The Race Is On!

Starring:

Auron (emitter), Kuroji, Eremi, Den, Etsu

Date: March 24, 2012

Summary:

Patrol squads for both Konohagakure and Kirigakure both report a wagon hauling a wealthy cache of various treasures has been abandoned near the border. It is indicated that the men responsible for transporting this wagon are scattered about the small area…dead. Their bodies look ravaged and torn to pieces by what seems to be a pack of wild beasts or possibly one giant beast.

Each village knows that the other has already received the same report. It has now become a foot race to retrieve the cache, for it will help bolster the winning village's treasury and possibly increase their military power.


"The Race Is On!"

On The Boarder of Konoha and Kiri

The air was a little more cool than usual. The sun has disappeared

behind the horizon however, there was still a mixture of orange, blue, and the

dark blue that would soon be the canvas to the stars and moon. The most recent

appointed advisor to the Hokage is present outside of the village gates. Not to

talk, but to merely watch Kuroji and his team depart for their mission.

His gaze shifted slowly from the sky towards the advisor who was in

attendance, before it fell on his newly formed team. "Team Nine, are you ready

for our departure?" he inquired slowly, before he adjusted his forehead

protector around his neck. The cool spring area slowly blowing across him, "If

so then we shall be departing, I will be taking lead and be setting the pace, we

will travel with a fifteen meter radius between us, watch for hand signals and

be sure to pass them back." he says this slowly as he starts to walk forward,

"Sooner we get going the sooner I can get us that victory ramen." he says with a

small smirk, looking back at them offering a small thumbs up.

Having completed everything on his list of things that needed to be done

before the mission, including stocking up on kunai, bandages and other small

supplies that would fit into his hip and leg holster, as well as even getting a

decent breakfast with Etsu, Eremi headed straight for the gates of the village.

He knew he was supposed to be there early before departure, but he might have

over shot a little, showing up almost an hour or so earlier then needed.
The wait didn't take long and eventually others of the team showing up

and gathered together. Eremi was relatively quiet during the whole gathering,

offering little more then a nod show that he understood what Kuroji expected of

the team. A quick glance was given between the others, Etsu and Den, before

looking straight a head and following behind Kuroji. The number two spot. Was it

significant of anything? Eremi sure hoped not, the pressure might be too much.

The time was finally here for Den to depart his apartment and make his

way to the meeting point outside of the gates. His guardian was on a mission

himself so a part of the boy felt a little sad that he did not have someone to

tell good bye before his big night. Walking towards the front gates with a

backpack on his back, he couldn't help but to get a little anxious for what was

ahead of him. After all, he was still new to all of this being a fresh genin and

all. It wasn't long after Den arrived at the meeting spot that Kuroji was good

and ready to get the mission started. The genin simply gave his team leader a

nod and followed his lead along with everyone else's out into the wild.

Etsu hmphed. She was ready. If she wasn't, she wouldn't be here.

"Victory Ramen…" Somehow, that sounds like a special name. Has a ring to it.

She followed after Kuroji, making sure to keep the radius that was designated

between the group. She had what she needed on her and not much else. She didn't

get the pillow she wanted today, but that's alright. She'd improvise. Besides,

she didn't think they should be out here long anyway. "How long would you gauge

this mission to be? A day, perhaps a little longer?" She asked of the leader.

As the team moved forward, Kuroji's hand came out and a small kikaichu

came and landed on it, his gaze moved towards it as if he was listening before

he flew away. "Hopfully this mission will take less than a day, however there is

always the possiblity of complications." he says slowly, he tatami sandles

pressed against the ground softly, til they made it to the woodline in which he

hoped to a tree branch then quickly launched to the next, moving quickly through

the tree, he glanced back to make sure the pace he has choosen is not to much

for his team, once knowing they are okay his gaze shifted in front him, scaning

the area slowly as he moved, to ensure that he is not missing anything

important.

As they began to travel, with the pace set by the team leader, Eremi

wasn't finding it difficult to keep up. Making sure he kept the radius that was

requested of the team, while his eyes constantly scanned the area in front of

him. It was weird and a first, but he had to make sure those behind him were

watching his back. One of the reasons he would normally choose to be in the

rear, given the choice. Trust… He sighed and shook it off as he jumped from

one branch to the next.

Den was quiet for the most part. His mind was focusing too much on the

possibility of there being conflict against Kirigakure than anything. He knew it

was not professional and not shinobi like to let your emotions cloud your focus,

but flash backs of his childhood flooded his mind. The boy's footing slips as he

launches himself from a limb and almost misses his mark on his landing which

would send him for a nasty fall. However, at the last minute he manages to catch

himself by grabbing only to a limb to catch his balance. He shakes his head in

attempt to shake loose his emotions. Taking in a deep breath, he leaps to the

next tree and continues his journey behind the rest of his team members.

"Understood," Etsu replied back. She gave this some thought as she

attempted to see what she could make of it. With the way things are and having

to go up against Kirigakure ninja, it just may take some time. She's willing.

