How annoying. [Mission]

Age : 30 Posts : 1012

mission:

“The fuck do you mean I’ll have a squad to look after? I’m not a people person, man!” Mokuzai slouched against the post behind his back while overlooking the papers of the names that listed his future squad mates within the village. Mokuzai was never, and has never even with Yoi, gotten used to having children around to actually protect and take care of. They’re the future of the village, and yet they let an ex-nukenin take control over the unit to lead them to do good? There was going to be some sparks flying in the air between Kagetora and Moku once he got back from his mission he was assigned to. Was he supposed to stalk these kids or just wait for them to show up at the front gates? He was pretty positive that they were ordered and notified that they were assigned a squad. “Team 3.” Moku muttered with the cigarette stick muffling part of his voice while looking over the various photographs given in each and every file that he held within his grip.

“Ekisai, Paganini” He struggled to even pronounce the first name of the..male? “He looks like trouble.” The photos showed the action of the kid smoking even at the young age of 14! Mokuzai couldn’t really say anything about the smoking deal, but some serious shit must have went on in this gingers’ life. “Least the fucker has style. Gotta hand it to him.” So far, so good! At least Ekisai didn’t really look like a total wimp. The worst that could come from the two judging his looks would be butting heads from some serious personality quarrels. It was probably too early to make any sort of calls like this, but at least he was going to have some fun with the brats. Closing the folder, he moved on to the next one.

“Kuro, Kelyn” The very first though that came to mind when he saw the dreads was Shinjin. This was the first time that Mokuzai has even thought of that name before coming into Kumogakure. He was going to be one of the youngest members of the team thus far. “Everyone is such a close combatant so far. What the fuck is up with cloud shinobi so far? Do they love getting’ a touch in or somethin’?” A slight chuckle came from his throat while going down the stairs in a small rhythm in his mind. At least there was some sort of distractions to get him away from the walls of the Kumo. It’s been pretty much like a jail cell, even if he was being trained to become a village shinobi. Once he reached the gates, Mokuzai leaned against the post with his right boot lying flat against the edge of the steel gate overlooking the mountains with the thunderous clouds barring down upon the peak of the crown earth.

“Kidomaru, Yuuzuki” The jet-black hair caught his eyes at first glance for the few seconds that he did stare at her face. “I don’t know how Seika is going to act with me teachin’ a bunch of kids.” He laughed, reading more of her file, catching a peek of her abilities. He just had to see them in person. Never seeing something like that before; it possibly didn’t even exist so that he could get some what intimidated by his own squad. “I don’t even like those animals, man.” He shivered, turning his head to look at the entrance to make sure that the team mates were going to be on time. If they were even late for a few seconds, Mokuzai didn’t know when they were going to arrive, but all he could was wait.

Was he supposed to scold them when they pop up late? Or was he supposed to greet them with a smile? All he knew to do was be patient, hope not a single one of them are asswipes, and pray that Kagetora gave him a decent team to get through with this mission goal.

“Just, don’t disrespect me, guys.”

And he stood there awaiting his future pupils.

Posts : 90

It had hardly even been a week since Yuu had graduated from the academy and yet she was already assigned to a squad and going on her first mission. Not just any mission though. A B-rank mission. Most genin fresh out of the academy were assigned D-ranks for a while then went on to C-rank. It was almost unheard of for someone of her rank to have her first mission be such a high level. Whomever was in charge must of thought very highly of her abilities. Or they possibly wanted her to die said a small voice.

The small voice was stomped like a bug and she focused on the more likely possibility. They were impressed with her skills she demonstrated from the academy. Upon sharing the news with her grandfather she had received some of his rare praise. That boost in confidence was like winning the lottery to the young girl. Ready to make a good impression Yuu had woken up early so she wouldn't be late. She grabbed a large black kimono that easily hid not only her arms, but her shinobi gear, scrolls, and some other weapons. Namely her knives and tomahawks. I the need came up she'd simply summon up her claymore.

Yuu looked herself over in her mirror to make sure nothing was out of place. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail, no indication of her arms or weapons were showing, and she could easily pass for a normal girl without henging. Team or not Yuu wasn't ready for people to see her fully. Her grandfather told her the jonin in charge likely knew and that made her nervous enough. Hopefully, he wouldn't blurt out her heritage in front of the new members. With a quick bow to her grandfather Yuu left their home. Her grandfather wished her luck from the door way before returning to his own duties.

Within several minutes Yuu arrived at the meeting spot with time to spare. Mokuzai would see her coming down the path. If not for her head around her neck she'd look like a normal girl. Perhaps even a traditional innkeeper. Her visible set of hands were clasped in front of her and her pace was that of a leisurely stroll. She looked at Mokuzai with an expressionless, but she was nervous. He looked rather serious and seemingly irritated. Did having her on his team cause that? Did he find her disgusting after reading her dossier? Would he turn her away as soon as she arrived? She just had to make a good impression. This would have to be handled very carefully with grace and an excessive use of her vocabulary.

She stopped three meters away from the jonin and bowed. "Greetings." Perfect execution!

Age : 32 Posts : 787

What day of the week was it even? Monday, Friday, somewhere in between? Paganini had no idea anymore. It seemed with the waning of the academy days, so did the importance of the particular day. Things no longer hinged on that kind of schedule, and so the importance of the categorization seemed less and less important. Time went on either way and what happened in between mattered more and more. In truth it had always mattered, but now that the young shinobi had finally begun his career and was making moves to locate the landmarks of his own life for himself, the weight was becoming ever more present. Not that it was too much, or worth complaining about, or even worth mentioning. It was simply there. A simple observation lined up behind the other many observations he would make through out his day to day.

Of course there was nothing day to day about going on your first big mission. It may not have been his first, but this one held importance that the others seemed to lack. A solid B ranking that was well deserved based on the light briefing he had requested and received before acknowledging his acceptance. It was more like willingness rather, because it was not as though he had any sort of choice or say in the matter. After flying solo for a brief stint, Ni had been grouped with two other genin and a Jounin to form the third squad of this generation in Kumo. Having graduated prior to them, his fellow team mates currently went unknown. That caused little bother and would be revealed well into their training he was sure. It was the jounin that bothered him, having not heard his name before.

Mokuzai.

Given the Nara's position in the economic ladder and his families influence, Ni had a general connection to certain basic knowledge like names and such that others may find themselves with out. It wasn't really a benefit, it was just the sense of community it entailed and with it a feeling of home and security. It also made it a lot easier to strike conversations than going completely blind. However, here was a high priority, assumed to be powerful shinobi whom he had never heard of. The fact that he did not know the family name meant little as an identifier when the concoctions of letters that proceeded it went completely unknown to begin with. There was only one assumption he could go with, and that was that perhaps his new sensei had used to be a black ops commander and was looking to tone it down or simply pass on his knowledge. This was not a thought that would be clung to, just stowed away in the back of the mind for a cross reference when the reality came to light.

The cigarette the dangled from his lips as he approached the destination, lit and half consumed, was actually his primary reason for wanting the knowledge he lacked. Would they be OK with it? Beyond just a habbit that held a certain mental grip on any who decided to chance a waltz with its temptations, the vice also played a large role in a portion of the techniques that Paganini had created for himself. The fact was that he had chosen to rely solely on techniques of his own design as to add an element of unpredictability to his move set. It had only seemed natural to throw in something he always had on him anyway, not even counting the fact that he was unaware of any common jutsu that utilized the nicotine dispensary devices like he did.

