Event Welcome to Terminus | Infiltrate & Investigate

[Sand Council]

Terminus might as well be considered a miracle, as this behemoth station, covering square footage that would, at least from a bird's eye view, seemingly rival Sunagakure no Sato. What is more concerning, is that this location seems to be more secretive, fortified, and confined than the country's own Hidden Village. All that is currently known is that just as quickly as The Shattering occurred, the night when the previous Kazekage and Daimyo disappeared along with all supplies of carmot, this installation seemed to spring up just as suddenly. We are also aware that when not in use, the two current steam-powered trains at their disposal are stored in this location. They have also recently started advertising through the Desert Expanse asking for volunteers. Because they are only targetting desert tribes and villages, we are not certain what happens to these volunteers.

Your mission is as follows, at least for the time being:
1. Investigate the exterior of Terminus to the best of your ability; looking to ascertain patrol locations, rotations, and entry points
2. Investigate the plaza of Terminus--this location is the only portion open to the public, so entering shouldn't be too difficult
3. Attempt to infiltrate further reaches of Terminus
3a. Determine storage of trains
3b. Determine what happens to volunteers
3c. Determine locations for surveillance and other important rooms
3d. Create a map to the best of your abilities of all locations you explore --- collaborate after the fact to piece together a larger map
4. Discover as much information on the inner workings of Terminus as possible

Reminder - This is a mission that requires stealth, if you believe you have been compromised abort the mission immediately and return home. We are not looking to go to war with the Golden Sanctuary Merchants Guild, but we do want to better understand someone who might pose a threat to us and the people of this country.

Please create your opening round of actions meeting at a secretly marked rendevous point. Awaiting you there will be an ANBU NPC who will make sure you are prepared. You can either use this round to openly talk amongst yourself or keep your distance, either way after round 1 has been completed (all assigned parties have posted once or 2 weeks has passed...giving your opening volley a little bit more time as Kasen is currently settling in with a new job) a new mod prompt will be dropped giving you guidance on either your next steps or potential choices. Have fun, Sunans!

Event Participants: Kasen (NPC)/Mienai (I wasn't sure who you wanted to use), Riyota, Aki, Kazu

 

[Kazu]

Kazu sighed as he sat atop an outcropping of rocky boulders, looking down upon a steep decline that slowly flattened into the wide expanse of land where Terminus awaited in the far distance, his only companions the fading stars that twinkled in the purple-blue twilight sky above. The rendezvous point had been selected for its excellent strategic position, allowing their small squad of infiltrators to get a bird's eye view of the land with which to plan their silent assault. For Kazu, however, the solitude this spot provided was its real selling point.

Garbed in simple clothes — a tight fitting black shirt, tan pants which tied tight around his bandage-wrapped calves, a tan headscarf and cloak combination made of lightly woven Willow's Paw cotton to keep the heat of the sun off of him, and a pair of simple nomad's sandals — Kazu was hoping to look nothing like a shinobi today. 'I'm a simple wanderer, looking to find opportunities for a good life here in Terminus.' That was his cover story, anyways. He figured he'd get some better intel — and, perhaps, a more fully fleshed out plan than his usual "wing it" approach — when his group, and their ANBU contact, arrived. It was possible that their contact was already here, but when Kazu had arrived about thirty minutes ago the place had been empty. That was fine, he liked having some time to think on his own. It helped to clear his head.

Kazu swung his foot, which was dangling off the edge of his rocky perch, in the air while he mused to himself about the significance of this mission. They were to infiltrate the oddity which was Terminus, find out as much information about the Golden Sanctuary's operations here, and determine key strategic points throughout the mysterious fortress. All without being caught as undercover shinobi. 'Yeah, no problem,' thought Kazu, a wry grimace finding its way onto his face. 'Easy-peasy.'

This was the kind of thinking which Kazu wished to avoid while taking in the beautiful scenery around him. 'Maybe some tea would help?' Absently, Kazu began to shift his right shoulder blade up his back until his bloodline's abilities took over. The Kōkotsu blood within him allowed Kazu full control over his body's skeletal structure — the familiar icy-hot sensation of new bone growing back where his old shoulder blade was popping out dulled whatever pain such an action might usually have caused. Reaching over his shoulder with his left hand, Kazu pulled the bone out the rest of the way like a carrot being plucked out of the earth. Staring at the chunk of raw bone, Kazu still didn't quite understand the recent changes in his abilities — instead of typical bone, Kazu's had slowly hardened and turned an iridescent silver-black over the last year or so.

Kazu's bones were becoming blackened metal.

While it was strange, and certainly different, the young man had not noticed any harmful side-effects, yet. And this change in physiology had opened the door for some wonderous new possibilities. Using a self-made technique called Takōgu, Kazu began to use Fire Chakra in his hands to shape and sculpt the lump of metal bone into a small crude cup. Pulling out his water canteen that was attached to his hip, and a few Pink Thimble-Berry leaves he kept stored in a belt-pouch container filled with various other herbs and plants, Kazu added everything to his newly made cup. Placing his palms on each side of the cup, Kazu used a little more Fire Chakra in his hands to kick off the brewing process.

'Much better,' thought Kazu, as he sat and waited for his tea to be ready. Gazing over the horizon, steam floating off his cup into the chilly morning desert air, Kazu tried to stave off thoughts of the mission to come. For now, he was just a wanderer enjoying the view.

Spoiler: CRPJ Description

[approval]Name of Jutsu:
Tekkotsu: Takōgu (鉄骨・た工具) — Iron Bones Technique: Multitool

CRPJ's Effect:
Kazu can make complex tools using his iron bones as a base material; cooking knives, keys, chains/cuffs, and other objects are all possible. The only limitation is that individual pieces cannot be bigger than any bones in Kazu's body — a full-sized boat anchor, for example, would be impossible.

Reason why it cannot be used in battle:
While this technique can be used to make simple items quickly (kunai, for example, could be RPed as having been created using this technique), anything that Kazu has not had practice in making often (e.g. anything that doesn't exist in his inventory) requires a considerable amount of focus in order to create correctly. Furthermore, the more complex an item becomes — like a chain with interlocking links, for example — the harder it is to create, requiring more time and attention than a typical battle can afford.

OOC: Ready to go! Thanks for running this mission, Raizo — I'm looking forward to all the twists and turns you'll throw at us!

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Aki would join Kazu who was waiting for his tea to finish. “That smells decent. Got some to spare?” Aki would take a seat next to Kazu. He would look at the target. Aki wore less gear than usual. He wore some boiled leathers but no heavy metallic armour. He looked like a mercenary who worked for a moving caravan. Kazu would recognize Aki as the angry looking Sousuke who answered the door back from when Kazu paid the Takahashi household a visit, and was given a revelation. Aki would put down a backpack which was that of a traveller. There were a few water satchels hanging freely. “Don’t think I formally introduced myself. The name’s Takahashi Askisame the first, but you can just call me Aki.” He spoke as he offered his hand out. Aki had the lower part of his face bandaged up. He would begin undoing the bandages that covered his face. He would then place the bandages in his travel bag for the time being.

He would look out at the target to be investigated and he would exhale deeply. Somewhere between all the shouting and stupidity at the Kazekage tower meeting, they were now present here. Who’s stupidity was it? Not Lord Raizo’s, no it was that idiot Akkuma and his grandstanding. Suffice it to say what was supposed to be an intelligent and informative meeting devolved into ... angry shouting and the slamming of many many doors. Did Aki appreciate the oddities that occurred between Suzaku and Raizo’s dad? No he was not. Aki grew quite concerned that at some point that Suzaku was going to be flung out the window and left to fall several feet and break a bone or two. Thankfully that did not happen, which was in part perhaps due to Akkuma’s shenanigans? “That meeting at the Tower certainly didn’t go as planned. Your cousin? He handled himself very well I thought.”