Perhaps not entirely, but she has to be for this mission. "Do you have any

suspicions about what's happened? Why the wagon would be attacked and left

abandoned? Do you think there may be a potential ambush waiting? It seems

odd…especially for it to be on the border of two countries."

By now the sky was blanketed by the night. In the sun's place now hangs

a full moon which surprisingly lights up the area around them almost better than

normal. Soon, Team Nine would come up on the scene that was described in reports

that were sent to Konoha. However, the wagon was more like a carriage but the

treasure chest was visible due to the carriage door being open and hanging on

for dear life only by one hinge. The horse reigns lay snapped and on the ground

with there being no other sign of the horses. The carriage itself was pretty

beaten up with long claw marks etched in its side and blood smeared here and

there all the way around it. The dead bodies of the men who were transporting

such a treasure laid scattered around the carriage. By now it was hard to tell

exactly what had happened seeing how mother nature had already began the process

of turning human bodies into skeletons. It was not a pretty sight considering

the process was only half complete. Maggots and other night crawlers slither in

and out of the half eaten corpses. The smell of decay lingers in the air. But

there was something new that the reports did not mention. Two bodies that looked

as though they had not been dead for very long lay on the other side of the

carriage, almost out of view for the angle of the team that approached the

scene. In fact, if one would have enough courage they would see that the bodies

were still warm. Another thing about that is noticeable about these bodies is

that they bear the sigil of Kirigakure shinobi.

Kuroji continued to scan the area, "We do not currently have enough

intel to come to a diffenitive conclusion as to how or why." he said slowly with

a small nod to him, before looking behind him to ensure that we had not lost

anyone. As the mission sight finally falls into view, Kuroji holds his hand up

in a small balled fist, to signal the team to stop, Kuroji gaze falls on the

scene below, his head snaps back and forth quickly as he attempts to take in the

scene. His gaze finally falls on the odd angle for the two that do not seem to

be in the same state of decomposition. His hand moves up quickly, beckoning the

team to move closer. "I am going to move up, Etsu cover me from the fight, Den

you from the left. Eremi you will keep direct line of sight on me. For now keep

your presence hidden. Understood?" he asks slowly looking between his team.

Receiving the signal to stop as they reached the intended destination,

Eremi did so and gave a quick look to the others to see how they were faring

before looking ahead at the scene. It was gruesome what he was seeing, but it

could only be described in one word. Trap. It's all the boy could figure it to

be. So many bodies left out in the open, as well as a treasure that had yet to

be claimed. Eremi swallowed hard as he continued ahead behind Kuroji, doing his

best to remain silent and keep his presense undetected. Slowly, he reached

behind his cloak and into a holster to retrieve a kunai that he held out in

front of him. A nod was given to the man, letting it be known he was ready and

understood.

Den noticed Kuroji's hand come up which meant for him to stop. The boy

rested on a large branch with the scene ahead being only half visible to him. He

could make out the top of the carriage from here and that was it. The smell

however was pretty pungent even through the bandages that hid his face. As the

boy waited his orders, he noticed his heart was beating harder than normal. This

is it…they were here and there was no turning back. Once he was given the

order to cover Kuroji's side, the boy did so without hesitation and moved up.

"…I see." Etsu guesses she'd have to figure out things with the rest

of the team. She'll have to keep on her toes and see if things will click into

place. She's not sure why someone would do something like this, but it wouldn't

matter as she'd soon come to realize that it wasn't someone, but something.
Upon arrival, the group is treated to bodies that have already begun

the decomposition process. It's not a pretty sight, not that it was ever

supposed to be, but much more shocking than what was previously thought. She

begins to scan the area and take notes. At the beckoning, she moves closer to

Kuroji and takes the instruction to do just as she was told. "Will do," she

answered to him. Time to keep a low profile.

Kuroji nods at his team and closes his eyes for a moment focusing some

chakra, before his hands moved down and his hands gripped the two kamas, before

with a quick leap landed on the outskirts of the scene. His gaze moved around

slowly, the images reflecting in his red shades. His hands moved up bringing his

kamas up in a defensive stances as he started to move slowly around the scene,

towards the two corpses that seemed to be a little bit fresher then the others.

His tatami sandles pressed against the ground softly, making almost no sound. He

fought the urge to look back and to check on his team, he was worried about this

despite not showing them, however he knew if someone was watching and he looked

back that it would reveal he was not alone, he continues to move closer and

closer to the two corpses.

Eremi crouched down after Kuroji jumped into the scene to examine the

area. His one job so far was to keep clear sight on the man, but it wasn't that

easy with the corpses being on the other side of the carriage. The best thing he

could do now, was get as close as he could, while still staying hidden within

the trees and brush that hid team nine. His eyes would give a quick scan of the

area, ignoring the details of the scene and instead focusing on the outlying

area where others might appear if this was a trap, before returning to where

Kuroji was. The kunai that he held in his hand was clenched tightly as he made

sure it was still there. The moment something seemed out of place, it would be

instantly flung in that direction, without hesitation.

