Starring:
Yuuma, Naruko, Michiko, Rise, Itami, Akane, Tsuchi, Isura
Date: November 12, 2014
Summary:
Shinobi from all over respond to a distress call related to the Silence.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"The Silence - Dropping the Mask"
Country below the Land of Wind, unknown village
Much like a couple weeks ago in the Land of the Sea, a distress call rang out saying that the Silence have invaded a village. This time the village is in the vast lands beneath the Land of Wind, what's not known to really host much civilization. Reports of the village give warning that this particular village not being the most savory of places. Most compare to it what San-Sara Duruta once was, a place where the scum of the earth thrive in their illegal activities outside the borders controlled by the Five Great Nations, human trafficking, drug rings, illegal gambling, paid murder, anything the mind can imagine.
The shinobi on their way to this place would find that, much like the island, this village has been barricaded by a rather large barrier with dozens of troops inside and outside the barrier. Oddly enough, there don't appear to be a massive amount of bodies just yet, some unconscious or restrained, but only those who fought back it seems. They seem to be waiting for something, though the giant seal pattern used to feed the Crawler chakra already covers the ground inside the barrier, ready to be activated at any time to annihilate the lives of any and all inside. The dark warlord known as Yuuma sits calmly with a bottle of sake in front of him as he plays a game of Go with a local slave trader, who looks incredibly nervous to the point he is sweating like a pig across the table from him. "Mind on the game, son, or I'll get started before your village's chance for survival can get here." Yuuma says to the man who looks quite a bit older than him, though there are many speculations that his looks are deceiving about his real age. "
The Kumogakure team happened to be alerted about the events at a less than pleasing village. And while the place was considered the scum of the earth Naruko valiantly insisted that they should help out, or at least investigate the situation to report back to Kumogakure. They didn't have much of a choice anyway, Naruko decided to run off in that direction, they wouldn't let her fall to her doom now would they. "Closer! We're getting closer!" The Uzumaki shouts out to her team, waving them along as her running had came to a halt and she peers at the village from afar. "Hmmm…" Naruko muses quietly under her breath, settling along a rather large boulder, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow and shading her eyes so she could get a better view. "What…was this place called again?"
Michiko heard of the distress signal from the place thanks to Naruko. She wasn't sure how good of an idea it would be to go, considering its inhabitants. But it was a distress call that had to do with the Silence, and Naruko insisted. She figured that if there is a chance to try and get rid of the Silence, the Shinobi world should take it. The young Chuunin travels with other Kumo-nin, keeping up with the Uzumaki and Rise. "Remember to keep your guard high, Naruko-San! We'll likely need to go all-out against them…" She frowns slightly, not looking forward to the upcoming battle.
She catches sight of the area ahead. She can already see how dark it is, even from the distance. "It's… I'm not sure what it's called. But I have a bad feeling about this…" she murmurs as she eyes their surroundings. "Be careful, everyone."
Rise's list of Do's and Don'ts for the mission was rather simple.
Don't flip out.
Kill anything that tries to kill you.
Follow whatever orders are given.
Don't. Flip. Out.
All in all, the plan is fairly simple and easy to follow in concept, and yet she still followed the rest of the team with an ill feeling in her gut. "… Yeah.. and try not to die." Rise added on glumly as she followed behind Naruko and the others."Think you can do anything about the wall, Michiko-san?"
When the distress call reached Suna, there was no hesitation in the councilwoman as she headed out to make contact with the thugs in the neighborhood. Itami was not thrilled to hear the Silence had returned and she thinks it better that she left to engage and understand the enemy better. She had one other along with her, the leader of Suna's Team Sandstorm to help her gauge this threat. "I know you know as well as I do that we need to tread carefully. We can't afford to give them anything more than what they need, but much of me feels that unless we place our best efforts forward, we won't get very far."
Another team was here… "We need to join up with them quickly."
The village they had come to was not one known for it's savory citizens. In fact, most had probably been involved in fights against the villages already. But now the Brothers were here. Wel at least one of them…. Akane was no longer pregnant and had left the infants at home with her husband's family. But she answered the call to aid this village. She knew what it was like to be from a place like this. She grew up in one.
The woman wore her crimson hair up in an elaborate weave held in place by six hair sticks. Her face was covered by a white mask with Kabuki-like markings. Red lips, eyes highlighted, the mark of Kirigakure on the forehead and two tracks of red tears down both cheeks. The eyes were blacked out, completely obscuring her face. At her waist were several belts of weapons and pouches and two short swords.
Doihara Akane listened to the others silently, a sentinal, face inscrutable to the others. Her hand rested on her sword hilt as she gathered the chakra about her and watched the village…. She stepped forward. The direct approach might get her killed.. And she was there as a fighter AND a medic. So she had to stay back with the others. She wanted to jump into the fray though.. For the moment she kept her silence So there she stood, on a large boulder while the others were kind of under her and around her within ear shot. She folded her leather covered arms.
Racing along toward this village, she looked over at Itami. Tsuchi squinted her eyes a moment before saying, "I don't know if you know this, but I've been taking it to the Silence harder than most." She nods her head. Tsuchi has been joining up whenever possible to deal with the Silence. She races after and even as she is racing, she bites her thumb, flips into the air lands with a knee down to slam her hand down and the blast of smoke that follows comes after she flips away from that spot, dropping a bag right next to the smoke. Sora grabs the bag, blinking as Tsuchi keeps running and then races after her with his bag.
"What is going on?!" He asks as he looks to the teen before him and then notes Itami. He then looks forward as they approach and he noms on the dried Scorpion, "Is it more Silence stuff?"
