Starring:
Taiki, Hiei, Kuiken, Shuuren, Usagi
Date: January 4, 2014
Summary:
Taiki leads a group on a mission to solve the chakra parasite problem
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"The Silk Conflict - Great Orbs of Pestilence"
Wilderness, Southern Land of Lightning
After a few weeks to allow research to grind down to a halt, and to allow people a chance to get other things taken care of in their lives, Taiki and a few others were finally on their way to the southern part of the Land of Lightning to continue the investigation into the Chakra Parasite. Most of Taiki's group were trainee medics, already sworn to secrecy. They'd meet Shuuren and the Lightning Team at the Land of Lightning's southern borders, and once everyone gathered, they'd be off.
It's a cool winter morning, and most of the Konoha contingent is bundled up. Not so much with Taiki, as he and his ninken are very much used to colder climes. The group is breaking camp while waiting for Shuuren and company to show, and Taiki is doing something that to those that don't know him closely would seem a bit odd. He wanders around the parameter of the campsite, carefully removing any signs of his group's passing. It's so practiced as to look automatic, as if this is rather common procedure for how the young clan head travels.
Something is missing today as Shuuren arrives at the camp where he is to meet the team… His suit. No, he's not nude, but, rather than his normal elegant attire, the young Daimyo is adorned in a black outfit with a high collar and belts that actually show where he carries weapons for combat rather than concealed for the off chance of it. Also missing is his normal diplomatic smile, the general pleasant attitude, his expression quite stern. Shuuren is in quite a foul mood, which only a certain few Kumo Nin would presently understand the reason for.
"Hi," his voice rings out as he arrives at the camp, eyes glancing around for a moment before returning to Taiki. "I am a clone. The original me is rather indisposed at the moment. There is no worry of me expiring, however, despite distance, so I will be able to be of assistance." With that, he would step aside, quietly waiting unless Taiki would start to share any information before they get there or ask any questions.
Having been tasked by the Raikage to meet the incoming team from Konoha. Hiei had been the shinobi that they met when they arrived at the border. After introducing himself, he'd greet the Shuuren Clone and then turn to Taiki and his group. He lifts a hand in greeting. "Yo. I'm Yotsuki Hiei, Kumogakure Chuunin. Welcome to the Land of Lightning." He'd brought Kuiken with him, one of the newer Genin, but he didn't know a whole lot about the youger shinobi, though he had given him instructions to stay near him and not to wander off under any circumstances. "Inuzuka Taiki. I believe we met briefly while I was hanging out with Atsuro and Taizen during the Festival after the Chuunin Exam. It's a pleasure to see you again." Tough Hiei had changed a lot since then. For one, he was bigger. A lot bigger. He'd then clasp his hands behind his back as he waits for Taiki to outline the plan. He notices the look on the clone's face and immediately understood why Shuuren wasn't here personally. He silently sends well wishes to the former Kumo nin and hopes that he's successful in his task.
Sixteen year old Hiei stands at 6'7 and is of solid build. His skin is a dark mocha color, but perhaps the most striking thing about him is the snow white hair that cascades from his head. It is swept back into a ponytail that reaches the middle of his shoulder blades with two bangs on the side that frame his Kumogakure forehead protector as well as a handsome face with piercing blue eyes. There is a scar that runs from his hairline down along the outside of his eye to the base of his jawline. Hiei has finally grown into the man that was only hinted at in his youth. He is an imposing figure with a large frame supporting heavily muscled features, including large biceps, a barrel chest and well defined six pack abs. If he were to be viewed without his shirt, the scars of past battles would be evident on his upper chest and back, most of them look to have come from various blades of some kind. He has a slim waist with narrow hips that sit atop powerfully built legs.
Hiei wears a black form-fitting shirt that zips up to his neck sort of like a turtle neck. Over the black shirt is a white vest with a single strap that is fastened over his left shoulder, the Kumo indication of his rank of Chuunin. The shirt is tucked into a pair of white loose fitting pants that house pouches strapped on each thigh that is equipped with kunai. A multi-pouched belt surrounds his waist. A pair of sturdy black boots that are open at the front to show his toes adorn his feet. A sleeveless white leather duster is worn overall, leaving his large arms bare. On the back of the duster is the emblem of the Yotsuki clan with a cobalt blue lightning bolt going through it. Some would recognize the sigil as that of Shiro no Inazuma, 'The White Lightning Bolt'. Around each bicep is a black strap. Underneath the duster, Hiei is wearing what looks like platinum colored metal armor. It covers his chest down to his waist, the arms open to show his bear arms. Fingerless metal gloves adorn his hands extending all the way up to his elbows. On his feet are metal boots that go up to his knees, connecting to a knee guard.