Den follows the team leader to the outskirts of the scene. He makes sure

that not only is he covering Kuroji as he ordered but also staying hidden

amongst the trees and bushes in case of a surprise attack. The tension of the

scene was growing. From what Den could see of the moon lit area, this was

screaming "trap". Something wasn't right here. He caught himself shivering. He

wondered whether if he was actually that cold or was it just nerves. He also

wondered if he was the only one feeling like this. How were the other two

holding up?

Etsu began to focus her chakra and prepare herself for what was to

come. She remained in her position, approaching with caution the same thing

Kuroji was heading towards. She couldn't see anything right now, but she could

definitely smell it. It was sickening, but she can endure. She's endured worse,

she's told herself and others, but she is finding that she's questioning herself

just a tad. What /happened/ here?
She took another opportunity to survey the area and took note of the

damage to the wagon and those that were scattered around. Some Kiri

shinobi…they were killed? She tensed somewhat before sighing the breath out

and trying to maintain her focus.

A man's blood gurgling cry of agony rings breaks the silence in the

area! A primal howl sounds off close to Etsu's position. It was then followed by

a few other howls similar to the first. Soon there was a sound of something hard

hitting the ground, a man's groan, and silence again.

As the agonizing cry screens out, Kuroji turns and glares towards

general direction of the sound. His head shakes as he looks back at the

treasure, his mind runs through the situations in front of him, to attempt to

extract the treasure or to investiagte the sound. His hand shoots up, a quick

circle is done in the air with his hand before pointing down, signaling the

group to fall in on him, he takes a knee to the ground and waits for them to

arrive and do the same. "It is obvious that something did this, the choices to

either extract the treasure and run or to figure out what did this and stop this

are the two choices, obviously it did a number on the Kirigakure Shinobi, the

added weight and the fact that no one else has managed to pull it out. I have

choosen we will investigate and if possible eliminate the source of these

deaths." with that said Kuroji stands up and gestures them to follow him,

implied that the same spacing to be used as he moves towards the source of the

sound.

Eremi jerked and head snapped in the direction of the curdling cry and

howl that followed afterwards. He almost dropped his kunai from the shear

startle of it all, but was able to regain his hold upon it. The part that

troubled him the most, was that it came near where Etsu was stationed. Naturally

he wanted to run over and offer whatever aide he could, but knew against leaving

his designated spot. So he had to and he did, have faith that she would be able

to defend herself. With that in mind, he returned to watching Kuroji, who was

signaling the group forward. Instantly, Eremi leaped from his spot and ran over

toward the man to see what was going on.
He laid the choices out between the group and Eremi nodded in response,

"I feel I must say, I think even this is a trap. A trap within a trap." He

glanced around the area, then toward where the howls came from, "Perhaps the

plan is to lure us away from the treasure simply so they can grab it and run."

He didn't want to say anything about a possible ambush in wait, he figured that

was the reason they were to keep the same spacing. Still, with what he said, the

choice was already made and he followed behind Kuroji as the man lead the way. A

free hand reached for another kunai so two would be ready to launch.

The sound of a grown man's scream did little to help Den with the nerves

he was dealing with. His body stiffens due to fear for a few moments. It sounded

like it was coming from where Etsu was. He then vaguely notices the hand signal

Kuroji gives and is quickly at his team leader's side. With this being only his

second assignment, the boy stayed quiet as Kuroji laid out what they were to do

next. Den couldnt help but to keep looking up and over to the area where he had

originaly heard the fightening screams and howls. As Eremi grabbed for a kunai

he wished inwardly that he could be as strong as him at this moment.

Etsu looks in the same direction, wincing behind her goggles while

trying to figure out what they're dealing with. This isn't anytime for her

confidence to waver. She said she was going to give her all and that's exactly

what she came here to provide. At the signal given by Kuroji, she proceeded

toward him and crouched down to the ground to listen to what he had to say. Once

it's all said and done, she nods in the affirmative and falls back into her

previous position. "Does anyone have any idea of what it might be?" She

whispered. There were claw marks, she saw and the bodies were wrecked for the

most part. She feels she knows what it is, but doesn't want to think about it.

"This is…a very odd predicament to be in," she added. She just wasn't sure of

what to think. Then…howls. Great. It was all confirmed, but…are they usually

this aggressive?

As the group make their way toward the sounds of brutality, they would

push their way through bushes and trees to come to an opening bordered by trees.

Not far from the treeline that the group would come out from is the body of a

Kirigakure nin. Obviously the man that belonged to the agonizing cry from

earlier. Five feet away from the dead body a white furred Werebeast is standing

hunched over on its hindlegs. Blood drips from his claws and his snout also

painted with red. There would be no surprise attack on this beast for it already

had its eyes locked on to the new comers. The beast lets out a low growl but

waits to attack for now.

