Starring:
Tsubaki (emitter), Shuuren, Mika, Daoma
Date: June 2, 2015
Summary:
Shuuren and a small team seek out the Yakuza who have been sabotaging the rebuilding of the Land of Tea and Land of Rivers, saving a young mason’s son in the process.
"The Business of Revenge - Mason Rescue #2"
Land of Tea
With the coming of evening, the time has come for Shuuren and his chosen party to track one of the men slipping purposely defective bricks into what's being used to rebuild parts of the Lands of Tea and Rivers after the catastrophes that brought them to the brink of annihilation. The team selected to bring is very small and specific, but will be quite effective in pulling off this task in his mind. Daoma, the powerhouse, is quite good at dispatching pesky enemies. Mika, while a bit unfamiliar to the Daimyo in some senses since they've only recently met when her parents sent her to him for healing after the tournaments and other violent events in their lands, has a skillset in her disposal that's quite useful for tracking and is apparently at least formidable if one refers to her successes in those events.
At a trading post that is a stop along the way to the Land of Tea, the three would be found waiting for a certain merchant to make his way through. One of the Daimyo's informations has provided them with a picture of the man doing the yakuza's work and his merchantile disguise. All that's left is to follow him back to where he gets them from. The key here is to remain unseen until he gets there. That's where the tracking abilities of Mika and the chakra sensing abilities of the Daimyo himself come in. Between the two methods of keeping tabs on the man, the chances of him getting away from their senses are quite slim. If they are seen, it's quite likely that the man will kill himself before spilling any information, as many yakuza consider death a better option than their bosses knowing they've betrayed them, so remaining undetected until the last moment is extremely important here… but something he feels they can pull off. He's even given up the siganture suit from a black hooded cloak and his black training gear, which signals two things. First that he's devoted to this cause. Second… that this is going to get ugly.
There's a robed figured standing on a rooftop. Its sense of balance is insane as its standing right on the edge as if its solid floor. The figure looks left, then right before digging her feet in, and looking down. It moves to the other side before sitting down, and watching the crowds. While one would think its silly to do something like this, the figure somehow just manages to be graceful enough to stay low to the roof, and almost blend into it while looking. This figure is known as Uesugi Mika. The Hime.
Daoma was wearing something akin to a military uniform with a single pauldron on one side like archers wear, though it sounded funny when you said it the combination was rather sharp and kind of matched Shuuren's outfit as well. The trading post had benches for travellers and customers to sit and have tea as well and that was were Shuuren was. Daoma had gone to get tea and returned with two cups in hand since Mika was apparently not joining them on the ground. She set the cups down though the tea was slightly cool and spoke softly, just enough for Shuuren tohear."The tea is safe." Had she acted as a poison taster?
The man is on the run, on the run, on the run. And he's getting hunted down, hunted down, hunted down. While he knows that he needs to escape, it's not because he realizes he's being followed. The man simply has orders to come back after that last brick was placed, since the bosses are inclined to have his head for not putting more. … Also, they have a VIP (Very Important Prisoner), and they need all the help they can get since the area Daimyo is rather hot on their heels. The man moves silently as he can, only stopping in the most crowded towns at the most crowded inns he can find, if there are any to be had, and he automatically seeks to avoid any who follow his semi-convoluted trail.
As Daoma approaches, Shuuren nods to her, taking the tea and beginning to sip from it. He closes his eyes for a moment as he seems to detect something, that moment almost seeming eternal before he opens his eyes again. "… He's here," he says in a low voice as he glances around casually, seeming to merely be looking around. Under the table, he makes a couple handseals then places his hand on the underside of the table. In the shadows nearby, a small snake appears and burrows into the ground to pop up every so often as it tries to help find the target while Shuuren continues to try and detect it with his chakra senses.
Mika hasn't detected the target yet. She keeps getting distracted by all the people around, and the smell of fish coming from a nearby Fish stand. Yes, she's that easily distracted! As long as Fish is around, The Cat is distracted! And god forbid somebody slips some catnip around….The woman just keeps purring as she looks around a bit…
Daoma nodded, watching SHuuren fr a second as he closed his eyes. The she seemingly tured to watching the crowd with what looked like a spaced out expression on her face… But something caught her eye. Maybe he was moving too fast or not fast enough or he was shadowing someone else, pretending to be part of a group he did not belog to… It was hard to tell but something caught her attetion and he focused her attention without changing the expression on her face.
The man sort of meanders around the town, waiting for a time when it would be afternoon and the most crowded so that he could continue on with his journey, using the crowds to help him out with disguising himself. He constantly picks up random things from tables and sets things down, switching disguises every other minute. It would probably work, too, if it weren't for the fact that he has Shinobi chasing him.
