More Money Than Sense [B-Rank]

[Kogami Ayumu]

Iyanagi Choji​

"Ah, you're here, you're here! Welcome to my humble abode! Well, to this one anyway. We haven't made it to my other humble abode yet," Iyanagi exclaimed exuberantly as he reached the bottom of the stairway. It was at the bottom of the stairway that he truly seemed to study his escorts. A slight look of dissatisfaction washed over his face. "I thought there would be more of you," he said, scratching at his scraggly goatee thoughtfully. "But you are... ANBU, was it? The elite of the elite, they say. Hmm, I trust you won't disappoint!" he concluded, seemingly satisfied.

"Master Iyanagi, Kumogakure has assured us that you will come to no harm under their watch," the man from before said, trying to reassure Iyanagi. The man was dressed in a suit and tie and looked very well kempt. He appeared to be a servant under the employ of Iyanagi. Iyanagi turned to the man and nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's not dilly dally! Off to the carriages!" Iyanagi said, heading towards the door and opening them before stepping outside. In the light of day once more, the group would find that three horses had been brought to the front of the house, one for each of them. Hopefully they knew how to ride them. There was probably a class on it in their time as trainees, unless one of the trainees hadn't gotten a chance to attend one yet. Tsumugu approached one of the horses and mounted it without too much trouble. He was by no means an expert, but he had attended one such class and at least knew what he was doing a little.

"Cool," he said, adjusting himself on the saddle to get as comfortable as possible. Iyanagi walked to his awaiting carriage and stepped inside. His servant was close behind him, closing the door behind him. A moment later shutters around the side of the carriage opened and he was visible once more. Inside, he drew a fan and began to fan himself. The servant moved to the front of the carriage and climbed up to the front seat alongside the coachman. Another man was already sitting on the other carriage ready to head out.

"Do you have any questions, or are you ready to depart?" the servant asked, looking to the trio expectantly.

 

[Fuu]

Fuu awoke well rested, despite his less than comfortable bed. Not much had been spoken between the two young men, the older ANBU remaining type lipped as always. It wasn’t an insult to the trainee, it was simply the way he was. The inherently private man had even slept in his cloak after a trip to the washroom, changing in and out of his armor privately and keeping his four extra arms tucked away and out of sight. This was essential now more than ever, with his still bruised midsection sporting Fuu’s latest stigma. The dark seal stood out prominently against his pale skin, giving him all the more reason to dress heavily. Nobody knew of his curse seal or his bloodright, with the exception of the few officials privy to medical records, and even they were unaware of the recent curse sealing.

This brought about somewhat of a problem, he realized as he perused the folder given to him by the intelligence officer at the gates. ‘Hyuuga.’ He noted warily, setting aside Tsumugu’s dossier and focusing on Itsuki’s. The fact that he was in command of his commanding officer’s relative was cause for some concern, but that meant little in comparison to the other trainee’s occular capabilities. ‘She’ll be able to see all six arms, regardless of concealment. Possibly this damn seal as well.’ The black circles throbbed at the thought, seemingly aware that it was on the ANBU’s mind.

Fuu was still in the dark as to just what the mark was, but his brief experiences with it’s boons and banes left him wary to seek consultation. On the one hand, the control it gave him was a high like no other, boosting his speed and reaction time exponentially. After however, the drawbacks quickly made themselves apparent. The first time he had been violently ill, his muscles convulsing and his stomach emptying itself. The second had been worse yet, stomach pain and spasms leaving him in an almost comatose state for what felt like hours. As concerned as he was, the duty driven ANBU had refused to allow his new burden to affect his work, assuming his usual responsibilities as if nothing had changed.

So here he was, nodding politely at the servant and leading his small party into the home. Fuu was no stranger to wealth, his formative years spent in his family’s estate nestled comfortably in the Seki District. At eighteen he had traded his sprawling bedroom for lodging in the Sileo and beginning his ANBU career, but prior to that he had considered his childhood a privileged one. Staring at the extravagant living arrangements now however, even he felt downright homely. As determined as he was to stay impartial, he couldn’t help but feel some contempt, slightly disgusted by the lavish lifestyle the merchant was living. The cherry on top was the painting above, depicting a stern, powerful man. It was almost insulting as the merchant entered into sight, standing in harsh contrast to the image behind him. Fighting a sigh, Fuu kept his posture rigid and clenched his jaw from behind his mask.

"Ah, you're here, you're here! Welcome to my humble abode! Well, to this one anyway. We haven't made it to my other humble abode yet," Iyanagi began, his voice grating against the already slightly agitated ANBU. "I thought there would be more of you, but you are... ANBU, was it? The elite of the elite, they say. Hmm, I trust you won't disappoint!" Fuu simply nodded, though he doubted the ‘humble’ man would have taken note either way. The man who had initially greeted them spoke up, trying to reassure his employer. The ANBU pitied the man, who seemed like a respectable man, at least on first impression. ‘If our low budget lodging was anything to judge by, I doubt he lives a comfortable life.’

His face grim as ever, hidden behind his spider mask, loosened up slightly at the sight of the horses. He was no stranger to the large beasts, and he enjoyed the change of pace the riding entailed. Fuu had been relieved when he read they would be journeying on horseback, the man loathing the thought of riding in a carriage. ‘I’d rather walk.’ He thought smugly, mounting the horse with ease and patting it’s thick mane. "Do you have any questions, or are you ready to depart?" The servant asked from his perch behind the horses. Shooting a look to the trainees, the ANBU waited a moment to see if they would speak up before shaking his head. Nudging his horse forward, he moved closer to his comrades and spoke quietly, his voice void of the slight irritation that accompanied his now throbbing headache. “You two flank the rear,” he said, looking them both in the eyes “Stay alert, and alert me subtly if you spot anything. No need to give our assignment an early heart attack.” Nodding slightly, he trotted to his position in from of the small caravan, ready to move out when given the word, anxious to leave the posh capital behind him. His mind was heavy with thoughts of Hyuuga's, cursed seals and stigmas, and the ANBU was eager to get out on the road.

[Sorry for delaying.]

