.01 percent,” said Saeko over their headsets as the forest grew silent.

“Kichichi , your heartrate is reaching 120 and your blood pressure is dropping below 100 systolic. You are entering stage 3 hemorrhagic shock,” said Hichiko calmly over the headset. “I need you to lay down with your head below the level of your heart and hold direct pressure on the large wound on your thigh, since you are losing the most blood from that one. Meanwhile, Tamacchi, I need you to go through one of your medical packs and find a cylindrical device labeled ‘BIG-GUN Autoinjector Mark IV’. Undo his clothes until you see his bare chest. Swab his skin with a chlorhexidine wipe and then place the orange end right in the center, between his nipples, before pressing the opposite end. Really, I’m not being pervy, guys. Kichichi, several large needles will spring from the end and penetrate your sternum – do not pull away, please. Tamacchi, hold him down if you have to. The device will automatically inject a large volume of suspended plasma, cryoprecipitate, and erythrocyte progenitors into his central circulation, but it needs at least two minutes. After that, you may inject him with a morphine syrette, but NOT before, okay? Otherwise you’ll lower his blood pressure too much and cause him to die,” she said, her voice a mixture of sugar-sweetness and plain-old surgical candor.

“The switches have been correctly flipped. You are suggested to move on to the rendezvous point,” said Makoro, deliberately avoiding addressing Tama directly.

Jo​

<i></i>

“As for my girlfriend… She’d readily kill us both before she let you touch her. Me for losing, and you for making the mistake of thinking she’s a prize to be won or lost,” said Jo smugly.

“Hah! Fine, I accept your terms, shinobi,” spat Ocelot, dancing a bit on the balls of his feet as he readied himself for the fight.

“Narashi-san, who is this ‘girlfriend’ you’re talking about? You know that your division prohibits unsanctioned relationships,” said Masao.

“He’s just bluffing his opponent, Takaki-sama. And that’s only a rule in the academy,” responded Saeko quickly.

With the catlike grace suggested by his nickname, Revolver Ocelot circled slowly around Jo, his fists raised in a traditional boxing stance. Jo, meanwhile, assumed his own ready stance to meet his opponent head-on. Periodically, one of the members of the apparent “Self-Esteem Team” would shout out either encouragement to the Major or a catcall directed at Jo. After a few more seconds of palpable, overwhelming tension, the two fighters’ eyes met, and both men leapt at each other.

Jo as the first to strike, bashing his fists into Ocelot’s midsection and yielding a satisfying crack of yielding bone while the Major’s elbow smashed into the bridge of his nose and pushed it sickeningly to the side. Gouts of blood erupted from the genin’s nostrils as the Major proceeded to try to grapple him around the waist, only to get a knee between the legs that barely missed his most sensitive parts but still forced him to back off. The Major coughed, spitting a stream of blood into Jo’s eyes before launching into a savage roundhouse that would have taken the genin’s head off at the shoulders, only to have it deflected by a well-timed block and riposte right into the man’s pelvis. What happened next was all but imperceptible to the naked eye, except for the fact that when it was all over, Jo had the Major pinned on the ground on his back, his face a swollen mess, with his shoulder about to pop from the socket.

“Ah, Jo-kun remembered the basics of CQC!” gushed Hichiko in approval. “Saeko-chan, I might want to steal him from you,” she teased over the line.

“Hitch, don’t be a bitch,” hissed Saeko, nearly inaudibly.

“What’s this about stealing?” asked Masao, raising an eyebrow.

“N-nothing, Takaki-sama!” protested his daughter.

“You….you actually…defeated me… Pretty…good,” growled Ocelot as he grasped feebly at Jo’s forearm. He coughed, spitting up a bloody wad of mucus that trailed down the side of his cheek. “Now…let no one say…that Revolver Ocelot wasn’t a man of his word…” he groaned, getting shakily to his feet. “Ocelot Youth, you heard the man!” he barked at the black-clad team surrounding the two fighters. With frightening precision and unity, the masked men lowered their bolters and saluted.

“M-m-m-major! It is the utmost honor to live and die at your command!” bellowed their subcommander.

“Men…it was an honor to have served the Dear Leader with you. I only hope I can be a better commander to you in the afterlife than I was here,” said Ocelot as he saluted back, a single tear forming at the corner of his eye.

“Atten-HUT!” shouted the masked officer. “Assume formation!” he bellowed. With the same precision and coordinated grace, the twelve men of the Ocelot Youth ejected the magazines from their bolters, ejected their live rounds from their chambers, and knelt. After carefully placing their bolters down in the snow, as if to avoid marring the finish, they unbuttoned their jackets and blouses underneath, exposing their washboard abdomens to the cold. Ocelot himself now proceeded to tear off his own uniform, reducing his outerwear to a single, administration-mandated censor-bar between his legs, and also knelt in the snow, facing his men. Even Jo could not help but admire the look of stony resolve written across the man’s bruised, swollen, bloody face as he knelt forward to the men in a bow of abject apology.

Each man reached into a belt holster propped against the small of their backs, and withdrew… a yellow Frisbee, which each man proceeded to then fold in half, and shove into his mouth.

“Mmmph mmm mmmmjrrr! [We’re sorry, Major!]” they bellowed in unison before springing to their feet and dashing off within the blink of an eye, Frisbees still crammed in their gullets. Naked Ocelot’s jaw dropped in a mixture of surprise and fury as he sprang to his feet in indignation.

“Y-y-you bastards!” he huffed at the departed unit before fixing a vengeful gaze on Jo. “This isn’t over yet! This is FAR from over!” he growled, pointing at the genin before himself dashing away before anyone had a chance to react. Once again, Jo found himself alone and bewildered.

“He’s changed since I last encountered him,” sighed Makoro. “Fortunately for you, he’s left his clothing as promised. The keycard should be the only thing you need from it. If your other teammates have come through with their responsibilities, you should be able to open the warhead storage blast doors.”

“Narashi-san, you should take his beret. It might contain…valuable information or hidden things,” said Saeko.

“Saeko-chan, I didn’t know you were into that,” teased Hichiko, until an audible *fwap* was heard over the speaker. “Jojo! Your nose is broken, but there’s nothing serious otherwise. I think the look fits you well, but if you’re having trouble breathing, just insert the index finger from each hand up each nostril, and pull the whole thing toward the center. Since you lost your medical pack, you'll just have to suck it up and deal with the pain, sweetie.”

Zaku​

<i></i>

“I’ll be leaving now,” said Mitsuru in her monotone, surprising Zaku for a second. She twisted her body as if to turn away, but stopped suddenly. “Just kidding. I actually intend to kill you. That was the joke.”

With literally incomprehensible speed her katana flashed a purple arc through the air right at the Captain’s midsection, as if to cut him in twain at the waist. However, instead of the expected rush of severed intestines and fecal matter, the weapon merely bisected a common wooden log in his place as a small explosion saturated the entire room in chocking gray smoke. Kwarimi-no-jutsu was the oldest trick in the book, but there was a damned good reason every shinobi in the Ninpocho Universe had it from day one. Concrete strained and cracked as clay from outside forced itself through the walls and blocked off the easy exits.

Mitsuru closed her eyes as she hung from the ceiling in a defensive pose. Really, the shinobi she was up against was seriously underestimating her if he thought a smokescreen would blunt her combat effectiveness. Part of the training she had undergone in the years-long hell of Marsh Special Forces boot camp was to fight in the dark, or without the use of any of the other senses, for that matter. Sensory deprivation and zero-visibility combat was second nature to her. As she sniffed the air, a memory flooded back to her.

Bindfolded, she and the person she could probably call her best friend, Ayano, groped their way through the unforgiving pile of jagged metal in front of them at the worktable. Their instructors had completely disassembled at least ten bolters of varying makes and models and piled the parts, even the little springs and pins, roughly on the coarse wooden table in front of them. Some of the smaller bits, the little tiny roll pins integral to the function of some of the weapons, had fallen to the floor, and periodically, Mitsuru and Ayano would have to feel around for them, grasping at anything they could.