Most would have waited to just simply ask. It was probably the safer thing to do. That would take up time and he hated being treated like a kid, even though he still obviously was. Although he would rarely act upon it, no one truly enjoyed having their nerves grated against the rough surface of pet peeves. One way or another, this would give him the answer he desperately, not only desired but needed. He would be able to act accordingly and based on the interaction that followed, it would set clearly the stage as to the kind of relationship he could expect to have with the one who would guide him down the road til at least chunin and possible onward.

So as Paganini approached the two who had already met, the sensei himself and a female, he plucked the filter end from his lips and ashed it across the road that would lead to the exit of all of their homes. It was not that it was necessary to add anything extra to draw attention to a boy his age inhaling smoke like it was job, but then again, why not. That's when he noticed what would should have been all too clear from a few meters back as he looked up from the ash fluttering down towards the ground to his side. His sensei, too, seemed to enjoy the companionship of ol' Nic, as Ni had come to refer to the cancer sticks from time to time. With any luck, this very well built man who looked all business, would not be a hypocrite. With a stroke of insane luck, it wouldn't even be mentioned, at least not by the mentor. His team mates were likely to be different stories. Then again, if the already present female made no indication through verbal exchange or facial expression that it was off putting, he would probably take an interest in her as a person, for women were all to often more proper and sophisticated through basic rules than a shinobi really ought to be. That went for people their age too as far as Ni was concerned.

Coming to an even keel where all three of them would form a perfect triangle with the distance between each of them, Ni spoke just in case they hadn't taken notice to him already before placing ol' Nic back into his mouth for further consumption.

"Am I the only one who's ready to do this shit?" While the words by themselves could have been taken as an insult of sorts, his demeanor prevented that entirely unless either of them were thick in the head. A warm smile coupled with upbeat and energetic tones hinted at his motivated mindset and eagerness to begin. If any offense was taken and his other signals other than verbal ignored, Paganini would know to watch his words more carefully. He was one to avoid unnecessary conflict if such a thing could be achieved. He was the type to be the bigger person and put in that kind of effort if need be. There was no sense quarreling with team mates. Especially not on the very first greeting.

Age : 31 Posts : 208

Sleep is something that can be relatively subjective when it comes to perception, but is undeniably important to every living creature on this planet. Some say that when you sleep too much, you gain a certain kind of laziness that’s unforgivable within the shinobi world. Some say that if you don’t get enough sleep, you’re weakening your body much more than you have to over a trivial thing such as laying down for an extra hour or two. Sleep was something that K wasn't quite used to. Between training for about 8 hours a day, going to the ninja academy and somehow squeezing some free time in here and there, sleep has always been a secondary thing for the young genin. This was especially evident after spending over a week in the mountains for his little “clan initiation” or whatever his parents called it. Either way, if K didn't know what getting sleep was, he was going to learn today whether the fourth house liked it or not because no matter what, he was staying within the confounds of his bed even if it killed him. Or so he thought…

“K, what’re you still doing in bed, didn't mom tell you that you had your first mission today with your new team?” K simply rolled over within his sheets, determined to deter the voice of his older sister from revealing itself within her younger brother’s presence. All that was heard from then on out was a simply sigh from the 18 year old woman’s mouth. “Kelyn, don’t make me do this…” It was now that K made a sound similar to that of whimpering before opening his mouth. “Just tell ‘em I died or something, please, I just don’t want to move forever, Lo.”

Lo-Rammah didn't say anything else, as it was unnecessary to exchange words at this point. She simply pulled back the sleeve of her right arm before it began to glow red down to her elbow. The very sound of his sister’s movements was enough to convince K that she wasn't playing around this time so he quickly throw off the sheets and stood up to the side of his bed, revealing a dark skinned boy with a nervous smile on his face, dreads all over his face from untidiness. Now that he was actually up, it was clear to see that he didn't have a shirt on, muscles and scars all over his upper body from past training while he wore his usually pants and socks on his lower body.

Glad to see her brother being so obedient all of a sudden, Lo-Rammah allowed a smile on her face to show as the red glow subsided from her arm. “Good, little brother. Now, you’re about to be late so I suggest you get ready quickly, don't want to make your sensei upset with you on the first day.” As his older sister walked out of his bedroom, K started whispering her words in a mocking tone before going to look for his clothes and headband. “What was that?” K took a quick turnaround as he stared out his closed doorway, somewhat surprise his sister heard him “Nothin.”

With a small black backpack on his shoulders, K would now be exiting the marketing district of Kumogakure. The young genin would now be sporting his usual attire after leaving his house, sporting the usual black sleeveless shirt with the letters R•A•P on the front of it, the loose fitted, blue pants and the black sneakers he sported around 80% of the time was the attire he had chosen for today’s mission along with the dark coat with the long sleeve. The same accessories that he always wears was also on his person, including his blue hat in the shape of a beanie tilted to the side of his head.

With his destination within his vision, K caught sight of what he could only presume were all a part of his new team, ready to go on this mission. At this point in time, K was about 5-10 minutes late of the official meet time so it was probably a safe bet to say that they were ready to go. For some reason though, one could honestly say that K didn’t look too apologetic over it. It wasn't necessarily the fact that he was being defiant or didn’t think that being on time was important, just… he didn't want to be there right now, but that wasn't an option for K at this point so he would have to suck it up. Once he had actually been within arm’s reach of them all, K took his hands form the straps of his backpack and placed them in his pockets, not really taking the time to visually evaluate his team just yet before speaking to everyone in general with an overly casual tone. “What up, y’all?”

Age : 30 Posts : 1012

It didn’t take long for Mokuzai to actually become a little more judgmental than he already was. For the first time in his life, he was responsible for the ways these genin act. How was he supposed to know how village shinobi are supposed to work with others? Most of his life was lonesome with some occasional partnerships that made things a bit easier here and there. At least these were just kids to begin with; what harm could they do? “Alright, seems like everyone is here.” He slipped their profiles in the open slit of his backpack that rested upon his shoulders. The white bandana marking his allegiance with the village shimmered in the sunlight that bounced off the metal. He wasn’t too worried about any of the kids having some ‘I’m a badass’ attitude towards him. It would have been humorous more than anything. Being arrogant is a lot more entertaining than being a rule follower.

“In case you didn’t know, I’m Kyuusaisha, Mokuzai. You can call me Moku, or add some additional honorific if you want. I don’t give a shit.” He approached the three to at least get a decent view of the squad that he would be leading. A slip of his fingers into his front vest pocket brought out the butt of a cigarette, allowing his lips to grasp upon the slow death for his body. “Now, since I’m more so confident in my own abilities, as you should be your own, we’re embarking on a B rank mission. Don’t let that get to your head though. I’m responsible for your lives, not your actions. If you fuck up, you fuck up. I’ll save you once. This is to test your abilities and get some children back to the village. Have you guys read your mission dossier?”

If they have or not, it wouldn’t really matter in the end run. He was going to brief them with a summary of the mission so that they could understand it a bit a more, and really get a hold of actually knowing how sketchy this mission can turn real fast.

“Children, and more specifically, a child of a local lord has been kidnapped by bandits roaming the area. There is some knowledge that the leader is a B rank missing-nin. They are not to be taken lightly, and could take your life if you don’t really think through your actions.”

This mission wasn’t actually going to be too bad. Mokuzai could easily solo this mission if he wanted to. Seeing some situations up front and personal would really do some damage to their psychological mindsets more than physical. Mokuzai believed that the genin should not be doing basic ‘find the cat’ missions, when they could learn about the world from beyond the walls from which they are stationed.

Turning his back to the younger bunch, Mokuzai placed his hands upon his crown: “Let’s get a move on. There has been rumors of the bandits bein’ sighted in a cave nearby. Stay close to me until we get there. Don’t make any sudden movements and don’t engage unless I give the order to. You guys are about to test your abilities either solo, or as a team.” His strides turned out to be a bit lazy at first. Their approach to the forest line actually took a bit longer than he wanted to. If he had it, all of them would be underground and approaching the middle of the scene so that they could get a jump on the bandits.

