Starring:
Date: January 11, 2012
Summary:
The Kaguya team is sent into the middle of a Touketsu clan blood feud.
"Touketsu Blood Feud - Part 2"
Northern Island [Land of Water]
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Northern Island is situated, as one might expect, to the north. Specifically, it is north of the Land of Water's coast and inbetween it and the Land of Lightning — yet within the territorial waters of the former. A beach wraps around much of the perimeter of the minor landmass, with the sand seeming to be rather fine in density, free of most loose stones or gravel, and with minimal drift wood, kelp, or other "offerings" from the ocean's waves. There is no dock for boats to tie off at, and a coral reef combined with treacherous, rocky masses and alternating depths to the local waters make approaching the island in a ship a hazardous prospect at best and potentially suicidal at worst.
Just past the beach, a mix of grassy fields and dense sub-tropical vegetation forms a forested area that may more closely resemble a jungle than the pines, oaks, evergreens, and so forth that individuals from other lands may be familiar with. Though the size of the island is more than merely modest, it being surrounded by the ocean means that the foliage is grown closely together, in overlapping layers that both figuratively and literally form a barrier to sight and land-bound travel alike.
Northern Island has little room set aside for human habitation, with the eco-system being more geared towards herbivorous, insectivorous, and carnivorous animals of medium to tiny scale. Birds, small mammals, and various arthropods are all present, as are some reptiles in the form of a half-dozen types of lizards and two known types of snakes. Thankfully, neither the serpents nor the other creatures on the island are known to be especially venomous, or at least not inclined to approach, attack, or even necessarily reveal themselves to humans. They are not domesticated, and would much rather be left alone than have to defends themselves.
Toward the center of the island, on a significantly high, sloping hill, covered in healthy grasses, shrubberies, and low-lying trees, there is a large manor of some kind. The building is surrounded on all sides by a tall fence with a single, secure gate as the apparent entrance and exit to the grounds proper.
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Tsiro looks towards Yuuka and then Keisuke. He was a beast, not exactly a strategist. Kibushi's words seemed true enough on an open battlefield. This would be different though. It was a funeral. "I have no idea what we should plan for." the boy states openly. He would hate to be responsible for placing people only to have them be out of place when the actual attack happened.
"What if it is not a physical attack? Like poison or something?" he asks for a moment. It seemed to be a perfect idea. A physical group guarding the funeral would be easily fooled by an attack in some bottle of wine or even in the air. The boy shrugs for a moment and looks towards the others to see what they come up with.
"Isn't that sweet," Keisuke says with a smirk to Takahiro, a white eyebrow lifting faintly. "Hang on to that dream." He turns to his teammates as they begin to discuss strategy, pondering a few moments. While he does have a few suggestions, he remains silent for now. This is still Yuuka's mission, after all. If she is going to be a Jounin, she has to have experience leading a team through any type of situation. For now, his trunk-like arms rest over his chest as he simply listens.
Yuuka crosses her slender arms across her chest with narrowed, thoughtful gaze for a short moment or so. "Well, we have to take into account that this is a very personal matter that has grown over years and years. Both sides have probably lost family members, so it is more than likely they will want to take revenge with their own hands. At least, I would." she quirks a pale brow, glancing between Keisuke and Tsiro. "Either way, we should take this hour to set traps up in the forest surrounding the house. Even if we may not know how they attack, it will give us an edge." Yuuka smirks, clearly amused.
Tsiro nodded his head. Traps… he did not know how to make any traps really. It was just not something that he often practiced. He was one of those, find a brawl and jump into the center. Stealth was a difficult concept to learn and traps were even further from his mind. "So, what type of traps?" he asks. The boy imagines trees pulled to the ground with wires and nets…
"Alright then," is all Keisuke says before turning and walking off toward the forest. He doesn't even bother to share ideas, simply vanishing and going to set his own traps. Most of his seem to be made of bone, those closer to town harder to spot and those further out much sharper. Easiest thing to guess, the ones closer to town are easiest to control.
"The type that injures or kills." Yuuka replies, "Do not worry, I will show you how to set up some traps. Paper bombs for example." she glances up at Keisuke when he turns and walks off to the forest. "Oh well. I guess you are coming with me already." The kunoichi gives Tsiro a short grin before she leads the boy to the forest west of the fortress. With the little time they have, Yuuka shows him where to place paper bombs, how to set up certain kinds of traps where for the best possibility of being tripped with the most damage. Even better, the odds of them being tripped by innocent people is very slim as they wouldn't wander into the forest on such a solemn occasion.
Tsiro follows Yuuka off into the forest. He watches as she tries to show him how to make the different variation of bombs and trip wires. Unfortunately he seems about as good with them as he does with non combative conflict resolution. His trip wires seem too high. His paper bombs look like badly made origami. He raises an eyebrow and glances at Yuuka for her orders.
Keisuke seems to still be off setting his own traps. One might notice traps of bone, scrolls, and even random puddles of water in the forest if he knows what to look for. Once satisfied he has done enough to contribute, he walks back into town to begin wandering the streets, trying to find anything or anyone that seems out of place.