Their assignment was to sift through the pile and assemble a functional weapon, as well as chamber a round of the correct ammunition, before their time was up. Even the bolts themselves were of varying caliber and fit, and were also tossed randomly into the pile. Trying to fire the wrong caliber would cause a jam at best, or cause their weapon to blow up at worst. So they struggled on, desperately pressing pins into holes with the flat and pointy ends of other weapon parts – tools were nowhere to be found. Mitsuru’s hand brushed over Ayano’s – the room was freezing and wet, and both girls instinctively squeezed each others’ hand, enjoying the warmth and tenderness, before resuming their work.

The future Kinglayer’s shaking fingers brushed over the rim of a 9x18mm caliber bolt and she inserted it into the magazine she had assembled. She inserted the magazine into the grip of her PM-model pistol and drew the slide back. She let go, and with a satisfying clink it went into battery, right before Ayano did the same with her own weapon.

Mitsuru extended her arm, pressed the muzzle of her bolter against Ayano’s temple, and pulled the trigger. As she heard the body crumple to the ground, an instructor nearby grunted his approval.

“Next pair, start,” said the man as Mitsuru shakily walked away, stepping over the body of her best friend.

“I am crying…” she muttered to herself, shaking her head. But that is acceptable. The Boss told me it’s okay to do that. That is why I must serve him above all else. I hope Haikuno praises me when I kill this one, she thought, locating the figure of a man in the smoke. Silently, she dropped to the floor, before lunging at the man!

Haikuno!! Her eyes widened as she came face to face with her fellow Kingslayer. No, that is a clone, she realized, before bringing the blade down on its head. Still, the moment of hesitation had been enough for the mindless construct to leap at her, smashing at least seventy kilograms of mud into her and throwing her off-balance. From within the clone, the sound of snapping glass was heard as she sheared it away with her blade, and a purplish cloud of powder hit her right in the face.

Mitsuru coughed and spat, rolling away. The shinobi had hit her with some kind of soporific – her consciousness was rapidly fading, and she was losing her grip on the power coupling. Muscle memory took over and she immediately sank her teeth into the skin of her forearm, drawing blood. It was enough to give her a few seconds’ worth of adrenaline rush to stave off the effects of the powder, even if it forced her to drop the coupling. With the last remaining ounce of her strength, she launched herself at one of the clay barriers covering a vent shaft, sundering it with her blade before diving through.

We will have to revert to Plan B, she thought as she finally fell unconscious, and the last thing she recalled was a pair of strong hand lifting her by the shoulders…

Meanwhile, Zaku emerged from his box.

“Well, you ended up pretty dandy yourself, Zakkun,” said Hichiko, somewhat disappointedly. “I think about the only thing I can do to help you is give you advice to stop smoking, exercise more, and fer Shinbatsu’s sake use a condom when you…mmmpphh!”

“Seriously!” sniffed Saeko, muffling the struggling mednin.

“Ishikawa-san, the power switches have been flipped already. You are safe to restart the generator,” said Makoro.

Later​

<i></i>

The massive, impenetrable metal doors leading to the chem warhead storage area groaned and shrieked as they slowly rolled apart before the shinobi team. Zaku had provided the generator power, Tama and Kazuhiko had routed it, and Jo had gotten them access.

“Proceed carefully. It’s obvious now that the Kingslayers are within the facility, and they are probably responsible for the explosion earlier,” said Masao over their headsets. “You will need to proceed to the atomics chamber highlighted on your HUD and secure the research materials. Ordinarily I would ask that you secure anything else along the way, but the presence of our deadliest enemies to date has changed the mission priorities. Hayata-san will keep you apprised of any dangers within the facility.

“I am finding evidence from your scans that the vast majority of the Inner Ring security systems have been placed on standby. This is a sign of direct tampering,” said Makoro. “Nonetheless, it should make your task easier. Oh, and avoid touching any ordinance on the way. It’s all pretty unstable.”

The team made their way forward through the warhead storage, ready for an attack – however, the only thing that greeting them was an overwhelming silence interspersed with the hollow sounds of their own footfalls. As they neared the end of the warehouse, they reached a plain metal door, which easily rolled up with the press of a button.

“Interesting,” said Makoro as the team rounded a corner and came face to face with a truly horrific sight.

The concrete–and-sheet-metal hallway was like any of the others, save for the fact that scattered down its entire length were the dead bodies of at least a hundred Marsh soldiers. They were slumped against the walls and strewn across the floor, and all of them were studded with gaping holes and jagged sword-cuts. Heads, limbs, even whole upper or lower bodies were missing or scattered around at the feet of their former owners, and the walls and ceilings were covered in a thick, oozing coat of drying crimson gore. Twisted and shattered bits of Karashnikov bolters, swords, and even a siege pike with several bodies impaled on it were strewn around in the bloody mess

It was obvious that a tremendous battle had taken place here, and that Marsh had lost terribly. Bolt-holes and blast marks riddled every surface that wasn’t coated in ichor, and even most of the thick plexiglass windows allowing views into the experiment chambers had been cracked or outright melted.

“So yeah… They’re all dead,” muttered Hichiko.

“Shinobi team, remember your mission. Whoever did this has long left the area. You need to direct your attention to making sure you do not fall victim to any environmental hazards left in this area. Narashi-san…focus, for me,” said Saeko.

“The atomics chamber lies ahead. Make your way through the hallway and enter the chamber,” said Masao, his voice steely.

As the team slowly made their way through the horrific mess, a loud *bang* issued from one of the cracked plexiglass windows next to Kazuhiko. It was hard to see what was beyond the glass, as marred and smeared with blood as it was, but there was something moving within. It seemed…reptilian in nature. With another *bang* the glass shuddered under the impact of a segmented black tail that slammed against it.

“So, they’ve managed to breed one after all,” smirked Makoro. “I suggest you move quickly. The creatures lay their eggs rapidly and would love nothing better than to use your chest cavities to feed their young.”

Later​

So far, they had encountered nothing but death and destruction. Not a single Marsh soldier stood in their way, nor had any of the Kingslayers. Finally, they came upon their target, or what remained of it.

The reinforced doors that had once protected the atomics chamber lay on the ground, blackened and twisted, and already they were partially covered with snow from the large rent in the ceiling above. Beyond the shattered barrier, pulsing red light issued from a small, but densely-packed chamber lined to the brim with rows of computer screens. In the center of the room were two platforms, side by side, which looked like they had supported items roughly the size of a man’s torso. The heavy glass surrounding them had been shattered.

“One of you, direct your attention to the main bank of screens ahead. It will help shed more light on what exactly they were developing here,” said Makoro, his voice piquing with interest.

On one of the side-screens, there seemed to show a visual feed from another area, deep inside. The hangul was unreadable, but fortunately the translated Kaminarijin was located right above. It read: “Launch Silo.” A fuzzy but recognizable image splashed across the monitor. Yukimura Enishi and Horiuchi Yuuya, accompanied by none other than Haikuno. All of the men seemed to be helping load a large, cylindrical device into what looked like the abdomen of a gigantic, man-shaped contruct, so large that it was not fully visible on screen.

“That puppet. That’s the golem that appeared when Enishi assassinated the King of Bear!” said Masao in sudden recognition.

“Takaki, you and your team will want to know this,” said Makoro suddenly. “I realize now what Marsh and Yukimura were developing. It’s a weapon – specifically a warhead meant to be launched from a rocket or long-range arbalestillery. And unlike conventional explosive projectiles, it doesn’t use traditional HE materials. Instead, it uses uncontrolled fission of Plutonium-238. If my prior calculations are correct, a warhead containing even a kilogram of fissile material could yield an energy output of at least ten million kilotons of TNT. Do you get it? That’s enough to obliterate an area twice the size of Raiden’s Eye, and ten times the size of Kumogakure.”

