TskTskTsk Steward-sama [Anarchy!; Sousuke, Tama, Okibi]

[Uri]

The maelstrom normally battering the lands around Sunagakure was eerily subdued. A civilian could walk all the way from Soon's and have not a problem with it. In this way it was almost welcoming to outsiders. However, when gaining sight of the entrance, the message scrawled across the gate would not be. As any got closer, the more gruesomea scene it would become. Crimson life blood was spattered across the massive entrance, hardening quickly in the blazing heat of Wind Country's sun. Suspended in the air were numerous bodies bearing the vests of Sunagakure shinobi, ninja wire tied to their wrists and strung high above them. They swung gently in the air, a staggering stillness that said they were dead without having to see the numerous mortal wounds strewn across their forms.

Set up in front of the gate was a simple beach chair and an oversize umbrella. In the protection of its shade was a man sporting flaming red hair, a pair of dark sunglasses, and sipping from straw jutting out from his coconut drink. Thrust into the sand near him was a giant bladed weapon that was nearly seven feet tall.

Shouki​

He had one job, and that was to watch the gates and warn away any travelers attempting to enter. If they insisted on coming through they would just serve as another warning and join the ranks of Sunagakure's gate guards. This man waited quietly, leisurely awaiting the return of three people, but mostly he cared about one. The Steward.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The journey back from the mission required some form of haste. Injuries and a new arrival who was very weak demanded a priority one movement. Thus in the distance a large monstronsity could be seen walking in the distance. This monstrosity was the Hercules Beetle known as Ken. The giant walked with his palm open, and residing in the palm was a very tired Takahashi Sousuke, Ryuu Tama, Okibi and the unnamed child. Very strangely the maelstrom wasn't active. A rare feat it was. One that had left the Steward silent for a time and brooding quietly to himself. He had been fighting, and fighting very hard. The MkII had taken damage, but it was still operable. The Steward wasn't in a talking mood of sorts as the revelation of Okibi's fate had been revealed to him. Unlike his ward, he wasn't in a state of shock, more of a state of acceptance. "Ken keep little Steward safe. Ken keep those who matter to the little Steward very safe. Ken likes learning new words like omnipotent and hierarchy."<i></i> The giant insect spoke. Sousuke had taught Ken that he was not the King, but he was the Steward of the realm. The two had a very easy going alliance. Sousuke taught Ken fancy words, and Ken promised to take Sousuke for rides on his head. A different perspective always came to the Steward being that he was so high up.

As he approached the entrance, the giant Hercules beetle stopped. He turned his gaze down upon what he saw, and it horrified him, even he who had such great strength. The giant took a few steps back, and slowly kneeled down with his palm touching the grains of sands. He curled his hand a particular way as Ken realized that for the smallest of them, this was not a sight meant for him. No. Never. Little eyes had to be kept safe. "Wrongness."<i></i> Ken would merely say. Within an instant, Sousuke jumped down and surveyed the setting. The sign. The corpses. Everything. He had been fighting for several hours, and was he ready for this? Not in the slightest. Ken curled his fingers so as to hide the child and provide him cover and shade from the extreme heat.

Sousuke's eyes scanned the area. This was a slaughter. It proved what he had said to Kyouzou earlier to be fact. That human was the cruelest animal. The Steward read the sign. Oppression? Liberation? Those were not words to describe the reign of the Steward in what years had had reigned so far. House Takahashi was reactionary. True they were conservative in nature, but they were an old house. One of the oldest. For several seconds Sousuke reflected his rule. Had he been oppressive? No he had been defensive. The village was underneath the surface due to the diamond sands. Standing structures in time would be ruined quickly. The outposts were always in need of constant repair. The Steward's eyes traced the corpses. Ken was right to shield the child's eyes from this scene. "Okibi stay there with the precious cargo."<i></i> He instructed. He spoke coldly as he usually did, but there was something forceful in his voice.

It didn't take one of genius intellect to figure out what had happened. The only one left standing being the man drinking. "Your sign."<i></i> He began, "A bit much to prove a point given the lies and slander ... let alone you slaughtered people of the realm."<i></i> He paused for a moment. Sousuke's eyes narrow underneath his helmet. Sousuke began to read the individual. He was skilled in marshall weaponry as evidenced by the large weapon which was inserted into the ground. To string the corpses required a great deal of dexterity. The casual stance of the man and his surroundings suggested to the Steward that this man was a joker. A prankster of sorts. Such frivolities about him. Getting a serious answer out of this man would be difficult Sousuke had figured given his care-free attitude. Several questions were ready to spill out of the Steward, but would he be given a serious answer. Probably not. Like a Takahashi proper, the Steward would respond in kind if the time for talk was short, and swords were drawn. "Where do you begin? With threats? A condemnation of my character? Both?"<i></i>

 

[Toraono Michino]

The ride had been pleasant in the way that a ride could only be when you were traveling in the palm of a beetle; which was to say that it wasn’t. In all honestly he would take this any day compared to the terror and exhaustion that fueled their barely conscious forms. He wasn’t even sure Okibi or her child...their, child he reminded himself quickly...were still awake as they traveled through an eeirly stormless desert. It didn’t stop the blond from drawing both of those precious people closer to his bare chest in protection as if he expected the Malestrom to whip up around them any second.
His left eye was covered by a strip of what was left of his lab coat. It had been amazing how much the beat up coat had survived, but this mission had been its last as he sat in the beetle palm wearing little more than pants and wounds. The brightness of the sun was a bit of a tax on his right eye and the ache of his left from the sudden surgery during the weird-ass mission they had just managed to complete. The most curious thing about Tama was the odd little runic marks on his fingertips that he kept staring at as if they were a new piece of science that he had yet to study.

He didn’t even bother to look away from them except to make sure the two near him were still breathing until the beetle stopped suddenly. His right eye shot up and looked the moment it did catching the image of the bodies and blood before the palm was clawed back to hide the sight, no doubt from the child. Beside the fact that this was throwing up all kinds of flags a part of Tama’s instinct to protect Okibi and the child jumped to the front of his mind. Before he could even really think about it his body moved up and went forward to look at least somewhat intimidating to the man with his beach chair but, before he could even get off the beetle palm proper the blond seemed to miss a step and flipped right off the insect and face first into the sand. A cloud of dust lifted up from his suddenly dropped form and he seemed far too weak to move himself out of the position despite wanting to back up his leader.

