Starring:
Canis (emitter), Hiei, Michiko, Kasuya
Date: October 13, 2015
Summary:
Hiei, Michiko, and Kasuya seek out Garan, the Saito behind much of the planning, at one of the bases.
"Todas Las Personas - Base Invaders Part 2 (Team A)"
Land of Lightning
Hiei answers Kasuya without turning around. "No. We'll take him alive. The plan is to weaken him enough for Michiko to capture him with her demon graves jutsu. Then we transport him back to Kumogakure to be interrogated by the intelligence division. I'm tired of being on the defensive. We are going to hunt down each cell of this organization and put an end to it. Someone is controlling all this, and I want that person found." He keeps going, keeping his eyes peeled in front of him in case there are traps along the way.
The shinobi split their seperate ways and go off to fight against their respective evildoers. Hiei, Michiko and Kasuya have taken the first trouble which Mena had stated leads down and towards the Saito. Garan. How one of those who is generally considered to be amongst an honored and loyal clan turned to such heinous acts of violence against shinobi is anyones guess, yet it has happened. The tunnel is well lit for a good portion of the way with only a few twists and turns along the way. After nearly five whole minutes of exploring the cavern they would find that it reaches a sudden end, torch light bouncing off of a solid wall. There was only one path out and it was back the way they'd come. Did they miss something?
COMBAT: Hiei focuses 2776 stamina to turn it into 4000 usable chakra!
RP: Hiei transforms into LIGHTNING-DYNAMIC.
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a PERCEPTION-III…65
Hiei steps up to the end of the tunnel and his eyes narrow above his mask. "A dead end." He then takes a moment to look around, and after a moment, he looks back towards Michiko and Kasuya. "This is a genjutsu." He points at the rock itself. "The wall here doesn't match the rest of the tunnel area. Kasuya, if you would be so kind as to get rid of this, we can continue on." He then steps back away from the wall and crosses his arms over his chest.
COMBAT: Michiko focuses 9083 stamina to turn it into 12000 usable chakra!
RP: Michiko transforms into IMPERFECT-SAGE-MODE-FOX.
RPCOMBAT: Michiko defends against with a TREMOR-SENSE-II…60
Michiko makes a handseal and sends out a pulse of chakra that would allow her to sense the earth around her, curious to see if anything would actually not fit. Though she believes Hiei's word, she's just curious the genjutsu goes that far. "Hmm… Interesting… The genjutsu is pretty complex… It even makes it seem like there's a wall there." She steps back slightly so that Kasuya can do whatever she plans to do.
RP: Kasuya transforms into MIND-RUSH.
RPCOMBAT: Kasuya defends against with a GENJUTSU-KAI…61
Kasuya glances at the Raikage and then the Head Ninja. If they can't capture this guy, probably no three people can. "A battering ram and a hotpot," she says. When they reach a dead end, Kasuya glances at HIei and then at the wall. When he points out the genjutsu, Kasuya purses her lips together. How had she not noticed that? She closes her eyes in concentration, and now the genjutsu is so obvious she can already see through it. Kasuya lingers a moment to study it, not with her eyes, but she's muttering something under her breath, committing it to memory. The she makes a seal and with a word dispels it with a basic kai technique. She makes a mocking gesture that says 'lead the way.'
The genjutsu is easily dispelled once the proper seal and focus is given to the complex item. It vanishes leading to a path much like the they'd already traversed. It leads down further, again well lit by torches as it goes along. While the three would travel they would likely notice that things are getting a bit more compact. Each step brings the three closer together until they'd finally reach a point where they'd have to stoop (well the taller ones would) and move single file. Even single file they would still risk bumps, bruises and scrapes from the rock as they traveled.
As Hiei continues to lead the group, he begins to grunt a little as the passage seems to narrow around him. At one point, he has to stoop over, and then at another, he has to start moving to the side as his shoulders begin to bump the sides of the cavern. "Michiko, is there anything you can do about widening this up so we aren't scraped and bruised up before we even make it to this guy?" As the largest of the three, he has definitely having the worst time of it. And to think, he's actually the runt of his family. He couldn't picture his father or even any of his cousins even walking through here.
