Starring:
Kara, Rurohashi Rinako, Kuoroke, Otcho Kichiro, Rurohashi Ruri, Maneshi Shemri, Hone Nai
Date: April 10th, 2010
Summary:
Team 01 recruits Kichiro and Nai to assist in delivering the accumulated evidence of the Wind Sasaki Elders' wrong-doings to Itami. But the Elders are trying to stop the message from being delivered… And they'll use any means to do it.
"Death is Only the Beginning - Delivering The Message"
Kazekage Administration Dome - Sunagakure
Morning in the desert. It's already getting hot, and the sun hasn't been up for more than a few hours. But this is when Team 01's 'source on the inside' said that Watanabe Itami would be in her office. This would almost certainly not be the case, due to the security measures being enacted to keep anyone from gaining access to the Council, but there was no reason to think she wouldn't be in the building at all. Thus, the team has assembled outside of Satetsu Apartments, the plan from the day before being discussed amongst them.
Kara and Pharaoh are ready for their role. But there's no sign of Kichiro. "Hmm… I hope Kichiro-san didn't flake out on us. Maybe he got cold feet? What do you think, Pharaoh-kun?" Pharaoh doesn't answer, and instead just scans the area via his detection devices set in his headdress. One has been there for at least a month, but there's a new one that was installed just last night: A red jewel that glitters in the sun's rays.
According to these devices, the team is not presently being observed. Or at least not in any way that Kara can detect.
Meeting outside of the apartments /still/ managed to get Rinako grumpy! After all, the sun had been up for a few hours, and that meant it was close to her regularly-scheduled nap-time. A nap-time-schedule that was being /interrupted/ by the usual business of the village coming first and all that. Ever dutiful, the elder Rurohashi sibling at least managed to keep her complaining to a minimum.
She was, however standing pointedly in the shade, guzzling down what was almost a full canteen of water. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand with a refreshed 'ah' sound, the dark-haired kunoichi then proceeds to yawn mightily, not bothering to cover her mouth, instead using her free hand to rub her knuckles into her eyes as she mumbled a reply.
"Probably just late. Decent people aren't awake at this hour. Doesn't survival training teach us to sleep during the day and travel by night in the desert?" Another prodigious yawn. "One day, I'm going to move away and live near the ocean. Or a lake."
Slipping the cap back over the top of her canteen, which was now almost empty (and they hadn't even hardly STARTED yet!), Rinako ties the large water-container back onto her belt, sighing as she leans back against the building, taking as much cover as possible in the slowly-shrinking shade.
Ruri didn't sleep last night. She was too anxious about the mission. Too worried she wasn't ready. Though she often tried to appear confident and knowledgeable, there were many things that she was uncertain of and scared of. Going into a situation where they were not only expected but also potentially facing charges of conspiracy or worse if they're caught… Well, that's not a mission that Ruri likes the sound of. But it was her idea, and they've come too far for her to chicken out at the last second.
"We may have to improvise if he doesn't show up. We'll need a different decoy. For those of you who weren't around yesterday, the plan is this: We are going to try to contact Watanabe Itami and turn over all the information we have accumulated about this matter. We're not qualified to handle this investigation on our own. We have evidence, we have witnesses, and we have a confession. That's all we really need to have at this point. Anything further will be handled by the Council." Assuming the Council isn't in on it.
"The problem is that whoever is in charge of all this patrolling that's been going on the past week is probably expecting someone to try to contact the Council at some point. Thus, they will not be making it easy for us to reach Evi—I mean, Watanabe-sama. We'll need to be quick to think, quick to act, and quick to run if things get to hairy. This mission isn't the end-all of missions. Security will spike if we fail, but as long as we're not caught or identified, we can try again." She was making it sound easy and manageable. Or trying. She was really trying to inspire confidence not only in the team, but in herself. Because she was having a hard time believing that they were about to do this.
"Kara-chan, you're going to serve as our information center. If something is happening, you'll tell us via your Chakra Strings, just like we've been practicing. Shemri-san, you, Shiikaa, and myself will be forward position on the half of our team that's going to find Watanabe-sama's real location. Shiikaa should lead the way, and keep you and me aprised of any situations that develop which Kara-chan can't see directly. I'll be backing you up." She then turns to her sister, who despite her complaining, does not inspire annoyance in Ruri at this moment.
Ruri looks at her sister and grits her teeth, fighting back the urge to cry. She can't believe she's doing this. She doesn't care about this stupid Village very much compared to her sister. But it's what makes the most sense. "Nee-chan…" she begins, and takes a breath. "Kichiro-san was supposed to go with you. He was supposed to help. But he's not here. So it's just you. You're the decoy. We're going to try to set up distractions to clear the way for you, but in the end, you're just supposed to reach Watanabe-sama's office, get inside, and get caught. You'll have a cover story, so you won't get in trouble. But expect an ambush. And if I mis-guessed and there isn't an ambush, then you'll be alone with Watanabe-sama and can tell her what we discovered."
She waits a second to hear any complaints or protests, before she says anything else.
Shemri glances down at Shiikaa. The tip of his tail curls slowly back and forth, but otherwise he remains still. Yup, Maneshi early detections system is also reporting no bogeys. Shemri glances at Rinako. "Where I am from, we are taught that those who go out into the woods at night are eaten by wolves or bears or a few other nasty things. Anyway, hanging about here is suspicious enough, it would be worse if we were seen sneaking about at night."
Shemri listens carefully to Ruri's plan, nodding slowly along the way. Secretive business isn't Shemri's forte, but when it comes to stealthy exploration, she can handle that. She is a huntress, after all. "Very well. We are ready." Shiikaa steps forward, ears twitching. Recon cat, prepped for infiltration! >3
Kara blinks. Sending Rinako out to be the decoy? "Makes sense, I guess… Probably most of the badguys don't trust her already because of… You know." She gestures vaguely at Rinako. "So they'd be quick to assume she's up to no good. So really… We're trying to keep it hidden that there's two teams. Are you three going to be making use of disguises or something, Ruri-chan? Might help incase you >are< spotted…" She hmmms. "I don't like sending Rinako-chan in alone, but… Two people and Neko-san would have more luck tracking a Council member than one person or one cat. If only Kichiro-san had shown up…" She shrugs. "Well, Rinako-chan is a big girl. She can take care of herself. And if she has a cover story, then they can't do anything to her."
After a silent moment of listening to her sibling, Rinako simply shrugs her shoulders camly and accepts her fate as the punching bag of the mission. She gives a single sniff, then reaches out to lightly squeeze her younger twin's shoulder with a half-smile.
"Don't worry. Even if things go south, they can't kill their little pet until they've at least taken it back. I'll just hope that google-eyed bitch isn't there again. That chick can do things I've never encountered before."
An eyebrow is arched mildly in Kara's direction as she… gets Rinako's name right! Who knew, maybe there was hope for her being able to tell the twins apart, after all. After a moment, she folds her arms under her chest and settles back. "So what's the story? Jinchuuriki business: informing the council of the progress of their Doomsday Weapon? They usually send for me when they want to know, but I might be able to bluff my way past with 'important, private correspondence'. I just hope it's not 'start punching people in the head and claim I've lost control'."
