Starring:
Kaneko (emitter), Juudai, Hiei, Nendo, Mitsue, Kioko, Hotaru, Akio (co-emitter)
Date: January 3, 2016
Summary:
Juudai leads a team against the Murasame compound to finally get back two of her genin.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"The Iron Caged - The End of the Beginning"
Land of Earth
Previously on … NMR:
After traveling for about two hours, Juudai managed to lead her fellow Iwagakureans to an area that seemed to be the base of their enemy, but they were running a bit short on troops for them to attack safely. Thinking quickly, she sent Nendo and Mitsue back to the village for backup.
In the Murasame hideout, everyone was getting ready for a big fight. *cue sounds of shouting* They layered their fortress with pillows and other protections to keep Iwa-troops from noticing their presence, but it's only a matter of time before they're discovered.
The Murasame have yet to be driven out, Akio and Kaneko are still not rescued, and Hotaru is getting restless by the minute. Will Iwagakure succeed in taking back their genin? Stay tuned to find out!
*epic opening sequence*
Zora can't help but wonder if he's going to end up dead before they even assault the base. That cut from Hiei was nasty, what with it slicing his arm off. The teen is pale from blood loss, and he's probably just going to get in the way of any fighting. Even more unfortunate is the fact that he couldn't possibly head back to the village, so he's just going to be deadweight or dead meat.
COMBAT: Juudai focuses 7681 stamina to turn it into 10150 usable chakra!
RP: Juudai transforms into BAKUTON-II.
RPCOMBAT: Juudai defends against with a PERCEPTION-II…48
As they arrive at said area, Juudai starts around the area seeming to glance around for the possible base and ways into it. She gently increases her mana capacity and flow to her mind as the area around her body seems to start to spark with electricity as she looks around, "Spread out, I want to find this base quickly and then we will remove this thorn in our side once and for all." Even as she looks around, she points to Hiei, "Take the far end of tis area opposite of me." SHe then points at Hotaru and Kioko, "You two, join him." She then nods to Nendo and Mitsue, "You two are with me."
COMBAT: Hiei focuses 3390 stamina to turn it into 5000 usable chakra!
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a MASTERED-PERCEPTION…67
Hiei isn't a good enough actor to even look sorry that he cut Zora's arm off at the elbow. Having sent Snake Eyes away to a safe distance, he had been spending his time combing over the area carefully, looking for an entrance. He nods at Juudai. "I got it." Seasoned eyes continue to scour the area in front of him, looking for small things that most people might not notice. While he's searching, lightning begins to spark and flow around his body as he prepares himself for combat.
RP: Kioko transforms into HIVE-MIND.
RPCOMBAT: Kioko defends against with a BEE-SENSES…47
Moving along with the group, Kioko sort of wonders why they're being joined by the Raikage. Is Juudai trying to drum up some sort of alliance perhaps? Whatever the case, best just to follow orders for now and wonder about that later. Having her orders to move along with the very person whose presence she is curious about, the Kamizuru nods in acknowledgement of her orders then turns to face Hiei. "Raikage-sama, I can send out a patrol of my insects to try and find the location without us having to physically move and alert anyone."
That said, the Kamizuru does just that, sending out a swarm of insects that seem to come from behind her hair at her neck somehow to spread out in various directions to try and find their target.
COMBAT: Hotaru focuses 4705 stamina to turn it into 6000 usable chakra!
RP: Hotaru transforms into LINES-OF-CONFLICT.
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a CHAKRA-SENSING-TECHNIQUE…54
Hotaru was unable to find the the that slight tug of chakra that she had previously thought she found. It was just another dead end. That dead end caused the lizard to circle the area once before returning to to the search party. "Still nothing…" Hotaru would say with a growl. "Still… Can't find anything!" She was at wits end. Time was at a premium right now, and time could not be bought with money. She hissed as her tail flicked. "I have a feeling they are underground. Of course they are underground." At Juudai's command, she is aired with Kioko and Hiei. If she were any dumber she would likely have uttered that she would never forgive either Nendo or Hiei if she was not the one to save Kaneko. "I guess I serve you for the time being." She would stand straight and tall and roll her shoulders. "So, what are your orders?" She asks Hiei. She never stops pinging. She'll be tired before they even find anyone at this rate. Poor girl was neurotic over this mission.
Nendo wasn't far behind the group though he was exercising the same level of enthusiasm as he did before heading back for reinforcements. It was a little saddening to see that there wasn't much in the way of reinforcements able to leave the village however. With his hands in his pockets, the Toujitakumi followed along with their Kage's orders and… followed her lead. While he looked like he was just strolling about however, the Toujitakumi actually was trying a bit of light perception by sending pulses of his chakra out into the ground so he could try sensing whatever might be moving or lurking beneath the surface. Gloved hands tucked into the pockets of the teen's cargo pants, Nendo made most of his efforts focus on ensuring that he did two things… followed Juudai's lead, and didn't lose Mitsue in the tall grass. "So what exactly is the plan as far as entry goes? sneaking in, or causing a lot of noise while you and Hiei sneak in?" Nendo questioned while looking to the Tsuchikage for answers.
Whew, that was one fast trip to the village and back! Luckily they survived fairly well and returned without issue. Besides the whole 'there are no reinforcements available.' Bah. Once they met back up with the group Mitsue listened to what was going on and the orders that were handed down. When he was told to be with Juudai the young Gansao nodeed in understanding and prepared to follow after the Kage, keeping his violet eyes open for anything that might hint at danger.
Zora slumps uselessly on the ground, holding his arm. The reinforcements that came back to the area with Nendo also had a few medics in their corps, so a few of them tended to his arm if allowed. It might take a while, but they think his arm could be saved… Maybe. If it is saved, he'll have an interesting scar to show for it, and the arm won't be as functional as it once was. Of course, now that pain isn't really clouding his judgement anymore (Whoo, pain meds!), he has the sense to look around. "Hmph…" he mutters, staring at the area. He wonders how the group of Iwa-nin plus Hiei would fare against the Murasame group. He remembered they were pretty strong… And numerous… Was he on the wrong side?
RPCOMBAT: Juudai defends against with a PERCEPTION-II…51
Looking around at the group, Juudai hmms even as she starts looking at various spots. THe place just seems far too ordinary. It's like something were purposefully set up to look as plain as possible. Nature doesn't look ordinary. Rarely is it what you expect. She then gestures around, "Spread out and find the entrance." She nods her head to Nendo and Mitsue, "Good job, bringing who you could." She then looks forward, "We will be entering loud and once inside we will be moving quickly. They will not so quickly kill the two we are after. They aren't suicidal, they want to survive this. They want to win. We will need to hit them hard and fast if we hope to get to the prisoners before they do." She then looks to Nendo, "Have you done any training at all in stealth?" She then glances to Mitsue.
COMBAT: Seer focuses 7166 stamina to turn it into 8000 usable chakra!
Hiei continues to move about the area he's in. He's silent, and completely focused on his task. He cants his head to the side as his eyes narrow. He moves very carefully over to where a large boulder sits and stares at it. Now he knew boulders like the back of his hand, and something about this one didn't look right. He kneels down, careful not to touch anything. He shifts slightly to look at the area around the rock and finds a tag with a seal on it. A complicated looking seal. Now, having no education in seals whatsoever, he figures he had better bring this to the attention of someone who might know better. "Yo, Juudai. I've got something here!" He raises his hand and waves her over.
After hearing the plan, he figures they might need a little extra muscle, so to speak. He forms rapid handseals before biting his thumb and slamming his hand to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu." There is a poof of white smoke and a large white goat is standing there. The goat looks up at Hiei. "Hi, Hiei. What do you need?" Hiei replies. "Got a situation here. Might need your help in looking after some of the genin." Seer takes a moment to look around. "We're not in the Land of Lightning are we?" Hiei shakes his head. "Land of Earth. That lady there is the Tsuchikage." Seer looks at Juudai and dips his large head. "Alright, well, I should introduce myself…"
RPCOMBAT: Kioko defends against with a BEE-SENSES…53
Closing her eyes to communicate with her insects, Kioko emits a low 'hmm'. "There are some people nearby… The scent is very faint like they're trying pretty hard to cloak it, but it's there," she says as she opens her eyes and follows along behind Hiei. When he starts making handsigns, she cants her head slightly then quirks an eyebrow at the appearance of a goat. That's an interesting summon creature. Still, no time to wonder about that. She continues to use her insects to try and gather more information so they maybe they can figure out the exact location of the hideout's entrance.