Closing his eyes again, Shuuren tries to feel out the location of their target. The man seems lost among faces for a few moments until he comes out separate again, able to be tracked now due to the Daimyo's sensory abilities. "He's on the move. Let's go," he says, finishing off his tea before standing and beginning to move in the same direction as the target, keeping enough of a distance behind so as not to be seen by him. Hopefully Mika knows how to move down and join them stealthily enough to not be noticed as well…
Mika pauses a moment, and gets a small whiff of mister Target! The woman smiles, and watches as Shuuren gets up. The Cat starts to move along the roof tops, tracking the target as she follows quietly along the roof tops.
Daoma set her tea down and stood as Shuuren did, silently following him. It was much easier to move silently when one did not wear bitsof heavy traditionl armor, this she had found out. She kept her crimson eyes open and ready, scanning the crowd for the man they were following as well.
Unless the Daimyou and his team make a random sudden attack, this cat and mouse game would continue on for quite some time. A few days would pass, the saboteur usually stopping at the more crowded towns to lose those that are trailing him. Each time, they would find the man, no matter whether or not they lost his trail in the villages passed.
Eventually, they reach a town run by the Yakuza. One slip-up could mean revealing their cover. Whether it's appearance or actions, they were in the middle of enemy territory, and they should watch out. Shuuren would likely be able to sense a new chakra signature that he could possibly recognize: it's the son of the mason who was in charge of making bricks, both of them forced to create faulty materials for the sabotaging act.
The days would go on with the three following the man, remaining enough behind that they're not spotted. When at last they make it to the outskirts yakuza town, his eyes narrow upon sensing the chakra signatures of the enemies around and one more… the young man they're here to rescue. A look of disgust crosses the Daimyo's face. While some yakuza aren't so bad or are even good for the towns they run, these men are only greedy bastards intent on rule through fear and force. "… Make sure you spare the civilians… and keep enough of the higher ranking yakuza alive to question… Once we have the boy, the rest die, but remain here until we have him."
His intent stated, Shuuren brings his hands into a seal, creating a Shadow Clone right beside himself, except it appears to be an elderly farmer rather than a copy of the man himself. The clone moves forward into town, moving naturally in its path which just happens to pass by where it feels like the yakuza are holding their new target.
Mika just nods her head a bit, as she continues to stay inside that monk robe. Its hard to see just who it is inside the robe, just that her eyes seem to glow in the darkness of the hood. She looks at Shuuren a bit. "So I can't use anything destructive.", she says. The woman seems to be getting a little tense now. She even has a small little side to side step going…
Daoma kept up easily and even managed to make some passable stew at one point for the group. But as they paused at the Yakua town a shadow crossed her face. She'd been in towns like this before and she loathed them. As a samurai. As a woman. Everytme she felt like going and trashing one of the brothels. Her and was itching for her sword as it was….. Thus her agitation was visible if one looked closely, but a stranger would assume se was just frowning or tired.
Watching the old man clone as he walked awa she peered at Mika for a moment before looking to Shuuren, curious what e wanted her to do… h yes she was here to slice a few heads…. She nodded slowly at keeping a few of them alive. Interrogation for them.
The Yakuza that run this town are pretty strict. Enough that they have a curfew set for the villagers. When Shuuren's clone appears, one of the burlier men exit the house that the boy is kept, calling out, "Hey! It's past curfew! Get back to yer house and /stay/ there until dawn!" He doesn't move too far from the door, hoping his looks (and reputation) would scare the old man into moving quicker than a cat running at catnip. Speaking of catnip, there's some over near that windowsill opposite of where the boy is being held. At the moment, the town is completely empty. Not even the local tavern/bar/brothel is open, though the girls that work there are probably entertaining elsewhere…
The old man would look a bit spooked as he walks by, nodding to the man as he seems to try to rush as best an old man can. Once he gets to a point where he can spot their target toiling away through a window, however, he brings his hands into a seal, and suddenly the very grass around the building would seem to start to attack it as it rises up in large vines intended on painfully restraining every man inside besides the boy they're here to rescue, who it forms a protective cocoon around to keep him safe from anyone who might happen to get lose or try some sort of attack.
Mika tilts her head as she watches the grass grow. "Can you do catnip?", she asks. Mika purrs a little bit, as she starts to stretch out. The woman starts to remove her robe, showing a young atheletic woman…who has bright orange cat like eyes…And a fang coming out of the corner of her lip….
Daoma watched the guard harry the 'old man' with a hit of distaste. When he summoned forth all that flora though she just smirked. And then she moved forward, heading for the guard that had harassed Shuuren's clone, drawing her sword as she moved, it was with great speed that she flipped her blade, aiming tostrike the man on the back of the nck, stun him, and ten she flipped the word again ad cut, looking to damage him enough that he wouldn't want to move but not eough to kill him…. Not yet anyway…
When giant scary plants just suddenly appear in the middle of your house, you're going to make a commotion. The Yakuza are no exception, even if it isn't their home! There's a lot of yelling, especially for axes and fire because THEY NEED THAT BOY!! Especially since they heard that his dad had managed to escape/was freed by some strange people from the Land of Rivers.