 

[Morishige]

Itsuki's pale eyes opened to the solitude of the room she was given. A frown soon become her expression. This separation and special treatment was akin to an insult, as if she was special just because she didn't have a penis dangling beneath her legs. The thought conjured a disgusted scowl. "We are supposed to be equals behind the mask." she grumbled as she stood up to get ready. Of course, it was true they didn't have much money and that rooms generally didn't have three beds, but still. It was the principle of the matter that got to her. Still she thanked the sexist men in the back of her mind. Itsuki had never been comfortable in the presence of men, especially behind closed doors. Having to bunk with them would have resulted in her sleeping in her gear. But that was not the case. She quickly got ready and met the others down in the lobby of the hotel before setting out for the Iyanagi estate.

They were lead inside the extravagant place. "Makes the Kyokuju look like paupers." she commented to herself within the mask. But that was no issue. Their charge soon was in front of them, flaunting his wealth through his words as most arrogant people do. Outside of the situation, Itsuki might have lectured him on respect and humility, as her father had done to her so many times. However, they were on a mission, one that might just end up being another star on her record for superb duty. She wasn't going to fudge it up.

Lead back outside, horses had been brought around for them. One of the few modes of transportation that Itsuki trusted. Coming from the traditional upbringing, she had adopted her parents distrust for new technologies. But a horse was something she knew how to handle with skill. The question was, were these horses ready to work if the going got tough, or would they spook at the slightest surprise. She stepped her way into the saddle and shifted to get a feel of it. Frowning, she dismounted and adjusted the belts that wrapped under the animals belly before once again mounting the horse. Moving her rump in the saddle till she was satisfied, Itsuki shook her head to the servant's question. A shift of chakra and the world around her became much clearer. Now that they were in transit, she needed to be ready for anything, no matter when adversity might rear it's nasty head.

Immediately, she noticed the evil charkra that emanated from Fuu's cursed seal. Surprise crossed her face, which only increased when the extra arms made themselves apparent unto her vision. "Peculiar." she said softly. It wasn't her place to mention it now, but perhaps if they had privacy. When Fuu spoke, she nodded her head silently, tapping her ear to signal that should would update him of anything via headset. It was time to get this done.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

"No questions, then? Good... then we should head out of town now," the servant spoke, picking up the reins and preparing to depart. They had a long road of them, and thanks to the client they were getting a bit of a late start. The servant was perfectly aware of that, and was hoping to depart as soon as possible to make up for it. It didn't take long for them to get out of the city, despite its size. The roads were well maintained and Iyanagi lived near the edge. People also seemed to step aside and make way as the caravan came through. If only their entire trip would be so easy.

A few hours later...

After a few hours of travel, not much had occurred. The trip had been uneventful and Choji had even fallen asleep inside his carriage. Tsumugu himself was yawning atop his horse, though managing to stay alert despite his boredom thanks to training. They were making decent time moving at a brisk pace. The group had stopped not long ago long enough to eat lunches that had been brought along. Of course, a full stomach only made one want a nap more. Fortunately, the shinobi remained vigilant. Because of this, Itsuki spotted something ahead of the group with her Byakugan. To the naked eye, the path that lie ahead seemed normal, but to her extraordinary vision it became clear that danger lurked ahead. Beneath the road was an empty space being covered by a sheet of wood. It would likely support the weigh of a manned horse, but a carriage was a different story. Dirt covered the wooden sheet to make it appear like the rest of the road. It was indeed well disguised, for anybody that could not see through it with doujutsu.

Using her headset, she quickly and quietly informed her comrades in advance. Somebody was trying to draw them into a trap. She could not see any persons nearby, but it was possible that they were out of her range. The group needed to decide what to do fast. Until they informed the drivers of the carriage, they were still heading towards that trap.

 

[Fuu]

The ride was a slow one, but Fuu had expected that. Riding at the head of the party he received his share of stares from the passerby’s, though under the cover of his heavy robes and armored mask they didn’t make him quiet so uncomfortable. Still, he found himself breaking one of his rules of conduct, occasionally pulling the mouth slide of his mask and sparking a cigarette. Typically the disciplined ANBU would never smoke on a mission, but the mounting stress, slow pace and cumbersome wagons gave him ample reason to indulge in his vice.

Minutes after his third cigarette his earpiece crackled to life, Hebi’s soft voice calmly alerting the party of a pitfall. The news did not come as much surprise to the Fuu, the young man had dealt with his share of escorts. It wasn’t unusual for the attackers to wait until their prey was well away from populated areas before pouncing. ‘Probably have a party shutting down the road to make sure nobody else falls in.’ He thought calmly, his mind racing through his options. “Don’t let on that anything is amiss.” He muttered lowly into his microphone quietly, scanning the road for the patch of dirt that contained the trap. “Hebi, where exactly is it?”

As soon as the trainee designated the target, Fuu rushed though a set of handseals with his hidden arms, keeping them securely under his robes. To the untrained eye it would appear as though nothing had happened, though of course Itsuki would be able to witness it. Moments later, a slight rumble could be felt as his Earthslide Wall took effect, emerging horizontally just under the false bottom. With any luck they would pass right over, much to the shock of whoever laid the trap in the first place. “Get ready, they’re likely to attack when they realize what is happening.” Fuu’s jaw clenched slightly at the thought. Hopefully the two trainees were combat hardened, they would need all the experience they could get to keep the wagon safe. The ANBU’s main concern was the merchant himself, though he doubted the man would be grateful if he knew it. ‘Dead men don’t pay.’ He thought, feeling the familiar sensation of thick mucus accumulating on his skin. Soon he would be covered in it, his skin preparing itself to take damage.

‘Let’s get this over with.’

 

[Morishige]

Itsuki listened to his words come over the headset and frowned behind her mask, sizing up the distance between the caravan and the pitfall trap. "Just about 500 meters I would say." she responded in a low and steady tone. This was the first bit of excitement that would be bestowed to them on the trip. She too deduced that the travelers had stopped passing them by, so these weren't bandits targeting just anyone. It was specifically for them.