“So, tell me about yourselves. I don’t want to act like this is just some unit that is placed together because you guys were the only ones available. State your weaknesses, your strengths, what you have pride in. Shit, ass or tits? Or, in your case Yuuzuki, dick or well. Dick.” What an awkward way to actually get to know his pupils. Mokuzai never really grasped the whole small talk aspect since the run in with Toasatsu in the village. Nukenin are never really expected to be too social in the meantime. Did Kagetora place him in this group so that he would actually open up to the village a bit more? Having to worry about his own life was enough, but add three more? Why was this starting to feel more like a setup rather than a decent time leading a team? Even Hira had to get squad placed together! Kumogakure was actually getting desperate for cells.

With them, hopefully, speaking about their weaknesses and strengths, Mokuzai took this time to actually speak up about himself.

“Well, I’m a ninjutsu and fuuninjutsu specialist. I use Doton, Suition, Mokuton, and Katon as my elements to break through some enemies. I also have a few summonses to use in case things do get a bit too spicy for my own taste. I’m rather—new to the whole village thing. I guess. I’m..a transfer. My weaknesses? Probably my anger. Don’t push me to my limits and you won’t be thrown across the border into another village. I’m an easy guy to impress and get along with as long as you don’t piss me off, talk bad about me, smart off to me, or just get lazy during a mission. Everywhere else? Be lazy. I don’t care. I’m not your father.”

They broke through the forest lining, allowing him to actually feel a bit more at home for the few seconds with the trees spread out around him. “Also, I’m goin’ to make you guys into the best shinobi I can. You’ll learn to come and appreciate my motives on teaching you how to do certain things. If you have another way to do it, then show me and if I like it, I’ll let you do it.”

The mountain’s base started to peek through the forest lining, with Mokuzai’s eyes glaring towards the opening with light flickering in and out from the entrance. Kneeling behind a tree that lined the bottom, Mokuzai turned his head to look back at the genin following him.

“Alright. It appears that some people reside in the cave. I’m not sure how many, but- if anything gets too heated in there, just step aside and I’ll wipe the floor with ‘em. Stay on the lookout and watch each others back once we start to head over there. Do you guys want to just barge in, or do a plan? I’m not leading this mission. Remember, it’s just to test your abilities.”

Posts : 90

The arrival of each of her new teammates was met with a small bow of greeting. She was a bit surprised by how laid back all of them were. Especially for a first meeting. Yuu had expected some more awkward tension, but instead one teammate had arrived late, and the other two were cussing and speaking rather informally. In other words Yuu who was already out of her element when it came to people was uber far out of her element. Her expression remained impassive though as the men spoke all around her.

The trio of men truthfully scared Yuu. The jonin Moku was rather scary looking, talkative, and seemed angry. He even admitted to having a temper, so if she messed up then she'd likely get yelled at. Paganini was the least intimidating of the lot, but that wasn't really saying much. It was only the warm smile and his rather laid back demeanor that made him the least scary. K fell into the middle though. He was late and didn't seem to care about it at all. He seemed to be a bit of a trouble maker. That didn't scare her, but what if she was expected to break the rules with him? Would she be considered bad if she didn't go along with him? What if they hated her for not breaking rules? The pressure was already making her heart beat fast.

She had of course read the mission parameters and was eager to save the child. Yuu was also eager to punish the slavers. The very thought of kidnapping a child for some selfish goal sickened her. If she could help it the men would be at the very least mangled if not dead by the time the mission was over. The choice on how the slavers ended up was however left to Moku. He was the senior shinobi here. Yuu would follow along behind the man at a distance of about three meters.

Then of course Moku asked the most dreaded question. To introduce themselves. Yuu's pale face turned bright red when he started to talk about her being interested in the opposite genders genitalia. "Errr." Was the only response he'd get in regard to that statement. As for the others Yuu merely responded to the questions in order. "Genjutsu." That was her main weakness. She could break them just as easily as others could, but she couldn't cast them efficiently. "Weapons." Was her answer for her strengths. She had left out her clan's style for now. They probably didn't like her already so why add fuel to the fire. As for her pride she pondered for a moment then added. "Fitness." Yuu was strong and fast. Stronger and faster than most of her graduating class and she took pride in that.

After that was done she fell silent and merely listened to the others and Moku's instructions. She had nothing to say, and she wasn't going to go out of her way to put herself in too much danger, nor was she going to be lazy on a mission. When Moku knelt behind a tree Yuu followed suit and knelt down to await instructions. When it became apparent they weren't going to be given any she simply voiced her own opinion. "Plan." She didn't suggest a plan, she just wanted to have a plan. Charging in was never a good plan.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

So they had all arrived. Three males and a single female. For some odd reason this seemed to be the most often set up for a collaboration of genin when setting up the squads. The only rationale Paganini could put behind it was the ratio of boys to girls who actually went out and sought the shinobi life style. A large factor in that had to be gender roles. Not so much in a well found ninja clan, who would see it as their duty to offer up children to the military as they had something to offer in a more natural sense, but for the average family it was seen more as a male's line of work. Such a notion was petty and illogical, but so many traditions often were. For whatever cause, the human soul operated as such.

The female bore nothing that real stuck out about her so far. As she would speak and operate, it would become quite clear that she was more on the shy and quiet nature. As she offered up one word answers and kept the bulk of her thoughts on lock, Ni could only wonder as to what was really going on behind those eyes. She was a pretty one, but rarely was a shinobi lady not striking in the visual sense. Another anomaly and this one with much less of an easy explination. The other shinobi bore darker skin, but this too in Kumo was not something that was abnormal. The village housed all sorts and so this fact would remain nothing more than a passing observation. It was much too early in the game to draw any real conclusions about either of them.

Ni tried to take in as much info as he could as they approached the tree line, but not much was really being offered up at that point, save for their mentor who had truly embraced his role as a leader. Thought it was apparent by his word choice and rather unprofesional attitude that he didn't really hold an aptitude for it personality wise, he was certainly giving it an effort. Rambling and speaking too much was a certain by product of being uncertain of yourself while truly wanting to do a good job. Whether it suited him as an individual was beside the point and would show no tilt one way or another as to if he would be able to fill the shoes as a Jounin overseer or not. He was blunt and too the point, almost abrasive. If he were not Ni's surperior, the two would likely see much conflict. However, the young Nara knew his place well and was not one to step out of line. He was too relaxed for that and wasn't one to stir up trouble. It just brought on unwanted attention of the wrong kind and he was content to play by the book. It was not that he actively sought to do so, but the person he was just so happened to fill the role needed to avoid scrutiny from elders.

Plus he hadn't said a word about the cigarette, which by now was down to it's last draw.

"I've studied ninjutsu and genjutsu for the most part. Every jutsu I know and use I made up myself, aside from the academy techniques. They're so basic and that's why they work so well. Leaves the options open. The only thing I'm really interested in outside of being a shinobi is music, yall might have seen me play at Shurren once or twice. As far as weaknesses, well, I know I'm fast but other then that I'm not all that great at hand to hand combat. I can hold my own and I've got the basic concepts down, but against someone who really knows what their doing I'm liable to get my as kicked."

Careful to stay even with Yuu, which had been just a few short meters to the rear of their sensei, Ni took to Moku's left as he knelt. The green light had been given when the young lady had gone the way of planning their moves carefully. That was, as per his name sake suggested even if it was currently unknown to his team, the side of the spectrum that Ni always fell upon. Even without a naturally high IQ as part of the Nara clan, he saw the foolishness in acting brashly and with out thought.