Getting his chance to shine Nobu selected him out of his team to go check out the distress signal not to far from the village. Due to the Silence business going on the village couldn't spar a whole team and thus he was sent out with two other genin to check it out. Following orders Isura would take off towards the location with two other genin of lesser importance. They where to observer and report and and if need be intercept the target(s). As they closed in on the village Isura glance behind him and spoke "make sure you got your eyes and ears up and ready since Silence is here it means that something serious is about to go down. Isura started to pour chakra into his eyes as he scanned the area for any chakra base traps on well anything that had chakra in it; As his eyes washed over the area he could notice pockets of packed chakra. Calling his team into a halt they would be just outside the village as he scanned it once more to get a feel for what ahead he notice the bodies some dead and some alive that were scattered and thus it caused him to frown as he watched he would shake his head before releasing a huge sigh. "Hey the two of you head back and report this to the Hokage at once I'm going to see and keep observing for now." The two lesser ninja would nod and take off back towards the village as he just watched for now. "Tsk, why now?"
As Yuuma moves a piece, a man adorned in black would flicker to appear in front of him. The warlord takes a sip of his sake before taking the piece of paper he's handed. He smirks a bit at the information, saying, "It's about time. I thought I'd have to take this one out uncontested. Give the orders to start firing." The man flickers away then, and within moments the shinobi would see streams of fire blaze across in front of the barrier, leaving what seem to be dots of flame in front of the mercenaries. They're quickly proven to be more than dots, however, as they rise up with the lifting of bows to begin firing at a rapid pace that blots out the already-dark sky to begin the assault on the approaching shinobi. Meanwhile inside, the game merely continues as Yuuma simply sips on his sake and watches a very nervous man across the table from him that seems to know his end is approaching rapidly…
"Are you kidding me Rise-san? Michiko can bring THE WHOLE VILLAGE down all at once," Naruko replies back with a grin, noticing a few others arrive at their back. Reinforcements, just like the last time. However before she could greet them apparently the enemy decided to launch a barrage of arrows. Such a familiar feeling, and this time Naruko was ready. Focusing chakra throughout her entire body her speed began to pick up, her original form explodes into that of a fire clone. Her real form zips closely by Michiko and Rise's side. "Looks like we have to fight…again," naruko mutters, summoning fire at her finger tips in the form of streams and tossing them a ways towards the fall. Not entirely damaging let alone super effective.
"I feel like a bit of a hypocrite, but could the Silence please come up with new tricks? Having to face fiery arrows isn't my idea of a good time, and the fact we've faced this almost every time we go against the Silence is a bit…" Michiko shrugs, finishing the handseals she was making as she spoke. With that, a barrier of earth comes up and blocks the flaming arrows, the ones 'aimed' for her embedded in the wall. "Well… I don't think I can do that, Naruko-San. But I'll see if I can't charge up a bit for later… Don't get hit, you two." She nods, sending a multitude of flame bullets towards the archers before she sinks into the earth, attempting to be stealthy.
Rise snorts and rolls her eyes. "Well we'll just see about." She says dryly before snapping to attention as the sky feels with arrows. While some are answered with just the barest hint of movement on her part, Rise makes one near fatal mistake. Biting her lip, Rise rips the burning arrow out and snaps it, muttering something along the lines of "Jackass." before charging onwards towards the wall, accelerating and banding herself up as best as she could.
"I'm well aware of your exploits. I'm only saying this to be cautious," Itami states to Tsutchi as they catch up with the others. Before long, the battle is already getting started and she sets herself into motion against the arrow barrage by planting herself to the ground and using all of her limbs to weave in and out of the way of them. "Be careful as you rush the wall!" She called out to one of the other shinobi. "They always have dirty tricks. Be mindful of their history of attacking up to this point!" She looked around and scanned the area for any possible traps or weak points that might aid in taking down the first line of defense.
Akane moved quickly, avoiding an arrow… only to run smack into the path of another. It sunk into her shoulder and she growled. Running forward at speed she skidded to a halt, some short distance from the walls. It was a simple thing to remove the lower third of her mask and attach it to her belt, allowing her lips to be exposed. And in using that she inhaled air.. and exhaled a huge ball of flame, two fingers by her lips. She TUrned halfway so she could keep an eye on her enemies and half on her 'allies' in this fight. "Take away the advantage of their arrows! Close the distance! People are people!" She reached up with a hand and snapped off the arrow's shaft, leaving the head buried in her shoulder. She would deal with it later…. For now… She looked around when another fireball was used. Behind her mask her eyes narrowed as she looked in Isura's way. Who was this now…?
Racing forward with Itami, Tsuchi smirks as she shakes her head and then licks her lips, "I have a few dirty tricks of my own." She already is making handsigns as she races forward with Sora. She and Sora zip out of the way of the initial strike before raising up a wall of wind that sounds like that of a gale from a storm as it knocks away all the arrows. Sora grins as he moves in sync with Tsuchi and they unleash a power of wind down along their bodies. Wind whips over Sora's tail even as it whips around Tsuchi's leg. She spins and sends a kick toward the enemies. She is already still spinning even as she simply seems to form lightning into weapons and starts hailing them at the enemy.
Sora chuckles and grins as he fires off round after round and finally comes to a stop back to back with Tsuchi and grins at her, "The classics are always fun but lets show them the real wind."
Isura would evade the fire pending shot of arrows with style however the next set is what catches him on fire as he wince he would flip back and land softly onto the ground behind him that wasn't on fire. Panting slightly he would shake his head before frowning. "I need to be more careful;" as he dodged he was able to form handseals and pulled back and release a stream of blazing hot fireballs that were swift as rain towards them and then from his current location he would release a powerful great fireball towards them. Patting out the flames from before he would be smirking as one of his attacks appeared to hit the mark his eyes would be widen at all the sinister chakra in the mix some of which he had to assume to be the tailed beast while the other were just super human to say the least he would be thinking that maybe this isn't the best stage for himself. However knowing as long as he stay back by himself he risk death and thus he went to the side in which he know the most people (Naruko and Michiko) once he got closed enough he spoke softly between them "hey we need to work together if we are to stand a ghost of a chance." Isura would be bleeding slightly from his side before looking at the patch work Rise did on herself "he you mind sharing a little of that my way? My had to send the medic back and I'm happy I did or he could've died from that attack." Isura attention went back over towards the silence his eyes would be pulsing with chakra as he got ready for the next assault. "What else do you have up your sleeve? Okay and just in case you guys didn't know there is a huge barrier of chakra up around the village…and as of right now I'm unable to spot a weak spot."
