Starring:
Aoitsuki, Soren, Meruin, Ishino, Katsurou
Date: May 28, 2013
Summary:
Kirigakure shinobi step in to close down and clean up the final organized Peacekeeper resistance.
"Struggle With No Reward - Thoroughness"
The last village occupied by the Peacekeepers
Peace restored back to the Land of Water? The Land of Water was perhaps the only land who had managed to steer away their rebellion with their tail between their legs. Despite the established peace however there were still a few pockets of guerrilla warfare yet sparse amongst the entirety of the Land. Shirayuki Aoitsuki along with a team of formidable jounin from Kirigakure was tasked with doing some mop up work. A rich noble who had joined the peacekeepers is a key individual in supplying much of the remaining insurrections. Not only that but he has appeared to lock down his entire village, holding some of the citizens hostage for throwing down their arms for the sake of peace. The Nobleman was to be put out of business. His noble estate and treasury to be dispersed amongst the citizens and anyone else with their arms still raised to be taken into the proper authority.
The squad of shinobi trekked by boat, floating along the swallow of the fog, nearing the island where the village was located. " There will be quite a bit of mercenaries guarding the nobleman's estate… Perhaps even along the island to assure that no one escapes. Are there any questions?" Aoitsuki had questioned the group, long locks of golden hair strolling down her back while her vibrant sapphire gaze glanced at each individual on the boat. Her fresh expression wasn't entirely worried about the mission, but there were some concern for the citizens. She didn't want them involved. " We need to look out for the citizens of this town above all else…" was Aoitsuki's final say, her voice carried off like the gentle breeze which lightly tugged the boat. It was a beautiful and warming day to hit the peacekeepers in the pocket.
Soren nodded, fiddling with some tools on his combat prosthetic, laid out infront of him, quickly sealing it back up before they got any closer. He had volunteered for the mission specifically because of the citizens being held hostage. It was something that he couldn't abide by, even with several jounin coming along. He sighed softly as the boat lulled through the fog. "Just one thing. I know we're not to kill any of them. But I assume we also have leave to do possibly permanent damage if it is deemed neccessary?" he asks, with his brow raised slightly.
Normally he wasn't one for bloodshed at all… he always revelled in the challenge of battle, but never in the blood spilled during it. But these… mercenaries… they were the type that got his blood boiling. Hiding behind human shields, and threatening innocents who want for nothing else but peace. That's what triggered his rage. But the citizens safety came first.
Meruin sits in the boat, eyes on the fog they sifted through, but more attuned to his other senses for the sake of surveillance. The Okumo is garbed in his mission wear — which is to say, a simple second skin made of platinum silks. The mists in the dark orbs he calls eyes color themselves a deep purple, slowly swirling as he turns to regard Aoitsuki.
"The noble," says Meruin, looking back towards the direction they head. "He is to be brought back alive as well, I am sure. It is my estimation that attacking and capturing him is the most tactically sound event. Cut the head off of the beast, as the Touketsu would say. The mercenaries are just hired pay. Once the source of their money is gone, they should defect. And any other actual devoted dissidents should be without order. It would have greater ease in their capture this way, I believe, as their compound is bound to have traps. Order means they can spring them effectively. My question is if this is the route you wish to take, or if you have a plan already established."
Ishino would quietly pull out that pocket watch of his. Time Keeper and the blade were notably absent, within that time piece as he'd check the time. A small nod was given as he'd look between Aoi, Meruin and Soren. "I'll do my best to support and detain as much as possible. The genjutsu should be efficient enough to stop most actions long enough for detainment. I would have to agree the main target is this noble. We will need him alive to make an example of him.. which will help stem further revolts, I believe." Ishino closes the watch, returning it to his vest pocket.
Shirayuki Katsurou. Thats the name he had once gone by. That person no longer came to exist many years ago. Now it seems that fate would have him dig deep down in order to make things right. At least for an elderly couple in a village nearby his home in the mountains. Having to put shame aside for even opening the door that lead him back to adapting back into his shinobi mind set, Katsu had no other choice to do this favor for the people who had did what they could to help Katsu survive in the harsh wilderness in the Land of Snow.
Word had reached the small town outside of the mountains that their sister village, that was richer in economy and trade, had became locked down. In doing so they had taken their people hostage and it just so happened that the elderly couple's daughter and grandkids were part of the group. He could not turn his back when he was asked for help.
Katsu peered over stone wall that divided the court house from the rest of the village. He had no way of freeing the citizens. There were too many. Too many lives to risk at that. He would have to persuade the nobleman one way or another. With a sigh of regret and anxiety Katsu hops over the stone wall just as a guard passes under. He completely catches him off guard as the two bodies come crashing down. This alarms another nearby guard who readies his sword. Katsu whirls around and just as his coat tail reveals his person two icy shurikens, no bigger than an adult's fist, cut through the air and pin the swordsman's arms against a nearby wooden post.
