Starring:
Date: May 20, 2013
Summary:
Satomi tasks Fudo and Hiei to stop the Levi faction from slaughtering innocent women and children.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Struggle with No Reward - The Execution"
Unkown Village in the Land of Fire
Satomi just got back from her patrol with Naota. She was apperently in a hurry, huddling Fudo and Hiei together as the only two people she could find and bringing them along. "Listen up you two… I know this is unorthodox but roll with it. The executions are about to begin and TFM is running rampant through the village of Onbu. People being slurred from their home and executed because their husbands went to serve for the Levy.. children being murdered… I just passed by them and noticed. I have an assignment regarding the main executions.. this is the fallout. Do you guys recon you can do something about it?" She looks at Fudo and Hiei a bit pleadingly. "Fudo can take point.. I haven't been grooming him for nothing!"
Executions of women and children because of a draft that forced the men that didn't volunteer to serve. Fudo was going through a lot when it came to what he thought was right and wrong, but this was a pretty clear cut thing to him. There wasn't even the possibility of measure being given to people entirely uninfolved. Just slaughter for a cause. "Very well." Fudo stated, looking half lidded and emotionlessly towards the path that they will take. "Hiei, if you come with me this time… do not concern yourself with no harming them." Fudo stated, being to walk on his own regardless of Hiei towards the direction of Onbu.
"If they see you, be sure they're - dead - …" Satomi mentions, before she disappears with a low whistle of wind.
Hiei had just come in from the Konoha outpost and he was almost immediately snagged up by Satomi. He hadn't even had a chance to get some food yet, but considering the situation, he didn't say anything and left with her and Fudo once again. After listening to the situation, he nods to Fudo. "Good. Because murdering women and children is my breaking point." When Fudo struck out walking, he did it with Hiei right beside him. He offers Satomi a wave before she disappears before stating. "They're dead whether they see me or not."
Picking up the pace, Fudo would leat Hiei through the forest, using the branches for fast transport as well as cover. As far as Fudo was concerned, only those participating in the slaughter were targets, so avoiding detection until then was his objective. "How are you with handling multiple opponents at the same time, Hiei?" Fudo would ask as the glided along through the air with long leaps from branch cluster to branch cluster.
Hiei follows along behind Fudo. As they jump from branch to branch, he comments. "I'm fine with multiple opponents. Sensei made sure of that." As a precaution, Hiei reaches up and removes his headband before stuffing it into a pocket on his belt. They didn't plan on anyone leaving the place alive, but just in case someone did, they didn't need to know exactly where it is he's from. With luck, they'd think him a rogue ninja. "What about you? They may be idiots, but these are your people. You sure you're going to be able to do this?"
Fudo would simply say, "I am not from the Land of Fire." in reply to Hiei. And it was the truth. He was neither born nor raised here. This is simply where he had ended up due to arrangements made before he was even aware of. Perhaps before he was even born. The reality though, was that he doesn't know if he would truly treat them any differently if they were 'his people'. He didn't know if their actions would be better or worse in his eyes. Luckily, it wasn't even a thought. "How is your ranged jutsu?" Fudo would ask, already formulating a plan based on what was likely the scenario.
Hiei thinks about that for a minute. He was confused. Fudo is an Uchiha..and everyone knows that the Uchiha are from the Land of Fire…they use Fire jutsu afterall. Pushing it from his mind for the moment, he does make a mental note to revisit that line of questions at another time. "My ranged jutsu is decent, but not as good as my close quarters fighting. But I am pretty good at throwing kunai knives."
They would close in on the location, tucked a bit away from it as the women and children were still being dragged from their homes and lined up in the streets. Luckily the village wasn't too large. There were many 20 or so people in it at this time. Fudo would activate his Sharingan in order to gain a bit more clarity, wishing he had Yuzuna's eyes for a brief moment. "It seems that there are ten… no… perhaps eight enemies. Three have armor and the rest are simply armed. Judging by their deployment, they are gathering everyone first before the executions, and are planning to have it be a display." Fudo stated coldly as he watched carefully. "Based on this… since you are faster than I am, I need for you to intercept and defend the prisoners. Focus on the executioners. I am hoping that the rest will bunch up and stand guard or watch the execution. After our initial attack, if there are survivors, there will be chaos and we will have to be flexible to save them all."
