Reevaulation [Private]

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

Everyone around her screamed their hopes, their dreams, and their resolve to stop the three. But she heard none of it. Only a static wave in her ear, drowned by the thumping of her heart in her head. Her eyes rested on Hoshikata's back. It was as if she lost all time, the world melted away, and all became a hazy gray as she stared at the one she called Sol. The one she called Liar. The one she called Love. She had done wrong by the village today, Haruka knew this, but she also knew how to right it. Not fully, no she could never turn back to goodness now. She couldn't let someone like him take control of the village, just as she couldn't let someone like Shin hold the hearts of the people.

“Ai!” As her voice broke the barrier of silence in her world, the surrounding action became an explosion of noise and chaos. The Shima signaled towards the former Kirigakurian as she ready at jutsu towards him. She wished to purged the heat from Hoshikata, as ice thickened his veins, but he was much quicker. Turning towards them with a gaze of disbelief that she refused to face just yet. Her mind grew calm for an unexplainable reason. As if everything happened at a slowed pace for her to understand. It hid away the fear and hatred she felt for herself.

A promise was a promise. She swore an oath many years ago to Hoshikata. Harm any Kumogakurians, and he would face death by her hands. She was a monster. There was no covering that up. The distinct whiz of Ai's arrows sailed past her and sunk deep into the man. He deseperately kept going, struggling to pull them into his jutsu.

Her cold brown eyes finally looked up, searching his face for his hate, his sorrow, and pain. She couldn't move, but she could neither speak. But as Ai fired another shot, the bind fell around Haruka freeing her from this morbid immobilization. With a dull thud, Hoshikata dropped to his knees, consciousness draining from his eyes.

She wanted to run to him. To hold him in his last moments, but that was probably an insult. She'd let him hate her. Let his memory scorn her for the rest of her existence. Who was the Liar now? She wasn't fast enough in blinking back the tears that stung her face. Those stinging tears of crystal ice, shaped like the necklace that hung around her neck. The necklace that would remind her of her sins. The chain around her neck would always remind her of the weight of burden.

“Kill Ejji, Ai. And you...” She turned towards the Raikage. “Its time this ended.”

Laughter swims in her mind. Memories of the past turning in her head. She attack mechanically, stuck on the images that conjure in these moments. The ballet of death spins on as if she is pulled by strings to remember the movement of her attacks. Part of her is still standing over Hoshikata as he falls to the ground. The part of her that catches him in time to rest him on the ground. Blood soaking her clothing as she caresses his face. Her tears spilling over him as the light dies from his eyes. The part of Haruka that might have saved him or whispered that she loved him. But that part was gone from the one who turned her rage towards Shin.

I trusted you loved me, Hoshikata...but you can't trust me.

[MFT.594]

 

[Morishige]

In the moments between fighting, the young Shima prince heard his name called by the one woman who he looked up to; his head snapped to attention.

His eyes followed her signal, acquiring his new target. The one who had been fighting along side them to entire time. Which really, hadn't been long at all.

"Hai, Haruka-chan!" he called with glee, nocking a new arrow and taking aim.

It didn't take long. Ai's aim could have been called perfect. While his arrows didn't always hit the dead center of where he was aiming, he hadn't missed a shot yet.

The first was pinpoint, summoning the life blood of Hoshikata to be spewed from his oriface onto the battle field. The second embedded itself into his arm. Ai frowned, displeased with himself and that particular shot.

Another arrow. Hoshikata lost his footing and fell to his knees. Ai's frown turned to a smile. He'd pierced a vital spot once again, taking down this person he had only just met and had been fighting beside moments before.

"Kill Ejji." she said.

Ai's blood lust continued to be fed by a most gracious Haruka! He turned to look at Ejji who had just recently spoke up, condemning the others as cowardly.

"Hey! It's not cowardly to save their own skins! I've killed a lot of people in my short life time, and let me tell you self preservation has nothing to do with loyalty. These guys are smart!"

"Sure they might be traitors in the eyes of those loyal to Shin, but they are smart traitors! Unlike you ,dummy head; decided to speak up and voice your discontent and now look where it's got you. Your gonna be dead here in a few moments, body riddled with arrows!" Ai said, his body shaking, obviously taking pleasure from his future prediction.

"Your words will be nothing but a dead persons, while they are alive and well, still loyal to the village and their new Raikage. It's a good thing you decided to speak up. One less dummy shinobi in the ranks~" he concluded with a smile. Ai pulled several arrows from his quiver and knocked one. It was time for one more to die!​

 

[Daigo]

It was funny how life worked out. In the past, Daisuke came to cloud to learn in some of the best schools. By the time his parents realized that they had sent him to a ninja academy school, he was a genin by then. His path in life was based on an absent minded mistake for which he was most grateful. As a student, he thought of obtaining power for no real reason, but he grew to have one; for the sake of the village and his friends. Now look at him, laying unconscious on the floor, bleeding out. In his last moments, he saved his friend and kage at the cost of his own safety. Now, he was subconsciously hanging on to dear life.

"Daisuke, are you dead yet? Is this the might power of a sennin?", Gentatsu mocked. The demon had been waiting for a chance to be free for longer than he could recall and if nothing was done to help Daisuke, the demon would get his wish. Shallow breaths were taken as the kaguya’s eyes opened, but he was not in the office anymore. His subconscious had created a field under the night sky somewhere in the countryside. The climate was warm and the field was filled with various flowers which the kaguya had named their techniques after. Daisuke was only assume it was the spring season. Naturally, he could only imagine what he was seeing was a figment of his imagination.

"Am I dead?", he asked himself. A bit scared and confused, he turned around only to spot a warm campfire just a few feet away from him along with a man sitting on a log. While it was hard to tell from the man’s visage, Daisuke knew who sat before him. A grin appeared on his face as he began to speak, but then an overwhelming emotion of happiness consumed him. It was his blood relative from olds gone past, Kaguya Dashi, anbu of cloud.

