Starring:
Iminari, Akechi, Ayumo, Eri, Jin
Date: November 17, 2012
Summary:
The gang is hired to round up some escaped prisoners. The dangers begin to gradually increase along the way.
"Return to Oz Part 1"
A mountainous range near the Land of Wind but still in the Land of Lightning
A few weeks ago Eri, Ayumo, Kanbei, Jin and Akechi visited a prison to make inspect the fortitude. The prison also had a rowdy guest that the shinobi managed to detain and thwart. However there was a breakout. How the prisoners escaped was a mystery. A mass break out. Some of the most dangerous criminals managed to escape the prison and were heading for neutral territory. Once there it would be impossibly difficult to track them down and much less apprehend them. There were two parts to the mission and thus there were two teams…two and a half rather. The mission was to track down the escapees and then determine the mastermind of the breakout. Thus team A, which could be comprised of Akechi and Ayumo would be charged with tracking down the criminals. Team B would then apprehend and interrogate. Team B would be Eri and Iminari. Jin was team C or rather….Shinobi C. He would interrogate the prisoners once captured one by one to determine the mastermind.
Jin would be leading the mission too. He was just as surprised as the others but he didn't voice it. It time was the dust just before dawn. In a few hours the sun would be up. The setting is a canyon with winding roads and numerous caves. Wildlife could be seen and heard which would require added caution. Ayumo and Akechi would be on a possible trail. There were small flakes of rusted metal presumably from the cufflinks or chains used to bind and restrain prisoners from that prison. Iminari and Eri would be at higher grounds overlooking Ayumo and Akechi. Everyone was equipped with radios and would remain within range so that they could notify each other if necessary. Jin remains the furthest away only able to see Eri and Iminari from his position. As Ayumo and Akechi follow the trail the find that it comes to a stop at the edge of a cliff. There is a good drop that would most assuredly result in death. The real quest begins now.
Akechi would yawn as he held his arm in the brace the young man would take notice to the cuffs and smirked "were on the right trail." After walking on it for a while they reached the edge it is here that it turns into a head scratcher before he notice the hand print after he crouched down. "Those sly bastards, hey Aymou there is a tiny little edge in which one could shimmy on…but I don't think anyone would be that stupid to risk it." During the last part the one handed ninja would be trying just that as he thought he would be in pursuit. "Ayumo there is a lot more room for a ninja to work with I guess."
Ayumo would pull up short at the edge of the cliff. Bow was out, an arrow notched, although there wasn't any draw on it. Looking about, he wouldn't find anything until Akechi pointed it out. Staring, there was a brief war of emotions within him. Could always push Akechi off the cliff edge… but…no. Eri did ask him to let it go… Shaking his head to snap out of such thoughts, he'd frown and look closer, picking up on the comments Akechi said. Arrow put away, bow unstrung and secured to his back, he'd draw a kunai and proceed to walk over the cliff edge. His own vertical surface climbing ability put to use, he'd wave towards where Eri was watching from, before he'd follow along below where Akechi climbed, looking for the entrance to the cave.
Jin grins sitting on a rock with a scroll in his hands. He smiles as he reads the scroll. "Looks like 8 prisoners escaped in total. Most of them are small fry but there are three who are serving life for their crimes. They're described as insidious and irrational." Jin chuckles. "Jirou the Butchar. Known for killing with his bare hands. Likes to target families but has a few shinobi kills under his belt. Says that he's killed 3 genin and two chuunin total." Jin sighs "Ho hum." moving on he finds the second criminal "Kirei was once aspiring to become a Senshi to the Raikage but tried to assassinate the lord after claiming that his skills weren't be taken seriously. It is noted that while Kirei has exceptional swordsmanship the reason he was denied promotion into the royal guard was because of his treatment of his comrades. He would slaughter them for what he considered 'insubordination.'" Jin chuckles and then gasps at the last one. "Kurotsuki also known as 'The Silent Breath' a mass murder notorious in Kusagakure for his use of poisonous exlicers and hallucinating drugs. He was a doctor who abused his position to carryout grotesque experiments on patients." Jin laughs, his radio was on patching the others through.