"While the noble is most certainly the main objective we have to remember this is a potential high stakes hostage situation. Ignoring the mercenaries can result in the death of innocent bystanders, something I wish to avoid at all costs," With that in mind the elegant Shirayuki lightly scratched the side of her temple with a single digit. Her brillant eyes suddenly flickering shut as she swiftly began to devise an intricate plan. " Meruin-san, you are known for your hunt. Or at least I assume for you to be. Perhaps you should focus on claiming the nobleman while Ishino-kun and myself will keep the mercenaries at bay. Soren…" Her voice lowers briefly as she glances over him, knowing painfully well about his rivalry with Meruin. " I would like for you to assist Meruin and be the one to find the Noble's treasury. With the money gone we can repay the citizens in with the wealth they had earned. With the orders given she didn't give room for them to be disputed. The helm of the boat edged up along the bay of the Island, swiftly taking foot along the sandy bay while her bare feet dug down into the dirt beneath her. Chakra was focused throughout and along the heavy bandaged blade by her back side. With just a bit more focus the skies began the cloud and just like that…flakes of snow began it's dancing descent upon the village, gradually collecting and showering the village with her "chakra". They met no obstacle at the base but perhaps things would
get worse the further they stepped in.
Katsurou managed to swiftly take care of the few guards within the court yard. However the sudden commotion was starting to cause a stir, especially the agonizing scream of the guard having his arm being pinned to post. "Someone! Help! For Kami's sake he has stabbed me!" Quickly a few guards began to stir from their rest and ushering vigilance, a duo of archers who were up along the stone wall trained their arrows down upon Katsurou. "Stop right there! Don't move another inch!" A duo of warning shows were fired off, the arrows attempting to graze… or perhaps just to kill!
Soren nodded at the orders. Not exactly what he'd like… but he trusted Aoitsuki and Ishino enough not to argue with his orders. "Alright. I'm trusting that you guys will handle it." he says with a smile, before glancing back to Meruin, sighing. Taking a moment to think. "Meruin… I got your back, you got mine? After that, back to business as usual." he states, offering a fistbump. He was at least willing to start working with him. For now. "So assist Meruin with the takedown. After the nobleman is dealt with, scour the compound for the treasury, while Meruin gets the nobleman to a secure location. Got it." he says, repeating the orders as he understood them.
He took in a deep breath, his chakra focusing around him as he let it out slowly.
Meruin's only response to the orders given was a nod, appearing to give it only passing thought. There didn't appear to be any issue with the designation on his side and as Soren spoke, the Okumo turned his head to the side, inclining it. "So long as keeping you from harm doesn't irreparably jeapordize the mission, I will see that you return to Kirigakure whole as best I am capable of." But that didn't mean that he was going to press fists with the man. Instead, he extended a hand, leaving a spider on the fist.
"Keep this," he says, breath beginning to twirl from his mouth as the first flakes of snow drift down around them and, no doubt, the village they were moving to recapture. "Should we grow separated, and you need aid, simply say, 'I need help.' Exactly like that. Depending on the situation, I will
find you through it and assist as I may." That said, he looked forward again. He paused, however, breath stilling. His head tilts slightly.
"Something is wrong."
Ishino nods in response to Aoi, looking over to Meruin and Soren for a moment. He knew they had an interaction before and from how Soren and Aoi was acting, they expected further hostility from Meruin. From what Ishino knew.. Meruin wasn't quite the type to do that. Shaking his head slightly to put it out of his head, he'd look up at the gathering clouds. Focusing himself as he'd pull out his pocket watch, he'd summon Time Keeper, gathering his chakra further as the puppet would simply pull out an umbrella from a hip seal and open it over Ishino and the puppet. A final nod given and Ishino would start for their location to track. Hearing the commotion like Meruin, a small nod was given. Looking back to Aoi he'd speak up. "We may wish to hurry.. I'll need them segmented off, if I am to gather them in the genjutsu properly.. I'll do as many as I can.. but if it supersedes my ability, there will be loose people. Just as a warning."
A round of arrows whiz past Katsu's ears. Whether it was the arrows or the archers themselves that got his attention, the teenager was now staring the two down at the top of the wall. He gave a sigh at their demands and took off running in the opposite direction, towards the entrance of the estate. However, he was met with a group of thugs who poured out of the same entrance he was attempting to run into. He winced and stopped dead in his tracks. A look of annoyance covers his face as he looks around for some sort of way out of this situation. Behind him two archers have their bows targeting him. In front, a group of four with bats and swords at hand ready to take on the lone mountaineer. "So what's it gonna' be kid?" One of them snarls.