That's what Hiei gets for being so tall! Haha. Michiko considers, then nods a bit. "Yes, I could try." She makes a few handseals, then the earth would shift, provided her chakra took hold properly, so that the ceiling would be a bit taller. She uses Hiei as a base because he /is/ the tallest among them. Where does the excess earth go? Well, there may be a bit of adjustment going on in the soil… Hopefully no one walking around up above notices anything!
Kasuya in the back winds her scarf around her head in a loose hood. Despite the extra inches her sandals add, she doesn't remove them, but opts to duck down as best as she can. Her difficulties are nothing compared to the much bulkier Hiei. He looks like he's forcing himself so much he'll be skinnier by the time he gets out. From behind, Kasuya covers her mouth but can't hide the giggle. She doesn't giggle much, if ever. But there are some things that will never be written in the mission report, and this is one of them. After that she goes quiet, but they might be able to sense her mirth from behind. She slowly gathers her chakra in preparation for the risks ahead.
COMBAT: Kasuya focuses 9167 stamina to turn it into 12000 usable chakra!
RP: Kasuya transforms into TRANSCENDENCE.
The pathway opens slightly thanks to Michiko's dealing with the dirt and all that. For sure anyone up above would notice the earth seems to be bubbling a bit but, well, it's nothing too horrible or anything after all. Because of the close quarters there aren't anymore torches up ahead and Hige's large frame blocks any real light from making it into whatever lies up ahead. Does it open up or does it just continue to narrow until Hiei will be crushed. The answer presents itself when a very soft breeze comes from ahead, signaling a bigger room. Yet one still can't really see. And then it happens. Once Hiei nears the exit of the small passage way the dark room ahead brightens suddenly with a piercing gold light. A piercing gold light that comes towards him really /really/ quickly. Not only that but something else is gleaming right behind that gold beam! And there's not much room to move either!
COMBAT: Hiei defends against LIGHTNING-ARROWS(53) attack from Garan with a LESSER-LIGHTNING-BLOCK…43
COMBAT: Hiei loses the roll and sustains 392 damage.
COMBAT: Hiei defends against SHARP-III(49) attack from Garan with a TENSE…11
COMBAT: Hiei loses the roll and sustains 1126 damage.
When the golden light shines ahead, Hiei recognizes it for what it is. A lightning attack. His own chakra surges as he places his palm out before him. His intention is to nullify the lighting with his own. A technique that he has used in the past. But the attack was stronger than he anticipated, and it seized up his muscles for a moment allowing the second attack to strike him in his upper chest. There is a sharp intake of breath, but he doesn't allow himself to stop. Instead he barrels forwards, moving at high speed. Using the trajectory from where the attack was launched as a reference, the Raikage attempts to shoulder charge Garan in the gut, then grab him by the throat and squeeze before turning and attempting to slam him into the wall of the cave. If he's successful the force of the blow causes a crater around the body of his target.
Michiko largely relies on her sense of the earth around her. She smiles faintly when she hears Kasuya snicker, but she is otherwise focusing on the area around so she can earn Hiei of pitfalls. And then they feel the faint breeze… And Michiko sees a bright light form around Hiei's figure before he seizes up and charges forth. The girl takes a moment to look for the enemy as she has the opening gaping before her, and she steps to the side so Kasuya can get a clear view. "I think we found him," she tells the other kunoichi, forming seals so that the ground would explode with 'snakes' of metal that would try to bind the person in place.
Kasuya slips out from behind Hiei and circles so he doesn't have to shield for her. Having his teammates in a parallel row behind him will just mean blocking, or trying to, blasts of lightning repeatedly. Her teammates are attacking in succession, and she considers the situation before seeking to drain his energy in a single blow. If he fell victim to the genjutsu he'd find himself chased by a swarm of bees, not one, but millions flying towards him in a murderous drone. And he'd be stung many times if he ever slacked in running from them or trying to swat a few. The genjutsu would seem to last for hour, when really it's only been a moment or two. The effects would be exhausting though both mentally and physically.