In a specalized harness across his chest extending to upon his back are Fukushu and Saiai, Hiei's weapons of choice. Fukushu (vengeance) is a katana with a serrated back along with it's razor sharp edge. The handguard is in the shape of a four leaf clover and the pommel is wrapped in black with gold trim. Saiai (Beloved) is a wakazashi that also has a serrated back along with a razor sharp edge. The handguard is also in the shape of a four leaf clover, but the pommel is wrapped in white with crimson trim. They are sheathed so that both swords face the same direction, both hilts peek over Hiei's right shoulder.
A bit surprised by being assigned a task so soon after the Academy, Kuiken follows close behind his Kumogakure superior. It was the young Genin's first time outside of the Village, let alone meeting foriegners from outside the Land of Lightning. Although he fights to maintain a calm composure, there is a slight air of mild anxiety and nervousness around Kuiken. He had just met the older Chuunin at Kumogakure's entrance right before this journey and had not spoken much to his travelling companion since. As the greetings pass between the more experience nin, Kuiken stands silently and attentive waiting to be addressed.
Standing a bit further back amongst the Konoha nin is a particular case that doesn't seem to be wearing 'as' much as the rest…she's not bundled up, but nor is she exposed to the elements. The black suit usual with the Nara chuunin is there, but the arms are covered as well for this particular season. Usagi looks at the others, a mask covering her nose and mouth as she seems to be wearing earmuffs for the time being, no actual hood, her blonde hair flowing down her back and shifting with the breeze. She seems content to let Taiki do most of the talking for the time being, but is close enough to be noticed, or brought in should any decide to.
Taiki arches a brow at Shuuren's comments, but then nods his head as he completes his circuit. "I hope everything works out well for him," he says genuinely, though he wonders some at Shuuren's abilities if he can create a clone that can get so far away from the original. "Thank you for coming," he says before turning his attention to the Kumo contingent.
Before Taiki speaks two very large dogs comes out of seemingly nowhere to stand next to Taiki. Shuuren and Usagi would likely recognize them, but Taiki is about to make introductions anyway. "Yes, I remember you. It's nice to see you, though I could wish for better circumstances. These are my ninken partners, Shinobu and Nozomi," he starts, gesturing to each dog as he introduces them. Shinobu is all white save for muzzle and eyes, and stands even with Taiki's shoulders at the back. Nozomi, just a bit smaller, is red-furred with a white undercoat. Together they look like a malamute and huskey, two dogs made for cold weather. "Back there a little is my medical partner and my second for this group, Nara Usagi. We're just about ready to move out, and I'll explain a bit more about what brings us here on our way to our destination." Taiki then shows a map with a particular point marked with an X at the foothills in Southern Lightning. It's about half a day's travel from the meeting point, and pretty remote from any known populated areas in Lightning. "By the way, may I ask the name of your associate?"
Nodding to Hiei to greet him in return, Shuuren takes a quick survey, inspecting the armor and quite pleased with the work. Another nod would be given toward Kuiken, the younger shinobi with Hiei, the Daimyo saying, "I see my home village is well-represented here. Keep in mind what kind of mission this is and always think before you act. Any slip-up could literally turn into a world-wide disaster in this situation." Though his words aren't as kind as normal, he still gives solid advice, yet he would go silent again soon as that is spoken, far from his usual self.
Hiei smiles towards Taiki. "Indeed. I don't know the full extent of what's going on. But I was told that it was important. That's why they sent me. You were going to need a little muscle that why they me. We allies look out for each other. I'm here to fight for you." He nods to the clone. "This is all business Shuuren-sama. I got your back, just like I did in the Land of Tea." He nudges Kuiken a little. "Introduce yourself. You're getting a good lesson in
Kuiken politely nods to the Konoha group and takes a cautious step forward. He dons what would general be considered unusual attire for a ninja. He is wearing a thick linen shirt covered by worn blacksmith overalls and a handy dandy toolbelt wrapped around his waist. Altough the boy may have been a bit nervous up to this point, his words come out steady and full of purpose, "I am Reizei Kuiken. I was tasked with assisting you on your mission and will help in any way I can."