"Oi, Daisuke. It’s been so long since the last time I seen you. To think you were just a toddler last we met. I’ll get right into it. Your unconscious right now. Incredible how the human mind works." he added. Daisuke was so grateful to see him that he began to wonder about his current state of health. It was a known fact that Dashi was dead and if Daisuke was seeing him, then he had to be close to death himself.

"Oi, Daisuke. You’re bleeding out right now. If you’re friends don’t do something quick, you’ll really die. But then again, you knew that already. I am your subscious after all. What’s with the trio who wish to take down cloud?" he added.

"Yeah, I’m aware. Hoshikata is a former kage. I’m not sure where from though. Stone and Sand are fine to my knowledge so I doubt he’s from there or else he’d still be there. I doubt he’d be going this route if he was a leaf ninja since leaf erupted into a civil war. Therefore, I guess he must be from Mist country. A kage with no village to lead is like a soldier without a country to fight for, I suppose. After seeing Mist’s destruction, perhaps that played a part in his determination to see cloud governed properly. He said he tried to advice Shin on how to lead. What foreign ninja would do that unless they really cared about the village...at least to a small extent. Haruka is in a similar situation, but her goals are a bit different. She disagreed with Shin’s leadership and I thought I saw a bit of conflict in her eyes before I passed out. Maybe she has regrets about what is happening. Then there is Ai. To my understanding, he leans where Haruka leans. These people are just going about it all wrong. No truly evil intentions.", he explained, but what was taking place outside of his head was much more interesting. Haruka and Ai had turned their attention towards Hoshikata. If only he could see this as it occurred.

OOC: Sorry for the rushed post.

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

TWANNG! The sound of a bow being fired rang throughout the room and the first of three arrows would sink into Hoshikatas body. Kitsune hadn’t exactly expected this double cross, but the possibility had crossed her mind several times. It was like a movie by that horrible director N. Day Shamyalan, so plot twisty, yet predictable. Come on. If you include plot twists in every movie, people will come to expect them. Get your game together, man! But enough of this commentary on movie directors, we’ve got ninjas to look at and write about.

Kitsune got out of her chair and walked to Haruka, placing a hand on her shoulder. Kitsune was a perceptive person, and it only helped that her vision was incredibly sharp. She could see the signs on Haruka, that the other woman was undergoing stress, internal conflict and probably a fair bit of self-loathing, though Kitsune wouldn’t know anything about that last thing. She leaned close and whispered ”For what it’s worth… I think you’re doing the right thing, Haruka-chan.”, in a tone so low that only Haruka could hear it. Kitsune meant what she said, and hoped that Haruka could tell that from her voice.

She returned to her seat without even looking at Shin, silently mourning what had happened to Daisuke with her eyes closed. He had been warned, yet he sprang into action anyways. Hopefully Haruka would show a shred of mercy and allow him to be resuscitated after the battle was over. If not, well… Cloud would’ve lost a great doctor. But another would take his place. Kitsune was second in command of the branch, so the task was hers. She’d honor Daisuke’s wishes in regards to not interfering in Keijis running the Harvesters. But things had to be done. Haruka needed to take the Raikage position for herself, and fix the damage that had been done to Cloud. It’d take time, but it’d be entirely worth it.

[WC: 326; MFT; Oh right, and actions sent]

 

[Sato Daigo]

In a few moments, Ai and Haruka's attacked whizzed through the air striking Daisuke, Eij, and surprisingly Hoshikata. The two men fell to the ground as Shin had done earlier both completely taken aback at the sudden attack with Hoshikata feeling the depth of it all. His eyes seemed to water as he saw his beloved strike him down like mere cattle and now her bow was pointing at Shin. It was clear that this woman's mind was clouded confused as to what to do. A shinobi was never confused and he always had his prerogative, unless consumed by his emotion which Shin could see in Harkua. It might be the last thing Shin would see and he knew from the very beginning this would happen. Emotions was not something to trifle with. Shin's father knew this and Shin knew this too well but no one really listened to them until it was too late. It was always emotions that brought the wrong outcome but more what was more wrong was trying to suppress it.

Eiji's resonated with Shin as she finally spoke up stating that all of their actions were venomous and traitorous especially those of Keiji and Kitsune who sat there and did nothing as they watched. They were more concern about their own lives then the lives of their comrades which is purely disgusting in every way. Things only gotten worse when Harkua had commanded Ai, the ANBU to kill Eiji which infuriated and deeply sadden Shin. He could not believe what he was hearing. Was the village going to end in darkness when Shin had tried to bring it to light?

"Haruka-san. You would not be able to live with yourself nor will you be able to serve the people righteously if you do this. Eiji does not need to die neither does Hoshikata. You must learn to forgive your enemies and yourself or you will never find peace and neither will the village."

"Ai-san. Coward or not your duty is to serve the people of this village. If you kill Eiji today you have proven that you are not loyal to the village and a liar especially to yourself. What good is your self preservation if you can't trust your own words."

"Eiji-san. Do not be sorry you have done your best and I know you will continue to do well, but I can't ensure your safety. You must leave now." Shin said as he turned toward Eiji exhorting her to leave.

"Kitsune-san. You were willing to give your life for me and Ayumu-san. Can you not do the same for your sensei who lays before you? This goes for you Keiji-san" Shin

He knelt before Daisuke's unconscious body as he place his hands over the body. His hands ignited in a hot white hue as he slowly healed the man's wounds. If Shin was going to die today he was not going to let his comrade see death.

 

[Morishige]

A sound of the bow string reverberated next to his ear as one of his arrows flew towards Ejji.

Hayata Shin began to speak. His words summoned anger from Ai for the first time since the fight began, believe it or not.

Ai took his eyes off his target for a moment, glaring towards Shin. Who was he to speak these words?

"You shut your damn mouth you blind asswipe! You speak as if you know her better than she know herself! You think we are all the same-- you think we are all like you. Newsflash~ We're different fucking people!" he shouted, nocking another arrow and releasing it.

"Haruka-sama is a bazillion times smarter than you are, and I can promise you that she doesn't make a decision without thinking of every possible outcome and option. And I'll bet that after today, she's going to go home and sleep like a baby because she knew this was the right thing to do." Ai said with a huff, glancing to his cousin for just a second before continuing onward.

