Starring:
Date: August 19, 2016
Summary:
The initial mission was to pick up Yoko Omaeda, a spy working in the Land of Snow. Yoko was discovered during his tenure in the Land of Snow, captured, and tortured. Eventually, he escaped, but blamed the Land of Lightning for not staging a recovery effort and turned on his former allegiance with Kumo.
"Agent of Poor Karma"
Amagumo Bridge
Yume has not been formally inducted into a team as of yet, but had certainly proven herself in a previous struggle against mounted bandits. The administration had found it important to put genin into serious combat situations, to give them experience on the field. That experience might go into positively impacting the genin's growth before a team is even assigned, and helps the administration fully understand what 'kind' of team Yume would best be involved in. This was done with Sakuya herself, actually. When she was a fresh genin, she was put rather close to the front line against the Seven-Tails, attempting to escort people away from housing near the combat area and clean up bandit attacks with people who definitely were not her own team. Everyone starts small and weak, but through this experience grow into good shinobi.
"Alright Eiji… The mission is actually rather simple… Usually is pretty simple." Sakuya was holding a copy of the mission details as she waited for Yumi to arrive. "One of our operatives is returning from the Land of Snow by ship. It's quite routine. We'll be moving to his location, all the while discussing shinobi practicum to Yumi, and if we come across any hostile activitiy along the way to the mission location we will allow her to take part in combat and withhold our own capabilities only stepping in when injury is suspected." Sakuya would begin to roll up the scroll. "We'll be heading to the north coast of the Land of Lightning, along the Ibon Coast, and extract the agent who has been keeping tabs on military activitiy. The expected threat level has guaged this level as 'C-class'. I sort of like this initiative, personally." The Hebisuuhai would take a deep breath as she reached up to pet the lounging snake that was coiled upon her shoulders. Keeping an eye on Eiji, she would give him a quick smile. "Well, team mate? Questions? Comments? It isn't the first mission we've been on together, but it's certainly the first one without our ream leader or some other authority holding our hands."
Eiji would report in time for the mission as needed, prompt.. because blur can be a thing for him. That said, he was relaxed as Sakuya would read off the mission, giving a shake of his head at the last part. "It's pretty straight forward. Let her do things unless it looks like they will hurt her. I can handle that pretty well, all in all. Now we just need her to show up and we go from there."
By the time Yume receives the summons, she took advantage of the hours leading up to it to prepare herself by buying supplies. Food, water, climbing rope, kunai, first aid supplies, and any other things she would need to survive through her time away from the village. It sounded like it was a simple enough extraction, but it would be difficult predicting how long it would take to travel up the coast they were choosing to take with the information provided. Not to mention potential delays should they run into trouble. When she is supplied to her liking, she would go to the location where she was to meet Sakuya and Eiji. She would bow deeply to the pair, weighed down some by the heavy satchel strapped against her back. "Sakuya-san, Eiji-san. My apologies for the delay, but I wished to be prepared for emergencies. I hvae read over a little of what the mission could entail, but I am ready for further details and to depart." She straightens up from her bow and adjusts the strap of her bag as she holds onto her cane.
Sakuya would nod her head to Yume, slipping her hands behind her back as she addressed Yumi as professionally as she was capable. "Hello, Yumi. You should have all the information required. This shouldn't be a difficult mission, but you should keep alert. Are you… trained in riding a horse yet?" Sakuya would inquire. After all, she had three prepared to go, unless Eiji had his own steed. "We will be traveling by horseback, so you might need to ride with one of us if you aren't able to ride yourself yet." Sakuya would reach up, promptly flicking Zuzu's nose to wake him up. "Zuzu, please… It's mission time." - "Nnnh, Stop waking me up like that, wench. I'll sleep as I please…" - "That is honestly it. Eiji seems itching to get on the road. Wouldn't want to keep a Reizei waiting. They don't like waiting." Sakuya chuckled.