As Kuroji lead the team towards the sound, his eyes fall on the fallen

Kirigakure nin. His hands grip his weapons a little tighter as he sees the

werebeast staring back at him reflecting in his red tinted lenses. There is a

brief moment of silence, before he states softly in low serious tone, "Follow my

lead." his face is perfectly straight, devoid of emotions. Scenerios are playing

through his head, then with out a gesture suddenly a swarm of Kikachius errupt

out of arms under his bracers from small raised holes, forming a criss cross

pattern around Kuroji. The buzz of kikachius is loud, however if one was to look

closely one would note that slightly larger ones, seemed to be burrowing into

the ground around Kuroji's feet, those this breed appears to be wingless.

Kuroji's head bows for one quick moment, before it snaps up and without

hesitation starts to run full speed towards the werebeast. His right hand shoot

up and the Kama spins out of his hand wizzing by the werebeast and landing in a

tree behind the beast, a small explosive tag burning up quickly. His right hand

has already found a sharp senbon needle and it shoots out towards the beast,

glowing softly with blue wind chakra. The if almost time to perfection the

explosive tag explodes, the senbon need reaches the beast and a large ground of

Kikachuis burst forth from the ground shooting up, bring rock and dirt with them

attempting to engulf the werebeast.

Reaching the opened area, Eremi froze in place upon spotting the

creature that hovered over the dead corpse. In the boys travels he has seen many

a strange things, mostly just giant sized insects. Nothing out of the ordinary

really, considering the size of most summons. This on the other hand, was a

bipedal….wolf. Ferocious and bloodthirsty from the looks of it and if you

thought about it, has a taste for kirigakure shinobi. Perhaps the best course of

action would be to capture and release it in their lands.
Eremi perked up, coming out of his daze and train of thoughts with

Kuroji taking the lead. The man himself was equally as ferocious, moving with

speed and abilities he would expect of a chuunin. However, with most of the

explosions and insects that were occuring all around the beast, it would be too

hazardous for Eremi to run in and attack. He'd have to keep his distance, wait

for an opportunity and then really attack.
Until that time, he knew what he had to do and shifted his feet, one

ahead of the other, before digging in and pushing off in a sprint. However, he

wasn't heading in the direction of the beast, not taking the same path as

Kuroji. Instead, he was circling around the two, in hopes of taking up the rear.

As he did this he let loose the two kunai he had in his, throwing them toward

the beast, then reached in to the pack for another.

Den followed behind Kuroji and the rest as they entered the open field.

The sight in front of him shook him, but once he saw his team leader get ready

for action it was enough to bring back all his focus onto what had to be done.

The boy notices Eremi sprinting in order to circle around the beast as Kuroji

lead the assualt. Den followed Eremi's plan and circled around the opposite way

his teammate did. In process of doing this, Den retrieved a few kunai from his

pack and tossed them at the beast.

Etsu looked upon the corpse of the Kirigakure ninja, but what capture

her attention mostly was the thicket of fur standing above it, muzzle colored

red from enjoying a treat. She tightened her fists before relieving them and

sending kikaichu into the ground herself. She wanted the attack against it to

have a double impact against the beast they were up against. For now, she tries

to maintain position, leaking kikaichu into the ground to scramble their way to

the werebeast to attack. She thought about the formation that Kuroji mentioned

in their briefing. Rotating and striking, though there don't appear to be as

many enemies, she thinks that it can still apply here.
With some space to work with around here in the field, it may be

easier. So, when the time is right, she unleashes her kikaichu and they burst

the ground to make things a bit more difficult.

The beast is blasted forward due to the explosive tag catching it in its

explosion. This causes the beast to be unable dodge the senbon attack properly

and it slices right through it's shoulder. A cry of agony similar to a howl

escapes the beast. It was then it found itself in the middle of a swarm of

insects. The white beast was unable to get away from it and with all of its

attention on the bugs, the beast was too distracted to bat away Eremi's first

attack. The kunai stuck into the creature's arm. The white fur on the beast is

now being painted red with its own blood. For all of the other attacks, the

beast gained its senses in time and managed to scramble out of the way. After

dodging the attacks, the beast found itself closest to Den. Falling down on all

fours, the beast charges for the boy and leaps into the air with its claws

pointing right at him.

There is a primal howl off to the side of he clearing. A beast with a

shade of brown fur steps forward on its hind legs. After hearing the cries of

its brother, the brown beast did not hesitate as it charge straight in with

Kuroji as its prime target. Once the beast made it to the Aburame, he began

slashing and snapping at his target in a berserking rage. This would prevent

Kuroji from interferring with the white beast's assualt on Den.

Kuroji brow furrows slight as the attacks quickly come towards Den, he

prepares to move quickly, then suddenly another werebeastleaps out at him. His

hands quickly move forming a few seals wrapping himself in wind chakra and

quickly leaping backwards out the the range of the first attack, his hand moving

up and his Kikaichus form a small wall shielding him from the on comming

attacks. Kuroji shakes his head for a moment, he brief the team on what to do if

this happened, lets hope they remembered. His gaze quickly moved towards his

other Kama laying discarded after the blast, he quickly moved towards it,

rolling and grabbing it before with a large leap, jumped towards the brown

beast, both Kamas glowing in a soft blue chakra, as he quickly returned the

slashes to the other Werebeast.