Itsuki watched as his chakra shifted and the jutsu performed. Her horse grew nervous with the rumbling beneath it's feet. She reached down to pat it on the neck, letting it know everything was all right. Fuu warned that it was possible they would be attacked once they passed the trap. It was likely, but there was a severe lack of bodies around her for her to believe it was going to happen soon. Then again, even the Byakugan couldn't see everywhere at once. Should the worst happen, Itsuki would be able to pinpoint anyone coming before the others would and would move to mobilize the greatest threat to the V.I.P.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

A rumbling under their feet signified that Fuu was up to something. The carriage drivers perked up and looked around, slightly concerned. The area wasn't known for frequent earthquakes, so the feeling was foreign and worrisome. Still, they did not notice their guards paying it much mind, so they decided to shrug it off for the time being. Meanwhile, the shinobi had become extra vigilant. With Itsuki's Byakugan, nobody was going to be sneaking up on them. After a few seconds, the group was passing over the trap without incident. The road felt a little more rough than the previous sections, but they didn't fall through it to their dooms, so that was more than acceptable. "Hmm, the government should really maintain these roads better," the servant driving Iyanagi's carriage remarked, shaking his head at the state of his beloved nation's roads. Other than that, he noticed nothing. Iyanagi was never even roused from his sleep. After a few moments, the caravan had passed the trap and was moving smoothly on the other side. Apparently nothing had happened.

It was about five minutes later that Itsuki noticed something with her Byakugan once more. Behind them now, a group of 10 showed up at the location of the trap they had passed and stopped, briefly inspecting the trap. Now, however, they were headed in the caravan's direction at an impressive clip. She estimated that it would likely be about 2 minutes before they arrived. From the looks of them, three seemed likely to be shinobi though the rest were unlikely to be much of a threat. There was no telling how much trouble the shinobi would give the group, however. The group now had a short amount of time to prepare for an attack, but it was much better than the ambush that had been initially in store for them. What would they do now? Stand and fight? Try to get away? Something more devious?

 

[Fuu]

‘Two minutes, three shinobi.’ Fuu bit his lip, his heart pounding rapidly as he ran through his options. There was always the most direct option, simply turning around and doing combat, leaving one of the trainees behind to look after the merchandise while he and the other dismounted and ambushed the the pursuers. As simple as it sounded, the ANBU didn’t like the idea of leaving the merchandise and VIP in the care of only one trainee. At the very least he needed to slow the riders down, giving the squad more time to formulate a plan and put less ground between the caravan and it’s destination. Pulling his reins calmly he pulled the horse around, trotting back the way they had come. Reaching his finger to his ear he spoke into the microphone in his mask, keeping his voice low and collected. “I’m going to try to slow them down, hopefully incapacitate a few. Form up, one on the VIP the other on the goods.”

Nodding curtly as he passed the white masks, the ANBU trotted for a few seconds before rearing his horse to a stop. From underneath his robes he rushed through a second set of handseals, this one every bit as complicated as the last. Moments later he turned, spurring the mount forward gently, satisfied with what was about to take place. As his Ambience of the Forbidden took affect, roaring towards the pack of riders as if released by Fuujin himself, Fuu pulled up behind the caravan, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of what was to come next. As powerful as the jutsu was, the ANBU knew better than to expect the ordeal to end so easily. “Looks like we’re going to have a fight on our hands, unless either of you have any suggestions?” He muttered calmly, keeping his voice low. Almost as an afterthought he spoke again, his voice hinting only slightly towards the excitement that was building up inside of him. “Oh, and would one of you calmly warn the driver. Tell him to stay the course.”

 

[Morishige]

The group who created the trap behind the squad of ANBU and their charge were now quickly gaining upon them. Itsuki had informed her companions of the development and keep her focus behind her with a tilt of the head. The leader of the shinobi trio announced he was going to take matters into his hands, as was his right to do so. Hopefully he had an eye for strategy and a plan in motion.

He released a powerful jutsu towards those behind them, whether or not the group would survive was up to how ready they were for the attack. The shinobi probably would be able to avoid a frontal assault, but the regular mercenaries were in for a fun surprise. Tsumugu and Itsuki were charged with protecting the V.I.P. which Itsuki would do without complaint. While her skills as a Hyuuga were honed to be able to incapacitate shinobi's chakra abilities, the mission was to see their charge and his product to the destination unharmed.

Fuu however prepared for the worst, asking for suggestions before any survivors of his jutsu got any closer. Itsuki only had one. "Thin out the herd. A jutsu coming at them is easier to dodge than one they don't see coming. Use their own tricks against them: open up a pitfall beneath the group and hopefully trap some inside. We should be able to handle whoever is left." she said in a low steady tone. Fights were like a dance to her. Full of passion and emotion, and she was ready to tango. She would leave warning the man to Tsumugu.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Tsumugu perked up once again at the mention of the group now in pursuit of their caravan. He tried to remain calm as instructed before, but it was clear there was going to be a confrontation soon. As instructed, Tsumugu guided his horse to stick by the carriages in case he would need to move quickly to protect either. Fuu seemed to have a plan of action to slow them down, perhaps give the group a little more time. The carriage drivers noticed as Fuu suddenly turned and headed back towards the direction they came from. It seemed odd, but their thought was that perhaps he just wanted to check something out. Still, the change up left them slightly nervous. It was only slight until Fuu let forth a mighty jutsu sending a roaring gale of wind back behind them to assault some enemy. Both drivers stood up in their seats to look back over their carriages and see what the commotion was. Fuu returned to the caravan, instructing the trainees to prepare for combat and also asking one of them to warn the drivers.

"I think they already know," Tsumugu said back through the headset before speaking a bit more loudly so that both drivers could hear him. "We've got company! Just-"<i></i> Tsumugu began to inform them, but before he could even finish both of them had spurred on their horses and picked up the pace. "Hey, at least let me finish!"<i></i> he said, encouraging his own horse to keep pace. Meanwhile, Itsuki provided her own thoughts as to what the group should do to prepare for the oncoming group. The group had seen the jutsu coming their way. Thanks to the shinobi in their midst they recognized it as dangerous- this was also thanks to the carnage it was causing to the trees and road along its path. One of the shinobi leapt from his horse, landing ahead of the rest of the group. He went through a series of handseals and pressed his hand to the ground moments before a large barrier of rock erupted from the earth. The wind jutsu collided with the rock barrier moments after it was erected. Such was the power of the jutsu that the force of the wind that went around the barrier whipped through the mounted men causing some of the horses to rear up and toss their riders to the ground. They quickly scrambled back up and the group continued advancing, now more hastily than before.