Ask and ye shall receive. Despite a large number of attacks getting through to the mercenaries who are not able to get out of the way and wind up, swept away with the wind, stabbed by tools of lightning, burned, or otherwise grievously injured continue their attack. While more arrows fire again and again at the shinobi, another layer of the mercenaries that are apparently a bit more potent make handseals and begin to spew out jets out mud from their mouths in an attempt to trip the shinobi up and prevent them from being able to avoid the arrow fire that threatens to impale them again and again and again.
Inside the village, Yuuma makes a few final moves before finally finishing the game. "What a bore. I thought your men said you were the smartest man in this dump of a village," the warlord says, shaking his head and sipping on his sake as he motions for the man to be taken and put in line with others of the people of the village, kicking and screaming about not wanting to die. "I suppose it's getting close to time I take a step outside and speak with these shinobi." He stands up, taking the bottle of sake with him rather than the saucer and sipping on it as he starts to walk toward the direction the shinobi are coming from to have a little talk with them.
Naruko had some new tricks this time around, and if she was going to be fighting an army the best she could do was create an army of her own. "Baka Army… Let's see what you can do against more of me…" Naruko taunts as she dodges the flowing of the earth and the base of the attacks, suddenly an army of Narukos… Or more like a couple dozen burst into existence, all cracking their knuckles including the original herself, attempting to punch kick and smack down the silence members in their way. Hopefully paving to make an easier entry. " We can do it! We need to save everyone inside!" Naruko exclaims, while her clones also goes along to explode, after their attack duration ends. As for Isura she simply grins in his direction. "Hey, this is the time to prove yourself, Uchiha,"
Michiko resurfaces when she senses Isura, which places her in the line of … well, mud… "We should work together, yes. But uhh… First we should avoid that," she indicates. With a few quick handseals, the girl slams her hand to the ground, sending up a wall of wart to block the familiar-looking attack. The wall is extremely thick, much larger than the barrier she had used earlier. It holds against the river, gaining even more earth thanks to the attack. So Michiko just leaves it up to take on the arrows, having no problem turning the wall into a flow of mud that comes rushing down to the enemy. "The river should make them stay in place, but only for a few moments. Next time I'll try and hit them with something a bit more… Permanent," she says, making the seals to send a large bullet of flame at the archers. The flames combine a bit with Naruko's fire clones as well, giving them more power.
Itami hissed in frustration at the scene unfolding before her eyes. More arrows were coming, but the earth before then was quickly turning to mud. There wasn't much time for any other thoughts aside from defense. Not only for herself, but others too. She spots Isura quickly enough and seeks to get him out of harm's way. Without much time to lose, Itami broke into a sprint and took form into a massive reptile to better her chances of getting to him. As the earth flow came through, she generated chakra to cause her body to be phantom like in nature, allowing for the earth to easily pass without so much as slowing her down. She followed up her defense with a burst of speed, blinking across the landscape until she was able to reach out and grab Isura, carrying him to safety. Can't say much for the arrows still raining down, but she decides the time to return fire is now. Literally.
Akane was caught off guard by the sudden flow of muddy muck and was caught fast in the flow. This resulted in another arrow finding her shoulder. Behind her mask her eyes grew darker and she growled, this time yanking the arrow free entirely. Several handsigns later, her hand practicly glowing with heat she pressed her fingers to the wound and a distinct flesh-burning sizzle could be heard. She grit her teeth and hissed, but otherwise showed little reaction to the pain of basicly branding herself to stop the bleeding. "I'm going to kill them…."
A look at the others and Tsuchi grins as she watches various people fighting here and there, even as the others come in, Tsuchi tries to throw the mud up and away with another blast of wind even as the sky begins to gather some clouds above. Her movements are not enough though as she and Sora are forced to endure attack after attack from the mercenaries before they both pull up and forth from the mud and combine together their handsigns and release a powerful blast of wind that flows out of their mouths to try to sweep away some of the attackers, though it leaves Tsuchi already starting to look a little winded as she starts to dance back near to Itami and Isura and then glares back at the enemies, "We need to make a path again…we always get worn out on his idiots…and he has a lot of idiots."
Itmai would rush and thus distorting the path of the Mud thus allowing him to evade it, swing from the tree tops he would leap into the air and toss a combo of shuriken and wire that he hopped to trap him with however failing the barrage of flames would hit their marks or at least close enough. Whipping his brow he would land softly onto the ground below before scanning the air the few tailed beast in the group would show their fangs and thus send chills down his spine before frowning. "Oh boy things are getting serious now…" His Isura would notice a sudden burst in Rise as well thus caused him to backed flipped onto the tree. His eyes would be locked onto the pending group before he sat and thought out his next moves.
"By all means," a voice some might not expect to hear so early rings out in response to Akane's grumbling as the barrier becomes clear in one spot to show Yuuma's face through it looking out at the battlefield. "Feel that desire burn within you, that hatred, that bloodlust. Show the real face of this shinobi world. Be done with your masks…. Here. I'll help." With that he makes a few handseals then slams his palm down on the ground, causing dark chakra to build up around him and flow ioverthe ground and up through a small door that forms in the barrier to wash out like a tidal wave over the corpses of the fallen that the shinobi have slain like sheep.