Usagi comes forward and offers a bow as she's introduced by Taiki, smiling, which 'can' be slightly seen under the mask. "A pleasure" She smiles at Shuuren's clone and nods to him again, having met the man himself before. As she turns to Hiei, another nod, but there's little evidence of a smile for him or the other one. Pleasantries complete, she's down to business now, though the young one that's being so shy does get a second glance, partially due to his tool belt. As he speaks, she nods, then glances to Taiki. "Shall we?"
Taiki looks between those representing various countries here and nods. He gives a friendly nod toward Kuiken, along with a "Hello," and then motions for Hiei to lead the way to their destination.
Along the way, Taiki starts to give a brief overview of what is going on. "As you may or may not be aware of, there is a strange illness affecting the merchants of the elemental nations. Well, this illness is actually a jutsu, used by someone completely unknown by any of the elemental nations. Not only that, but the jutsu acts like a parasite in the chakra network, something that no one in the elemental nations has yet to accomplish. It started as a spy technique, and still sends information on everything the infected person sees, feels, touches, tastes, and smells to one specific location. That location is our destination, in the southern part of Lightning Country.
After giving Hiei and Kuiken a couple minutes to digest that bit of news, he cotinues, "The parasite itself, for now it can truly be called that, has taken to mutating and now poses a significant health risk. Our job is to find the place the parasite is transmitting to, and determine if it is possible to stop it there. We may be heading into a combat situation though, as the person who did this is… insanely powerful chakra-wise. We're to investigate everything, and see if what we find can help us stop the threat." He then looks to the Kumo contingent, falling silent to allow for reactions and questions.
"Always," Shuuren responds with a nod to Usagi, at least polite enough to return her greeting. He is silent as Taiki speaks, arms folding over his chest as he listens and waits. It's pretty much information he's aware of thus far. He's the only one not really risking death in this particular situation since he's a clone, though that's because he's prepping for war back home in Tea Country. He simply waits for whatever information may be put forth and to move on with the mission.
Hiei smirks at Usagi. "Another Nara, huh? Nice." Hiei turns and heads in the direction Taiki told him about. "I take it you guys are in a hurry. Let's go." He flings his hands out behind him and bends over slightly. He motions for Kuiken to hop onto his back. And then he's off, moving at high speed.
A brief look on uncertainty crosses Kuiken's face as he hops on top of the Chuunin's back. He gives only a few nods of understanding in response to Taiki's explanation of the events so far, remaining silent overall from his position. Still, he makes no attempts at hiding his curiosity, attempting to visually assess not only the visiting Ninjas but the oversized canines in their group even whith his limited knowledge.
A brow is raised at the one named Hiei, and Usagi looks at him curiously. "'Another' Nara? Who else might you know out of us, then?" As they take off at speed, she's keeping up rather well, arms behind her as she's charging along with them. The information Taiki was giving was no surprise to her, she'd travelled with him over here, so they'd already discussed this on the way. She did find the current travleling situation for Kuiken, but if he couldn't keep up, then something like this was to be expected…
If there is any one thing that Taiki seems to exude, it is a slightly-distant formality to those he doesn't know. He appears friendly enough, and does not go out of his way to make people feel uncomfortable, but his use of honorifics in addressing most people shows his rather formal demeanor well. In fact, only Usagi is addressed without honorifics, implying a closeness between the two that makes the "medical partner" label that much more believable. Overall, he's not an impossible person to approach, but he does convey clam but grim determination and competence that the explanation thus far would seem to call for. "Bear in mind this place may or may not be inhabited, and if it is, they'll not welcome visitors."
True to Taiki's words, around mid-day they approach the general area where the hut is, and start to see signs of recent human inhabitance. The area ssems to be almost cultivated for patrols and possibly look-outs, though its hard to tell based on the enivronment.
As the group starts to move, Shuuren has no trouble running alongside them. He glances around as they arrive, eyes narrowing a bit. "We are far from being alone here," he says as he looks to Taiki. "The chakra here is immense, one enough to even give me a run for my money and the other at least around Jounin level. The presence is full of malicious intent. I might suggest preparation, though keep in mind, if they've a Sensor on their side as well, they will be alerted so be ready for anything."