Eiji chuckles lightly at Sakuya's comment but doesn't exactly deny it. Instead he would simply let Sakuya handle the interaction with Yume, then picking one of the horses available, mounts up smoothly. Once he is mounted and his blades settled, he'd look to the two girls. "We shouldn't push the horses too hard. Just because I have a sense of urgency does not mean we harm the animals."
Yume's head turns towards the horses provided, tapping her cane on the ground in the process. "I've had some experience with it in the past. It is always a less than comfortable experience, but mangaeble." she would then carefully makes her way to pick one of the horses to attach her satchel to it before pulling herself up onto the horse to get settled. She reaches out to take the reigns in her hands. "Up here it can be difficult getting as clear of picture as I can get from the sounds I make against the ground…but the sound of the horse's hooves do serve well enough to get the basic idea." She reaches out to gently pat the horse's neck before straightening up. She nods her head in agreement with Eiji's sentiments, "That's true. We'll make sure to pay attention to them to make sure that they are feeling healthy and not in physical danger. For now though, I am ready to ride."
Sakuya would soon walk over to her generic mount. She ought to invest in one like Hiei or Michiko had. She hops up onto it, gripping the reigns and remembering all how a horse is supposed to work. Not being an Umahito, horses don't come naturally to her. Snakes do. "Alright everyone… That said… Let's be off. Pace ourselves. I'm talking to you Eiji!" She would snicker, taking shots at the speedy nature of the Reizei. "So, tell me a little about yourself Yume." Sakuya said as she tugged the reigns to direct the horse, before snapping the reigns. The horse started walking backwards. "Tch… Eiji, how do I get the horse to move forward again!?" Sakuya would ask, slightly embarrassed!
Eiji watched the other two mount up, Sakuya taking up the reigns, to which the horse does not like and when she attempts to have the horse go forward.. fails. Well. Teams are to cover each other's weakness, right? "I believe, Yume-san, if you let the horse follow ours, there is not much need to see for now. Although I suppose that makes for a dark trip otherwise." Eiji would use his knees to carefully walk his horse over to Sakuya's horse. Reaching out, he'd pet the steed gently, whispering to it softly. A small nod was given and he'd look to Sakuya. "You need to relax some. You're squeezing too tightly with your knees and the pull on the reigns confused the horse."
"Very well. I will still try to remain alert, just in case." Yume brings the heel of her foot in to tap against the horse's side with a gentle but firm nudge to spur him into moving forward. She lets the horse keep to a slow, gradual pace while everyone would be working on finding a comfortable pacing. Yume asks Sakuya, "Wht would you like to know? I would not want to bore you both with details that do not need to be shared." As she speaks to Sakuya, Yume's focus remains honed on the path ahead. "I suppose it could not hurt to share some about how I started in life. I was born up north in the Yamayuki's village, where I lived with my father. My mother passed one night while foraging out in the woods by the time I was a few months old…A bear if I recall father's story right. Anyway, most of my studies were handled by my father up until it was time for me to enroll in the academy." She frowns briefly, debating whether or not to continue, before a soft sigh causes her to relax. "I try to make time to travel between the north and Kumo, mostly to visit my grandmother during important times of the year and check in on the other villgers. I never really had a chance to get to know them before." Her slender shoulder then rises up to shrug, "In the villge is where I stay most often. Training to prepare for my service to the village, playing music, and taking walks through the nearby countryside."
A horse whisperer? Maybe Eiji -is- part Umahito. "I see. Really? I suppose.. I am…" Sakuya said as she tried to maneuver the horse with a little less force. "She handles me just as roughtly." Her serpent would add, hissing at Sakuya after she made that statement. "Zuzu, you handle me even more roughly." That aside, when she has the horse under control she would give Eiji a thumbs up. "Thanks comrade."
Sakuya would trot her horse up towards Yume as she listened to the genin talk about her life a little. She would reach a hand out to touch Yume's shoulder very briefly. "Our family tends to influence a lot about what direction we choose in life. Even the death of a family member." She would start moving the horse along the path, as she was tempted to share her own experiences… "I wonder, Yumi, what kind of shinobi do you want to be?" Sakuya would ask. "I know not all people get to specialize the way they dreamed of as a child, but if you could choose a specialization, what would you pick?" … Sakuya's head hangs low, for anytime the idea of parents come up she is reminded of what happened to her and what happens to most Hebisuuhai. Parents abandon the child very early on, and let nature raise them or kill them. Survival of the fittest. She was no different.