"That's a good idea- either of you capable of earth jutsu? Otherwise, I don't think we're gonna have time to dig out a pit..." Tsumugu commented back at the caravan. The group was still coming, barely deterred thank to their shinobi escort. They would probably reach the caravan in less than a minute even with the driver's increased pace. There was just no way two horse drawn carriages were going to escape horses carrying only single riders. If the group was going to lay some sort of trap, they were going to need to do so very quickly.

 

[Fuu]

“Fuck” Fuu growled, cursing himself as he watched the wall rise to greet his wave of air. It was clear now that off the three Shinobi riding with the raiding party, at least one was on par with his own ability. As he watched, riding behind the small caravan, the group of raiders rode out from behind their barrier, charging with renewed vigor towards them. Ahead of him, he could hear the wagon drivers spur their horses forward, apparently aware of the incoming threat. Urging his own horse forward, Fuu easily kept pace with the weighty caravan, his head swiveled back to watch the approaching bandits.

"Thin out the herd. A jutsu coming at them is easier to dodge than one they don't see coming. Use their own tricks against them: open up a pitfall beneath the group and hopefully trap some inside. We should be able to handle whoever is left." Hebi’s calm voice spoke up, seemingly undisturbed by the situation unfolding around them. "That's a good idea- either of you capable of earth jutsu? Otherwise, I don't think we're gonna have time to dig out a pit..." Tanto chimed in, for a brief moment reminding Fuu of his own younger brother with his almost goofy input. With a heavy sigh, the tall ANBU nodded his head slightly, a useless gesture in the dust and confusion being upturned by the frantic wagons. “I’ll see what I can do.” He said, his voice dry and without a hint of the agitation that was worming its way though him. It seemed that for now, it would be up to him to slow the advance and thin out their numbers.

With a gentle hop, he spun himself around in his saddle, trusting the horse under him to have the wits to stick with the group. From underneath his cloak he set into a steady stream of handsigns, finishing one only to start another. He started with the ground, as far back as he could manage in the stress of the moment. He could feel the familiar texture of the earth, despite his distance and mounted status, and it took very little for him to simply spread it out with his chakra, reducing the density of the road behind him with an Antlion Sinkhole. As they continued to move forward, Fuu was given more earth to work with, the hard pack ground quickly turning into soft mush as he channeled the Earth Flow River, pouring extra chakra into the technique to cover a larger area. It wasn't exactly a lot, but the thick mud would hopefully serve to slow them down, especially after their run in with the sinkhole.

Lastly, he erected a barrier of his own, the large Earthslide Wall standing about eight feet tall, though only about a foot thick due to it’s length. At the cost of it’s density, Fuu had elongated the barrier, the thick earth spanning for some distance straight out on either side of the rode. Slightly out of breath he spun back around in his saddle, riding urging the horse alongside the wagon it had been trailing. “That should slow them down, even incapacitate a few. I take it you two are close range fighters?” Checking over his shoulder, he continued to speak in his microphone, his voice low and calm despite the rush of imminent contact. “The shinobi will most likely make it through, possibly tailed by the others. We can’t lose them, so we’re going to have to eliminate them. Any suggestions?” Locking his jaw, he kept a watchful eye on his barrier, curious to see how effective his obstacles had been. In the absolute worst case scenario he would dismount and order the trainee’s to stay with the caravan, confident he could buy the wagon plenty of time to escape.

 

[Morishige]

As the situation thickened, and the pace of the horses hastened, this got a bit more chaotic. Fighting from horseback was not something she was used to, despite knowing how to ride. Fuu had his ninjutsu, but as a hand to hand fighter, Itsuki was helpless in the current situation. Then an idea came to her, one that wasn't usually in line with her typical thought. She had some projectiles, but as she turned to her belt pouch, it was an explosive note that she grabbed. Quickly forming handseals, the young Kyokuju summoned forth a shadow clone and handed the E-note to the version of herself. The fake quickly hopped off of the horse and began to walk itself towards the earth slide wall. Standing at a safe distance, the Clone would await the first shinobi who made it past the wall and then make a running dash forward, detonating the e-note; hopefully at point blank range. "We'll see how that works. Might be able to get one of them in a surprise attack." she spoke, a bit of pride in her voice. She was proud she had come up with a tactic like that, but that only showcased her inexperience. Unlike true ANBU, she hadn't been exposed to as many situations as they had.

Fuu asked for suggestion again, and Itsuki shrugged. "I can't do anything on horse back, at least, I've never tried. If we are going to fight, we need to step off these beasts and fight. I'll follow your lead."

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

The group of bandits were certainly gaining on the caravan and the shinobi had to think quickly if they wanted to prevent a disaster from befalling their client. Think quickly they did as Fuu prepared a series of traps for the bandits with his earth jutsu. His first jutsu gave the enemy a taste of their own medicine, only a little more advanced. The group was focused on avoiding any further attacks from head on and failed to notice the one that came from underneath. The focus of this attack was truly on the horses, however, which was good enough. The horses' hooves began to sink into the quicksand that formed out of nowhere beneath them, causing the horses to trip and fall throwing their riders off into the quicksand themselves. When all was said and done, only three had managed to stop short of the pitfall and avoid the sand. Two of the shinobi had entered the quicksand, but lept from their horses backs before they were thrown off landing on the side of the pit nearest the caravan. The third shinobi was among the three that didn't enter the quicksand. He quickly made his way across the trap using sinking horses and fellow man alike as stepping stones to cross safely as the other shinobi awaited him.