"You be careful out there. Wouldn't want you to suffer a grisly fate at the hands of these monsters. Especially you two…Akechi-kun and Eri-chan." Jin rises from the rock and moves to keep up with Eri and Iminari.
Once Ayumo and Akechi shimmy across to the stone ledge they'd find before them a dark cavern. Perhaps only Ayumo's sense would pick up the familiar stench coming from the darkness but it was heavily pungent with the smell of iron. Creeping from the darkness they'd find a hand. It just laid there the darkness covered up whoever was attached to the other side. Voices can be heard deeper in the cavern too. It was on Akechi and Ayumo to investigate.
Meanwhile Eri and Iminari would be able to see Akechi and Ayumo. However if the two were to enter the cavern Eri and Iminari would lose sight of them. There is an eerie calm as all goes silent before Eri and Iminari would hear growling and vicious snarls behind them. A small pack of wolves had stumbled upon them. Jin can see the wolves from his location "You two have some playmates. Need a hand?" he grins idly checking his nails for dirt acting as though he couldn't care less. Eri and Iminari wouldn't have time to answer as two wolves made a lunge for each of them. But there was something strange about these wolves. Something Eri and Iminari might notice once they got a closer look.
Akechi would land softly onto the ground below, once there he would notice a hand that appears to not be attached to a body waiting at the entrance. He would wondered over to it and picked it up, "need a 'hand' Ayumo?" laughing at his bad joke he would toss the hand to the side before speaking once more, "got a light in the bow bag of yours?" Akechi would yawn before dropping a scroll into hand before trying to narrow his gaze to see through the thick darkness, "yeah I can't see though this so I guess we have to use our ninja skills…Oh wait! I got this scroll!" he would summon a oil lamp and held it out towards Ayumo "got a spark?" vvvvvvvv
Ayumo would shudder slightly, his senses reaching out immediately picking up… movement. Looking in Eri's and Iminari's direction, he'd immediately call out via the radio. "Those things are gathering chakra… lots of it… careful or they might explode!" The nearer rush from the darkness would have him pull another kunai as the first one was charged. Launching it, it'd be at almost the roof of the cavern before the second one caught up to deflect it in, over Akechi's head and further into the darkness. That aim? The center of… whatever… it was he felt rushing towards them. Of course, the cavern would probably shape the blast and with how he had it set, most likely he blew out the back of it… unless it wasn't that deep, then poor Akechi was probably going to be hit.
Eri doesn't mind as Iminari remains close to her, and adjusts her movements to account for the extra presence by her side. It was hard telling whether or not Jin was following them, but she figured that creepy guy would like to hang back from the group anyways. She makes her way into the caverns but comes to a stop when she loses sight of Akechi and Ayumo. "Now where'd they go…" She blinks when the growls and snarls sound from behind them and frowns to herself. She glances over her shoulder at Jin, about to snap at him for such a dark and carefree attitude with a genin about, when the wolves lunge at them. Her eyes widen and she grabs onto Iminari making a handseal right before the wolves latch into their illusions, which gradually faded away from the wolves' sight. The real Eri and Iminari would be just a few feet away from their original position safe from harm. She looks down at Iminari concerned before glaring at the wolves. She didn't care whether or not they were strange, she just needed to get them under control. While she heard Ayumo's warning she chose not to respond to it for now, focusing on the problem at hand. "Let's calm down puppy dogs..Nice and easy…" Her white aura surrounds her as she gathers her chakra around her. Peering over at Jin she casually mentions "It would make up for the fact that I've saved your life twice now. So quit checking your nails princess and help us get back on track with the mission. Careful, Sharp Shooter said they may go boom." She was a little grumpier than usual, but that could just be because she didn't want any mistakes with Iminari there.
"Mmmnf." Imi squints off in the distances, biting her bottom lip as she starts to look a little squeamish while Jin describes what they were apparently going to apprehend. She had to keep up though, they rushed her through the Academy for a reason! …maybe. So for the sake of safety she puts her listening ears on and before much warning was given, picks up on the incoming wolves, ears inadvertently twitching at the sound of the incoming chakra sources. Of course she had no idea how to properly react. Sort of hand flailing occurs and then, thankfully the other two speak up to warn Eri.