COMBAT: Garan defends against SKYSCRAPER(68) attack from Hiei with a CHAKRA-DODGE-IV…75
COMBAT: Garan defends against METAL-BINDING(69) attack from Michiko with a UNCANNY-DEFENSE…72
COMBAT: Garan defends against METAL-BINDING(89) attack from Michiko with a UNCANNY-DEFENSE…89
COMBAT: Garan defends against ENDLESS-CHASE(71) attack from Kasuya with a BLADED-SELF-INFLICT…98
While the trio attacks Garan he doesn't make a sound, the darkness of the room surrounding him completely with the only light barely flickering in from the passageway the three had come from. When Hiei nears and tries to ram into his stomach the Saito merely uses a burst of chakra to push himself away. When the metal comes seeking to bind him the man draws his Murakumou blade in a flash, cutting straight through the steal like it was a hot knife through butter. And then there's the genjutsu. The man draws the blade across his arm, focusing on the pain to keep his mind clear before he jumps back further into the dark room to try and get lost in the shadows.
"Hmm, quite unexpected to have the shinobi so recklessly come into our very home. Or…was it?" The mans voice bounces off the cavern walls, giving no indicator to his position. "I do have to give you credit however. You found us a lot faster than I would have expected, which leads me to believe someone didn't explode as they should have. And then to give away our location. Tsk. We'll have to make sure to silence that one."
COMBAT: Hiei defends against ATTACK-PREVENTION-STEALTH(92) attack from Garan with a PERCEPTION-III…57
Hiei grunts faintly when he misses his attack. Well, this goes both ways. If he can't see him, then Garan can't see him, either. Unless he's learned how to see in the dark. Hiei forms handseals and those who might be able to see him in the gloom notices that nothing really happens. For the moment, he simply stands there, waiting for the next attack. "I can't find him. This is bad. Very bad."
COMBAT: Michiko defends against ATTACK-PREVENTION-STEALTH(84) attack from Garan with a TREMOR-SENSE-II…61
COMBAT: Michiko heals Hiei for 1233 with RESTORING CHAKRA PALM.
Michiko scowls lightly, unable to find Garan as well. "No luck over here, either," she says, going over to Hiei before he makes the shadow clone and giving him a quick boost of energy and healing the the injuries he had sustained earlier. "Kasuya-San, can you find anything?" she asks, ears twitching just a bit as she seeks out… Well, anything, really!
COMBAT: Kasuya defends against ATTACK-PREVENTION-STEALTH(92) attack from Garan with a PERCEPTION…37
When Garan disappears Kasuya concentrates to try and sense his chakra. Either she's searching in the wrong direction, or he's shielded his chakra. It doesn't seem Michiko or Hiei are having any better luck. She'd be able to conceal herself if she knew his location. So instead she straightens up into her usual straight, light footed position and begins to gather a little chakra.
COMBAT: Kasuya focuses 3765 stamina to turn it into 5000 usable chakra!
COMBAT: Garan defends against KAGE-BUNSHIN-STEALTH(76) attack from Hiei with a PERCEPTION-III…87
"Not a very talkative bunch, are you?" Garan muses from his own hiding spot. "You know, it's almost amazing how simple it is to draw all of your strongest shinobi from out of the Village and send them off on a hunt. It's a shame you spoiled the surprise by arriving so early. I had looked forward to destroying your Village while you and your shinobi were kept busy elsewhere. I was even going to disembowel your children and hang them at the gates for your return trip. Alas, that will have to wait. I do look forward-" There's no warning given since the man is still talking, but then he's cut himself off as he flashes through the cavern, his blade seeking flesh as he passes at such a speed that they may not even know what hit them for few moments…if it hits them.
COMBAT: Hiei counters against a HYPER-SPEED-CHAIN-KILL(89) attack from Garan with a SWALLOW-RETURN…110
Hiei frowns when he realizes that his ruse was seen through. He immediately dismisses the clone, not wanting to waste any unnecessary energy. However, it's when Garan strikes that Hiei is aware of where he is. As a master swordsman, Hiei doesn't need his eyes to track his target. It's a lesson that he recently taught Yori. Muscle movement and instinct. Which is why when he recognized one of his own techniques being used, instead of dodging he struck out, quick drawing the katana at his side in the process. "That's saying a lot from a little man who hides while he's talking trash." If he had known who he faced, then he might have had an inkling of how fast Hiei was. The Raikage's speed easily matches that of the best of the Reizei clan itself. He aims a strike along Garan's arm, so fast that it seems like he teleported from one spot to the other. "You can't use speed against me. You are ill equipped for it." A dark smirk. "And I'm not worried about my village. Our children are Kumo shinobi. They won't fall so easily." Not to mention he'd have to get through his parents to get to Shun and Akira. That's a fate he'd wish upon no one.