"And, like Haruka, I am serving the people in this very moment! The people of Kumogakure are going to prosper when you take your final breath, because some fool with who clings to ideals that are, quite frankly, terrible was put in charge of a military state and is failing at running it. I was there when you made your speech. Lies, every word! We are trained day to day to be tools of the village, and you go around preaching that we are not. We are used like expendable cattle, and yet you call each of us precious. Maybe if you weren't such a hypocrite, you would have been able to save poor, dumb Ejji here from imminent doom!" Ai finished, nocking another arrow and firing away. In the heat of his little outburst, he hoped his attacks were going astray, but... what's done was done.

He loosed another arrow towards Ejji. Ai looked to the two medical shinobi standing to the side, being the smart traitors they were. He was confident they too would see that the best decision for Kumogakure would be to let Shin die.​

 

[Keiji]

​

Silence, silence was all that came from him as he sat there, tapping his finger on the arm rest of the chair impatiently. His mind was racing as he witnessed the death of his kage. Or 'his' was a very vague term to use as he never saw it as such himself. He believed all to be serving under the village in it's entirety one ruler is never enough. There will always be those unhappy with rulers above them. Silently his white eyes scanned across the room as the one who had instigated the affair was stabbed in the back by his companions. There were accusations spoken against him. But he simply stared with a disgruntled, gloomy look upon his face. He didn't even acknowledge everyone in the room, not even Eiji speaking up about his inactivity in the protection of the Raikage. But what he failed to comprehend, or at least what he wanted to say.. Was that the Harvesters stand, support and work for the village. Not the Raikage. A new Raikage will be chosen and the next one would be at least as bright as Shin was while he didn't interfere with his work.

His eyes covered by the shadows from his dreadlocks hanging beside his face, none would see he held back tears of sadness over the predicament he found himself in. His sensei, the one he had titled "The one who listened" among the many senseis he had had in his time. He didn't feel overly proud or happy over his so recent promotion. Daisuke had meant it, as clear as day. But he wondered what that meant since it was among his final words, if they indeed be his final words. Keiji knew that if he himself died this day, none would access the Vault, countless years of research, gone, never to be found again. He knew this, it was the resolve he kept ahold of, his life was bound to this research as his single life line. Knowing full well it wouldn't be worth it for anyone conscious in their mind and wanting the best for Kumogakure to kill him. It gave him the resolve to simply sit still. And wait until the final arrow had been released and the last blood had been spilled in the room for the day.

He couldn't help but have a little smirk to try and hide the sorrow he felt deep down. He wished that Kahako was there, waiting for him at the Hospital. He might need the release of telling her everything at last. He had kept it all hidden for so many years. Perhaps it would time to release some of this pent up frustrations. He looked forward to being done with this so called "meeting" if it could even be called such.. None would ever know the truth of what he had witnessed, they would not. News would be calling it a betrayal of the trusted Mist-Nin. This will cause an outroar from those integrated villagers. It won't be easy to deal with. Civil war.. That is a clear possible outcome.. At least that was his theory at this point.

"You look like a gloomy troll waiting under the bridge for people to step on it.."

 

[Enatsu]

Name: Shima Haruka

HP: 42000
CP: 24262
AP: 11
AP Next Round: 11
Equipped Items:
Status:

Name: Shima Ai

HP: 46200
CP: 16380-625= 15755
AP: 11-2.25= Doesn't matter
AP Next Round: 11
Equipped Items: Orbital Re-curve
Status: Focused, Run n' Gun

Name:Hoshikata

HP: -10240 (KO)
CP: Doesn't matter
AP: 11
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items: Some gloves,
Status: Sleeping, Bleeding [Rank 2]


VS

Name: Hayata Shin

HP: 1770-Doesn't matter
CP: 29735-Doesn't matter
AP: 11
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items:
Status: KO'd!

Name: Daisuke

HP: -18906 (Ko'd)
CP: Doesn't matter
AP: 11
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items:
Status: Bleeding [Rank 3], Sleepin

VS

Name: Keiji

HP: 26775
CP: 23415
AP: 9
AP Next Round: 9
Equipped Items: a Kunai
Status: Doesn't even care

VS

Name: Kitsune

HP: 39000
CP: 37659-300-252= 37107
AP: 11
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items:
Status: Eternal Mangekyouz, Literally still staring out the window

VS

Name: Ejji

HP: 12080-4032= 8048
CP: 12615
AP: 7
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items:
Status: Apologetic but still defending, Bleeding Rank 1

[spoilername="Round 4"]

0.00 Ai focuses on Ejji
0.45 Kitsune activates Mangekyou Sharingan
0.45 Hayata Shin activates Sharingan
2.04 Ai uses Flurry Shot on Ejji
-4 Hits, 1 Crit
2.27 Haruka uses Blue Blood on Hayata Shin
-Hit
2.27 Hayata Shin does a Hidden Action
-Success
-Ai drops his weapon
5.00 Hayata Shin does a Hidden Action
-Success
-Ai is bound
5.00 Haruka uses Ambiance of the Forbidden
-Hit
-Shin is KO'd... again

[/spoilername]

Notes
-Yeah so people forgetting to link their actions again, kind of lazy actions, mod's a little bleh too. However Haruka stopped actions after Shin was KO'd, and Ai had no weapon to attack with.
-If you're missing something PM me and I'll look over stuff and add actions.
-Not putting in Chakra Costs for KO'd people, if someone attacks their unconcious body I'll update their HP with the loss from Bleeding, if someone resurrects them I'm include CP costs again. For everyone still up and at it, I didn't total out your AP costs cause that'd be a waste of my time. Y'all know what you spent and none of you went over your time so you all still get max bonus AP next round...