Hiei turns towards Usagi. "Nara Hito, Nara Satomi, and Nara Kaito. I've met the first one, and had the pleasure of working with the last two. Satomi-san was my mentor while I was a diplomat in Konoha. And Kaito-san and I worked the same case in international waters. Took down a pirate ring." He nods at Shuuren-clone. "Got it." Hiei slows down and begins to prepare his body for battle.
Usagi nods to Hiei as he speaks, then smirks softly. She doesn't say much else at that point, though as they approach the area they're going to be saying 'hello' in, she nods at the prognosis they're given, and takes a deep breath. She narrows her eyes a bit and nods before saying "Understood" She places a hand on her right hip, as if waiting for something as she seems to get lower down. "Need some reconnisance first?"
Kuiken hops from Hiei's back as the team nears their destination. He still has an air of caution about him and remains close to the Chuunin while quickly examining his armored fists in preperation of battle. He lets the others take lead and readies himself to act at a moments notice.
Before the group makes the clearing, a very loud sound pretty much bursts from the area ahead. It sounds, for those that have come across it before, like the sounds of puppets falling apart, rather violently. The local wildlife evacuates the area quickly. Taiki and company sniff the air, channeling chakra into their noses. "I don't smell humans… or at least not present. There's definite traces of human smells, but they're old, like an old trail. I do smell birds though, and not just the ones that just fled. These smell like homing pigeons. I would recommend proceeding with caution, for I have no idea what could have made that sound. Keep your eyes open."
You paged Shuuren with 'The sense of the two mid-jounin power sources dropped off completely when that sound was heard.'
Shuuren blinks a few times at the sound, eyes narrowing before he closes them. "Two of the presences just fled or vanished somehow. I've never seen someone good enough to mask their presence from me, so I'm guessing they're actually gone." With that, he looks up, eyes moving toward where the massive amount of chakra still exists. "The big one's still here, though. If it's not something living or not human, that brings some concern. We could be walking straight toward a chakra bomb on the nuclear level… Be careful."
Hiei increases his chakra levels, but there's no outward indication unless you can sense it. He's ready to act, though he doesn't draw any of his weapons for the moment. He's not entirely sure what he's dealing with. "Chakra bombs, huh? Highly skilled jutsu. Yeah…sounds about right." Hiei was excited at the prospect. Anyone who knew him knew that he was thrill seeker. "This is your show. I'll follow your lead."
Remembering Shuuren's words from earlier, Kuiken takes a defensive posture. "I will not act hastily…" Being the most inexperienced of the bunch, he moves closer to the center of the group and tries to prepare for whatever comes next.
As the group finally makes it to the edge of the clearing, Taiki calls a halt. In front of them is an old, deserted-looking cabin, in front of which are two piles of wood, with each piece being different sizes and shapes. For the experienced shinobi, they look for all the world like piles of dismantled puppets. Furthermore, they appear recently dismantled, but how could that be. "I don't like this, everyone be careful," he says, fully meaning Usagi as she begins to disappear. "Hiei, take Kuiken and look around the edges of the clearing. I'd rather you not endanger the genin, and you can go get help if things turn south." As the Kumo contingent does just that, Taiki starts moving very slowly forward, with his ninken bracketing him.
"Yeah, try not to get yourself fried. That wouldn't be pleasant to report back to Ogo," Shuuren says with a slight smirk as he glance to Hiei, grabbing a small box containing a red pill as they walk, opening it to pop the pill into his mouth. Suddenly, his muscle mass would increase by an extreme degree, his clothes apparently made of something able to stretch with this transformation as they seem to seamlessly adapt to fit his newly Adonis-like form. Well, Ato had to get the way he is somehow… As they arrive, he surveys the area quickly, eyes narrowing as he starts to mentally label and count objects. "There are quite a few traps in this area. If we're not careful, we could blow up whatever's inside before we figure out what it is."
Usagi furrows her brow as she looks out amongst the plains, sighing softly. "Well, there goes that idea…" She seems to be looking at the traps all over the place, shaking her head. "Can anyone fly, are we going to have to tiptoe, or are we going to try and run fast enough to outrun explosions?" The last one's more sarcastic than anything else, but she hmms. "Or we can set them off from here….you said there's no human scents left"
Indeed, now that a closer look has been taken, this place looks like a veritable fortress in mines. Explosive tag seals are everywhere, cluttering the landscape in seemingly random ways. Taiki, being somewhat an expert on seals, recognizes something. "There's a way across. But it's tricky…" he draws back for a moment to draw up plans and then says, "There's a control seal on the window to the right of the door. If you channel chakra into it, it will deactivate the other seals, probably temporarily, but it should be long enough for us to get across. Who wants to risk it?"