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a CHAKRA-SENSING-TECHNIQUE…40
Hotaru seemed to run around quite a bit, especially after Kioko's proclamation. Did she find something? Did she? "Come on, Com on! Don't dawdle! Let's go… Goat?" She would pause a moment as the Raikage of Kumogakure summons the most underwhelming summoning creature she bets exists. "Now is -not- the time to have a snack, my friends lives are at risk…" She says with an unpleased expression. She bites her lip as she looks over to Kioko once more. Hotaru's patience is wearing thin, she even walks up to Kioko and tugs her arm a little, eyes furrowed. "No time for introductions…" She taps her foot, "Kioko-san, show me where!" She gives very few rings about the goat, and doesn't care about the disrespect. She'll deal with the reprecussions later. There is only one thing on her mind after all.
She nearly misses that there was a small blip of chakra that runs almost under her radar, that causes her to stop acting rather crazed. She would drop Kioko's arm and suddenly walk over to a tree, dropping on all fours and bringing her nose towards a tree that was below the one with the tag Hiei found, but a little to the left. "Chakra is actively running through here. I can feel it."
RPCOMBAT: Nendo defends against with a TREMOR-SENSE…35
COMBAT: Nendo focuses 4848 stamina to turn it into 6500 usable chakra!
Nendo nodded along with her explanation and slipped his hands from in his pockets to begin dragging the gloves from his hands since it seemed he'd need to get serious. Tucking those gloves away into his pockets, the Toujitakumi would take a moment while he moved a bit of a distance from Juudai to continue his sensing and yet, remained in earshot so he could hear what she was saying to him. A few hand seals and the Toujitakumi was letting his chakra grow more volatile in his pathways with each passing moment. That question however had the Toujitakumi raising a brow slightly. "I'm always stealthy when I need to be. I've gotten better at it these days so I can keep Mitsue out of trouble if he wants to conserve his chakra for now." Nendo offered while channeling a bit of chakra into his feet to send out another curious pulse of chakra into the ground. "Nope, nothing. Looks like this perception gig's just a dead end for me; I could probably nuke the area and see what's left, would work better."
COMBAT: Mitsue focuses 2596 stamina to turn it into 3000 usable chakra!
Stealth? Well now that's a tricky subject…more because he's been working on finding ways to not die rather than to not be found. He was done hiding from people after all! At least as much as he could be. He gives a slow shake of his head while he just silently prepares his own chakra, wondering if he's going to be more of a drag on this mission than a help. ~I can remain out here,~ he offers to the Tsuchikage and Nendo via his genjutsu.
Down below the walls were being covered in more things to keep them hidden, and all of their movements underneath undiscovered. There were people moving here and there, but the biggest group was moving down this single tunnel. What seemed to be the entrance is where around fifty Murasame were still doing there thing right there. Barricade and setups to help slow down the assault. Soon a fight would be on them, and the first place to protect would be the entrance. Of course knowing there could be other entrances forced in a few Murasame scattered.
Juudai and Kioko might start to realize something: the tags were arranged to form part of a regular pentagon. Which meant that they were missing a few. While the Iwa-nin continued to hunt for the entrance, the camera shifted back to the underground world. …
Murasame Koji helped direct some of the others in his group to the entrance to help barricade things. He also reinforced the blockade with metal bindings before he turned to check on the others. The ground was padded with a lot of padded materials to prevent any movements from being detected. "Check on the prisoners," he tells a nearby guard. "I don't trust Tetsui that much… He's growing soft."
Looking at the seal, Juudai glances back at Mitsue and Nendo, "You will both be coming inside but apparently stealth is a skill set that both of you need to work on." She hten looks forward and shakes her head, "Find these seals." She looks to Hotaru and then Hiei, "We need five tags!" She then gestures with a hand where Hotaru is and then where HIei is then where she is. S he considers and then gestures to two more areas, "Look around there. Once you have found them, we'll have to remove them all at once. All five! Be prepared, those who remove these tags will be subject to a trap but the entrance will be opened."
Hiei hmms. "Five seals." He rubs his neck slightly. He was getting antsy. He had already put himself in 'action' mode and the adrenaline rush was casuing him to twitch a little. "What happened to the days when the bad guys just had a fortress in the mountains or something?" He stands beside the one he's already found. "Well, I've got this one, unless you want me to give this one to someone else and go find another…"
Seer seems taken aback slightly by Hotaru's comment. "Humans are so rude." He comments as he goes to find some grass to eat. He eats when he gets nervous. "I'm not lunch…"
Feeling her arm being tugged on, Kioko peers over at Hotaru and says, "I'm searching as we speak. Calm yourself. Impatience can get your friends killed in a situation like this." She closes her eyes again for a moment then turns and moves closer to where a large boulder is. "There's another over here," she says, calls then stands still while still using her bees to try and help locate the others. She'll have to pull one down, so she'll just stay here, even though it's possible the most dangerous one to be beside, considering this boulder could likely be blocking the entrance to the hideout.
COMBAT: Hotaru focuses 1525 stamina to turn it into 2000 usable chakra!
Hotaru's nose follows her up to another tag, which must have been the source of the chakra. "Five tags… This must be one…" Hotaru would look over to Juudai and restrain herself from saying something loud. After all, she doesn't want to seem as terrible in stealth as Nendo and Mitsue seem to be. Sliding her hand up the trunk, she peeks around the tree to make sure she knows when everyone else is going tp pull. "On your mark, Juudai-sama…"
Nendo moved off to one of the designated areas while forming a few hand seals for good measure and searched around for a tag until he came across the little slip she was talking about and moved his hand toward the tag while his other hand was raised in a thumbs up gesture to let Juudai know that he was all set to go and waiting on her call. Still, with all the shouting that had just been coming from the angry little lizard he didn't know if stealth was going to be a thing in today's mission anyway. Run in screaming, walk out screaming was the flavor of the day, wasn't it?
Seal tags, traps, what the heck? Mitsue just kind of scratches his head as he looks around. Everyone seems to have found a seal except for him. That was…embarassing. Maybe they just found all the easy ones. Then again he doesn't know how these work or anything so maybe that's all for the better. Wait, how many were there again? He just kind of stands there awkwardly, the only one having been too slow to be useful.
Tetsui was not watching the cell itself, but more so peeking out the door to see what is going on. Then that one guard was sent to come get him. Funny that Koji would send one that was too scared of Koji to do anything, but even without Koji this one would probably be a bully anyways. Seems to follow in his entourage at least. When the guard stepped in Tetsui would already be back by the cell as if he was keeping a close eye on the two young Murasame within. "Eh! Tetsui. You ain't letting the prisoners do anything to reveal their positions are you?" Of course they couldn't really do so anyways.
Tetsui gestured to the cell. "Check yourself." And when that guard did he wouldn't be able to say the net words as his neck was cut clean through. Tetsui had killed the guard right in front of the cell. Hopefully that was enough to prove to at least Akio he was on their side. Akio didn't do anything, but move to keep an eye on Kaneko who was still in bad condition even with the healing from before.
Kaneko is essentially unconscious at the moment. There's a bad stomach-injury that's been sealed, but hardly healed completely. Tetsui wasn't that amazing of a medic, after all. He could only do enough to help her survive. Koji waits a little bit for his buddy to return to report to him, but he's running around to make sure everything's running smoothly. He was in charge of this place, after all! So he was going to make sure they would stop the shinobi here and today.
'Hmm… He's taking too long… It can't be…' Koji feels something like fear form a pit in his stomach, and he starts making his way towards the cells, calling on two other guards as backup in case things with Tetsui turn sour. They were on the far side, though, so Tetsui had time to hide the body or something…
With everyone having found a seal, Juudai looks around and then looks to the goat, "I apologize we don't have time for more proper greetings and the like but we are in the middle of a dangerous rescue mission." She then looks at her seal, "On the count of 3, everyone remove your tags at the exact same time." She nods her head and then prepares, "Those who don't have a seal to remove, prepare yourselves to move quickly. The five of us may have to deal with a trap while you move in to attack." She nods her head and hten nods, "Ok, on the statement of 3. 1, 2…3." And Juudai removes her tag.
Hiei kneels down where his tag is and waits for Juudai's count. Once he hears three, he removes the tag from the ground quickly and then crouches slightly in preparation for what happens next. Meanwhile, Seer looks over at Juudai. "Quite understandable, Tsuchikage. I stand at the ready." With his chakra gathered, the large white goat stands ready to contribute towards whatever the shinobi need him to do.
Listening for the count, Kioko places a hand on the seal she's standing by. On the third count, she pulls the tag away from the rockface and steps to the side just in case that opens the doorway where the boulder stands. She's brave, but she doesn't want to become a human pincushion via wrathful Murasame just for happening to be the one in the way of the door.
Hotaru wasn't going -not- remove her tag and screw up the operation, but she was .0003 seconds off the count when she removed it. She certainly hopes that doesn't destroy Kaneko's chances of survival or anything. She removes it, and then drops to the ground, hands over her head and wincing as hard as she could, in case of explosion… "I… I pulled it!" She proclaims, opening one eye after a few seconds.