Aki would place across his knees a sheathed weapon. This was Shadow Fox. A weapon he had crafted by his own hands. The weapon had a cross guard that was both silver and black in colour. The pommel of the weapon had a very neat onxy gemstone at the end. The gemstone was shaped into the face of a fox. He would continue to sit and make small talk with Kazu as he awaited the others to come.

 

[Kazu]

Just as the liquid was starting to heat to the perfect temperature, the cup mere moments from Kazu's lips, a voice called out from behind the young man. “That smells decent. Got some to spare?” Kazu's arm halted in midair as he turned his head just slightly enough to gaze with the corner of his eye towards the origin of the voice. An expected, and familiar, visage greeted him. Turning more completely to face the individual, Kazu greeted the man with a smile. "Help yourself to this. Plenty more where it came from." As the older man came to join him on his seated perch, Kazu would insist upon that purple-black haired man should accept his offer. "It ought to be enjoyed while it's just right," was the only explanation he'd give.

Kazu took in the individual next to him through quick sideways half-glances while he began the process of extracting another metallic bone — this time it was the left humerus — that would soon become another cup for tea. 'The resemblence is astounding,' thought Kazu, recalling the time this man had invited Kazu into the Takahashi household for his unexpected visit. As if the thought had triggered a response, his new tea-sipping companion would say, “Don’t think I formally introduced myself. The name’s Takahashi Askisame the first, but you can just call me Aki.”

Extending his hand, after putting aside the halfway molded metallic bone, Kazu would greet the man with a solid and firmly gripped handshake. Aki might have been surprised to find a boy younger than him with such calloused and worn hands. Kazu met Aki's eyes with his own as he cheerfully responded. "Aki, the pleasure is mine. I'm Ryuzaki Kazukura, but you can call me Kazu." The smile on the younger boy's face extended to his eyes, causing the crimson red orbs to look almost like bubbling magma pools. His charcoal black hair and dark facial markings — birthmarks, as far as Kazu knew — underneath his eyes only helped to highlight their burning red color. "I'm glad to see a familiar face on this mission, even if we've only just met. I get the sense we'll work well together."

Kazu allowed a few moments to pass between them in silence. Aki would, hopefully, enjoy the tea; Kazu would return to molding out another cup. He'd even left a bit of extra material off to the side, in case another member of their team showed up and wanted some as well. Each one had their own thoughts to tend. Kazu was happy to share the thinking space with another.

Eventually, Aki spoke up. “That meeting at the Tower certainly didn’t go as planned. Your cousin? He handled himself very well I thought.” Kazu chuckled at the modest assessment of the War Room meeting's success. "I'm surprised it stayed as on-track as it did." Allowing himself a few more chuckles, Kazu poured some more water and Pink Thimble-Berry leaves into his finished cup and began to heat up the liquid like before while he collected the rest of his thoughts on the matter. "Cousin Raizo — Lord Kazekage — is great at connecting with people and inspiring others to action. He excels at it, truly. His father, Lord Oga, would tell you he still has much to learn about being a leader. But, then again, no one is ever truly good enough for him." Kazu allowed the thoughts to hang in the air. His cup was starting to heat up, just a bare wisp of steam rising off of it.

Aki would make himself more comfortable by removing a sheathed weapon from his person and laying it across his knees. Kazu couldn't help but admire it — the silver and black cross guard, as well as the onyx fox-faced gemstone adorning the pommel, were exquisite in their construction. "Wow, that's a handsome weapon. Did you make it yourself? I've always been interested in smithing, but haven't yet had the chance to learn the trade myself."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Aki would take the tea cup and drink its contents slowly to enjoy it to its greatest extent. It was just as Kazu said, this had to be enjoyed while it was right. “Tea is one of those things that can go ... a number of ways. Sometimes it is great when it is cold, sometime it’s great when it is hot. I honestly do not want to try this any other way than the way is currently presented.” He would sip the tea again. “Mmm. This is nice. You know, Dad loved his coffee. He was very, very particular about it being fair trade, organic, and less dark in terms of colour for the coffee bean. I think coffee is in part how Dad got through ... a lot of things.” He would say to make some small talk. His father always knew people, he knew them before they even knew of him. There was something to be said about his connectivity to the place as a whole. “We’ll totes get along well enough.” He added. Aki wasn’t given pause due to the eyes Kazu had. Whereas Kazu had a primordial elemental feeling to them, Aki’s own eyes were hawkish or wolf-like given the situation. The young Takahashi seemed much like an apex predator of sorts. He wasn’t hulking in size, he wasn’t tiny either. Aki seemed to be very much in the middle of such.

"Cousin Raizo — Lord Kazekage — is great at connecting with people and inspiring others to action. He excels at it, truly. His father, Lord Oga, would tell you he still has much to learn about being a leader. But then again, no one is ever truly good enough for him."

Aki shrugged, “Most parents are that way. I don’t think Lord Oga would ever give him the credit considering ... the unique political situation Lord Raizo is in. It’s a very curious thing ... given the long history at work.” He would sip from his tea again. “I half expected someone to hit Akkuma - honestly.” Aki would tap his fingers against the side of the cup. He did this a few times. “Oddly my relationship with Dad is a bit different. He hasn’t directly told me that I need to learn, he just knows ... that I know that ... eh ... how best to put it? He’s always learning things despite what he used to be? So keeping that fact in mind ... I have no problems with the fact that I have loads of room to improve on my very own.”

“I'd be happy to teach you some smithing techniques. This is Shadow Fox. She’s ... been reforged a few times. I used to have a few smithy projects for myself, but those came to a standstill after I named my sword. It’s weird. I name my sword, in part after my mother?” He paused for a moment. It seemed like he had difficulty in truly expressing this sentiment. “Then I feel like I’ve got a connection to her. I mean I’m referring to my weapon as a woman? When I fight with her, I feel like ... a dialogue or poetry ... unfolds or is underway?”

 

[Raizo]

Raizo's NPC: "Gluttony"/Kousuke
Status: ANBU Captain (Currently moonlighting at "Tenken" at head of ANBU)
​

"Hello, I appreciate you both being prompt with the meeting."

The large in stature ANBU would appear amongst the seemingly cordial two members of the infiltration group. There were still two members missing but this mission was more time sensitive than some of the other ongoings. Gluttony would continue on with the two present and hoped the others would show up as things progressed.

"I believe you received a similar prompt as I, outlining the goals of today's mission. Not mentioned in your outline, was something Lord Raizo requested for me to wait and discuss until I could talk to the members of this group in person." His eyes would scan around before letting out a light sigh. "While I would have preferred to do it while you were all gathered, it seems we will need to work as if this is it. Lord Raizo wanted the following information to be passed along: 'Hey there Robo-Aki, Ranger General, Angry Lady (or Pretty Lady if Mienai is who Kasen chooses to use for this), and lil Kazukura' It is at this time I am supposed to wink and smile in a reassuring manner."

He would not.

"I shall continue; 'I know I am already asking a lot from you lot, but I need you to also account for a potential hiccup that I didn't feel comfortable talking about in a less contained manner. I believe my father, especially following the General Assembly, will no longer deem it fit for our village to handle this task. He essentially is paying us to do this, but at the same time, I feel very strongly you might be contending with other Ryuzaki or hired guns. We should all be working together, but I can't trust the outside elements to work with you all--keep your head on a swivel in there. There is a chance I am wrong...but... well, yea, just go in and have fun. I believe in you all!' To which I am to once more give a big reassuring smile."

He would not.

"Before you two depart, and potentially to give more of a chance for the others to arrive, I believe it would be best to determine how, if nothing else, you two plan to proceed. For now, we should eliminate the consideration of being in a race or competition with others; before we can even cross that bridge we should have an idea for how we are going to breach the actual security of Terminus."

Pulling out a hand-drawn map, he would place it upon the ground. "This is the best we could do so far; we are aware of the civilian points of entry and how the plaza they can freely move within looks. There are several main doors that seem to grant us into the depths of Terminus, but without sufficient information, it is hard to say where each point leads. So the following are just educated guesses:

1. The train platform for public use cuts off at a tunnel; that tunnel leads to where the trains receive maintenance and housed when not in use. There is a guard post that surveys the tunnel, usually two guards in that, two more guards patrolling the platform.