 

[Moyamaru]

[legend="No time like the present"]
The stories of time going by slowly as death drew near were lies in her eyes. Everything moved fast to her after her previous statement, so much so that she didn't register everything that had been vocalized before realizing her body had been pinned by a few arrows. She glanced down, blinking a few times before watching small trickles of crimson liquid begin to stain her standard issued flak jacket. The white color of the cloth armor was pooling with several blotches of crimson as the seconds passed. Her body almost immediate flooded with adrenaline causing her heart to beat faster knowing that the end was drawing near. It was a cold feeling as she slumped to a knee, attempting to catch her composure by balancing herself on her blade.

"Fuck..."

The word muttered from her lips showed her bloodstained teeth, a signal that the arrows had done more than simple bodily damage but had naturally struck some inner organs causing blood to slightly filter up her throat for an exit. She was alone in this time as an eerie calm and silence came over her both physically and mentally. She heard nothing and could almost be seen as within an entranced state for a few solitary moments. Blinking, her eyes glanced at her hand which was shaking before a trail of lightning chakra coursed over her fingertips.

"....Sorry, Arashi..."

She marked her arm quietly and to herself, the fingertip which had been covered in chakra etching three kanji along her forearms flesh. It was the last thing she could remember doing, remembering the game she used to enjoy playing with her younger sibling. The reminiscent memory brought a bloodied smile to her face as she made the marks which would simply translate into [Bird, Flame, Bird]. She managed to chuckle thinking about what she was doing, going so far as to forget where she was momentarily and speaking out as if the situation around her wasn't even in existence.

"Baka isn't going to get the riddle....guess i'll win the last game...."

She glanced up with the light visibly starting to wane in her eyes, staggering back to her feet. Her palm gripped her blade tighter as a lightning current danced along it's surface. She refused to die on her knees in this situation, something that her own pride as both a shinobi and a Raitoningu instilled in her mind.

"Raitoningu Ejji...entrusted by the clan the blade Sutatikku. Raitoningu Ejji entrusted by the clan the blade Sutatikku....."

She repeated this over and over and over, not loudly but subtly as she danced along the line of this realm and the next. Her last words would be her identity, as that was something no one could part from her in this life nor the next.
<i></i>[/legend]

 

[Morishige]

"Beeko bakoo boo. If there is one thing I hate, it's Genju-tsu~" chimed Ai as he moved over to pick up his bow.

The room was eerily quiet, as most of those who had words to say were sleeping calmly on the floor, bleeding from holes made by his arrows.

Hopefully, there would be another. He would be prepared for interruptions by them spooky mind powers this time.​

 

[Enatsu]

Name: Shima Haruka

HP: 42000
CP: 24262
AP: 11
AP Next Round: 11
Equipped Items:
Status:

Name: Shima Ai

HP: 46200
CP: 15755-7125-92= 8538
AP: 11-= Doesn't matter
AP Next Round: 11
Equipped Items: Orbital Re-curve
Status: Focused, Run n' Gun

Name:Hoshikata

HP: -10240 (KO)
CP: Doesn't matter
AP: 11
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items: Some gloves,
Status: Sleeping, Bleeding [Rank 2]


VS

Name: Hayata Shin

HP: 1770-Doesn't matter
CP: 29735-Doesn't matter
AP: 11
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items:
Status: KO'd!

Name: Daisuke

HP: -18906 (Ko'd)
CP: Doesn't matter
AP: 11
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items:
Status: Bleeding [Rank 3], Sleepin

VS

Name: Keiji

HP: 26775
CP: 23415
AP: 9
AP Next Round: 9
Equipped Items: a Kunai
Status: Doesn't even care

VS

Name: Kitsune

HP: 39000
CP: 37107
AP: 11
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items:
Status: Nothing

VS

Name: Ejji

HP: 8048-19698-6974-6974-435= Dead
CP: 12615
AP: 7
AP Next Round:
Equipped Items:
Status: Bleeding Rank 2, KO

[spoilername="Round 4"]

0.71 Ejji Equips Sutatikku
0.90 Ai picks up and equips his bow
1.42 Ejji activates Lightning Channeling
2.14 Ejji activates Lightning Ignition
3.40 Ejji uses Destruction Power Shot
Critical Hit
[+]Ejji uses Zero Flash Counter!
[+]Ejji is KO'd
5.90 Ai spams Destruction Power Shot
-...
8.40 Ai spams Destruction Power Shot again
-...
9.09 Ai uses Volley
-...
-Unfortunately Ejji has been killed in combat. The Lightning God smiles upon you as the soul of this young Kunoichi ascends. Raiden has you now dear, there is no fear-

[/spoilername]

Notes
-Thanksgiving Break > NC

 

[Moyamaru]

[legend="The beginning"]

One more soul to the call, for all, in silence comes
Two more souls to the call, for all, and in time
Three more souls to the call, they fall, unknowing that
Four more souls to the call won't be all, and you know it

Sacrifice, wasted knife
Destiny redefined
Someone chooses you
Lucky one, close your eyes
Your family knows you're here

Calling the children
Conception and dying
Silent, but screaming

Damage done to the flesh, what they say in the name of the
Damage done to the heart is the start of the end
Damage done to my soul, I know, it goes with my
Damage done to my life, cursing loud at the chaos

One more soul to the call, for all, in silence comes
Two more souls to the call, for all, and in time
Three more souls to the call, they fall, unknowing that
Four more souls to the call won't be all, and you know it<i></i><i></i>​

She stood there, watching as the blood seeped from the wounds enacted against her body both before the light left her eyes and after. It was an uncontrolled showing of malice which the body had unfortunately been the target of. She took a knee near the corpse, looking at the familiar face with no emotion lingering upon her face. The girl had died with her blade in her hand and even then the lightning which coated the weapon finally ceased to radiate seconds after the body had expired. The death was violent at the very least, the corpse with it's eyes still widen open and face slightly covered in the sea of crimson. She reached out to touch and provide superficial comfort only for her palm to simply go through the body in a similar fashion that a hand would submerge itself within water.

"There is no use, you no longer belong to this realm and therefore cannot interact with it."

Her pupils still retaining no hint of emotions because where she currently was in the planes of existence there were no such things. Glancing at the source of the voice, a shrouded figure standing to the side with features that simply could not be made, she only blinked a few times.