Nendo would tug the tag from the area he'd found it in once Juudai announced that third count, and kick off from the area while letting the terrain around himself shift with his previously planted creations moving toward the area to work as a counter measure against whatever traps might be lying in wait for the Toujitakumi. Nendo was quick to form a few more hand seals just in case, touching down to the ground to complete his jutsu with ease and begin shaping chakra beneath the surface.
Yes, yes, everyone who doesn't have a seal be ready. Mitsue looks around and blinks as it's just…all the very meager backup. All the heavy hitters are taking tags. This…this is a bad idea. But it's too late to stop it at the tags are removed. Oh well. His chakra focused his hands begin moving slowly to prepare for a just in case genjutsu.
Tetsui quickly formed a few hand seals which opened the earth. With that he moved the body within, and used the earth to cover the body again. Hopefully Koji would not ask too much questions. Only problem now is the blood that is clearly visibly. He looked to Akio. "Kid I need you to lie on the ground as if I just beat you up, and possibly caused you to be knocked unconcious." Akio glared at Tetsui a moment still unsure of him, but did as told. Then Tetsui moved into the cell, and sliced a it into his arm. He walked back out of the cell making sure to let the blood drip a trail right into the spot where all the other blood lay. From there he would begin to heal his arm hopefully just before Koji walked in. It was hopefully not too complex a plan for the situation, but it was all that came to mind that might be believable for Koji.
The moment that the seals suddenly come off their respective surfaces, the boulder in front of Kioko would start to crack, forming a sort of line along the top before it began to sink slowly into the earth. For the other four, nothing would explode. In fact, nothing seemed to happen for a few moments… And then the earth started to move, eventually spitting out what looked to be a reanimated corpse. Said corpses were in decent condition, likely stored in such a manner that they didn't decay. And then the corpses would launch their attacks at their respective enemies.
Koji would enter with his guards in tow, glaring at Tetsui. "Tetsui!" he snaps. "What happened to the guard I sent over here?" He crosses his arms over his chest expectantly. "Well?"
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Juudai from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 26. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Juudai from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 29. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Juudai defends against with a LESSER-LIGHTNING-BLOCK…45
RPCOMBAT: Juudai defends against with a LESSER-LIGHTNING-BLOCK…53
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 1 with SHELLSHOCK-STRIKE with a roll of: 56
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 1 with BRUTAL-BLAST-STRIKE with a roll of: 44
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Dodge! vs. Juudai (56) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 58. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Dodge! vs. Juudai (44) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 45. - Rolled by: Kaneko
As the others work, she expects something but this was unexpected. She blinks as the corpse attacks and lightning arcs over her arms. The corpses are blocked and then she forms chakra quickly over her fist. A punch is sent toward the corpse only for it to dodge away as the blast goes off in a shockwave. She then forms more chakra on her fist that she transfers to her elbow to share the brunt as she sends both strikes right at the corpse. Once more it moves as this blast cracks the ground before her. SHe frowns as she looks over at the moving corpse and she shakes her head, "Lets remove these things fast."
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Hiei from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 30. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Hiei from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 25. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a DODGE…34
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a DODGE…28
Hiei watches as corpses rise up out of the ground and attack him. He simply side steps the attacks and hops backwards a little to give him some room to work. "I swear. Now they're taking pages out of the Crawler playbook. Is there no originality left in the world?" He flings his arm around to attack one of the corpses and then draws one of his swords, spinning in place to cut down another one. "Seer, stay back until I need you." The goat would answer. "Yes, Hiei."
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with LARIAT with a roll of: 30
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with SWORD-STRIKE with a roll of: 35
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Block! vs Hiei (30) from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 28. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Block! vs Hiei (35) from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 29. - Rolled by: Kaneko
To help out anyway, Seer gathers some chakra and stamps his hoof on the ground, causing the earth to rise up and small slivers to rain down on the corpses.
COMBAT: Seer attacks target 1 with EARTHEN-RAIN with a roll of: 21
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Block! vs Seer (21) from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 23. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Kioko from 25 to 45 and get(s) a 25. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Kioko from 25 to 45 and get(s) a 30. - Rolled by: Kaneko
COMBAT: Kioko focuses 4947 stamina to turn it into 6000 usable chakra!
RPCOMBAT: Kioko defends against with a INTUITIVE-CHAKRA-DODGE-II…56
RPCOMBAT: Kioko defends against with a INTUITIVE-CHAKRA-DODGE-II…46
Watching the corpse come up to attack her, Kioko blinks a few times and leaps back to avoid the coming hits. "Weaponizing the dead. That's kind of low," she says as her body begins to change shape, actually sprouting wings, extra arms and eyes, and even a stinger. She then starts to chew, leaning her head back and spewing forth a good amount of honey toward the corpse, hoping to temporarily bind it. Either way, she lunges forward, going directly for the thing's chest with her stinger in an attempt to bring it down.
RP: Kioko transforms into HUNTER-QUEEN-MORPH.
COMBAT: Kioko attacks target 1 with HONEY-PARALYSIS with a roll of: 44
COMBAT: Kioko attacks target 1 with BEE-VENOM-II with a roll of: 34
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-RUN! vs Kioko (44) from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 48. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-RUN! vs Kioko (34) from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 35. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Hotaru from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 33. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Hotaru from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 49. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a WATER-CLONE…57
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a WATER-CLONE…57
Zombies!? Why… Why Zombies!? Hotaru suspected a puppeteer or something, because death reanimation is pre-tty forbidden. Well, the zombies lash out on the little dragon that was hunched over. The strikes seem to hit, but it was a mere ruse, for somehow Hotaru bursts into water as soon as the zombie strikes her. She knew something terrible was going to happen, so why not just use a clone to do her task for her. "I -Knew- it. I just had a feeling something was going to happen." She just thought it was going to be an explosion or something. Hotaru follows up by creating a handseal and snaking a concentrated form of fire along the ground. It sought to wrap around the leg of the undead, coiling up it's form. While the fire was still channeling from her mouth, Hotaru made another handseal, a burst of fire could be seen moving through the prior line of fire. When the fire reaches the coil, it would ignite, causing a medium-sized column of flame where the coiling was. Let's hope the Zombies are slow…
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 1 with RUNNING-FIRE with a roll of: 51
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 1 with DRAGON-FIRE-TECHNIQUE with a roll of: 28
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Confused Rawr vs Hotaru (51) from 10 to 30 and get(s) a 29. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Confused Rawr vs Hotaru (29) from 5 to 15 and get(s) a 8. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Nendo from 25 to 45 and get(s) a 31. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Bash! vs. Nendo from 25 to 45 and get(s) a 40. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Nendo defends against with a FAE-SHIELD…34
RP: Nendo transforms into BAKUTON-II.
RPCOMBAT: Nendo counters with FAE-HORDE…58
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 1 with C1 with a roll of: 50
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 1 with C1 with a roll of: 42
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Ow… vs Nendo (58) from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 40. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Ow… vs Nendo (50) from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 37. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Rawr-Ow… vs Nendo (42) from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 46. - Rolled by: Kaneko
Nendo blinked when a zombie was what came out from the area around that tag though the first attack was met with one of the barriers of chakra that the Toujitakumi made. He didn't even need to move his hands from his sides and chose to keep them in his pockets as the barrier blasted away the zombie's attack. The follow up had already been set and with a bit of a crackle of lightning, Nendo let the sound of childish laughter play out from around him.
The sources of that laughter were the small bats and birds around the Toujitakumi As they rushed forward they showed their true nature through a series of violent explosions. "She said to deal with you quickly so I'm being thorough, ok?" Nendo asked the zombie before he brought his right hand before himself in a simple prayer motion. As he bowed his head, the dusty cloud of the creations that had exploded was set off and burst in a follow up. A dust explosion to make sure he had thoroughly sent off the dead soul.
Mitsue was a bit astounded by these undead creatures suddenly appearing and trying to cause problems. It seemed like people were at least able to defend against them in general. But they didn't get to hit them all. His hands finish their seals and he sends his chakra into the ground, causing columns of earth to shoot up suddenly and try to ram into the ones that were still standing.
COMBAT: Mitsue attacks target 1 with SUDDEN-EARTH-COLUMN with a roll of: 26
COMBAT: Mitsue attacks target 1 with SUDDEN-EARTH-COLUMN with a roll of: 31
[NPC System]: Zombies roll(s) Rumble-Sensed vs Mitsue (26) from 15 to 35 and get(s) a 23. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Zombies roll(s) Rumble-Sensed vs Mitsue (31) from 15 to 35 and get(s) a 18. - Rolled by: Kaneko
Akio looked pretty much out of it when Koji walked in. Tetsui was just finishing up the healing on his arm. "What guard? No guard showed up. If you sent a guard over here then he never made it here. I was too busy dealing with the Murasame. I made sure the girl was in a condition where she would at least live until she got better medical attention since you decide to harm her like you did. While doing so the boy grabbed my sword and cut my arm with it. Now he is passed out as well. Maybe the guard saw what happened, and went back out there?" He frowned and moved to grab his sword. "Wait… What if the assault has already started. Could they be inside already… How would they have gotten past the seals so quickly."