Or at least he had hoped that’s what it would seem.

In reality Tama fell off the beetle as a distraction, a misdirection that would hopefully make the man disregard the scientist since he was acting a little out of character by not simply charging in at the sight of danger. Of course that part of him still thoroughly existed in his heart but he wasn’t a genius for nothing despite being known for rushing in rather idiotically.
The truth of the matter was he was tired, really tired. He had spent what chakra he he regained from Feasting in healing the party so that they could at least travel back to Suna and get proper care. The battles that they all collectively shared had drained each and every last one of them to the point that fighting head on was as suicidal as drinking cyanide. Instead, as he laid face first in the dirt, the scientist was causing a thick root to grow from the flesh of abdomen to dig through the sand ever so slowly until it was behind the red haired man a good twenty feet away giving him the good option of being able to appear behind the guy as a defensive or offensive technique depending on how the man decided to react to Sousuke and crew suddenly appearing before him.

 

[Enatsu]

Hasu Hikuidori​

The weight of the desert sands were nothing against the light build of this engineer's newest frame. Out in the real world he learned many things, and his employer would be pleased with his surveillance reports. The world was ever changing and Suna had yet to truly experience it, or so he believed. While trudging through the desert the ocular display of the Marksman frame, kept view of the surrounding area. He couldn't afford to be beaten down, not when he found so much on his particular condition. His sanity was in check once more, call it the true clarity not the false insanity he hid behind like a child. Making way through the desert something was out of place clearly showing signs of change. The sands that had so ferociously ravaged this plain had died down as if their rage had ended. "Hmm this is something new. It's been some months but have they really made this much development?" taking note of the current state of things, the frame would continue it's trek seeking out other notable changes in the environment. However his observation would not last long as the next sight this "man" would lay his eyes on was the giant Hercules beetle crossing the desert, walking at that. Another interesting thing to catch his eye. It would be best to keep out of the creature's sight but from the direction it was headed there was a sensation to follow. So keeping distance the puppet master would follow closely behind staying out of view at all times possible. He would enter stealth mode, activating his frame's cloaking device to make his body camouflage with it's surroundings granting him stealth. It wasn't like the frame was invisible but it'd be damn hard to see.

Following the beetle confirmed the hypothesis of it's direction. This creature was headed towards Sunagakure and was cradling someone. It had been a long time since he placed sights on the gates of Sunagakure's Maw. A creation meant to dissuade travelers from pursuing their little village under the ground. He abandoned this place leaving it to it's own devices and seeking his own. The puppeteer, thought silently to himself while he decided if this was where he wanted to head towards. "Should I truly pursue? I'm technically an outlaw but... Well damn. I don't think being an outlaw matters anymore." Albeit speaking to himself Hikuidori still moved forward following the beetle and feasting his eyes on Sunagakure's entrance. The faux gate was strung with corpses while one man rested at the front with a beach chair and a ridiculously large parasol. His optics would peer towards the beetle, where two men would leave the creature's protection while it halted. One guy fell of the side rather clumsily. The other was the Steward Takahashi Sousuke and probably someone more pissed off at Hiku than the entire village. He had warned Hiku of his dealings in puppetry and rightfully so. The sacrifice of his humanity led to his insanity but through meditation, research, and logical rebuilding he found himself once more. The power of the Yamanaka once again flowed through his puppet body, as he had finally attained the bio-organic data he had needed. It was in him all along and now he had full control of his god given birthright once more.

The current frame on his person was the good old Captain whose body he ransacked making a projectile based puppet of massive destruction. It was always good to be hidden and protected at all times possible. Sousuke approached the obvious hostile as the other kept his face in the dirt. There were a few options before him. He could stay in stealth mode and leave them to this battle, or he could observe. Supporting Sousuke would make him a liable target in battle. Even through these simple options Hikuidori would still do one of the dumber options he could muster Instead of keeping his stealth active he would disable the device and let his frame appear. With gusto he'd appear beside Sousuke standing silently and only observing. Whether or not the Kazekage wanted his help was irrelevant. Even though he left Sunagakure this was still his home. The least he could do was assist the Kage when he was clearly short a team. If this person took out all these capable guards with his weapon being that giant sword, Sousuke would need all the help he could get.

[Entered with iNPC]

 

[Okibi]

The ride back to the village was anything but pleasant. The heat of the sun, plus the less than then graceful sway and bump of the giant beetle known as Ken were making Okibi sweaty and pain ridden. The hole in her side caused by Hyakuhei's shadow spear had been hastily 'healed' and 'closed' thanks to Sousuke and Tama, but it still hurt like a bitch, and she'd yet to regain the strength she lost. Okibi winced rhythmically with each bumpy step the beetle took, but tried to keep her attention on the small, bony bundle she held in her arms.

Reclined against Tama's shoulder, Okibi squeezed the skinny shoulders of the nameless child, humming softly when he squirmed and whined. He couldnt have been more than three years old, and his body was so malnourished and poorly treated, it would be no wonder if he was more uncomfortable than she was. She stroked his hair soothingly and her mind wandered off just a bit. What was she going to name him?

"Mine." She heard the boy whine into her chest. Okibi winced again when the beetle bumped particularly hard and jostled the boy into her wound. She adjusted him and pulled his chin up so she could see his face. Shaking her head at him, she took the moment to try to teach him something new. "Mama." She said for him. The boy tilted his head with confusion, so she repeated the word for him. He watched her mouth move and tried to mimic them himself. It took him a minute or two, but eventually "Mama." came out in what had to be the most beautiful little voice she'd ever heard. Growls and yips were one thing, but hearing him speak was a wonder. Okibi smiled broadly and kissed the boy on the forehead in reward and tucked him back under her chin.

After that, the boy couldnt be stopped from saying Mama at least once every five minutes.