Kichiro runs along, chasing after the group. He grins and waves to the handful before falling into pace, loping casually along with his usual grin. "Sorry. Was caught up in a training session."
Ruri nods, feeling a sense of relief wash through her. Her sister isn't mad at her. But Ruri's not happy about this regardless. She puts a hand over Rinako's, squeezing back, and then answers the questions. "Yes. That was the reason I picked her, Kara-chan. If it had made more sense for me to go, I'd have been the decoy in a heartbeat." She sighs. "And yes, something like that, Rin-chan. I'll leave the details up to you, since you know more about it. Don't try to disguise yourself or try to be TOO stealthy… But if you can make it inside the office without being caught, that would be great. Just do your best… And don't get hurt."
Then she nods to Shemri's confirmation she and Shiikaa are ready. "Okay. Here's some records that Hone-san got for us. Three shinobi that are out on a mission and are due back later today. We're going to become them via Henge, and then make our way inside." She hands over a dosierre to Shemri. A Hayato Chuunin named Mufasa, who often keep his falcon with him. Shiikaa can be the falcon. "Let's get going."
Then Kichiro comes running up just as they're about to leave. NOW Ruri is annoyed. "Ugh. Training on the morning of a mission? Well, it can't be helped. At least you caught us before we left. Here's a file on a Chuunin. You're going to disguise yourself as her." She hands over the dosierre to the newly-arrived Genin. 'Name: Sasaki Koda. Age: 21. Hair: Blonde. Eyes: Grey. Height: 5'4" Weight:' …Etc.
"You'll be 'escorting' Rinako to Watanabe-sama's office. That should help keep the thugs off of you for a bit. Try to make it look like it's important. Maybe a bit irritated by having to escort her. That sort of thing. NOW is everyone ready? Yes? Good. Let's go."
And then the group would split up and start heading for the Administration Dome… Rinako is supposed to be out in the open, but Ruri uses Henge no Jutsu to make herself look like a tall, featureless man in a black cloak and fedora, with a face-wrap. Very suspicious-looking. Then she makes four Clones of herself. The Clones are normal Clones, not Twink Clones, so they can't actually do anything physical. Thus, Ruri has them move to the four corners of the dome, and wait. She won't know what they see or encounter, because they aren't relaying information to her. That will be Kara's job.
Once she is in position near a balcony, she Henges into a guard captain named Oshido, and waits for Shemri and Shiikaa to join her clinging to the wall underneath the protruding platform. Wait for everyone to be in position… And then move. That's the plan. Kichiro and Rinako should go right in through the front door.
Shemri very briefly pulls a face when she gets handed the dossiere. Hmm, disguises…not her favorite kind of stealth. e.e Can't be helped, though, it's a lot more effective to hide out in the open in an urban environment. Shemri just hopes she won't have to do any talking here. "Shiikaa, up here," Shemri says, motioning to her cat. Shiikaa jumps up and makes a precarious perch on Shemri's shoulder. That's another disadvantage of disguising like this, it'll look weird for a hawk to move along the floor. :P Oh well. *POOF* And there's a Mufasa poser. Shemri heads off on her assigned route and makes her way to the dome, then rejoins Ruri under the balcony.
Kara sighs when Kichiro arrives. "Late is late is late. Don't be late for a mission like this again!" She hmphs, crossing her arms under her chest and turning away in annoyance. She does glance over when Kichiro is handed a file. "Is that a Wind Sasaki? If so, that's great! They'll be less likely to jump one of their own." She then nods to Ruri when she confirms everyone is prepared. Pharaoh is quickly wrapped up in bandages by spinning him while holding the roll of linen. Once he's all wrapped up, except for his head, he is placed on Kara's back, and she takes off on a round-about route until she comes about from the east side of the Village. She makes her way up a wall inbetween two sandstone houses, and then climbs onto a rooftop that overlooks the Kazekage Administration Dome. She sets up Pharaoh in front of her, putting one hand on the back of his head, and the other being held out in front of her, fingers splayed. This is not going to be easy. But that's why she's been practicing. She just hopes her fatigue doesn't interfere.
Once the disguised Ruri, Shemri, and Shiikaa are in position, three Chakra Strings instantly spring up between Kara and the trio. The Strings connect to each kunoichi (and cat). If there's danger nearby, Kara will tug once in the direction of the threat. If they need to move, two tugs. If they need to retreat, multiple >hard< tugs. How will she know there's danger? Well she didn't stay up all night for no reason!
Channeling Chakra with her other hand, Kara puts it into Pharaoh's head, activating his new sensor >and< his older ones. "Pharaoh-2: Four-Eyed Spyglass. Pharaoh-16: Lighthouse." She mutters to herself to help her focus. An invisible cone of Chakra emits from the red jewel in his headdress, scanning over the building and identifying the location of other Chakra signatures. It's fairly narrow, unfortunately, but it can still 'see' through walls.
Kara closes her eyes and focuses solely on the input being received from Pharaoh.
The balcony that Team #2 is under has two guards stationed on it. They look a bit bored, and are chatting, but are still glancing around every once in awhile. There's other guards all over the place. Some obvious, most not. And one specific room has a Council Member in it, under guard by two Chuunin and a Jounin. And he's not Itami. "Kuroki-sama, I apologize again for the inconvenience. Your appointments and duties for the day have been rescheduled." the Jounin offers to Kuoroke in the secured room. It's normally used for private meetings, but right now it's barricaded, with Seals and traps and guards out in the hallway beyond the locked doors. "The safety of the Council comes before paperwork." he asserts. Then he bows to Kuoroke.
"Well, well, look who it is."
There's a mild glance towards Kichiro before her vision returns to her mirror image's features, giving a single nod of acceptance. "Aw, but getting hurt is what I'm good it. It's my specialty jutsu." Her eyes return to the genin 'escorting' her. "You just be careful if things start to go wrong. I don't want you more than two feet away from me at any time after we get past the front desk. And if there's a Jounin, you keep yourself positioned so that I'm between them and you at all times."
The elder Rurohashi girl allows Kichiro to look like he's taking the lead and leading her towards the building, and she does her best to look bored, and slightly irritated, as she always did when she had to visit the expansive dome. There's no hesitation in her step as she walks through the streets, her thumbs hooked on the belt at her waist, alternately watching the dust her feet kicks up and giving a wane smile at people she passes. Once they're up the stairs and through the front door, she begins approaching the front desk.
Of course, she's banking on the fact that these people knew her from previous visits, and knew her state of affairs, and were busy enough, that they'd not want to bother too much with her. She angles her footsteps not directly toward the desk, but slightly to the side of it, as if to simply walk past, lifting a hand with a non-plussed expression and a mild wave.
"Hey." Her tone is flat, bored, and just this side of ill-tempered. "That time a'the month where they wanna see me. Going up. I don't suppose you know if they're in a good mood up there."
Hey, everyone liked to complain about work, and their bosses, if you gave them half a chance! She doesn't pause, and barely slows down, as she talks, angling for the stairs leading farther up.