The zombies rawr! The one facing Juudai is able to avoid the incoming scary explosive punches, then it tries to bite Juudai's hand … Uhh… It might not want to do that, but who said Zombies are smart? The one fighting against Hiei holds up its arms in a cross, then skids backwards a bit before getting cut on the arm. Not that it has any effect on the undead… It just charges Hiei to try and bite him, earth hitting the body harmlessly.
Kioko's bees seem to scare her opponent, though! That zombie is like 'WTF GMTFO!!!' and starts running away with the bee-user chasing after him. Or Kioko doesn't. Either way, she doesn't have to deal with her zombie. Instead, she might want to pay attention to the wall that continues to sink into the earth. It moves amazingly slow, but the sounds of the Murasame are starting to come through. "Put more chairs over here!" "Reinforce this barrier!" "I think I have to go to the bathroom >.<;;"
When the Zombie against Hotaru sorta just… splashes around like a duck or something, it looks pretty confused. But then it's surrounded by fire and parts of it catch flame before the thing is completely incinerated. Okay, good show! Now Hotaru can go help Kioko, right? Mitsue's doing his best, too! The zombies still roaming around aren't expecting a column of earth to slam into them. HOME RUN! The zombies facing Juudai and Hiei go flying up up and away, crumbling to dust now that they're off the ground. Nendo doesn't need any help, either. His explosive trick blows up his own zombie enemy, leaving only the legs standing before they collapse to the ground unmoving.
Koji rolls his eyes a bit. "The seals are still in place. And there's no sign of th-" *BOOM* *crackle* The fighting from outside is making the whole cave system shake, and Koji frowns. "They still have to deal with the trap," he says confidently. "You two! Let's go. Tetsui, stay here and keep an eye on those circles. I don't want you watching my back…" Koji stalks off with his two goons spitting at Tetsui's feet before following their leader. Time to see what's going on at the entrance.
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Bite vs Juudai from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 36. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Juudai defends against with a CLONE-TECHNIQUE…48
Looking at the boulder that now appears to be the entrance, Juudai frowns as she watches the zombies leave them. She shakes her head and pulls out a pair of kunai and chucks one at either side of that boulder. Her knowledge of explosions have her aiming for what she believes will be a good spot that will rip the boulder to shreds now that the seals are gone. She then looks to the others, "Show them no mercy." She states, "This land has had enough of those who think the minority should rule the majority." She then loosk forward, "Remember, they have our shinobi though."
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 1 with EXPLOSIVE-BLAST with a roll of: 50
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 1 with EXPLOSIVE-BLAST with a roll of: 57
[NPC System]: Zombie roll(s) Bite vs Hiei from 20 to 40 and get(s) a 28. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a DODGE…32
Hiei steps back out of reach of the poor zombie before it went to dust. When Juudai blows up a portion of the boulder that houses the entrance, Hiei speaks loudly. "Clear the entrance." He moves to step in front of it and then performs a few handseals as lightning begins to flow from his body and into the body armor that he wears. Select pieces begin to glow brightly, his chestplate, his forearms, and his knees and shin area. The air becomes super charged with static electricity as the Raikage begins to channel huge amounts of chakra that manifest itself in an aura around his body. And slowly..that aura begins to take the shape of something…huge.
RP: Hiei transforms into YOTSUKI-CONDUCTIVE-ARMOR.
RP: Hiei uses B-RANK-CHARGE.
Seer sees Hiei begin to charge up strength and moves with a slight strained sound to get away from the area like he requested to begin with.
RP: Kioko transforms into GIANT-QUEEN-MORPH.
RPCOMBAT: Kioko defends against with a BEE-SENSES…38
RPCOMBAT: Kioko defends against with a BEE-SENSES…53
As the zombie runs away, Kioko peers toward the lowering door. She ponders a few moments on what action to take next. Rather than just charge in, she steps into the next step of her transformation, growing to enormous size with wings large enough to fly, and sends a horde of bees in to try and locate Akio and Kaneko so she can get them out in a hurry before this place gets annihilated.
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a CHAKRA-SENSING-TECHNIQUE…44
Hotaru seemed a little worried when she suddenly started hearing explosions. This time she was curled on the ground waiting for it all to end. c.c All the chakra is starting to make her dizzy. She keeps her senses open to see if she can detect Kaneko…
Nendo took only a moment to form all of the hand seals he needed to form more of his creations while the ground grew muddied around the Toujitakumi. There was a slight smile on the Toujitakumi's lips though with Hiei so close to the entrance and doing something.. strange… Nendo wasn't trying to close in on something he had no knowledge of.. He was content to be a fair distance from whatever was about to happen.
Mitsue followed quickly after the others to the entrance once the zombies were taken care of, each in their own seperate ways. He paused though when he looked into the entrance. How was he supposed to find them? There were much better people around for that kind of thing, beginning with the two Kage. He turns to look at Juudai for directions. Literal directions.
Tetsui shook his head. "See. You are not giving Tanjiro enough time Koji." He frownsat Koji's words about not wanting him to watch his back, and just shakes his head. He moves to the cell, and whispers. "Alright kid. Hopefully it isn't too much longer. If you want you can check on your friend again. Koji is gone." Akio waited for a moment, but did eventually move back to Kaneko's side. She seemed stable at least, but he wanted to make sure he could catch anything if it got worse. Tetsui went back to the door, and was ready for when he had to put his next plan into action. Hopefully there were enough Murasame helping in this assault for him to blend in….if not…then he would have to hope he could prove his loyalty in other ways….
With all the attacks on the entrance, the boulder face crumbles into rubble. And reveals the debris on the inside that disappeared from the explosion. But that barricade was supported by metal strands, and there looked to be five Murasame at the entrance while the others traveled beneath the ground. Hotaru would be able to sense those Murasame, though… So hopefully she warns everyone in time.
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Underground Fish Projection vs. All from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 55. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Underground Fish Projection vs. All from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 30. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Underground Fish Projection vs. All from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 39. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Underground Fish Projection vs. All from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 44. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Underground Fish Projection vs. All from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 47. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Underground Fish Projection vs. All from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 39. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Juudai defends against with a PERCEPTION-II…47
Looking at the area as it opens up, she walks toward the entrance and frowns before looking to Hiei, "Care to do the honors?" She gestures at the opening and waits for the man to rush forward and crash through the entrance. She then looks over at the others, "Do not show mercy." She then looks forward and prepares to rush into the entrance, not aware of the movement under her feet.
Hiei continues to channel chakra into the air around him as bolts of lightning flow around him, even striking the ground near his feet. He slowly raises his hands and then holds them out to the side as his aura forms into the image of a huge bear. The bear-aura stands up on it's hind legs and roars before lowering down to all fours. Hiei makes sure that all of Juudai's people are nowhere near the entrance before he releases the jutsu. He thrusts both hands forwards as the bear moves at the speed of lightning towards the entrance. There would be an explosion as whatever defenses they put in place were blown sky high…there's probably some collateral damage too. He flexes a little bit afterwards. "Good. Mercy is not in my vocabulary." His senses aren't attuned to finding things underground. Hopefully one of these earth jutsuists would alert them all.
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with LIGHTNING-BEAST-ONIKUMA with a roll of: 60
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a CHAKRA-SENSING-TECHNIQUE…62
Hotaru feels everyone of them, and like a good watchdog she gives their location away. Not only that… She also feels… "There are Six underground!" She would tell everyone in the immediate vacinity. Suddenly, she would step forward. There are six underground, but there are also six above ground. "I also feel Kaneko-chan!" She gets so excited that she honestly forgets to thank Hiei for breaking open the barrier. "No time to talk. No time to hold back." There wasn't anything more important in her life right now, nothing worth risking said life. She was going to blow a hole through some Murasame to the best of her ability. Only one (or two) were worth being left alive anyways.
Hotaru walks in front of the entrance and proceeds to create handseals at a modest and focused pace. Once focused, she places her index finger and thumb in front of her lips, almost clapsed together, but just enough to focus and let loose a large amount of fire into the entrance of the 'Murasame Bunker'. She turned her head back and forth to make sure that everyone above ground would be marred enough to make way for an attack on those below ground… There isn't much room to dodge in what she assumes is an entrance to a larger underground network.