As this happens, the voice of the Hitokage begins to ring out in unison with Yuuma from all around along with a powerful Genjutsu that seems to radiate out of the vibrations of their voice as men raised by dark chakra with begin to charge and slash with claws at the shinobi along with the arrow fire. "This is your true face, shinobi. Your lives are naught but death and destruction written down neatly in a book so you can all get paid and feel better about what you've done because it was simply your duty. You can even look at yourselves and call yourselves heroes while normal men and women fear your very existence to the point that men who've never been loyal to anything but money and pleasure and even those who only join bandit and mercenary groups to try and provide for their families because they have no other option are willing to lay down their lives for my cause. And you slaughter them like sheep with no regard for which might be which, so tell me, shinobi, who are the real monsters? Because it's not been me all these years before the coming of the Silence that the rest of the world has lived in fear of."
Naruko was begining to lose it. The genjutsu began to take hold, lashing out at her while Yuuma's words began to rattle in her ears. "He is…right about that," Naruko states while frowing in Yuuma's direction. "We've been fighting them without showing them the error of their way. Why don't you try to settle your difference in beliefs peacefully?! You can make your own village and take everyone right along with you!" Naruko shouts at Yuuma. "You are also throwing their lives away, you have no regard for their lives. You aren't even doing anything to protect them!" Naruko's frustration quickly began to build up, her chakra gradually manifesting.. " I might need….a little more help…" Naruko speaks to herself.
Michiko grits her teeth, sending chakra through herself in a painful rush to attempt to break the draining Genjutsu. It's to no avail, though, and she winces as the effects are felt. "Hardly our faults, though… And there's the fact that you're raising their corpses to fight for you still isn't right. At least we're not doing /that/." Claws of darkness slash at her, then, but Michiko just sends up a barrier of earth to defend herself. "We're doing our best to help people. Maybe there are some mistakes, but the villages are young and learning."
With a few handseals, she attempts to trap the various corpses that have begun to rise in an earthen whirlpool. Once they're trapped, the girl unleashes a blaze of powerful fire to burn them to a crisp so that there's nothing left of the bodies to be reanimated.
Rise hits the ground rolling and ready to keep up the charge. Belatedly does it even occur to her to regroup back with Michiko and the others. But by then, Yuuma decides to finally show himself. Rise could resist the temptation to get back at the man who got away last time any more than she could ignore the blood lust fueling most of her actions. SHe speeds up, breaking through one gate at the next as she moves while ignoring the man's taunts. Then, the wave of darkness sweeps towards her, and then…
The next thing Rise knew she was soaring towards Yuuma, faintly aware of the pain from sheered bloody lip as she spun about for powerful kick to Yuuma's head.
Isura would try and form a seal to put a body between him and the attacks however it failed as a result he would have no other choice but to fall back for now. Wincing in pain he would start to fall back however he left behind his thoughts. "Hey guys when he stuck his face though the barrier it created a weakness thus as a result if one have a ghost of a chance of passing through it one much be ready to strike when they pass through." Isura landed into the bushes behind them as he would got to work on closing those wounds he would be focus still on the combat while at the same time ready himself inorder to move about if need be.
More darkness. It's strange seeing it up against the evening sky and the shadows carried with it. Itami tried to ignore these things and the scent of blood rising from the ground. She understood well what she was doing and wouldn't carry regrets for it. This is one of many pitfalls involved with being a shinobi and she knows she's the furthest person from being a peaceful monk. "I won't stand for your lies," Itami growled, sneering in disgust. "Turning their fear into your gain makes you no better than us. Their blood is still on your hands. I find it amusing you can't accept the lie you're weaving for your own means." She maintained bet position and continued, focusing her attention on the shinobi. "Don't let him tell you who you are! We already know we are shinobi. We know our ways can be destructive, but we also know it isn't born of intent to do so!" She recoiled only slightly at the genjutsu that struck her and rumbled mildly at the cuts sustained by the claws against her scales. She responded by entering her dragon form to reinforce her point. "Remember what you all became shinobi for!"
She observes the area with her new point of view. "We're almost done with the first line of defense. Continue to concentrate your efforts there. Do not attack the one provoking you." Seeing Rise already on the offensive, she weighs her options to determine the best possible course of action.
Akane felt energies draining from her and swore to herself. She really should be better at avoiding genjutsu consideringthe men in her past (and present)… But at least it wasn't like Dread. She reached up and ripped the last arrow from her shoulder and cauterized the wound with her hand once more, stopping the bleeding.
She looked up as Yuuma was exposed. Well his face was exposed anyway. She narrowed her eyes as she listened to his speech. He was eloquent to a point, but she also felt the meaning behind his words. Do away with their masks hmm? She moved quickly through the throng or shadows, crunching arrows under foot that had hailed down from the sky. Moving until she was right under Yuuma's position. She lifted her hands, releasing her mask and attaching it to her belt. Her face was exposed then, a woman with emerald green eyes and a resolve in her very being. She lifted her head and spoke to Yuuma as if unafraid, but she was not agressive either.
"You wish me to remove my mask. I have! I remove the shell around me. I learned to heal ont he battlefield because I dislike war. I wanted to do some good in this world." She looked strained, almost sad. "I agree. This system is flawed. But change takes time, Oyakata-sama. Can this not be done today with words? Allow me inside and I shall see to the wounded."
She was aware of Itami's words but what she was saying was between her and Yuuma. She paused then,looking up at the man standing atop the door, blocked by the barrier and awaited his answer…
Watching Yuuma step out, Tsuchi steps back a step, wincing as her very stamina is drained by the genjutsu. Even as her canine digs into the lip causing it to bleed down her lip. Even as she is hit by the claws she stands up moving her hands already along with Sora as she states, "We ought to show them something new." SHe nods her head and then looks forward as she stares at Yuuma, "You stated you lived for over a thousand years. That's a long time to only come back and make war. No one is forced into anything. Everyone knows the consequences of their actions."
Even as she speaks, the sky that was clouding over begins to gain greater cloud formation, a particular set of clouds already starting to swirl above her as she seperates her hands, each moving in tandem seals as she aims her hand up and the other aims downward. All around, the air can be felt moving as the wind picks up, ears may even begin to pop as Sora speaks up, "When you step into battle, you always take a chance at death! My people know that! I know that and we all make the desicions. You claim they fear shinobi but i wonder? Who is they really fear?!"