COMBAT: Michiko defends against HYPER-SPEED-CHAIN-KILL(83) attack from Garan with a METAL-DOME…98
Michiko is aready taking a few precautions as Garan is talking, forming handseals slowly as she pauses to try and find the man. Then he comes running fast. And while she doesn't know where he's going to strike, she figures it's better safe than sorry. The girl finishes the last handseal, and a dome of pure metal springs up in time to block the sword strike. Metal scrapes metal, and then the earth rises up to grab him, following and tracking with little heed to surroundings. Of course, the earth forms a hand to make this grab a bit more accurate while Michiko lowers the dome that she created. "Heh… /Your/ children, Hiei-san. I would… make a rather bad parent considering my age." She smirks lightly, focusing on trying to catch her target, mostly.
COMBAT: Kasuya defends against HYPER-SPEED-CHAIN-KILL(82) attack from Garan with a INACCURATE-EVASION…85
Kasuya doesn't reply to Garan's words. In fact, he's very correct when he says that Kasuya isn't talkative. She just stands there, and when he attacks her he hits nothing but air. Her illusion leaves her in a nearby position. By that time Kasuya has her arm raised. A current of electricity runs down her arm as if she's a lightning rod, and it grows as bot her teammates attack. She waits until they're clear enough from Garan and then sends out arcing bolts of lightning, all converging on Garan from different directions.
COMBAT: Garan defends against SWALLOW-RETURN(110) attack from Hiei with a MURAKUMOU-BLOCK-IV…110
COMBAT: Garan defends against DEMON-GRAVES(106) attack from Michiko with a MURAKUMOU-BLOCK-IV…83
COMBAT: Garan defends against LIGHTNING-CRASH(73) attack from Kasuya with a TENSE…22
COMBAT: Garan loses the roll and sustains 2398 damage.
COMBAT: Garan ESCAPES from Michiko's stun!
"Looks like you're finally starting to get serious," Garan says after the barrage of attacks. He'd managed to defend against Hiei with his special blade, but was quite unlucky against the earth as it swallowed him and left him wide open for a vicious attack from the one who so far hadn't seemed all that vicious at all! It leaves steam rising off of the Saito as he cleaves himself free of the earth. The man jumps up over the shinobi and lands near the entrance. "Just because you came earlier than expected doesn't mean we weren't ready for you though." The man makes a hand seal that sets off a chain of explosions that start in the pathway behind him. "This is goodbye." He turns and flickers past the falling rocks in the tunnel.
Rocks start to fall in the tunnel and then the explosions expand to the cavern, exploding in the ceiling high above to send rocks down at the trio. Not only are they in danger of being crushed, but should they fail to get through the beginning of the tunnel in time they could very well be trapped and buried alive!
RP: Hiei makes a Tai and Spd roll and got 17 and 15, respectively, for a total of 32.
RP: Michiko makes a Int and Spd roll and got 23 and 21, respectively, for a total of 44.
RP: Kasuya makes a Tai and Int roll and got 18 and 16, respectively, for a total of 34.
RP: Garan makes a Tai and Spd roll and got 18 and 15, respectively, for a total of 33.
RP: Hiei transforms into LIGHTNING-RELEASE-ARMOR.
Hiei frowns underneath his mask when Garan activates an earthquake to seal them all in. "I'm beginning to think the entire organization is made up of cowards. Everyone move! Now!" He'd wait just a half a second, mostly because he had to dodge a huge boulder. The aura round his body intensifies as he violently expels chakra from his body, giving himself a slight boost as he gets out of the room and through the tunnels. He draws both of his swords as he begins to push his lightning into the blades themselves. Lightning courses down both blades and as soon as he has clear line of sight on Garan, his body disappears with a crack and when he swings both blades there is an earth shattering *BOOM*.
RP: Michiko transforms into SIZZLE-IV.