“Then we must seize this weapon and make sure it does not fall into Enishi’s hands,” growled Masao.

“Hah, Takaki – that’s not the worst of it for you. You see, they didn’t make just one of these. They made two. And if Yukimura has these, I bet he’s getting ready to send one to each city, perhaps even now! I couldn’t have done better myself! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa!” laughed the ex-missing.

 

[Morishige]

Later...

Walking through the hall ways of lifelessness was interesting to say the least, if not traumatizing to the weak willed. So many lifeless eyes would bore a hole in any man's heart who didn't keep their mind on the mission. Luckily, I was busy thinking about that voice who seemingly pops out in moments of stress. I couldn't help but ask myself if I was going crazy; coming apart at the seams under pressure was not something I wanted on my record. But alas, we came upon the mangled doors to the chambers and I couldn't help but wonder if it was jutsu or man-made explosive that did the trick. But that didn't matter now.

We moved in an surveyed the area, Makoro in out ears telling one of us to inspect the screens nearby. I figured my skills were better spent on securing the room in case of assailants as well as inspecting possible clues as to what had exactly happened.

But when Masao chimed in after getting a look at the feed himself, I turned my attention towards the screen anyway. It was best to be informed as much as possible when dealing with the Kingslayers. But what Makoro said next was the cherry on top of everything that had happened so far. I wasn't sure what the others went through to get to this point, but things were changing.

It seemed there were two targets that we needed to find, and disable. And to call them targets was an understatement. My immediate thoughts were to split up, since we have even numbers. But with the Kingslayers about, and their incredible skill, it might be too risky. I didn't know what to think, really. I looked to the others with a concerned expression. "Well I guess we better get to it." I said softly before looking back at the monitors. I searched frantically for a map that would tell me where I needed to go. "I'm going to Silo 1." I commented with a tone of finality in my voice. No matter what I would find, that warhead would not make it out of this place...

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

The two men circled one another for a moment after Ocelot accepted his terms. Jo could hear chatter through his headset, but couldn’t make out the words. He was completely focused on the opponent in front of him. As if a starting pistol was fired, the two locked eyes and leapt into the fray. Jo’s series of blows smashed into Ocelots abdomen, snapping ribs and puncturing internal organs. Pain exploded across the genins face as Ocelot smashed his elbow across his nose. Jo’s eyes watered from the contact, unbidden tears mixing with the blood pouring out of his nose. Disoriented as he was from the blow, Jo was surprised by Ocelots attempted grapple, and reacted automatically with a kick at his groin that forced them apart. The Major spat blood into Jo’s already clouded eyes before spinning into a roundhouse kick. Jo didn’t have to think about how he would react to the blow, he simply deflected the leg upward; redirecting the force rather than stopping it. Once the kick had been deflected, Jo swung one of his own into the mans hip; his steel-toed boot connecting satisfyingly. From there, it was JO’s turn to grapple. Smashing his shoulder into the Ocelots gut and wrapping his arms under the man’s knees, lifting him off his feet and slamming him into the ground. Jo kneed the Ocelot in the genitals before flipping him over and wrapping one of his arms around behind his back, twisting viciously until muscle, tendon and bone strained beneath the skin. Ocelot tried to struggle free once; but that was stopped by Jo grabbing him by the back of the head with his free hand and bashing it into the ground repeatedly until he stopped struggling. Jo was about to reach for his knife and end Ocelot’s pathetic excuse for a life when the banter on the radio cut across his train of thought and stayed his hand.

Jo shook himself out of the red fog of battle as Ocelot conceded defeat, allowing him to rise. On the outside, Jo was cold and hard like the mountains he’d been raised on; but on the inside, he was terrified. He’d never wanted to kill someone before; killing had always appalled him. Of all the lives he took, he’d only done it out of necessity for survival. This time, he had a man lying helpless before him, and he wanted him dead. ’Don’t think about it now, we’ve got more important business at hand.’ Jo thought as Ocelot stripped and his men knelt in the snow. Jo expected a flash of steel followed by gouts of blood and the smell of opened abdomens; what followed next is something he’d remember until the day he died. ’Are those fucking Frisbees?!?!?!’ Jo was so baffled by their choice of death that he didn’t have time to feel anything more than confusion as they ran into the distance, flying disks crammed into their mouths, their naked commander chasing them through the snow. For a moment Jo stood there stock-still, a look of shocked confusion and hilarious bewilderment on his broken face.

Jo shook himself out of his momentary reprieve and began searching the Majors clothing for the keycard. Slinging the lanyard around his neck, he then began replenishing his now-empty magazine pouches with the extra magazines he pulled from the Major’s gear, tucking the Desert Falcon into his holster and keeping his Tok drawn while he reloaded one of the Karashinikovs the Ocelot youth had dropped and grabbing a few extra mags for that bolter as well, slinging the assault-bolter across his back. He paused at Saeko’s suggestion to take the Ocelot’s hat, and bit back a snigger as she (assumedly) backhanded Hichiko for her continued attempts to get the both of them killed using only her mouth as a weapon. With his small smile on his face, he retrieved the beret, giving it a good inspection, inside and out, for anything useful before settling it on his head.

What? It was a snazzy hat. It wasn’t every day you got a free hat. Besides, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. With a resolute grin, Jo reset the cartilage of his nose, not even flinching at the explosion of pain that shot through his face. Grabbing a handful of snow, he pressed it to his face to stop the bleeding and keep the swelling down, making his way to rendezvous with his team.

… Later…

The scent of violent death that accompanies the remains of a battlefield filled Jo’s nostrils as they entered the hallway. Torn and bloody bodies lay scattered down the otherwise typical concrete corridor, evidence of a horrible battle. Jo didn’t want to think about trying to fight in such close quarters, especially since the Marsh soldiers superior numbers should’ve given them the advantage in such confinement. Whoever did this was obscenely skilled; the lack of a single body that didn’t belong to Marsh meant that the group who had led the assault hadn’t taken a single loss. Jo allowed his sight to become unfocused, passing his eyes over the gore and carrying on to their objective. He took Saeko’s words to heart, knowing full well that he might not make it back alive. Thoughts of her steeled his resolve to live.

… Later…

The doors to the atomics chamber were blown clean off their hinges, and the contents of the room were gone. Jo went to the screen as ordered and saw the image of three figures loading a cylinder into some sort of goliath-like contraption. Jo recognized them instantly from their profile pics; Kingslayers all. Jo’s eyes went wide as Makoro explained what the devices were, ’Son-of-a-bitch…!’ he breathed. The fact that there were two empty containment chambers filled the genin with dread before Makoro confirmed his fears. Zaku’s determined words faded into the background as Jo’s brain began shifting from one idea to the next, considering everything from trying to wipe out the Kingslayers in an ambush to detonating the warheads manually in a display of heroism (a.k.a stupidity). Then it hit him;

”Makoro; how thick are the surface doors of the Silo, and where are they controlled from? Can they be disabled, and how long would they stand against that golem? How many exits does the Silo have, and are they securable from the outside?”<i></i> It was simple; if the Silo couldn’t be opened, the Kingslayer couldn’t launch the warheads. They’d be trapped in there with nowhere to go. ”Takaki-sama; how long would it take for those long-range arbalests we’ve got on standby to reach here, and how accurate are they?”<i></i> Jo paused for answers before he explained his idea to the team. ”If we can seal off access to the Silo through the exhaust vents and personnel entrances, and control the surface doors, we can buy some time for the arbalests to get here. Then open the surface doors to let our artillery in. The reinforced walls of the silo won’t contain the blast, but between them and the weight of the mountain around it, the blast should be directed mostly skyward.”<i></i> Jo did some calculations in his head, a rough estimate that took into account how deep the silo was into the mountain and the honeycombed underground passageways that would absorb some of the shock before giving way and releasing the fury of the atomic weapon into the air. ”If we could set the doors up to be opened via some sort of timer or time the arrival of the artillery properly, we should be able to exfiltrate from the blast radius using the original plan. Also, the area is sparsely populated, so civilian casualties from the fallout should be minimal.”<i></i> If the byproduct of these atomic weapons was deadly during production, Jo could only assume they’d be just as bad spread over an area the size of Raidens Eye. ”We’d be cutting it close, but I think that’s our best option. Unless anyone else has a plan?”<i></i> Jo didn’t know how much fuel the Kingslayers still had in their systems, but he knew that none of them would survive an encounter with them if they tried to face them head-on. In the end, the genin would follow the instructions of his superior officers and whatever plan they approved.