The three shinobi would find themselves now standing in a thick mud from Fuu's Earth Flow River. As they each ran through a series of curses they were forced to pull their legs out of the clinging mud giving Fuu enough time for one final obstacle. From the earth once more he raised a barrier not unlike the one the enemy had used before. This barrier was wide and tall, though not terribly thick. Of course it would cause no issue for the shinobi once they were free of the mud, but the others would be slowed down further- if they ever managed to get out of the quicksand and mud. On the other side of the wall, Fuu spoke to the trainees, asking about their fighting styles.

"Bit of mid range and close range, actually. I use lightning style ninjutsu and my blades, mostly. That said, the earth guy is probably not a good match up for me," Tsumugu corrected, just to ensure that there were no mix-ups when the battle began. Fuu followed up by asking for suggestions. Tsumugu rubbed his chin in thought for a moment while Itsuki moved to action, creating a clone. She handed the clone an explosive note which she intended to have the clone use once it was in close proximity to one of the enemy shinobi. She would have her chance quickly. The three shinobi simultaneously jumped above the earthen wall, landing atop it to assess the situation, giving the caravan protectors a good look at them at last. The one they had witnessed using earth jutsu had brown dreadlocks with a green bandanna around his forehead. He wore a gray jacket over a green shirt and gray pants and boots. Another was shirtless revealing blue tattoos that covered his torso and arms, a black muffler around his neck and medium length white hair. Most importantly he carried a wicked looking halberd. The last was wearing glasses, a black buttoned up jacket, and pants with waist nearly length red hair with nothing else notable about him for the time being.
[col]

Red
Abilities Unknown​

|

Brown
Earth Style User​

[/col]

White
Carrying a Halberd​

Upon finding that the caravan was still moving, Red and Brown took to the trees alongside the path and gave chase moving from branch to branch, steadily gaining on the caravan once again. White stuck to the road moving inhumanly fast along the ground. Ignoring the moral implications of asking your clone to suicide bomb for you, Itsuki sent her clone forward off of her horse and had it charge at the halberd carrier as soon as he touched the ground. Seeing the clone coming, White raised his halberd and as the two shinobi came close, swung it. He did not expect his strike to connect so easily with his attack and quickly sensed that something was wrong as his halberd sliced through the clone. Hearing the familiar sound of a hissing explosive note he made a last moment body switch with a log from the forest which was utterly destroyed by the explosion that ensued.

In response to the attack, the earth user dropped to the ground and after performing a few handseals seemed to reach into the ground, pulling up a large slab of earth which propelled itself towards the fleeing group. Fortunately for them, specifically for Tsumugu, the aim was slightly off. Very slightly. Tsumugu ducked close to his horse as the slab of earth sailed a foot over his head crashing into a tree on the other side of the path which snapped in half from the impact. Tsumugu raised back up and looked over at the destruction caused by the slab, destruction that almost struck him instead. Perhaps more importantly, if you were not Tsumugu at least, the slab had come dangerously close to striking the back carriage.

"Whoa!"<i></i> Tsumugu yelped as he looked back at the enemies over his shoulder. He growled, gritting his teeth as he went through handseals of his own calling forth a jutsu. Electricity crackled around his hand for a few moments before he thrust his palm in the direction of halberd wielding shinobi now accompanied by the earth style user. Bolts of lightning began to shoot from the gathered electricity in his hand. The strikes were close, but the two shinobi moved sporadically making themselves difficult to hit. After several bolts of lightning failed to find their mark the electricity at Tsumugu's hand dissipated and he clenched his fist slamming it into his leg in frustration.

"Dammit! I can't hit them like this! Hebi's right, we need to get off and face them! Besides, their shots are a little closer to the carriages than I'm comfortable with!"<i></i> Tsumugu spoke into his headset, agreeing with Itsuki's suggestion. So long as they were riding on horseback they were less maneuverable than the enemy shinobi and it was more difficult to fight, too. The driver of the carriage that was nearly hit leaned over so he could see the shinobi and shouted, "For what it's worth, I agree!" before continuing to try to spur his horses to carry him faster. As he spoke, the remaining shinobi in the trees took to the roads as well and flew through handseals before moving his hand next to his mouth from which he began to breath fire. The fire rocketed forwards towards the back carriage taking the shape of a dragon as it flew through the air. The carriage was about to be blown up if someone didn't do something.

 

[Fuu]

Fuu cursed again, watching the mass of earth careen past within an uncomfortable distance of both a trainee and a wagon. Tanto did his best to return fire, but from atop his horse the young man was having difficulty landing a blow, his bolts of lightning powerful but precise. "Dammit! I can't hit them like this! Hebi's right, we need to get off and face them! Besides, their shots are a little closer to the carriages than I'm comfortable with!" Ignoring the added lip from the wagon driver Fuu nodded his head, bouncing lightly off of his horse and spinning to face the incoming shinobi, just in time to watch as the third man revealed himself with a burst of fire.

“Fuck me, dismount!” He growled into the microphone, flying through a hasty set of handseals as the fiery dragon flew towards him. Instantly he recognized the technique, the Dragon Fire jutsu being one of the first he had learned of the fire persuasion. For a moment the ANBU was thankful he had spent so much time in the library and academy as a child, the vast amount of knowledge available more than facilitating his ability to learn techniques in different fields. That being said, he had always felt his natural affinity lay with the wind, though he had dabbled in a number of others. Finishing the stream of hand signs the tall man smacked the ground, the earth clinging to his hands as he yanked them up towards the sky. From in front of him rose an Rock Golem, though in the haste of the moment it could only arise part way from it’s earthy slumber. Pulling it’s massive arms up, the earth behemoth shielded itself as the dragon of fire hurtled towards it, unable to withstand the attack and hold its form but hopefully enough to nullify the jutsu.

Sucking in a sharp breath, the ANBU glared at the approaching shinobi, standing tall and straight as the heated debris fell around him. It seemed as though these men had little interest in the merchandise itself, the bandit group a pparently more than the willing to destroy it all in a fiery blast. “Looks like Fire, Earth and of course that motherfucker there.” He muttered into his microphone, flying through another set of handseals. "Hebi, can you get past that Halberd? Tanto, focus on Fire for now. Hold, move on my mark.” As he spoke he finished his next stream of handsigns, glaring at the group across from him as the wagons pulled away behind. If they wanted heat, Fuu had another surprise up his sleeve. Heating the air above the group until it actually caught fire, raining down on the advancing shinobi in a literal Firestorm, the ANBU clenched his jaw from behind his mask. Whatever the shinobi wanted, they weren't going to get it. “If they group up, we nuke them. If they split up, take your target down then assist the nearest squadmate. Go!”