"The functionality of the village comes before even that." The Jounin responds, placing his gloves aside and flexing his fingers. Combat might be nearby, after all. "I'm not much good while I'm just sitting around here, and there are urgent things to be handled." He begins pacing up and down the room. "Why is this all so sudden? Where was everybody-" He cuts his sentence off, waving a hand. "Someone is handling the urgent stuff, right?" After some pacing, he takes his robe off, slightly adjusts his glasses, while sitting with his back against one of the walls. A slight halo of light appears over his back just before it touches the wall. The Kuroki closes his eyes, and focuses on what's happening outside the sealed room.
Kichiro hehs softly, "I couldn't exactly tell my sensei, 'sorry. I have to run off to a secret mission this afternoon so we can spy on a council member'. I figured just finishing my training session was the best bet." He reads the dossier carefully, "I'm not familiar with her. Does she have any particular habits or mannerisms I need to be aware of?" He concentrates and henges into the right form, or as best he can from the information available, "whats her voice like?" The new Sasaki Koda asks in a generic sounding female voice. He makes adjustments in the way he walks as he gets used to the henged form, standing straighter, looking serious. Kichiro-Koda strides ahead, not being very talkative, looking more annoyed at hearing Rinako complain than wanting to talk him/herself.
Ruri would have offered a headshake to Kichiro before they left. "All I know about her is in that file. I don't have a voice sample. Try to avoid converstion, if possible." That was before they split up. Now that they're seperated into Team #1 (Rinako and 'Koda'), Team #2 (Oshido, Mufasa, and Shrike), and Team #3 (Kara and Pharaoh) they can't stay in communication with each other very easily. It's up to Kara to tell them what they need to know.
Ruri/Oshido nods when Shemri and Shiikaa are next to her on the wall. Then she puts her hands together in a series of seals. Ram, Snake, Tiger. She's not making more Clones, but more sending Chakra to the ones already in existence. 'Move forward' she says in her mind, envisioning each Henged Clone walking in a straight line towards the Administration Dome. Hopefully this will cause a reaction from the guards. If so, Oshido quickly runs up the wall and leaps onto the balcony suddenly, right in front of the guards. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" 'He' demands in a bellicose manner. "You two are chattering away while on assignment!? This lack of discipline is unforgivable! I leave for ONE mission and I return to THIS! Get out of my sight!" 'He' swings a hand out and points away from the balcony. Then, Oshido waits for Mufasa and Shrike to join him on the balcony while seemingly glowering at the guards until they depart.
Hopefully they'll follow orders and get out of the way, so that the trio can get inside the dome and get going.
Mufasa!Shemri blinks at Oshido/Ruri's tactic. Well, that might work. c.c; Or it might cause a ruckus that draws the attention of everyone in the building. Certainly hoping for the former. Mufasa joins Oshido up on the balcony, doing his best to look like a silent but ominous figure with a Hawk of Doom. Phear.
The people at the front desk glance towards Rinako. Ordinarily they'd be glad to wave her through without incident, but even this entry area has shinobi clinging up on the ceiling, watching the proceedings very intently. The receptionists are thus a bit nervous. Luckily, with Koda leading the way, they eventually nod. One of them says, "Ah, they uhh… The Council are quite busy."
Talking bad about bosses is one thing. Talking bad about the Council in the presence of half a dozen loyal guards is another. "Go ahead, and… And make it quick." She adds. She hasn't been informed of the schedule changes. She just knows that she's to direct all messages to the Council to a Courier-Nin who is standing nearby. Only he knows for sure where to deliver the communications.
Rinako and Kichiro thus are permitted to proceed up the stairs without further discussion. As they arrive on the next floor, however, three Sasaki in kimono, swords at their sides and with hands on the hilts, come around a corner and begin walking directly towards the two disguised ninja. They are staring right at the intruders, and are walking right at them too! They look very serious. On Rinako and Kichiro's left arms, there's a single light tug for each of them. Danger to the left. Just incase they didn't see the three guards.
Meanwhile, the two guards on the balcony are very startled by suddenly seeing a captain of the guard popping up at their watch. Mortified they stand at attention when they're yelled at, and then pause only for a moment before running off, when ordered to. "Yes, Oshido-san!" they call out and get out of the way, stepping out into the hall and staying pressed against the wall incase Oshido and Mufasa need to pass in that direction. If the three of them pass into the hall, they would find the hall has various doors, and goes either left or right, curving around the rounded interior walls of the Dome. The doors seem to be offices, as they have name-plates on them, arranged alphabetically.
Atop the Dome itself, there are other guards watching the Village itself. One starts to peer in Kara's direction, wondering who she is, when a call goes out. "Hey! Who are those guys!?" The suspicious ninja turns his attention immediately to see who is talking and where they're looking. Two men dressed the same… All in black, in very not-desert-appropriate-clothes. And they're advancing on the Administration Dome. "Head out and find out who they are — " he starts to order, when the call goes up that there's another one to the south-east. "What!?" And another to the north-east! "Damn! Only one of them is real! The others are probably clones! Stop them all! Don't let them get through!" And with that, at least a dozen ninja go leaping across rooftops and running down the side of the Dome, trying to reach Ruri's Henged Clones.
As Kuoroke's words, the Jounin says, "All urgent communications will be delivered here by a Courier-Nin. If any emergencies arise, you will know about them. Do not worry, Kuroki-sama. The Village is in good hands." Then there is a sudden knock on the door. "…." The Jounin is silent for a moment. The knock repeats. But it's different from the first knock. Instead of being two quick ones, it's one, a pause, then two quick. "…Open the door." The Jounin orders to the two Chuunin. One of them nods and unlocks the door carefully, disarming the Seal-traps on the frame.
A Courier-nin stands just outside. He bows. "Important message, sir. A number of men have just left their posts to intercept suspicious individuals approaching the Dome."
The Jounin says, "What? How many!?" The courier says, "About a dozen guards—" "No! How many individuals!?" "Four, sir." "Hmm…" He strokes his chin and thinks. "That's how many there were that night…" he says outloud, not seeming to realize he has said it. He is 6' tall. He has spikey black hair and black eyes. But this time, he's not wearing a mask over the lower half of his face.
He says, "Do they have an animal with them?" "Unknown, Toyota-sama." "Well, make sure they don't get inside. They are a threat to the Village, and if necessary, the guards have permission to use lethal force." The Courier-Nin bows. "Hai!" Then he vanishes in a puff of smoke. The door is soon Sealed and locked again. "You see, Kuroki-sama? This is necessary." (Re)
"Busy, huh? Good, maybe they won't keep me long."
Muttering under her breath, Rinako doesn't so much as look around at any of the other guards in the lobby. Keeping a hand on the rail as she unhurriedly takes the stairs up as if she had all the time in the world, and nothing out of the ordinary was going on at all. Of course, she was destined for Watanabe's office whether she was there or not, and thus wasn't really under the compunction to investigage about where the woman actually was.
Her plan was to stick to THE plan.
The guards approaching her were a bit unexpected, but Rinako does her absolute best to guard her expression from the surprise. She'd expected to be jumped when she entered the office, not out in the hallway. "Bold of them." She mutters under her breath to the genin-in-disguise next to her. "Fall a step behind me, and be ready to counter attack /only/ if they strike. Or I do."
