The passage to the surface was always nerve-racking. The elevator like shoot that carried Shin and his makeshift team of at least one other Jounin and some shinobi of lower ranks caught by on his way to the trek up, jerked and jostled with the sounds of a dying titan. The sharp smell of rust and Sunan oil dilled the air.
It wasnt until the steel doors opened before them did Shin see the results of the attack. He could see the crater before he smelled it.
Ten minutes wasn’t long enough for the desert to reclaim what had happened here. The blast had cut deep into the earth, ripping a crater out of the dunes and exposing jagged rock. Shin let his eyes roam the edges first, cataloging each detail and committing it to memory.
Shin raised his hand to a half bird seal to activate his Mind Thread Jutsu, sharing his thoughts with everyone that joined him at the surface.
`Crater, radius thirty meters, depth ten. Edges collapsed inward, secondary shifts in sand after impact. Likely shaped charge blast based on the shape of the impact zone and lack of debris. `
He stepped closer, grieves sinking into the very sand itself. The heat shimmered off blackened stones, glassy shards glinted where sand had been flash-fused. The smell wasn’t fire, not exactky. There was no soot, no char, but rather it smelled of something acidic, chemical. Controlled detonation, maybe? Someone knew exactly how to mask their signature.
`Residual heat detected, blast no more than fifteen minutes old. `
Shin reached up and touched the air. He rubbed his gauntleted fingers together. The softest sound of residual dust in the air was heard by his trained ears.
`There's a fine particulate haze in the air, makes it an inhalation hazard, masks recommended if you have them. `
His gaze traced outward now, following the ripples in the dunes where the shockwave had rolled. Patterns were uneven, staggered, not natural collapse, but deliberate shaping. Whoever did this knew the terrain as well as any shinobi born here.
`Outer dunes fractured to the southeast. I can onlh assume this blast was channelled. Sole Purpose: block tunnel access, force surface exposure. `
Shin crouched at the rim, fingertips brushing over a shard of melted quartz. Still warm. His ears picked up only wind, no birds, no insects, just the defining hum of silence stretching too far in every direction.
`No scavenger activity. It's unnaturally quiet. I'm assuming whoever did this is still here, lingering about. This may have been a lure into an ambush. Stay alert. `
His eyes lingered on faint grooves carved into the sand at the far side of the crater, shallow, overlapping, curving toward nowhere. He straightened, exhaled slow, and glanced back toward the shinobi filing out behind him. Half rookies, half veterans. Every one of them waiting for orders.
"Break off into small teams, Epsilon Formation if possible, no one is to go alone. "
His eyes surveyed the area. He looked to the highest dune he could find before making a single handseal, causing a large flower to grow and bloom. It stood five meters tall with a sharp contrasting blueish violet hue. His anchor was set. He turned to look at the crew.
"If you can see my Orchid, I will be able to hear any thoughts you send my way. Avoid headset traffic between teams in case this is a set up, we dont want their network to pick up our radio waves. If you cant see my Orchid I cannot guarantee your safety.
Am I clear? "He says firmly.
after confirming with those with he he nods.
"You have thirty minutes before I expect you all to be here. Don't dissappear, don’t disappoint, don't die. "
It wasnt until the steel doors opened before them did Shin see the results of the attack. He could see the crater before he smelled it.
Ten minutes wasn’t long enough for the desert to reclaim what had happened here. The blast had cut deep into the earth, ripping a crater out of the dunes and exposing jagged rock. Shin let his eyes roam the edges first, cataloging each detail and committing it to memory.
Shin raised his hand to a half bird seal to activate his Mind Thread Jutsu, sharing his thoughts with everyone that joined him at the surface.
`Crater, radius thirty meters, depth ten. Edges collapsed inward, secondary shifts in sand after impact. Likely shaped charge blast based on the shape of the impact zone and lack of debris. `
He stepped closer, grieves sinking into the very sand itself. The heat shimmered off blackened stones, glassy shards glinted where sand had been flash-fused. The smell wasn’t fire, not exactky. There was no soot, no char, but rather it smelled of something acidic, chemical. Controlled detonation, maybe? Someone knew exactly how to mask their signature.
`Residual heat detected, blast no more than fifteen minutes old. `
Shin reached up and touched the air. He rubbed his gauntleted fingers together. The softest sound of residual dust in the air was heard by his trained ears.
`There's a fine particulate haze in the air, makes it an inhalation hazard, masks recommended if you have them. `
His gaze traced outward now, following the ripples in the dunes where the shockwave had rolled. Patterns were uneven, staggered, not natural collapse, but deliberate shaping. Whoever did this knew the terrain as well as any shinobi born here.
`Outer dunes fractured to the southeast. I can onlh assume this blast was channelled. Sole Purpose: block tunnel access, force surface exposure. `
Shin crouched at the rim, fingertips brushing over a shard of melted quartz. Still warm. His ears picked up only wind, no birds, no insects, just the defining hum of silence stretching too far in every direction.
`No scavenger activity. It's unnaturally quiet. I'm assuming whoever did this is still here, lingering about. This may have been a lure into an ambush. Stay alert. `
His eyes lingered on faint grooves carved into the sand at the far side of the crater, shallow, overlapping, curving toward nowhere. He straightened, exhaled slow, and glanced back toward the shinobi filing out behind him. Half rookies, half veterans. Every one of them waiting for orders.
"Break off into small teams, Epsilon Formation if possible, no one is to go alone. "
His eyes surveyed the area. He looked to the highest dune he could find before making a single handseal, causing a large flower to grow and bloom. It stood five meters tall with a sharp contrasting blueish violet hue. His anchor was set. He turned to look at the crew.
"If you can see my Orchid, I will be able to hear any thoughts you send my way. Avoid headset traffic between teams in case this is a set up, we dont want their network to pick up our radio waves. If you cant see my Orchid I cannot guarantee your safety.
Am I clear? "He says firmly.
after confirming with those with he he nods.
"You have thirty minutes before I expect you all to be here. Don't dissappear, don’t disappoint, don't die. "