The wolves would soon come in and Iminari prepares to attempt evading, her hands coming together to form a seal but, they simply start to bite at the air. "Um…" She looks to Eri, who apparently saved the day. "This glow.." Imi tries to focus for a second, the hint of her sensing evolution breaking through for a moment as she could've sworn she heard legitimate music coming from Eri for just a split second but… then just the buzz of chakra.
Though without much more she'd tug on Eri's clothing trying to get her to move away from the dogs, "Sorry sempai. I'll keep my ears open from now on but… he's right about that. Their chakra is swelling."
Her right hand comes to her temple and she rubs it a bit, "I also noticed some stitching it wouldn't be out of the question if these things exploded before or… had explosive stuffed in them."
Ayumo and Iminari were on to something. Iminari hit the nail on the head when she guessed that explosives may have been stuffed in to the wolves. However the real question was what sort of explosives. As the chakra swelled up the wolves began to whimper in pain and tremble. The sound of their joints and bones could be heard snapping. Jin peers at this from the distance and inclines his head. "I suggest you two move. Quickly." He places his mask on and gathers chakra. It appears they're pursuit was anticipated. The wolves begin to leak with a black vapor. They explode violently sending the black vapor outward. The explosion sends a tremor throughout the area and Eri and Iminari would have to find a new foot hold if they wanted to escape the explosion and avoid falling to their deaths.
Now where Akechi and Ayumo are concerned there is a bit of excitement heading their way. After AKechi lifted the hand keen eyes would not ninja wire connecting the hand to something in the darkness. Coming out screaming was a man with a horribly disfigured face. It looked as though it had been twisted into a mess of flesh. No eyes or nose and the mouth was off center. Ayumo's explosive trick shot managed to strike the man killing him. He was a prisonerand now he was dead. But he too leaked with the same black vapor and Akechi along with Ayumo would inhale it inevitably. Upon inhaling it they'd find their vision horribly blurred and suffer head pains. After a while their eyes would betray them casting horrific images. But they could hear the sliding of metal against the ground and a sinister laughter. "More insubordinate Kumogakure Shinobi?" A red haired man stands before Akechi and Ayumo. He raises his blade then slices one. The ledge they stood on was cut and would plummet along with them.
Jin avoids entering the range of the black vapor and would try and find another route to take in order to catch Eri and Iminari. "They certainly know how to host a show." Jin then finds his path obstructed by a man with white eyes and dark brown hair. He too was a prisoner. "Indeed we do. And we're just getting started."
Well… Ayumo was not expecting the man to come rushing out after the explosive shot. Hopping back, which slid him down some on the wall once gravity was allowed to pull on him once again, he'd narrow his eyes at the mist. Focusing chakra into his hands, he'd clap them together, the concussive burst disrupting the flow of dark vapors his way, allowing him to not be effected by the sickness that it was. He'd call out, too late, for Akechi to avoid the man lopping off the ledge that Akechi was on. Eyes narrowed, he'd hesitate. The girls were in trouble, per the cries on the radio when dealing with the wolves… and this man definitely was going to be an issue… Ayumo was stuck between a rock and a hard place as it were. He'd hesitate, waiting and watching. If either side needed help, he was at the point he could do so, but helping one left the other without assistance.
Eri glances down at Iminari when she tugs on her clothing before looking back at the wolves, noticing that they were about to burst. "For once Shadow-san is right…come here Shiju." Grabbing Iminari once again she flickers away to a safe foothold away from the explosion using herself to shield the genin. Eri grimaces to herself for a moment, she couldn't get far enough away to avoid the blast completely, so that stung a little bit. At least Iminari didn't seem to be affected, and they did manage to find somewhere else to stand. Straightening up she blinks as the strange vapor seems to pour into the area, and covers her mouth in an attempt to keep some of the fumes from getting into her system. She looks over at Iminari opening her mouth long enough to get an order out to Iminari "Shiju use your wind jutsu, it'll keep the vapors away." With that said she covers her mouth again waiting to see how Iminari would do with what she was told.
To Be Continued…..