Lunging through one final set of seals, the young man leapt forward, landing atop the rolling wave of earth he had conjured. If the group stayed together, huddled behind some barrier or something of the sort, he would smash his Earth Flow Wave directly through it, hopefully crushing someone in the process. If they split up, he would pursue the Earth user, pointing his finger at the man and firing a Bang Bullet before leaping off and surging the Earth forward, hopefully crushing the man in his moment of suppression.

 

[Morishige]

"Curses..." grunted Itsuki as the man didn't fall for her little trap. Perhaps she should have made the clone more realistic in it's approach, or triggered the explosive note earlier. But that was a debate for another time. The man she had been targeting was still on his way. One of his comrades dropped to the ground to and with the help of jutsu, heaved a massive piece of the ground towards them. "Careful!" shouted the young woman. Tsumugu was lucky enough to dodge it just barely and prepare a counter attack towards those who ran along the road. Unfortunately, riding on horse made him less effective and he voiced his discontent quickly afterwards The enemy was gaining... And even the carriage driver had the nerve to shout his opinion back at Fuu.

With frustration in his voice, the order to dismount came and Itsuki was off her mount quicker than most. Steady on her feet, she faced the enemy with a greedy smile. A new challenge was before her and she was ready to prove that the Kyokuju were the strongest fighters in Kumogakure. Fuu handled the oncoming fire jutsu in the best way he could, the heat from the blast of the two elements radiated against her skin and cloth. It felt warm and pleasant, though the situation they were in was not of that nature. Hebi listened to the leader of the mission, eager for her chance to test her skills once again.

Her task was the man with the weapon meant for cutting down horses. "It would be my pleasure." she said with a confident tone to her voice. The moment he said go, she was off. Avoiding a weapon that size would prove easy for someone as agile as her. It was big an slow, so her plan was simple. Every time he would strike at her, she would react quickly with a jab with her Jyuken style, using her knowledge of the human anatomy to quickly debilitate him to the best of her ability. She would keep an eye out for the others and their ninjutsu however, should an opportunity make itself apparent, Itsuki wouldn't hesitate to her chakra circulatory attack on one of the ninjutsu users.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

[col]

Red
Fire Style User​

|

Brown
Earth Style User​

[/col]

White
Carrying a Halberd​

The Dragon Fire jutsu was dangerous careening towards the carriage nearest it. In the far distance, one could hear the bandits screaming for the shinobi to mind the merchandise, but they seemed less concerned with damage and more concerned with ceasing the enemy's retreat. Additionally, they knew that the shinobi guarding the caravan would never allow the attack to land so easily. As expected, Fuu was quick to react, ordering the shinobi to dismount and cover the caravan's escape. The shinobi followed his lead and took to the ground as he went through a series of handseals before dragging an golem made of rock from the ground. The desperate maneuver worked for the msot part. Though the golem could not be fully formed, it did take the brunt of the dragon fire attack for Fuu and the caravan. Standing behind the golem as the fire crashed against it Fuu could feel the familiar intense heat from the other side as flames licked around the sides of the golem. As the golem fell apart, Fuu was revealed still perfectly intact behind it.

He spoke orders to the rest of his team, peppered with colorful language to get the point across. Tanto was tasked with taking out the Fire Style user who had just launched the Dragon Fire jutsu. Hebi would use her prowess with hand to hand Taijutsu against the halberd wielder. That left the Earth Style user to Fuu whom seemed to have skill with the element himself. Their orders were given and Fuu commenced the attack by launching another jutsu, this time raining fire down upon his enemies. As the fire dropped from the sky, the group of enemy shinobi were forced to split lest they make themselves an easy target. Despite splitting up, they still had trouble. The jutsu was meant to target multiple enemies, and they could not avoid it all. The Earth Style user took the worst of it, suffering a direct hit from one of the balls of fire. His jacket actually caught fire as he was thrown to the ground. He quickly rolled along the ground and slipped out of the jacket. The other two weren't directly struck but narrowly avoided some hits receiving some burns.

Itsuki:
Itsuki wasted no time diving into her attack on the Earth Style user who was still reeling from dodging Fuu's attack. He was prepared to go on the defensive, but instead found that she did not take the initiative to strike first, so he took it instead. He swung his halberd horizontally only to find it ducked under, a solid palm strike connecting with his side. The pain of it almost made him drop his halberd, but he held on tightly and swung again. Yet another miss found him with a palm striking his forearm that held the halberd. He felt his grip on the weapon weaken just as Itsuki planned. However, as it dropped from one hand he caught it with the other, this time using a Taijutsu technique to increase the speed and strength of his attack. It was a surprise attack utilizing the speed of the technique to catch her off guard. The sudden increase in speed caught Itsuki off guard. What was more, the man used the staff of the halberd rather than the blade to attack. The strike struck Itsuki in the ribs but it wasn't enough to disable her and the man had lost use of his preferred hand.

Fuu:
Meanwhile, Fuu had focused upon the Earth Style user. The man had just struggled out of his burned jacket and rolled to his feet, glaring daggers at Fuu. Apparently, he had really liked that jacket... or perhaps the burns he suffered across his torso had him upset. His glare was replied to with a bullet, which he leapt out of the way of, once again rolling into a standing position. Of course, this left him right where Fuu wanted him. Only now did he realize that Fuu was coming straight at him upon his wave of gravel. There was no way to dodge that in time, at least not traditionally. The earth user sped through a series of handseals and then sunk into the earth as if it were water. The wave of gravel passed over the man appeared to be gone, confusing Fuu momentarily. He turned around, eyes and ears searching for his enemy. A slightly sound of earth shifting behind him allowed him to turn in time to see an attack coming. The brown haired man had encased his arm in rock and threw a punch at Fuu from close range. Fuu had time to block, but the impact of the punch probably fractured his arm. The Earth Style user reared back to punch again.

