Starring:
Date: October 30, 2011
Summary:
A sting plan is in place for slave trade that has recently found grounds in Sunagakure and has been traced back to San Sara Durata. Itami, along with Keiji and Konsatsu, work together to put a halt to this slave trading by becoming nuissances to the plan. Their first strike takes place in the desert where they interrupt a caravan of stolen women from entering San Sara.
"Sting Operation - Caravan"
Desert of Knives
The Desert of Knives wasn't a place where the average person tread. It was named such for a reason and it wasn't uncommon for someone to suffer to a knife or two out here. Recently, it's gained Suna's attention since there was recently a bust in the village for slave trading. Information gathered by the individuals says that there's a caravan headed towards San Sara and in it, a number of women to be used in shows, servants or other 'professions' that they may perform well in.
With this info, Itami gathered up a small team to pretty much take out those that were involved in the caravan and have it sent back to Suna. Additionally, she wanted to rescue any others that were stolen from Sunagakure and return them home. She couldn't say much for women of other villages. She knows slave trade won't stop, but she doesn't have the power to stop it at the moment. Perhaps later.
Keiji was seated on the side of a sand dune. "So what exactly is the mission. Take down the guards and free the people?" he asks. He was making sure that there were no misconceptions about the mission. "Also, did you get any intel on how many shinobi they might have or special weapons?" he says as his eyes scan over towards his brother. He would be interested to see him in action.
Konsatsu was crouched low near the same sand dune as his brother, black eyes focused on the open area ahead as they tried to peer through the darkness of the night and his clan's weapon clenched tightly in each hand. The hood of his cloak, was currently resting against his back as he usually only wears it up in the day. When Keiji began to speak, he peeked an interest in the questions asked, somewhat curious himself as to what is to be expected from this mission. An assassin in training, he can only hope for one such outcome.
Itami, hiding behind the dune along with them peered around at the landscape. "We're doing both. We're freeing people and causing as much damage as possible." She explained quite plainly. "There are no shinobi with special weapons, though some do take refuge here…to answer your question Keiji." She starts. "These are just low down thieves, murderers and other kinds of criminals. They have, at most, weapons suited to their needs, but nothing exceptional." She seemed angered while she spoke. "You're free to do what you must in order to free the hostages. I hate that this place even exists in the Land of Wind. An asylum for these people to escape from the law in Sunagakure. Pitiful." She huffs. "Keep on the lookout. That caravan should be near here."
Keiji glanced over the dune. It was a quick glance. He more or less scanned back to listen to Itami. He clicked his pincered fingers together as he waited. The calm before the storm. This part was the real trial. Patience was so much harder than actually fighting.
With the other two talking back and forth, Konsatsu was lucky enough to spot a caravan approaching off in the distance. "They come from the west." With that the boy began to sink into the ground beneath him as if the sand itself was pulling him within. Hearing what it was Itami wanted from the brothers, he didn't feel the need to wait anymore and began his silent approach on his own. Were he spotted by the caravan it would be his own fault, otherwise the surprise will be to his benefit.
"From the west…" Itami looked in the direction and spotted the caravan. As Konsatsu began to disappear she said, "Alright, time to follow his lead. We're going to assault the caravan and rescue those inside." She explains. "Try to keep the caravan intact. We'll be using it to send the rescued back to Sunagakure." Without much more to say, she began to sink into the sand and approach the caravan from beneath.
It was guarded on three sides. One person on the left, right, and back. Inside, there were two more guards who were ready to take lives should they be interrupted.
Keiji was surprised that Konsatsu had spotted the caravan. A little more so when he up and left to attack it. "Not bad." the boy states before nodding and sinking into the sand himself. The way he moved, he was attemping to hit the caravan from behind.
Konsatsu continued his slow approach toward the caravan, moving in an intercept course to reach them before they pass. His current target was the one that would walk above him first. Until they reached, he prepared his next move by grabbing a vial tucked away within a pouch, retrieving it and coating his weapons with the substance. Now ready, he could sense the slaver moving above letting Konsatsu now it was time. The boy rose from the ground and in a single movement went to stab his pincers in an attempt to incapacitate if not do more.
