Whispers from the Mountains [A Rank Mission]

[Kiri]

As the battle was nearing its end, the culprit would still struggle for one last time. Kiri had first thought that whatever he was retrieving was a weapon. Considering that he was a known puppeteer, the blonde was most certain that he would have one last puppet to trump his grand plans. And so, it was Kiri’s own fault and complacency when he was expecting to try and avoid an assault and possibly counter it, when in fact, what the man pulled out was a flare gun and without a moment’s hesitation, fired it. His eyes followed the blazing trail right before the shot would get caught by the dome’s peak. Still, it would have provided quite the spark from outside, even in the briefest moment.

Kiri clicked his tongue in annoyance and glared at the man as he breathed his last. With that said, the he let the shadow dome begin to unravel and they would leave through it, entering the bright world outside again. He paused for a moment as his irises would adjust to the bright lights. Then he looked at Shieo and Mitsurugi’s direction and glared at them. If only they took his suggestion earlier, then they wouldn’t have to lose time like this. He wanted to condemn them, but he knew this was not the right time. He’ll just have to express his opinions at a later date. No doubt, he and Shieo will butt heads or the like. It wasn’t that he had anything agains the latter. It was just that apart from the guilt from their previous meeting, Kiri just can’t seem to find ways to be looked up at a better light. It was problematic.

But even as they were about to begin the next part of this demolishing mission (that is to say, they were planning to head straight to the towers and destroy each other), they would soon come to a realisation that they were left to walk or run. Kiri smirked at the thought, somehow figuring out that the other found this part of the mission rather unwanted. Well, who would want to run for kilometres? Ah, but they were shinobis. This should have been of their training from before.

“Let’s have a race… is what my brother would say,” said Kiri as he began to walk a few steps before stopping when he realised something important. Turning slowly back to the two, he sighed as he raised a hand like a student and then added, “I don’t know where the next one is. Please run fast enough so I won’t have to be holding back.”

[WC: 437 + 3,250 = 3,687]

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

It was agreed upon by all three parties. The next move if operation was to take down the second tower without notice. Thanks to Kiri’s dome of dark shadows, the flare sent by the fallen enemy had went completely unnoticed. It was a good idea for the team to move on to the next unsuspecting site and run through them. Mei on other hand, was fighting survival, at the same time losing hope on her mission of which, she was issued to carry out. The mission was, relay the necessary information to the correct people who could take out the formidable opponent threatening the freedom of the port.

Mitsurugi would be the first to take action. He licked his finger, and placed it into the air, he found the direction of the wind traveling. Near the port, the wind would usually blow away from the water, which was located in the west where the sun would sink into the lake. Mitsurugi made a quick conclusion.

“Let’s move toward the sunset. The village is in the direction. Shieo, can you locate the exact position? That map was taken from one of their former members of which we eradicated. It should have intricate details on who, and how many are stationed there. If I can recall correctly, we have already defeated their human puppet and earth bender.”

He was hoping to find some insight on the enemy. But then, it dawned on him instantly like a light bulb overhead. Maybe, the two guarding this position were sent out to intercept the group since this was the closest base from the port. But then, he thought rubbing his chin lightly.

“It’s possible we just took that tower out here and right now. But, it wouldn’t hurt to look right gentleman?”

Mitsurugi inquired the pros for their consideration. He could only throw out what he knew from faction due to experience of battling with them, or even trying to consult with them and failing everytime. The old man clicked his teeth, frustrated at his thoughts not coming as quick as they usually do.

“Honestly, Mei should be to handle herself. She is naturally gifted at combat, but her heart is full of fire. I wouldn’t doubt that she has already attempted to assainate the delegate of the port, which in turn, could lead to the rest mobilizing to her position. Quick, Shieo let’s overlook that map once more.