The horse group would move towards the base of mountain Kumogakure sits upon, though it wouldn't be speedy. Going down hill is tough for horses, especially on a mountain side. So far, it seemed tht there wouldn't be a bandit attack. Everything seemed pretty stable, surprisingly…
Eiji watched to make sure that Sakuya was good, nodding as she adjusted her control of the horse, then would fall in with the others. While Sakuya and Yume would talk, Eiji's attention was on the surroundings. He was mostly relaxed, in so far as not actively tense and ready for combat, but that attention kept moving around them, seeking to be prepared now that they are on the way. That isn't to say he didn't pay attention to what they said, he simply didn't add anything to it.
"I would have to agree with Sakuya-san, Zuzu." Yume calls over her shoulder, her lips ticked back in a quiet smirk. "You are very harsh when it come to her. If you ease up on her, she will allow you some slack." Her head dips down after Sakuya touches her shoulder, but something about what she says has her frowning gravely. "Yes." Yume quietly muses, before she offers, "But I would hope that it does not have to influence us if we do not let it. It is best for everyone if there are exceptions. Whether the ties influencing us be living or dead, I like to think of myself as a person of my own."
The frown remains before she allows herelf to tell Sakuya and Eiji, "My father is currently serving the rest of his imprisonment in the newly repaired facilities. Fortunately he was not difficult to find after the breach. At least I assume so, he was not listed under any of the wanted postings and my family and I have not been informed otherwise. Perhaps they've already killed him for not complying ages ago. Either way.."
She lets that topic fall away to consider Sakuya's question. "That is a difficult decision. There are many roles to play in the village and I would be happy enough when I eventually find one I play well. If I had to choose something specifically, I would like to be on a surveillance force of some sort. Maybe find my place within the round of sensors that regularly survey the land and borders to predict unwanted attacks. Or I would like to be a part of the hunt and capture the few that try to escape their punishment." As she speaks with the others, she continues to pay attention to the task at hand, focusing not only on the noise she and her horse are creating but on any sources of nearby chakra that might stand out to her.
RPCOMBAT: Yume defends against with a ECHO-SENSE…28
RPCOMBAT: Yume defends against with a CHAKRA-SENSITIVITY…25
"See you're a fool. Yume-chan agrees! You are much too harsh with me. Ease up with me and…" … … Zuzu would cough a little, trying to deepen his voice a little. He was clearly disturbed that someone mistook him for a girl. This was enough to cause Sakuya herself to giggle. "She was talking about you, Zuzu, being less harsh on me might cause me to cut you some slack." - "Perhaps it was just a mistake…" - "No, she literally meant you. You're too harsh on me." The pair grew silent, and Sakuya decided to change subjects.
"Surveillance, huh?" Sakuya would smile. "That would have been my first pick too, had Hiei not recently requested I focus on my bow. He really pushed it when I showed it to him." A long-range artillery brigade. Given how the Raikage's praises meant so much, she changed her focus rather quickly just to please someone who was almost a father figure she never really had.
Time had passed, and eventually the team had reached the Amagumo bridge on their descent from Kumogakure. It had taken most of the day to reach this point, and the sun was lowering across the sky. A hue of light seemed to cast itself over the sky, bleaching the ground in orange as they approached. "We're almost halfway to our destination. We might still be in the mountains, but the coast isn't that far." Sakuya recited her knowledge of the map. The Land of Lightning was like a strange peninsula. There was a large almost continental vastness of land that funneled to a small neck that connected to frost country. They were miles away from the coast, and the breeze carried hints of saltwater…
That's when it happened. Curiously, on the other side of the bridge a man stood, with a tattered banner that pinned him as the mission objective. He was the intel agent from the Land of Snow, but… He wasn't at his prescribed mission target. Curious. "… What?" Sakuya said with a blink. "… Eiji… Confirm with me. Mission Target sighted. Correct? I'm not just seeing things am I?"