Continuing to survey as the other two do, Shuuren ponders a bit while looking things over. "I could probably reach it, but I don't think this clone form would make it through an explosion. If either of you have jutsu that can reach it better without actually walking over there, we should probably go that route." With that, he'd wait for one of them to pipe up.
"That'd be me, then…" Usagi nods and takes a slow breath. She takes a seat there where she is cross legged, her hands forming a few seals before settling in on the rat, as a thin shadow starts to stretch away from her. "Taiki, be ready to grab me when the minefield's deactivated" With that, she starts to focus as the little line begins to zig and zag through the fields to get to the shelf.
It takes several minutes of concentration, and even a close call where sweat broke out on the young chuunin's forehead, but Usagi manages to slip her shadow to where the control seal is. She flips her handsign to something else considerably different, and the shadow on the windowsill actually rises up and presses down on the seal, giving it chakra and a physical presence. Usagi takes a slow breath and stands, her hands staying locked in position. "Taiki, I can maintain concentration better if you, Shinobu, or Nozomi carry me, but I can make do if I need to" Not once does she look away from her task at this point, though.
Taiki notices the shadows reach across and trigger the seal. "That's one way of doing it. Don't worry, Nozomi has you," Taiki says as he motions Nozomi forward to slide under Usagi. They've done this enough to ensure that the dog doesn't break the shadow chain. Once she is secure, Taiki motions everyone forward toward the door. Taiki takes a moment to inspect it before opening the door for everyone to pile in before Usagi lets the shadows go.
Waiting as the door is opening, Shuuren would be silent for a bit before darting for the door once the signal is given. Once inside, he'd quickly survey the area, sensing around for the chakra source to try to pinpoint its exact location to try to discovery what sort or creature or object could be emitting it.
Hiei returns from patrol without Kuiken, having sent the genin back to Kumogakure after deeming this mission way too harsh for the younger shinobi. He watches as Usagi performs her shadow jutsu, noting mentally that it was one of the techniques he saw Satomi perform on more than one occasion. When the signal is given, he also darts for the door. After going inside he comments to Usagi. "Nice work." He then focuses his attention on watching the backs of the other shinobi. He still didn't exactly know what they were looking for, but that's never stopped him before.
For the duration of the ride Nozomi gives her, Usagi stays as still as one in her position really could, only her hips and legs shifting to keep her balanced until they reach the door. As Taiki signals and Nozomi carries her in, she sighs and drops the handsign once they're all safe. She takes a few deep breaths as she gives Nozomi a few pets in thanks. She mutters something softly, but grins as she does so befoee turning to look around the room/house they find themselves in. "Think this is going to turn out like Squad 6's first, Taiki?"
Naru pages: Not sure if it would be to him. I'm thinking it's a general message to left at her home.
<Weather> Water, water, everywhere. Clouds fill the sky, pouring an endless assault of water down upon the world. The sun has managed to get a decent amount of warmth through, the the chill winds negate most of its comforts.
"I hope not," Taiki says as he rushes up to the door. Thankfully there's a tag-free zone around the front door. It's small, so the entire group is very cramped, especially with both nin dogs. Taiki looks up toward the roof, then back at Shinobu. "Head up top, and be ready to break in," he tells his larger ninken partner, who does just that. In the meantime, several seals flare up both on Taiki's hands and Nozomi's paws, giving Taiki a bit of a boost in ways not utilized before.
He checks the door, then frowns slightly as he looks back to the others. "I'm getting inconclusive readings on the door itself. Will you guys also check it out?" It's obvious Taiki is not going to assume the door is not trapped, something that basic survival has taught him over the years.
"The bigger chakra is here, and that door is trapped somehow," Shuuren comments as he continues to look and sense around the area. "Anyone here a tools specialist?" He asks as he tries to inspect the door and around it from his position, eyes narrowing as he ponders on it. No mistakes can be afforded here…
Hiei looks at the door before commenting. "If by tool specialist you mean do I have the ability to kick it off it's hinges? Yes. Otherwise..no. But we can do this…I'll kick the door down and set the trap off. Maybe I can evade it before it gets me, maybe not. But standing here debating it won't get it done." He looks around at the group and shrugs. "Sorry. Short attention span…combined with Yotsuki genetics makes me a bit of a thrill seeker." He flashes a smile, joking a little, but not all that much. Shuuren knows that.