Even as he finishes speaking, from above a whirling funnel slams down into the ground, rending rock and ripping up earth as it whips forward and starts to fly straight into the army of men, the fully formed tornado ripping into and whipping any who fail to get out of the way upward and away even as Tsuchi speaks up, "I wonder if they don't fear the devil you have become?! And would rather be at his right hand than in his path! True bravery is in those that stand before the devil and not in those who step aside!" Even as she yells, being forced to, what sounds like a freight train passes through the army of men as Tsuchi directs the whirling force of nature itself, a tornado made true.
"Yes, try and settle the difference peacefully like you all do, huh?" Yuuma asks, looking over at Naruko with a false smile and then actually laughing while his men and zombies continue to fight. "Then I should have about twenty special forces ready to kill or blackmail your leaders once the deals are struck so it can really go the way I want it to instead of the way that was really agreed upon, just like your villages do to each other." The Hitokage-risen mercenaries fight relentlessly, seeming to almost ignore what would normally be a grievous injury until a body becomes absolutely useless as a skin suit, which leads to some rather horrific imagery of men that should by all means be long dead still coming at the shinobi. Those that are still living and struck down by the shinobi are quickly taken over by the dark chakra and resurrected to continue fighting.
"The atrocious things you 'Great Five' villages do to each other, especially the smaller hidden villages with one hand extended in friendship and the other holding a knife to their back just out of the public's view. But, oh, you little Genin shouldn't know such things. It'd hurt the way your poor little minds view your villages to know the true dark deeds that you are training yourselves to grow up and perform. I should apologize so emphatically… for opening your eyes to see past the light into the darkness that shadows over your way of life."
"Corpses are dead lumps of flesh. Men in the other world hardly care for such things anymore," Yuuma says as he looks to Rise when she charges him, bringing his hands into a seal and causing her attack to be off enough that she would slam into the wall instead of hitting him. He looks directly over at Itami as he points a hand at Rise, the seal mark glowing as it starts to literally and quite painfully rip chakra from the girl. "Oh, did I offend you? I'm /so/ sorry."
Then his eyes fall down to Akane as she rushes him and removes her mask. "Interesting. You show promise… but you may yet need to wake up. If you want to be around to heal the wounded in your own party, I suggest you back up, Medic." Being the sportsman that he is, he actually gives Akane the opportunity to get back as he looks up to Tsuchi while she attacks, and he shakes his head at her and Sora again. "Do you two ever stop talking like a self-help pamphlet? Honestly, it's so boring. By the way, didn't I give you an order to challenge me the next time I saw you? It hasn't been very long. I do hope you've got more than that little dust devil to be able to fulfill the promise you made me."
Yuuma truly was becoming frustrating, did he really mean what he was saying. "Are you that delusional?! The only thing you are causing is chaos and destruction! You manipulate the deceased when they should be put to rest! Peace comes from settling difference at a table and bringing everyone together. Not waging war in all forms! Or have you forgotten why the villages were made in the first place?!" Naruko exclaims, the chakra which shrouded about her body began to bubble blurb about her, she dropped down on all forms, nails become slightly more like claws… her overall stature become more feral and animalistic. Her pupils had mere slits, one a vibrant yellow and another a deeper blue. " We aren't going to let you get away with this!" As twin tails rose from her form another series of clones began to form, dozens upon dozens tangling with with the Hitokage, while others, included Naruko herself attempted to surround and overwhelm Yuuma, reaching out with their claws to slice and explode upon him abruptly, back to back.
"We talk! I've seen these talks, and many of them are honored, from what I've seen. Even though I'm barely past my thirteenth year, I can say that the villages don't always backstab each other. We're working together now, even. Doesn't that prove /something/?" Michiko says, gritting her teeth as she raises a wall of earth just in time to defend herself. "Using the bodies of the dead is disrespectful to those close to them who are still alive. It's. Not. Right!" As she speaks, she goes through a series of handseals.
With Michiko's jutsu, it may be familiar. Hands spring up from the ground, grabbing at the Silence corpses that are moving still. Whatever is grabbed, a coffin of earth forms behind the body, and the hand drags them into the coffin. Stone 'ribs' clamp down to keep the members where they are, and then these members are dragged down into the ground. A hand also shoots out towards Yuuma as Michiko attempts to attack him as well, though it's from afar, so the attack is rather weak.
Michiko hears the words of the other shinobi from the other villages as well, and it gives her a bit of hope. They all have the same outlook, of sorts. The Silence is wrong; a threat. Naruko then turns into … Well, it seems to be the Bijuu of all things. Michiko takes note, making sure to keep an eye on her just in case. With no Hiei about, she and Rise would be the ones to get Naruko to calm down. And it seems like Rise is a bit busy at the moment…
"Your apology is accepted. That is a good first step to the push of decency. I wasn't offended, just disappointed in you. Therefore, I claim dishonor. Dishonor on you and your cow," she smirked, punctuating it with a snort. She sat trying to hide her time and energy, but knew will that it was just as dangerous doing that as it was attacking. Being stuck between a rock and a hard place couldn't be any closer to the truth. She sniffs at the air and zeroes in on Naruko. She squinted
"Your apology is accepted. That is a good first step to the push of decency. I wasn't offended, just disappointed in you. Therefore, I claim dishonor. Dishonor on you and your cow," she smirked, punctuating it with a snort. She sat trying to hide her time and energy, but knew will that it was just as dangerous doing that as it was attacking. Being stuck between a rock and a hard place couldn't be any closer to the truth. She sniffs at the air and zeroes in on Naruko. She squinted. A bijuu, hm? This changes everything. "Don't get too ahead of yourself. Releasing that kind of power, remember who we're fighting against," she states to her. "What you have is something they want. I may even go so far as to say to retreat. Your power and abilities will be the bane of our efforts, if you excuse my bluntness."
