Reaping - A Rank Modded ANBU Mission

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

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The sun was just beginning to set over the Thunder Mountains, casting ruddy light upon the ever-present storm clouds that gave the range it's name. The current, rather pleasant weather that had somehow managed to hold for most of the day was finally beginning to turn and the rising winds mustered upon the slopes like an army of foot soldiers dragging siege engines formed of thunderheads in their wake. In a short while the front would gain enough strength to breach the mountain and assault the keep below with furious salvos of rain, sleet, and hail, a fact not lost upon the defenders.

As war engines rumbled upon the peaks small figures far below rushed hither and fro: those in the harbor battened down hatches and pulled in nets, pulled ashore the smaller craft, and closed the massive gates to the bay while those in the small town did much the same with doors, windows, clotheslines, and small children. Those of an altruistic bent left their thresholds open as long as they could to house the homeless and those caught out in the storm, but eventually they too shut tight and barred their doors lest the storm find it's way in.

The speed at which the invading army gathered had taken the defenders completely by surprise, dashing plans laid weeks in advance to the dust. The Lord of this keep had intended to be well on his way out the harbor by now, but even one as audacious as he knew that it would be suicide to venture out in a storm of this magnitude. So he holed up in his keep and cursed the fickle weather. The Lord would be going nowhere this night.

There was one figure that did not seek shelter however. Perched upon the highest point overlooking the sheltered keep it directed the mighty force of nature's finest warriors with broad sweeps of it's arms and graceful, dance-like steps. As one drew close they would notice that 'it' was in fact 'she'; a lithe woman of middle age clad in nothing save jagged tattoos, a plain yellow linen breechcloth, and white hair braided to her waist. Even closer and they would notice that her eyes were entirely colored a pure sky blue, with no pupil or iris to speak of. As she danced, those eyes searched the mountain path that led to this rendezvous. Soon, the one she was waiting for would arrive, and when they did her army would sweep down the mountainside. But until then she waited, and she danced to the song of the storm.

 

[Enatsu]

Today was a day of reaping. An important request came through the Anbu office that surely shook the very foundation people had tread upon. Apparently one of the northern lords had begun betraying their principles. There wasn't much information given on him in general probably to keep the ambiguity of who this Northern Lord, was however the orders were all the same. Kill him, make it look natural or make it seem like mutiny. Personally how hard could it be to make it look like another pirate killed. Regardless Yuuto had a plan for this as he normally had a plan for occasions. The chances for outside involvement being involved had to be dissuaded.

The Anbu Rookie heard of this and immediately snagged the mission before anyone else could. Since the beginning of this mission request he knew that it was calling out to him. The perfect mission to prove his worth as an Anbu to shine before all the rest. He made it quite aware that he would not back down from his enemies nor shirk any assignment placed in front of him. Yuuto wished to be known one day as an Anbu Captain and if he played his cards right, one day Anbu Sennin. Leadership roles have always excited him, and this was something that could advance him in his career. Even so he'd be able to always ensure his desire was met, "Protecting Kumogakure". Yet this mission today seemed to have nothing to do with protecting Kumogakure but more like building alliances with other factions in the Lightning Country.

Even though there was a clear oddity in this contract Yuuto would not turn it down. For the betterment of the Lightning Country this Northern Lord had to be ended. Even if it meant incurring another's wrath but he had no doubts that there was no wrath worse than Kumo's. To prepare for his task the Anbu would equip himself with many weapons. His blades rested in his shadow hidden from eye's view. He had the perfect covert plan on ferrying his weapons, and his summoner knowledge could go a long way. Before any plans were to be made, he'd have to meet up with another operative who was to assist him in some manner.

The storm of this night was quite fierce as if the gods had planned for such an occasion. He had came garbed in a black cloak and plain white mask as to not give away his identity. Masks were synonymous with their wearers most times, at least in this manner if he was found out he'd be a normal Anbu. Regardless Yuuto had a good idea that the identity of Zenku was not going to make an appearance here on this night. Upon arriving to the rendezvous point he came upon a woman dancing in the rain. She had tattoos long white hair much like his own. Appearing from the shadows the lone Anbu would make his presence known. "Salutations, I'm Zenku sent here on behalf of my employers. What information do we have on the target so far?" It was business as usual even if the job was to specifically assassinate a crazed Pirate Lord.