Taiki starts muttering as he traces along the path Shuuren's eyes take, then says, "Sphere it, I hate trap artists. I really, really despise them. And could they use something I could actually try to break down like seals? Oh no… of course not, that would be too /conveinient/." He then sighs and shakes his head again before moving his gaze along the ground to where Usagi is standing. "You know, the window looks relatively clear, except for that seal she's holding. I wonder…" He then looks to Shuuren and asks, "You're an inventor, why don't you work on that mechanical monstrosity while I see if there's a way to divert that seal so we can go in through the window without killing us all in the process?" He then starts to walk along the narrow 'walkway' to the window to take a closer look at the seal.
"If you kick it down, whatever's in that trap could kill all of us in a matter of minutes, not enough time to find a cure," Shuuren says as he looks the mechanism over, giving Taiki a nod before continuing to inspect it. "It's built to only be disassembled from the inside. You're going to have to give me a few minutes to work on a way to get rid of this thing without killing us if you don't want this to be your last mission."
Hiei grunts at Shuuren and begins to pace back and forth. His finger taps against his bicep as he stares at the door while moving. "This is ridiculous. Okay, fine. Let's go back outside, let me shoot it with lightning and then we come back in to see what's behind it." He huffs faintly. "It's a freaking door, for crying out loud. When you finally do catch up with this guy? I'm going to cut his heart out." He pauses and then looks around before a sheepish look comes over his face. "Unless that's not what we're doing. Nevermind me. I should have probably eaten more this morning."
The words 'from inside' seem to trigger a reaction from the Nara, as she starts looking at the door again. "…what if I was able to get a shadow inside the door? No door's airtight, and I could work whatever's behind it….'if' we could get a good read on it, and avoid the traps. I'd need help with that last one, though" She seems to be studying it for any obvious, or even some less obvious points of entry.
Taiki smirks a little at Usagi's words, then glances at her. "We need to work on you visual skills. Don't worry, I do too…" he then glances at the window and window pane and blinks. "Well, its apparent that whoever was here, they're not here now, but the door was not likely used for the main entry point," he says, just as Shinobu barks. "They used the roof, and the window as a secondary. They actually have a way to put a pause on the traps so the window can be openned, but it's going to take me a minute or two to figure out how it works…" With that Taiki pulls out a scroll and releases a notebook, then starts to take notes. "Yotsuki-san, why don't you head up top and look at the door Shinobu found, see if its safe to open?"
After inspecting more, Shuuren emits a low 'hmm'. "I think I can get this to open safely. It's going to take me a bit to jam the mechanism so it doesn't go off, though," he says before pulling a bottle of water from his coat and pouring it on the ground to make mud that he would start to pack onto the mechanism to start to make it dead.
Hiei nods at Taiki. "Sure." He crouches and then launches himself skywards, landing on the roof of the cabin with a small thud. He walks over to the door with the nindog beside it and grins at the dog and takes a moment to scratch him behind the ears. "You've got good eyes, man. I never would have found this. Guess that's why it's good to be part of a team, eh?" He then takes a look at the door.
Usagi peers at Taiki for a few moments, then sighs softly and shakes her head. "Yea, well…we'll do that later…" She crouches, looking at the others and sighs. She wasn't too much help at the time being, but in either case, she can do little but wait. And try to pick out things on the door. Which wasn't exactly working out too well for her.
Taiki turns away from the seal work for a moment and nods toward Usagi. "Join Nagamura-san and when he's ready to get in through the door, let me know. I'll be ready to divert the seal momentarily. He then turns back to the seal, and barely realizes he almost made a wrong move before he sighs. "It looks like it will take the same amount of time on this end, he responds to Shuuren. "Yotsuki-san, Shinobu, time your openning of whatever is up there with us," he calls out in a volume he knows Shinobu will hear, depending on him to pass it on.
Shinobu holds still for the skritches and then says, "Taiki says to open this when they do. Though we'll have to get through that lock first." Thing is, the dog is speaking clearly recognizable human tongue…
Continuing to work on the mechanism, Shuuren would pour more water on the ground once in a while to create fresh mud to pack into it, rather generous in the packing since this is pretty much a one-shot thing. "Perfect. I'll let you know when I'm ready," he responds while continuing his work, very precise and tedious in being sure it's done perfectly.