"I think we shoud go with a plan too. If you're leaving it up to us, Id suggest drawing them out. One of us should go down there and see what we can do to lure some of them out and engage them. If I understand correctly, these bandits are about our level so it shouldn't get too dangerous to fast. If the one starts getting overwhelmed, then another one of us comes in, and repeat for the third. If we can handle everything they throw at us, we shoud go in together from there and be on the look out for traps and other things. If all three of us wind up being engaged out here, you should move to enter the hide out sensei as you're the best equipped to go in solo. We can follow in after the first objective is complete. This way we can diminish their numbers and spread them out. Of course it will put them on high alert but we only know of one entrance with no way of knowing what lies inside. We have to create our own advantage and I don't think absolute stealth is an option here. What do ya think guys? You down? I'm willing to go first."

Ni looked first too his sensei, then to Yuu, to K, and then back to his sensei for confirmation or declination from each of them. Would they go for it? Ni thought the plan was solid given the situation, but to them he could have just as easily sounded like a jabbering idiot. Most importantly, he was waiting for Moku's reactions. Being that he had the most experience, he was the best suited to give feedback on his quickly laid out plan.

Age : 31 Posts : 208

For a while, K was having trouble keeping his focus on anything in particular from the moment he had left his household. Though he was never the kind of guy who always had the ability to fully focus on one thing, K felt utterly different from his usually; he wasn’t smiling, talking a lot or anything like that, it was almost as if he was exhibiting some kinds of sickness because he just didn’t feel like his usual self. This was probably due to his long awaited sleep time being interrupted by his older sister, but then again… yeah it was probably just that. Regardless of how he felt, he had a big mission to do so K was just going to have to suck it up. Because of this, as it was time to leave the gates of Kumo, K continued to lag behind just a bit as he wiped his hands over his face while taking a deep breath in an attempt to gather himself quickly.

As the new team full of genin and one jounin actually got some walking distance away from the village, K felt himself feeling better as time went on. Perhaps all he really needed was to get some exercise in his body to wake him up. With his hands mostly staying in his pockets as the group traveled together, K made sure to stay closely knit within the group even though he was still hanging in the back. Taking a good look at the team he was rolled up with, it was safe to say that K had differentiating opinions about each one of them. The one that immediately catches his attention is the jounin, their so called “leader” of sorts. ‘Moku something I think his name was.’ He never stated what he was about, like a rank or something, but K could probably guess that he was a jounin just from the way he spoke from the very beginning, he was all that and a bag of chips. For all K knew, he probably was, but he’s that kind fo guy who would have to see him walk the walk instead of talk the talk.

As far as the ones that were obviously closer to his age group, the guy looked a little more of the laid back style. His swagger was somewhat similar to that of the older guy’s, but until he had something more to work off of than the way he strides, he’ll keep his opinion neutral. He had similar opinions about the girl, she was way too reserved for K to form a proper opinion on her, personality wise. Her appearance gave K a similar feeling since her clothes left a lot to the imagination. Overall, she was cute, but couldn’t really determine if she was hot or not. ‘Only time would tell.’

K was snapped away from his thoughts as the older shinobi began speaking about getting to know each other. The dark skinned genin simply cocked his head ever so slightly to the left, confused riddled all over his face as he listened in. ‘Yo does this dude get out much or…’ Maybe K was just being an inexperienced kid, but that conversation starter was more than odd to say the least. Never mind the shit, ass and tits or dick part, but he was fairly uncertain on how he was supposed to respond to this question. When he first started his training from within the Kuro clan, K was never asked questions like that. If his instructors ever wanted to find out that kind of information, it seemed fairly easy for them to test the young one out and see for themselves.

As the team went ahead and answered the questions one by one, started with the jounin, K thought back to his training for the answers. ‘State your weaknesses…’ “You need to grasp this concept or else you’ll be slaughtered in the ninja world. Now carefully mold your chakra; utilize the correct handseals, breath in, put your arm out, then hit the dummy with a bold of electricity…No you’re doing it all wrong! What am I going to do with this boy if he can’t even get Ninjutsu right…?” ‘Strengths’ “I’m telling you, I really wasn’t holding back that much, K. Your hand to hand fighting is really that good when you apply that rhythmic style to it. If you focus on that raw power you have there instead of trying to focus on what Raiku-sensei tells you, I truly believe you can make it pretty far."

When it was finally his turn to speak, K simply looked at everyone with blank stare for a bit. Though he had more than enough time to think about his response, K had a bit of trouble putting it in words. “Man, I’unno, I just do what I do.” Unorthodox as it may be, that’s just how K works. He’s simply not the guy to label himself like that. In his eyes, it wasn’t like he had a profile lying around with his name, a picture of himself, his fighting style, elements, a list of jutsu he knows, and a wordy description of his history; that would just be silly. “Anyone got a problem, they can just get a taste of me or a taste of the blade, K style, I don’t back down for nobody.” Pointing towards the katana strapped behind his backpack, K continued walking with the team towards their destination in a nonchalant fashion.

Once it seemed like the real business was soon to start, the 3 genin followed suit with their new leader. Before it was actually time to start the mission, the leader briefed them a bit on what he was seeing, asking them about a plan. Though from their slightly awkward silence, it seemed that neither K nor the girl had much to say in that department. Reason being that K couldn’t think of anything besides, roll up in there like they own the place and save the kids, not really much going in in between. Breaking the silence pretty quickly, K turned to the other male genin as he laid out his plan. Not even a second after the guy was finished speaking, K instantly turned around and raised his hand. “I vote to go in first.” The guy seemed to know what he was talking about and K knew he couldn’t think of anything better so he was completely fine with everything as long as he gets to be involved in the action as quickly as possible.

Age : 30 Posts : 1012

OOC note:

Mokuzai had to hand it to the genin that were assigned to him. They were smart for their ages when it came to making plans on the spot. He was impressed with the red haired boy the most. From coming up with the plan from just surveying the cave opening for a few seconds, and actually getting the team involved in on it. There was also the added benefit of not being too annoying to actually piss him off from his antics. Village shinobi have something going for them in that academy, apparently. “Well. Damn, yeah. That sounds like a pretty legit plan. If you guys are golden with that, then by all means. Initiate it. If it gets too dicey, I’ll be able to sense your chakra; just make it flare up if you’re in trouble or somethin’.” He flashed a soft smile towards them, slowly getting up from the kneeling position to dust off his knees while overlooking the cave.

In all honesty, Mokuzai would be able to easily solo this mission if it was up to him. In fact, the thought crossed his mind so that he could lie to the officials about how the event unfolded before him. The others wouldn’t really have to deal with taking out multiple shinobi for their very first mission. Al though the red haired boy seemed like he wouldn’t really have a problem with taking one’s life if it meant the success of the village. Mokuzai would be watching him closely over the course of the mission.

“I’ll see if I can find some place to chill and actually see if things could get into motion. Again, just flare up some chakra, yell, do whatever if you need help. All you need to do is draw out the bandits in groups, and the missing-nin. Once they’re out, your plan is good to go. I just want you guys to switch it up a tiny bit. ” Mokuzai rubbed his palms together, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth before speaking up again. “Once they’re grouped up, get the children out and into this very same tree-line. I’ll take care of the nukenin that leads this bandits. Just leave her to me. That’s all I ask, guys. Anyway, Don’t fuck up. Good luck.”