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Kichida Kazuhiko​

Kazuhiko fell to his knees, painfully. Sorry Haikuno, that’s one less friend you have in this world. His consciousness was fading in and out. The psychological attack had worked, but he hadn’t been expecting it to be so fierce. This might be bad. An image of his childhood friend and fellow pupil under Itonami-sensei flashed before his eyes. Damn, I’ll never see her again, probably. Ah well, I knew this would happen sooner or later. He then fell to his side, wounded leg up, and dazedly lied there.

He faintly heard instructions over the headset to apply pressure to the wound on his leg. Seeing Tama’s face white with shock and disbelief, was enough to irritate him to no degree. “Oi. Get moving, you don’t have time to be stupefied blockhead.” Those were the last words he uttered before losing consciousness.

Mochizuki Tama​

A big fist-pump was in order, “Haha! Take that sniper-bitch!” she yelled to the mountain. Turning around she expected to see Kazuhiko giving her a stern look and a lecture about the dangers of shouting on a mountainside deep within hostile territory. But her face paled as she saw him collapse to the ground, the snow around him stained scarlet with blood. “H-hey! Bakahiko! Get up. We won! We need to meet with the others now, you can’t just lie there, get up!” He’s fine, he’s always fine. In a minute he’ll just warp behind me and complain about me being slow.

“Oi. Get moving, you don’t have time to be stupefied blockhead.”

Then instructions for immediate medical treatment came over the headset. Tama’s mind was strangely calm, mutely following orders as she fished out the requested gear from her med-pack. She tore off his shirt and placed the orange end of the whatever-it-was in the center of Kazuhiko’s chest. A clone worked to put pressure on the bleeding leg, since Kauzhiko had fallen unconscious. Tama was too scared to be embarrassed. See could see Kazuhiko flinch as the needles pierced his sternum, but Kazuhiko didn’t pull away from the device. He was either very durable, or still in shock and not registering the pain.

Tama stared at the clock on her HUD, waiting the appropriate two minutes before taking the morphine syrette and injecting it into his body. The vital statistics display on the showed his heart rate returning to normal and the rest of his body stabilizing. Tama then breathed a sigh of relief before her legs gave way and she too fell into the snow.

Kichida Kazuhiko​

Kazuhiko woke to the slight pain he felt coursing through his entire body, “I’m not dead?” he asked no one in particular, not realizing the headset was still transmitting. He examined himself and found that he was indeed alive, but only just. He realized that he was shirtless, but noticed that someone had wrapped enough bandages around his body that it could double as a sweater. Some of the bandages he found to be of a different fabric than others, that’s when he saw Tama busily tearing strips of her clothing and changing them into bandages. When she saw him awake she ran over to him, and almost tackle-hugged him. It then seemed to dawn on her that Kazuhiko was not in a shape to be jumped on.

“Why are you still here? You need to catch up with the others, this mission is extremely important, Mochizuki-san! You don’t have time to waste here.”

“But I, I thought, I just..”

The girl was on the verge of tears, Kazuhiko really wanted to lecture her more, but decided against it. “Thank you Tama, you saved my life, but now you need to go. Meet up with the others. Don’t worry about me, I’ll catch up to you in a bit.” He reached out and ruffled Tama’s hair. The young chuunin blinked back her tears.

“You better come. You need to come to mine and Tomo’s birthday party after this. I won’t forgive you if you’re not there!” With that she ran off ahead.

Switching the headset to a private channel he asked the support team, “How much time do I have before the painkillers wear off? And how much is considered safe to take?” he stood up as he heard the response, grunting slightly from the dulled pain. I should be okay to move, it’s a miracle no bones are broken, gotta thank Seikon self-preservation for that one. Bullets missed vital points and critical points. Kazuhiko began a slow walk into the demolished forest, he would catch-up to the group eventually, but first he needed to confirm the death of Senada Marie, and if possible recover the body. It had been hard enough fighting her once, and Kazuhiko definitely didn’t want to fight her reanimated corpse. Also, she did have a 0.01 percent chance of survival. He worked his way through the woods, towards the cliff, tracking Marie’s last movements by the pieces of her shredded and blasted equipment.

Mochizuki Tama​

Tama rushed through the demolished base, desperate to finish this mission and get back to Kumogakure. She had been through a lot of tough missions in her shinobi career, but so far nothing had been like this, coming close to death yourself was one thing, but watching someone else do it was completely different. She could still see the blood spilled all around Kazuhiko even now, inside the facility. She realized then what strength and courage that med-nin actually possessed, to be able to quickly and efficiently treat such injuries in the field or in the hospital. She also realized that she could never do that, Tama knew that she had been lucky. Hicchi had been able to talk her through what she needed to do. If not for Hicchi’s guidance, Kazuhiko would have died for sure.

She caught up to the others as they were surveying the mauled Marsh troopers, her breath caught in her throat as she saw the carnage spread out before her. What happened here? she wondered to herself. When Makoro answered her unspoken question, her face blanched and she quickly followed the other two out of that chamber and into the atomics area.

While Makoro and Masao prattled on about the research that was going on, Tama worried about Kazuhiko. But her attention returned to the present matter when Makoro mentioned the devastating power of the weapon that Marsh and the Kingslayers had developed. Not only Shiri-tan, but everyone is in danger. Faces of everyone she knew in Kumogakure and Raiden’s Eye flashed in front of her eyes, Unforgivable. “Unforgivable,” she said voice shuddering with rage. “Barfight-sennin, which silo are they at?” She asked pointing at the screen depicting Haikuno and Enishi, “That’s the one I’m going to.” The Kingslayers needed to die, all of them, before anyone else Tama cared for was hurt.

Kazuhiko’s voice crackled in on their headsets, “I like Jo’s plan, but if I may offer a suggestion, I think we’ll need two teams to pull this off with each silo. I’d suggest that Mochizuki-san and Ishikawa-san head to the silo with the Kingslayers, both are high-class shinobi and should be well-equipped to handle whoever they may face. Narashi-san if you would head to the other silo, and I will meet you there. While in my current state I wouldn’t be able to fight someone on Enishi’s level, the both of us should be able to handle any other Kingslayer or Marsh officer we might encounter. Once one team finishes the job, they should immediately move to assist the other team.”

Tama couldn’t tell from Kazuhiko’s voice how fit he actually was for a return to duty but he was smart enough to decide that for himself. Now it was time for reckoning.

MFT

 

[Takaki Saeko]

Kazuhiko​

"Kichichi, glad to see you back in the world of the living! If you make it back to the village alive I'll give you a sexy massage!" beamed Hichiko over the enhanced headset. "In truth, I actually wasn't so confident you'd make it - NPC's are pretty fragile, as you know. Right now you've got to take it easy to avoid reopening your wounds, and don't go loading up on painkillers, either. Intravenous morphine tends to last about thirty minutes to an hour at best, and you really shouldn't go above six milligrams every four hours to be safe... Hey! Who said you could move?!" she asked, annoyed as Kazuhiko's heart rate picked up and he started to limp toward the forest.