Ooc: the map will show a tower between current location and destination. Next tower will be southwest of the village, following tower adjacent from that one. The leader, is suspected to be in the mountain, patrolled by lackeys, some possessing a Byakugan transplant. He would be closely guarded by three tyrants, in a tower, each taking a floor to uphold while the leader rested at the top.

 

[Kiri]

With the group convening for a quick mission planning, it now came to a point where they were caught between figuring out where they were currently at. Taking Mitsurugi’s point into consideration, Kiri would look towards the sunset and sharpen his eyes. Whether he hoped to see far beyond would be a flitting wish. His eyes weren’t as strong as a Hyuuga’s, for which he contemplated how things could be different if Hoshi was there with them. As always, the boy would probably invigorate the group and probably even led it without hesitation. Such was the infectious spirit of his little brother. Ah, but he would have to remember that Hoshi has changed so much over the years and he had his own worries and burden to overcome. Now, if only his beast’s influence were helpful at this moment… but even that was robbed of him. The silence was beginning to become ever more frustrating.

And all the more as he realised that the situation wasn’t getting any better than planned. What they may have planned from the beginning had gone out the window the moment they entered that carriage. They’ve wasted enough time, and now they were at a crossroad of priorities. Well, not entirely, as their specific mission was well-written and given by their superiors. It was simply on how they should properly deal with the situation given to them that was becoming quite problematic. If anything, it would seem even ideal to continue onwards without any planning, seeing how it was easily foiled by unexpected events. Ah, but that would just be foolish.

When the initial briefing finally ended, Kiri would look back at Mitsurugi and then the direction of the sunset before coming to a conclusion. “If you know that your allies are in a particular direction, that’s where you throw the signal. Considering the angle of which the flare was fired, as it hit the dome with a certain trajectory in mind, I could tell that the puppeteer was aiming to gain reinforcements, not from those stationed in the village, but rather, from those on the other tower.” He Kiri raises his hand and recreates the flight of the flare as he saw it– for he was the only one who truly saw as vividly as possible– leading him to point, not at the sunset’s direction but almost opposite. “There. Somewhere beyond the trail would be the next tower.”

At that moment, just when he was about to declare the direction, a thought came to mind. Kiri had always been going to the different outlying towns and cities ever since he had become part of the training staff of the Hospital. It was mostly because he had the qualities of a warrior that he could take up the dangerous errands, especially when it included delivery or retrieval of important documents. As such, he was quite certain that he had visited most of the ports in Lightning Country. Port Cirrus being his favourite, visiting far too many times as he had to occasionally check up on the town clinic and the necessary items that were in dire need. Being a trades town, it was normal to have regular clients and patients coming over to the clinics, often than not, leaving their inventory in the dust before the next batch of orders arrive from the main hospital. As such, it was important that Kiri made the journal personal almost every other week. And for that, he had gotten along well with some of the people there. But most of all, and more relevant to the situation was, that he knew the landscape of the area enough for his solo journeys in the past.

“Hmmm… considering we’re at that time of the year, the sunset will not take long. By then, it would be dark as nighttime had been coming fast and long lately. He can start moving towards the direction of the next tower at a normal rate, but we’ll have to hide near the slope and wait for dark. If they do have a Hyuuga watcher, it wouldn’t make any difference, unless you’re someone who thrives in the dark. I can blend well into the shadows, cover myself entirely, so I can pretty much cover the distance without much cause to alarm for the enemy. Perhaps, if I’m close enough, I can provide a distraction, in the form of another pitch-black dome. Though considering it is nighttime, they would not so easily notice it until their chakra sensors pick up. At that, you two can hurry in, I’ll provide an opening on the dome and once inside, I can guide through the darkness and reach the tower. Even if we’re noticed, it would be too late by then.”