"I understand. I'll draw their attention when I interrupt the execution." He removes a bracelet from his left arm and also places that into a pouch before concentrating for a moment. There is a brief aura around his body before it dies out. He moves his neck from side to side before he draws his sword silently. "Promise me that none of them live after today. I can't ever forgive them for this, Fudo." His spins his sword in his right hand before holding it so that the dull side of the blade rests against the back of his arm and shoulder. "Once they've all been gathered, I'll go in."
Wordlessly, Fudo moved through a few hand seals after testing the wind a bit. It should work from here. He inhaled deeply before very slowly exhaling a mist that would begin to roll over the distance between them and the targets. They were in the streets, but there were homes fences in the way. In some places, there were even high gate walls, though they were rather thin and not all that sturdy. More designed for appearances than anything.
In the village itself, the women would be holding their crying children and pleading for mercy or at least to let the children go, only to be kicked around and dragged through the streets. One of the soldiers flanked by two levy's would be walking along, kicking the women down to their knees in a line as he'd speak about how they were whores that got impregnated by traitors to the people of the land and that their bastard children were just the remaining taint of their treason against the will of the people. The true will of fire that the government wished to surpress due to fear and greed. The flimbsy gates of the village were closed as the rest of the men would stand guard, backs facing the gates as they watched the executions wind up to the begining, the soldier drawing his sword as he continued to spew his rhetoric that seemed to be coming to a close.
It almost took too long, but Fudo was lucky as the winds picked up again, drifting the fog against and a bit over the closed gate. "Now." he would state as he formed another set of hand seals that ended with him cupping his lips. Flames would curl about each other in front of him, slowly churning and condensing before the ball of flame would suddenly fire out. It seemed heavy, almost lobbed towards the gate, but as it got there, the air itself would catch on fire and a blazing trail would follow the ball that rammed through the gates. The wave of fire followed, threatening to bathe anyone that wasn't quick enough in a sudden snap-burn of the air in the area as the mist was consumed.
Hiei waited until Fudo finished performing his jutsu and then after he launches the fireball, he took off. Accompanying his abrupt departure was a displacement of air. With sword in hand, he makes his way directly towards the executioners. As the blade comes down to execute one of the villagers, there is the sound of metal against metal. Hiei stands above the woman, his sword still connected with the blade of the larger man in front of him. With murderous intent in his eyes, Hiei says, "Gutless axe. You would kill defenseless women and children just to make yourselves feel important. All of your lives are forfeit. Switching to a two-handed grip, he would attempt to rake his blade across the abdomen of the executioner. "Who's next!?" He calls out loudly, attempting to get all eyes on him so Fudo could do this thing.
As the ball of fire seemed to break apart as portions of it were snuffed by the impact and then nearly rolling on the ground as the condensed chakra that fueled it was extinguished, most of the men were screaming, rolling around, running in to things and other wise helplessly and painfully dying in agony. Some of them died immediately, the explosion catching them fully. One was unlucky enough to even be hit by the ball of flame itself, being torn almsot in half by the force of it. Fudo moved from his position just after Hiei, but he would arrive well after the explosion and after Hiei had already started fighting. He stepped over the shattered, charred and smoldering gate and the bodies that were reaching out to him or mindlessly shrieking in to the late afternoon sunset. Fudo would observe as Hiei would show those that remained his conviction as he kicked off the hand of a corpse from his ankle, leaving burnt skin stuck to his boots as he'd scrape it off without even a grimace.
The remaining members of the execution squad were entirely taken aback by the explosion, and immediately after, Hiei's sword coming up to stop any attempt of the soldier at finishing his task. Enraged at the sudden attack, and being able to successdully pary the blow, the remaining soldier would order a counter attack, and the two levy spearman would thrust their spears at Hiei from either side while the soldier slashed at him with vengence in his eyes.