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 1 with FIRE-DRAGON-FLAME-BULLET with a roll of: 42
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 2 with FIRE-DRAGON-FLAME-BULLET with a roll of: 57
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 3 with FIRE-DRAGON-FLAME-BULLET with a roll of: 59
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 4 with FIRE-DRAGON-FLAME-BULLET with a roll of: 42
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 5 with FIRE-DRAGON-FLAME-BULLET with a roll of: 58
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Dome vs Hotaru (42) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 42. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Dome vs Hotaru (57) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 32. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Dome vs Hotaru (59) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 40. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Dome vs Hotaru (42) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 45. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Dome vs Hotaru (58) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 37. - Rolled by: Kaneko
Nendo blinked a bit at the idea of people being underground but used the attacks that Hotaru used as a guide for what he'd follow up with. If any of them were alive, Nendo would make quick work of catching them with the moles that he sent toward the hidden shinobi that had just been attacked. Once his moles were in range he'd let the muddy creations burst to splatter the swimming Murasame. The mud was good enough of a method to try wrapping around and binding the Murasame in place. There was a slight smirk on Nendo's lips as he began moving toward the entrance now that Hiei's attack seemed to have gone off.
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 1 with FAE-DANCERS with a roll of: 46
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 2 with FAE-DANCERS with a roll of: 48
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 3 with FAE-DANCERS with a roll of: 45
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Nendo (46) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 57. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Nendo (48) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 52. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Nendo (45) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 48. - Rolled by: Kaneko
Akio heard everything happening and so did Tetsui. It wouldn't be too much longer they would have to wait. That was good. Maybe this would all be over soon enough. Or at least over for now. Tetsui moved over to the cell. "Akio. If I am questioned I need you to back me up. I am on your side. Can you do that?" Akio looked over at him, and for now just stared. He was thinking of what he could do for an answer.
The Murasame at the entrance… Well, they had to face most of the debris of the barricade they set up first. Dust flew up everywhere before Hotaru just burned it all. And with a lot of the barricade being old furniture, it was quite flammable. Which means a few of the ones closest to it got caught by Hotaru's flames. And yet, the flames were also a form of warning. The others knew where they were, so they took action quickly to block surrounding earth with strong metal. The explosive faeries that Nendo sent towards the Murasame were blocked off the worst of the damage. And then from the ground, a series of metal bindings would shoot out to try and catch those that were aboveground.
"Hold here," Koji would tell his followers. "They'll come down through that entrance. Keep them busy, and I'll make sure they don't get through. I'm leaving this in your hands," he tells his followers before he would start making his way further down the cave system. Closer to the dungeons, but not near enough to Tetsui that either would hear each other.
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Binding vs. Juudai from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 59. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Juudai defends against with a FEEDBACK-BARRIER…67
A hmm as Juudai considers this situation and then nods her head even as the metal comes up. It's so quick it is hard to see what she does. The handseals she creates are either very fast or very few. Either way, the jutsu creates what appears to be a flimsy shield around her body even as she simply flexes out her body as the metal wraps around…and then doesn't or can't clamp down. She then hops up over the metal and lands on the otherside. S he then looks down. Looking to where Hotaru indicates, she reaches down, "Lets try this then." That is when she goes through the seals and slams her head into the ground. Then, in the darkness underground, before each of the ones trying to use the earth as a way to save themselves, a bird bursts forth from the earth before them. Each one stares with glowing eyes before several more birds, a vertiable flock begins to form underground and rather than bursting up from the ground as they normally do, all just stay underground with their victims and let out a screech that translates into an explosion nearly instantaneously even as the earth above shudders and cracks, "It was nice enough to bury themselves."
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 1 with EXPLOSIVE-BIRDS with a roll of: 70
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 2 with EXPLOSIVE-BIRDS with a roll of: 59
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 3 with EXPLOSIVE-BIRDS with a roll of: 63
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 4 with EXPLOSIVE-BIRDS with a roll of: 69
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 5 with EXPLOSIVE-BIRDS with a roll of: 73
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 6 with EXPLOSIVE-BIRDS with a roll of: 58
[NPC System]: Murasame Underground roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Juudai (70) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 36. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame Underground roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Juudai (59) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 37. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame Underground roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Juudai (63) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 44. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame Underground roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Juudai (69) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 39. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame Underground roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Juudai (73) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 41. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame Underground roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Juudai (58) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 30. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Binding vs. Hiei from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 32. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a ACROBATIC-DODGE…59
Hiei saw the metal coming and simply did a horizontal corkscrew flip to avoid it. Leaving Juudai to take care of the underground targets, the Raikage takes a moment to compose himself as he holds onto his sword with both hands and crouches slightly. He takes a single step forwards and simply appears on the other side of the three shinobi above ground while sheathing his sword. What actually happened was that he moved so fast and attacked the three shinobi that they wouldn't even register that they've been attacked until the Raikage sheathes his sword. Right..about..now.
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with HYPER-SPEED-CHAIN-KILL with a roll of: 87
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 2 with HYPER-SPEED-CHAIN-KILL with a roll of: 66
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 3 with HYPER-SPEED-CHAIN-KILL with a roll of: 65
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Hiei (87) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 35. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Hiei (66) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 38. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Hiei (65) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 50. - Rolled by: Kaneko
Hotaru watched as Hiei and Juudai both cleared the way inside the compound. Surely none of them were alive after the explosions she had seen. "Arigatou Gozaimasu!" Hotaru would tell both Kage as she decided to move in, even going as far as literally skittering across the floor like a lizard. She was going to make it. She was indeed going to be the first one to get to Kaneko and save her! She certainly moved far more quickly than she could before. Now it was just following Kaneko's signature until she came to the source…
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Binding vs. Hotaru from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 59. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a WATER-CLONE…64
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Binding vs. Nendo from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 52. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Nendo counters with FAE-HORDE…58
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Nendo (58) from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 59. - Rolled by: Kaneko
Nendo frowned a bit in annoyance as he watched the metal trying to wind around him though that childish laughter sounded out once more as the teen's form was cloaked in a series of small explosions and brief arcs of lightning skipping along his form. As the explosion burst around him, Nendo waved off the cloud and flicked a hand forward for the sound of earth being shifted. With his hands held in a single seal, the Toujitakumi sent his creations tunneling forward once more though there was no interest in capture this time and instead, the Toujitakumi sent them toward whatever enemy hadn't already been dealt with inside the mouth of the compound. The explosions weren't strong enough to upset the delicate foundation but it was going to be enough to at least get a few screams out of the enemies down below.
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Binding vs. Mitsue from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 42. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Mitsue defends against with a DARK-PRESENCE…32
Mitsue had more or less been just kind of hanging around this whole time. Everyone else was exploding things and using fire and he couldn't even see through it all. Perhaps it's no surprise then when the metal snakes around him despite the fact that a second cloak has appeared, this one a dark purple of chakra.
Akio was hoping everything going on was going in the Iwa villages favor. He look over at Tetsui after a quick glance to Kaneko. "Yes Tetsui. I can vouch for you, but…. if they need help, or we need help. You do so. Even if the chances you are injured or endangered are high." Tetsui frowns but nods his head before heading back to the door. He was ready for whatever came next.
Below and above ground, the Murasame are essentially annihilated by both kage. That really shouldn't come as a surprise, considering that a bunch of Chuunin-level metal-wielders are facing off against two of the strongest shinobi in the lands. *BOOM* and *thud* go the bodies thanks to Juudai and Hiei respectively. While the other attacks that Nendo throws at them sorta bounce off the shields that are left behind, the metal would lose its strength when the owners were dead, and Mitsue would be able to escape the bindings without too much of a struggle.
As Hotaru scuttled into the cave system, she would have very few choices to make when it came to paths. It was a very straightforward cave system, rarely doubling back on itself. The issue was mostly the fact that there were /a lot/ of Murasame keeping guard. But the Watanabe aren't usually renowned as legends for nothing. The sight of a lizard moving through the caves was startling enough that most people missed Hotaru pass by. Instead, they focused solely on the incoming Kage and the two genin behind them.
Hotaru could continue along if she maintained her speed, and eventually she would come across a solid wall of metal blocking her path. Behind it, she'd be able to sense three chakra signatures. Beyond those were Kaneko, Akio, and a stranger.
Moving over to help remove the metal around Mitsue, Juudai nods to him, "Mitsue." She then looks over, "Nendo." She nods, "I believe Hotaru might be overly eager. I'm tasking you with keeping up with her and keeping her safe." She nods her head as she gestures after the lizard, "I know all too well how excitement and anger can get you in over your head." She then starts ahead and looks to Hiei, "Those lot are going to go to rescue who we came for." She nods, "How do you feel about hunting down the leadership of this place and ripping the head off this snake." Juudai then lights up a cigar as she moves into the tunnel, "Mmmm. This is a good day, I believe."