"Come when you are ready, the netherworld's gates are forever awaiting your arrival as one of it's own denizens"

With that the specter would disappear in an updraft of darkness, leaving her to her devices. Alone without being alone, she remained squatting next to her former husk in observation. It would only take a minute before she regained her composure and stood to walk away from the scene all together.

"Soon, they will answer to the call just as they decided to make it."<i></i>

Her words were dryly spoken, as while she walked off her body dissolved into a fine mist of darkness. There was someone she would look over until it was no longer needed, and hopefully she could witness the nature of justified vengeance one day befall upon the vermin in the meeting room. She was the first of four souls which would undoubtedly pass between the realms....though it was a matter of time for them as well.

[Ejji Dead][/legend]<i></i>

 

[Daigo]

Calm.

Sitting there by the warm campfire, Daisuke watched the flames dance wildly upon the wood and knew it was nearly his time to pass on. While he wanted to remain hopeful that he might be resuscitated and thus brought back into the world of the living, seeing dead relatives after being unconscious was never a good sign. Still, he found himself on the plane between life and death because he stayed true to himself when others wavered. The bonehead kept his word as a man as well as his vow as a shinobi by not abandoning a friend and kage in need and his reward was this place; a field of flowers and a decent camp while under a blanket of brightly shining stars. The scenery was no doubt a feeble attempt by his subconscious to cope with the possibility of death’s sweet embrace and Daisuke was oddly okay with that.

Concern.

"Dashi, isn’t it funny that I find myself of the edge of death and most of my concern on focused on the future of kumogakure rather than my own life? Maybe it’s because I lived a decent life thus far. I stayed out of trouble, kept my head down and did my work, but it wasn’t enough. The students were the ones I should have focused on the most. They will one day be the backbone of kumogakure. I suppose I should not worry though. I put trusted individuals into position at the hospital to ensure cloud’s medical and mental health. ", he said venting to his older cousin. Dashi listened carefully as Daisuke continued because he knew what Daisuke’s frustrations were really about, which was leaving behind a legacy. Everyone has to die at some point so the best one can do is leave behind a legacy, something by which one could be remembered.

Legacy.

Dashi’s legacy established a lineage of his kaguya clan serving kumogakure and served as a reminder that mental health was a serious issue among his people. Daisuke’s legacy helped to establish an up to date fully functional free clinic for the lower and middle class population to use, promoted competent individuals to much needed leadership positions, and recruited a handful of students (EX: Tsuyoshi Junko, Hyuuga Mirame, & Sadoku Akuma just to name a few) to join the medical branch. His legacy includes developing bonds that helped bridge the gap between his canine and feline summoning contracts, and that this actions helped stop a small scale demon invasion which lead to both his pupil and he becoming jinchuuriki. He even assisted in the Bear-Marsh war aftermath by treating patients, performed autopsies, identified dead bodies, and either sent their remains home to their loved ones or gave the bodies a proper burial in their village’s respective customs as a sign of respect.

Patience.

Now all they could do was wait around to see if his body could hang on just a while longer. With any luck, he might live to see another day.
[MFT] WC: 500

Edited: ICly: ...Or not. Either way he was grateful for the ride. Pleased with his life thus far, he sat near his deceased relatives and felt at peace then. [Kaguya Daisuke is dead]

[Topic Left]​

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

Time had waited with baited breath for this moment, and Haruka struggled under the weight of consequence to seek action. She stood cold as stone facing the ended former Raikage. His body nothing but a shell after she had dealt the final blow. Precious life was lost to senseless death everyday, but Haruka denied that this was all senseless. There was purpose in this moment. The universe drew inwards on this final turning point. Now all she had to do was decide and deliberate on her actions.

When the storm ends, would she ever be as she was before this day? The girl with the perfect halo of dark hair and frost, would she be lost as she took this last gamble with the cosmos? Haruka either set herself up to be lit like a star or crash into undying madness and scorn. She wouldn't run from this moment. Her new persona sunk deep into her skin, overwhelming all the fears and hesitation she might have held.

Kitsune's invading warmth tore like a searing blade on her cold shoulder. The new Medical Sennin's words whispered softly as last moment's encouragement. Words barely heard over the blaring scream of the moment. Haruka clenched her fist, nodding with approval at her former teacher's words. She stepped forward, the clicking of her boots echoing through the chilled room.

“Shinrya-Sensei, I ask you to support me. Is there any way you might mask the wounds on the bodies of the fallen, besides Hoshikata? We need to make it seem as if they were killed by only him. Mask the arrow wounds, if you will.” They heard the imposing command of her voice even with her back turned against them. She grew more confident of her course with every passing word. She let Kitsune construct her ideas as Haruka calculated her next decision.

“This is the end of an era. A violent abortion of a dynasty and only you three remain in this room. It is because you have picked self preservation over your original vows, but that matters little with the passing of power. You'll forgive me for showing my mistrust towards the both of you, but you did pick your own agendas over another's life. Its not in my nature to judge a man's survival instincts, but you know there will be consequence. I will make you both learn the importance of life again. Should I find that one of you has told another soul outside of this circle about what has transpired, I will kill both of you. Regardless if the other is innocent. You will learn to look out for each other.” She turned to exchange a hard glance between Kitsune and Keiji.

“You're both traitors as much as I am, but I don't see it like that. Neither do you, but they will. If I go down, if Ai goes down...We all go down.” Her dark eyes floated across their faces to finally rest on Ai's. She needed him to trust her. Before all, her clan's support mattered most. She'd protect the children of her family at all cost. Today had been a grievous mistake, but without Ai, Haruka wouldn't have made it out alive.

“We are agreed to pin the blame on Hoshikata. Irate over Hayata-Sama's refusal to deliver him what was due as well as several other past disagreement coming to the fore, he began to attack our Raikage. Although he was sent to Kirigakure to dispell his unnatural and godlike powers beforehand, it can easily be argued that he did not carry out his end of the bargain. That will be sufficient in explaining why it took so many of us to stop him. Of course this is all obvious, but it never hurts to reiterate.” Her frowning face searched the bodies of the room.