Somehow along the way she'd been able to doze off. It wasnt the heat of the sun or a bump in the road that woke her, but the pungent, rancid smell of rotting flesh and old blood. Instinct kicked in and Okibi was trying to sit up before she could think about it. The boy in her arms whined in protest, and the wound in her side did the same except at a scream. Her eyes screwed shut and she hissed in pain as she eased back down. Ken came to a stop, and before she knew it both Sousuke and Tama were leaping from the insects palm (or falling, in Tama's case). The deep rumble of Ken's voice spoke of wrongness, and he turned them away from whatever spectacle was at their village gate. When the child whimpered and tried to bury himself further into her chest she held him tight, trying to listen to what was going on. If he had even a bit of the nose that she did, no doubt he was smelling the death, decay and despair that was so heavy in the stagnant desert air.

"It's okay Ken." She said quietly, patting the beetles palm with one hand while the other held the boys head to her chest, his face hidden. "I have him. Let me see please." She could not in good conscience just let her favorite men face an enemy while she hid behind a bug, after all. She at least had to see what was going down, even if she was too useless to help.

 

[Sand Council]

Shouki​

The sunshine and sand had been a pleasant break from the dankness of the cave Shouki had experienced for the last several months. At least his duty was about to be achieved as he observed the giant form of the beetle before him. A spiritual abomination if he had ever spied one. Standing up upon their approached, he clapped loudly to their arrival, spreading his arms wide in greetings and welcome. The gathering was rapid and interesting, especially with the addition of someone unexpected.

"Admiring my artwork? Yeah, it's pretty nice. To be quite frank -Can I call you Frank?- it wasn't on my to-do list. -BUT- I got bored waiting for you, so I had to create some entertainment for myself." Hands on his hips, the behemoth of a man turned to the side to admire the gore on the gates with some form of admiration, "Oh! If you swing one and he hits the others, they have this great pendulum effect. That took some doing, let me tell you! And how about how the dried blood contrasts with the sprayed on paint? A masterpiece. Masterpiece, I say!"

Clearly this man was mad on some level or the sun had fried his brain during his order-imposed exile outside. Then the broad, eccentric smile faded and he held up a large hand, a single index finger raising towards Sousuke, "One moment, if you would please." Casually, as he had been treating the whole situation, he walked over to the enormous cleaver stuck into the ground and freed it from its earthy sheath in one impressive pull. Still walking like nothing important was going on, a small hop to his step even, and he was back to his previous position and in a mighty swing, dug the tip of the weapon straight down, twisting it once he felt it sufficiently was deep enough. With all of his weight, he leaned against it and it tilted in one direction, pushing sand and dirt as it went. It eventually revealed a severed root.

"That." He started, looking between everyone present, "Was rude. We're trying to have a civil conversation and someone has to go and try something underhanded. I mean, what kind of world is this when someone openly tries to harm a guy wearing glasses? Really? Really Sand Ninja and friends? Grotesque. Grotesque indeed." Tama had been found out and the gate watcher didn't seem all too happy about it either, "I was told that people from this village had no manners, but I didn't think it was this bad. C'mon. Who actually thought that'd work? Show of hands? Any takers? Lose sand and dirt, anyone? I don't just wiggle my toes in the sand because I like the feeling."

Hands now pressed to his forehead, he rubbed as if he had a headache. Which was completely possible with his particular brand of crazy. Taking a few deep breaths, he righted himself and took a few steps towards the Steward and his newest compatriot, casting a shadow over both of them.

"Actually, Steward-san, this was inevitable. Do you know what it does to people living inside a cave? They're pale, they become depressed. The sun gives us nutrients! Do you think I have my wonderful personality and my fantastic complexion from sitting inside all day? Nope!" The man appeared completely serious in his statements and paid no mind to how insulting his lax attitude might be to the people who were weary and wanting to get into their village, "But that's neither here nor there, but outside and inside! Most importantly, we've locked the gates, taken over your village, and have filled it with enough explosives to completely remove it from Wind Country. It is," He stopped to count the people here, despite the fact he already knew the head count, "Three times more likely everyone inside will die with your party here. Don't ask me how we do it, but we'll know if you get into the village. So no ninja tricks." Shouki got a little bit closer to Sousuke, leaning in a bit and whispered to him, gesturing to the face-down Tama with a fat finger. "Especially that one. Might want to considering locking him up or something."

Leaning back, he nodded and smiled once more, his casual-nature almost sickening, "Right, one last thing. My boss has informed me that I am to answer three of your questions. Use them wisely, Steward-san."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Ken was requested by Okibi to turn. The giant shook his head. "No. Ken does not have to comply. ..." There was a rumbling from the creature as Okibi hid the unamed child's eyes from this site. Yet ... Ken listened. He did not have to, but he did so because he understood the bond between Okibi and Sousuke. "Just. This. Once."<i></i> He turned slowly and allowed Okibi to see what was going on.

During this time Shouki had been speaking of his masterpiece. It was an abhorrent discussion to be had. Sousuke did not want to have any part of this. "Frank is not the name I was given... but I suspect you would call me Frank regardless if I gave you permission."<i></i> An idea struck Sousuke's mind. To simply burn the display. It would undermine all this grotesque hard work he had put together. Certainly it was some small manner of revenge. Shouki would walk away from the Steward and destroy Tama's root. It seemed that Shouki had about the same amount , if not superior hyper observational skills Sousuke had. This was a problem. Even worse was this man had the inclination of the morally insane.