2. The "Volunteer" doors. Large double doors that feed into the center of the plaza. There is where volunteers for Terminus check-in, are verified and allowed into the inner portions. The volunteers seem to always be checked by a guard post that is manned by two, escorted into the inner building by an additional two guards. Every two hours there is a grand presentation where an administrator comes out, guarded by five troops, and makes a big public announcement about Terminus, their work, the people's support, and other things. During this time the doors are wide open and only have two post guards. We are 1 hour from the next event occurring.

3. The loading docks. Four openings are covered by rather heavy-looking doors and only open when deliveries arrive or go out. Each opening has its own guard post point, and like the rest of the posts has 2 people in them, meaning 8 total guards are present. These guards don't seem the most vigilant, which is a testament to the assumed strength of those doors. We have gathered intel that delivery is currently en route and will be here within an hour as well.

Based on that information, do either of you have a preferred method of getting at least one of you past one of these entry points?"

Gluttony had his own thoughts, but he also was not the one tasked with infiltrating. For now, he saw more value in those present having a plan that they felt comfortable and understood more so than his own whims. His previous master, Roku, would have told him he was a fool for being that level of trusting with people... and then quickly turned around and congratulated him believing in the members of the village like that. He was a conflicted brute.

---

OOC: Using this for the mission prompt until you lot get into Terminus, in which case Gluttony will fade out for good or at least a long while.

Please take as many turns as you need to flesh out your plan of action and just ping me when you are ready to make the push into Terminus with whatever idea you have, at which point I will make the next round prompt.

 

[Kazu]

Kazu smiled at Aki's kind words regarding his tea. "I'm glad you like it," said Kazu, clearly pleased that another shared his tastes. "I enjoy a strong cup of coffee as much as the next person," said Kazu, in response to Aki's musings about his fathers' love of coffee, "but it is rather difficult to brew on the spot. When supplies are scarce in the desert, one can always count on wild plants for a delicious refreshment." Kazu rather enjoyed such relaxed discussions with a comrade-in-arms. Two different people — two different perspectives — coming together to share common ground was refreshing in a profession sewn with conflict and opposition.

“Most parents are that way," said the apex hunter, Aki. Kazu found himself nodding as Aki continued. He understood what the older man meant. "I guess the older we get, the less we remember what it was like to see for the first time." Sipping on his now ready tea, Kazu vowed to never forget what it was like to see things from a young age. 'I'll do better than they did,' thought Kazu, assured in the objective truth of the matter. “I half expected someone to hit Akkuma - honestly.” Smiling from behind his cup, Kazu responded with, "I'd bet a thousand yen on that 'someone' being Suzaku." It took all he had not to giggle while drinking his tea. "That is, after he's done beating up Lord Oga!" Of course, he was just teasing another whom he considered to be a friend. 'Suzaku totally would, though.'

As the subject of fathers came up, Kazu's smirks died down a little. “Oddly my relationship with Dad is a bit different. He hasn’t directly told me that I need to learn, he just knows ... that I know that ... eh ... how best to put it?" A knowing smile, twinged with some wry hesitation, came across Kazu's lips. "He sees the you that you could be, right? He knows what you're capable of and won't accept 'good enough'? That's what my Father is like: always pushing me to be better." Kazu didn't think of Ryohei as "Dad" — the spartan attitudes of the Ryuzaki Clan demanded respect and honor towards ones Father. But still, Kazu knew that Ryohei pushed him out of love. "They don't exactly make it easy to live up to them, do they?"

Kazu was glad to move onto the subject of Aki's sword. "Shadow Fox, huh? That sounds dangerous... I like it!" Kazu understood what it was like to have your weapon be apart of you. 'Maybe I'm being a little too literal in my case, but still!' The Ryuzaki taught all members of the Clan to respect their weapons and to treat them like an extension of one's self. Hearing Aki speak of his weapon reminded Kazu of those lessons. "It’s weird. I name my sword, in part after my mother? Then I feel like I’ve got a connection to her. I mean I’m referring to my weapon as a woman? When I fight with her, I feel like... a dialogue or poetry... unfolds or is underway?”

"No, that makes sense! It's like... you surrender yourself to the weapon, give up your control, and allow it to-" Kazu wouldn't get to finish his thought.

"Hello, I appreciate you both being prompt with the meeting." Kazu turned to look at the new arrival. A large man, wearing a mask that covered more than half of his face, wearing formal attire and holding himself upright with an official posture that radiated authority. 'Is this our ANBU contact?' Kazu would not have enough time to ask questions before the bespoke man continued. "I believe you received a similar prompt as I, outlining the goals of today's mission. Not mentioned in your outline, was something Lord Raizo requested for me to wait and discuss until I could talk to the members of this group in person. While I would have preferred to do it while you were all gathered, it seems we will need to work as if this is it. Lord Raizo wanted the following information to be passed along..."

Kazu listened intently, and quietly, while the man before him would continue on. The only exception was when a wry grimace found its way onto his face when the name "lil Kazukura" was mentioned. 'Damn you, Cousin Raizo! I will prove myself to you!' Other than that, Kazu would take in all the man had to say without interruption. He would quietly sip the remainder of his tea while he allowed his thoughts to squirm, formulate, align, and settle. 'A race to our objective, huh? Lord Oga, what sort of game are you playing at here?' Suddenly, Kazu found himself wishing for something stronger than tea — maybe even stronger than coffee.

Finally, the man would say, "Based on that information, do either of you have a preferred method of getting at least one of you past one of these entry points?" Kazu's head practically spun from all of the information, but he would not allow a hint of that to show outwardly. He simply stared stoically, considering the crude hand-drawn map before them.

"I wish to thank you for all the reconnaissance it must have taken to gather this information. It must have been difficult. The way I see it, Terminus is said to be the Golden Sanctuary's transportation and logistics hub — it would make the most sense for us to gain intelligence relating to its central purpose. However, while understanding 'why' the technology works, I would suggest that understanding 'how' it was able to become operational so quickly might be cutting deeper into the root of our operation."

Taking a moment to think back over the various points of entry their ANBU contact had outlined, Kazu rubbed his chin while he mused outloud. "The Volunteer Doors attract the least suspicion to us. Simple workers, looking for new opporunities, would not catch anyone's eye. In addition, we know there is a set pattern where the doors become entry and exit points for us to exploit. We can be assured of a way out once we are within."

"What concerns me about the Loading Docks is getting out once we're inside. We could easily hitch a ride, undetected, aboard the under-carriage of a delivery, but unless we fake another delivery we have no way of controlling an exit. Plus, we would be forced to split-up in order to commit to such a plan."

"The Trains are indeed a mystery, and the secrets to their construction and operation would be most beneficial, but I know that I — at least — would not understand what I was looking at even if it was right in front of me. Getting in and out of the Platform seems like a minor obstacle at best. Truthfully, we'd be betting that the information we seek is some sort of secret cargo rather than the actual schematics of the trains themselves."

Lifting his eyes up to assess where Aki's brain was at, Kazu would attempt to study his partner's expressions. "I believe the Volunteer Platform is our best bet, but what do you think? Do you think I've missed, or overlooked, something?"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Aki and Kazu would be joined by another man. This man would not be joining them on the mission. He seemed to be like a messenger. Aki’s eyes narrowed as he was referred to as Robo-Aki. He was not a machine. He was not as cold and calculating as his father was. He did not run around in as much armour as his father did during his prime. “I’m not a Robo… can you relay that back to Lord Raizo?” He would interject. He would grow silent after that as Gluttony would begin speaking. Aki would stand up and roll on his heels. This man took things … too seriously, or perhaps not serious enough? It truly made him wonder considering it sounded like he was reciting things from a cue card, but instead of emoting he would just say out loud the thing he was supposed to emote. Alright so. Winking? That did not happen. Smiling? Nope. Not even a grin. Not even a smirk. Nothing. This man was clearly the best motivational speak of all time. He was clearly better than Lord Raizo by a country mile with all of the spoken and non-acted emoting! This was the man was the coach of all coaches.