Ignoring her protests, Kazuhiko trudged through the now-denuded forest toward where Tama's high-velocity meteor shower had cratered the earth. The towering evergreens had been brutally stripped of all of their foliage and most of their branches, and now resembled splintered toothpicks planted in the ground. The forest floor was now covered with a thick, knee-deep mulch of finely-shredded pine needles and wood chips, and all of the normal noise of forest fauna had been replaced by eerie silence. Nearby, the barely-recognizable remains of a sniper bolter were strewn about near a shredded control box. Tama's crater still smoked and smoldered, and the acrid smell of burning pine was enough to induce a coughing fit.

There was no trace of the enemy. Even with the tremendous explosive force of the meteor shower attack, there should have been at least clothing fragments or pieces of bone or flesh. Picking his way around the perimeter of the crater, Kazuhiko caught himself right before he would have stumbled over the edge of a cliff. He peered over the edge, bile rising in his throat. It was a sudden dropoff that would have fooled an experienced tracker, and the fall measured at least a few thousand meters, seeing as the bottom of the cliff face was obscured by clouds.

"Kichida-san, if she managed to avoid the meteor shower, there's no way she would survive a drop like that, even if she knew our best techniques for landing," remarked Masao over his headset. "Either way, you need to rendezvous with the rest of the team. I'm sure you've overheard the latest developments. I'd have you exfiltrate sooner given your injuries but we need every shinobi we have for this one. It's fight or die."

Meanwhile...​

"I designed those silo doors to withstand just the kind of artillery bombardment that Takaki planned on unleashing were any of you to be captured. A whole meter of solid steel reinforced with carbon-graphite rods to withstand weeks, maybe months, of near constant bombardment. That golem does not appear to have the necessary energy output to force the doors open, in any case," replied Makoro to Jo's question. "And as you have pointed out, Yukimura will need to have those doors open in order to launch the warheads, or else they will simply shatter on the inside of the launch silo. Plutonium does not simply go nuclear on its own - it requires a precisely-timed explosion of geometrically-arranged conventional explosives surrounding the core in order to create the necessary conditions for uncontrolled energy release. Now, Yukimura has probably taken this into account, and I would wager my nephew's continued virginity that he has already taken the wireless control apparatus from the Base Commander, whose body you likely passed on the way here. That being said, between the two main silos, there is a control room that operates both sets of doors and from there you will be able to manually override Yukimura's input, and open and close the doors at will."

"Godrot you, Hayata," growled Masao in annoyance. "You should have told us these things beforehand."

"You never asked," chuckled Makoro.

"Narashi-san, the Imperial Navy's long-range Takemikezuchi rockets will take at least ten minutes to arrive onscene. Being that their guidance software is only 8-bit as mandated by the Administration, their precision is enough to blanket-saturate the area, not achieve a precision strike. At least one or two should be able to slip in, if the doors are opened. I will give the order if necessary, but if you are still present within the silo, you and your team will certainly die.”

"I like Jo’s plan, but if I may offer a suggestion, I think we’ll need two teams to pull this off with each silo. I’d suggest that Mochizuki-san and Ishikawa-san head to the silo with the Kingslayers, both are high-class shinobi and should be well-equipped to handle whoever they may face. Narashi-san if you would head to the other silo, and I will meet you there. While in my current state I wouldn’t be able to fight someone on Enishi’s level, the both of us should be able to handle any other Kingslayer or Marsh officer we might encounter. Once one team finishes the job, they should immediately move to assist the other team," said Kazuhiko over the radio, as he limped down the blood-soaked hallway, gingerly stepping over the bodies as he went. His leg throbbed and his other wounds burned, but he had just taken a morphine syrette only twenty minutes ago. He gritted his teeth and pressed on.

"Noted. Narashi-san, intercept Kichida and make your way to the silo door control chamber. Hayata, show them the way. When you determine it to be the right time, I will signal the Navy to launch their rockets. Ishikawa-taichou and Mochizuki-san, you two will proceed to the silo and intercept Enishi. Attempt to delay him or disable whatever method of launch he has devised, until our rockets are en-route," sighed Masao, rubbing his eyes, now darkened and baggy even in the green light of the monitor bank back at the Torre Celeste. Next to him, Saeko kept her eyes firmly glued to her monitor, a shiver passing down her spine as she realized that Jo and the others were walking into almost certain death.

As the Sennin spoke, a look of grim determination passed over Ishikawa Zaku's face. "I'm going to Silo 1," he said, with a look of grim pronouncement. For the Captain, he had faced death many times before. Similarly, Tama's resolve hardened as well. The two chuunin looked at each other, nodded, and headed off.

* * *​

Later...​

"The healthy human mind doesn't wake up in the morning thinking this is its last day on Earth. But I think that's a luxury. Not a curse. To know you're close to the end is a kind of freedom. Good time to take...inventory. Outgunned. Outnumbered. Out of our minds. On a suicide mission. But the sand and the rocks here, stained with thousands of years of warfare...They will remember us. For this. Because out of all our vast array of nightmares, this is the one we choose for ourselves. We go forward like a breath exhaled from the Earth. With vigor in our hearts and one goal in sight: We. Will. Kill him."

-Santaru Rin, on the eve of the October Rebellion against Santaru Ryuuto


With the shriek of splintering steel and iron, the large, sliding doors blocking the base of Silo 1 from the rest of the compound bulged forth and tore from their hinges and skittered across the blackened concrete floor. With hellfire in their eyes, in stormed Tama and Zaku, ready for a fight.

"That was one hell of an entrance," said Enishi, clapping sarcastically at the two shinobi as he stood before them. The remnants of the entry doors rested mere centimeters to the sides of the man. Behind him, a few dozen meters away, hulked the impossibly large silhouette of an Intra-Continental Ballistic Missile, its rocket engines slowly venting excess hydrazine gas to the floor of the launch-pit. "Unfortunately for you and the rest of the tyrants, you’re too late. What you’re about to see is a complete paradigm shift for all people of the world, from stagnation and oppression to advancement and freedom.”

“Wait a second, Ishikawa-taichou, Mochizuki –san – that’s just a clone in front of you. The real Enishi is somewhere else,” growled Masao over their headsets.

“Interesting – the other silo has no ready missile, and the one that Yukimura’s clone stands in front of is not actually a MIRV-capable model. He’s not such a fool as to squander both of his warheads on only one target…” remarked Makoro.

Enishi’s clone now produced a yellow control box in his hands.

“Consider yourselves honored to have ground-row seats to the liberation of humanity,” he said, smiling as he pressed a button. Overhead, the massive metal doors of the silo began to rumble as they moved under the impulse of mighty hydraulics. From a widening gap above, sunlight now spilled into the launch silo. It was only a few more seconds until the entrance was wide enough to permit the missile to launch… When the doors suddenly ground to a halt!

Several stories above, Jo and Kazuhiko permitted themselves to exhale as they stood over the main bank of controls in a chamber overlooking the interior of the silo. A red flashing message in front of them blinked with the characters for “MECHANICAL OVERRIDE”, signaling their success. Below them, Tama and Zaku appeared minuscule in size, such was the difference in height.

“…As expected of Kumo shinobi. Very well, you’ve forced my hand,” smirked Enishi’s clone, raising an eyebrow at the pair in front of him. If he were perturbed, he certainly didn’t show it as he tossed the control box away and fizzled out of sight. A cold chill passed over Zaku’s neck at that moment, and he started to whirl around on instinct…

“Watch out!!” shouted Masao over their headsets. Behind Zaku and Tama, the air shimmered and sparked as a genjutsu cloaking field dropped from the massive, bipedal golem seen earlier on the monitor. Up close, it was nothing short of terrifying, taking on the appearance of a fifteen-meter-tall human man devoid of skin, with reddish, rippling muscle and sinew venting steam like blood that would otherwise flow. The creature lunged at them with a speed incongruent with its size, and while Zaku managed to barely roll out of the way, Tama was not so lucky.