Eiji rides along with the other two, keeping his horse towards the back so he can keep an eye on Sakuya and Yume as they both talk. At the bridge, he pulls up short as Sakuya does, eyeing the banner and the man. Shaking his head slightly, he looks around, then slides off the horse. "I suspect trickery or an ambush. Get ready." Preparing his chakra, Eiji walks across that bridge carefully, getting close, within his own strike range at least as he'd study the one with the banner. "Greetings. That's an interesting banner you have there. Waiting for someone?"
Yume's head turns to look over her shoulder and her frown softens before the corner of her lips ease up into a small easy-going grin while Sakuya and Zuzu tease and pick at one nother. It was starting to steadily become a source of normality to her. Still, she doesn't comment on it and nods her head at Sakuya, "It is an impressive bow, to say the least. I've yet to meet the Raikage in person yet…if he had other suggestions for where I would be best suited, or well…if any superior made the point, I'd be willing to consider shifting te course of my training too." When they start to approach the bridge, she asks, "How are we going to handle leading the horses over? Single file? One at a time? The bridge can be very…unruly. We would not want to risk them getting spooked.." She breathes in the sea air deeply before Sakuya's question to Eiji has her frowning in caution and confusion. "Is it? What reason would he have to move from the objective? Are tensions that strained over there?" She looks over at Eiji, then back at the mysterious man with a frown. She climbs down off of her horse, following suit with Eiji and preparing her chakra as well trying to see if she can sense anything off about the man's own while Eiji handles part of the talking.
RPCOMBAT: Yume defends against with a CHAKRA-SENSITIVITY…17
Yume didn't need that much skill at all to realize that the man holding the banner's chakra was focused to the point that he was combat ready. The feeling of his chakra was intense it seemed. "Eiji. Reizei Eiji. I remember you." The man's face was covered, but it was clear that he had come into contact with Eiji in the past. Proof he was a Shinobi of Kumogakure. "Four years ago, before I was sent on that terrible mission to snow country. I am Omaeda Yoko, reporting for duty."
Given the bridge was supported by ropes, Sakuya wanted to make sure that she did not move forward alongside Eiji and Yume. Too much weight on the bridge, horse or not, might cause it to collapse. "Yume! Careful." Sakuya would hop off her own horse and move over to the bridge herself.
Before Sakuya could even carry out stepping on the first plank, the trap was sprung. "Reporting for duty, and signing my resignation with blood." The man reached behind him, grabbing what appeared to be a folded and very large butcher's blade. It didn't take long to unfold the large blade, with a flick of the wrist the hilt and blade aligned. In short order. He would swing at Eiji in a large arc. Quick enough to give the Reizei limited chance to move, but with a different purpose as well. He cut the bridge's support in the same swing.
[NPC System]: Omeada Yoko roll(s) Light Speed Sword vs Eiji from 45 to 75 and get(s) a 50. - Rolled by: Sakuya
[NPC System]: Omeada Yoko roll(s) Light Speed Sword vs Bridge Suspension from 45 to 75 and get(s) a 49. - Rolled by: Sakuya
RPCOMBAT: Eiji defends against with a DRAWN-DEFENSE…41
RPCOMBAT: Eiji counters with BLADED-DENIAL…66
Eiji stopped short as the man called out his name. For being about speed, he was not expecting that initial strike and instead of getting out of the way cleanly, got tagged with a slash of the blade. However, that's where it ended. That Iaido style was shown as Eiji would draw and in a blur of motion that was more after image of the light flickering off the blade than the actual weapon itself, the attack against the bridge was stopped short, a responsive attempt to smash the pommel of the blade into Yoko's face, then the flurried strikes to force Yoko to quit being on the offensive. Eiji was mad at the attack, betrayal of a fellow shinobi, however he did not quite go for the lethal blow.