Then came the oddity of the fact that it might be that there would be multiple cooks in the oven. There was the possibility that in the field there was going to be other Ryuzaki members at work and even other mercenaries. Right so. This got harder in the unspoken way. Don’t embarrass yourself. Great. Run the risk of looking like the biggest assclown infront of the Ryuzaki clan and bring the greatest amount of shame? Terrific. Aki continued listening to the mission outline and looked over the map provided. He listened to Kazu go through the scenarios separately. He would place an index finger on his forehead. “Dealing with less vigilant guards would be a free lunch, but then the doors is the problem. I don’t really want to deal with a heavy locked door…” He would quietly consider the volunteer door option which is what Kazu seemed to be leaning towards. “Let’s hope they don’t have some sort of detector. I mean I can only lie so much when it comes to walking through a metal detector. I guess we can … safely put our equipment away somewhere. I mean … do we have an idea of how many other people have been involved in this operation? Are we going to run into the realm of 1 in 5 volunteers is a secret agent?”

 

[Kazu]

As Kazu listened intently to Aki's words, his eyes began to grow wide with surprised contemplation. 'He's good,' thought Kazu. 'My plan could've gotten us caught!' Kazu was eternally grateful to the Takahashi Clan for having such gifted tacticians.

"I didn't think of that." said Kazu, stating the fact quite plainly. Looking down at his own body, and considering the problem of a metal detector, Kazu wondered how loudly the alarms would blare as his iron-skeleton passed through their sensors. "There's no way I could avoid a weapon detection system if they're looking. We're both in agreement that the Loading Docks option seems too good to be true — and it seems like the Volunteer Doors option may be out, too."

Pondering with his index finger tapping his upper lip, and his thumb resting upon his chin, Kazu stared at the maps and information before them. "What about the Train Platform, then? I'm fairly confident I could slip off the platform, sneak into the maintenance tunnel, and take out the two guards within. I've spent enough time working with the Rangers and traversing the deserts to remain unseen."

There were certainly a lot of elements to this plan that could go wrong, but it could also play to their strengths quite well. Just then, another thought occured to the young Ryuzaki. "Aki, I know I said I don't know much about these trains, but what about you? I mean, your Dad is the former Lord Steward — do you think you could identify and understand their construction?" Thinking on it further, Kazu began to free-form his idea. "There would probably be other access tunnels that connect to the train maintenance chambers. We could explore the inside further, if we were careful and stealthy enough?"

Kazu watched his new friend's face and waited for a response. "What do you think?" The young Ryuzaki's eyes had cooled from boiling magma and hardened into a softly glowing pool of diffused lava. He wanted to know what Aki thought. "You should make the final call — if you think we should go elsewhere, I'll happily follow your lead. You're the Captain of this mission."

 

[Sand Council]

While the representatives from Suna continued to plot out their opening move, deciding which point of entry they would test, the Ryuzaki clan was already putting into motion their own plans...


[The Ryuzaki - RAGNAROK Members]

The supply caravan would continue onward, the flock of Sand Runners pulling the carriages with all of their collective might. Even with the burden, the creatures still seemed to be living up to their potential of being some of the fastest beasts within the desert.

"Woah!" the foreman would call out as the birds would come to a sliding halt. The three carriages, sliding behind them, would also roll to a stop. Within each vehicle would be three members of the transport group, a member from each would exit to check out what the lead man had seen to cause him to stop their movements,

"We better get back on track, you know the higher-ups don't take late deliveries kindly!"

"Yeah, yeah, but look..."

He would point to his two compatriots to the sight before them. Barely visible through the darkness of night, a female figure would be spotted laying on the ground. Her clothing was torn to shreds and barely hanging upon her. Her arms clutched her legs, quivering, as she looked up at the approaching men.

"P-p-please... h-h-help..."

Stopped in their tracks, the men would look on, becoming completely oblivious to their surroundings and solely fixating on the female before them. Granted, while some within through group could fight, the primary fighters were the three of them, which is why they chose to exit and inspect. They were not shinobi, but their skill would place two of the men at Genin level, the rest of them in the carriages below Genin and the foreman at Chuunin. Again, however, they were not shinobi.

"Oh... I think we can help..." the foreman would say as a twisted smile would begin to curl upon his face. Glancing at the other two gentlemen with him, their faces would begin to connect the dots to his inference, a smile would appear on their faces, and their chests would begin to puff up.

"W-w-ait... no-no... no..." she would meekly say as the trio neared her.

"Don't worry, I think our employers could find a good home for you once we are done here..."

Sheer terror would be etched upon her face as it seemed she too understood what was about to happen. Even this display of helplessness did little to deter the approaching men.

"Gozen, it's done" would come from a voice behind the men, causing them to pause in their tracks once more as their heads would glance back towards the cargo.

"Thank Legatus..." would be the words of a feminine voice that did not sound like the woman previously.

Confused the men would turn back to the girl, who was no longer on the ground. Quickly, and precisely, her fist would thrust forward with a thundering blow as it connected straight into the jaw of the foreman. His head would quickly snap backwards as his eyes would roll deep into this skull. Without wasting any time, the female would move quickly and strike the remaining two men with the same speed and intensity.

Pulling herself up from her offensive stance, the female would begin to slowly make her way to the carriages. Upon the ground would be five of the remaining members who stayed with the cargo would now be on the ground. Standing would be three male figures; two were wearing masks and had clothing with the Ryuzaki symbol upon it, and the other would be the sixth and final remaining person with the transport group. Still alive, but bound and gagged, he would be clutched tightly by the bigger of the male Ryuzaki members. The smaller in stature male would throw clothing at the approaching female.

"Gozen, did you kill them?"

"I dunno, you know me... I gave them love taps... 'sides, those creeps deserve whatever. They dead, not a loss."

"Loki, do not judge. We killed our targets as well" the lumbering figure would say.

"Easy, Vidar, I wasn't judging. I merely wanted to know."

The one referred to as Loki would calmly approach the man being held hostage by Vidar. Placing his hand upon the head of the man, Loki would begin to send a wave of chakra out from his hand and directly into the brain of the hostage (Mind Ripper). The man would begin to scream out in pain, but being nothing more than a civilian, he would soon enter into a more docile state.

"You will be helping us deliver this cargo... do you understand?"

Meekly, and fumbling on the words as drool exited his mouth from the corners, the man would comply.

With that, the Ryuzaki team was now on their way towards Terminus, under the guise of the impending delivery team.

"Now, tell me everything I would need to know about delivery..."

Spoiler: "Gozen"

Spoiler: "Loki"

Spoiler: "Vidar"

---

That would not be the only involvement of the Ryuzaki, as Oga made sure to hire someone else to try their hand at this job... @Miroku Akkuma

A member of the Miroku Clan, carrying a tape recorder, would approach Akkuma on the outskirts of the village, visibly shaken, and give him the message.

At the conclusion of the message... the recorder would shatter.

---

Would there be any more surprises for this night? Would any of those attempting to infilitrate actually make it into the depths of Terminus? If they do, what might they possibly see? And will the Sunan's finalize their plan in time...

Tune in next round, ninja cowboys


OOC: Next round for the mod post will start within a week's (site-wise) time! I will respond as Kousuke when you Sunan's are ready to roll, so if we happen to get more than one round of posting out before the mod post, that is totally cool!

 

[Kureji]

Kurejī was just minding his own business when he was told by ole Ishizuki Namato to grab some sugar from one of the neighbors. In all reality, Namato was actually Akkuma who had started teaching Kurejī to be at least a little bit sneaky, starting with code words. And he isn't grabbing sugar, but rather a message from another in the Miroku clan. He was to retrieve it and get it back to Ole Akkuma.