Hiei looks over at Shinobu. "Here goes nothing." He curls his hand around the lock and squeezes as he applies pressure. The locking mechanism is crushed and it pops loose. However, he doesn't open the door yet. And it's a good thing since Taiki wants them opened at the same time. He looks back at Shinobu. "Lock is taken care of, now when Taiki-sama gives the word, we go in this way." He pauses. "You know I usually give Taizen some goat jerky when I see him. We survive this, I've got some in my pack. You can split it with Nozomi."
Usagi hops up onto the roof with him and nods, standing back…at least for now. Let him do that, and she'd be able to slip in if needed, or if she needed to fix him up from an unexpected hiccup. In either case, she nods and takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she waits. Little else to do, and nerves wouldn't aid them here either.
Taiki frowns slightly as he just barely succeeds in re-routing the seals. "That… was not fun. Okay, everyone, on three…" He says as he gets into position. When Shuuren has managed to get ready, he starts a countdown. "One… two… three!" He then throws open the window, hoping for the best as he leaps inside.
Finally finishing packing the mechanism, Shuuren would call out, "Ready." With that, he would go to open the door, moving it carefully so as not to disturb the packed earth and set off the mechanism anyway after all the work. As it moves, he would starts to search through his chakra sense again to try to find the source of this massive chakra now that they entering the building.
Hiei waited until the word three before he opens the door on the roof and drops down into the building. When he hits the floor, he stays in a crouch, just in case. He takes a good look around while Shuuren tries to lock down the large chakra signature. "Everyone alright?" He asks of his companions.
Usagi on the other hand, does something different. As she slips in the upper door, she plants her feet on the ceiling, slips her torso in and standing upside down on the roof. Not many people (hopefully) think to trap there, so here she is for the time being, watching and looking around again to see if she could find anything out of place, or anything that would be causing harm to them as well. Her cloak had shifted on when she entered the home, hopefully to keep out of sight if there 'were' any nasty surprises.
As various people enter from various places, the cabin turns out to be mainly one large room, empty save for a few distinguishing things. First, ink stains are scattered all over the floor, evidence of a great amount of writing and seal work. Secondly, a large amount of white feathers also litter the floor, evidence of some kind of birds that have made this place home, but not any more. Finally, there is some kind of dome, or sunken sphere in the middle of the floor. It glows an ominous blue, and pulsates rhythmically. It looks like the floor is fastened to it, or as if the floor is a part of it. The amount of chakra here is astounding, making itself felt to even non-sensor ninja, and appears to be coming from that dome, which looks like its made of glass, but glass wouldn't be able to hold whatever it is holding. The room itself is lit partly by the light given off by the object there. Otherwise, this place looks as if it were abandoned recently.
Taiki pauses as he sees this, and raises a brow. "Okay… this is interesting…" He moves closer to the object and leans down to look closely at it. What is this?
Shuuren's eyes would narrow as they enter the room, focusing on the dome that is the source of the massive amount of chakra in this room. "Don't touch that thing," he says as he tries to gather information about it using his sensor abilities. "At least until we figure out what it is, we have to consider any contact with it to be extremely volatile. If it's the source of the parasite, I'm not sure I want to know what direct contact with it would do if we're too close when it breaks."
Hiei remains kneeling, having not moved since he dropped in. He blinks at the green orb. "Huh. I can sense that thing. How are our sensor nin not picking this thing up? Must be a distance thing, probably." He looks over at the Shuuren clone and asks. "So this is what's causing that whole ordeal. I guess you medinin want to study it, right? Why not just secure the area, now that the defenses have been dealt with, and bring the rest of your team in to properly access this thing?"