The Steward listened intently as to the man describing how this was inevitable. The Steward was about ready to make a series of swift counter remarks, but such would be lost on this man. The Steward was merely a man who awaited the return of his King. Yes. Katsuo was present. He could take the crown and take command over from Sousuke, but he didn't. Katsuo was still inside the village, and he could still very much do it. "Tama, I need your vicious intellect, not your emotions right now. Calm yourself."<i></i> There was another presence nearby. The Steward was given pause by it. It took him a moment to process who this was. "Hikudori. I told you it wouldn't work, but I suspect you found a way to make it work?"<i></i>

Shouki spoke again. He spoke of how he allowed him three questions. Yet the Steward paid more attention to what was said earlier. The village was locked. They had explosives. Yet the word ninja-trick stuck out to the Steward. This was something of interest. Chakra was not an option, but he did not state anything about action not requiring chakra. This was problematic of course. Hiku's form entirely depended upon chakra to be used. "What is the nature of your explosives?"<i></i> The first question asked. Energy based? Dynamite? Chakra-based? Upon learning of the type, this would allow the Steward to form a plan of action. "How do you have the village sealed off?"<i></i> Again another technical question. If it was an actual sealing technique, then defusing this might be difficult. Then again if it was a physical seal like debris, then it would take a great deal longer to get into the village. The last question would come in time. In truth the Steward wanted to know how these people would operate. Were they using chakra themselves? Technology based? Something darker?

 

[Sand Council]

Shouki​

"Do all of your people try to be inventors or scientists? It seems to be a trend with those in Sunagakure...maybe it has to do with being stuck in the cave. A neurosis has set in that makes people think they're geniuses. That would make sense, do you think? I mean, it would sure explain how we just did what we did. A bunch of geniuses would have seen it coming, methinks." Shouki rubbed at his chin thinking about the implications of Sousuke's statements to his companions

Then the questions came and the large man lowered the sunglasses down onto the bridge of his nose, "Unconventional. Not devices. Nearly impossible to detect." He replied, bragging about their methods, "We have a guy who is a master at the stuff. Super duper good, so good we just had to jump at the chance to use it!"

"Numerous ways. We've destroyed your lifts, broken key pieces inside the big doors that'll stop them from opening. Merchant tunnels to Soon's also went boom-boom; collapsed it nearly back to the village." There was a pause as he thought, reading the Steward's body language. A blank slate of a man. "And you know how your village is basically in a bubble surrounded by tunnels formed by sandworms and other beasties? Well, imagine we put it into another bubble that cuts those tunnels off. So even people who have fancy-pancy homes and have escape tunnels will only find a wall of earth."

The Cabal agent seemed quite pleased with himself as he got to talk up their efforts in overtaking the sleepy little village.

"I mean, which are moot anyway, right? Considering if we see an influx or outflux of people we just start blowing up the village," Another long pause and he titled his head to give a good look at the Steward from behind his large aviator style sunglasses. "Or you or your followers there."

Even Sousuke would know that if they attempted to try a conventional digging method it would take considerable effort and could easily been seen on the equipment they use to monitor seismic activity in and around the village. Whatever they had access to in the village, the Cabal now could use too and it worked against their counter-invasion since they had a strangle hold on them using the entirety of the village as a hostage. Great care had been taken in developing the plan to take over the underground with little to no effort and it only spoke to the holes in their defenses.

"And your third question, Steward-san? I do so wonder what it is you'll ask. These questions are more priceless than sandworm poop! Poop, I tell you!"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"Not everyone."<i></i> Sousuke would begin as he was discrediting the man with glasses, if the situation wasn't so tense he would have mentioned that his ward wasn't really the science type. "Then again it is quite rare to come across a genius of all things. I suppose you think yourself a genius in all things."<i></i> The Steward would assert. It was a rare moment for sarcasm to come out of Sousuke of all people. He had been struck a blow. A very emotional blow. Seemingly it was impossible to break into the village without alerting his enemy of his foes of his presence. Ken couldn't smash his way in. Joou couldn't work a swarm in. Nothing.

The bombs he spoke of were 'unconventional' which really meant anything that was outside of what Sousuke was used to. The Steward at the very least came to the conclusion that they did not use chakra which would have been conventional to him at the very least. Secondly the bombs were not going to be detected which meant that even if the village was even to best this enemy, finding them would present a problem still in the aftermath of this.

One last question. The Steward wasn't getting the most informative answers, but he was getting answers at least. Surprisingly though was the reveal that there was a wall of earth acting as a seal. That was certainly of some convention to the Steward. It seemed to him most like an elemental jutsu, which it was perhaps in some form. Getting close to observing it though was something Sousuke wasn't going to get to do up close without endangering lives. The Steward would turn slightly to catch a glimpse of Okibi and her unnamed son. The precious cargo was Ken was entrusted to hold onto. We need to advance in another direction. Physically. Metaphorically. There is one place but the risk is ...<i></i> The Steward turned back to face Shouki. "Yes. I do owe you a final question. Sandworm droppings do sell decently well, it just depends upon the buyer. Some think that it has healing powers to slow the aging process. I suppose I'll just leave you to image what I speak of, you are an individual of some imaginative qualities."<i></i> It took Sousuke a moment to think of his final question. "Am I dealing with the occult, or merely a heightened form of human evolution?"<i></i> Given Shouki's lack of fulfilling answers, the Steward was going to be more specific with this last one. Magnetica was occult. The Djinn was occult. The Steward was very much used to dealing with unnatural forces. It would come as a true surprise to him if this was the case.

 

[Toraono Michino]

“Forgive me, Sousuke, I am just weary of all this taking over of this and that by a group of twisted discontents. I’m also just plain weary,” a disembodied voice spoke from the earth. The tree branch beneath the earth moved up with a slow purposeful movement away from the giant before spawning off a hand shaped branch that sifted through the sand, reaching out up to the elbow. The tree hand pushed down against the sand forcing a great deal beneath the hand to gather up and mix with the nature chakra and water chakra that naturally flowed from the hand to create a small stump. Using this newly formed precipice the blonde pushed the rest of his normal looking body back up to the surface before breaking his arm away from the wooden hand that was now attached to the stump.

Once again on the surface he would move himself over to Ken’s lowered hand and leaned his back against it as the wood clone of himself that had fallen on the sand ‘poofed’ out of existence and back into the Flows. His face was the very state of clam, or at least meh. The bi-colored eyes looked up at the swaying corpses as Sousuke asked his three questions.
The scientist kept a keen ear open on the conversation but he couldn’t help but admire the way the corpses swung from what he assumed wasn’t ninja wire but something cheaper so that it wouldn’t eventually cut through the dead flesh. The bodies and bloody message were done so that they would attract as opposed to warn off people; which was one hell of an artistic feat. Despite everything that was going on that he fully understood: the village was taken over by vigilantes, his people were being threatened with mass death, and the killer of some of his people was standing right before him, tauntingly.