Yume's hand curls around her cane tighter and she starts to hesitates as the weight of the situation starts to sink in. She tries to press on to get closer to Eiji, and whispers in a hushed tone. "Eiji, this man is ready for a fight…we should fall back." She tumbles backwards when her warning is given too late and she stands frozen on the bridge. "Eiji, are you alright?" Yume asks, before frowning gravely and demanding of Yoko, "Why are you doing this? You were handling your service well, you were going to come home. Why are you throwing all of it away? What about your village?" Her hand quakes and she looks over her shoulder, torn over whether she should stay on the bridge and help Eiji with the assault. Eventually she decides that it's too much of a risk and starts backing up to the side of the bridge where Sakuya is, hoping that Eiji would either choose to too or that he would be capable of defending himself.
COMBAT: Eiji attacks target 1 with FINAL-CLICK with a roll of: 52
Omeada's blade dug into Eiji, but before he could dig any further, the pommel of Eiji's blade smashed into his face. "Gh." He said as a tooth fell loose from his mouth. He brought his large blade up to defend against large flurry of blades, but his mind was too dazed. The flurry of blades would easily cut his shirt open enough to cause it to shread to pieces, revealing the mark of the Daimyo of the Land of Snow branded into his chest. "My village betrayed me. my village. They left me to rot in the dungeons. They sent no help! If I could join the Storm Brigade I would. Sadly, my affinity is earth!" Observe. He created a string of seals that would affect both Yume and Eiji both. He attempted to create a Landslide that would most certainly collapse the bridge a different way - by shattering the earth at Eiji and Yume's feet. He would also go to quickly collect and fold up his axe. "Try that on for size! Eh… gods, that was such a lame thing for me to say. That's another thing I lost in those prisons!" Sense of style.
[NPC System]: Omaeda Yoko roll(s) Shatter (AOE) vs Eiji from 45 to 70 and get(s) a 65. - Rolled by: Sakuya
[NPC System]: Omaeda Yoko roll(s) Shatter (AOE) vs Yumi from 20 to 35 and get(s) a 29. - Rolled by: Sakuya
It was before Omaeda Yoko had attempted his Jutsu that Sakuya had unstrapped the bow from her back. It was clear that this individual was a hostile. That's why she had to take long-range measures. Zuzu had clearly woken up after smelling blood, raising his head up as his tongue tasted the air. The snake, coiled tightly around Sakuya would blink as a snake does, "What the heck!? Hn… ARE YOU FIRING THAT THING AGAIN!? WAIT TILL I'VE DISAPPEARED!" - "You can't uncoil yourself fast enough, Zuzu!" Sakuya would plunge the stabilizing spike of her bow into the ground, drawing one of the spear-sized braod arrows and nocking it against the string. Focusing chakra to loosen the string, she slowly drew back, bending the arms of the bow as she uses all of her strength to bring the bow to a full firing position. "HANG ON!" Sakuya called out. "Zuzu, Eiji knows how to tree walk. If Yumi can't get out of the way in time, I need you to catch her!
RP: Sakuya uses C-RANK-CHARGE.
RPCOMBAT: Eiji defends against with a FINAL-CLICK…55
Eiji is fast.. but not quite fast enough. He doesn't manage to stop the landslide, however he's all but a blur as he'd make his way across the surfaces to get to the other side. On his way through he easily would grab Yume and as long as she's not fighting him, blurs up that wall to the other side of the gulch. Setting Yume on his feet, he pants slightly as his attention turns to Yoko. "You coward! You Traitor! This is unforgivable and I will be your end!"