For a squad, they were actually pretty smart. Even if only one did speak up about a plan, none of them had any quarrels with the idea, nor did they try to object with the plan Paganini came up with. With a soft smirk, Mokuzai placed the heel of his boot against the tree that they laid behind, and took upwards towards the branches. This was to get a decent view on the surroundings as well as keep the eye needed for his team to make sure none of them got hurt. Even if he was coming off as cold, or unprofessional, Moku was just as nervous if not more as the three of them. Since coming out of the ranks of nukenin, Mokuzai wasn’t really the most pleasant person to be around. He almost collapsed a tea house for getting captured by Kagetora.
Who would have thought he was going to sit here and watch a bunch of genin abou to start a bout with some bandits and a local missing-nin that he was assigned to hunt down? The irony is strong with this story.

Jutsu:

SC:

Posts : 90

The plan sounded good to her. Sounded good to everyone apparently. If this group stuck together is seemed that Paganini was going to be the one who planned their attacks. It suited her just fine. That meant she didn't have to talk as much. "Okay." From the sleeves of her robes a tomahawk would slide into her two visible hands for seemingly no reason. The weapons metal was clean and polished, but since the metal was black it didn't really reflect any light.

K's instant volunteering had impressed her a bit so she'd make it a point to do her best to cover him. With moku giving the go ahead Yuu went to get into position. Following the example of the creature her clan had taken after Yuu snuck around and used her chakra to climb to the area above the entrance to the cave. She had taken a longer route to stay hidden, but only her teammates would be able to see her atop of the caves entrance ready to pounce upon the enemy with her axes.

She'd refrain from using her claymore or clan jutsu unless she really needed to. Yuu didn't feel confident enough with the new group to reveal herself to them just yet. For now all she would do was wait on K to draw out the bandits.

Act of tree climbing active -1 CP
69/70CP

Age : 32 Posts : 787

Not everything unfurls as it is predicted. Especially with a lack of thurough information, what will unfold is sometimes difficult to qunitfy. Battle itself, quite easier of course, but the true actions and nature of people were a constant duality spinning around each other around a central point that was the individual. When K volounteered to go first, Ni was a bit taken back. He had already offered himself up as a way of showing his confidence in the plan. Somehow it had seemed to inspire the team to dive head first into it with out question. Paganini hadn't pegged the darker skinned ninja for the type to dive head first into battle, but it seemed he was as eager for it as the young Nara was. He couldn't wait to spar with the guy and go head to head. Just based on his willingness to perform would make him an entertaining opponent.

It seemed that miracles came in twos and threes, maybe even more. At this rate they would clinch this mission with out a single scratch or set back. Everything was runnning smoothly, but nothing would catch the eye quite like seeing the shy girl take charge in her own way and head towards the top of the cave, above the entrance. Her destination was clear by the gaze she held and the trajectory she had chosen to pass along. Yuu seemed to be setting herself up to go in second which was astonishing given the timid nature she had displayed thus far. Whether by a sense of nationalism or a sense of pride, it seemed as though all three were willinging to put their personal faults aside for the sake of the mission at hand. Each one of them had come ready to perform to the best of their abilities.

Removing the butt of a fully consumed cigarette from his lips with two fingers, Ni nodded towards K in a clear signal to go ahead. With out argument he conceded the point man spot to his eager team mate. There was two reasons for this. The first was that Ni was not one to do more work then he had to. If someone else was willing to take the spotlight, more power to them. Unlike most musicians, he didn't even mind being an opening act where as most constantly yearned for the headliner position. The second reason was that he could observe his team mates and accumulate data on them, thereby formulating strategies for them to use later down the road. He had assumed when he initially offered to go first, that that role would fall to Mokuzai, their sensei. Now they would both be able to fill that role and collaberate on it. Of course the senior had more experience and could possibly come up with better plans then he could, but Nara were well known to be the strategists of whatever team they were placed on. As an artist, Ni hated to be cliche, but sometimes the boot just fit too well to cast aside.

Using an enhanced leap, Ni took his position in the second Y spilt of a tree in the third row back from the small clearing around the cave. He positioned himself slightly behind so as to better conceal himself, though if anyone looked directly at him he would surely be revealed. The musical prodigy turned shinobi was counting fully on K to cause enough of a hassle that the enemy wouldn't have a chance to take notice. The finished cigarette still rested in his fingers, a last spiral of smoke escaping from the browned and wrinkled filter.

He already had his first move set up, and he wasn't going to be wasting it. If he wound up not needing it, then there would be nothing lost. Ni couldn't help but grin. This was going to be entertaining.

Age : 31 Posts : 208

After getting more or less a nod of approval from every person within the group, the plan was official set for action with K being the first up to the plate. With the older, more experienced shinobi out of the picture for a majority of this mission on top of that, K couldn’t help but feel a certain level of excitement wash over him. Whether that certain level of excitement was assurance or nervousness, K wasn’t quite sure; hell, it was highly likely that it’s both of those feelings at once. Truth be told, K haven’t exactly been in a real fight before. Sure, he’s had spars with his sister, instructors as well as a couple scraps with some kids in the academy during his training, but he’s never been in a real situation where his wellbeing was legitimately in question. Whatever it was, K was going to use that feeling to push himself through this, no matter what happens.

As Moku gave the final statements of his mini briefing, K placed his left hand over his mouth in a thoughtful manner as he took another look at the entrance of what he can only assume was a hide out of sorts. As much as he would love to be the badass that he wished he was, he couldn’t just roll up in there, call them all out and take them down for his part of the plan; he was going to have to be just a tad bit more tactful than that. If whatever is left of his memory serves him correctly, there was about five of these guys along with their leader in this group of bandits, so if K can make the right diversion, the would probably send one or two, no more than three of the weaker guys out to check on what’s going on, which sounds a lot better than all of them crashing down on the kid.

Still, he needs to remember that he doesn’t have any experience with fighting multiple people at once added to the fact that he doesn’t exactly know how strong these guys are. Perhaps he can set up a trap at the entrance to take out the first guy that comes out for him. Since, for some reason, these guys didn’t have a guard outside their entrance, it should be easy to get a paper bomb that he can set off right outside their vision range. But now, that just leaves the most important part, how is he going to get them out in the first place. He doesn’t want to create such a ruckus that they send out the entire group but he still needs to be enough of a problem that they at least have to send somebody to check. That’s when an imaginary lightbulb flickered on top of K’s head.

Right as the chill guy who initially came up with the plan gave K the go ahead nod, the black genin immediately nodded back before taking off his backpack, sword and jacket; leaning the sword and backpack down beside the tree trunk next to him while keeping the jacket within his hands. Taking the pendant of his necklace in his hands before giving it a quick kiss for good luck. The young boy had to make sure that as moved closer, he was in no way visible to anybody that may be looking through the entrance of the cave. As soon as he moved away from the trees his teammates were hiding in, K used his right hand to pull out two kunai with matching exploding tags wrapped around the ring of the kunai. After taking a second or two to judge his accuracy, K immediately threw both of the kunai towards the entrance, with both of them landing vertical to each other at the right side of the entrance. Though it wasn’t close enough to be seen or heard by anyone inside, K made sure to land it just close enough to have a big enough impact to whoever was coming out of the entrance yet far enough so the explosion shouldn’t affect him.

Now it was time to lure them out in the open. K quickly took his jacket and wrapped it around his wrist in a fashion that, if you were far enough and/or angled right, he would appear to be restraints similar to rope. By the time he got close enough to the entrance to allow anyone to see him, K turned around and took a deep breath. “HELP, HELP, SOMEBODY… ANYBODY PLEASE, SOME SCARY PEOPLE ARE AFTER ME!” Immediately, the sound of footsteps can be heard on the side of K. Once it seemed like they were close enough, K held the two fingers of his right hand up before whispering. “Kai.”