The white beast was getting attacked from all sides and Eremi had no

intention of letting up on his own attacks, despite how well it seemed the

creature was to taking the blows. He had planned to continue running full circle

and get behind the beast, flanking it between Kuroji and himself. However, with

all the scrambling that was going on, the beast ended up righting itself before

dropping on all fours and instantly charging for Den.
This wasn't as bad as it seemed, it was still four on one or at least it

was. A howl from the distance caught Eremi's attention, forcing him to look in

that direction and see a brown beast making its way on to the scene and charging

straight for Kuroji. It was making Eremi a bit, upset. If they were attacking

him instead, he wouldn't have to worry about the others. It would make things so

much simpler.
Not being the case, he knew what he needed to do and with not knowing

much of the other teen, who appeared slightly older then him, Eremi couldn't

simply stand by and do nothing. Unlike Kuroji who seemed a well accomplish

Chuunin, Den was a genin just like himself. The creature was too far away to be

able to take those attacks for his team mate, but he could be sure to be there

next time around. With the kunai in his hand, he spun it around within his palm

until the blade faced downwards then took off running after the white beast. As

he passed the brown one however, he flicked his wrist and sent the kunai sailing

toward the creature.
After which, his attention focused back on the white one, the one

assaulting Den. He was going to attack, hopefully get the surprise, he could

only hope that Den knew well enough to see witness Eremi coming and be able to

get out of harms way if necessary or at least not do anything to grand that

would also catch Eremi as he leaped into the air with a flying kick.

Den's eyes widen from under his blonde bangs as he watches the beast

charge at him as if it were in slow motion. His training kicked in, thankfully,

and the boy performed a series of hand seals in attempt to pull of clone-

replacement combination. However, the beast was quicker and caught the boy with

it's frenzy. As Den fell to the ground, the boy catches his head on a fallen log

and is knocked out cold. His body laid limp as if he were dead. His clothes

shredded and blood running from his wounds.

The white beast lets out a victorious howl as Den falls to the ground

motionless. Now back to its focused mind set, the beast is ready to take on any

challenges. It easily dodges the attacks from Eremi and Etsu. Just as it was

about to spring towards Eremi, the beast's foot taps Den's foot which causes the

boy to moan in his unconcious state. The beast looks the boy up and down then

with quick movements, it hunches over to pick the up by his cloak with its

teeth.

After watching his brother fall victim to under estimating Kuroji

earlier, the brown beast was not going to make that same mistake. The beast

manages to evade the chuunin's weapon strike, but it did not notice the girl's

attack focused on him. The swarm of insects catch him and tear into it's flesh.

A howl of agony erupts from the beast as it spins and claws its way out. Now

even more pissed off, the beast sends a flurry of attacks at Kuroji just to

create some distance. Suddenly, the brown beast leaps away from the Chuunin and

sprints on all fours towards the Aburame girl. Much like the white beast did to

Den, it leaps at her with its claws reared back ready to strike.

Kuroji watches as first Den seems to take from the one white werebeast,

looking rather wounded, he exclaims "Extract Den!" his tone is serious, then the

attacks from the brown werebeast comes. His hands move to create a small barrier

of wind to block them, however the force of the beast breaks through it causing

Kuroji to take a hard slash across his right arm. His kamas shoot up to block

the next incoming attack, only to be knocked away and three large slashes hit

Kuroji square in the chest, knocking him back and leaving several nasty looking

wounds on his chest and his chest piece of armor in tatters. Then he noted Etsu

was moving to extract him, and wait what so was the white werebeast!

To make matters worse he seems have lost the attention of the brown

werebeast, he moves quickly a Wind Barrier shoots up protecting Etsu from the

werebeasts attacks. His mind races running through various options and

strategies, his head bows for a moment as he opens the link between himself and

his Kikaichus, then suddenly his right hand shoots up and a large number of

Kikaichus shoot up beneath the white werebeast, creating a crater that will

hopfully catch the werebeast off gaurd trapping him for a moment and allowing

his teammates a moment to level the playing field with the white werebeast. His

left hand raises slowly, sending the half his swarm of flying Kikaichus towards

the white werebeast.

As Eremi flew past the beast with his attack missing, he landed on his

feet and instantly spun around only to see Den lying unconscious on the ground.

He was too late. He cursed himself at the thought as he looked up to the beast

that was ready to spring at him and he to the beast. It was at this time, he was

ready to go all out. To put his life on the line to protect others and make sure

we win that victory ramen promised to them.
However, his tactics had to change the moment something changed in the

whitebeasts eyes and it reached for Den with its mouth, picking Den up by his

cloak. This definitely changed how Eremi could attack, but he wasn't out of

options yet. There was one thing he could still try as he brought his arms

together and began to unwind the bandages that wrapped his hands and arms

tightly until enough hung down near his sides.
He was about to make his move at this point, when the ground began to

shake, mostly near the white beast and then suddenly it opened up and created a

crater that intended to take beast and Den down with in. "Bah!" Eremi gasped in

panic, rushing forward and throwing his bandaged arms forward to hopefully wrap

around Den and yank him back toward himself.