"Us being here is proof that you weren't forgotten! There may have just been a miscommunication, or they were trying to plan a strategic retrieval. They may have even predicted your escape or release. You are who lost faith in them first, but we all have our times of weakness. It's not too late. Stand down and you may receive some mercy." Yume tries to tell Yoko while she has his attention, not quite reaching the bridge before the earth starts to crumble. She tries to make a leap over to cover the last of the distance to try to avoid the bridge crumbling beneath them. That is when she is caught by Eiji, and though there is some panicked squirming when the falling sensation hits, that is as much of a fight as he's getting out of her. When she's set back down, she smiles gratefully at Eiji, "Thank you so much. I wasn't sure if I could have made that jump." She turns a serious frown onto Yoko, retrieves some kunai from inside her cloak, and attempts to flick them over to the last position where she recalls Yoko standing. "I am afraid he may be right, it will be hard to turn back from this."
COMBAT: Yume attacks target 1 with SHARP with a roll of: 14
COMBAT: Yume attacks target 1 with SHARP with a roll of: 10
COMBAT: Yume attacks target 1 with SHARP with a roll of: 9
"People like him… Don't deserve to be reasoned with, Yume-chan." Sakuya's bow was fully drawn back, and her arms were struggling to keep herself from firing the massive artillery piece of a weapon. "He has not only destroyed an important bridge, but he has attacked his fellow shinobi with the intent to kill… It's unforgivable. He had no reason to attack other than just that. A misunderstanding." Sakuya let loose the arrow. With the sharp melodic twang of her bow, the dangerous projectile is loosed. It makes an impactful sound as it launches into the air, displacing the wind as it flies towards Yoko. "I'm sorry, Yume. This was supposed to be simple. Something to help you find your wings. Instead, a man with a large knife attempted to clip them…"
COMBAT: Sakuya attacks target 1 with MANSLAYER-ARROW with a roll of: 32
=
[NPC System]: Omaeda Yoko roll(s) SIDESTEP vs. SHARP (14) from 10 to 35 and get(s) a 18. - Rolled by: Sakuya
[NPC System]: Omaeda Yoko roll(s) SIDESTEP vs. SHARP (10) from 10 to 35 and get(s) a 33. - Rolled by: Sakuya
[NPC System]: Omaeda Yoko roll(s) SIDESTEP vs. SHARP (9) from 10 to 35 and get(s) a 11. - Rolled by: Sakuya
[NPC System]: Omaeda Yoko roll(s) Earth Release: Earth Style Wall vs Manslayer Arrow (32) from 30 to 55 and get(s) a 46. - Rolled by: Sakuya
=
The long ranged attacks were dodged quite easily, starting with Yume's Kunai. While they flew straight, they lacked power and accuracy. The man was able to side step each as his hands went through the appropriate seals to deal with Sakuya's human ballista arrows. Planting his hands to the ground after said seals, he brings up a powerful wall that absorbed the impact of the arrow. Barely. It sunk into the wall, and came out the other side, just not completely. The shinobi would touch the tip of the arrow as he slowly walked around his barrier and placed his hand upon it. "Your comrades are right, girly. I don't want or need your excuses. I'm going to kill every lightning shinobi I can before I die…" He was smart enough that he wasn't going to pursue the trio either. He had lost the element of surprise, and his attempts to separate the group and conquer each one had failed thanks to Reizei Eiji's exceptional speed. "So go tell your village to send a few people at me. I'll be more prepared next time." Yoko seemed to turn and take the gap between him and the shinobi as an opportunity to escape and set up another trap. An intelligent call, because three against one seemed like unfair odds. Unless pursued, which was something only Eiji could accmplish right now, the man would surely get away and attempt to cause trouble again.
Eiji glared, watching the man on the other side. Eiji's hand gripped his blade's hilt, the knuckles going white as any that could sense chakra would pick up a sudden leap in usage by him. It was sweeping about and focused inward, pumping his body up in speed. "What you do is unforgivable. You will not leave here, Yoko. You will be creating your own grave." With a sudden burst of speed, Eiji literally ran and lept over the gap. Tucked into a roll, he comes to his feet and sets in that draw stance, fueling that speed even further as he gathers himself for that next strike.