“Tamacchi!” gasped Saeko and Hichiko as the Golem grasped the Mochizuki starlet in the palm of a hand and started to squeeze, immobilizing her arms and legs at her sides.

Spoiler

“Make your underlings open the silo doors, Takaki!” boomed Enishi’s voice from the Golem’s mouthpiece. “I know you have a special affection for this one! If you don’t comply, I will slowly rip off each of her limbs, one by one!”

”…Shinobi Team…” sounded Masao’s voice over their headsets. His tone was measured, even, and infused with grim resolve. ”I am signaling the Imperial Navy to commence bombardment. You have…ten minutes to get to the northern cliff face at sector Z-Delta 5, right outside the outer ring perimeter, where personal hangliders have been deployed for you by Hoshigakure shinobi…” He paused, swallowing hard. “And Tama-chan, if you are able to listen… I’m sorry…”

Suddenly, a muffled commotion from outside of the control room could be heard, even over the team’s headsets.

“…am the…of Kaminari no Kuni!... No!... …me in now!... …am the supreme authority of the land…” a muffled voice, familiar to Tama, could be heard yelling in the distance.

“…the hell!?” Masao growled, turning to face the sound of a door slamming open.

“Seriously?! Is that…” gasped Hichiko, also swiveling in her chair.

“Jesus Saito…” exclaimed Saeko.

“Sennin-sama! We tried to stop him, but he’s…” began a pair of ANBU as they rushed into the room after a panting, teenaged boy wearing a suitjacket.

“…the Shogun! I pay the Raikage’s salary! Now, let me talk to Tama-chan! There’s something I need to say to her immediately!” sputtered Shiranai vi Kaminari as he gasped and caught his breath in the middle of the command chamber. Trailing in after him, a pair of Imperial Guardsmen, who looked nervous enough to spill spaghetti all over the floor. Masao bowed to the new arrival, a look of incredulous, suppressed rage in his eyes.

“Your Majesty, not only have you breached the mutual sovereignty agreement between Kumogakure and Raiden no Me and compromised the secrecy of an operation conducted in the interests of national security, but you come at the worst time possible. Mochizuki-san’s life is in danger at this moment and…” said the Sennin. The Shogun merely brushed past him, taking one of the free transmitters.

”Never More” from the Persona 4 Golden OST​

“Tama-chan! It’s Shiri-tan! I got your letter! And…and first I need to tell you how sorry I am for putting you through all of that heartache! I didn’t understand how all the dense harem antics were making you feel! I wasn’t trying to play games with you, or Kurumi-san, or even Queen Ekaterina, but it ended up that way and I should have done something about it much earlier! I…I told Chancellor Tachibana to call the engagement off. I told her to call all of my courtship things off. I’m not ready for marriage yet, and I need to figure myself out and become a better ruler before I can really devote myself to a relationship. It’s not fair to you or the others if I don’t do that. I love you, Tama-chan! I love you with all my heart, but we need to get to know each other better before we dive into anything. I guess what I’m saying is that I want to be good friends first! Your Sennin just told me your life is in danger and you’re on a mission, so I won’t take up more of your time. But if you’re in trouble, Tama-chan, just fight! Fight like the shinobi I know who saved me from Hayata Makoro! Fight and LIVE! Overcome this one, for me! I’ll be waiting for you! Please…” he said.

“ANBU! Escort His Majesty to the Sileo Tempestas AT ONCE!” growled Masao. It is the only location in Kumogakure that might actually survive when the atomics hit us, was left unsaid. Shiranai inhaled as he pulled himself upright and let himself be grasped on either arm by the two masked shinobi, who hustled the boy out of the room.

“Well, that was a bit of déjà-vu,” said Makoro, shaking his head. “Takaki, you may want to know this before your teams vacate the area. The other warhead...it’s been loaded into the Golem itself. I believe that the construct is actually Yukimura’s physical body - a unique Kinjutsu that allows him to assume a form ten times his original size and strength. It is highly likely that unless he is delayed or incapacitated, he will simply be able to escape with the second warhead, and if my calculations are correct, the construct will be able to simply hurl the warhead at a target from many dozens of kilometers away, making it effectively a long-range arbalestillery piece.”

“So we need to take Enishi’s Golem down to make sure the danger is eliminated,” replied Masao. Makoro nodded smugly.

”Armored Titan” from the Shingeki no Kyojin OST​

“Shinobi team…you have new orders. Terminate Yukimura Enishi, or failing that, delay him until the arrival of the bombardment. It has been an honor serving with you all.”

Finally! This is essentially the last round of the mission!

To put this in context, you are essentially being tasked with fighting a fifteen-meter-class titan. Enishi is the driver, of course. Those of you who have watched Shingeki no Kyojin know where to target for maximum effectiveness… You all are free to pull the stops and use whatever crazy game-breaking shit you wish to use for this fight. Kinjutsu, S-rank jutsu, etc (hell, even Jutsu you don't have yet but plan on getting someday). Jo, you may be a genin, but you’re a genin with a .50 caliber hand-cannon and all of the Slavic-inspired weaponry you wish to bring. Tanks (sorry, “war-wagons”) included. Hint hint. Have fun with this one, guys!

For Tama, the Shogun’s pep talk essentially gives you the ability to escape in any crazily spectacular way you wish. Kind of like instant morale-boost on steroids.

 

[Tsuyoshi Takeo]

Thup-thump… Jo’s heartbeat pounded in his ears. Thump-thump… The run to the control room had been break-neck to say the least. Thump-thump… And now Tama-sama was wrapped in the fist of a giant something-or-other, and the Shogun was confessing his love for her over the radio. Thump-thump… Enishi is the golem, and he must die! The golem was a nuclear arbalest, and if they didn’t stop it, Enishi would wipe out all of Kumo. He’d kill countless innocents, his family, his friends. ’Saeko…’ The name rang across his mind, stilling his heart and steadying his hand for what was to come.

Jo reached into a spare pocket and retrieved three things: a cigar, a book of matches, and a spool of thread. The cigar was to celebrate their victory after the mission, the matches to light it. The thread was in case he needed to mend his clothing. None of that mattered now. Jo popped the cigar into his mouth, struck a match, and lit it. He tugged methodically several times, the smoke filling his mouth and leaving it in thick clouds as he tied one end of the string to his Tok, the other to the handle of his combat knife. He stabbed the knife into the wall so the handbolter hung over the Enter key, then folded the book of matches around the cigar and tied the contraption to the string. It wasn’t the prettiest timer, but it would do. Usually one would use a cigarette, but that would only create a 3 minute timer. A full cigar would get you about 12 minutes, but Jo had smoked enough of it to lower it to about 9. Once burned down, the matchbook would ignite, burning through the string and dropping the bolter onto the Enter key, opening the silo doors.

Jo turned and flew from the room, leaving Kazuhiko in his wake. He needed to get down to the bottom level to access the silo. The hallway opened up into a ridiculous spiral staircase that led all the way to the ground floor. ’There’s no time for this!’ Jo’s mind screamed as he looked around for an elevator. Then he saw it; a red box bolted to the wall. The only word he could read was “fire,” but it was all he needed. Jo wrenched the door open to reveal an extra-long fire hose. He pulled the surprisingly heavy load out of the box and tied one end to the metal banister before tossing the other end over the edge. Not time to think about how dangerously stupid this was, Jo climbed atop the banister, grabbed the hose, and jumped.

The high-pressure material was more than capable of holding Jo’s weight as he repelled down the shaft of the staircase much faster than was safe, his boots slamming hard into the floor when he reached the bottom. He turned and ran towards the silo doors Tama and Zaku had blown in, flying past hallways and doorways without a second glance. ’Wait… was that…?’ Jo skidded to a stop and turned back to the last doorway he’d passed and stood there in awe for half a second. The room before him was loaded with armored personnel carriers, ballista’s, and other artillery pieces, but what caught Jo’s attention was the massive hunk of metal sitting in the middle of the room.