Glancing back at the direction of the port, he would continue, “Considering that you think highly of your other ally, I doubt she will be that much in danger, and if by chance she is put to into jeopardy, I believe her instincts is the same with the puppeteer. She will, one form or another, spark a signal to call for allies. Even if by bluff, it will still alarm those who are pursuing her and proceed with caution. Some might even thin down the numbers of the pursuit in order to try and guard the entrance. Either way, we’ll know as there would be a signal, and come nighttime, it would be a lot easier to spot it than at day. But whether or not we race to her rescue is entirely circumstantial. Like what Shieo said earlier, our job is not there. Our priority is total elimination of the offending forces. As such, we’re most likely to proceed and take out the boss. Besides, should they be alarmed to try and protect the village when they see her signal, they will also, more than likely, see that another signal would be raised from within the tower, albeit, trying to recall all forces to help in the chaos. As such, pursuit of your ally would halt and the preservation of their leader would become their top priority. It is because they work in such a system that they can be spread to provide the work necessary by their leader. But it is also because of such a system is in place that they are dependent of the man. As such, we can utilise the scenario to our advantage.”

At those words, he hoped it would be enough to explain his thoughts and so Kiri would being to walk towards the direction of the southwestern tower. “In any case, the wind is picking up. The cold night air will be here soon. We shouldn’t waste too much time. If you still want to argue about the plan, then let’s do it while walking, though I’m quite certain what I said would be our best shot.” It wasn’t everyday when Kiri got to boast of what he was often unexpected to do. But really, what he truly wants was to simply get moving. He wasn’t the type to be kept bound to one place knowing that there was something to be done at another. And he was also still a little pissed at the puppeteer.

Slowly, Kiri was gather chakra along his hand, seemingly playing or perhaps practicing. But as the chakra wounded around his arm, it was progressing into a thick shade of black that was engulfing his arm. The shadow armour that he usually manipulates his chakra to turn into would work well for this mission. It was created for the purpose of stealth, and his nature as a Nara clansman only provided the needed chakra nature to enhance the armour’s physical feature. When engulfed entirely, he would be drenched in total darkness that it would be easy to hide from plain sight should the light of day disappear across the horizon completely. And that was pretty much the plan.

On his other hand, he let his shadow chakra loose as it formed the shadow harbinger once more. The tall silhouette of humanoid figure would glance back at the two before looking down at his summoner. As if a mental communication between them was at work, it would nod its head before glancing towards the direction of the southwestern tower. The more, the merrier. Or in this case, the more who could blend in the darkness, the better for their approach. Night time was near. Otherwise known as the hour for the hunt.

[WC: 1,418 + 3,687 = 5,105]

 

[Shieo]

“I don’t know where the next one is. Please run fast enough so I won’t have to be holding back.”

While it took quite a bit to break Shieo out of his normal demeanor of calm; Kiri had been continually pushing buttons that the young Chūnin didn't realize he had that could be pushed. This ultimately had been met with a furrow of his brows, a rub of his temples and eventually his attention diverging towards Mitsurugi; given that he was intent on continuing the course of the mission with some efficiency. All while Mitsurugi was discerning the wind-flow, general direction where they wanted to head. He had initiated the thought of the map; which lead Shieo to drawing out the two halves of the damaged map, thankfully; it was simple enough damage that simply putting them together sufficed to determine the layout of the land. He had done so, kneeling down on the ground in conjunction with both Mitsurugi and later Kiri's aimed directions. After some moments of their ramblings, he was able to make a relatively astute determination on their position.

"Judging from our position and Kiri's discernment. It looks like we're not terribly far from the tower nearby- Although we won't need to worry about a Hyūga until we reach the Leader's encampment, which isn't until a few towers from here." He kept his comments short and concise enough to grant him time to roll up the two map pieces and slide them into his shinobi pouch. Casting furtive glances to his two partners he merely managed a finalized 'sigh' timing wise, was shortly after the novel entry that his companion felt obligated to collude to. Couldn't sound more forced if you tried... he had mused the thought bemused to himself. "We can get started in our travels. Rushing things, again isn't wise. We have a general understanding of what we're up against." At this point he started in the direction that Kiri and Mitsurugi determined was best, besides; it made sense compared with the map. "But we're also three against plenty more; we need to retain what stamina reserves we have. Given the reliance we all have on chakra, it'll give us some room to breath and recuperate any losses per conflict."