Right as the two explosions had set off, K quickly took his make believe restraints off his wrists and dashed towards the single silhouette that he caught sight of through the smoke caused by the blast. By the time the smoke had dissipated, the grown man behind the smoke was waiting for him with his fist cocked back. As the man threw that punch, K quickly hopped over the punch, quickly twisting his body around as the older guy switch to an elbow aimed straight towards K’s face while he was still in the air. In response, K quickly gathered up chakra in his hands as the saw the elbow coming before blocking it with an open palm. Literally shocked, the guy stayed still for a moment as K landed right behind him and wrapped his arms around the waste of the bandit. Utilizing his natural strength, K hoisted the bandit in the air as he fell backwards, dropping him right on his head and shoulders with as much force as he could. Luckily, it was enough force to render his opponent unconscious, evident from him easily falling over as K let go of the man. K would then immediately get up to see another guy who looked around the same age as the other one K had just fought, faced down on the ground and a small puddle of blood under a rock that was next to him; obviously a result of the explosion from earlier. Taking his eyes away from the entrance, K looked towards the others, hoping for the next motion of the plan.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

40/50 CP

Posts : 90

From atop her perch Yuu silently watch K work. Despite his attitude and appearance the young man showed skill and foresight. The explosive kunai would do nothing to knock her off her perch when they were set off, so Yuu didn't feel the need to adjust her position. Instead she watched the show that was K beating the mess out of the foolish bandits. How anyone could fall for such a trick was beyond her. They had kidnapped people and had to know shinobi were after them. Yet, they came out into the trap and suffered for it.

Watch K fight was rather entertaining. Especially when he grappled the bandit and slammed onto his head. If this wasn't so serious that may have gotten a weak smile from the girl. Once K had finished his opponents and looked to his teammates for more bandits would appear to join the fray. The explosion would draw the attention of everyone in the cave. From the entrance two more bandits armed with swords came out to attack K. Yuu chose that moment to drop down from above onto the bandits like a hawk onto mice. Or in her case a spider onto insects.

As she dropped Yuu decided while killing them would be more satisfactory, they were likely worth more alive than dead. They could get more information out of the living after all. Before she struck down at the men she turned the axes a bit so they hit with the flat side. A loud thump was heard as Yuu smacked both the men at once. The blow made them fall down like a ton of bricks and drop their blades. The two men were dirty and ill kept, but their blades were still of a good quality. Perhaps they were strong for bandits, but a normal bandit was not going to stand a chance against a trained shinobi.

Turning to face the cavern entrance Yuu took a stance and twirled the axes. "Four down." Two sentences with only an hour of meeting the new team. That was some massive progress for Yuu. She'd simply wait for someone to take the lead or come out of the cavern. Hopefully, the kidnappers would come out and surrender, but there was likely no chance of that happening.

Sc's active: Improved strength and speed.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

It was difficult to piece something together and then watch it not turn out quite the way you had hoped, even if it was still a-ok. Although far from being an over achiever, Paganini was somewhat of a perfectionist when it came to strategy and implementation thereof. So when only one bandit came out upon K's initial instegation, it was slightly disheartening. The comrade could not be faulted for it, although setting off the tag straight away would have definitely drawn more out. Probably the group of three that now had exited the cave, one being unconcious. It would have also been more preferable if Yuu had waited a bit longer to have made her apperance. While yes more of them had arrived, the first bandit was taken care of before their silouhettes had been formed with the outside of the cave against the incoming light. While it was only a hunch that K could have handled it on his own, he would have at least liked him to have had the chance.

At least there were no real hiccups yet, even if another card from their hand had been revealed a tad to early for the redhead's taste. Then again, he was already getting antsy himself from watching K go at it. Perhaps the female was just as ready for conflict as he was despite his overall lax nature and her sheepishness. This was good, it seemed the two had a lot in common to a small degree which just made him feel better overall about their grouping. It seemed the people on high paid attention to some degree and could be trusted that they knew they were doing. This in turn built his confidence in their sensei, even if he hadn't showcased his surperiority much thus far. It was amazing how the simplest things could reveal quite intricate information.

Like those leaves rusteling to the rear and right of the cave, far back enough that the three shinobi who exited the brush were clearly and easily flanking the attackers of their outpost. It was stealthy enough that it didn't alert his team as Yuu was finishing with her set and K stood watching, ready to intervene if needbe, but it was sloppy as they stayed together rather than fanning out. They had a degree of skill, but they were frightened at the number of members they had lost already. Paganini sprung into action, forgoingstealth himself by leaping from his current vantage pointand tearing across the ground with powerful legs that had been trained to carry him quicker then should be expected of someone who didn't specialize in physical arts.

Normally he would have chosen to stay hidden, but given the choice of technique he was going to use, it would have been pointless and he didn't have time to implement it otherwise. He whistled in a quick four point succession, using his musical know how to hit each note perfectly, directing the call towards the one in the middle. The other two would turn around, alerted to the sound of an approach from the rear, the other would be too fixated on the birds that only he could see rising up from a small gathering of rocks about five meters from the cave entrance which would swarm him and batter him with wings, beaks, and talons. Pushing off harder with his right foot, Paganini brought himself even with the one to his own left, trusting K to have also been alerted and to take care of that was on the right in corespondance from their originating position towards Kumo.

With that final bound, Ni launched three kunai at the genjutsu inflicted bandit who had begun flailing his arms around him to ward off his imaginary enemy of nature, one aimed for just behind his jaw, beneathe the left ear, another for the fleshy tendon on the inside of his right knee, and the final for the direct middle of his back. Any which one would hit a point painful enough to make him an easy finishing target whilst it would also break the genjutsu upon impact. Tradeoffs didn't hurt you much if you timed them correctly.

As far as dealing with his chosen target, again leaving the other to K and his scary ability with his body, (which Ni had already revealed to be his worst form of combat), His elbow came up and slammed into the petty criminals chin as the rookie ninja came skidding t a halt with trailing his feet. The act transfered the momentum to his upper body as he braced his legs against the ground, allowing his abdoment to act as a fullcrum upon which his chest and arms levered against. The blow was enough to knock the enemy back, but Ni wasn't allowing any distance, using the suprise of the blow as an oppurtunity to extend his combination further. The elbow that had made initial contact snapped out, launching his left hand toward the man's throat. Finding his grip, the head was brought back down, jostling the brain with whiplash and furthering the tactic of dillusion that Ni was so particularly fond of. For the finisher, the crown of Ni's head was dropped and rammed forward into the enemy's forehead and the bridge of his nose. A satisfying crack was heard as the formation for smell broke and skull met skull. The previous encounters of flesh to flesh setting it up for a knockout blow.

Turning to see the results of his kunai attack and what K had done to the other ninja bandit, hopefully, a final thought appeared in his brain. Either these three had been a patrol or there was another entrance to their little make shift base. Given that they had all three approached from the same area in such a quick and timely manner, Ni was inclined to believe the later. Not to insinuate that his sensei was potentially dumb, but he hoped that Moku picked up on this too and would take advantage of it. Surely more would be on their way out, and on that note, the plan was panning out beautifully.