It was a steam-powered war wagon. It’s inch-thick steel armor more than a match for the huge boltcaster sitting atop it on a revolving platform. Jo took one glance back down the hallway, grinned at the fact that the Tacticle Artillery Neutralizing Kontraption (T.A.N.K.) would fit down the hallway by the skin of its teeth, then ran into the hanger. Jo skidded to a halt behind the machine, his hands automatically finding the latches that opened up its external-combustion steam engine housing area. He didn’t need to read the hangul to know where the gas-switch was, or to learn how to light to pilot. In seconds he had the flames blasting at high-heat onto the boiler. ’It’ll take forever for that much water to heat up!’ Jo thought, as he stared at the pressure gauge slowly climb. Then it hit him. He flipped through a few handseal, then stuck his hand in the flames, pumping his chakra into the fire. The fire grew from a blaze to a raging inferno, the steam pressure growing exponentially.

As the water heated, Jo spoke into the headset; his words coming unbidden to his mouth. ”Well, as long as we’re making confessions; there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about Takaki-sama, and I’ll probably never get another chance to. If we make it out of this alive, I’d be honored if you’d allow me to court your daughter. We met at the Shoguns Nameday Ball, and a couple of times since, and I…”</I><i></i> Jo paused to remove his hand from the fire and slam the hood shut. What was he thinking?! He couldn’t possibly love her, could he? Love was getting to know someone over a period of time, love was sharing everything and caring for each other unconditionally. Jo didn’t believe in love at first sight, or love as a mystical state; but every time he saw her his heart skipped a beat. He felt like he could be himself around her, and share the darkness within himself. When he was with her, the dark visions of death and despair fell away, and he felt whole. What was love if not that? Even if it was an innocent, childish love, it was still love.

”I love you Saeko.”<i></i> He spoke directly to her as he jumped into the T.A.N.K. and loaded a round into the chamber. ”I’ve loved you since the moment I met you; I realized it the other night, but…”<i></i> What the hell, right? He probably wasn’t going to live for very much longer anyway; he might as well get it all off his chest. What would her father do that the warheads that were on their way wouldn’t? ”…If I don’t make it back…”<i></i> Jo said as he sat in the cockpit and released the breaks. Words escaped the genin; ”…I just wanted you to know.” Without further ado, Jo hit the accelerator and the war-wagon lurched forward.

For You…​

The plan was simple; ride the T.A.N.K. into the silo and shoot that bastard in the brainstem. Jo had never seen anything like that golem before, but its physiology couldn’t be that much different from a humans. The tungsten-tiped explosive round would tear through the beasts neck, detonate, and (hopefully) kill the big fucker. If that didn’t work, Jo’s backup plan was near-suicidal. It involved ramming the beast at full-speed with the five-tons of steel he was driving. It also involved him leaping out of the cockpit and climbing the golem like a rock wall. If the tank didn’t kill it, then eight anti-material bolts fired point-blank into the back of the head might do the trick. If not, well, they were all dead anyway.

Spoiler

I never watched or read Shingeki no Kyojin, but I <I>did play Shadows of the Colossus. If Jo gets KO’d or dies during the scramble, I’ve got a phenomenal near-death/death scene pulled together for while he’s unconscious. It’s been an honor RPing with you all.

 

[Suzuki Setsu]

Mochizuki Tama​

It had all been going well until she had gotten grabbed by the mastermind. “Unhand me, you fiend!” She struggled and struggled, but the iron vise that was the golem’s hand proved to be immovable. Is this how it ends? Squeezed to death? What a lame way to go, at least being shot was cooler, she thought to herself. But then, over the radio came Shiri-tan’s voice. And he spoke not words of encouragement, but he gave her an order.

“Fight and LIVE!”

“Yes, my lord!” She yelled as her body exploded with searing light, engulfing Enishi’s whole hand in a brilliant display. Seconds later, Tama hit the floor winded, but unharmed. Enishi’s hand, on the other hand, was spasming. Tama had used the light to confuse anyone trying to sense what she was doing with her chakra, she then had nullified the chakra flow in the hand and added her own chakra flowing the opposite direction. It was a trick that would probably only work once, but that was all she needed. The mismatching chakra signals triggered a purge of foreign chakra signatures that in turn, forced the hand open.

Once free, she quickly distanced herself from the golem.

Kichida Kazuhiko​

Kazuhiko took the time offered by Tama’s antics to do some preparations of his own. He took some ninja-wire and quickly warped around the room, setting up makeshift ziplines. He had gotten the idea from his old friend Kaikai. Kaikai was a Hachiashi, a spider-nin, they could create webs they could scuttle around on with relative ease. In the same light, creating this zipline “web” would help his teammates in combating this golem. Or so he hoped. They would enable the team to rapidly change direction in mid-air. The final touch would be channeling his Seikon blade through the wires, making them unable to be cut by Enishi’s golem and so they wouldn’t impede Jo’s progress with the T.A.N.K. that he had procured. He coughed up some blood after this was finished. I really should be staying still, in a hospital bed, or something.

Mochizuki Tama​

Wind swirled around Tama as she sprung into the air, guiding her movements with Kazuhiko’s makeshift ziplines. She tried to maneuver around the golem, so she would get a good look at what exactly she was fighting. “Barfight-sennin, Guy-Who-Shot-Me, do you guys know of any weak points that this thing might have?” After which she would begin bombarding the giant golem with lasers formed from her chakra. She targeted it’s eyes, joints, and the neck behind it’s head. She was targeting points that would weaken a normal human, so she didn’t know how effective her attacks would be. All the while she would be moving effortlessly along the nin-wire ziplines.

MFT

 

[Morishige]

With the plan set in stone, Tama and I set off in search of our target. Our current goal? Distraction. We were to basically stall the man for the long range missiles to get here and take the place down all around us. A suicide mission. But it's what we all signed up for wasn't it? We signed our lives over to the village and it was our job to protect those who needed protecting. For Tama and myself, it was far more grim. If Enishi himself didn't smite us down, then it would be the bombardment. The saying stuck between a rock and a hard place came to mind. Naturally, my thoughts went to death, but it only strengthened my resolve and brought the burn in my chest back once again. "Is it stress?" I wondered. Coughing, I took a deep breath and looked ahead as we were reaching our destination... "For the Ishikawa."

As the doors gave way under superior pressure, we entered the room ready for some kind of ambush, but instead with were greeted by the man himself. He was busy applauding our entrance in a mocking tone; my eyes glared straight into his. But it was in this moment that I felt a moment of weakness, falling to a knee as the relentless burning within me blazed hotter than ever before. Nothing made sense in my mind, I could only attribute it to some kind of genjutsu and tried to fortify my mind. Oh how wrong I was. "The ultimate challenge..." growled the voice. "What is this madness..." I cursed and quickly regained my footing. Lives were at stake.

Of course, no bad guy cause enact his plan without a bit of monologue; and that was going to buy us precious time, while the second team rushed to their objective. Like usual, I had nothing to say in a situation as one sided as this. Enishi was the superior shinobi, but Tama and I outnumbered him. However, I worried for the team and how this new ailment in my body was going to affect my fighting skills. It was imperative for us to do something, but what were the options?

Takaki voiced in our ears that what stood before us was a clone, so attacking it would do nothing but waste precious energy. Unfortunately, the monologue continued and he now held what looked to be the trigger to the launching of the missile itself. With his conclusion, the button was pressed and the overhead doors began to part letting the rays of light into the silo. For a moment I was stuck watching, but my attention was quickly back on his clone. We needed to find the real Enishi...