Already, as she's heading down the hallway, towards the three guards, en route to find the semi-familiar chambers of the Watanabe Council member, she gives the Sasaki men a dull stare, the bijuu's chakra already soaking out of her, coagulating on her skin to form a hardened barrier as she stalks.
"Excuse me."
Such simple words, so plainly stated, yet said in a tone that conveyed the message 'Get the f*** out of my way.' If they fail to move, one of them would be irritatedly shoved aside to make room for Rinako and Kichiro to pass, without pause or break in her step.
"Tell them not to hold back on that force once their identity is confirmed." Kuoroke orders the Courier before he has the chance to leave. "If they're a threat to the village, they need to be disposed of quickly. Oh, and keep the collateral damage to an absolute minimum, understood?" He frowns. "They arrived here pretty quickly after the safety measures were in place." He notes with an irritated frown. "Why did we act so slowly compared to the threat, and, more importantly, where are the rest? The other Council members, the Kage?" The Jounin makes a move to get up, remembers he's watching what's happening outside through his contact with the wall, and relaxes again. "Just how many men are guarding them, and how many do we still have doing actual work?" He spends a few moments thinking, digesting what has been mentioned about the intruders. "An animal was mentioned… what animal, and what do you know about these people, anyway?"
Kichiro/koda simply shakes his/her head with a sigh, dismissing the guards the way one would dismiss a particularly annoying child when one simply wanted to pass by. The look on the disguised genin's face shows no surprise. He/she shows now response to the whisper as well, simply waiting on the big lunks to step aside so they could proceed. It is truly a brave man that stands in front of two annoyed women..
Ruri/Oshido nods as the guards get out of the way and then stalks into the hall as though he knew where he was going. Ruri actually has never been in this part of the Dome. Still, she can see the name plates… And they're in alphabetical order. She whispers quietly in the gruff voice of Oshido to Shemri/Mufasa behind her, "This is the wrong section. These are all offices. She won't be in an office, probably. We've got to get to a different quadrant — " Then as they keep walking along, they come upon a hall that's guarded at both ends, and has some Seals hidden discretely in the walls and floor. If not for Ruri's experience with Seals, she wouldn't have noticed them. 'One… Two… Six…' she counts silently. 'Ten traps.' She hmms and then turns to Shemri, nodding and pointing subtley at the door at the center of the hall, beyond the three guards standing watch at this end. 'Oshido' then turns his back on the guards so they can't see his lips, and begins muttering to 'Mufasa'. "They're obviously guarding someone or something. I counted ten Seal traps in the hallway alone. Any ideas on how to get the guards out of the way?" The Chakra drain of maintaining four Clones at this distance without line-of-sight is starting to be felt in earnest by Ruri. Then the connection to one is cut off. Then a second. Then the remaining two at almost the same time. Well, at least she's not spending Chakra anymore. But now they know that the suspicious men were just distractions.
Ruri twitches at the 'death' of each Clone. She might not have experienced anything from them, but she could still feel the Chakra returning to her. "My clones just died. They'll find us soon. Time to speed things up. Be ready to fight if necessary, Shemri-san." Then Oshido whips around. "Look out!" Oshido's voice calls out, as the guard captain points dramatically at nothing in particular while reaching one arm across to touch a concealed Flesh Scroll tattoo. "An invisible enemy is over there!" He yells out. Then Oshido suddenly launches a stream of flames seemingly from the air above his arm, scouring the hallway beyond the guards, and trying to destroy or set off the Seal-based traps. Leaving the hall burning, 'Oshido' starts to push past the guards while ordering, "There might be more enemies. Report this to the Council at ONCE!"
Either this was really smart or really, really dumb.
As much as it signals a sharp increase in danger, Shemri can't help but find the mention of fighting a relief. Still, they can't do any more damage than they have to; the guards around here are just fellow Sunagakurans following orders, after all. While Ruri distracts the guards, Shemri decides to throw a little more confusion into the mix. She touches Shiikaa's leg and gives him a coded chakra pulse, and he responds by unleashing a loud roar. Mufasa!Shemri then crouches and looks around wildly, as if confused as anybody else where that noise could've come from. c.C; There's no tigers over here, after all, only a hawk! :3 Must be another of those darn invisible enemies!
The three men glance briefly and intensely at Rinako, before letting her past. The leader moves aside, and as soon as Rinako is through, he closes the gap again, reaching up a hand to stop 'Koda'. "So I see you're back early from your 'mission'," he says in a quiet but angry tone. "We need to talk somewhere >privately<, Koda-chan. About >us<." He then attempts to guide Kichiro towards a meeting room that is apparently not in use. His two buddies look prepared to guard the door.
Oh, flaming fubar. It seems Koda is dating this guy. Well, at least Rinako is free to continue on to the office! Which is oddly unguarded… Or so it seems from the outside.
Meanwhile, in the meeting room, Toyota responds calmly and fluidly, as though he were prepared for the questions before they were asked, "We have been attempting to identify the enemy and their plans for the past week. We were unsure if they were even here still, let alone their intentions." The Jounin is still facing the door, not Kuoroke. "As soon as our intel made us aware of the threat on your life, and that of the other Council Members, we acted. I apologize for any slowness, however. As soon as this threat is dealt with, I will personally oversee the replacement of all complacent shinobi with truly loyal and dedicated guardsmen." He suppresses the urge to grin. Yes. Replacing the complacent and replacing them with guards that Toyota himself has hand-picked… That would do nicely.
Then he turns around, pivoting on his heel. "As for the other Council members, they are likewise being guarded. We have activated her reserve shinobi to cover any posts or jobs left unfilled by the focus of ninja on the present operation." He pauses only momentarily at the last question, seeming to consider his answer, before saying, "There was an encounter in the desert a week ago. We thought that it may have been rogue Sunagakure ninja at first, but now it would seem that they are agents of a known enemy of all humankind. The G — " but he doesn't get to finish, because right then a number of things happen. The roar of flames, the flying of kunai, the crackling of a Barrier Jutsu going off, and then, out of nowhere, a tiger's roar. A very familiar tiger's roar. Toyota frowns, though his mouth cannot be seen. "It seems they have gotten in regardless. Do not worry, Kuroki-sama. We will protect you with our lives…" Because that is totally what these intruders are trying to do. Kill a Council member. Not warn him. Totally.
Kuoroke's observation of what's going on out in the hall would reveal that the Seal traps have all been activated or destroyed, and that there are two people out in the hall. There should be six guards, but there's only two people out there. Well, they're apparently missing four of their number! The shouting also likely would have been heard by Kuoroke. 'Invisible enemies'? What? And a tiger!? Huh!?!
The guards duck when the fire stream comes at them, and then are knocked to the ground by the various explosions. They are too stunned to really do anything, so they don't react to Oshido except to scramble out of his way and look utterly terrified when they hear a tiger roaring right nearby but see nothing. One of them shouts, "Ghosts!" And then they all take off running.