"Tch," Etsu spat at the whitebeast dodging her attack, though it

appears that the brownbeast wasn't so lucky. While it was preocupied with the

swarm she sent its way, she drew up her kikaichu, all with the intent of

attacking the whitebeast. She'd have been caught offguard at this moment against

the brownbeast, but she was well defended by Kuroji and this drew her attention

back to it and showed her exactly how close the beast was. She was frustrated,

but she couldn't attack the whitebeast with the brownbeast so close. Besides, it

was already being taken on by her team leader, so she refocused her attention on

the brownbeast, drawing up a number of insects to go forth and crawl into any

wounds present on its body to attack it from the inside out. She wanted that

Ramen reward, but she wanted more so to protect her team in whatever way she

could. This could not be tolerated. "Pests deserve to be exterminated…" She

remarked while her kikaichu sought out the beast's flesh to cause it agony and

pain. Hopefully, Den would be captured by someone else.

The beast snarls at Eremi as he approaches, but just as soon as its

attention was on Eremi; the ground began to shake and give way beneath the

beast. With quick reflexes, the beast leaps up above into a nearby tree still

with Den in its mouth in order to escape the bug trap. It was not quick enough

to escape Kuroji's chakra bugs which force a howl of agony from the best as they

bite into it. Annoyed, the beast leaps to another nearby try and soon vanishes

from the battle into the forest.

The brown beast had no care for whatever trouble the white one was

getting into. All it had on its mind was the Aburame girl in front of him.

However, thanks to the Chuunin he was stopped in his tracks and his attacks were

blocked. The beast was about to attempt another onslaught of attacks until a it

felt its insides begin to tingle, sting, then begin to burn. The beast spun

around franticaly while holding its his body. There was no escaping the

Aburame's girl attack. It falls to its knees and lets out a howl of agony of its

own. Once the attack seemed to have dulled down, it focused on its regeneration

ability in order to patch some of its wounds.

Kuroji watched as Den was geninnaped by the white werebeast, "Damn

it…" he mutters as his focus turns back to the Brown werebeast, just in time

to watch Etsu utalize a unexpected jutsu, one that he was preparing to use as

well. His left hand moved up and swelled, with small red Kikaichus before his

hand pointed towards the brown werebeast, suddenly an onslaught of flesh

burrowing Kikaichus were attacking the werebeast once more. If they where able

to actively burrow, they would began ripping apart flesh and consuming it and

the chakra within the beast, leaving small red holes were they had entered. His

mind was racing he needed to finish this fight fast and recover his lost genin,

he really did not wish to explain this to the Hokage. He was starting to breath

heavy his eyes shifted between the two remaining Genin and the direction the

werebeast ran off too. His mind made a descion. "Go get the chest and hide it in

a better location for retreival later, I will finish this one off then we will

track down Den." he shouts his tone serious cold and dry.

The bandages just missing with the beast jumping away and off into the

trees, Eremi was quickly growing more and more frustrated. Showing anger like he

had never done before he reached for the bandages that dangled from his arms and

tore them off at the source and throwing them aside. He then began to sprint

ahead, where the whitebeast had ran off too, focusing within himself, ready to

open the gates and catch up to the creature. However, he stopped in his tracks,

just before releasing the first gate and spun around when he heard the order to

go and retrieve the treasure…Seriously? He knew that was the mission, but his

team mate was in danger…He had no choice, he had to do what he was told. It

was the law as a shinobi, complete the mission. So he spun around, changing

direction and sprinting off toward where the carriage was, hoping the treasure

chest was still there as well.
COMBAT: Eremi finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Etsu's turn.

Etsu wasn't able to keep her word and when she's not able to keep it,

she grows angry. When she's angry, she's also frustrated. She can't believe what

just happened. What did they go up against? She cursed to herself as the

whitebeast made off with her partner. Temporary or not, he was extremely vital

in every way. She wanted to unleash her anger on the brown beast once more, but

saw that Kuroji had a handle on it. This almost didn't stop her from performing

the jutsu once more, but with the orders to hide the chest, she simply nodded

and headed towards the chest along with Eremi. When she caught up, she said,

"We'll get out of this yet. I won't let Den go. I can't… Let's get this chest

hidden away. I can use my kikaichu to dig and aid in burial."

Just when the brown beast feels as though his regeration abilities were

getting rid of the burrowed insects, Kuroji sends another wave of pain through

its body. The beast was absolutely pissed now. So pissed that it ignored Eremi

and Etsu as they left the area. The beast stalked Kuroji as if saying, "Come at

me, bro." It lets out a primal roar then charges for the Aburame with claws

slices through the air at the Chuunin.