Tsumugu:
Tsumugu was left to deal with the Fire Style user. The man had dealt with a near collision with a fireball, but due to his affinity with the fire he shrugged it off rather quickly. He spotted Tsumugu aiming at him from afar with the same jutsu as before. A bolt of lightning lashed out from Tsumugu's hand, though it could not be claimed that it was at the same speed as an actual lightning strike. The redhead leaned backwards as the bolt flew over his body in what would have been a direct hit. He could feel the hair on his skin raise from the proximity of the electricity. "Damn!" Tsumugu grunted, shooting another bolt. This one was aimed lower, but the enemy used the momentum of his first dodge to flip up onto his hands and propel himself off of the ground. Another miss. In the air, the Fire Style user prepared a jutsu. The air itself seemed to ignite in a line headed towards Tsumugu. Tsumugu halted his attack and braced himself, leaping back to avoid the nearest explosion. The impact threw him off balance causing him to hit the ground and roll. He quickly scrambled to his feet as the redhead landed from his jump much more gracefully. On one knee, sparing no time to stand fully, Tsumugu performed another set of handseals and electricity once more crackled around his hands. This time, however, a beast seemingly formed of electricity sparked to life at his side, awaiting his command. With a wave of his hand, the beast rushed towards its target.

 

[Fuu]

Grunting in pain, Fuu spun away from the point of impact, his Golden Spider Mucus absorbing most of the blow as the tall ANBU flew through the air, landing in a roll and pouncing back up to his feet. Any attempt to move his top left arm was met with a wave of pain, confirming the young man’s suspicion of internal damage. While under normal circumstances sustaining an injury that rendered your arm useless would be the kiss of death for a shinobi, but Fuu only smirked behind his mask as he dashed forward for another attack. After all, he still had five perfectly functioning arms to work with. While the pain was annoying, the ANBU had dealt with more than his share of it in the past, and the fracture would not be enough to incapacitate him.

For a brief moment, he glanced to his comrades, checking on their progress in the midst of his own altercation. Hebi seemed to be holding her own, withstanding a brutal blow to the ribs from the pole of the halberd and continuing her assault. She was a tough one, and the ANBU was confident in her ability to best the white haired shinobi. Tanto was struggling, fire bolt after bolt until he finally decided to summon a mass of electricity, a technique Fuu had never seen. In the heat of the moment, he couldn’t tell which party had the upper hand. At the very least, the raiders were distracted from the fact that the caravan was steadily putting more distance between itself and the battle.

His skin shiny under a sheen of mucus Fuu leapt forward, channeling his chakra into his lung with a deep breath. Pulling the slide on his mask, he revealed his mouth to his foe, held agape as a cloud of Scalding Ash poured out. In moments the world around them went black, the thick hot ash shrouding both shinobi in a wave of black heat. Wasting no time, the ANBU rushed through his second jutsu, conjuring the shadowy figure of a Shadow Servant beside him. Without a sound the form lunged forward, flying in the last known direction of his foe with the intent of assaulting the man, hopefully mixing his adversary up in the confusion. If all went well, the shinobi would assume Fuu was attacking him in the dark, giving the ANBU the opportunity to leap up and back and out of the haze, all the while performing a final complex set of signs. In seconds the light of day would shift, tainting everything in a hue of red and orange as the man’s Sol Fire Tempest built in the sky, the massive ball of flame building and lowering slowly, as if growing too heavy for the sky to hold. In only a few moments it would fall, screaming towards the cloud of dirt and ash that marked the last known location of the Earth user.

 

[Morishige]

She had gotten a few solid hits on the man as expected, but it was surprising how he retaliated after the blow to his primary arm. The pain surged through her body, but her adrenaline quickly suppressed it and she refocused on the man who was now wielding the weapon with his off hand. It was only going to get easier from then on. What she had to worry about was the others and if she was going to be attacked from behind. Hopefully her partners would do well enough the keep them preoccupied, as she was doing for them.

Now that the man was on tilt however, it was her time to attack. She had her own surprise attack. No person resorting to their bad arm was going to be able to withstand her assault, unless they had some kinjutsu to resort to. She would lead with the primary lotus, using her full speed to get in fast and low to be able to kick him up into the air. It was rapidly combo with her Air Palm Taijutsu, a technique of her families, to push him even higher into the air. One might even say that he was flying, however Itsuki was in the air next to him with her leg high in the air. With all of her might, she brought her heel down upon him, making his trip back down to the earth much faster than it would have been normally. She took the moment of peace after doing so to check on the others, looking for who might need her help more urgently.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

[col]

Red
Fire Style User​

|

Brown
Earth Style User​

[/col]

White
Carrying a Halberd​

Fuu:
Fuu felt the pain of one of his arms, but he was not nearly down and out. With multiple arms remaining, it was no more debilitating to him than a normal man breaking a finger. Perhaps even less so, given that he still had full use of more than more than the normal number of arms and fingers a person was allotted. His opponent saw the futility of the damage he had inflicted and grunted in annoyance. This didn't seem like a fair fight, and he was becoming less confident that he would win. Suddenly, the ANBU opened a slide on his mask and emitted a cloud of superheated scalding ash which enveloped the area surrounding the enemy shinobi. It was gradual at first, but the ash cloud became hotter over time causing the shinobi to feel like he was being put to the flame. He quickly began to try to make his way out of the cloud, but suddenly what appeared to be Fuu showed up in front of him beginning to attack. The man was no Taijutsu master, and he was in pain from the ash burning his skin, but this was just a clone. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize as such in the darkness of the ash until he had destroyed the clone with a rock fisted punch. Unable to withstand the heat any longer, he ejected himself from the cloud, rolling along the ground as if he was on fire and trying to put it out.