He still couldn’t help but admire the scene of death.

Quite honestly Tama wanted to ask if he could get some questions too because he seriously wanted to know if each body was hauled separately or if the guy had some trick; he had plans. Yet there was the fear that if he asked such a stupid question the lunatic before them would take it as the third question and then they’d be pretty s.o.l. Besides the Steward was asking of his viscous intellect, and that required the blonde to stay utterly silent so he could begin analyzing what was the best course of action; separate and infiltrate or attack as a group. With the village under such a state of distress their moves would have to as slow and calculated as one would take in the conquering of the world.

The worst part was that it all reminded him of his medical exam. He wanted to just simply bust past this guy, tear down the gates with his powers, and rush in to attack every last villan who dared to threaten his home. Yet he knew that if he did that then he would certainty bring down nothing but death to his people; just as simply not following basic procedure had nearly killed his patient.

Tama raised his left thumb up to his mouth and started chewing on the nail in deep thought.

 

[Enatsu]

The Steward easily enough saw through the new frame pointing out this to be Hikuidori. Even though there was ample time and opportunity to respond he would not. Instead he'd take his time to observe the current situation at hand. This being the raving madman in front of the gates who was now exclaiming his corpse wall as a work of art. Clearly he had a few screws loose, if anything it only hinted towards the fact this man before them was going to be a problem. He showed amazing analytic skill for one who did not utilize chakra as he picked up his weapon cleaving the root of Tama's wooden jutsu in half. Hiku had sensed the wood seeing as he himself was adept with the power of Wood Ninjutsu. As the madman continued to rant, Hiku realized that his cover was not completely blown. He referred to them as "Sand Ninja" and Friends. It meant that Hiku himself was an unknown element. Staying quiet would serve him well, leaving him as an unknown factor until such a time required him to make movements.

The redhead then told Sousuke that he had three questions at his disposal along with mentioning their explosives that were rigged to blow Sunagakure off the map. Just how careless is this village? Enemies able to implement dormant explosives in such an abundance and take over the gates with one man to stand guard. Either they have more agents hiding in wait or he's just that strong. It's possible those aren't even corpse up there... Hiku began to get curious wanting to examine the bodies more thoroughly. One of these might have been a useful corpse for his Puppet Reanimation jutsu. Whispering to himself he'd speak to his puppet system, "Activate enhanced optics, Hawkeye view, marksman mode....". By focusing the Captain Frame's optical implants he'd try to gather a more precise view of what caused those cuts. It was possible the blade wasn't the true source of his power.

His concentration however would drift back onto the subject of these questions. Sousuke wanted to know about these Explosives and how the village was being sealed. The third question was not used, promoting a show of intellect. The smart thing was not to ask all the questions as in this manner he could leech information and form his own hypothesis on other matters not wasting the final question on something trivial that could be answered by deduction. The red headed warrior made a jab at the intellect of Sunans, one that would promote a small chuckle from Hikuidori. He might have been a nutter but he was entertaining at the very least.

The invader would begin to explain that the explosives weren't devices, meaning they weren't normal bombs. They were hard to detect but Hiku had doubts about that statement. Anything could be found if your truly put forth the effort to check it out. The way they trapped the village was less extravagant as it was a simple matter of blowing up tunnels and sealing off the exits. One of Suna's many flaws keeping their village underground. There was so much more in the outside world for people like Kuro who revived many after the Djinn attacked they should have been putting their efforts to controlling the sands and leaving the underground, as it truly was a limitation upon themselves. While the Sunan could probably get out of it, there was no smart way to do this without being catching the attention of this group and their special explosives. However the mention of the "bubble" made him wonder just what they were hinting to. Was it a another barrier or just another layer of explosives in wait.

Sousuke retorted with sass and a backbone earning a slow and brief triple clap from Hiku. This clap ended abruptly as the final question was the manner of creature these people were. It was important but it might have been useless to know about such a thing. He could see the uses, because if they knew what they were dealing with they could come up with counter strategies. However sometimes no amount of planning could keep them ahead of these people. Hiku was more interested with the current villagers and their key figures. It'd had been a while since he'd been home but the Sunan shinobi shouldn't have been pushovers like this. How were they overtaken so easily? What happened to the people? Regardless they had to wait on an answer now as Tama prepared to join them.

His movements were very flashy as he appeared from the very wooden tree that had been severed. Clearly this mokuton specialist was on an entirely different level from Hiku. His form was perfect, and his ability was intriguing. His wood clone disappeared from the ground as his true form appeared. The wood specialist would move back to the giant beetle whose origin was still unknown. With that ability I could probably create better puppets and a larger production line... I may have to acquire that... or make a partner out of him. Either works. His attention would turn back to the Giant and Sousuke as they had their verbal stand-off. From within the frame the true Hiku Puppet would tinker with his poison vials using the excess chakra strings to place them carefully on the inside of the Captain puppet. He was being proactive using this time to prepare his weapons incase this man decided to attack. No need for them all to be caught off guard no that wouldn't do. If this broke out into battle, his plan would be to incapacitate the opponent and bring them to a halt. That way Sousuke could have his way with the giant easier.

 

[Okibi]

As soon as Ken turned around and lowered his hand far enough for Okibi to see, she gasped softly and held her son closer. This was definitely not a sight she wanted him to see - regardless of whether or not he suffered things that were almost as grotesque and heartless. The moment they'd left the enemy compound victorious, she'd vowed he would never have to witness such horrors ever again so long as she lived, and already that promise was being tested? How cruel Lady Luck and Brother Fate could be.