As each of the shinobi began their trek up towards the village they would find much of it desolate and devoid of life. With just a fraction of investigation it would appear as though the citizens were literally plucked from their homes and stored away somewhere…. Within esteemed noble's manor is an easy assumption.
The crackling of foot steps along the snow had become heavy, shouts and heckling from the mercenaries poured into the court yard as the young man making his way toward the estate was blocked off. More men joined along the stone walls while dozens of others poured in from the sides completely surrounding him. " Did you think you can could passed all this security? You are a fool to come here alone," The man mocked with a wide toothy grin, prepare more arrows! I want to see a lot of holes in this one!" He then commanded, suddenly the mercenaries on the wall began to ready up their bows. There was a pause in the air and finally…"Fire!" A dozens and dozens of arrows were unstrung, released in a terrible volley to put down Katsurou for good.
The Shinobi at this point pushed on unopposed, all the guards appeared to have their attention adverted, making it painfully easy for the shinobi to react at any given time and slip passed the guards. "Let's move!" Aoitsuki demanded, she could feel the presences up ahead through the flakes of snow touching their body… her chakra was being focused as well… the single flakes of snow upon the ground gradually beginning to expand like seeds.
Soren nodded. There was definitely something wrong. "Aoitsuki and Ishino can handle it." he says glancing at Meruin, and getting the spider to move up onto his shoulder. "I'll make sure the little one returns to you unscathed." he says, shrugging. At least it didn't seem like he'd get a blade in his gut today. "Then… off we go!" he says, as he breaks away from the group. He does wait for Meruin's lead though. As the jounin was probably a better hunter than he was, he'd be a better lead for capturing the noble without incident.
"At this time of night, the noble is likely within his rooms," says Meruin, running forward to catch up with Soren without a backwards glance towards the rest of the group. "With the commotion, however, it is likely that someone will be moving to wake him to alert him to the disturbance. Speed is priority. I am going to grab you, and we are going to travel at high velocity. Be prepared for it. Closing your eyes makes it easier and will allow you to recover swiftly enough to react afterwards."
That said, he vanished a moment later along with Soren, vanishing from before the wall guarding the noble's compound. They'd appear atop the wall for just a moment, the Okumo surveying the scene below to find the mountaineer in his trouble. But he didn't spare a moment to even consider aiding the man, vanishing once more to reappear atop the actual living space of the compound, hunkered down low near the roof. "There's a window beneath us," is the Okumo's murmur, a flood of spiders bursting
from him. It swiftly dissipates at they disperse, looking for small holes to enter and give the Okumo a sense of the building and what lays within.
Ishino would reach the wall a bit behind Meruin and Soren. Spotting the one who had them all distracted to start with, Ishino would move, a scroll tossed to Time Keeper as Time Keeper as TK gave Ishino the umbrella, the puppet would rush forward. Just before those arrows would reach, the scroll was unfurled around TK and Katsurou, turning to steel as the arrows would deflect away harmlessly. Ishino would show up down there a moment later as the scroll was grabbed and rewound up. "You make an excellent distraction. However, you should have a better defense in mind when dealing with a mass of people like this." Ishino would start going through hand seals, the ticking from Time Keeper flourishing outward. He was gathering people, luring them into the genjutsu, to prepare the rounding up and removal of threats.
Katsurou looked beside him once he saw the puppet emerge and a scroll around them turned to steel. Arrows tink'd and clank'd off the protective wall. "Who said I didn't?" Katsurou says in response to Ishino. "Nice suit, but you actually plan on getting dirty in that?" From over the side of his other shoulder he just barely makes out two more figures making their way into the estate. "Who are you guys anyways? Pirates looking for a big score?" He asks Ishino as he was in performing the hand seals for his genjutsu.
Soren and Meruin's sneak into the manor was a definite success. They both would find themselves closer towards a long corridor which laid along the second floor of the manor. Meruin's creepy crawlers made it easy for him to get a near instant blueprint of the place and interesting enough it
wasn't as large as one would think. A little smaller than a normal mansion from what the outside walls had given off. There were a few guards remaining along the corridors, most of them remaining stiff from the violence happening out side. One of them guarding a cellar door which seemed to lead off down into a basement while another duo in front of a sliding door…. One which would have been the nobleman's quarters.
Aoitsuki ninjutsu also began to take form, the flakes of snow instantly hatching and catching the men along the walls with a webbing of ice, encasing them and making it difficult for them to move. The flakes continued to burst and subdue a wide variety of them while Ishino's genjutsu took care of their mental state of mine. In time the elegant Shirayuki leaped over the stone walls with a slight thud, brushing the dust from her lap while her eyes peered intently at both Ishino and the mountaineer.