Yume's head turns to look over her shoulder in Sakuya's direction, before focusing on Yoko again with a frown. "You don't have to apologize, Sakuya, if it is anyone's fault it is his. I know that you and Eiji try to help, but I'll grow soon enough, with or without this experience. And someone like him won't be able to stop that from happening." Still, a frown remains on her features when she figures that her kunai didn't hit. What he says has her fist tightening though and her teeth grit, "I'm afraid there isn't much I can do, though. I've…I've yet to harness my sound offensively, I can't control it. I don't think that there's any way I can pursue him." She looks over and tries to let her attention go to Eiji, carefully tracking him from afar as she tries to keep up with how his pursuit is going.
Sakuya would look over Yume and take a deep breath. "It's alright Yume. We've managed to fend them off. Besides, this is more combat experience for you! It lets you know that being a shinobi can bring you into… … unpredictable situations" Sakuya wishes she had the means to cross such a gap effectively. Honestly. "Being a shinobi is also about working as a group. Military strategy has always been about creating situations in which you have the advantage…" Suddenly, she felt a breeze hit her. A sudden one as Eiji basically does exactly what the Yoko wanted him to. "E-EIJI! WAIT! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HE'S CAPABLE OF! WE-" He was gone. Already on the other side. "We… we don't know enough about the enemy to make an attack…" Sakuya's skill in her bow requires a visible target too, and currently she can't possibly make a shot. The crags and dips of the mountainous terrain make her current position non-ideal for supporting Eiji…
Which is exactly what Yoko wanted, and Eiji would have jumped right into his trap. As soon as he steps down, the earth liquified and attempted to drag him under, hopefully he is too fast, but getting caught would be deterimental to the shinobi's health. "You must be a student. You ought to learn when to strike, and when not to!" As soon as he was out of sight, it seems Yoko had prepared for this to happen.
[NPC System]: Omaeda Yoko roll(s) Earth Release: Demon Graves on Eiji from 45 to 80 and get(s) a 47. - Rolled by: Sakuya
RPCOMBAT: Eiji defends against with a FINAL-CLICK…78
Eiji, fusing himself with that chakra, pumping his speed even further, saw that strike coming at him from his target. It's virtually impossible to track the metal of the blade, a glint of light the only factor showing the results of that defense, the draw, multiple slashes across the ground to disrupt that control from Yoko of the liquid ground and then the launch forward. As his blade clicks home, the area he was just at would virtually shatter, crumbling out of that pull at Eiji who was once again airborne. "I know exactly when to strike. When my target under estimates a Reizei!" With that sudden burst of speed, the released power that he had been gathering, there's that singing sound of steel drawn and Eiji is past Yoko, his blade out as that strike would register only well after he had landed.
COMBAT: Eiji attacks target 1 with SPEED-INFUSED-STRIKE with a roll of: 49
"I suppose if nothing else, it -has- helped me to expect surprises…but working as a team is not the first lesson that would come to mind, when you two are often the ones doing the real work. You still have my apologies for that." Yume tells Sakuya, looking across the bridge in disappointment as the target starts to flee.When Sakuya starts to shout for Eiji, Yume's frown gets more concerned than it was before."Is there any way that we can catch up with him?.." Yume asks Sakuya, walking to the edge of the crag,and looking down in frustration."It would be easier to get to him if you didn't have to worry about me not being able to scale these rocks…" She flexes her hand around her cane, trying to rack her brain for an idea of what to do."I…I don't know." Yume finally concedes after some time spent in silence, the uncertainty heard in her voice. "Do you think he'll be okay?.."
[NPC System]: Omeada Yoko roll(s) Earth Release: Earth Spiked Barricade (Counter) from 35 to 60 and get(s) a 43. - Rolled by: Sakuya
"Lucky #$^" the Omeada said as Eiji disables his jutsu just through the strike of a sword, before Yoko found the man coming close using a strike he could not even track. Hands in an emergency seal, he created a powerful barrier that exploded in an array of spikes. But the barrier was formed much too late. Eiji's blade had already passed through him. "I couldn't even kill one." Consciousness left him rather quickly, as blood began to pour out of the cut-line which not only removed an arm, but also cut deep into his heart. "The Gods aren't just… If Karma was truly a thing, you'd be dead… now…" He stopped talking, and it was clear that he was dead. He dropped the ground dead before he could hear any reply.