Right then, a Courier-Nin comes running into the hall from the far end, stops when he sees the destruction of the hall, and stares through the slowly dying flames towards where Mufasa, Shrike, and Oshido are standing. He should probably flee, if he knew what was good for him, but he's a Courier-Nin, not a Coward-Nin. He has a message to deliver. Thus he charges down the hall at high speed, trying to reach one of the doors near the center of the hall. It's a race!
…Damn. Now/ that/ was not what she had expected to see, or hear, for that matter. Things never went quite as planned, but this was ridiculous! Rescuing poor 'Koda' might only cause trouble, ultimately, as… there was really no reason she needed him in the Council-member's presence. Hopefully he'd be smart enough to get himself out of this, or at least to play along.
He was a shinobi, and it was time to take one for the team!
Hopefully, she'd be able to hear his shouts if things got hairy. As she reaches the doorway to her destination, the elder Rurohashi sibling figured she might have to bust through a few walls to get to him, trying to keep the directions clear in her mind. It was a large, confusing building, after all. Stopping in front of the door leading to Watanabe's private offices, Rinako lifts a hand and raps her knuckles across the wooden portal.
"Watanabe-sama, it's Rurohashi."
Even as she talks, she twists the knob and pushes the portal open, or slides it, whichever kind of door it is, strengthening the barrier around her skin. It wouldn't surprise her to find an explosive tag suddenly booming off in her face. "Watanabe-sama?"
"No, replacement might be a little too much. We don't have that many guardsm-whuh…" Kuoroke jumps up. "There's nobody there as far as I can tell. Nobody gets in. Not alive." He orders, briefly but loudly enough for any friendly ninja outside -it is, after all, unclear who outside is an enemy and who not- can interpret it as an order to not enter. He points as he continues ordering. "Toyota, you," he indicates on of the Chuunin, "Take this side, make sure it's safe." He points to the other Chuunin. "You watch the windows. This could be a diversion." The Jounin himself faces the doors, enters a battle stance, and prepares to fight off these unknown threats. "What do we know of their abilities? And their organisation?!" He asks, now more quietly. "Quickly." Preparing to fight, for him, involves becoming angry, which is why his questions are half growled.
Kichiro seems to think everything is going well… until he is pulled aside. 'talk privately.. about us… this will not end well' Kichiro thinks. Kichiro/Koda looks at the guard speaking to her. He/she speaks in a terse whisper. 'This is not the time or the place for this. Do you think you can just take me aside like some misbehaving school child. No. I don't think so. You get back to your post and see if you can act like a real man while you're on the job at least.' He/she turns to stalk grumpily back the way they came, praying the terse whisper at least disguised the voice enough to not draw too much suspicion.
Ruri might be fast… But she's not trained specifically for speed, like a Courier-Nin. They can cover a hundred miles in a single day. On foot. She really has no hope of beating one in a race. So even as she breaks into a run, heading for the door the Courier-Nin is blurring towards, she activates a few Flesh Scroll tattoos, sending a metal rod spinning towards the courier's legs, and a yellow brick wrapped in a lemon wedge at his head. The coup de grace? A Stored Wall slams down out of thin-air, trying to fill the hallway such that the Courier-Nin is blocked off completely.
Of course, Ruri has no idea that there's a secret knock to get the door to open. So if she makes it to the door first, she only pauses long enough to check it for traps, and if there aren't any, she tries to bust it open with a stone gargoyle she got from somewhere. Seriously, a gargoyle? WTH. And if she doesn't get there first, well… Sux for Team #2.
Ruri would have heard some shouting, but being occupied trying to get there first, she didn't really parse it. Instead, she pauses if she gets near the door, only THEN realizing that there's an issue about getting in.
Well…considering how riotous things have gotten, they're having a pretty good measure of success. c.c; At least there's nobody between them and the office now. They just need to get inside, convince the Jounin that a certain faction is doing shady stuff with the remains of the village's deceased, and hope he'll protect them from any backlash. Whee. Shemri decides to watch the hallway they came down while Ruri's busy getting that door open. Wouldn't be fun to have reinforcements catch the unawares.
When Rinako enters the office, there's Itami sitting behind her desk. She looks up with a curious expression on her face. Then she smiles. Then her head splits in half. It just folds backwards at the jaw, so that the top half of her head is hanging against the back of her neck. A long, thick, purple tongue lashes out towards Rinako, as Itami's fingers also erupt in sprays of blood and gore, sending out more tentacle-like lengths to try to slam the ensnare the younger woman and keep her in place.
This is clearly not really Itami. This becomes even more clear, when the 'desk' that Itami was sitting behind is thrown back. A blanket with desk camouflage. Underneath are three guards who spring into action, trying to surround Rinako. When they realize who they're dealing with, however… There is some confusion on their end. They don't immediately release Rinako, but they don't seem to have been expecting her either.
The guard looks stunned by Kichiro's words, whispered to him. He looks like someone just tore his heart out and stomped on it. His grip on 'Koda' loosens and she can pull away easily, heading after Rinako. The other two guards don't stand in her way at all. After a few seconds, the awkward silence ends when the leader of the guards hardens his expression in front of his subordinates. "Come on. Let's get back to our posts."
Toyota nods to Kuoroke, silently moving into position as ordered. He had no idea things would turn out so beautifully. It was unfortunate that he had to lie to the Council, but surely they would understand when the truth was revealed. It was all so… Necessary. He channels Chakra into his body, and his muscles bulge, straining against his clothes.
Toyota also isn't a completely silent doofus. He answers quietly, "Their skills vary between Ninjutsu to Taijutsu. Some sonic attacks. They seem to be below Jounin level, however. They should be easily dealt with by the likes of us."
The Courier-Nin flips forward to avoid the rod aimed at his legs, and then completes the flip so that the brick flies right over his body as he arches his back, and then as he comes back up into a standing position, a wall slams down… Behind him. Too fast. Just too fast for such simple tricks! So he reaches the door first, and unthinkingly attempts to knock on it. The Barrier that was activated when the rest of the traps went off surges to life, sending out blue-white electricity crackling through the oh-so-fast ninja. He screams and jolts as his body is cooked, and the backlash of all that energy also seems to damage the door itself. It's certainly not falling apart, but its hinges have been sort of… Melted.
When the Barrier expends its charge, the Courier-Nin falls against the door, and it collapses inwards to the floor of the meeting room. He manages to mutter something unintelligible before he passes out.
It's a good thing Shemri is watching for reinforcements, because it's about the time that Ruri reaches the now-collapsed door that the three guards who left their posts return. Koda's >ex<-boyfriend, and his two buddies. The boyfriend doesn't look happy to see the devastation in the hallway. But he looks all too happy to take out his pain on someone else. He screams out, drawing his sword, and charging down the charred hall at Mufasa and Oshido! Is he really that messed up by being dumped that he'd attack his superiors!? Maybe! Or maybe it's the fact that right at that moment, the REAL Koda and Mufasa have just stepped out of another room, having heard all the ruckus, and coming to investigate. Perhaps the boyfriend thinks that… Koda is having a triste with Mufasa!? Crap. Koda looks very startled by seeing her boyfriend charging down the hall with his sword, but Mufasa seems more shocked to see himself standing a short distance away.