" I do have to question why you would pick a fight against these thugs on your own, you have to be skilled to be get far into the gate however," Aoitsuki commented to Katsurou, her eyes watched him a little more intently, something about him looked off though nothing she could catch at first glance. " Who are you and where are you from?" Aoitsuki almost demanded until the iron gate sprung open… More mercenaries began to pour into the court yard, blades brandished and twirling to strike at the shinobi. " Kill them all! We have the advantage!" The men shouted in unison, dozens at a time like a flood of bodies.
Meruin looks to Soren after their whispered planning, giving the man a nod after he states that he'll go to the cellar to save the citizens. He opens his mouth, giving a quiet gag as a spider ejects from it, the size of his spread hand. "This one is swift," he says to the puppeteer. "It will lead you to the basement where the prisoners most likely are. Keep up with it."
As the spider dashes off down the side of the building, Meruin does the same. He stops at the window beneath, silk leaving his hands to cover it. Padding for when he broke it open, muffling the sound to as small a thing as possible. Once he was in he jumped to the ceiling, heading towards the
sliding door that had to hold the noble's quarters.
Noone ever looked up. So it was a simple matter to send down ropes of spider silk laced with a contact poison that'd disable them. They'd be out of action for a little while, though probably groggily back on their feet by the time he came to collect them. But that was a matter to deal with another time, he decided, landing in front of the guards in front of the sleeping quarters.
His hands whipped out, grabbing the both by the throat, cutting off any sound they might make. They went down in three seconds, the true debilitation the poison he'd used on the other guards rather than asphyxiation. Stepping over them, he entered the room, eyes swiftly flashing to the corners, windows, ceiling, clearing the initial room in a swift moment.
Of course, the noble was already awake, up, and staring at him in surprise. Meruin inclined his head and vanished, reappearing behind the man. He grabs his arms, wrenching them behind his back and ignoring the shout of pain as he binds his wrists together. A moment later, the man is hefted over the Okumo's shoulder, the shinobi dashing out of the room back towards his entry point. There was only one guard that'd found him en route, having been near enough to hear the noble's shout. A kick to the solar plexus, and a knife hand to the back of the head, and the Okumo soon had the noble back on his shoulder and was back on his way.
Once he reached the window, he ignored the nobles complaints, setting him on the window with his feet dangling on the outside. Swiftly, spider silk was put around the man's neck, cutting off his complaints. The Okumo kicked the noble out of the window, leaving him choking and dangling. Counting silently, he lowered the man towards the ground below, a line of spiders going along with him. 35 seconds later, the nobleman was on the ground surrounded by a pool of spiders, one or two secreting themselves in locations that'd be hard to detect them in. 30 seconds for the approximate time to lose consciousness from asphyxiation. 5 seconds as insurance.
That done, Meruin moved to go to the cellar, dashing towards the main objective of this mission and to provide Soren with backup, should he need it. He had no idea what was in the cellar. It was just the likely place to hold the imprisoned people.
Ishino nods his head politely at the comment about the suit. Finishing his genjutsu, his power would spread outward. "I don't plan on getting touched." Focusing that chakra through the amplifier that was Time Keeper, Ishino would catch most everyone in the immediate vicinity within that Time's Thread. He lulled them into senselessness as they would leap and dance through their life, a decade at a time for various moments of triumph. As the men burst through the door, Katsurou would make a break for it, leaving Aoi and Ishino to deal with the mob. Shaking his head slightly, Ishino would carefully select another scroll. "You have this one and only chance. Surrender. I won't hurt you if you do so, immediately." Both shoulders on Time Keeper would pop open, revealing twin senbon cannons
that would promptly orient on the crowd ahead of them.
Meruin was easily able to tangle and subudue the individual, with neat webbings and the crackling of pain rolling down the man's spine he was perfectly incapacitated. Once Soren made his way to the door the darkened tunnels lead down into the basement assuredly, and below were murmuring whispers of imprisoned souls. " What? who is that? Help us please!" One of the voiced cried out from within the tunnel. Getting out from the cellar was an easy task for both Soren and Meruin.
On the outside Ishino's threats had stuck, especially with the large amount of squirms bodies moving about littered on the floor. Aoitsuki didn't say a word to either of them though, she allowed the flakes of snow to catch them in the same entrapment, successfully capturing the guards at the gate. " This is going to be a long haul…" Aoi couldn't help but to comment, her eyes watched as the mysterious mountaineer took this distraction as a way of slipping out of the gates. " Do you mind organizing these bodies Ishino-kun? I'm going to make sure this one isn't a criminal. Upon those words she began to move along, slipping out from the gates to follow upon the mysterious bearded mountaineer.