"Yo what is up my-" Kurejī was cut off once he seen the visible fear and the person shaking all over. This had concerned him. What kind of fearsome scariness had shook a full grown adult? He took the package and decided to make haste to where Akkuma was. Once there, he gave the package, a recorder to Akkuma, "I don't know why this thing scared our buddy that gave me the it, but here it is." Kurejī was wearing his usual attire of blue hoodie, black shirt and blue jeans. Along with his mask. Not a mask that would say he is from the ANBU Branch, but it just feels right with the mask on. He had his blunderbuss strapped to his back, along with two summoning scrolls on the inside of his hoodie that holds his two puppets Teddy Bear and Stabby.

Kurejī is usually an outgoing person, loud, ecstatic. But there are times when he does know to actually pay attention. He stood by and waited for Akkuma to play the recorder.

(Entered Event as part of the Miroku Clan)

 

[Sand Council]

SPECIAL ADDENDUM:

The poor shinobi who had his consciousness subdued during the General Assembly seemed to still be struggling with a disassociation between what was real and what was in his head, why he had felt like his 'mind' had been swallowed up or pushed deep down into murky waters. Was he still currently awake? Was this a dream? Was he even in control? Was this all some simulation...

He would continue to ponder these questions following the end of the assembly, the scroll he had been given, loosely held in his hand, would suddenly find itself free from his grasp. He would not notice, nor might he ever notice, as his gaze and thoughts were elsewhere. The scroll would soon be elsewhere as well.

The journey of a shinobi was a funny one, one where people were born into greatness or devote long stretches of their life to attain greatness. There was another grouping in the shinobi world; those who were lucky. Honestly, this might have been the majority of shinobi, but many would struggle to admit such an abstract law of existence would be their main penchant... most wanted to believe less in chance and more in self actualization.

The scroll would find itself pushed by the breeze, kicked around by several individuals just walking around in the dimly lit street, and then would travel a bit on its own thanks to inertia and the grooves in the road. It would travel a considerable distance for a non-sentient little piece of a paper before coming to a stop right in front of a youth of the village. Should @Shingetsu Sora see this scroll, he could open it and either act on the assigned mission or he could seek out the appropriate authorities and return to the paper and go back to enjoying his young life. Ultimately, the choice was his alone to make.

Again, sometimes luck, whether we would want to admit it or not, comes into play for a lot of the shinobi way of life. That said, there was a slight misconception about this luck. Luck was luck. Luck could be good, and that is most often how it was viewed. Sometimes, however, luck was bad. Just how lucky would young Sora be...

Spoiler: Scroll's Contents

Your mission is as follows, at least for the time being:
1. Investigate the exterior of Terminus to the best of your ability; looking to ascertain patrol locations, rotations, and entry points
2. Investigate the plaza of Terminus--this location is the only portion open to the public, so entering shouldn't be too difficult
3. Attempt to infiltrate further reaches of Terminus
3a. Determine storage of trains
3b. Determine what happens to volunteers
3c. Determine locations for surveillance and other important rooms
3d. Create a map to the best of your abilities of all locations you explore --- collaborate after the fact to piece together a larger map
4. Discover as much information on the inner workings of Terminus as possible

Reminder - This is a mission that requires stealth, if you believe you have been compromised abort the mission immediately and return home. We are not looking to go to war with the Golden Sanctuary Merchants Guild, but we do want to better understand someone who might pose a threat to us and the people of this country.

Please meet at the designated coordinates...

---

OOC: Shingetsu Sora has joined the Sunan infiltration team, should he accept this. You will join Kazu and Aki, but we might be skipping Aki a round or so depending on his posting this week. Please, if you can, get your post in by Friday!

UPDATED "TEAMS"
Suna: Kazu, Sora, Aki (currently not on scene; Kasen and Riyota); NPC guide Kousuke/Gluttony
Miroku: Akkuma and Kureji
Ryuzaki: 'Loki', 'Gozen', 'Vidar'

 

[Shingetsu Sora]

Not one to be late for dinner, Sora was busy hurrying along home when his eye caught sight of a trinket shop that while unlike any other that he had visited, wasn't one that he had actually visited before. Starting to develop an eye for shiny things, the boy stopped and gazed at a valuable ensemble fit for a king. Admittedly, Sora wasn't one for flashy robes or the sort of jewelry befitting one of more noble birth, but considering his mostly nomadic upbringing, a diamond was a diamond and for a boy who was used to having only the basics, shiny things caused all sort of fanciful dreams even in the moment. While window shopping as it were, something bumped his shoes and at first dismissing it as another tumbleweed or even more scarily a desert critter of some sort, Sora was about to completely step over the supposed waste when his foot caused the scroll to roll some more and he finally caught sight of what it actually was.

Curious in a way that his mother had always cautioned against, Sora looked around to see if anybody would claim the scroll but found that no other eyes seemed to fixate on it like his had. Shrugging to himself, he clutched his pouch purposefully towards himself and walked up to it giving off the appearance that the scroll had indeed been his all along. Muttering to himself about stupid this all was, he bent over to read it, needing to catch the light just right to make out the contents, he had to stifle a laugh when he read the contents and they read like some sort of wild fantasy spy novel that he'd read before. Clearly some local merchant was working on their latest story and the wind had carried away an unfinished page of some sort.

Sora had been running missions for quite some time and he hadn't heard a single peep about this supposed Terminus so either this was the best well kept secret or somebody was pulling his leg. Standing for too long a stretch of time, Sora looked at the relative time of day and figured that he could maybe kinda sorta be late to dinner if just took gander at this place. Worst come to worst, he'd waste an inordinate amount of time and chakra traveling there and back in a hurry. If this wasn't a joke however, then the Kazekage would eventually hear from a lowly kid about how their secretary needed replacing for losing such a precious document. Stuffing the document into one of his many pockets, the teenager slipped into the shadows and decided to discover the truth of the mysterious prompt.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Looking on at the grandiose city of a hub that was Terminus, Sora realized that there was also another lesson that he'd disregarded from his mother, he'd failed to keep up with current events. Though relatively new to Sunagakure, this place, this Terminus was so magnificent that there was no way that he would have missed word about it unless that history class that he'd halfheartedly lazed about in actually was teaching useful information. Clearly, Sora had been so focused on perfecting his own craft that he'd failed to notice the changing of the world just outside of his narrow view. Once again Sora had embarrassed himself by catching tunnel vison on the objective but this was a lesson that he'd soon not forget.

Inconspicuously attempting to fall in line behind some travelers just as lost as he was, he stopped by a pretty normal looking shop and slipped into an alleyway. Taking the scroll out to reexamine the contents once more, Sora attempted to look at the request more closely in order to see what he was supposed to do but was startled when a howling plume of steam erupted from a grate that he'd failed to notice and reduced the scroll to a soggy mess, ruining any hope of re-reading the message. "Figures . . ."

Muttering to himself, Sora realized that now he was far from home, alone and somewhat morally obligated to finish a mission that he could barely remember. Forced to laugh at his own misfortune, Sora rubbed at his temples before taking a deep breath in and out. Zipping his ever protective hoodie up, he attempted to channel his inner talents and at least try to gain intel on the place that he found himself in. At best, he'd actually have something to research when he got back to Suna and at worst he'd end up in some far away prison with his mother none the wiser of his whereabouts. Slipping into the shadows, Sora tried his best to be invisible while he searched around.



OOC: Sora's general look is that of my avatar. A more in-depth look can be found here. I had no idea how to start this but let's just assume that try as he might, Sora's Shadow Tactics and Stalker abilities aren't good enough to get past a keen eyed Kazu this go around. With both of them being Genin, I'd assume that they'd be contemporaries from at least the Academy days.