As I slowly surveyed the area, the loud mechanations above us ceased to a halt, bringing a smile to my face. "Well done..." I spoke in a low tone. "Just in time." But in that very moment, Enishi vanished and the hairs on my neck rose to attention. I rapidly turned to find what enemy lay behind me only to be awestruck by the sheer size of what was lunging toward us. I dove to the side but Tama wasn't quick enough. "No!" I shouted, reaching out with my hand. In a rush of the situation, I didn't even notice the five tendrils of sand that seemed to form from thin air. I was focused on Tama and the 50 foot creature to even bother look at my feet when the material now sat idle.

In my ear, Masao's voice resonated with a tone that only meant one thing. The navy's hell fire would be upon us in ten minutes, and we had to figure out just how to destroy this massive beast in such a short time. As my eyes quickly surveyed the monster, the voice inside me grew ever louder as the voice of the Shogun echoed at the same time. It was enough to go mad... ""THE ULTIMATE PREY. RELEASE ME YOU FOOL. RELEASE ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE." In the short span of time where the royalty was professing his love for Tama, I was slowing losing consciousness of the world around me. Slipping into the darkness of my own mind. As the words in my ear that were coming from Kumogakure seemed to slow, and even Tama's movement appeared to be suspended in time, I was pulled into my own mind by a coarse hand.

Spoiler

With accelerated breath, I panicked, firing off jutsu with my eyes shut tight. The burning sensation in my chest seemed to be gone, but the hulking amount of chakra that seemed to surround me burned at my skin. As I slowled opened my eyes, I appeared to be in a sandstorm of some kind, which made no sense. "Where am I..." I thought slowly turning about my position.

"Welcome to hell." Boomed his voice. I turned quickly to look at my adversary, only to fall back on myself. Another behemoth stood before me, but he seemed to be restricted by chains of some kind; on the chains were what looks to be some kind of tags. Before him was a sword that glowed red with chakra. I stared for a moment before casting a fireball toward him and jumping away. But all I felt was the pain inside my own body, and all I heard was his laughter. "Idiot. I'm trapped inside you."

"Who are you? How... Why are you trapped here?" I asked, grasping at my side that ached from my foolish fire jutsu. I felt like a child once again. I knew nothing of this, and had no one to look to for guidance. I was but a peon before this demon inside me. And I knew not how to escape his realm... I began to frantically look for an exit, and body began to shake and I turned to run from him. Even before I took a step, a tendril of sand wrapped around my ankle and dragged me back toward the sword. "Mortals called me Fukuzatsuna. And I am trapped here because of a fucking shinobi sealed me in here. He did a good job too. I've been trying to get out for a while." said the demon. My mind immediately recalled all the times where my chest was burning. "That was you..." I said with contemplative look.

"How do I escape this place." I asked, now with a determined looked; my body still shook slightly as I looked into his grinning face. "Glad you asked. Best I figure, you take that sword and cut the chains. I've not been able to grasp it in your short lifetime." he confessed with a grimace. I looked at the blade with a grimace, slowly standing back up and drawing it from the hardened surface underneath. The same burning sensation seared through my nerves once again. Reflexively, my hand opened to released it, but it appeared to stuck to my skin. Without release I continued to suffer and began to look for a chain to break.

Leaping to my right, I struck down word at the thick metallic metal, but to my surprise the blade seemed to slide through with ease. In that moment, the rest of the chain vanished, as well as the sword. Fukuzatsuna as well dissipated into thousands of granules of sand. "Free at last..." he sighed as I shielded my eyes from the granules. The sandstorm seemed to rage around me, but I slowly looked about, and up above me. The sand seemed to be focusing above me, so I allowed myself to look about for a possible exit. Unfortunately, the was interrupted by the sudden impact on my back. I tumbled through the air until I slammed against an invisible field. "Im-impossible!" cried the demon as the sand seemed to be spiraling toward me. I struggled with all my strength only to find it was not enough. But what I expected to be my death, was something different.

The spiral of the sandy tornado seemed to bore into my vertebrae, disappearing into what I could only feel was chakra. I felt so much raw energy flowing into my body, it was beyond compare. Only as the last of the storm flowed into me did some of it canvas my skin into a hardened layer of protection. At that moment, I slowly fell into a black abyss, my eyes meeting with the demon's once more. "Curses..." he growled, to which I could only smile at his misfortune. But I turned to look at myself. "How do I stop?" I wondered. There seemed to be no end in sight, and no light aside from what was above. Ideas moved through my head, and the thought of fluffing clouds seemed to trigger a response. Beneath my falling body, a cloud of sand seemed to spawn and slowly caught me.

With wobbly steps, I turned to look at my creation. "That bastard, if I ever find him, I will kill him..." grunted Fukuzatsuna. I looked at him with a questioning thought. "He gave you my power!" he replied with a sigh. "Doesn't matter, we're both gonna die anyway. That man out in reality is gonna squash you flat.

It all rushed back to me. The mission. Tama. The missile. How was I going to beat it? There was nothing big enough to take it on. I looked a bit alarmed and then found the demon's eyes once again. "How do I use your techniques?" I said with a voice that was beyond demanding. "If you want to live you will tell me." I warned. He laughed. For quite some time too. "Haven't figured it out? You think it, it happens. Dumbass." he said with a final insult. I glared at him and then look up toward the light. "Up."

I almost fell off my little cloud with the sudden movement, but we were ascending quite rapidly. I began to passive thinking of other commands; turning, spinning, hell I even tried to do a loop. Failed. Horribly. But once I had my new cloud I continued toward the light up above growing ever closer. Looking to my hands, I began to change the them into various shapes: claws, blades, wings. It really was anything I thought. With a confident smile on my face, and a plan in mind, I reached the light and returned to the land of consciousness.
---

It was like I had never left, or rather, very little time had passed at all. I looked down at my skin and noticed the layer of sand. "So it wasn't my imagination." I thought with a confident smile, feeling the surplus of chakra I had access to now. I subtly looked down to my fingers and formed tiny claws on the end of them. "It really works!" I thought, hardly containing my excitement. This would definitely turn things around...

Then all hell broke loose. Tama seemed to find power in the declaration of love, which was useful for escaping Enishi himself. Kazuhiko and Jo sped their way to the fight as quickly as possible. Kazuhiko started playing the support role by setting up some useful ziplines we could use to make quick dodges with, and Jo seemed to put himself in some kind of machine and began to work on getting it started.

Now I wasn't quite sure just how much chakra this little maneuver was going to take, but we needed some that would be able to counter it blow for blow. And thanks to my little episode, I had met the demon who would be able to do so. "Guys, don't panic when it happens..." I warned into the headset.

With the demon's form in my mind the, sand on my skin began to expand, piling upon itself. Layer upon layer it expanded; within moments I was a pygmy version of Fukuzatsuna, and moments later, I was equal in size to Enishi himself. Thankfully, Tama had kept him busy in the time I needed to completed my imagination. The question was just how strong I was. my real self was safe within the head of my creation, but no doubt that this was going to get clumsy. With both Tama and Jo working on finding out a way to kill him, I tasked myself with what my goal was all along. Distraction. It was going to be hard for Enishi to focus on such small targets when something your own size was swinging at your face.

I quickly closed the short gap between Enishi and myself, careful to avoid my allies and their efforts. My giant hands sought out the rival behemoth's arms in an attempt to grapple him into a position where he wouldn't be able to move with ease. Also, with his arms immobilized, he wouldn't be able to chuck any giant bombs at targets, and that was definitely a plus. But I could already feel the draw on my own chakra, though it wasn't as much as I had predicted it might be. The demonic chakra must have been assisting me as well. Hopefully my allies could get the job done, because I didn't think a fight between two giants would end very well for them or the spare warhead.

Spoiler

So what happened...

Zaku is now a giant sand monster, rivaling Enishi in size. His goal is to grapple Enishi, essentially binding him in a sense, giving his allies the opportunity to take him down. This is all before Tama's and Jo's latter attacks.

I assume many typos. Lemme know.