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

The dancing figure slowly comes to a stop and turns to face you as you approach. Other than seeming rather under-dressed for the occasion the only thing that strikes you as odd are her shockingly blue eyes and lack of weapons. She is not a young woman, you note, nor is she old as her white hair might suggest, instead falling on younger side of middle-aged. Her face is more interesting than beautiful, weather-beaten and painted with the same tattoos as her body: bright yellow and dark blue lines reminiscent of lightning and storm clouds, respectively.

You offer a greeting and get right down to business, to which she nods approval, smiling, and responds in kind.

"I am known as Shukke. Unfortunately, any information I have on the man you must kill has already been given to your masters, and even that was dangerous to retrieve. Eating habits, daily routine, and personality have all been supplied, but as the information we gave stated he is a violent and unpredictable man, prone to bouts of irrational rage."

She turns and nods her head, directing your gaze to the harbor where the ships were anchored to ride out the storm.

"I am afraid this mission will be more difficult than intended. We received word just this morning that Lord Takashi intended to set sail by nightfall. This forced us to take drastic measures to ensure he would not leave," at this Shukke smiles and looks up to the gathering clouds, then back to you. "Unfortunately this causes more problems than it solves."

"The storm has driven everyone inside. This will make it easier to move throughout the village, but once inside the keep you will have to be doubly cautious. The soldiers will all be inside as well, and they will be both well rested and on edge due to the storm. All of this of course is inconsequential to the real problem: Lord Takashi himself. He will be furious at being forced to weather the storm instead of raiding, and in his restlessness it will be difficult to catch him alone."

Shukke taps a finger against her chin for a moment in consideration before speaking again. "I don't think it will be a problem, but you should also watch out for his son, Katsuro. He shares all his father's ill qualities in addition to a few of his own, and there are rumors that he is a chakra user as well. You are not likely to run into him, as much of his time is spent in the dungeons."

Her eyes darken at the mention of the Lord's son, cold fury etched upon her face. "However, should you cross paths, you would be doing many people a great service if he did not make it through the night. The things he has done in those dungeons...." she shakes her head. "I shudder to think what Takashi's son might do in his stead."

With a sigh the stormcaller turns away from you and turns to face the village once more. "Regardless, that is not your task. Go now. I will not let the storm end until you return with Takashi's blood on your hands."

As you begin your descent down the mountain you watch Shukke out of the corner of your eye. She stands still for a moment, then slams her right heel against the ground. Lightning flashes and thunder roars at the exact second her foot touches the cold stone, outlining her against the black sky as torrents of rain, sleet, and hail are driven down the mountain by the howling wind.

The storm has begun.

 

[Enatsu]

Yuuto would tilt his head to the side as he listened to the women. A thumb would raise to his mouth biting gently as he took in the response. It seemed as though the information had been supplied, but he didn't remember getting it. Maybe it was somewhere on his mission details he'd just have to look over it all the same. The ships were anchored and he would not be leaving tonight as this woman controlled the storms like an expert. That was good she was going to be a great asset, as a plan began to formulate in his mind. Yuuto would begin to take a headcount of the ships gathered and take special care to account for the larger ones.

Lord Takashi would be inside surrounded by his soldiers and probably hard to catch alone at all. However, he did not catch onto the storm being a fabrication of Ninjutsu. So far there was still the environmental advantage tagged along with the element of surprise. The downsides were that his soldiers were well rested and people were apparently on edge due to the storms. However this could work in his favor with a little misdirection. Apparently there was the son named Katsuro who was a rumored chakra user and a dangerous man himself. While not the target it seemed they wanted him dead as well. That could be arranged, especially with Yuuto's new found abilities. He was already thinking of the many ways he could turn this situation into a complete advantage for him.

Without much left to say he'd bow slightly before clasping his right hand over the left index and middle fingers. His thumb would crossover to complete the "Rat Seal" to which end would bend his shadows. Darkness surrounded Yuuto, and then his mask would become darker than night. The brightest light could not penetrate this darkness shrouding his identity completely. It was almost as though it was a cowl of eternal black, something that was not easy to muster without a price. Vitality was the cost of this shroud known as "Shadow Garb". An A-Rank Shadow Ninjutsu that created a pitch black effect around the user and masked them from normal views of sight.