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

The Sage got word of the shaken messenger before the man had reached him. Choosing to send Kureji to investigate the matter, while young he knew that he'd be able to hold his own should the individual prove to be compromised. When handed the recording by Kureji the half-demon was surprised by the statement made by the youth. While there were those within his clan who were not proficient in combat. Most of the Miroku had been exposed to a variety of situations that made them generally less breakable. Well the ones that survived such experiences any way. His sons comment was enough to raise many questions within the Sages mind. "Curious...I'm sure we're about to find out." he would calmly state as he held the recording so that both himself & Kureji would be able to see it's contents. Knowing what he did of the youth he knew the chances that there was something on there that would shake him would be slim.

Using a technique from his old anbu days he utilized the Snapshot Jutsu (Master Rank), then hit play. Much to his surprise the message was supposedly from one Ryuzaki Oga. A wide mischievous grin would form upon his face as the Sage listened to the message. Those emerald eyes of his burned with a devilish delight. What a curious position he had found himself in. The message would crackle to a finish, before the device would smolder & crumble to pieces. "Interesting..." he would say with a chuckle, there was little doubt from the Sage that this was genuinely from Lord Oga. After all he'd been unable to hold back such comments in the assembly. Nonetheless he still had some doubts, although the fires of curiosity had certainly been stoked.

Evidently it seemed there was much that needed to be learned. What Oga's true intent was, if it was truly Oga. What do the Merchants Guild want with young chakra capable individuals? Lastly & perhaps the most concerning question was what were the sunans walking into? While he knew the sunans to be capable shinobi he knew all too well how susceptible they were to the schemes of others. Turning his gaze to Kureji those emerald eyes would hold his son in his gaze. "These fools will never understand our family." he would say with an undeniable delight to his voice. They were alone in the dunes & yet he would still keep to their code. "Kureji it seems we'll have to depart for our holiday sooner then anticipate." his words held a warmth to them knowing that the child would have been looking forward to their first mission.

As was the Miroku way Kureji was due to receive the first of his seals. Cursed chakra would begin to crackle around the demons right hand. His corrupting nature being used to enhance the senjutsu he intended to place upon the youth. "Are you ready?" he would ask his son & await his response. If Kureji confirmed he was ready for the holiday he would receive his first seal from his Father. While painful the process would not be a heavy strain upon his son. The process would be after all he was a Master when it came to Senjutsu he had few peers. If Kureji said he wasn't ready the Sage would not place a seal upon him. But would still be ready to depart.

MFT
Snapshot Memory Stored in slot 2/3
Placing Cursed Seal on Kureji w/ Permission.
Will cut to entering the Terminus in next post. ^_^

 

[Kazu]

There were no objections.

"Alright, I guess that settles it: we'll get in using the trains. If we can sneak aboard one of them, and avoid detection, it should take us straight into the maintenance tunnels. There's plenty of public use sections of the train — the trick will be staying on it past that point." For some reason, Kazu could feel his heart beating just a little bit faster than a moment ago. His hands were clammy. 'Am I... nervous?' Kazu hadn't felt this worked up about a mission for a while. 'Something's different.'

It was the difference between maintaining a garden and tilling a new one. It was walking a worn trail, versus forging a new one. 'Why didn't he say anything?' Kazu was sure he had missed something in his plan. No one ever thinks of everything. But by saying nothing, Aki had given Kazu's plan his approval. 'Now we're going to... actually do my plan?'

Kazu hadn't wanted to be in charge. But sometimes, some choices are outside of our control.

"Before we go in there, I'd like to see your hand..." Kazu would explain he wanted to place a temporary mark onto Aki's hand, imbued with a weak amount of magnetic chakra. "If we end up needing to split apart, I can use that to track where you are. Of course, you can dispel it at any point you wish." If Aki did not wish to accept, Kazu would offer that he inscribe the mark onto a rock that could be kept in Aki's pocket. If there was further insistence against it, Kazu would drop the subject and move on.

"Do you have a headset? I'm going to tune mine to frequency 131.9 -" Kazu would mess with a couple dials on the thin cloth band around his neck. He heard crackling static in his left ear as he scrolled through frequencies. "-testing, testing, can you read? Over." The range on these headsets was excellent — they should have been able to communicate at least up to five miles away, and maybe even further if there were no obstructions. While it was unlikely, anyone could have possibly heard that test transmission. 'But if we don't check, something worse could happen.' They would have to take that risk, and pray none of their enemies heard it.

If Aki did not have a headset, Kazu would check to see if he had thought ahead to bring any more or if Kousuke had any extras. One way or the other, however, it would come time for them to set off. That uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach still hadn't gone away. 'I guess this is really it,' thought Kazu. 'Time to lead this mission.'

And so, they were off. Their destination: the closest civilian train stop.

---

CIVILIAN TRAIN STOP
Sneaking Into the Depths, Terminus​

Sneaking on board a public use train should not have been difficult. Theoretically, they'd simply need to walk on after purchasing their tickets. 'Just standard civilians, here. No reason to be suspicious, or to draw attention.' Besides, what possible reason could Terminus have for checking for chakra-capable civilians within their own populace? Well, Kazu had a theory. But more so than that...could they possibly be doing it blatantly, so that all civilians knew it was happening? Kazu doubted that. 'Who would willingly live under such a dictatorship?' Maybe Kazu was just naive. Just like with the radio test transmission, they'd have to take that risk.

In either case, whether they made it onto the train undetected or found more anti-shinobi measures there than they'd anticipated, their next step would be to become unseen. If they had made it onto the train safely, Kazu would attempt to slip into one of the exterior connecting points between the carriages and use a frequently utilized Ranger technique for blending in with one's surroundings. If they decided it was too risky to try to sneak with so many watchful eyes on them, Kazu would attempt to perform the same technique from a ways off the platform and sneak onto the train from the outside.

Now came the tricky, sort-of-improvisational, part. Kazu's plan was for them to avoid detection and simply be carried into the maintenance tunnel as it usually would be. Kazu figured there would be guards searching for people trying to sneak into the tunnels, but maybe not for people who were already there and unseen. 'Of course, if they're expecting us to try to get in that way...'

Something Kousuke had said before came to Kazu's mind. "For now, we should eliminate the consideration of being in a race or competition with others; before we can even cross that bridge we should have an idea for how we are going to breach the actual security of Terminus."

Trying to plan for a plan, that planned around your plan, was just asking to be caught doing nothing. 'We have to try something,' thought Kazu. This seemed as good as anything.

Assuming they made it on the train, Kazu tried to settle into a spot besides one of the exterior connecting points between the carriages. Using his chakra to hold himself in place, he would attempt to place himself in a spot where he could react quickly, have multiple options for escape or combat, and be out of the way of physically colliding with roaming guards. 'Stay on high alert,' thought Kazu, as he settled in for the long wait ahead. 'Keep your eyes peeled for anything.'

OOC Action Breakdown:
— Kazu attempts to use [CRPJ: Jishaku - Lodestone Seal] on Aki. If successful, this is (1/5) Seals used.
— Attempting to use Kazu's radio test call as an unlikely way of pinging Sora. He would have to be fiddling with his headset at the exact right moment, so I'd be fine with a low % chance roll for success.
— Attempting to use [Active Camo] to enter Stealth. Either using it once on the train, or using it to get on to the train.
— If we make it onto the train successfully, attempting to spot Sora from Kazu's hiding spot in-between the train carriages as we pass through the city.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"There's no way I could avoid a weapon detection system if they're looking. We're both in agreement that the Loading Docks option seems too good to be true — and it seems like the Volunteer Doors option may be out, too."

Aki made a gesture with his hand, “You’re better at concealing a weapon than I can. At least you can hide them in your bones. I need my equipment in order to be resourceful.” Aki admitted. Kazu had this one advantage over him in this regard. Could Aki do fast talking? He could try. He could try hard enough to fumble to make it so that Kazu could probably hit someone on the head. The problem there is that if Kazu failed a knockout blow, this was going to get weird real fast.

Did you just try to knock me out?

Yes. No! I mean no. I did not try to do that. He did it!