Hiei nods to Juudai. "You're a woman after my own heart." He rotates his shoulders and neck before following into the cave behind Juudai. "According to the guy who's arm I cut off, their leader is supposed to be this scary guy. I'm thinking we should make an example of him, show him the true meaning of fear." As Nendo and Mitsue go in before him and Juudai, he nods to the genin. "Good luck guys. Be careful in there." Hiei draws his second sword and then slams the hilts together and twists. There is an audible click as they lock together, creating a sword-staff. He tucks it behind his arm as he follows the Tsuchikage.
Hotaru would pace out along the wall, looking for doors. There were none. This wall was the last barrier separating from her, and her friends. Logical thought was starting to become impossible for Hotaru as she eyed the one point at the wall where Kaneko had to be. With no other door to be used properly, there was only one thing that popped into Hotaru's mind. She had to melt this wall. "Metal wall." She grumbled as she stood back a distance from it. Once more creating handseals, she would begin to blow her strongest flame at the wall in order to melt through it. It certainly wasn't the most 'legendary' of maneuvers.
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 1 with FIRE-DRAGON-FLAME-BULLET with a roll of: 51
Nendo groaned in irritation as the arcs of lightning flashed more rapidly in time with his shortening temper but the Toujitakumi wouldn't argue with the Kage. He'd simply move to help with freeing Mitsue as his first priority and look down at Mitsue, smirking. "You need to develop a genjutsu that traps that little lizard in a cage before I put her in a real one…. and blow it up.." Nendo's last words were deadpan but he was joking, he had to be if he was going after the Watanabe to help her in some way. Once Mitsue was freed, Nendo would give the younger teen a pat on the shoulder and run toward the entrance while forming hand seals. Slapping the ceiling of the area, Nendo planted his Chakra but the shaping went unnoticed while he descended into the depths to search for the troublesome lizard and the two that got caught which lead to this.
It wouldn't take the teen long to find out where that girl was at with her blowing such high powered flames about and he wasn't patient enough to not interrupt her by reaching out to try and grab the girl like one would a snake; by the base of the skull where a snake wouldn't be able to bite back. "Hotaru, you're going to make problems for the rest of us if you let that ego get to your head and start thinking you can take on the world just because your legs are working better." Nendo would comment in the same dead pan tone while glancing not only at the lizard, but the wall as well.
[NPC System]: Wall roll(s) Durability vs. Hotaru from 30 to 60 and get(s) a 52. - Rolled by: Kaneko
Once he's freed of the metal Mitsue gives an embarassed bow to Juudai. Just what he needed, to make a fool out of himself in front of not only his own Kage but a visiting one. He was weak, he knew that, but this seemed to be a little too weak. Especially compared to all the others! He was nothing but trouble on this mission and has made it more dangerous for people rather than vice versa. In the end he follows after Nendo but he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to do this. Not being able to properly help was putting people in danger.
Akio for now was just sitting at Kaneko's side and tending to that wound as best he could. Which wasn't very well. Mostly it was healed up though luckily….. but… still bad. Tetsui though was peeking out the door. Who knew what he actually could spot, but he wanted to make sure that if anything happened he could help Iwa. And he also wanted to make sure he wasn't instantly attacked. He had his sword on him though…
The wall that Hotaru so passionately put her flames up against held strong. Sorta. It looked like it was melting just a bit, and Hotaru might even have been able to burn through it completely had Nendo not stopped her. Now the wall is red hot, and the people behind it know for sure that someone is on the other side. "Mobius, what do we do?" asks one to the other in a moment of panic. "Attack, you dolt. Koji'll kill us otherwise…" hisses the other. Both of them draw their weapons to await the enemy's entrance, not wanting to attack first. They wanted to let the flies come to the trap…
Walking into the place as Hotaru and the genin run off, she nods to Hiei, "Well, they should be fine." She nods her head, "Lets move and find our enemy." As they walk in, she starts to look around before saying, "Hiei, do you have any talent with chakra sensing?" She starts down whatever hallway he indicates even tossing a small explosive into a passing enemy who is foolish enough to come out of a sideroom, "I do believe the best thing will be if there is more than one leader. Would be boring if there is one."
RPCOMBAT: Hiei defends against with a CHAKRA-SENSITIVITY…35
Hiei walks in next to Juudai and when she asks if he has any talent with chakra, he nods. "I can zero in on them, but I can't tell them apart, I'm afraid. Though I can gague their strength. Give me a moment." He cants his head forwards slightly as he concentrates. "I got nothing. Either they're masking themselves, which means there are seals all over the place. Or there is a sensor nin down here working against us." He eyes Juudai for a moment. "Really. How did you ever let the Murasame clan get this far and this organized? I've fought Yakuza and even warlords who are less organized. I wouldn't be surprised if these guys wouldn't eventually come for you."
Hotaru would have likely ignored Nendo's presence and tried again. She created another bunch of seals and once again sprayed fire on the weakening wall. Even that one might have not been successful. She merely pants heavily, weary from using so many of those jutsu in such a short period of time. "R-revolve it… Open up!" She almost begged the wall. As soon as she saw Nendo, she would clearly give him a proper resetting. "NENDO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING THERE! DO SOMETHING! OPEN THE WALL! QUICK! HELP ME OUT!" Her arms flail as she pants heavily. She would look back to the wall and blast more fire at it again. "Come on, Come on!"
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 1 with FIRE-DRAGON-FLAME-BULLET with a roll of: 55
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 1 with FAE-HORDE with a roll of: 66
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 2 with FAE-HORDE with a roll of: 60
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 3 with FAE-HORDE with a roll of: 67
Nendo pondered on his options… The better of the two won out. "I'm tired of your screaming fits. You were quieter with them around." Nendo muttered before he pointed at the wall in several points and with that as enough, his creations began their suicide attacks not from directly in front of them however. Nendo actually took a few steps off to the side as his creations were sent beneath the floor and around the wall to attack from the edges of the section they were in front of. As much fun as it could be to watch her breathing fire, if she kept it up he was coming close to blowing the little lizard up instead. "Juudai will kill me if I kill you, so stop screaming; you're hurting my ears."
After catching up with the other two Mitsue would watch as Hotaru tried to burn the wall. And then Nendo joined her. Once again he was only going to get in the way if he tried to do anything so he just stepped back, head ducking a bit as he wonders just how much he's drug this team down with his inability. He waits for the explosions he knows is coming.
Tetsui looked back at Akio and frowned a moment. He was hearing the explosions getting closer, but if he left Akio and Kaneko here and Koji showed up. He might just kill them. He was dumb enough to not fear Tanjiro. Well at the very least he could try to do something… Too bad he couldn't really sense anywhere near by though. If anything came into sight he could help, but until then he would be useless just sitting here.
Hotaru and Nendo, together, are able to completely take down the wall, but what they encounter is nothing like the people they want to find. Murasame, yes, but two with swords that they're prepared to use on the Iwa genin. "Your journey ends here," the braver one would state, then he rushes at Hotaru, knowing his companion would probably hate going up against the lizard-like girl. Her appearance was sorta creepy… The other would follow close behind his friend, but he would deviate shortly to try and slice and dice Nendo. The third Murasame, Koji, would back up his teammates and try to send metal bindings to grab both Hotaru and Nendo.
A look to Hiei and Juudai frowns, "Not all of us had the cushy position of taking over a country established and already cleaned up by our predecessors." She looks forward, "This country was corrupt when I took it over. I cleared out the previous leadership and put the ones not smart enough to die away for life." She then looks at Hiei out of the corner of her eye, "I clean the corruption out of a corrupt land. Perhaps one day you can tell me what it is like to sit on a throne that was already warm when you got it." She then starts forward and looks around for any fool she can get a hold of and if she must she'll impose her will upon them with a powerful blast of her genjutsu before simply requesting the fastest path to their leadership.
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 1 with PREDATORY-GLARE with a roll of: 59
Hiei laughs at Juudai. "If you think my position is cushy, then I invite you to visit Kumogakure sometime. Besides, I was a General before I was a Kage. I'm at home in my element here." Hiei then shrugs. "Fair enough. Still, we'd best add the soap to that cleaning today. You don't want these guys coming back like cockroaches." He leans against the wall while he waits for her to interrogate some unfortunate sap.
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Triple Slash vs. Hotaru from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 38. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Triple Slash vs. Hotaru from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 44. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Koji roll(s) Metal Binding vs. Hotaru from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 35. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a WATER-CLONE…57
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a WATER-CLONE…42
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a WATER-CLONE…37
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru took 600 damage.
Finally through the wall. It took some unlikely help, but Hotaru was through. There were few barriers she was up against now. The brave one takes a slice against Hotaru, whom creates a clone in front of her to absorb the damage. Unfortunately, the final slice digs into the clone far enough that it would slice across her shoulder, causing plenty of bleeding for the dragon. That wasn't enough to stop her onslaught. She was far from done, and like any good lizard trying to acheive dragon, she would do what dragons do best. Breathe -all- the fire. After the cut, she stands straight up making a proper line of seals, before she attempts to burn both her target and Nendo's target. There was no such thing as a one versus one. They didn't deserve the honor. Her flames may brush over both swordsman. When the flame stopped, she coughed a moment. "Thanks for the help." She would tell her temporary team-mate.