She only heard half of the conversation going on between Sousuke and the man she presumed had been the orchestrator of this sick greeting, but from what she could make out it sounded like this band of rebels he belonged to had completely taken the village hostage. Why? That's what she wanted to know. She was about ready to blurt the question, no matter the amount of questions they were 'allowed' when she noticed Tama getting up and coming to stand next to them. Her brow furrowed when she saw that he was looking at the swinging corpses hanging from the giant sand word skeleton with a strange look - a look she couldnt quite put her finger on at first, although she knew she'd seen it before.

When she realized what it was she immediately reached over the side of Ken's palm, ignoring her wounds protests, and plucked a rock up from the hard earthy ground and chucked it at her mates head. That was the look he got when he saw something he found interesting or admirable. It wasnt as intense as the way he looked at, say, Sousuke's inventions, or a complicated math problem, but that there was ANY sort of admiration in his eyes for the heinous sight in front of them made her bristle with anger. Never mind that they still had that soul eating business to talk about, but now he was looking at the corpses of their fallen comrades like that?

Oh, if she wasnt nearly paralyzed with a malnourished child in her arms . . .

 

[Sand Council]

Shouki​

Shouki laughed loudly; an obnoxious cackle of a man gone mad long ago.

"Not in the least bit, my dear Steward! I'm closer to a jester in my group of people. Our leader however, yes, he is a genius, quite so. A mastermind from a family that has seen the most dire of days in Wind Country." The man smiled, almost bragging about their talents. Perhaps it was the stark realization that he was a lesser being compared to the upper echelon of their organization. Then Tama had made a point of using his newly acquired talents, a mastery of wood that was uncommon to just the normal practitioners. The giant's attention shifted for a moment away from Sousuke and onto the chuunin, hands clapping like an ecstatic child.

"Oh my, Tama-chan has learned new tricks. Quite exciting! I will have to record this and pass it along." Immediately he reached into the thin jacket he wore and produced a notepad and pencil, scribbling away his observations and detailing the action as best he could; he even doodled a picture of what it had looked like in stages. After a minute or two he returned his attention to the group, nodding enthusiastically and turned to Sousuke, "My apologies, Steward, I'm just easily excitable and lose my head sometimes. Ninja are such fascinating creatures! Did you know their insides all look different too? I mean, not all of them, but there are a few that are barely even human anymore! I bet everyone here has curious bits and bobs floating around inside them."

Another brief scan of the group and he seemed to snap back to, "There I go again." He put his hands out before him making a stopping gesture and let out a long breath. "To answer your final question: It's both. Well, more one leading to the other, but really more than one. Kinda they mix together." He made a twirling gesture with his index fingers, but seemed unhappy with his explanation. As everyone there would probably be. "Let me start from the beginning then. We borrowed some trinkets from ancient ancestors of Wind Country. We then created shiny bobbles from that acquisition. We gave those to exceptional humans -us- and created something human but not human." Shouki then proceeded to stretch and bend and flap his clothes about to show that he was still completely normal; as normal as a massive seven-foot tall man could be. "See? Nothing out of the ordinary here! Good blood. Not like those monkey things out in the desert your associate with...or any of those oddball folks you have over for dinners."

Another look over the group and Shouki's expression became an even bigger grin, like something had clicked into place.

"Since we're doing threes. There are three of you that are Sunan, right? How about you each get a single question. I mean, fair is fair." It was clear he was having too much fun with this. Waiting out in the sun for as long as he had could drive a lesser man mad; he had the advantage of already being loony. "And you're not technically a Sunan, Hikudori, but I am feeling generous. So I will overlook that. Askaskask!"

That name had slipped out earlier and Shouki did put a pin into it until he could make use of it. The stranger now had a face. Even if his face had changed since the last time they had observed him.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The criminally insane was a joker. Yes. There had to be at least one amongst a crowd. "There will comes a time when all things that come up must come down. I am no exception to this rule, and nor is your leader, however, I am used to the fall and can get myself back up and functioning. Your leader, he will be like porcelain crashing upon asphalt. "<i></i> The Steward would declare. Not the best insult, but one that carried his meaning quite frankly. The Steward would not give rise to this man, for it was pointless as he was what he said, a jester, a fool.

The answer to the final question had come. It would seem that these people were no different from most humans. Evolved? By what they had acquired which was in the realm of the occult. There were cetainly a number of items in Wind country that contained great power. The Chains of Union, the Meteorite, Djinn Spawn Remains. It was through the acquisition of something that Sousuke had not heard of which allowed this to happen. The scope of their information network did not end merely with Suna. It went so far as Deadline it would seem, and even Prime Diamund and her people were documented. Still thought as it stood, Deadline was the safest place for Tama, Okibi, her unnamed progeny, as for Sousuke and Hiku? That was debatable, but yet Sousuke was the one to make the call not them.

It would then come to another series of questions. Not three for each of them, but one for each. Sousuke would turn his head to the side. "Proceed when ready."<i></i> He would instruct them. The Steward would then turn his head to the grotesque display. He noted Okibi's dis contentedness of Tama's interest, which was illustrated when she threw the rock at him. The Steward though, he stared at the display with disdain. The same disdain he had shown when it came down to destroying Okibi's tormentors.

 

[Enatsu]

The giant began to exclaim how their leader was a genius but to Hiku that word only meant so much. Genius or not he would die the same like any other terrorist before him. There's a reason why Sunagakure was still standing and there was a reason why all of their enemies could not end them. However from what this oaf said they were positive that Suna was theirs and theirs alone. However if they hadn't executed the shinobi then they were not going to win this village over. Eventually they would attack and when that time came he could only pray the damages wouldn't tear the village down. The immature giant began to note Tama's skills making Hiku on edge just a bit more. The Steward couldn't possibly consider letting this man live now, that he had more information about them. Poisons were now being laced inside of Hikuidori's weapons as he was more than ready to strike and potentially remove a threat from these gates. Regardless of their occupation this puppet-man had business within the village. The more insanity their esteemed host said, the more things became annoying. He would give nothing more than to place is razor sharp flower petals down this man's throat.