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Age : 31 Posts : 208

OOC:

After waiting for only a few seconds, K quickly began getting restless, actually thinking of just running in their fortress and taking them all out himself. With that heavily into his consideration, K let out a small smirk while shrugging his shoulders. ‘I mean, if the rest of them are as easy as this bunch, I shouldn’t have a problem with this. But what can you honestly expect, I mean c’mon… it’s me. Pops be damned, I might just be the strongest ninja out here so of course this “oh so dangerous” B rank mission should be a piece of cake for me after all. I can see it now, all the ladies swooning over my heroic rescue…’ In all his internal gloating, K was just a little too distracted with himself to notice two guys armed with swords on the way to attack him. It wasn’t until he actually heard a blade escaping its sheath behind him that K finally snapped out of his self-centered daydreams. With no time for K to react, he was truly wondering how he was going to get out of this. Maybe there was no way out of this. Maybe there wasn’t going to be a future for him. Maybe he wasn’t going to be rich with beautiful ladies following him around everywhere. Maybe he wasn’t going to be the greatest world renowned rapper this ninja world has ever known. Maybe…

One of his teammates was going to drop down from their position and knock out these guys with a couple or weird weapons…yeah. As K looked at the result of what was caused, he took a look at the girl in front of him, then the guys that nearly cut him up, then back to the girl again. He then scuffed before looking away from her direction with his hands dipped into his pockets. “Tch, I had that.” He said in a more lowered tone than his usual voice after she made her statement. Though pride wouldn’t allow him to admit it in these circumstances, K was pretty impressed. Though it didn’t really seem like she did much of anything to the naked eye, K had been around enough fighters to assess physical strength from something even as little as that. Though he didn’t care too much for even finding out her or the others names as of yet, he got a little more curious. Hell, if she’s that strong, this would raise her hotness level by quite a bit.

Suddenly, K turned his head at the entrance to catch yet another guy coming towards the entrance. Since the other guys were already down, he was all that was left besides the one in charge. If K had to guess, the main reason they didn’t all just come rushing out together was to defend their investment, aka the kidnapped children, so they figured the other ones would be able to take care of the problem in case of anything. When the first two guys didn’t come back, they probably sent two more to check on them and when they didn’t return, the last one would make sure that it wasn’t much serious than what the group of criminals originally thought it was. With K at a much higher level of alertness than before however, he was ready for battle once again, unnerved in the least as his face remained calm.

Before anything could actually happen however, K’s expression slowly changed from calm to terribly confused. The guy just started flailing his arms for no reason; like this guy wasn’t even charging at the two genin at the entrance, he was just freaking out. Just then, a few kunai flew by between K and his female teammate, turning around to see his other new teammate rushing towards them. After he witness the dark haired kid take the criminal out, K still had an eyebrow raised. ‘Was that the genjutsu stuff they were going on with in class? Did it come from this guy?’ Though it was mandatory for all Kumo genin to understand at least the basic concepts of genjutsu in the ninja academy, K has never actually seen it practiced in any real life situation nor did he truly understand how it worked, only swimming by with a C- in that class. He should probably compliment and ask him about to get a better understanding of how to deal with that for future use. Actually, no, they had a mission, K should probably access the situation and run by the other guy on what the next form of action should be. Well, he could do that… or… “So yo, what’s your name, girl?” K quickly turned to the female of their group, mover ever so closer to her and speaking in a more or less flirtatious manner.

Posts : 90

OOC:

Yuu merely stared at K upon his reaction her dealing with the men trying to kill him. His act of bravado and the fact she may have wounded his pride flew right over her head. "Sorry." She hadn't meant to steal his "kills" as she had heard some shinobi whisper about. He must have been luring them into some sense of security so he could spring his own trap upon the two bandits. How could she have not seen brilliant plan K was trying to formulate to defeat the bandits? It was likely because she still didn't know her team that well and couldn't read their intentions yet.

Yuu turned away from K when the sounds of a struggle reached her ears. Their third team member was causing one of the other bandits to flail around like a mad man for a moment. It didn't take her long to realize that the foolish bandit was suffering from the effects of a genjutsu. He didn't have to suffer through the effects for long though. Ni made short work of the man with a combination of kunai and taijutsu. If it wasn't for the fact these men were bandits Yuu may have felt bad for them. Since they were dirty filthy kidnapping bandits Yuu couldn't care less. The only reason she had left hers alive was the fact they could get intel from the men.

With the five bandits down that left only the rogue shinobi. One who had more combat experience, knowledge, and jutsu than the three genin combined. Moku would likely have to handle that one. They could possibly defeat the shinobi since they had the person outnumbered, but the rogue also had a hostage. Things were going to be dodgy going into this cave. Could there be traps set up lying in wait for them? A possibility to be considered. She would have continued contemplating, but K asked for her name once more. His flirting went way over her head since no one had ever flirted with her before. So he'd simply get a brief answer. "Yuuzuki."

Then she'd motion to the cavern. Axes at the ready she proceeded forward cautiously looking for traps and the shinobi. This mission could turn nasty in the blink of an eye so being aware was critical.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

Spoiler:

That had been much easier than expected. Ni had to assume that their final hurdle would not be so easily conquered. Still, he was glad to take a moment to revel in their small passing moment of victory and let K break the tension with a small bout of small talk while he worked out where to go from here. Mokuzai had been given a perfect opportunity to enter the cave, and yet no such attempt had been witnessed. There was a brief second where the young genin was much too distracted dismantling the final criminal that he could have missed the Jounin making his entrance unnoticed. However, considering that was not a fact he could confirm, he had to assume that Mokuzai still lay in wait, watching and evaluating them on their performance.

Deep down in his guy, every nerve told Paganini to go find his sensei and let him take care of the rest. That was just basic instinct. He knew full well that by himself, he was no match for a B ranked missing ninja if he was truly deserving of the classification. True, as a team, the three genin could with applicable logic get the job done, but he didn't know K and Yuu well enough to bank on that assumption. Nor did he know anything about the enemy in detail, other than he was a bad man who liked snatching up children. At the same time, they could NOT go find Mokuzai now, as that would be breaking face and allow their final target a chance to escape. It dawned on Ni that it was a very real possibility that the boy was already dead and the final bandit gone. That had been the main reason he wanted Mokuzai to go in as prescribed by the plan. It seemed the jounin had other thoughts about how this mission would go though.

"And my name's Ni Ekisai. Pleased to meet y'all, now lets go get big mama." Paganini reached into one of his coat pockets and pulled out yet another cigarette, bringing it to his face and lighting it so that he could breathe the fresh stench of burnt tobacco yet again. His words came after Yuu's response to K, interrupting so the two wouldn't get side tracked. They needed to keep moving and it appeared that the position of organizer and executioner hadn't lifted from his shoulders yet. Not that it felt like extra weight. Just the opposite, he felt liberated, casting aside the notion that they had already failed with the kidnapped kids already dead. Such a thought was less likely to lead to success. Pessimism was not a good fertilizer for garnishing results. "Let's follow the same formula. K style you go in first with that Taijutsu set. Seemed to work last time. Yuuzuki, back him up. The aim is to keep him busy, more than likely we can't beat this guy, but Mokuzai hasn't made his move yet and we're running out of time. The aim is to keep him distracted. When you guys have his full attention, I'll do my best to lock him in a genjutsu. Hopefully by then Mokuzai will have shown up and have all the window of opportunity he needs. " Another quick drag off the cancer stick. "Chances are with the way my Genjutsu work, I can get him right off the bat, but we need to extend the time and him being tied up with you two will only increase the chances. Y'all good with being treated like canon fodder?" He gave a slight chuckle at that last remark, one with out any venom to it but solely one of recognition. It was almost cowardly to ask others to go in first in any situation. That being said, it was again the best solution he had for success for them. He hoped that with the way stage one had gone, he had built enough confidence from them that they'd be cool with it and wouldn't look down their noses at him at the suggestion.

Maybe they wouldn't even think twice about it. Wouldn't that just be wonderful?