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 1 with FIRE-DRAGON-FLAME-BULLET with a roll of: 49
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 2 with FIRE-DRAGON-FLAME-BULLET with a roll of: 53
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Hotaru (49) from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 43. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Hotaru (53) from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 34. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Triple Slash vs. Nendo from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 48. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Triple Slash vs. Nendo from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 46. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Binding vs. Nendo from 25 to 50 and get(s) a 34. - Rolled by: Kaneko
RPCOMBAT: Nendo counters with FAE-HORDE…45
RPCOMBAT: Nendo defends against with a FAE-SHIELD…36
RPCOMBAT: Nendo defends against with a FAE-SHIELD…54
RPCOMBAT: Nendo took 800 damage.
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 1 with FAE-DANCERS with a roll of: 52
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 2 with FAE-DANCERS with a roll of: 55
[NPC System]: Murasame roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Nendo (52) from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 49. - Rolled by: Kaneko
[NPC System]: Koji roll(s) Metal Barrier vs. Nendo (55) from 20 to 50 and get(s) a 37. - Rolled by: Kaneko
Nendo was mildly aggravated the longer this went on and it showed when he let two of the slashes through, his shield only blocking the last blow so he could finish his seals and trigger what was left of his bombs on the one attacking himself as well as the one attacking Hotaru. The shouting lizard was enough to drive him to his wits end in the enclosed space and now that he had something to attack in turn, he'd not let them try getting away from him. there'd be no pleasure in killing them off, at this point the Toujitakumi just wanted to get away from the annoying noises.
Tetsui knew they were getting closer, but would keep an eye out. Once he saw them he would make himself known and wave them towards the cells. He would even throw his sword in between him and Nendo/Hotaru to make sure they saw he was trying to prove his loyalty. Or set a trap. Whatever they thought. Though he was only preparing to do that as an action. He still didn't know what to say to them…what if they just attacked.
MEEPMEEP *ZOOM* A speedster Murasame was dashing through the tunnels to get a message to his superior when he runs into Juudai. A few apologies later and a glance up results in the poor man's jaw working and no sound coming out. Sure, Juudai was drop-dead gorgeous, but that scary glare stopped most of his brain processes.
Koji notices that his attack failed, and he decides in that instant that he'd like to survive another day. With that in mind, he starts to run, leaving behind his comrades. Sadly, there aren't many places to run unless he makes his own path, so with a few handseals, he'd start forming a tunnel that went deeper into the earth. As for the two enemies that Hotaru and Nendo were facing, they made pretty good fodder. The barriers went up, but they didn't completely stop both flames and explosions combined. While not dead, the pair were severely burned.
Lifting up the poor Murasame by the shirt, Juudai isn't as strong as many shinobi but she's far stronger than the average person. She grins at him with her cigar between her lips before she idly pulls it free and smiles warmly, "Well, hello there. Perhaps you know me, I'm Toujitakumi Juudai. Tsuchikage of Iwagakure and this is an aquaintance of mine." She gestures at Hiei, "He's Yotsuki Hiei, Raikage of Kumogakure." She nods her head, "Now, I've got an appointment with your leadership and I think you would be just delighted to show me to them." She then releases smoke and gestures, "Show me the way." The smile seems warm but that look in her eyes and that horrible feeling that just washed over him from her genjutsu promised him every type of death imaginable at this woman's hands, "Hiei, come along. We have someone who has offered to show us the way."
Hiei is content to let Juudai do her thing. Far be it for him to step on her toes. He waits patiently…well, as patiently as he can. When the guy is 'persuaded' to show her the way, Hiei smiles and just follows along with Juudai. "Anyone ever tell you that you have a lovely way with people?"
RPCOMBAT: Hotaru defends against with a CHAKRA-SENSING-TECHNIQUE…52
Hotaru walked in now, eyeing Tetsui. "Kneel, and you won't die." She merely says, raising a hand. She grabs her cane that was strapped upon her back and drives it against the floor. She wanted to make sure that Kaneko was in this room before dropping her guard, so she attempted to ping the air for her. "Kaneko? Akio? Are either of you here?" She called out. She was afraid it was all an illusion, or that they have moved since she last felt her on the otherside of the metal wall…
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 1 with FAE-RING with a roll of: 38
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 2 with FAE-RING with a roll of: 29
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 1 with FAE-RING with a roll of: 36
COMBAT: Nendo attacks target 2 with FAE-RING with a roll of: 38
Nendo didn't let the mud covered Murasame go to waste, he'd walk away from them while forming hand seals and let the growing mushrooms that covered the two Murasame swell and bloat before a chain of continuous explosions around the two Murasame's heads while he looked about and let his eyes settle on the only Murasame he'd not blown up aside from the two he wanted to blow up very soon. "I don't care if you kneel or not.. If those two aren't let free I'm going to give you the same tender care those two back there did." The Toujitakumi explained while he scratched at his hair. He wasn't seemingly on guard but the fact that the muddied soil he'd used was still shifting about and returning to its muddied state again, it was safe to assume the teen had his jutsu lying in wait for the next victim to be assaulted by it.
Tetsui didn't hesitate to kneel onto the ground. "They are right over there. The keys to the cell are on the wall right there, and I have spares on me." He waited a moment not doing anything. "I can prove I am not against you. I am on your side. I will go to your Kage and prove it if you let me live today. I have already killed one of them in fact." He frowned and his head was lowered. He could still see the nearby cell though. That cell is where Akio was. "Hotaru! Over here. Kaneko is hurt. It is not as bad as it could of been because Tetsui over there healed her." He paused before speaking again. "ANd what he says is true. He killed one before they came into the cell to check on us. The body is hidden in the earth beneath you now. But we have no time for that. You have to get these chains off of us." Tetsui wouldn't move an inch until he was permitted to by either Nendo or Hotaru.
Kaneko is still very much unconscious thanks to a metal spike (courtesy of the coward that ran away) through the stomach. The wound, as Akio said, is healed enough that she's not going to die right away, but medical attention is, at this point, urgent.
Koji would continue to make his way through the tunnels, eventually ending up in the area that his boss stayed. He stood at the hole that he managed to dig through a wall and looks around at the pristine living room. Sitting on the couch, looking just a bit surprised and unhappy, is Tanjiro.
The man who Juudai caught would let out an unmanly squeak and nod, scrambling out of Juudai's grip to lead her and Hiei to the spot where he knew his leader stayed. The underground cave system was extensive, but Juudai and Hiei were already decently along the path that it only took a few minutes of running to reach the entrance of Tanjiro's little apartment-esque home.
"Well, I am a diplomat first and foremost." She then looks forward as they approach the area that was recently entered by this Koji. She looks to the man who brought her there and then she nods, "I believe I will be able to handle this from here." She then turns suddenly and punches straight for the man, the blast that comes from her hand is somewhat non-lethal, a brutal stunning attack that hits with concussive force, "Wait here and make sure we are not disturbed." She then enters into the place calmly as she pulls her cigar from her lips, "I do apologize for such an abrupt entrance, but I found a group of Murasame were opening up some form of headquarters in the Land of Earth. I just had to come by and see it for myself." She then glances around, "Decent accomodations but not much of a view." She glances to the man on the couch, "Well, aren't you going to offer me something to drink?"
COMBAT: Juudai attacks target 1 with SHELLSHOCK-STRIKE with a roll of: 54
Hiei moves into the room behind Juudai, but remains silent. He's not sure what the others may think of him, especially with the Kumo headband around his head, but he would stand just to her right and back a few paces to let them know who was running this show. Hiei does have a slightly bored expression on his face, but that's by design. His swords are sheathed and though his chakra is powered up, you'd never know it from the calm demeanor on the outside.
Hotaru wastes no time. As soon as she registers where the keys are, she uses the water spread along the floor thanks to her clone to form a tendril of water that deftly picks up the keys and throws it to her. She catches it mid air right as she reaches the cells. "You did your best Akio… She is safe. Thank you." She would open Akio and Kaneko's cell, wrenching the door open and rushing in. Her first reaction upon seeing Kaneko as she was is to hug her lightly. "I'm here now… Don't worry. I never gave up hope. Never." Her Kekkei Genkai was becoming draining, but it gave her enough strength to draw Kaneko up. To the Watanabe, it was beyond heavy. Yet, she couldn't be separated. "Akio, let's return. Quick. Cover me if you are able…"
COMBAT: Hotaru attacks target 1 with WATER-CHAINS with a roll of: 40
Killing the Murasame would be a waste of energy and a waste of a resource. Instead, the Toujitakumi threw a stone at the kneeling sack of flesh before beginning to head back toward the entrance of the area. "Swallow that and come with us. I'll let the Kage decide if what you did was good enough to live on or not." Nendo would spit out while letting the crackles of lightning and small pops of explosions settle down around himself. The creations of muddied earth would be drawn up onto the Toujitakumi's form where he could easily manage them and not have to worry about keeping an eye on them as well as this new Murasame.