He told them that they acquired tools from the ancients of the Country which they used to become something more than human. "You sound stupid.... You should have stopped when you said you became something not human. Regardless of what you believe you're not human anymore, maybe you're even worse than the shinobi. Poor soul, when you accept that you might be able to lead a better life." Hiku didn't expect anything other than the normal dribble that leaked from the guard's mouth. It was only some time ago where Hiku went rightly bat shit crazy. He lost all sense of himself and came to the conclusion that this village and this world was nothing more than a stepping stone for his evolution. While some of that idea still held he came to realize that he was not the man he once was, but he was not a machine. He was a hybrid now, a puppet who was once a man. Regardless he was still a shinobi, but whether it be arrogance or ignorance he believed himself to be the most efficient tool in the box. A blade whose master was itself.

The giant would begin to speak to the Sunans telling them that he would allow them each a single question. He even took the time out to tell "Hikudori" that he was not technically Sunan but would still receive a question. While Hikuidori wanted to correct him he would simply grin and allow this man to believe whatever it was he chose to believe. Hiku would wait a moment allowing someone else to speak before him. However no one uttered a word and impatience took the best of him. He would step forward calmly and raise his hand. "What do your people plan to do, when one of you die?" Simple question and good to know if they would cause mayhem regardless of the casualities. If that was the case they mine as well exterminate them and salvage whatever was left of the village. It was the most calculated way to end this entire mess quickly. Waiting around would only give these people more time to build and fortify themselves.

 

[Okibi]

The child in her arms whined softly and started to squirm. The scowl she had aimed at Tama was swept away when she looked down and smoothed her hand over the top of his head, trying to soothe him. She wondered if he could sense the hostility around him; as in tune as he seemed to be with his inner animal, she wouldnt have been surprised if he could. On instinct a low, humming growl started up in her chest, and almost immediately the boy calmed. She made note of that and tucked it away in her head for later use.

She looked back up, still stroking her sons head, as the male she didnt recognize - the one standing beside Sousuke - was the first to shoot off a question. What did they plan to do when one of them died? She failed to see the point of such a question. How was that going to help their plight? Her shoulders tensed slightly as she looked at the large red headed male blocking their passage into their village. Her gaze shifted momentarily to the corpses swinging from the ropes behind him. She had to wonder if he was the stationed 'guard', or if he was going to be relieved by someone else later on. The question she had in mind wouldnt do much good if it were the latter. And, for all they knew, he could be lying to them about everything he was saying.

Still, it didnt hurt to try.

After the strangers question was answered, Okibi would sit up slightly (wincing as she did so) and throw out her own. "What are your abilities?" She asked, straight to the point. No sense in dancing around it, in her opinion. She saw his giant ass sword, saw his giant ass body, but if there was one thing she knew it was that you shouldnt make assumptions based on appearance.

 

[Sand Council]

Shouki​

The giant of a man clapped gleefully at the response he received from not only Sousuke but from his new companion. There was something to be said for those who made assumption based off of knowledge they didn't have. Even more so that he had earned a rise from the group that he deemed appropriate. Be it anger or arrogance, it sufficiently fueled their desire to come back and start trouble and Shouki so loved trouble. The offer of three more questions seemed to have not been fully used. Tama had remained uneasily quiet as he stared off and left the others to muse what he could be thinking about.

"Fantastic question! Since you aren't in the village you haven't been given those rules, but if you're to play the game you might as well understand how it all works, right? It seems you have your head on straight this time!" A single long finger was held up before the group. He then brought it back into his whole fist and them expanded all his fingers outward. "Boom. For every one we lose, we take thousands. I mean, we're relatively calm people. Except maybe Ni-chan, she likes to have her fun, but the rest of them are content to enjoy Sunagakure as it is. See the sites, visit some local hot spots, and enjoy their time. It's like a vacation for us! As long as people behave, no more people have to die."

Then Okibi spoke up and Shouki frowned at her, drooping his head and letting his arms drop down. An exasperated sigh would let loose, "You shinobi types are bad at this. I'm a guy on the opposing side. I've been told to supply you with answers. The best way to obtain the best kind of information out of me is by asking super specific answers so that I can't just fill the answer with non-sense or vague stuff! For instance: I like to paint and can juggle. I also like to do cartwheels and can do that weird twisty thing with my tongue." He then proceeded to make a clover with his tongue and then summarily began spitting as sand had gotten into his mouth. "See what I mean, though? Instead of learning about something that could help you formulate a plan or discover a way to thwart us, you get personal bits about me, which are still pretty valuable."

Amber eyes passed between Sousuke and Okibi, "But I was told to not hold anyone else to the same standards as the Steward, not that he met my expectations either, but since Tama-chan is going to play the brooding, silent-type I'll cut you some slack." Hands gestured to the giant sword near him like a model displaying a prize on a game show. "I like to use giant weapons! Doesn't have to be a sword, just cause a lot of damage. I'm also super strong!" He would flex his biceps and show mock strain as he did so. "But I can also grow my body by a substantial amount and make this sword look like a toothpick! I also have thick skin!" As if it was normal, he proceeded to run his bare forearm against the razor sharp edge of the cleaver and showed his unmarred skin to the group.

"I hope that was both adequate and informative! If you plan on trying to best us stupid people, you need to at least not be behind the curve!" From somewhere behind him he fetched an apple and took a big bite from it, a loud crunch carrying into the air. He leaned against the weapon and chewed nonchalantly. "Now you should probably get goin' and find a place to stay in the mean time. The maelstrom is getting a bit grumpy about being kept under wraps. Neat trick, isn't it? We're full of nifty things like that. Read enough books and you can just about anything! 'Cause knowledge is power!"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward listened to the questions that were being answered by Shouki.From what he learned, it seemed that the only way to deal with these people with destroying the village as a whole was to incapacitate them one by one. That was a problem in itself. Each of these individuals would need to be put in a sort of stasis. To the Steward the concept was heard of but not practiced easily. Granted one could freeze an individual and keep them alive, the question was how it worked. As Shouki had said reading a book and gaining some knowledge was certainly power.

Unfortunately for Sousuke he was barred off from the library.