As the kiddos would come up on the carriage they would see two men

dressed in red vests and black pants already removing the chest. They both wore

a sigil of a black bomb on the right side of their chest. Eikichi was the

slimmer of the two and had blonde hair that was cut short and kept spiky. Ogai

was the brute looking one and wore a red bandana to cover his bald head. Ogai

was the first one to notice Etsu and Eremi arrive. "Hey Eik, guess we're having

company after all." He says with a chuckle.
Eikichi pokes his head out of the carriage to see the genin in the not

far from them. "Oh! Our thanks for keeping those werebeasts distracted while we

finaly get the chance to take this pretty little chest home. We've been waiting

for someone to put up a good enough fight." The two men gently set the treasure

chest down. "Unfortunately though." Eikichi continues. "We can't allow anymore

hiccups in getting this home. We're already behind schedule. Sooo…Ogai? Do you

want to take care of these brats or shall I?"
Ogai smirks. "I say we both do it to make sure we do it right!"
"What a brilliant idea my big friend." At this point they both focus

their chakra then at the same time, perform their own individual hand seals.

Eikichi creates a sphere of what appears to be electic energy in between his

hands. After a moment, he realeases it towards the two.
Ogai stomps his foot on the ground which forces rock spires to erupt

from the ground all around Eremi and Etsu, both in an attempt to trap them and

pierce their bodies.

Kuroji nods to himself slowly as the two Genin leave, if all goes well

this should be simple enough. One werebeast distracted with him the other one

running off with Den, they secure the chest, return then we chase down the other

werebeast. The attacks come quickly at Kuroji who forces some wind chakra to his

feet and quickly steps out of the way of the first attack as the second one

comes his hand moves up creating a wind barrier. He knows his chakra is running

low, he is going to try and push himself a little harder right now. His hands

move forming a few seals as he focuses some chakra quickly, before moving quick

a dead on sprint towards the Werebeast, however only right right index finge

rmoves forward aiming for the werebeasts forehead, if everything goes as planed,

a quick surge of chakra will disrupt his nervous system, leaving him paralysised

for amoment and open. Once the werebeasts forehead is touched Kuroji quickly

steps back his right hand shooting up and a small flash can be seen from the

device on his wrist, a small senbon need shoots forces being propled by pure

chakra.

Reaching the wagon, it was quite a shock to see two people standing

nearby, with the chest in their hands about to depart. 'A trap within a trap.'

He thought to himself and shook his head as he looked toward Etsu, "I don't like

how this is turning out." Then returned to focus on the two. He had hoped that

there might be a chance to perhaps talk things out or seek other means to

resolve this, but as he watched them set the chest down and step closer toward

himself and Etsu, he knew that wasn't going to be the case.
So he prepared himself, shifting into his stance and watched as they

both prepared handsigns. The thing that caught his eye the most were the orbs of

lightning being created near the other and then shot out. Quickly he jumped out

of the way, avoiding the attack. Unfortunately it managed to only direct him

into another as earth shot up and jutted into his side and causing him to bleed

onto his clothing.
He jerked away and glared at the bald man feeling enough is enough. With

that he clenched his fists together, regulating his breathing as he reached

inside to open one of the chakra gates. He didn't stop there and continued to

push on, opening the next one. With that, his muscles responded. Aching in

response and begging to be used and he wasn't going to do just that.
In a flash he sprinted to one side only to disappear in a blur and

appear under the baldy and send a kick that aimed to knock the man high into the

air.

"Me either…" Etsu was already aggravated, but to have to deal with

extra people attacking them? Oh no. Then again, were they related to the two

beasts that attacked or were they just something else entirely? Whatever the

case is, she has no reservations against causing immense pain to either one of

them. Before she can do that, she has to defend herself and she makes quick work

of flicking her hand to summon up a column layered thick enough to insulate

against the electricity and stop the earth spire short. "…" She clears enough

of the kikaichu to be able to create a 'visor' of sorts to see outside of the

column.
"That chest belongs to us…" She remarked while taking note of their

words. So they did know about the beasts… "I do not have time for this…" She

had a Ramen meal to get to. Her kikaichu dispersed and as she distributed them

out, she centered them in on the one that took an earth spire to her. He's

first. Thrusting her arm out, red insects blasted out of her sleeve and darted

straight for Ogai to do him in.

The brown beast could not get out of the way in time to dodge Kuroji's

attack. The beast's body fell limp and it crashed face first into the ground.

"Enough!" Something snarled from the side. It was a black werebeast that was

double the size of the brown and white one. Its eyes were even red where the

others were normal. It was obvious that this werebeast was some type of leader.

"You have proven yourself worthy, human." The black beast snarls. "We will keep

your human companion alive. The treasure chest that you seek contains a relic

that my species needs. However, the chest is sealed by some sort of energy.

Break the seal and return here with the relic. You will get your human back

then."