Also, there's 'danger tugging' on the Chakra Strings connected to Ruri, Shemri, and Shiikaa. Kara is trying to warn them, but… They're so close! Can they really flee right now!?
Watching with an expression that grew more and more displeasedly disbelieving by the second, Rinako sees 'Itami's' head begin to fold back on itself. That wasn't exactly what she had been expecting, though who knew /what/ the hell these council members were capable of! They all had access to forbidden jutsu, probably. Still, she speaks one… single… word… before that tongue lashes out for her:
"…Gross."
The tongue manages to wrap around the elder of the Rurohashi siblings, as do the subsequent tentacles. Rinako was a shinobi of power and strength, not fluid grace and agility. She probably couldn't have dodged them even if she tried. For all anyone knew, she just /might have/ tried, but been so slow to react it was virtually unnoticeable! If the tongues are abrasive, or covered in a chemical of some kind, her chakra shields at least keep her safe. For the moment.
"Why are you using Watanabe-sama's office as a rompus-room?" Rinako levels a dull glare at those in the room with her. "Did she give you permission for this? Because I didn't come all the way down here to play nasty bondage games. Let me go. /Now/. And tell me just what the hell all of you are doing trashing the Councilor's office!"
The Kuoroke watches the door being torn down as if it was held in place by wet paper, and visibly does not like the effect. "Who made this thing?!" He shouts, sliding into position on the side of the door, ready to hit anything coming through in the head, while he pulls what's left of the courier into the room. A quick motion of his fingers orders the Chuunin to follow his example and to raise what's left of the doors back, if just to absorb a blow or two. As he returns his focus to the doorframe, he places one foot on the courier's left shoulder, prepared to finish him off if necessary. "We'll need their info." Though he outwardly seems ready to tear the first passer-by, innocent or otherwise, apart, common sense and strategic insight have not completely left him. "If given an easy chance, knock them out. Else go for the kill." He amends his earlier instructions.
Koda/Kichiro walks past the guards and finally enters the office after Rinako as the guards have all departed. What he sees is… well.. unexpected. A look is given to the three ninja and the snake tongue lashed on Rinako. Again, showing almost no surprise, Koda tilts her head, speaking softly, "I see things are well in hand.. such as it were."
Ruri feels the insistent 'retreat' tugs on her back. But they're so close! Yes, new guards showing up is bad. As were the yells about not letting anyone in alive. But it's too late to turn back now. If they try again, it would be too difficult. They'd be expected. She has to keep going! Still, running into a death-trap would be dumb. So instead she does something foolish. Very, very foolish. But perhaps necessary regardless.
She turns back into herself in a puff of smoke. Then she stands next to the doorway, back to the wall, even as those inside are likely attempting to put it back up. Itami isn't in there. She knows that now. She has only heard male voices so far. So she calls out, "I am Rurohashi Ruri! I have important information for the Council! There are traitors trying to keep us from delivering it! Please listen, and don't trust anyone in the room with you!"
She doesn't know what kind of reaction she'll get, but she doesn't attempt to enter the room, or go within line-of-sight of anyone in that room. She just stays where she is, and waits. If she's told it's alright to enter, then and ONLY then will she go in. Things have gone too out of control now to proceed completely with the original plan.
Ruri doesn't know where the hell Itami is, but there's clearly SOMEONE of authority in that room, so she'll just have to hope it's someone who can make a difference if given her message.
Mufasa!Shemri furrows his brow, looking at the newcomers. That guy looks kinda familiar somehow…oh. Right, the dossiere. -.- Well, not a lot of point trying to keep up that disguise with the real guy standing right there. *POOF* Shemri inclines her head, giving the real Mufasa as much of a bow as she dares under the circumstances. "My apologies. It was…necessary." Then there's the screaming guy charging down the hallway! Shemri doesn't know what /that's/ about, but the fewer unhinged people and drawn weapons in the area, the better. "Shiikaa!" Back in his regular form, Shemri's cat hops down to the floor and gives the yelling dude an even louder response. Hopefully that'll slow him up a bit.
One of the ninja that has surrounded Rinako looks tersely at her and then turns to the abomination sitting in the chair. "Let her go." is ordered. The tentacle-things and purple tongue are wet with >something< but it's luckily not damaging or anything. And even more luckily, they release Rinako and retreat back to their owner, who now looks almost nothing like Itami. His face is all disordered, one eye mashed up into the skull, and the other hanging off his face. The flesh along his jaw is torn straight across like someone took a hacksaw to it. But there's no blood. And gradually, the form of the creature is rearranged until he looks relatively human. Seems to be some sort of… Fleshcraft. An Iga, probably.
When Koda enters, the four ambushers look at her uncomfortably and then say, "Watanabe-sama is not here at present. There is an assassination attempt planned on the Council. Leave, and return at a later date." That's when the scream of rage of Koda's ex-boyfriend might dimly be heard somewhere off to the west. The ninja glance at each other briefly, and then dash out into the hall, apparently assuming correctly that there's trouble. The Iga is still working his jaw as he rises from the chair slowly. Seems to be using his fingers to 'mold' his flesh back together too. Creepy bastards.
When Ruri starts calling out, Toyota curses under his breath. How can such a clear path to victory be derailed so quickly? He yells out, "DO NOT LISTEN! IT'S A TRICK!" Then he enlarges enormously, using his Chakra to grow towards about ten feet tall, with bulky muscles to match. His clothes tear all over, and then he attempts to simply plow through the wall of the room, out into the hall, right where he believes that Ruri is standing, on the other side of that wall.
The Chuunin by the window turns around in surprise, and the other one just tries to get out of the way.
The Courier-Nin is completely out of it when Kuoroke pulls him into the room and props him up. He looks burnt. Literally, just burnt. He's not dead, but he's not doing so well either. Out in the hall, as the >real< Koda realizes that her boyfriend is attacking Mufasa, she yells, "Kurai, stop!" Mufasa is certainly perplexed by seeing himself turn into Shemri, but when Koda yells, he turns to face 'Kurai' and puts an arm in front of Koda to try to protect her. Too bad it's not her that's being attacked.
Luckily, Shiikaa steps in and blasts Kurai with a Chakra-enhanced sound wave, making him stumble and fall to one knee. He shakes his head to clear the ringing, and somehow manages to get back to his feet despite the shock. His running isn't quite so linear anymore, wavering back and forth, but he's apparently fighting off the effects of that roar through sheer determination!
Then Shrike comes flying into the hall and rakes Kurai's face with his talons, screeching out a very falcony shriek in the process. >Now< Kurai is down, and clutching his face. Koda cries out and moves around Mufasa to her boyfriend's side. Seems she cares about him after all and was just playing crazy mind games! Or something. They'll work it out, hopefully.
Then the three ambush-ninja also arrive, coming upon a very confusing scene, and having to duck, cursing, to avoid Shrike as he continues sailing down the hall, trying to find room to turn around and return to Mufasa. "What the hell is going on here!?" the leader of the ambushers calls out.