Yuuka helps Tsiro with his traps as much as she can, giving him pointers all the while and keeping a close eye on the time. After fifty minutes the pair make their way back to the fortress as already people were beginning to gather for the funeral, guards alert and on patrol. The team leader gives the forest around the manor a glance, feeling the apprehension and tension gathering in the air like a thick cloud. "It is almost time… be alert…"
After Sensei tells him they were heading back, Tsiro starts to smile again. Not that he was proud of his work, but he was about to get to work. As they arrive the boy simply looks around the people. He could care less that he was hated by them. No he couldnt care less. The smile on his face remains, almost as if tempting them. Their leader had been a jackass. He had no reason to act like he wanted to be here. The boy then gives a simple nod to Yuuka. "Will do sensei."
Stepping up behind Yuuka and Tsiro from down the road, Keisuke stops beside Yuuka and peers around. "Miss me?" he asks with a faint smirk as he looks down at Yuuka before looking back up to scan the area again. His intense blood red eyes scan each person, analyzing different ways to kill them all. "Takahiro threatened all four of our family here," he says as he continues scanning the crowd, a devilish grin tugging at his lips. "If he tries follow through with that, this town is naught but a mausoleum. We will not have would-be avengers chasing us in the future. Understood?"
Yuuka turns her snowy head and quirks a brow at Keisuke when he steps up beside her, narrowing her gaze as she listens for a short moment. "They were hallow threats. Do you think such an action is necessary?" She is probably more soft-hearted than most of her clan, but still. She hated them too, but would it really be a good idea to kill the people that they are supposed to protect? Yuuka firms her jaw and glances back to the open gate in the fort's wall, watching as the row of Touketsu members dressed in black slowly stream into the mansion. The deep dong of a bell echoing across the land, ominous. "Is that an order, Seven Swordsman?"
Tsiro looks back to see Keisuke. His eyes travel back and forth between Yuuka and him while they converse. He kind of leaned towards Kiesuke's side, but then again he was a growing killer. The Touketsu leader seemed to be like a guy mooning a bunch of unfed cannibals. He really did deserve it. Then again Yuuka was the leader of the mission. It really surprises him when she asks if it is an order and refers to Keisuke by his rank. He then waits for the answer.
As Tsiro will come to know, Yuuka and Keisuke basically treat each other as Sergeant and General when it comes to missions. The giant Swordsman turns his eyes back to Yuuka at her question, that smirk yet in place. "As I said, only if the fool tries to have us killed. Until then, we are simply performing the duties of our mission as shinobi. My hope is that we will simply guard the funeral and go home, but I am not against slaughtering them all if they turn on us." He then glances down to Tsiro, eyebrows raising slightly. "If it comes to that, save Takahiro for last. He should know the consequences of his actions before his demise, eh, kiddo?" This is actually similar to how Takeshi refers to him, 'Boyo'. It could mean many things, among them his expectations of Tsiro as a Kaguya warrior.
"If they do turn on us, defending ourselves takes top priority, I agree." Yuuka murmurs, her aquamarine eyes scanning over the last of the people as they disappear into the fortress. "There is enough hatred for us here that I would not put it past the Mizukage to send us here in hopes that that very thing does happen and we kill off everyone as a result." It was genius really. It might have appeared as just a slap in the face from the start, but this was a real possibility now. While she hated the thought of killing those that had hired them for their protection, she wouldn't ever let a finger dare touch her family. The last deep dong of the bell rolls to eventual silence, threatening to consume the team while they wait for an ambush that could very well happen.
Its several moments before they begin to hear the fruits of their labor. Yelps, cries of pain and agony screech from the forest to the west as traps are set off. Yuuka couldn't help but smirk with some dark amusement. The sounds enough to alert the guards from the fortress as they pile up onto the wall itself and prepare for an attack, average soldiers and shinobi alike rigging bows to defend the funeral from interruption. It only increased the likelihood of being struck themselves, by accident or on purpose. "Keep on your toes…" Yuuka murmurs as more screams fill the air, only they were filled with fight and determination from the lungs of dozens of men appearing from the western forest. "Its likely they might have a couple men sneak in from the east while we are fighting. Keep alert, and soak the land with their blood!" She flickers with sudden speed as she dashes for the closest enemy, the Touketsu caught off-guard with the sudden ivory lance through his throat.
Tsiro nods to Keisuke with a grin. He agreed the man should know the results of his own actions. Then he hears the cries and receives the orders from Yuuka. He nods his head and begins to focus his chakra. There is a sadistic smile on his face as he glances towards them. He walks towards them slowly. He is not worried about getting the most kills or the quickest kills. He was going to take his time unless someone made it past him. Bones start to protrude from his elbows and hands as he moves.