Or… it could turn out like this?

So! You’re beeping. Do you have on yourself?

Uhm. Fake leg. Yeah. I walk on a pair of fake legs. Made of metal.

Both situations were not overly great. Aki continued to play situations out in his head. This was going to be great, horrible, and or both? Aki wanted this to more or less work out for the betterment? Kazu then piped up about the platforms. “Well… if there is anything I have learned from playing Pretend Wizard with my Dad is that you never split the party. So while you’re off taking out guards. I sure as hell am not going to be off twiddling my own thumbs. Sure I won’t be as stealthy… but I mean a fair fight is always better than a two versus one. Not that I doubt your ability - we just are in a learning phase of what they can do.”

"If we end up needing to split apart, I can use that to track where you are. Of course, you can dispel it at any point you wish."


Aki would offer his hand and look over it. “That’s clever… but yeah I … I … may have forgot to bring my headset. I brought a gas mask though. I figured the smoke em out process might work, but no dice on that.”Aki explained. Kazu then had the follow up question of if his father knew how the construction process worked. “He knew of the … deconstruction progress … but those were trains from Sora. These, presumably, are a completely new make. I’m sure someone on the inside know that my dad had a knack for the deconstruction process.” Aki explained further. He stroked his chin. Kazu propositioned that the access tunnels would be worth exploring. “That’s a smart plan of action. Are you sure you shouldn’t be team leader?” Aki said with a grin as he would see the merit in what Kazu suggested.

The two would be then joined by a third being Sora, and so the team would be assembled. With of course Kousuke, also known as the world’s greatest motivator.

***

Whereas Kazu was being very stealthy. Aki would attempt to do so. He would watch as the train would pass by and with his own exceptional agility he would attempt to hitch a ride on. Aki would remain on the outside of the train but he would attempt to lay low, and head for the roof of the train. He would grip the bars and make his way up. He would listen to his surroundings before having a peak about. Aki would hold his breath as he would take a quick peak around to make sure he wasn’t being observed. Thankfully while he was wearing some metallic plates, it was intermingled with leather. Aki if he were spotted would activate a dojutsu and activate invisibility. Parlour tricks could work, but one merely needed to make sure that no eyes were on the prize.

 

[Kureji]

As Kurejī watched on as the recording played, a voice had rung out. Now in his mind, it took him a small bit longer to catch on, but he could get the jist of it. Somethings going down, a contest of sorts, but in a different kind of way. Something to benefit Akkuma no matter what he chooses. There was something that had caught his attention. This 'Volunteer' center seemed to want young chakra talented people. And he was a young chakra talented person. It could very well be a way in with very little notice going his way. Maybe finding out what's going on on the inside while inside will help.

Which means... He'll be going into the thick of things. To be honest... He was giddy with excitement! Ready to mess some stuff up and- " our holiday sooner then anticipate" "Huh? Oh yeah!" It had only took a few seconds for him to realize what Akkuma was saying. Holiday code for cursed seal.

He would nod enthusiastically as his adoptive father placed the cursed seal onto him. That enthusiasm was replaced by pain as he struggled to not make any noise until the flaring pain from the seal faded away. A shaky breath, and he would be fine after a small moment. He thought about the way in. "So. The way into the party. If I take off my mask and bring out Teddy Bear and Stabby I would fit under talented chakra user for entertainment. Watcha think?" Akkuma would know that underneath the mask that Kurejī wears, he is wearing clown makeup, enough to fit the bill of a street performer if necessary and also be the way to get in. And now with the cursed seal, If Kurejī gets in a tight spot, he'll just activate it.

(OOC Notes: Accepting Cursed seal.)
(Will follow Akkuma)

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

The Sage would smile as Kureji acknowledged he was ready for his first seal. He couldn't help but feel some pride at how well the youth handled the sealing process. When his ward voiced his idea on how he could play his part those emerald eyes would flicker with devilish delight. "I suspect it won't be much of a party I'm afraid. No doubt they intend to run tests or experiments on any chakra capable youth they get." he would say calmly speaking the truth of his concerns to Kureji so that the youth knew what was expected of him. "You are right...Teddy Bear & Stabby would be quite effective at demonstrating your control. If you play the part of the gullible ward lured into the scheme by his master I doubt they will suspect us." his words were calm, yet serious. There could be no mistakes if they were to succeed in their infiltration. "If we succeed Kureji I need you to take note of everything you see & hear. Keeping track of how many children you encounter if any others will be important." he would pause before he said his next words those emerald eyes of his moving to hold the masked gaze of Kureji.

"Lastly I need you to stay alive. No matter what it costs, do whatever you must. Once I've done what is necessary I will come for you." when he said those last words the conviction in his voice would be undeniable & no doubt reassuring. Any who tried to stop him from doing so would find themselves dealing with his unrelenting wrath. When he was certain that Kureji knew what was expected & how they would go about it he would announce it was time for them to depart. While they set off on their journey he would click his headset to life, in order to pass on a message. "Discreetly inform the Kazekage that Terminus may have a means of identifying chakra users. They have a program requiring the supply of chakra capable youth, whatever they're doing I'm sure they have a means to ensure to detect any potential escapees or rescue attempts." he made this order with no attempt to hide it from his ward.

Too often he'd kept such things from his kin & eventually it had been his downfall. Unaware of all he did their minds had been easily swayed. That was not a mistake he would make again. This time he would ensure that his ward knew exactly who their Father was. Ending the Snapshot jutsu there for he had what he needed. There was no doubt in his mind that the memory would come in handy later on down the track.

~Arriving at Terminus~

Compared to the many travelers around them the pair would no doubt stick out. Akkuma wore an extravagant suit as white snow & yet would seem dull in comparison to his hair. Which was tied back to ensure it did not interfere with the latches of his gear. Underneath the suit was an adapted still suit that he had received from Toraono Kuro many years ago. Naturally with some adjustments made to better suit the Sage & his needs. Customized with a series of injectors that were designed to utilize one of his more preferred serums. One which exponentially increased the rate at which his body could convert nature energy to corrupted energy. There was a respirator that was detachable from the section of gear, a piece of gear he currently had adorned. Although this was not an uncommon thing for the Sage. One with his reputation was expected to be equipped in such a manner.

That unnatural aura of his would draw all manner of attention, to hide who he was would be ineffective & only hinder his goal. But the arrival of the demon that partakes in all manner of monstrous acts that would be of little suspicion. How he had acquired such knowledge & orchestrated such a meeting? Well he'd leave that up to their imaginations he had little doubt he would need to do much convincing if he played his part well. Once they arrived at the fortified entrance the Sage would give an impressed whistle. "The logistics alone to achieve so much in such little time...isn't it astounding?" he would say in what would appear to be an unintentional statement made in awe. One such as himself would naturally be interested in such things. The capability to discreetly & so efficiently establish a foothold was a skill he could use. He hoped to discover more about how they had achieved this as their infiltration progressed.

While they made their approach he waited for the greeting party. After all an individual such as himself would only go unnoticed for so long. If they failed to take notice he would perhaps get Kureji to start a performance, if doing so proved necessary to get their attention. Not that he believed such active efforts to draw the attention of those in power here would be needed. No doubt his mere presence was enough to set their security drones alive with chatter. The game had begun now to see what the battlefield looked like. What pieces were on the board & most importantly what strategy was his opponent going to utilize.

MFT
Action;
0: Ending this usage of Snapshot.
1: Headset used to attempt to send some information to Raizo. (Agent would attempt Miroku channels to contact Uziuke & Messenger Bird to Raizo) Am happy for a roll or unavailable due to stuffs. =P *is pumped* Let's do this!
Akkuma's Appearance Link
Edited to fix an error

 

[Sand Council]

Miroku Team:

The leader, if not slightly questioned at this point by some parties, of the Miroku and his most recent adopted child would enter the Terminus plaza. They, more so Akkuma, would be noticed, much to his own assumptions. However, there would not be an action taken against him at this time. Someone, somewhere, would send a communication to another person.