"HOLD POSITION!" The Kuroki roars as his 'protector' charges through the wall. Toyota's not the only one who can tap into his Chakra to gain more strength: lines traced along the Kuroki's limbs and around his body light up, providing more force when he roughly grabs the Jounin by the (gigantic) forearm and pulls him back, or at least does his best to. "Hold position and make sure nothing enters!" He opens his mouth to explain, but doesn't even bother, seeing the Chuunin look back. "Focus!" With his free arm, he points towards the door, while hastilly trying to come up with an adequate reaction to this new 'revelation'. For now, let's play along. Buy time, maybe. "Speak!" He says, looking over his shoulder, at the windows, again. "Stay here. Everyone ready to move?" He instructs the two Chuunin and the Jounin in an angry, hissed whisper.
"…Double-gross."
Rinako breathes a bit easier when she's released, as fighting all tied up wasn't on her list of fun things to attempt. Even her strength might not have broken those bonds without getting help from her Other. Instead, she fixes the guard that had spoken with a flat look. Of course, she knew all about the 'assassination' attempt, but no need to tell /these/ guys that!
"I'm also a protector of this village, and if there's an attempt on the Council's life, I'm not going to just-"
She's cut off though, raising her head and cocking it to the side as she listens to the roar of outrage that everyone else seems to pick up on, as well. As they run out of the room, leaving her lecturing them, finger raised, alone with the creepy bastard, she twirls her head after them with an indignant 'hey!' of protest. Another moment of standing there, and then the dark-haired kunoichi begins trailing after them. What she eventually arrives to certainly leaves her almost as baffled as everyone else, flattening herself against a wall as a nin-falcon swoops by.
But Rinako only had to see /one/ thing to make her spring into action: Something coming out of the wall at Ruri.
"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"
"HOLD POSITION!" The Kuroki roars as his 'protector' charges through the wall. Toyota's not the only one who can tap into his Chakra to gain more strength: lines traced along the Kuroki's limbs and around his body light up, providing more force when he roughly grabs the Jounin by the (gigantic) forearm and pulls him back, or at least does his best to. "Hold position and make sure nothing enters for now!" He opens his mouth to explain those orders, but doesn't even bother. Seeing the Chuunin look back occupies all of his attention for a few instants. "Focus!" With his free arm, he points towards the door, while hastilly trying to come up with an adequate reaction to this new 'revelation'. For now, let's play along. Buy time, maybe. "Speak!" He says, looking over his shoulder, at the windows, again. "Stay here. Everyone ready to move?" He instructs the two Chuunin and the Jounin in an angry, hissed whisper. "THAT'S NOT YOUR SISTER!" He roars, hearing Rinako's voice on the outside.
Kichiro/Koda does his/her best to not make any reaction to any of the goings on, be they gross, loud, or dangerous. He/she doesn't even have a chance to answer after being told to leave when all hell breaks loose elsewhere. His/her primary job would be to stick with Rinako. Keeping the disguise on leave him a slower runner than he is used to, but he manages to keep up fairly well, arriving just in time to hear the soap-opera announcement and barely manages not to announce the 'Dun-dun-duhnnnnnnn' for dramatic enhancement. He then sees the boyfriend and the real Koda accross the chaos. He ducks behind Rinako and does a double take to see if anyone is watching. If he can be unseen a moment, he drops the disguise and re-emerges.
Ruri hears the voice of the same Jounin from the Warrior's End Graveyard yelling, trying to drown her out. Dammit! If he's here… Then they're screwed! She hears fabric shredding, and straining wood and stone as a sudden weight is placed on the floor of the meeting room. But she hears no footsteps to warn her that something bad is coming her way. Because no matter how big that guy is, he's still freakishly fast, and he probably just leapt across the entire room.
Good thing Rinako shows up right then to yell to her and thus warn her! Aaaand Ruri looks towards her sister instead of realizing what's about to happen. Crap. The wall she's pressed against explodes as Toyota smashes through it, hurling her across the hall and into the opposite wall. She slams into it hard, and then rebounds off of it, back towards her attacker behind her. The pain and shock are too great for her to get off any cool counter-moves or anything. So she just flops onto the floor of the hallway and lies there with her limbs at odd angles. It feels like everything is broken.
Hopefully nothing actually IS broken, but that doesn't mean the pain is going to be any less. The wall is ruptured, so it should be fairly easy to see Ruri just lying there, gasping short, brief, pained breaths. But still, she has to deliver the message. She doesn't even remember why anymore. She doesn't remember why this stupid mission was being run. She just knows her sister is nearby, and there's a big muscular evil guy looming over her, and, for some reason, the authority figure is holding the big guy back. Maybe it will be okay. Maybe she can deliver the message and she can go home and rest. Rinako can give her a massage and she'll get better and then they'll laugh about this.
And then the Council jerk denies her relationship to Rinako. Ruri's eyes snap open. She forces her arms and legs to move, even though they feel limp and disconnected like wet noodles. She fights, and her body fights back against her. Pain burns through her the more she moves. Was her spine damaged? Was she going to be paralyzed for the rest of her life? Oh god oh god. Then she manages to sit up halfway, supporting herself on her elbows. Her legs still aren't responding, but this is better than nothing.
Then she draws a breath into her aching lungs. She exhales, then breathes in one more time. Then she calls out, "We have… Proof that… There are traitors… Digging up… Bodies at the… The graveyard!" She takes a moment to breathe some more. "…They're after… Jutsu! They don't… Want us to… Tell you! But you have to… Have to listen… Have… Confession… Have… Witnesses… We've got… The b-bod… Bodi—" then her eyes roll up into her head and she blacks out, falling back to the floor with her back arched.
Boy, things are really nuts in here. >.<; If our heroes really were making an assassination attempt, that'd probaly be to their advantage, but as things stand, it probably helps that Toyota guy more than anybody, since he's the only one with a full picture of what's going on here. :P Oh, and him putting the team leader down for the count doesn't help either. Shemri eyes the hulking menace warily, trying to figure out what they should do next. Fighting probably won't work, even if they had a chance to win. Then Ruri finally manages to say her piece. Oh, of course! They have the attention of whoever that office belonged to now, they should deliver the message. "This is a fact," Shemri says, backing up Ruri's statement. "We have come here only to tell you of this. None have been harmed at our hands." True enough, though it might be difficult to believe, looking at Mr. Crispy and Scarface. c.c;
The three ambusher ninja stand witness as the wall explodes and Toyota comes through it. They see Ruri go flying, they see Koda has somehow gotten ahead of them and is shielding her wounded boyfriend from the flying pieces of masonry. They see that Mufasa has summoned a bow from somewhere, and is using it to shoot down the larger chunks of wall even as they fly at him from right nearby. The arrows are invisible — Chakra probably — but they are still effective in keeping everyone in the hall from being nailed by debris. Not enough to help Ruri, however.
The three ninja make a decision. They charge up the hallway and take up positions around the obvious combatants. Shemri is still standing. So is Toyota. They don't know what exactly is going on, but Ruri's words, and the fact she is down for the count, both strike a chord with them. This whole affair was odd. An assassination attempt on all of the Council members at once? And all of a sudden? It was just wrong somehow.
"Move away from Kuroki-sama, please," the leader of the ambushers calls out to Toyota. "There is too much confusion at the moment to know who is friend and who is foe. We must discern the truth before we can act."