With their course marked and begun. The time elapsed until they arrived at the tower nearest; found between the port and their former location. While it wasn't dark quite yet, the sun was dropping over the horizon at a steady pace; boding well in favor of the Nara who guised themselves in an armor of shadows. They inevitably came into sight of the looming first 'tower', which was indeed a formidable fortification, but like most structures; it was built with a rather indefensible top-half, which normally accommodated archers and the like for the chakra-less masses in their defenses.

Halting at the tree-line that overlooked the first tower, the stone-structure stood quietly, resolute with the occasional lighted torch seen through small openings that acted like windows. It was no doubt there was targets within' and like many of the other towers that littered the region, it had its own captain of the tower that they needed to deal with. The goal in mind, to reduce the potential ambush when they reached the king-pin of the whole bandit problem the region suffered from.

"Well.. Here's our first official target, map suggests there's only two left in this tower- with the Puppet Ninja and Elementalist dealt with. The Tower Captain and his right-hand, the right hand didn't have much detail on their skill-set; but the leader is suspected to be of the Kyoujouran descent. So the stone fortification and enclosed space could prove troublesome if we're not careful." All the while, Shieo had been utilizing the cover of the trees and near-dust to prepare a handful of kunai with what could best be described as 'parachutes'. "When you're both ready we'll begin the assault, I'm certain once we touch the stonework of the tower they'll be alerted of our presence, so we'll need to act fast." Given the pretense of what they were facing, it made a bit more sense why he was preparing some Kunai with parachutes. It was then that he had thrown three of them to hover above the tower; without ever actually touching the tower itself.

"Ready."

[WC = 724 | Posts 8/?]
[Total WC = 4,589]

 

[Shouyu Hoshi]

5278
While the group discussed their plan of action, a lot was happening back at the port. The invaders, held hostage, numbers dwindled to only a few. The only ones which remained, were just lap dogs and sniveling delegate official of this pagan group of outcasts. Mei walked toward him menacingly, her frozen blade dripping in blood. She herself was scarred, beaten and bruised. She had to steal a man's cloak to cover herself, and even struggled to hold the blade steady as she pointed it to the delegate.

"...S-signal them all... I'll kill them all..."

The Haku kunoichi was taking names, and playing no games. The man trembled, fell to all floors and crawled to the balcony. From there he whimpered and meekly pulled himself to a stand. He threw a flare, which trailed in a neon green. This was the signal, and the group would be able to see it just as they decided on their plan. But, not only did they see it but... So did the final tower, and Monako. Who from his post, responded with a purple flare almost immediately. And then, another purple flare coming from the final outpost. Shieo and Mitsurugi would more than likely remember three outposts, one of which they just took down. With that knowledge in mind, it would be safe to assume that Mei had single handed, taken back the port in response to the oppression. Their final team mate was hard at work, but on her last life line.

Mitsurugi: "The flares! Is it Mei?! She has done it! We must be qui-"

The sound of rumbling could be heard. Horse hooves beating the ground. Dust clouds from the trails of strong legged sprinters. The rest of the faction had mobilized and were pressing toward the tower, on a one way path to encounter the trio. Mitsurugi smiled at the sight and turned his back to the port. He looked to the two shinobi and asked what they have been asking the whole time.

"Well well, looks like the man is coming. What's it gonna be gentleman?"

wc 348/5626

 

[Shieo]

[I'm going to be quitting the mission; my muse for it has long been gone. And I think the mod has been MIA for awhile. And Kiri is now Jien... So I don't see much need to continue]
[Thanks for the effort though!]

 

[Kiri]

[Sorry, Shieo and Hoshi. I still love you guys. Yeah, will also drop out from this. I hope to have another thrilling one in the future though.]