“Finally,” The cosmos inhaled over the word. This was the moment; the secret words never to be heard in public but would forever change the fate of her people, of generations to come. A massive domino effect, toppling one by one as she made kinetic decisions for the village. “You may think that I want this. To be Raikage and usurp those I have murdered, but you'd be wrong. I ended these men , a man I once loved and a man who loved all, because they took their power. I will not be like them. The people will decide now. They will have their time to mourn and then they will look to a new leader. It's not about a man with the title of Kage and his three shinobi that command his army. They do not decide for the people this time. Not while I stand. I fought for the people and I give them this gift as a victor's spoil. You three will stand with me and tell the council of our village that it was our Raikage's last loving wish. Hayata Shin wished for the people to pick their new leader in a democratic vote. Are we understood?”

She wouldn't be consumed by power. She didn't want that. Haruka only wanted to help her people. This village's power suffered, but never again. Greed and corruption died today hopefully. She couldn't be naïve to say she had abolished it, but such ideals were kept at bay for a little longer. Her lungs inhaled as the world exhaled. The moment that tipped the scales was passed. The course was set.

“Shinrya-Sensei, finish your work on the bodies and we will notify the village of their loss.”

[Force Kill Shin, Hoshikata, and Daisuke]
[Thank you, Yuuto for the mod. Thanks boys for the wild thread and being patient with me]
[MFT. 940]

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Kitsune nodded at Haruka’s question. Sure there was something she could do to mask the arrow wounds. She could simply heal the wounds themselves at a surface level, making it appear as if there were no holes in the bodies, then perhaps sear the flesh a bit with acid... ” It is because you have picked self-preservation over your original vows, but that matters little with the passing of power.“ Haruka said, and to that Kitsune smirked. ”If you want to get technical about that Haruka-chan. My vows were fulfilled upon my initial death in Tenouza. I gave my life for Hayata Shin once. Thus I was absolved from my vow. There’s a gravestone that proves it, right next to Takaki-sama’s.” Kitsune said in a low tone so only Haruka and those with impeccable hearing would hear it.

Nevertheless Kitsune got on with her work, and began reconstructing the corpses so they looked arrow-free. ”Ah, Keiji-kun. Could you assist me here? To make it seem convincing, we’ll need to heal the surface layers, make it so no wounds are visible without an autopsy or some device that’d allow you to look right through bodies.” she said as she began work on Daisuke. His corpse would have to be brought back to the medical branch for harvesting either way. Technically, so did Hayata Shins. Both of them possessed a bloodline trait that could be harvested, and in Daisukes case, also a kinjutsu.

A sigh escaped Kitsunes lips as she grabbed a summoning scroll from inside her coat and unfurled it on the floor next to herself. She’d place her hand on it and unlock the contents within. Various chemicals began popping up on the surface of the scroll, and Kitsune grabbed the strongest few, only to apply some of the acid to the bodies. She splashed it where there were no arrow wounds, to throw people observing the corpses off the scent of the true cause of death. ”Oh yeah. You might all want to cover your noses and take these” she said and handed out a face mask to Haruka, Ai and Keiji before putting one on herself.

”A democratic vote, huh?” Kitsune said, sounding a bit skeptical ”Are you sure the council will buy that? When it comes down to it, if no successor has been pointed out by the Raikage, they’re the ones to choose. In any case, a temporary Raikage will have to be put in place, lest the village fall into disarray. Elections take time. Time we don’t have. Threats are looming over the horizon. Threats against Kumogakure.” she continued with short pauses in speech here and there, as she finished off her preparation of the corpses, giving Keiji the opportunity to give them all a thorough look with his Byakugan to see if he could detect any irregularities. ”If you find any irregularities, Keiji-kun, let me know. This job has to be flawless.” she told him.

Finally, Kitsune stuffed all the chemicals back into the scroll, putting it back into her jacket as she stood up, and then she looked at Haruka. ”You know. Ordinarily, a replacement Raikage would be picked from one of the Sennin. But considering that you just took out one, another is who knows where, and the third is so busy with her current job that we rarely see her, I wonder what’ll happen next. Sure, the medical branch has a 2nd in command, which… would be me… Which, I guess… makes me the new Medical Sennin… Oh boy.” she ended up saying and trailing off, as the realization hit her like a brick. Or several bricks. ”Anyway!” she exclaimed ”A little suggestion though. Announce that there’ll be a limit to the election. So jounin-ranked nin and above would be eligible. We would appear weak if an academy student ended up being elected. Can you imagine that? It’s crazy, I know. But the possibility would be there, and it’d be disastrous.”

[Not stopping Haruka from FK’ing Shin, Hoshikata and Daisuke.]
[Surface healing wounds on corpses, then searing the flesh with acids to hide true cause of death.]
[I think Mel Gibson put it best: FREEEEEEEDOOOOOOOM! (from this thread at least. X3) ]

 

[Morishige]

Ai stood there with a confident look on his face. "Much better." he said to himself, glancing towards Haruka for further orders. She gave none.

He holstered his weapon quickly and then looked to the others in the room. "Who is left?" he asked himself.

His eyes drew to Kitsune and her enormous rack. "Oppai-chan... and that nasty hair guy."

He'd keep his eyes on them just in case they did anything drastic. Then she began to speak.

Her plan was to pin it all on Hoshikata with the help of the medical shinobi in the room. But he was more interested in what Haruka had planned for the traitors.

He wasn't an expert like his father in the ins and outs of political and power-speak, but he could understand the motives behind what most people spoke about.

He'd remain silent, but his mind was at work. "A fair warning, they would be an easy target. Medics are always so...squishy." he thought, a rather nasty smile surfacing on his face when thinking about a prior kill.

She explained the cover story in depth to those in the room, Ai memorized it quickly. Though he didn't foresee any questions being directed at himself. He wasn't an important figure in the whole thing, at least to those looking in.

No one would ever know his potential with how the med-nin were modifying the bodies.