Realizing that Ogai was the main target, Eikichi fell back in attempt to

lift the chest a couple of times on his own. "Go ahead Eikichi. I'll stay behind

and take care of these brats." The lightning user finally gets a good enough

grip on the chest. "Dont take too long. Boss wants us back by sunrise for our

next phase!" Eikichi gives a wave then makes his way out of the area as quickly

as possible.

Eremi's attack bounces off of what seems to be Ogai. However, the man's

form turns to stone and reveals he had used an Earth clone technique right

before the boy attacked. Ogai couldn't escape the bugs though and they begin to

burrow into his skin. He nows go through the stinging and burning of the insects

making their way into his body. The man lets out a yell and his expression

changes to an even more pissed off one. "That's it. Play time is over!" After

series of hand seals, Ogai slams his palm into the ground. The ground below the

two genin begin to soften and swirl around. It would then pull them under as if

it were quick sand if they find themselves caught in this jutsu.

Kuroji was breathing heavy he looked tired, he looked annoyed. He stared

at the brown werebeast for a moment the his gaze slowly moved towards the black

werebeast, "So now…all I have to do is get the chest…break the seal… get

the relic and you will give me back my Genin…fair enough.." he says offering

the black werebeast a slow nod before starting to make his way towards the

carriage, "Could have just asked…" he mutters as his tatami sandles softly

press against the ground, picking up his two kamas on his way to the carriage,

he reaches up and undoes one of the buckles on the black breast plate allowing

it to fall to the ground with a small thunk. As he gets closer to the carriage

he sees that his teammates were in yet another battle, his eyes narrowed behind

his red shades as one of them decides to make a break for it with his chest, his

eyes narrow at the one attacking his Genin, a soft grr forms under his breath

and a quick leap with wind chakra propelling him he manages to push both Etsu

and Eremi out of the way, a small puff of smoke and a log appears sinking in one

of the whirlpools while Kuroji tries to dodge the second, his body is tore up

and he is tired he misses his dodge and lands stuck in one of them, his gaze

moves to his two Genin and he says one thing, "Victory Ramen…" in a cold stone

serious voice.

Baam! The kick to the baldy landed, sending the man high into the air.

Crouching low afterwards, Eremi leaped into the mans shadow trailing underneath

him. Then gravel began to rain on the boy as the once bald man crumbled into

earth, revealing a clone. "…" Eremi wanted to take a page from Atsuro's book

and let out a cuss word so heinous, his own mother would hear it. Instead, he

bit his lip and flipped about to land on the ground. He was prepared to take off

again only to be pushed out of the way by Kuroji, making sure Eremi didn't get

caught in the earth whirl pool. He stumbled a bit, but managed to catch himself

and witness his temporary team leader be sucked into the ground and held in

place. The boy shook his head, tired of needing to be protected and despite

giving it his all, coming out with nothing to show for it. He wasn't going to

give up though, he couldn't. So he pushed ahead, running at the bald man with

all his speed before leaping into the air with a succession of kicks, then

dropping down low, bending backwards and snapping his foot forward.

Etsu was about to brace herself for the whirlpool, but she ended up

being pulled out of harm's way and into safety by Kuroji who came in the nick of

time. She was grateful, to say the least but now had to focus on the common

enemy that she and Eremi shared. Following his lead, she observed him attacking

with some moves she'd grown familiar with and decided to come from behind by

sinking kikaichu into the ground and allowing them to dig the area out to trap

Ogai in a pit of no escape. It may not be on the same scale as that whirlpool,

but it'd at least be enough to hold him. Once the kikaichu found their mark,

they burst from the ground, opening up a hole in the ground for the man to fall

into and remain trapped in.

Ogai watches as Eremi comes at him. He even had a smirk on his face as

he waited in anticapation. Just as he was about to grab the boy, he is met with

a foot to the face followed by a pop-up attack. "Ugh!" The bulky man moans. He

falls back to the ground and instantly finds himself in a sink hole. However,

this was no ordinary sink hole. The bugs attack and bite the man which leaves

him too drained to even scramble out of the crater. "I submit! I submit!" The

older man cries.

Kuroji slowly pulls himself out of the sink hole, laying on his back for

a moment before getting up. "Okay the chest now, we get the chest, we open it,

get the relic, trade the relic for Den, keep the chest and victory ramen." he

says still breathing a bit heavy, his gaze moves between the two slowly, before

he looks down at Ogai, "Were did your friend take the chest? You have five

seconds before I rain down pain on you, that will make you think all of these

little bug bites you have gotten so far are nothing, you will be begging me for

mercy that I am currently lacking." he says slowly, as his hand moves slowly

grasping his Kusanagi.

"Victory Ramen…" Etsu repeated as if in a daze. They were going to

get Victory Ramen. She gave it her all… "I'm tired…" She gives the man in

the pit an accusatory glare. Even behind her goggles it could be felt and read

into. "Are you okay, Eremi? Kuroji-sama?" she wondered of the both of them

considered they were they both seemd to have suffered some serious injury.

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