Akane listened to Yuuma's words stoicly. He actually seemed to be rational on some level and that gave her hope. Hope that this might not have to be a contest of power. She blinked when he told her she had potential but that she might need to wake up. She sighed softly. But when he told her to get back if she hoped to aid those of her own party she hesitated. It was only a second, but then she flashed through several handseals, sending out a pulse of medical chakra that rebounded off anything with chakra and allowed her to hone in on the most injured people on the field.
She could sense several injured within the barrier but nothing too serious. Isura on the other hand… She could sense how badly wounded he was. And there was a … thing.. headed straight for him. She turned on her heel and dashed off. To most she would appear to simply vanish and reappear between Isura and the shadow. She grabbed the boy and dashed away, bringing him out of the main battlefield and setting him down gently.
Her hitai-ate was marked as from Kirigakure and under it was a green crystal pendant with a spider crest carved into it. On her hip was a brand of a clock set to one minute to midnight and the more one looked at her exposed skin the more scars they would notice, including the one that lay from her left forehead to her left cheek. For now, she was focused on assessing Isura's wounds and she looked him in the eyes. "This will hurt but it will stop the bleeding."
The medic flashed through several hand signs until the air around her hand was wavering from the heat. She worked quickly, her hand sliding over the bleeding wounds sizzling as she literally burned the injuries closed. Once she was done she put a hand on his shoulder and looked around.
"You should probably try to avoid the rest of this battle, Konoha-kun. And don't tell anyone I saved you. I'll never live it down." She smiled at him with a wink to show she was kidding. But then she turned her attention to the rest of the group, searching for others that need her.
That was when she spotted Naruko's change and Itami's confirmation of just what Naruko was. A bijuu? Here? Interesting. She frowned ever so slightly and coiled her muscles to spring forward should Naruko suddenly become a target of Yuuma's chakkra draining skill….
Listening to the others, watching how they move and react, listening to their speeches, and then watching Rise shrug off the drain, Tsuchi whistles. Even as she is hurt and the Tornado fades away into the background even as rain slowly begins to fall over the area, a few of Yuuma's army landing in a heap nearby from the Tornado's peak, she looks at Yuuma and laughs. She laughs opening and then races forward, slipping past the attacks of the deade to get up in Yuuma's face as she shakes her head, "No, you won't have my jutsu. I've seen what you do, you want me to attack with it just so you can steal it."
Even as Sora continues to fight the Hitokage in the background, she sends a wind powered fist toward Yuuma's face before following it with a lightning flavored kick.
"Yes, I sound like a self help guide and you sound like a boy who was treated poorly by a shinobi. You want truth? You want real? What's the matter, did sensei touch you in your no no parts? A thousand years later you still holding a grudge against all shinobi because someone at one point said it was ok, don't cry, just let it happen? How far off am I? You walk around with the biggest stick, whipping it this way and that as if having the most power makes you right but in reality just makes you the biggest facade in the room." Tsuchi laughs as she dances back a stance, taking on a fighting stance and shaking her head.
"Did no one listen back then so you figured a thousand years later you'd throw the biggest tantrum in the history of tantrums just to get your way. Well? What have you achieved so far? The big bad shinobi villages not paid enough yet for how you were mistreated or you still gotta make people who had nothing to do with whatever the visor happened to you a thousand years ago? If you ever need to talk about it, we can make an appointment, I got reasonable rates and you can show me on the doll where it happened."
Isura saw his impending doom headed straight for him and thus he found himself wrapped up and carted off as he was moved the blood loss was greatly increasing. He would lay there for a moment before looking up into the sky he found himself moved. As he laid there a burning feeling washed over him it was intense amount of pain the likes the young genin have never felt before. As he laid there he would be flirting between the two states of consciousness his breath change to a face pace one as he would try and hold in the pain before he flipped over onto his newly bandage stomach. "Thank you…I seriously owe you one…however you should be with the others one life means nothing in the grand scheme of things you know. Alright we should head back to the fight yeah?" Isura would fall over to one knee before wincing in pain he would struggle to claw his way back onto his feet. "Hang in there Isura its almost over…" Isura spoke to himself as he posted himself up onto a tree before he notice his vision was fading in and out.
"Yes. You're working together because there's a threat around that could crush you all individually. Tell me, how long will this cooperation last even if the Silence are defeated? It is incredibly fragile even with the threat posed to you now. You in the trenches may hold hands now, but you'll cut each other's throats tomorrow given a simple words from your superiors," Yuuma says, seeming to only find the words of these shinobi amusing as the Hitokage continue to tear and shred at them relentlessly until bodies that are struck, buried, stabbed, burned, and otherwise mangled are used until absolutely of no use before falling dead once again. "But what can you understand? You're merely children standing on a battlefield, pretending to be adults." At Itami's words, he peers over at her and smirks while he throws up a seal barrier with a simple wave of his hand to block some attacks then brings his hands into a seal to cause the more potent attacks to veer off from the entrance.
"Interesting that cows are still as important as they were back when I was your age." Despite the idle chat, behind that seal wall that basically joins the barrier now as it sits, the dark warlord seems to be up to something incredibly sinister as he moves through a set of handseals and slams his palm on the ground again. This time, instead of a wave of dark chakra that's visible, the team would feel an immense dark chakra emanating as the Crawler appears in the center of the village, bound in chains in his feral form as he struggles a bit against his bindings, quite on the road to recovery compared to the last time he was seen. As he appears the seal grid lights up with dark chakra, creating a sheen over every person inside other than Yuuma himself that locks them down for the jutsu to come, citizens and Silence mercenaries alike. "Your peace talks are temporary and useless. Look at the last centuries. So much war. So much chaos and death… But fear not, shinobi…. I'll offer you a chance again like I always have."