All the while, Sakuya was stressing a little. "He'll be fine. He might be a genin due to his inability to follow orders and make sound judgements, but he's probably slightly stronger than me. Given his age, I'm not surprised either. He has been a genin for a while." Sakuya looks over the gap and back to Yume. She can't leave the genin alone, because she still needs more time to grow as a shinobi. "My hands are tied… If I leave you, you could be ambushed. He'll be back soon, I'm sure." Sakuya readied an arrow into her bow just in case…
Eiji saw the barrier attempting to form. It was like slow motion for him, passing cleanly through it as that strike would connect, hitting home and moving right through Yoko as if he wasn't even there. The man got his parting words as Eiji would stand, flick the blood on his blade off to the side, then smoothly sheathe it. Glancing at the body, he shakes his head, picks up the arm, then grabs the hair and starts dragging it back to where the bridge had been. Once he was in range to be seen by the girls, he'd lift the lopped off arm to wave. "Yume-san, Sakuya-san. I made sure the rogue is no more. We need to get the body back so no one gets his secrets."
Yume nods her head slowly after Sakuya's reassurances. That much was true, Eiji did seem very capable when he wasn't taking risks like this. She hoped this one wasn't one he'd end up regretting. She breathes out an agitated sigh and takes a moment to kick a rock off into the water far below. She knew part of why Sakuya was staying there was because she couldn't follow easily. Still, the general reasoning was sound, so she nods her head to show that she understands. When Eiji's calls to them can be heard, Yume perks up and taps her cane against the ground to get a better idea of where he was coming from. The shape that the sound made for her was very…odd, perhaps a severed limb? Well, that was just less weight to carry she supposed. "That's very good to hear, Eiji. Bring him over here and we can get him on one of the horses and take him back to the village. Perhaps he can be examined, or receive some sort of burial."
"Perhaps… If… If what he said was true…" Sakuya said. "If he really was just disillusioned due to being a prisoner of the Land of Snow… Then he deserves a burial, even if he was a traitor…" Sakuya saluted Eiji. "Good work! I'm going to have to report that you jumped off without assessing the situation, but…" Sakuya slips a book out from her vest pocket, opens it, and begins to start writing her mission report early. "… You killed him, which… deserves recognition. Great work, Eiji." Sakuya stopped writing just a moment as she looked at the corpse, and then up to Eiji. "You… Are you going to carry that back to the village?" She asks with a half-smirk.
Eiji tilted his head to the side. "Actually, Sakuya-san, I did assess the situation. From what I could tell, he was an earth user. I suspected that he was going to attempt to stop me via an earth strike with my jump across, therefore I was more than ready to move as necessary." Shifting the weight some, Eiji would gather himself and even while carrying the body and arm, run, then launch himself over the revine again… only to come up short. He'd hit the wall below the lip with a dull thud, grunt from the impact, then use tree walking to steadily climb back up to the top. "As Yume-san said, I much rather have a horse carry the body. Afterall, I can keep up with the horses galloping if necessary." The arm put in a saddle bag, he'd go to drape the body over the horse he had been given and once secured, nod to the girls. "Shall we return and report?"
"He is not doing much harm being dead now, so there is little reason not to. Hopefully he will find peace where he was sent." Yume agrees quietly, chuckling after Eiji misses the ravine and has to walk body up the wall. "You will have to show me how to do that some time…Suizei has done his best to give me a start on the lesson, but I'm not sure whether or not I really understand it yet." She turns and heads for her own horse, climbing up on to it and stroking its neck to make sure that it's stayed nice and calm after the surprise. "Well,if picking him up was the only thing we were supposed to do while we were out here, then yes. That would be or the best." She takes up the reigns and nudges the horse's side to turn around the horse and start the journey back to the village. "At least in a way this can be considered a success…" Despite those words, she would still be fairly quiet and contemplative on the trip home, preferring things to not be as talkative as they were when they began after this turn of events.