People begin to pour out of the other homes, all of them looking very much like Yakuza. Uhh… whatever that looks like. Tattoos? Grumpy faces? Just the lot of them. Yep. And one way or another, they all aim a wide barrage of attacks at the trio who suddenly intruded upon /their/ village.
Daoma is very successful in her attempt to take down Mr. Bodyguard. He wasn't really expecting anyone to attack him, so as he turned to head back into the house, *BONK* and he's almost down. Then a wicked cut in his leg that was deep enough to keep him out of any good fight. The only useful thing he could possibly do is wave his weapon around and hit people that are nearby.
Reaching into his cloak, Shuuren withdraws a golden pill and swallows it, and anyone able to feel chakra would feel a giant pulse as he starts to move forward. almost doesn't seem to notice the attacks coming his way as he steps toward the building almost casually but with purpose. He steps around each attack like stepping over an ant hill as he extends each of his arms out, sending a flurry of large snakes the yakuza coming for them with intent to take them down with the bites enough that they can be carted off. "I can do any plant… but keep that to yourself if you like your ability to speak."
Mika smiles a little bit, before her fangs get a little longer. Her ears get bigger, and her nose flattens. A tail starts to grow out as a little bit of fur seems to appear. Its close to seeing a…werecat? Mika growls a little bit, and runs off into the village before pouncing on Yakuza in a graceful yet painful manner that keeps them alive for now. She takes a few cuts and slashes as she pounces, but until Shuuren says Kill, she'll content herself on pouncing on them…
Daoma looked down a the fallen guard with a hint of satisfaction on her face but did not dawdle long. She moved on to the next and then the next, slashing powerful blows as they rushed her, ignoring whatever weapons they had at that moment. And then she reached out to snag one of the men by the back of his collar. She was a petite woman, but she showed terrifying strength as she turned and flung the larger man at a rushing group of the yakuza, intent on taking down several at a time…. Like bowling. Bowling for pompadours.
While the yakuza all put up a valiant effort, it seems that their enemies are a bit too much to handle. They thought they could overwhelm the trio with sheer numbers, and they though very wrong. Snakes slither and bite and strangle those that were in the house guarding the boy, which means that he's safe and in the Tea Daimyo's custody. Those that are pounced on get the shock of simply being pounced, and it's easy to knock them out or take them down without killing for the … werecat? wearcat? She could act as a hat with all that pouncing!
Daoma's little maneuver sends one man flying into then others. STRIKE! The Yakuza that remain standing total about 10, and they all look very very tempted to.. FLEE!!! As quick as they can, they start trying to rush off. They don't particularly care that it's probably hopeless. They just don't want to be killed or, even worse, captured.
With all those in the house taken care of, Shuuren glances outside, bringing his hands into a seal and sending more vines up from the ground to capture the ones attempting to flee. While normally he might not mind let a few live, letting these guys run and tell their bosses what happened rather than it taking a few days for an envoy to get here and find out is not a tactical mistake he is willing to make. Once the jutsu is cast, he reaches into the pod of vines for the boy to pull him out, saying, "Come. Your father is waiting for you." Within moments something interesting happens… A rather larger caravan fitted to basically be a completely locked down mobile prison rolls up ready to accept all the captured yakuza so that they may be brought back for interrogation.
Mika purrs a bit, and keeps on pouncing, trying to catch those who weren't caught in the Vine Fu. The Kitten is purring loudly as she moves from one target to the next, dragging them back with her. She even bats at one she's trying to pounce on, to get him to move faster. Batbat! Batbat! POUNCE!
Daoma smirked as Shuuren's plants went after those that fled. She herself walked over tothe downed yakuza she had bowled over ad gave them a bloodthirsty look, licking her lips. "You can either tie eachother up… or I can hamstring you all…. " Dropping a length of rope before a few of tem in order for them to tie eachother up. When it came down to one, Doma herself bound him before allowing the caravan to take them into custody. Finally she found Shuure again, peering at the boy before she looked up at te daimyo. "Aything else?"
OMG KILLER PLANTS!!!! Wait, they don't kill, they just trap you and really really hurt! Much better… The Yakuza that get stuck inside all end up trying to commit suicide with hidden weapons that they just always have to have on their person. Whether they're stopped or not is up to the Daimyo who trapped them. The Kitten gets to play quite a lot with these enemies of hers, all of them running like little mice: they know it's futile, but they try anyway. The men that Daoma took down all scramble to get the rope around their ankles and wrists and what-not, a bit scared that they might end up unable to walk like poor Mr. Bodyguard over there…
"That's all," Shuuren says with a nod to Daoma before peering at Mika and quirking an eyebrow. He brings his hands into a seal, creating a Shadow Clone beside himself. "My clone will assist you in getting things wrapped up here. I'm going to reunite him with his father, and then I'll catch up with you on the way back home." With that he'd place a hand on the boy's shoulder and vanish.