Likened to scorpions, the two move quietly, ready to strike their targets. The caravan and guards are unsuspecting of what is coming for them, so when a guard is stricken by one of the venomous pincers, he raised his foot, grabbing it in his hand to inspect the damage. He'd been hit by something. A snake? But what kind of snake bites from below? No, this was something different. Before he could open his mouth to speak, he felt his body begin to seize up from the poison that entered into his wound.
Try as he may, his words couldn't come out, only exiting his mouth as a mash of growls and chokes of various kinds. He'd stumble along, falling against the caravan before taking to the ground and suffering a wheel running over his body.
The caravan began to draw to a stop upon hitting something so hard so that an inspection could be run. The coach looked to either side of the caravan to determine which part was hit. To his right, he spotted the body lying beneath it. Pointing it out, he directed one of the guards towards the area.
Before the left hand guard could respond, Itami used earth dive to create a hole beneath the guard and trap him. She then proceeded to take him out while the hole slowly filled with sand. The last guard was still a prime target for attack.
As the last guard moved to look at the body, Keiji's pincer would come up directly into his foot. It was a light wound given the guy's boot, but Keiji made up for it by stabbing him in the side of the throat as he rose up from the ground. Soon the guy would fall over and bleed out. The eyes of the boy scanned around to take in the rest of the situation. That should have been it for the guards. He pondered who would deal with the driver.
With his target taken out and Konsatsu fully emerged from the sand, he glanced around to see how the others faired. One guard was missing and Keiji stood over the lifeless form of another. What was left was the driver, but he wasn't going to deal with it. He was an assassin, not a fighter. Without stealth and surprise there was little for him to do in the means of winning a fight. So with the caravan currently stopped, he simply jumped into the air and landed on top, intent on hanging on for the ride were the driver to make a getaway.
The driver isn't aware that the guards have been defeated at the moment, but the other two inside are suspicious. They peer out of the back of the caravan and see the bleeding body Keiji left behind. One of the guards proceeds up to the coach and tells him to get moving as they were under attack. With a couple snaps of the reins, the horses pulling the caravan would rear up and jerk the wagon in their effort to escape. Itami, slipping from out of her hole watches as the caravan begins to start its get away. "Follow them! They won't get into San Sara! We stop them now!" She calls out as she runs across the sand and makes a jump for the caravan.
As the sound of the horse's reigns being snapped is heard by Keiji, he reaches out and grabs a hold of the side of the wagon. The boy starts climbing towards the top of the wagon. Once there, Keiji would wait for Konsatsu to take out the driver before he tried to deal with the men inside the carvan.
With the caravan suddenly jerking forward, Konsatsu was forced to stab his pincers into the caravan's top to remain in place. It was clear he was going to have to do something about this and once he got his footing moved forward to the unsuspecting coach. Once there, he swung inside and began slicing and stabbing at all that was a threat.
Unfortunately, the guard that spoke to the coach was one of those that would suffer under Konsatsu's claws. Slashed up, he tried to retaliate by attacking the kid, knife aimed to stab him in the neck. The second guard snatched up a woman and held a knife to her neck telling Konsatsu to stand down before he killed her. It was clear that he didn't care for her and that he would do it should his assault continue.
Keiji may have a chance to attack the guard from behind by slipping into the back of the wagon to take him out. Itami, on the other hand was going to make her way to the front and stop the caravan from moving on toward San Sara.
Fortune was on the side of Keiji and he was able to slip in behind the guard and subdue him before the woman suffered any harm. All, but the coach remained and with him remaining as a target, Itami made quick work of him by utilizing a stunning strike before finishing him off quietly with a snap of the neck. Soon after, the reins were grabbed and pulled to bring the caravan to a stop. The first leg of the mission was a success and the captives were spared. The second leg begins when the trade operation will feel the sting of the scorpion brothers and the bite of the lizard.