"Those are all possibilities, yes," Keisuke says with a nod as he looks back to Yuuka. "Remember the Mizukage is a Shirayuki. His heart would not be too terribly broken were we to die." As the cries begin to ring out, he turns his attention toward the direction they come from. He chuckles a bit as Yuuka a touch over-zealously charges in. He begins gathering chakra as well as he runs toward the approaching Touketsu, that devilish smirk still in place. This might be almost as interesting as the battles of his three year mission
"They're Kaguya!" "Get them!" Screams of rage and pain filled the air like a battle-filled symphony as Touketsu men attacking realized just who they were, the red marks of the clan blazing on their flesh. Two decide to gang up on Tsiro, thinking he is the smallest and weakest of the group. One attempts to sweep Tsiro's legs from underneath him with a kick as the other goes for a hard punch to the chest. And with Keisuke, he's already being blocked in by five Touketsu all with a look of disgust and hatred in their faces. "We're going to hang your head from the highest tower!" screams one as he uses the staff in his hands to swing hard at Keisuke's head. The others join in with him, swords and kunai drawn to pierce and stab at him with little warning or method. The sea of chaos swarming around the fortress as Touketsu spill each others blood in a flurry of constant movement. With the man still pierced onto the bone lance from the center of her palm, Yuuka shakes the man free with a fling of crimson drops arching through the air. Three men scream as they openly attack her for killing a brother in arms, surrounding the woman in order to catch her in her blind spot. Yuuka narrows her eyes for only a short moment before dozens of bones stick out from her flesh all at once, turning the closest into a human pin-cushion after ramming himself into her.
The first attack barely sweeps the boy off his feet before the second punches him in the chest. "Alright, if that's how you want to play." The boy stands up and dusts himself off. He then strikes out with the bone from his hand aiming at the throat of the first one, before turning and slashing at the second man. He then turns and spits out a piece of bone like a bullet at a man coming over the hill. "Come get it!" he yells.
As the five block him in, Keisuke stops and glances around at them. Their words only cause his smirk to tug a bit wider as he reaches up to slap the staff away. Rather than put on a huge display of power just yet, he calmly draws a simple Camellia Sword from his left shoulder and makes three simple strikes, deflecting incoming weapons as he slashes at the throats of the three closest men. "What a bore."
The first snaps his hands up to his throat to clasp at it desperately, crimson blood spilling between his fingers as he falls to his knees, the second man's eyes widen to watch his brother fall from the blade of a child, only to snap to Tsiro just as he slashes at his throat as well. Blood sprays everywhere from the gash of his neck, gasping through the hole before falling over as well in a still heap. While the other soldier coming over the hill was trying to be sneaky by crawling on his hands and knees to avoid traps and from being noticed, the spray of bone needles pierce him out of nowhere and he becomes nothing more than a corpse a moment later, soaking the earth with his blood.
The men surrounding Keisuke hesitate only a fraction of a moment because of his sheer size, but their attacks are easily deflected by the edge of his blade. Three of them falling in a heap on the soft ground. Screams echo all around as arrows fly through the air, taking out numbers while more enraged men continue to pour from the forest. There was no more rational sense any more, only survival and blood of battle, a dozen men each swarming Keisuke and Tsiro. If either glanced in Yuuka's direction, they would see her swinging a pair of Camellia Swords through the air at her sides, as if they were tethered to the end of an invisible chain in her hand. They whipped around her like a dance, limbs and heads flying through the air in turn.
Tsiro was enjoying the rain of crimson blood. His dance was just starting. The boy grinned a little bit as he took a few steps and then he placed his hands together and began to do some ninjutsu hand signs. Around the dozen about to swam him, a heavy mist began to rise. The boy then proceeded to slash all around him with bones. "I shall bath in your blood." would be the last words some of the men would hear.
As he is now surrounded by fourteen Touketsu, Keisuke chuckles and shakes his head. "Fools… Don't you know who I am?" the giant Swordsman asks with a chuckle as he nonchalantly slaps attack after attack away with his sword. (In the back of someone's mind, Keisuke's voice rings out, "I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!") He tosses his sword into one man's gut, only for it to rip itself out and strike at another's throat while Keisuke plants his palms into two men's throats, sharp bone sticking out of them easily slicing jugulars.
The fog rises up around the coming men, stopping them in their tracks as they murmur to each other in confusion. It would be their downfall as one by one men begin to fall from Tsiro's hand, their screams frightening as they try to lash out in self-defense, like frightened rabbits. Even accidentally slashing at one another in panic while their numbers are taken out. The men surrounding Keisuke do no better, their attacks being deflected at every turn before the Swordsman's own sword is tossed straight into the torso of one of them. He staggers when it somehow rips itself from free from his gut with a large splatter of blood arcing through the air and slashing through another man's throat. The carnage building up was staggering, but so far no one has been able to approach the wall around the fortress. It feels like hours have passed as the team plows through the bodies, but in actuality its only minutes before the flow slows to nothing. Not even a stir from the forest as the last are taken out. Yuuka breathes quickly as she snaps her bright eyes over her shoulder at the manor, seeing the men and their bows drawn still as they anxiously watch the forest's horizon. Perhaps believing it wasn't really over.