The first thrust Hiei managed to dodge by planting a hand on the ground and performing a cartwheel, however he uses his other hand to block the other thrust and the blade slides along his to cut him along the arm. Falling onto his back, he attempts to roll out of the way of the slash, but it manages to catch him across the abdomen. They were a lot more skilled that Hiei originally thought, and he was dealing with three of them at once. It was time to take it to the next level. Rolling up to a knee, he performs a series of hand seals. "Release: Lightning Movement!" A chakra aura surrounds his body with bolts of lightning surging through it. Standing, he goes back into action. He delivers an open palmed strike towards the soldier and then spins around striking out at the levy spearman. Switching to a two handed grip on his sword, he would then aim another slash in a downwards arc at the second levy spearman. "I meant what I said. I will never forgive you for this."
The soldier was able to block and deflect the soul strike, the damage sent towards his internal systems avoided. One of the spearman narrowly evaded the slash, losing a bit of his uniform, but suffering no real damage aside from a cut on his chest. The other spearman however would block the two handed cleave that Hiei had sent down upon him. And it seemed successful… until he would gush blood from head to sternum and collapse almost in two heaps upon the ground. The women and children had already goten up and ran for shelter during all of this as the two remaining TFM recruits would circle Hiei. Another thrust was sent at him, as well as an arcing slash towards his neck. As the blade would come towards Hiei's neck however, the glint of steel shining as it catches the low light of the setting sun, the Soldier seemed to hesitate, not following through with his attack fully. This was Hiei's chance to easily get out of the way or defend himself.
Hiei, after delivering his last attack towards the levy that fell, turns around and then spins out of the way to avoid the attack from the spearman. The soldier, however, managed to complete his attack. The fact that Hiei moved at the last second probably saved his life. He only just manages to avoid the strike towards his neck. With a growl, Hiei switched back to a two handed grip on his sword and attacks the spearman. Taking two steps, his body seemed to blur from sight as he attacks the soldier this time. "Just die!" He growls out of anger.
The spearman hadn't learned his lesson at all from his partner earlier; blocking Hiei's blade was just suicide. And as he did that, he'd find hise torso sliding from his waist with a great look of shock plastered on his face as he'd fall back as his torso and forward on to his knees before his legs crumple to the side. The Soldier however was more resiliant. Parrying with loud clangs the blows that Hiei sent towards him, and as Fudo gazed upno him, even resisting the mental command to kneel upon the ground. Fudo would smirk a bit at that. "As you wish…" he stated as two tomoe swam in his crimson eyes, amplifying his abilities as the man would suddenly shake at the knees and yell out his protest before falling helplessly down to his hands and knees as if bowing before them. "Hiei…" Fudo would murmur as he'd start walking away from this whole scene.
Hiei nods to Fudo as he walks towards the downed soldier as Fudo walks away. With a look of intense hatred Hiei looks down upon the man. "I would be inclined to grant you mercy. But you couldn't find it in your heart to grant mercy to these innocent women and children." He spins his sword in his hand for a moment before taking another two handed grip. He brings the blade high above his head. "Go to the next world knowing that you failed here." He would deliver an overhead strike, cleaving the head completely off, executioner style. With a disgusted look on his face, he flicks the blood off his blade before returning it onto the sheath on his back. "Baka." Then he turns and begins to walk in the same direction Fudo was headed.
Fudo would walk through the gates, past all of those that the two of them killed as he let his Sharingan rest. "Or mission is complete. The people of this village will find their own way to either rebuild or move to a safer town. We don't know enough about the area, nor are we capable of guarding them in a walking convoy. What we can do however… is cover their retreat. If you need to go back to Konoha, do so… but I have made a decision. I will not allow those who cannot defend themselves to be taken advantage of. I do not care who it is that tries to do it. The TFM. The Daimyo. …Konoha."
Hiei continues to walk along with Fudo. There is a determined look on his face. "What I've seen here today has changed me, Fudo. I'm not sure if it's for the better or for worse, yet. But all I know is that we can't let these people continue to suffer while these two factions destroy the Land of Fire with their actions." His hand moves to rest on the hilt of his sword. "I'll protect anyone who can't protect themselves. This is my calling..as long as I am within these lands."
End Log