Michiko blinks a bit as the man suddenly activates some explosives. "Tch… You're not getting away," she mutters, her own chakra intensifying to the point where she has a faint aura of flickering chakra around her. The girl tosses a block of metal at Hiei's feet, though she seems to have some sort of 'metal thread' coming from it so she can continue to send chakra through it. The metal would lash out like a snake, traveling around Hiei and piercing through the earth to try and get to the escaping Saito. Garan would, hopefully, find himself trapped in a spiky net that was dipped in poison while Michiko just boxes herself into a dome of metal. Once the tremors subsided, she'd just have to tunnel her way out with earth ninjutsu, so she wasn't too worried about that! Admittedly, she was just glad that she was able to keep the earth from crushing her. The clangs against the metal told her that much.
Kasuya doesn't wait for an order. She runs forward, dodging a little to avoid the crashing boulders around her. She's going for Garan. She dodges a few falling rocks and makes it to the tunnel to give chase. She'd shoulder to peer around him. All she needs is a glimpse of Garan. She'd make a jutsu to try and change the area around him. If he was caught in it the ground would seem to turn into a slide that went straight down out over an endless cliff. There'd be the sky, the clouds, plummeting towards the ground to smash into bloody pieces at the end. Though to Hiei and Michiko the path would seem as straight and narrow as ever.
COMBAT: Garan defends against THUNDER-SLASH(142) attack from Hiei with a TENSE…9
COMBAT: Garan loses the roll and sustains 2892 damage.
COMBAT: Garan defends against POISON-METAL-NETTING(120) attack from Michiko with a TENSE…13
COMBAT: Garan loses the roll and sustains 2139 damage.
COMBAT: Garan defends against PLUMMETING(106) attack from Kasuya with a TENSE…20
It's quite obvious that Garan didn't expect any of the trio to make it out of cavern any time soon. Sure, he figured they'd survive since they were high class level shinobi, but it should at least take them an hour or two to dig themselves out. Shows what he knows. It all comes down to a single attack. Hiei and his blades of lightning flicker behind the man and just as his world starts to change and he begins to fall from the genjutsu Hiei comes in and cuts him neatly in half with his twin lightning imbued blades. The top half flops off backwards while the legs keep running a few seconds before they fall over a dozen feet away. The sound of falling rocks still comes from the cavern for a short time before it finally ends.
Hiei sheathes his blades and frowns under his mask. "Saucerit. I had wanted to take him alive….I guess I shouldn't have used that technique. Sachiko is going to kill me." He sighs heavily. But at least they had gotten rid of the boss of the base. Hiei kneels next to the body and searches it. Perhaps he has a parchment or something on him that would help them locate at least another base or bunker, or garner any intelligence on who these people really are. While he searches he looks back at the cave. "Michiko make it out okay?" He asks Kasuya who has no doubt caught up with him by now.
RP: Hiei reverts to his normal state.
COMBAT: Michiko attacks target 1 with UNDERGROUND-FISH-PROJECTION with a roll of: 67
Michiko pops up out of the ground near Hiei and Kasuya, frowning a bit at the body. "Ah… Hai, I'm here. I am not sure if I wish he was or not." The girl nods lightly to the dead half-body. "At least we might have some records on him… Since he's a Saito." The girl sighs and glances between the pair. "Either of you need healing? Otherwise, we should probably go back and meet with the others to see how they're doing…"
Kasuya stares at the corpse. "Hiei-kun, we were supposed to take him alive!" she says. "He could've given us information about his cohorts and plan." She kicks the body, which rolls away independent of its other half. "Now we're in the dark again," she says, shooting the Raikage a look. She doesn't answer about Michiko, she doesn't need to, as Michiko pops up. She doesn't press her point against Hiei, which is lying in two dismembered pieces. Garan deserved to be carved into bloody, dismembered chunks. But that could have been done after he was thoroughly tortured and interrogated for every scrap of information. She kicks a rock away, but with less fury. She shakes her head at Michiko when she offers some medical attention, and instead goes to loot the corpse to see if she can find anything useful on him. She's not hopeful, and after a moment she stands up, neatly straightening her scarf and dusting off her hands.
The body half flops lifelessly at the kicks and, in the end, searching only finds a few ryo and some pocket lint. Certainly nothing exciting. But one less to worry about.