She finally finished speaking, her wishes conveyed through steady and purpose filled words. Ai's expression betrayed his thoughts.

"But Haruka-chan! What if they..." he said, only to be interrupted by Oppai-chan. "Pick someone incompetent..."

The way she spoke made sense, but it also made one thing apparent. The only remaining sennin was Tanaka Hikari, no matter how busy she was. Busyness didn't mean that she wasn't exempt from her duties.

Should the village council see things that way, she would be picked by them, or she would be the emergency Raikage until the new one was chosen.

It would seem the next step was to be speaking with the village council.​

 

[Keiji]

[Not stopping the Force Kill]​

He sat darkened, and depraved of sanity as the shadows covered his face. He had witnessed his Sennin speak his last words, and he did nothing. His past transgressions happened in similar cases but those were for the completion of a mission or an objective for the village. This was different. This was for 'personal' gain as some would put it. Even Haruka seemed agreeing with him that what him and Kitsune did was for personal agendas and goals.

He leaned forward, revealing a saddened mug of a face his eyes shiny like a tear was imminent of falling, and with a mature, dark, and serious voice he began speaking softly.. "I didn't do anything for myself, Haruka. My reasons are for the purpose of continuing to serve the village and country that I love and want to help. Be it removing an infected organ or killing a corrupt politician, some of us, you included. Do this for a higher purpose than just obeying orders by a higher up. Even though in some eyes it may seem maleficent and detestable. I do not approve of the way this happened. But agree that it had to happen sooner or later. And for that I commend you for your bravery."

As Kitsune prepared, Keiji stood up from his chair and took a few steps towards Haruka. Then looking down at the bodies lying spread out in the room. "A lot of arrow holes to fill.. I can get my team to finish this up in under a minute after we're done with Shin. We should just hide the body of Shin before we let them in, and hide the bow too, just in case any of them start asking questions because of the order I gave."

He got on his knees opposite to Kitsune and helped out, activating his byakugan. "A little more here, we should use chakra to minimize the damage and smell from the acid, but don't leave any residue of your chakra when we're done." Assisting where was necessary was easy enough. And it left him plenty of time to consider the situation.

"So far I've read, the council tends to make one of their own a momentary leader until the next Raikage is picked. It'll mostly just be the paper pusher, no public symbol or public spokesperson like the real Raikage is supposed to. So they shouldn't be a problem." He looked up from his work at both Ai and Haruka.. "It's just all of us understanding the story and being able to reiterate it."
"I'll inform my team that they received no orders from me. I trust them keeping quiet and simply saying what they saw. And not what they heard."

Going back to work and thinking again in silence. And after finishing him he stood back up, removed the mask and looked across the room tiresome, and then resting back on Haruka. "But you are aware of what this will mean for all of the refuges scattered about in the village? When they find out one of their own attacked and killed the Raikage, the civilians will want revenge, we'll have mass protests and raids on stores and properties owned by Mist refuges, they'll never hear the end of it. it'll be dangerous for any Mist refuge or Shinobi to anywhere near Kumogakure and it's surrounding areas. We might be able to control the Shinobi, but not the civilians. I don't see another solution though, and this concerns me. A contingency plan might be appropriate Haruka-san."

"Want me get in the team so they can handle the rest?"

 

[Sanageyama Masaoko]

“You can think what you want, Shinrya-Sensei, but with all due respect others might not feel the same about your vows being released upon death. Even if someone like Takaki Masao were to be found living once again, he'd still be held responsible to the vows he took. You don't have to convince me of anything. I matter little. It is the people as a whole that matter most.” What's a single man to a mob? The opinion of one mattered little when the thoughts of thousands spewed their condemnations. The four of them wasted time pointing fingers at one another. If they wanted to live through the oncoming storm, they'd have to work together. Not trust, but work with one another.

Keiji broke his silence shortly after Kitsune's dodgy speech. Words Haruka wanted to hear, much to her surprise. She found herself slowly turned towards him, almond eyes resting heavily on his tired face. Her lips parted softly, astounded almost at his thoughts. The faintest hint of a smile rested on her lips for a brief second before it fluttered away. “Of course, Suzaku-San, you are very much right. It isn't just about the hierarchy and obeying. I don't condemn you or Kitsune, but I must present you with the hard truth of how we will be viewed if this scandal shall ever break out. Sometimes our personal agendas aren't so selfish. I know this more than you might understand.” Her cold frown began to set about her mouth once more.

Nothing else about the matter passed between them as the doctors began their work. She took the mask from Kitsune, holding it against her face haphazardly as the three of them began to voice their concerns about the vote. The Shima woman gave Ai a stern stare, warning that he hold his tongue about the matter for the moment. “It goes without saying that only Jounin and above of our village would be eligible for candidacy. I may also concede that the council can pick a select few for the people to vote from even, if they want to be so resistant to such a process. The council will give us a choice for once. I believe it really is what the Raikage wanted. It's not just my wish.”

“You are well read.” She commended Keiji as he talked through the process of what would happen during that dreadful time without a Raikage. “If they cooperate, it will only be a short time. I'm willing to risk such time for something as important as this. The council knows both civilian and shinobi laws well and one of their members will easily keep our system going in the absence of a Raikage.”

“Damage control will be crucial, Suzaku-San. It will be important that speakers of this event reiterate that Isaki Hoshikata and his clan separated themselves from Kirigakure long before refugees began to seek asylum in our country. It must be known that he acted of his own accord. So be it if we make an enemy of the Isaki clan. Every tragedy needs its scapegoat. Reinforce that the Kirigakurians scorned Hoshikata just as much as we did. Force the blame on the Isaki and their former leader.” She removed the mask, looking at Hoshikata's limp and lifeless shell.

“You and Shinrya-San will finish the job on your own. I cannot trust your team to see Shinrya-Sensei's little alteration of the bodies. Besides, we do not need to endanger their safety when it can easily be handled by you two. The less they know, the safer they will be, Suzaku-San. Let them know the story we have created, in case they are to be questioned. After you are finished it is best that we begin to act as if our fight has ended and set the plan in motion. Shinrya-Sensei, I ask that you call our council members when you are ready.”