Usagi remains on the ceiling for now, furrowing her brow as she straightens up and the cloak disperses. She looks at the….thing….for lack of a better term, and furrows her brow a bit as she does so. "That….is not something I'd want to exactly mess with right now…" She takes a slow breath and peers at it, glancing at the others. "How are we going to secure the area? It's technically already done. The only people that can approach are the ones who can trip the seal for the traps"
Taiki looks back to Shuuren and shrugs. "I wasn't about to touch it, not without knowing what it is or if its safe. I mean, this thing is glowing like the charka parasite bottle does back in Konoha. And we have nothing to contain it with at this time." He then looks back to Hiei and shakes his head. "First, I doubt we have the tools to properly examine this thing here. And the proper resources to do a thorough job aren't exactly mobile. That means we'll have to remove it. But how, without endangering everyone. Is it even safe to touch, and if it isn't, how do we move it? After all, we theorized that someone controls the parasite remotely, and that sending a chakra message directly to the parasite would stop it, but how without contracting the parasite was the problem. At this point, is the visual evidence merely superficial, or have we found something important for that operation. Either way, I can guarantee that whoever left this here will be back for it, the smells are far too strong for them to have been gone long. Best option would be to take it somewhere secure…"
Continuing to examine the object, Shuuren would emit a low 'hmm'. "I'm fairly certain this thing is triggered to self-destruct if we touch it. We're going to need to move it with another method, probably knock the roof and walls down around it so they don't touch it then either dig it out or have a skilled Earth Manipulator pick it up under the foundation and transport it to a quarantine lab. Either that or we need to take them down, sanitize, and set up our lab around it in this same spot."
Usagi crosses her arms and sighs, nodding to Shuuren. She takes a few steps back at the words to make sure she doesn't set it off, dropping to the ground and crouching. "that's….going to make things interesting" She hmms again, then shakes her head. "Give me about 30 minutes, I might be able to come up with something, but not really with what we have on hand"
Taiki looks about at everyone, then nods to Shuuren. "Okay, so we can't move it by touching it. I'm not a scroll master, so I can't seal it in a scroll to take it away. None of my commercially bought scrolls are made for something like this. My work in seals is primarily energy-based after all…"
He then sighs and says, "So it needs to be moved, and we need to dig the thing up. My guess is that we'll have to utilize the floor its attached to, dig around it, and carry it away. One thing is for certain, we can't keep it here." He looks toward the ceiling entrance that Shinobu and Hiei came in through. "I would feel better if we had this thing far away from here. As I said earlier, this kind of thing isn't something that I'm willing to bet someone would leave behind for long. Unless we put an army here, we're vulnerable. I say we dig it up, take it to either Kumo or Konoha, and look at it there. Thoughts?"
"I am a Scroll Master myself, so we have that part covered," Shuuren comments as he looks over to Taiki. "However, we're going to need to dig it up still before we can transport it. Once that's done, I'll seal it in a scroll… So who wants to start taking this place apart then dig out around it?" He actually has to sort of stand back a bit here. If something happens to this clone, it'd could be a while before Shuuren gets another to this spot to seal the object.
Hiei shrugs. "I can level this entire building. But I think something a little more precise is needed here." He performs a series of handseals before his opens his palm where a lightning disc appears and begins spinning. "I can cut around it without actually touching it. Other than that, I have nothing to offer. Hiroyasu is probably the only local earth manipulator that can get this done the way you need to." He motions to the disc. "This is an improvisation."
Usagi blinks at Shuuren briefly as she hears his plan, then looks around. "Well…that's difficult. We don't know how deep it goes, or how far out would be wise to do it…" she's still studying it, though Shuuren definitely looks like he's got things going on. "Well…I'm not much of a digger…"
Taiki looks around for a moment, then nods. "Okay, digging is something we can do," he says as he concentrates lightning chakra into his claws, extending them out a good three inches. "Between Hiei and myself, we can probably clear the building around us without endangering anyone here,
Taiki looks around for a moment, then nods. "Okay, digging is something we can do," he says as he concentrates lightning chakra into his claws, extending them out a good three inches. "Between Shinobu, Nozomi, and myself, we can probably clear the building around us without endangering anyone here by blowing the debris of this place well beyond the blast zone. Not to mention I short circuited the tags outside. Yotsuki-san can then cut out the floor while we dig underneath to provide stable platform, while Usagi lifts it up so Nagamura-san can put his scrolls underneath it. Then, once Usagi sets the entire thing down, it can be sealed and we can get out of here. Let's get this done." With that, assuming there's no objections, Taiki and his partners get to work.
Taiki grins and with evryone's approval, gets to work. The cabin is blown outward by the force of two raitsugas and an aquatsuga, showering the area in wood and debris. Once that is done, Hiei cuts a circle around the orb, and Taiki and Shinobu dig under it using lightning claws. Once that is done, Usagi lifts the entire thing out to set it on the scroll for Shuuren to seal. Once it is sealed by Shuuren, Taiki looks around and says, "Okay, let's get this thing somewhere safe where we can figure out if it has somethign to do with that parasite. If it is, we can then turn this thing to our advantage…" With that, the team heads out.