Yuuto would then jump into the shadows, masking himself from view as he ran in stealth. Unless they had some very good trackers there was little chance they'd find him. For one there were many formations he could hide behind and furthermore it was nighttime. If that wasn't enough he was an expert at sneaking somewhat a stalker of the night in his own right. With the Shadow Garb active would he really be caught so easily? In order to enhance his own awareness of the area, he'd unleash his Third Eye bringing about his own Doujutsu, the "Jinsei no me" an ability that allowed him to scry for vital signs from people or creatures. On his descent he'd scan the area searching for life signatures.

When the Anbu finally reached the village he'd first check the perimeter before proceeding. He'd only move in the shadows for now needing more information about what he was up against. He'd search any high positions to see if they had guards stationed as lookouts. He'd check the outline in his general areas seeking scout parties who may have been controlling the areas. What Yuuto wanted was to reach the sea and when his coast was clear he'd make a break towards the body of water. He wanted to get in, undetected and swim to their ships. Moving in the dark of night and underwater would help him greatly. There were numerous ways he could move underwater without needing air. He could manipulate the shadows to create a breather of some sorts for himself. He could utilize mirror ninjutsu to bend the water into a bubble to create a small helmet for his head. There was always another way around things with the power of Ninjutsu.

Yuuto's first steps in the plan was to sabotage the boats, and he'd do so with the help of his radiation jutsu. It would be simple, he just had to get close to the ships but he needed to know how many there were and how big were they. He'd start with the largest ship which would likely be the mother ship of the fleet, the one Takashi rode in. The Anbu would attempt to get close enough to the ship's bottom to release a concentrated burst of Radiation to corrode and burn through the bottom of the ship. He wanted to flood it bottom first, and then this way he could eliminate their escape route.

[MFT]

Spoiler

-Used Shadow Garb to cloak myself, went into Stealth
-Activated CRPJ: Jinsei no me to detect life signatures. [Refer to "Detect Life" from the Elder Scroll Series for a reference of how it works]
-Trying to use Radiation Ninjutsu to burn holes at the bottom of their ship(s) to flood them. Starting with the largest ship I see.

 

[Tsuirakuya Shashu]

Your descent down the mountainside goes about as uneventfully as you might expect. There is nothing to watch for up here after all, and all that you need do is prepare for your entry into the keep. To this end you conjure a cloak of shadows and open a Third Eye to allow you to avoid detection and enhance your vision of others, respectively. Unsurprisingly, not a soul sees you slip into the town proper. The storm has driven any idle onlookers inside, and any sentinels who might be looking for you would have to pierce not only your cloak of shadows but the driving rain and darkness as well.

First things first, you do a quick sweep of the perimeter, marking positions of the guards and patrols in your minds eye before making a beeline for the docks. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and you figure that if things start getting hairy the people inside the keep might decide that braving the storm would be a better alternative to staying put, so you decide to remove that potential liability by burning through the bottoms of the ships. A simple bit of water manipulation gives you an air bubble that'll last long enough to do the job, and you head for for the largest ship in the fleet, correctly identifying it as Takashi's flagship. The vain and power-hungry lord would never settle for anything less than the biggest and most impressive, after all.

It doesn't take long for the concentrated radiation to burn a perfectly circular hole in the bottom of the ship, and judging by the flow of water into the breach you figure it will probably take something like an hour before the ship takes on too much water to escape the harbor. If you knew a bit more about ships you could probably pinpoint the time, but, being a Shinobi of Kumogakure, it never seemed necessary to learn the finer points of seamanship. The more you know, as they say.

Now, with Takashi's flagship taking on water you take a moment to examine the rest of the fleet. There's not a single soul on board any of them with the storm raging, and none of them are in quite as good shape as Takashi's. However, there are quite a few smaller craft in the water. You could easily sink them all with little difficulty, but the time it would take to do so would be considerable and it's very possible that someone would notice if a large number of ships started sinking into the harbor. You'll have to make a choice: total the fleet and risk sending the keep into high alert, or simply take out the larger craft and move on.

 

[Enatsu]

[Sorry I don't have the time for this. Taking Failed Mission Rewards, will be posting up an RP later for this and submitting something to council for a new plot arc]