Fuu had all the time he needed with the precious distraction his clone had provided. The ball of slammed into the ground, the poor shinobi having no time to recover from the scalding ash clinging still to him and less time to dodge. If it wasn't a direct hit, it was close enough. The explosion of the impact sent the shinobi flying and when he landed he found himself on fire. Screaming, he rolled around once more until the fire was extinguished, but burns covered his body and he was far past his limit. Pain overtaking him as blood seeped from his burns, the man ceased to move and laid quietly on the ground, defeated if not dead.

Tsumugu:
Tsumugu's electric pet flew across the ground towards his opponent at shocking (sorry) speeds. There was little doubt in the Fire Style user's mind that allowing the beast to get too close was a bad idea. Yet, he remained in place until a moment before the beast was on top of him. At the last second, he leapt into the air allowing the beast to pass underneath him, missing entirely. In the air he weaved another set of handseals before launching a series of flaming kunai at Tsumugu who remained on the ground. Tsumugu's hand still sparked with electricity as he drew his shortsword and began to deflect the projectiles that threatened to strike him but didn't move from his position. Flames licked at his arms as the projectiles were narrowly deflected. The flame haired shinobi landed, disappointed with the lack of results and began to go through another series of handseals. At the end of this series, he reared back, puffing up his cheeks as if he were about to blow down an innocent pig's home. As he exhaled, fire erupted from his mouth momentarily- only to be interrupted.

Tsumugu motioned his spark emitting hand as soon as the shinobi had landed, a thin trail of electricity still connecting him and the beast from before. The line of electricity sparked much more brightly with the motion, and the beast that remained on the ground charged the fire user while he prepared his jutsu. Before the fireball had really even begun, it was ended as the beast leapt on top of Tsumugu's enemy. As the lightning beast pounced, it was difficult to tell if it was simply electrocuting the poor man or mauling him, but regardless there were screams of pain for a few moments until the beast dissipated. The man began to try to slowly sit up, only to be struck by a bolt of lightning from Tsumugu's palm. "Finally!" Tsumugu grunted, happy to finally connect with his long ranged jutsu as the shinobi slumped back to the ground. A moment later he realized his sleeve was on fire and quickly patted out rapidly shouting, "Owowowowowowowow!"

Itsuki:
Itsuki reeled from the hit she had taken, but she knew the advantage she had just given herself by forcing the man to switch hands. She was going to play that to her advantage, of course, as any shinobi worth their salt would. Putting faith in her allies, she focused on the opponent in front of her even as the skies around her darkened and turned orange from Fuu's technique. Using speed she had not yet shown her opponent she quickly closed the gap. The man somewhat clumsily swung his halberd but Itsuki dropped down underneath of it and rocketed her foot upwards into the man's chest with such force that he was thrown into the air. Following up on that she thrust her palm forward emitting a blast of chakra from it which increased the man's momentum as he was tossed helplessly into the air. The halberd dropped from his grip as the air was forcefully ejected from his lungs from the impact. As he reached the apex of his ascent, he began to recover and looked below to plan his landing, perhaps a counterattack, only to find that Itsuki was missing.

To his eyes, it seemed as though Itsuki simply appeared next to him in mid air, but he had little time to wonder on how she could be so fast. Her leg once more struck him, this time the heel of her foot connecting with the top of his head with a sickening crack. Going limp, the man plummeted to the earth like a falling satellite and crashed hard where he remained motionless. In the air, Itsuki had a moment to focus on everything else that was going on. She quickly ascertained that Fuu and Tsumugu had just finished their opponents as well, but that was not the most important thing she realized. With her Byakugan, she could still see the caravan moving away from them as it had been all along, but now she could see more men that were headed towards the caravan from the opposite direction. Naturally, she would quickly warn her companions.


A few minutes later...
By the time the group arrived, the caravan had been forced to stop and their VIP had been kidnapped. The men were riding away on horseback through the trees, poor Choji strapped by rope to the back of one of their horses. Itsuki, thanks to her Byakugan, could still see the men and they weren't too far. They could all still hear Choji's whaling and screams for help. The group could still catch up and these men were no shinobi. This conflict was as good as over... probably.

 

[Fuu]

Fuu smirked with satisfaction from behind his mask, snapping his mouth slide shut as he watched his adversary howl and squirm. This was why he had spent so much time training as a child and teen, his ability to harness a variety of different elements never failing to overcome and enemy. Of course, the his ace in the hole were his six powerful arms, the ANBU confident he would still be able to perform complex Taijutsu techniques despite his bum top right arm. Calmly, he assessed the scene, watching with a smile as both Tanto and Hebi dispatched of their respective opponents with no need for outside interference. His smile quickly turned however, Hebi’s announcement ringing through his adrenalize ears and bringing the scowl back onto his face.

“Move!” He shouted, not bothering to use his microphone as he lunged forward, leaping over his foes scorched body. With each stride he took, the man gained speed, his body soon as blur as he tore across the ground, forsaking his horse for his own long chakra infused legs. By the time they arrived on scene however, it was already too late, Choji’s howls of terror resonating throughout the quiet area. Growling slightly, Fuu leapt up into the trees, taking off in pursuit of the horses. “Attack on my mark, precision attacks only. I’ll secure the ViP.” As he spoke, he flexed the cursed seal on his stomach like a muscle, releasing the dark energy and covering his skin in an orbit of black circles. In mere moments his speed increased exponentially, the Astral seal surging across his body fueling the man’s natural speed. “Do not let them leverage him.” With a powerful kick, he found himself within lunging distance of his prey, the horse carrying the distraught merchant and his captor. As soon as he was confident his team was in position, he would spring, firing a stream of web from four of his five good arms in the hopes of pulling the rider off of his horse. If that failed, he would simply leap down, driving his knee into the back of the man’s skull and using his arms to secure himself to the horse, expelling the rider in the process.

If he succeeded in mounting the horse, he would swerve it away from the riders, looping back towards the caravan as fast as the stolen horse would carry him, blasting anyone who came too close with a Wind Slash. If all went well his squad would dispatch the remaining bandits, the ANBU confident in the trainee’s ability to handle the remaining vagabonds. The young man and woman had come out on top of two experienced Shinobi, and they would both be receiving glowing reports if everything else went without a hitch. It was his own fault the bandits had managed to kidnap the merchant, but Fuu wouldn’t worry about that now.