Finally he looks back to Tsuchi, saying, "Veil, you never shut up at all, do you? Does your clan's filthy Kekkei Genkai require you to focus chakra through running your mouth? You've got some interesting deductions there, kid. Too bad none of them are even close to the truth. Keep digging, though. It's said even a blind squirrel will find a nut once in a while."
Perhaps it was a last ditch effort to really put down Yuuma…as if she could. Itami's words at the moment fell on deaf ears as she reaches a hand out, forming a mass of swirling and condensed fire chakra along the palm of her hand. The mass itself was quite smile, but it's destructive power could quake those unprepared for it. After the sphere was formed she grasped it completely with one hand and simply chucked it forward, a ferocious lion like roar companing it as it sped forward to splash into Yuuma, along with the mercenaries about him. She was hopeful that penetrating power would be enough to slip through, and at least finally put Yuuma on edge. As far as determining friend from Foe? The Nibi and Naruko alike were determined to bring down the greater threat. If he were to leave however….
Long distance to Itami: Yuuma can't think of much of one now. They made him reblock the entrance before you could try and figure a big shot to get through, and now he's gonna set off the seal to kill the town.
More earth is used as a defense, and Michiko decides to kick it up a notch before likely trying to disappear from the battle. The girl makes a few handseals, aiming to trap both Hitokage and maybe even Yuuma as the ground begins to spin. Faster and faster the earth moves, seeking to suck in the enemies and keep them in their spot so that they both can't attack and can't chase after any shinobi who may wish to retreat. Then the crawler appears, though it's bound. A shiver of fear runs through Michiko at seeing it, and the girl continues with her assault, sending a powerful burst of flame at all the enemies again. "Naruko-San! Get back as soon as possible!" she calls out, hoping the Uzumaki can hear her. "We don't want The Silence to get ahold of a Bijuu…" she says, though the last part is quiet.
Itami wanted to cut off the attack against Yuuma, strangely enough, but she didn't or rather, couldn't. There wasn't much that could be done at this point. She didn't want to lose this town, but considering how similar it was to San Sara, she truly had to consider. Her actions in destroying it were certainly to save the innocent, even though there were some that were lost to the cause. She didn't have regrets then, so maybe she shouldn't have regrets now. She sighed and decided to stand down, watching the town and the Crawler within rise from slumber. "What chances do you offer?" Maybe there's a second thought to all this. "Reveal them to me," Itami demanded.
Akane nodded as Isura made his way off the battlefield. His time here was over and it allowed her to focus on the others. She saw Michiko close enough by that she was within reach of Akane and her jutsu… Well close enough to reach her after a bit of exertion anyway. So she once more used her speed to catch up with the girl. She laid a palm on Michiko's back and channeled medical chakra into her. The difference was that she was pushing stamina into the girl rather than healing a wound. She then directed that energy to churn out chakra ready to be used as well. Her eyes went up to Yuuma and watched him. She had been serious. she would have healed his wounded as well. Doctors should not have borders.
Watching as Itami stops the attack, she dances away as well before pointing at Yuuma, "First off, yes. It is a requirement to talk alot to draw down this much air." She then nods to Itami and looks at others as well before taking a Breath, "None of us are just draining whole villages, good or bad, of all their chakra and murdering them. That's all on you big man." She nods her head and points at him, "What the dragon said. What chances do you offer exactly? Heck, even as we arrived here we were attacked before words were even spoke." She laughs, "So, go ahead, now that you opened fire with arrows and drained people's lives away. Speak up. Diplomacy time, right?"
FINALLY! Someone asks the right question. Yuuma would look directly to Itami, smirking slightly and allowing the extra wall to dissipate in front of him for him to step
through, leaving only the door behind him in the barrier that he's so close to, it would basically be suicide to try and get through before it closes behind him. As he steps out, he brings his hands into a seal to cause Michiko's attack to veer off from him through Genjutsu before extending a hand out to literally catch the orb of fire aimed at him and absorb it into the seal. Meanwhile one can hear clashes of chakra inside as the chakra is absorbed from everyone in town with a roar let out from the Crawler as more and more chakra is pumped into him. "Quiet down, children. Let the sensible one among you speak."
Looking back to Itami, Yuuma is about to speak when Tsuchi opens her mouth yet again. "I find it amusing how much a child who's only still alive at my discretion runs her mouth when she's riled up. Go find a dango stick to chew on or something before I change my mind." With that he'd look back to Itami, saying, "My offer is simple. Instead of just a few weeks, after I'm sure I've taken enough chakra to accomplish what I need, I'll allow your villages six months to make a decision and prepare for its consequences. You can either consider your ways as I've been trying to get you to do… or you can prepare for all-out war when I return. My men will withdraw for preparation, even those in sparse areas of your countries, until I give the order to return. All you have to do is stay out of my way when I go after the next town like this filthy place and put it out of its misery." Extending his hand then, he asks, "Do we have a deal?" Oddly enough, even the remaining Hitokage seem to have stopped to wait for the decision, as if it all depends on Itami's answer. The warlord's eyes lock with hers, curious if she can actually stomach shaking his hand.
"The next town like this place…" Itami thought long and hard about the decision she would make here. The roar of the Crawler echoing across the land and deep into her body. She clenched her claws against the feel of it and shook it off quickly enough. "You must abide to your agreement. Only towns of this nature as you have stated. No shinobi villages, civilian villages, outposts, towns, gatherings, caravans and anything else that fits within that realm," she states. "I will agree to these terms. /Only/ these filthy towns and no exceptions." She raised her hand to him to close, knowing what will come next.
Naruko clearly wasn't happy with what was going on…Or at least the agreement being made. After noting how her attacks wasn't able to work against Yuuma and that dialogue finally began to prevail (though not necessarily agreeing to the dialogue) she began to slip back, the dance of her bubbling aura fading away. "Ha…" Naruko gasps lightly, Her wounds briefly being healed as she reverts back to hear what Itami and Yuuma had to say. "These people aren't doomed you know… Even the vile people that live here can be changed,"
Akane looked up as Yuuma stepped out of the barrier. Standing, Akane lifted her chin, emerald eyes watching him carefully as he spoke. Itami had asked a valid question. What was he offering, what did he want? She waited quietly and pondered as he started to give his answer. The villages would be givenn six months to do as he wished or face his full wrath… Without her mask to hide her expression Akane looked pained and sad and it had nothing to do with the brand marks on her body from where she'd taken the arrows out….