 

[Shinrya Kitsune]

Kitsune listened to what Keiji and Haruka had to say mulling it over in her head a few times. Eventually she came to the conclusion that they both had good points, especially Keiji regarding the refugees. Of course Haruka had a counter for that too. ”Manipulate the media, and you’ve manipulated the entire citizenry. Politics 101.” she said with a slight smirk under the mask. She grabbed a vial from the chemicals she had brought out and held it up. ”This little beauty is a chakra eating bacteria. It’ll strip the chakra on the surface of a corpse completely. Incidentally I got the original sample of this from Shin himself. I managed to cultivate more of it.” she explained before handing an identical vial to Keiji so he could scrub the corpses of Ejji and Daisuke clean from any surface chakra.

Meanwhile Kitsune took it upon herself to handle the finishing touches on Shins corpse. Not that she didn’t trust Keijis skills in this whole thing, but because it had to be as close to perfection as ninjaly possible. Yes, that’s now a word. She uncorked the vial and poured the luminescent blue liquid onto a cloth and began rubbing Shins corpse everywhere. ”Make sure you get every area of the bodies Keiji-kun. Even those without marks or covered areas. We can’t take any chances with this.” she told him.

Upon finishing the job with Shins corpse, the bacteria died from lack of chakra to feed off of, and no trace of them, or any chakra remained on the surface of the body. Kitsune stood back up and ran a hand through her red hair and she sighed. ”Jobs done on this end.” she said and removed her mask. ”Okay. I think we’re good now. The corpses are patched up, Hoshikata has arrows sticking out of him, and I… Didn’t bring a headset.” Kitsune sighed at the end of that sentence before shaking her head. ”I’ll be right back.” she said, and warped out of the room and to the office of one of the councilors. She knocked, entered, stated what had happened, and asked the councilor to round up the others, pull them out of meetings if necessary, and to meet her in the conference room.

Upon finishing the report, she warped right back up into the conference room ”They’ve been called, I even told them to pull people out of meetings if necessary.” she informed the others. ”Should we call in Keiji-kun’s team of harvesters now, so it’d appear as if they just arrived? It’d seem weird for them to just sit there outside the room when they could likely hear fighting going on, right?” she asked and looked at Haruka.

 

[Keiji]

"Hm" he huffed as he was handed the bacteria by Kitsune, he didn't think much of materials and equipment he hadn't tested himself, so he couldn't help but remain skeptical of its effectiveness. Standing up and taking a few steps towards his sennin's luke warm corpse lying motionless on the ground with several arrows in it still. Stopping for a second next to Haruka as he looked down at Hoshikata.
"I'm under the impression you were close?" He asked as he looked at him, and examined the confused sadness etched upon his face. Then looking back up to Haruka. "I'm sorry." Then continued over to his sennin, and getting on his knees, and tying his dreadlocks up in a ponytail and pulling up his sleeves to begin pulling out each arrow with a delicate precision. He checked the chakra veins if they were hit, and healed them as best he could, after then healing the wounds themselves to make the wounds only seem superficial and as simple scratches. It took out a chunk of his energy after he was done with the massacred body of his Sennin.
"Why did you have to be so goddamn loyal to your ideals.." He whispered as he opened the bottle, and let half of the vial eat up the remaining chakra around the wounds.

"Your cousin there, was it?" He said, as he walked over to Eijji and couldn't help but admire the precision of each arrow. "He shoots pretty well, and quick too.." And as he began working, pulling out the arrows and healing. "Tell me, Haruka, Ai, what brings the Shima clan, and even one such as yourself, Haruka to do this in the first place? Even managing to find one such Hoshikata? I know it might not be the right time to ask, but I'd still like to know."
Giving her a breathing pause before talking, Keiji quickly remembered the technique some people use to determine time of death. "Kitsune, we'll need to heat up the bodies before we let anyone check them up, otherwise they can see we've had ample of time to do anything with the bodies, and since experts like ourselves was present here, anyone could reach the conclusion of something like this transpiring. So heat them up with your fire jutsu, ever so slightly. Without leaving your chakra in them."

Letting Haruka speak as the final preparations was completed and handing the remaining arrows to Ai. "Clean them, don't let a single drop of blood be present on these when the Councillors get here."
His demeanor was calm and collected, he had a serious look upon his face for the whole process, taking his work as serious as ever, if not more so in this specific situation, trying to make sure every little detail was taken care of, meanwhile trying to unravel the cause of it all. He couldn't help but sigh every once in awhile. But this was more important than most of his other work. Anything could happen from this point on. But he didn't let it hamper his abilities or his passion for his work. He wasn't going to let this death ruin everything he's worked to accomplish.

Standing near Haruka after having handed the arrows to Ai. "So.. I am to understand we utilize the Isaki clan as scapegoats? Since we have their apparent leader here. It'll be tricky to get the kumo civilians to understand this. I'd reckon we tell this to the news networks we have in the village and to make sure it is included in the official report from the Councillors when this is made public. Keep in mind the clan isn't going to like this, and a retribution is bound to occur. So we have to keep our eyes peeled for ANY Isaki in and around the village if they are to do anything. If we can, get ANBU to have a close eye on them." Walking over to the conference table to lean on it, he released his hair and put his sleeves back down and then crossing his arms. "Should we urge them to ban all Isakis from Kumo perhaps? It won't sit well with their clan, but it would assure no unnecessary blood is shed at the immediate time. Then when we have a new Raikage situated in the chair we urge them to visit to discuss the situation. And perhaps reach a mutually accepted conclusion. It's not an easy task, but that's just my idea." He concluded after which he saw Kitsune suddenly warp away. "I think it's about time we find an agreeing point quickly.. Before I call my team, and the Council members send in their officials."

After listening to Haruka, Ai, and Kitsune after her return, Keiji opened the door the hallway and had a quick talk with his team members, reiterating the orders he mentioned before. "They heard nothing, until now." And then letting them come in and begin examining the room.