"Sir, what should we do about that?"

"Nothing, we were told he would be bringing us a gift. Let him enjoy the sights of the plaza and he will more than likely bring the child to the gate." would be the response in return.

What usually causes a scene, just from his mere presence, would not seem to set off too many alarms at this point. Apparently, an arrangement was made and the party overseeing the plaza believed, or maybe knew, that this strange figure was the one here to complete that very transaction. So it would be a waiting game as the Miroku Team had the ball back in their court. What would they do?

They would hear, from their casual spot within the plaza, the whistle of the approaching train.

---

Ryuzaki Team:

The time for the delivery was quickly approaching, they could hear the roar of a train whistle off in the distance. Their eyes would remain firm on the approaching loading dock area. The three members, and their one captive, would continue to both mentally and verbally go back over the course of action they would be taking.

Arrive, carry out the delivery to the point the bay doors open, incapacitate the guards, leave one behind to control the scene and the doors, the other two will enter, the hostage will die, and the mission will continue from there.

Out of all the teams in this 'competition', the Ryuzaki had the distinct advantage of having worked together multiple times prior to this mission. While it may not have seemed like a very full plan, the fact that they were skilled enough and aware of their teammates' abilities enough to improvise if needed gave them much more flexibility.

---

Sunan Team:

Kazu and Aki would make their attempt to enter the train prior to its arrival at the station, and it would be successful. Using his shinobi, and ranger arts, to slip into the fold of humanity allowed Kazu to encounter no issues making it onboard the train and nestling his way between the cars. Using his more advanced skill, the art of actively camoing his appearance, he would slip out of most human perception... but approaching him, somehow, would be someone who seemed wise to his game. Was Kazu caught? Or was this...

Aki, less discrete but still as skillful, would leap upon the train's exterior and pull himself up, latching between the cars as well. He, at this moment, would not be noticed. Potentially a credit to what would normally not be considered a stealthy appearance, his more metallic clad body would find itself meshing rather well with the esthetic of the train.

The train whistle would hum as it was coming to a stop within the Terminus station. This one, K1B4, had been on a trek to and from Yamori Station and was returning home to Terminus to receive its routine maintenance. With only two major trains, this was a rather celebrated event, as for many in the civilian plaza this would be the first time seeing one of the massive transportation vehicles arriving.

Sora would also be stealthy traversing through the Terminus plaza, but without the proper intel, where would he end up going? Luck once more would be bestowed upon this young man, as he would find himself bumping into a figure that stood roughly six feet and seven inches, with shoulders just as broad. He was a towering human, one with elegant attire and purple hair. Instead of wearing the mask, he had been when talking to the others, Kousuke, or Gluttony the ANBU member coordinating this mission, would just so happen, or was it truly chance, bump into the lost Sunan.

"Ah, the train is pulling up. It's a rather magical thing to witness, like the words coming from a Shadow of the Wind. Little pieces of Suna, I mean sand, probably tucked into the train, making their way on a Mission ordained by a higher power." The gentle, for now, giant would peer down at the boy. "Maybe you should go check it out? I hear witnessing it will clear your mind and show you a truly profound Objective."

With that, Kousuke would leave. Sora would either pick up, or he wouldn't. The ANBU member didn't have time to figure it out, asides, this figure would have been listed as a Chuunin that had actually received the message, so his assumption would be that even though they fumbled the meetup, they could correct and rejoin the team. Otherwise, it would be better they stayed lost. He would continue watching Sora, however, from afar.

---

A meeting room within Terminus:

"Why the hell has he called us here to a damn evening meeting?" - Person 1.

"It is actually on you for leaving campus so regularly. Terminus is capable of sustaining more people than within it right now, you truly have no need to leave." - Person 2.

"Heh, if he is like me, he leaves because the booze is better and there are a lot better choices back in the Golden Sanctuary complex!" - Person 3.

"How uncivilized." - Person 4

"I wouldn't call it uncivilized, but it does lack creativity. Here, you just have to show a bit more ingenuity when it comes to picking the right flowers from this garden." - Person 5

"...just talking to you idiots makes me thirsty. So where the hell is the Chairman?" - Person 6

"About to do his damned little song and dance..." - Person 1 again

"Told us to bring money right? Sounds like he might have a little game of wagers for us. If it is that, I'm happy. If it isn't, I might kill him." - Person 7

Within a room known as The Board Room, a collection of people were now seated and waiting for an eighth member, The Chairman.

---

Outside of the Loading Dock:

A dark figure would approach the doors, causing the guards to stand at attention.

"Please, stop where you are. This is private property, and we have permission to kill trespassers" a guard would shout with strict authority.

The figure, a figure that seemed to be pitch black, would continue to move forward. This, in response, would cause all the guards to stand up. Their focus was heavily on the approaching...person.

"What the hell is that..."

Behind the guards, shadows would begin to move. The night would be long. It would be chaotic. Who truly was going to get out of this alive?


Welcome to Terminus.

---

OOC
Aki, Kazu and ????? are on the train
Sora has bumped into Kousuke (NPC mission coordinator) to push him towards the train team
Akkuma and Kureji are noticed but no action to them at this time
Have fun! Next mod post in a week if not sooner based on you all getting a post in!

 

[Shingetsu Sora]

When sneaking around enemy territory it was probably best to turn off any and all electrical devices that might beep, ping, buzz or otherwise give away one's coordinates. Unfortunately for Sora, he'd failed to heed that memo when his headset caught a stray signal. Bzzzzt~ "-testing, testing, can you read? Over." Jumping about six inches off the ground, Sora was startled when his headset went off and he picked up a frequency when it was supposed to be turned off. Eyes wide open for a possible ambush, the Genin only calmed down when he realized that the frequency was one commonly used when attempting to set up training spars at the Academy. Willing to let things go and just turn his headset off, it dawned on Sora that there was no way that his headset could possible pick up a signal from Suna unless there were people from Suna using the same frequency where he was. A countrywide blanket of transmission towers would definitely be a great invention for them to theorize over later but if he was picking up a signal from a fellow Sunan then that could only mean that he wasn't alone and that this wild mission wasn't a farce.

Feeling as though he was looking too obvious by just standing around, Sora felt a presence behind him and was greeted with a figure that he hadn't ever seen before by his own recollection. Looking up at the man, if Sora needed any other signs from above for the day, then he certainly got it with this one. "Ah, the train is pulling up. It's a rather magical thing to witness, like the words coming from a Shadow of the Wind. Little pieces of Suna, I mean sand, probably tucked into the train, making their way on a Mission ordained by a higher power." Leering at Sora, the man continued on. "Maybe you should go check it out? I hear witnessing it will clear your mind and show you a truly profound Objective." Gulping nervously, Sora nodded his head as he backed away slowly and turned to go procure a ticket at all cost. Whoever the man was, what he said only made Sora sweat more.

He didn't know if the man was still watching him, but keeping his head down and buying the ticket proved to be far less treacherous than he imagined it to be and soon he found himself in line to get on the train itself. Finding a prized unoccupied seat, Sora remembered that he was going to check back on the headset call and ducked his head down low in order to activate the headset and try to reach out to someone who could help him connect with whoever he was supposed to connect with. So far, just going on a whim had worked but if he didn't want to draw the wrath of Suna herself then he'd best try to find help. "The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain." Saying a nonsensical sentence about the weather was a trick that Sora had learned in the Academy to establish friend or foe. Sora couldn't remember who had mentioned the fact or where exactly Spain was but if there was a friend out there from his Academy days then they'd pick up what he was laying down. His signal sent, he leaned back up and did his best to act natural but was greeted first by a random passersby that sat next to him and then with his head turned in just the right way to acknowledge that the person, an older woman, could sit. That was exactly when he locked eyes with somebody that he recognized. Somebody that he'd never expected to see this far from home.

OOC: On the train and attempting to establish contact with who sent the headset message (Kazu).