RP: Nendo reverts to his normal state.
Firstly Akio would smile, but it quickly became a frown. "Not good enough. She is barely safe. The only reason she is alive now is because Tetsui over there healed her like I said before." He was weak, but able to move. "Alright Hotaru. I can follow your lead."
Tetsui on the other hand didn't hesitate to swallow this rock he guessed was charged with the Toujitakumi explosive chakra. Smart move by the kid in all honesty, and he had to respect that. Tetsui stood up and made sure to himself get between the crew of Iwa folk. All he could do now was follow.
Tanjiro would look over at Koji as he arrived into the room. "Oh, Koji… You ruined the carpet. You could at least make your entrance less destructive." He shook his head and stood up before walking over to where he had some drinks. He only offered one to Koji though. Not accepting any others. For some reason there were two more drinks already made. "Koji. Let me guess. You didn't make it out before they got here, and now your death is upon us?"
Koji mumbles a small apology and dusts off his shirt a bit. "Sorry," he says, not sounding sorry at all. "Next time my life is in danger, I'll be sure to knock before I enter," he says sarcastically. He frowns a bit at the extra drinks as he takes his own. "What are those for?" he wonders, sipping at the liquid gratefully. "How far do we have to go?" he asks, then. "They managed to get to Akio and Kaneko. I held them up as long as I could, but…"
"Oh.. You are sorry? Well I suppose that is good enough for me." Tanjiro frowns a moment before grabbing the glasses and walks over to set them down on the table. "We are having guest over. Two of the most powerful people in the shinobi world. And… This is as far as we go Koji. I am sorry to say that after this not much more will come until we regrow once more. This time though…. hidden inside Iwa for good. With more power then before."
Koji nods eagerly. "Of course, Tanjiro-sama! I anticip-" And then Juudai entered. Tanjiro was smooth, standing easily with two glasses of water. "I thought you would be thirsty, so I have simple glasses of water for you two. Raikage. Tsuchikage. And no, they are not poisoned. I can even take a sip from each." He offers both to the Kage, waiting for them to accept or decline the offer before stepping back. "Now then, I imagine my time is short, so I'll be blunt. What would you like from me?"
"No, I don't believe I am here for water. Frankly, I wanted to meet the man who believed himself so cocky that he could not only defy his own clan head but defy me as well." She idly moves over and leans on a wall, gesturing for Hiei to stay where he is, "You see, I was fine with the Murasame having and solving their own internal problems until you decided to kidnap two shinobi that were under my protection." She nods, "See, that move was rather vulgar and at the end of the day a military offense." She then gestures to Hiei, "This gentleman will be your executioner and I'm holding your court martial here and now." She takes a drag of her cigar, "I find you guilty. Now normally I'd torture you much like you likely did to my shinobi…but I'd get no satisfaction. Instead, I'm just going to let the Raikage do as he wishes as a show of diplomacy." She smiles, "Just the kind of woman I am. Two birds, one stone." SHe nods to HIei, "You may kill them as you please."
Hiei says nothing, doesn't even go towards the glasses of water at all. Instead there is a blinding aura that appears around his body. The aura is blue and is infused with lightning. His muscles expand to three times their normal size as he reaches behind and draws both swords. "Iwata Michiko. She's one of mine. And you idiots kept chasing her. I don't take kindly to that." Lightning flares all around inside of the room as his aura begins to expand to include the dual chakra swords. "I've been waiting for hours for Juudai to give me leave to do this." Holding the blades out to the side, he swings them both towards the men. There is an intense explosion of lightning and a sound not unlike thunder clapping. It may even shake the cave in it's entirety.
RP: Hiei transforms into LIGHTNING-RELEASE-ARMOR.
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 1 with THUNDER-SLASH with a roll of: 129
COMBAT: Hiei attacks target 2 with THUNDER-SLASH with a roll of: 136
Hotaru would do her best to carry the wounded out of the complex. It didn't seem like there was any more resistance. She could hear the crackling of electricity far away. "When she wakes up… In a safe place… Then… Then I will be happy. Come on Akio. Let's get out of here." Nendo is certainly doing an excellent job making Tetsui obedient. Toujitakumi. Top of the line when it comes to filling people with explosive clay. After that, the applications are endless. Shudder.
The sounds down the corridors didn't sound at all like Juudai's doing which meant that it was the visiting Kage' actions. He could tell at the least that it was lightning related so he might ask about it in the future but for now getting out of this enclosed space was the Toujitakumi's top priority. The fact the Murasame didn't hesitate to eat that stone meant he was a clone, or the person was truly just that obedient. The fact Nendo was keeping his creations close by meant that the teen was still on guard, and he would stay that way until they managed to step outside of the caves and back to the surface where the medics could handle the rest.
Tetsui was just that obedient. He knew that they would not hesitate to kill him, and he had no plans to do anything….more..wrong to the people of Iwa. He wanted to be helpful to them now rather than follow the evil man known as Tanjiro. He just had to speak to Juudai.
Akio was walking with Hotaru, and frowned a bit. "Here let me help carry her until we can get her to some medics." He offered, but wouldn't push if Hotaru wanted to carry her alone. It wasn't something he needed to do, but he felt it was worth offering.
Tanjiro chuckles softly. "My dear Kage," he says easily as he sets down the waters on the coffee table. "I must admit, you drive a hard bargain. The two Murasame? They are not yours. They are mine. I was just getting my wonderful cousins back." He pauses upon hearing the verdict. "I see. Well, if that is all." Then he turns to Hiei to await his fate. "Iwata Michiko… Yes, she's certainly special. What I would do to have her here on my side… If you could deliver a message to her?" Tanjiro would pause as Hiei's aura would start to form. "Tell her that her mother is being watched. Maybe that will convince her t-" And then he's cut in half by Hiei's lightning-imbued blades. As is Koji. The underling didn't stand a chance, really. He didn't think that Juudai would let the Raikage kill him, and he wasn't close enough to any exit to avoid the strike. His body was cut in two, but Tanjiro's body was gone.
A hmm as she watches this attack and then she idly turns away to take a drag of her cigar before she finally stands up straight and nods her head, "Well." She chuckles and shakes her head, "I see." She looks at hte area where the man's body should be, "While I wouldn't deny your power, Raikage, but I do believe we may have been dealing with a shadow clone." She then shrugs and idly starts fiddling with a strange little orb that Hiei might have seen before, "Let us move out. I believe I will have to have someone search for this character who believes himself above me." She nods to Hiei, "Sorry to hold you back but I needed to get some information out of him and he gave me more than I could have hoped in his arrogance." She then idly looks at the orb, "We should move out so I can wipe this place out."
RP: Hiei reverts to his normal state.
Hiei sighs as he sheathes his swords. "Of course it was a shadow clone. You don't really think he had the balls to actually face us himself, did you?" The aura around his body dies as he walks with Juudai back up towards the surface. "I don't envy you your job, next. That's the truth. I have to return to Kumo soon. But before I go, I promised Kaneko and Akio a kenjutsu lesson, and I always keep my word. And they've more than earned it." He does war with himself on whether he'd give Michiko that message. But before he left the cave completely, he had already decided that he would. She would make her own decision regarding what it meant. He pats Juudai on the shoulder. "You know, this has probably been the most fun I've had on a trip in a long time. We have to do it again sometime. If you ever need me, Juudai, just ask."
Hotaru is glad to have Kaneko to safety. As she arrives on the surface she does not need to walk far before actual med-nin place her in a far more comfortable position that will help with her wounds. After a moment later, after knowing that Kaneko was safe, Hotaru would walk over and place a hand on Akio's shoulder. "… You kept her safe… Thank you… Thank you so much…" She would rest her head on Akio's shoulder a few moments later as her transformation drops. She had finally recovered what had caused her to reach this level of Kekkei Genkai. The conflict was resolved. Soon enough, she would likely fall into Akio's arms… Or the ground. Whichever came first.
Akio blinked a few moments at Hotaru. "I… you're welcome." He watched as the Kekkei Genkai of hers fell away and when she fell he would make sure to catch her. He wasn't as tired as he could of been, and was still strong enough to carry Hotaru around. So he would pick her up to carry her if no one came to take her from him. He figured there would be some medic around though…. but if not then he could handle it. Finally they were back, but…. what would they do about Kaneko's memories.