Toyota, though powerful, has no intention of fighting against a Council member. Whether he's physically stronger than Kuoroke or not will never be discovered. Because he allows his huge fist to be stopped from smashing Ruri into paste as she lies on the floor. He starts to relax and move away from Kuoroke, as ordered by the ambusher-nin. Then Ruri starts to speak again. He growls, and prepares to attack again, regardless of orders. But what he hears before he can do so shocks even him. In a much deeper voice than is normal for him, due to his transformation, Toyota scoffs, "JUTSU!? HAH! YOU FOOL! YOU THINK WE ARE DOING THIS FOR >POWER<!? THE HONORED DEAD WOULD NEVER BE SACRIFICED FOR SUCH PETTY REASONS." He realizes he's revealing too much, but he feels that the truth (or at least >his< 'truth') must be heard. "KUROKI-SAMA. THE TRUTH IS THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR — For…"
He trails off, staring off into space. Then blood starts to run from his mouth, and a moment later, the towering titan starts to warp and distort. His muscles strain, his skin starts to form tiny bubbles as though it were beginning to boil. Then his flesh begins to slough off of him, hitting the floor and turning into Chakra again as it simply dissolves into the air. Soon, Toyota is back to his normal size and shape, and collapses to his knees. "Ugghh… Wh—What did you… Do to me?" he asks in horror, voice back to normal as well, as he looks down the hall at a certain pair of people who are finally revealed.
No one to contradict Shemri or Ruri now. Toyota has admitted to digging up the dead, regardless of what his reasons are. And someone is coming who will clear things up even further. Two people infact. One is the >real< Oshido, who looks very unhappy. The other is…! *GASP* Kara! Oshido calls out, "Everyone stand down." The guard captain is obviously displeased. "What these people say is true. We have recovered the bodies stolen from the Warrior's End Graveyard, and we know who is responsible." Even Kuoroke may find that his tattoos are not working quite as well as they should. Almost like the Chakra is being… Negated somehow, before it can be used. Is that Oshido's doing? He can't suppress a Council member completely, of course. But he can certainly keep Toyota from doing any more harm. And anyone else who tries to attack for that matter.
"I know my own damned sister!"
Heedless of anything else, Rinako barrels forward, rolling over, shoving aside, stepping on, or otherwise refusing to allow anything to get between her and her sibling, reaching her at about the same time her eyes were rolling back into her head and darkness was claiming her younger twin. One hand goes to cradle Ruri's head, as the other presses fingers against her neck to ensure her heartbeat was at least still strong, and not in danger of ceasing, looking over her body with a moment of concern before fixing the Jounin Toyota with a glare that was almost lethal enough to clear.
Watching as the Jounin titan is powered down, casting a brief glance down the hall to notice the approaching man and the missing member of their team, she returns her eyes to the mischief-making elder, though she speaks to the Councilman.
"Please step away from the traitor-elder, Kuroki-sama. He and anyone who follows him are treasonous, and may try something untoward with your person in order to secure their own freedom."
Still with eyes that bored holes into the kneeling Toyota, she places a hand mildly on Ruri's midsection, shaking gently. "Ru. Ru. Can you hear me?"
Thing are, strategically speaking, going to hell quite rapidly. Beckoning the two Chuunin with him and finally releasing the Jounin, Kouroke maneuvers over the rubble into the corridor, and after a quick look around, bellows, "Nobody move a MUSCLE!" as loudly as he can. And a carreer founded on rage has given him rather formidable lungs in the respect. But events continue unfolding around him, if by pure momentum, and his order sort of becomes pointless. Especially when Toyota makes the stupid decision to announce his plans so clearly for everyone to hear. The, as usual, rather enraged Kuroki is about to start hitting him, the tattoos on his fists gathering power visibly, and then that task is taken off his hands. For good measure, completely ignoring Rinako's advice, he still gives a quick and mildly acidic uppercut towards the traitor's jaw. Their diminished functionality apprears to be a disappointment.
"Good work." He compliments apparently everyone. Even in these rapidly changing circumstances, he retains the desire to throw orders around. "Take care of the wounded. Quickly. Any med-nins nearby?" The look he casts at the Elder betrays a desire to hit him some more. "We'll decide how he'll die." These words seem to be directed at everyone in general and no-one in particular. Then, specifically talking to the team that has infiltrated the dome, he says with a mild bow, "Thank you, all of you. You did very well."
Kichiro barely feels the chakra shut down, trained as he is to draw the power a different way. Not that it matters, he really is a small fish in these goings on. He bounds on all fours through the chaos to follow Rinako over to Ruri's side. He's no medic, but he tries to judge if she can be moved. "She's strong. She'll be ok. You know she's too stubborn to be stopped this easily." He places himself between Rinako and Toyota as he comforts the sister. Both to keep her from doing something hasty in this situation.. and to keep toyota from reaching her for revenge.
Ruri is out of it, but she's alive. Her pulse is okay. Not great, but it doesn't seem she's bleeding anywhere and her heartbeat is steady. But that doesn't mean there might not be other forms of damage. She took an explosion to the back. That might have damaged her spine, or her brain. Well, as soon as a Medic-Nin or ten arrive they'll find out. At least the message was delivered.
Shemri can only watch events unfold and hope the Council member will believe them, or at least hold judgment and prevent the other guy from silencing them permanently. But then something unexpected happens: the big guy actually /admits/ to the grave robbery. o.o And now he's saying something about a different motive for the crime than they had thought—
And then he's interrupted! Argh, it's just like that mission with the kid and his druken dad! They just can't get the whole truth out there! DX But considering the situation, Shemri's not about to make a fuss. She's just glad they did what they needed to do and aren't going to get whacked. -.- "Eh? Ah…it was no more than our duty," Shemri replies to Kuoroke, returning his bow.
The acidic punch from Kuoroke sizzles Toyota's face. Under normal circumstances he might have defended himself, or even simply dodged and made a run for it. But whatever Oshido is doing to him seems to be more than simply negating his Chakra, because he just kneels there, his chin burning with acid briefly, before it is negated too. There's plenty of blood still, though. And he doesn't look like he'll be hurting anyone else anytime soon.
But what of those mercenaries that Toyota was working with? What of the Konoha traitor with Byakugan >and< Sharingan? The Chakra-shaping kunoichi that nearly smashed Shiikaa into pulp? Are those two powerful ninja still out there somewhere? Are they waiting to strike even now?
Well…
And somewhere, the 'Iga' that had been part of the ambush on Rinako has shed his disguise. Now garbed in more familiar raiment, Hone Nai returns to his normal job in the records vault of the Administration Dome. He has done all that he could. The Wind Sasaki's investigation into the dead has been derailed. And there's no more evidence to link him to any of this.
Nai hopes the Sasaki learn from this. Perhaps in a hundred years they will be a threat. Until then, they would do well to leave him alone. Next time he might not settle for simply ruining them. Next time… They might wind up buried. Just like that traitorous Hyuuga and that golden-eyed girl. They were buried. And maybe, in a hundred years, someone might find what was left of them.
Who knows? Anything is possible in time.