There was pain yes but there was something else. And Itami's answer made her spin on the woman in shock. Staring at the 'dragon', an ally of Kirigakure, Akane couldn't form words. And then the anger built up inside her and her eyes took on a genuinely darker appearance. Her stance shifted into pure agression and her expression was a dark one.
And the Dark One laughed. R It was an amused yet derisive laugh. She stepped forward to stare at Itami, putting herself between the councilwoman and Yuuma and the village behind him. "So now we're deciding who is worth saving and who can be fed to them like chattle? I came from a place like this. Would you give me to him as well, /Councilwoman/?" The sneer on the medic's face was like nothing she had displayed before, almost liek a separate person now stood in her shoes. She was by far more agressive. "Why don't we just get rid of Konoha?" She looked entirely serious.
Turrning to Yuuma she put out both arms wide. "Why not take Konoha Oyakata-sama~? Surely you would get more chakra that way." She laughed again. "The little medic was serious. She will heal your wounded. She's that way. Doesn't think borders should determine who has the right to live. Me? I enjoy the dirty work."
Michiko wasn't expecting Akane to come over and give her a boost in energy. She didn't realize the medic was even there, to be honest! Akane had mostly been in the background, and Michiko's attention was focused on getting rid of all the bodies that were being used as puppets. She notices the medic is red-haired and almost mistakes her for Sachiko. It's only because she knows Sachiko wouldn't be here, nor is she a medic, that she recognizes the Kiri-nin. "Arigatou, Akane-san," she says.
She pauses when the enemy does, waiting… The flickering flames that had appeared around her body are internalized as she waits, giving her a bit of a boost in case things go terribly wrong. They can always be turned off later! Yuuma's offer… Six months of nothing, then either a terrible battle or the decision to give up. She's more inclined to not give up after all these fights, all the battles. If she were in Itami's position, she would have made the same decision, she feels. It was best in the long run. The only issue was … Could they trust Yuuma to keep his word?
Whether or not they could, she should back down for the time being. The girl doesn't release her chakra, but this is only because she wants to get away as quickly as possible. She moves to closer to Naruko and Rise, quick on her feet thanks to the internalized chakra. "Naruko-san. Rise-san. We should get going and prepare. We've six months to do so. Let's not waste time and report back to Kumogakure as well."
A blink at this deal and then at Itami, she stares at her with a darkness in her eyes as Tsuchi makes this deal and then she looks at the man who she is making the deal with. Tsuchi grinds her nails so hard into her palm blood wells up in half moon shapes in her hands even as rain falls down around them, rain started by her very jutsu.
Tsuchi glances up at the falling water, letting it flow over her even as Sora creeps up to see Tsuchi for a moment and then peer over at Itami before she turns suddenly and points at Itami, "You are no better than Kuoroke." She then looks to Akane for a moment and blinks at her change in demeanor before looking to Yuuma and then shakes her head, "Six months…" She shakes her head, "Lives for time, huh? Is that currency you play in?"
Even as Tsuchi stands there, she suddenly screams and turns creating several gestures before she calls down yet another tornado and smashes it right into an abandoned cart that is ripped skyward by the force leaving the ground devoid of its existance and forming a perfect circle there even as the tornado rends itself apart. Sora tugs at her arm and peers at her, "Tsuchi, calm…the fight is through." He states, the rare one to be calm and seeming almost frightful to see her in such rage even as the soft rain picks up.
She then turns and looks at the others before looking back to Itami. She glares at her before saying, "Congratulations…you've sunk to his level. Enjoy the mud." She then turns and starts off again, making a few hand gestures and taking off in a burst of speed followed by a freight train style wind even as Sora idly grips his hands together nervously, looking to Itami and then simply closing his eyes and disappearing in a poof of smoke.
Despite one assuming he might do something evil, Yuuma merely shakes her hand and drops his back to his side. "Agreed," he says with a nod then looks between Naruko and Akane. "They are now," he comments to Akane before looking directly to Akane. "Now there's a side that has potential… Don't worry. There's plenty of 'fun' to come. Six months, and you'll see something you'll enjoy." With that he'd take a few steps back, the barrier opening around him as he peers between the shinobi with a rather dark smirk on his face. "See you soon. I'm sure someone among those this story goes to will try and stop me still, but it'll be too late." With that he'd vanish into the barrier, which then vanishes in a flash of dark chakra, taking Yuuma, the Crawler, the seal, and all the dark chakra with it. All that's left is the wake of the battle, a pile of bodies enough to fill a cemetery to its brim, a town and its inhabitants annihilated along with a small army of men. This day Yuuma is quite satisfied that he's shown the young shinobi the true face of the world they live in, and they've even spoken out against it to prove it.
Itami's eyes came to focus on Akane as she stepped between her and Yuuma and while she may have been somewhat miffed that she was questioning her decision, she was more concerned about her placement in relation to their soon to be handshake. She walked around the young medic and extended her hand to shake Yuuma's, bracing for another trick only to have nothing happen. With the deal closed, she listened to the last words of Yuuma, her eyes reflecting some sense of death as they glazed over in thought of her actions. She turned around without looking back at the village as its final moments played out, leaving nothing behind but the sound of the dead. Silence.
It was broken by Tsuchi's actions and her subsequent disappearance with her words still ringing in her ears. "I made the decision I thought was best under the circumstances. I will abide by it. You all return to your villages and prepare." She didn't intend to return yet. These bodies needed to be given proper rest so she set herself to the task of tearing apart the earth to create a mass grave for them all.