Okibi's question was somewhat revealing as it would seem that Shouki had the characteristics of an Akamichi. Such was evidenced when he spoke of using the cleaver as a tooth pick. Sousuke for a moment shot a glance back at Ken. It could come to these two fighting one on one, and while Ken could hold his own, Ken had some limits. At this moment in time Ken wasn't going to be used in a fight, Ken right now was keeping Okibi and her child safe. There was one question that the Steward had on his mind, but he didn't ask it seeing as how he had other concerns. The storm. It was strange that it had ceased, but soon enough it was revealed that this was their doing. The Steward for a moment feared for Katsuo. Had they done something to him to force his abilities? No. That was not possible. He didn't have the ability to control the sands, secondly Shouki had said that the storm was getting grumpy which meant... "We're leaving."<i></i> He said simply. "Hiku with me."<i></i> The Steward approached Ken's hand and stepped up onto it. He awaited Hiku to join him. "Ken begin heading south south west."<i></i> The giant would comply and lift his hand and begin heading in the direction Sousuke spoke of.

The Steward shook his head. "We're going to Deadlines. That is the realm of Prime Diamund. The storm I suspect is going to kick up in a few moments so... Tama, Okibi and ..."<i></i> Sousuke paused. He wasn't sure what to call Okibi's son as he didn't have a name. "The precious cargo. I'm going to move each of you to a place inside Ken's wings. It'll keep you safe from the storm. Hikudori and I should be fine... except when we reach Deadlines. I went there once before to search for you Okibi, and there is where ... I was subjected to overexposure due to collapsing. My armour fails me and will mostly likely cause me to go unconscious. If that occurs, tell Prime Diamund to crush the emerald power core in the chest area. Instruct her to remove it, pull the lever and twist it. It'll cause the armour to begin a break down phase out."<i></i> The Steward preformed a series of hand seals and preformed three simple summonings. He created breathers one for Tama, Okibi, and her son. "Put these on. Don't worry about mine ... it has to be modified."<i></i> The Steward instructed.

Deadline was the only place to go at this time, and with it brought a risk unto the Steward. It was the safest place for the majority of the party though. Prime Diamund would have them healed. As for the Steward? He would merely have to count on Okibi to re-account his instructions to Prime Diamund, and that was that. It was uncertainty for him, but he knew that the honoured matriarch would take care of what to him was most precious.

[Topic left]

 

[Enatsu]

His assumption had been concerned as it was revealed that bombs would set off if any of these people died. Their organization was playing to win and to whatever end they had planned, no one could interfere. As suspected they are sore losers to the highest degree. I wonder what they will do after hearing that news." While this was Hiku's home after hearing their predicament he wasn't sure how much he really cared anymore. If the Sunan village had been this careless to let enemies completely shut them down. If the Main, Anbu, and Medical Sennin couldn't even handle village security.. then what was the point of even saving the forsaken underground cavern. The girl whom had been on the beetle all of this time finally spoke up asking her question. A silly one the puppeteer thought to himself.

This man could say anything he wanted to about his abilities, and by his performance it was quite obvious that he was withholding information, let alone telling the entire truth. Hikuidori silently listened as he explained his talents such as being immensely strong and being able to expand his body to abnormal sizes. It was interesting to hear such a claim, Hiku would have loved to see him perform, it made sense why they left him here but the bigger you were, the harder you fell as the old saying went. After gathering their information Hiku began to formulate a battle plan against the guard. He was able to morph his body and relied on his strength. Most muscle bound people did not take the time to refine themselves in the art of the mind, one that Hiku knew intimately coupled with his knowledge of poisons and puppetry. His initial battle plan would be to play to his strengths offering illusions to boast his power triumphing over the shinobi and trick him into believing the battle had been won. If that could be accomplished then the time to mount a grand assault would be at hand. Returning from the illusion the giant would most likely find an army of puppets prepped with the Yamanaka Clan's trademark poisons, all at the ready to weaken their target. The goal of the army would never be to completely kill their giant foe, but rather hinder him and inject him with as much toxins as possible. Sousuke's giant beetle friend could always be of use to fight size with size. It would be pinpoint accuracy from their on out delivering destructive blows to pressure points with the razor sharp petals. Everything was melding into his mind, as he played the multiple scenarios excluding those which had too much room for error, or those that relied too heavily on outside factors. They could always engage with the intent of capture and figure out a way to nuder the enemy.

It was then that the voice of Sousuke broke Hiku's silent concentration as he invited him to ride the beetle. Retreat for the moment, to regroup and plan most likely. He did not want to take action now it was simple to see that but how long could the Steward hold out? Hiku had never heard of the deadlines, but he followed all the same doing as instructed and watched as the fellow engineer created tools of survival for his companions. The captain frame was sturdy and could survive the diamond sands for a few days without needing repairs. While the puppet master would have loved to test his new modifications, he chose against it realizing that he had to preserve himself to stay of use in this time of peril. However whether or not he was sold on assisting was still in the air a silent question he would keep to himself.

[Topic Left]

 

[Toraono Michino]

Retreat. They had followed the road back to their home to find it under attack and their only option at the moment was to tuck tail and run.

It sickened Tama. He had gathered enough information from the questions asked, though he kept his mouth shut as he really didn’t feel like asking any such questions of the behemoth before them. The only one he could even really think of, aside from how he hung those guys and Okibi already read his mind and disapproved of that one, was what was it going to take for them to simply convince the idiots to pack up and leave. Since they had actually went through all the trouble of trapping Suna from the inside out, he doubt the maniac would simply tell them how to beat them.

He gave the man one last look before joining back on the beetle with the rest of the crew plus one and gathered himself close to Okibi whispering a mostly unheard apology. He was going to need to explain to both her and the Stewart everything about him. The madness, the soul feasting, and now the constant need to balance the shifts of good and evil inside of him unless one side becomes stronger than the other and overtakes his body. The last time that happened was when one of his chakra coils had been possessed by the Cursed Seal and it turned into a tree. Nature Chakra ran freely through him now and there was no turning it off anymore.

Before the wing closed down over them to shield them from the harshness of the storm to come the scientist look out ahead for the horizon wondering if Sousuke and this new man had a plan in mind.

[Topic Left]