Age : 31 Posts : 208

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“Yuuziki, huh…” Though quite vague of an answer in itself, not even adding on her family name at that, this didn't deter K from attempting to prod some more information out of her. “Well allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is K… K to the K to the uro/ clan name, something that prolly knew though.” Before having a real chance to continue showing off his rapping skills, K was interrupted by the words of his other teammate, “Ni” if he had heard his name correctly. Seemed like this Ni guy wanted to finish up the mission themselves as opposed to waiting for the jounin to come in and save the day. Truth be told, K couldn’t agree with this fast paced approach more; after all the work he had just put in, K would be damn if he’d let some old guy take all the credit, no siree.

After hearing of Ni’s plan, K went ahead a chuckled for a second while scratching his nose as his cocky demeanor began showing itself. “You guys should probably just stick to watching in the back this time. I got this fool on lock like a prison cell, man.” K was without a doubt sure that he could beat whatever these guys had in store for him. ‘I mean, c’mon if I could hold my own against Lo, some lame ‘B ranked missing ninja’ shouldn’t be a problem for me.’ “I got this.” With that, K set out to run within the walls of the big bad fortress of doom.

Age : 31 Posts : 1900

Roughly 280 million olfactory receptors fired off with every inhalation of dusty air, causing the host of this powerful nose to sneeze in response. It shook its head while lifting it up from the ground, his blue eyes staring forward as it gave its ears a chance to listen. Carefully they picked up the sounds of the surrounding area. A squirrel's nails creeping along a tree branch, a cicada shushing in the distance, and just beyond range was the cry of a red-tailed hawk high in the sky. Truly all these noises were new to the beast, seeing as how its home town was the ice covered mountains of the Island of Snow.

"Kagetora wanted to call Mokuzai back for other duties. He did not anticipate him leaving as soon as he had with his team."

"That may be so but you are not also not allowed to leave the walls of this village."

"If I wanted to escape I would have attempted to do so already. I'm not going anywhere."

One guard looked to the man on her left but he shook his head silently. Both turned their attention back towards the fire haired kunoichi, her eyes glaring with resistance.

"Sorry but rules are rules."

"Then why not go look for him yourselves," Seika hissed.

"Well....we can't at this time...."

Obviously because of her. How annoying.

Seika took matters into her own hands at this point by biting her thumb, performing a seal, and slamming her hand to the ground. Immediately the two guards rose their defenses and prepared to either attack or be attacked but neither followed through with any further actions. From a puff of smoke a white wolf with vibrant blue hues and markings had risen. Its gaze fell upon the two men before the beast turned to gaze at its summoner.

"Seika...you're still alive...."

The woman shook her head in response. She had a plan at this point. One which incorporated informing the wolf of her whereabouts while speaking to the guards at the same time.

"Kagetora stated I cannot leave Kumogakure," she began as the wolf nodded and peered at the guards, "but he did not say anything about my summonings exiting."

Once again glances were exchanged among the two gate guards.

"He will find Mokuzai on his mission with his team and have him return to the village..."

As sketchy as this may seem to both of the ninja, Seika somewhat had a point. Surely it would be stupid to let the wolf go, for the possibility of her performing espionage through the creature was high, but they also would hate to ignore Kagetora's orders as well. One guard motioned for the gate to be opened. Sköll turned to look at Seika.

"I'm alive and well. Sorry I have not summoned you or Hati sooner but I promise to fill you in on all the juicy gossip once you return. In the meantime, please find Mokuzai. He's on a mission with a team of Genin at the moment and Kagetora wants him to return."

She pulled her shirt from her stomach to give him scent access. Sköll tilted his head quizzically and she smiled softly; she predicted his thoughts accurately.

"He's also my lover."

The wolf twitched his ears as a means of understanding and thus stepped forward. Silently he sniffed the shirt to pick up both her and his scent before turning around to exit through the opened gates. Seika watched the forest beyond the walls with sorrow filled eyes.

"I will return with the male as soon as I am able."

And so he had.

It took a good distance of traveling to finally become within range of Mokuzai but, once he had, he quietly leaped up into the nearest tree and huffed. The male shifted his eyes towards the white being and cursed as he usually had.

"Are you Mokuzai?"

He nodded.

"Seika requests your presence back at the village."

At first the male seemed baffled but, after discussing a few terms and conditions with this request, Sköll was stuck with the Genin team and Mokuzai was sent back on leave. Surely he was disheartened to leave his Genin team on their first mission but when Kagetora called, he had to answer. Maybe this was a test in itself.

From the trees Sköll stalked the tree line. Mokuzai whispered to him about the Nukenin and children still in the cave and requested Sköll aid his Genin if they needed help. Not wishing to leave the students on their own, or disobeying Seika, Sköll patiently waited in the shadows. Despite his snow white fur he still managed to hide beyond the tree leaves while keeping his senses open.

Sköll:

Name: Sköll
Rank: B

Appearance: Sköll is a pure blooded gray wolf who's coat is completely white. Many would call him an "Artic subspecies" of Gray Wolf but he is truly a regular old "Northwestern subspecies". This means his fur is not as thick as an Artic's fur would be and, on top of that, his legs are not as a short as the fellow artics from the north. Something to bare in mind, in regards to Sköll's fur, is that it changes. In the winter months it is very thick and fluffy so that he can stay warm in the coldest climates without much of an issue. In the summer his fur thins out, due to shedding out his undercoat, and this allows him to better deal with warm temperatures. Perfect for the Water's countries hot climates.

Mentioning undercoat, it is a part of his fur that is soft and insulates him during cold temperatures. Although he sheds this in summer, there is always a thin layer left over in case of possible cold nights. A natural survival adaption of the wolf. The other part of his fur is the guard hairs. These hairs are his natural protection against the natural elements - rain, snow, sleet, and dirt. Sköll can stand in a rain storm or storm storm without much of an issue; besides his eyes. That's because the hairs naturally allow the water to slip off his body. Keeping him dry.

The only true feature that sets Sköll apart from other wolves is his vibrant blue eyes and blue markings. These said markings start at his forehead and proceed to swirl down beneath his eyes. Three dots and two half moons are also located at the dead center of his head. Viewers believe that this is a sign of a magical creature, since he was born with these markings, but Sköll is convinced that it is just some rare birth mark. He is quite proud of his markings. Ironically, similar markings can be found on his brother as well - Hati.

Sköll is a little bit bigger than a normal wolf you would find in the wild lands. Sköll stands at roughly 3ft (36in) tall at the shoulder, meaning his head is a foot taller, and he weighs roughly 120lbs (54.43kg). Like any old wolf, his legs are considered longer in proportion to his body. This means that he mostly legs than anything else. Also similar to your average Gray Wolf, Sköll has a broad head with a slender nose that can smell up to 100 times the normal human nose. Wolves can naturally smell 1.5 miles away, maximum, which equates to 2414.016 meters. That being said, a wolf's scent is strongest within a 0.5 miles (804.672 meters) range. Anything beyond that is just partial scents that are picked up by the wind. A wolf can not determine location at long distances, due to wind blowing scent around, but a wolf can still track scents up close and personal. ("Long distances" being anything beyond 0.5 miles.) This allows him to naturally track prey, or other ninja, and aids him tremendously with hunting.

Something else that aids him with hunting and tracking is his paws. His paws have tufts of fur beneath their padding and the paws naturally splay out over surfaces. This means he is capable of walking over mud, snow, and other features with much stealth. His paws act like snow shoes in the snow; preventing him from sneaking down into the depths below like any human's foot would. Of course there's the normal imprint and slight sinking but nothing too deep that could hinder his running. This is what allows a wolf to hunt during winter; the perfect time of the year for them to do so. His paws are the size of a human fist.

Other features that are important for Sköll includes his eyesight and overall jaw strength. His eyes are also capable of seeing 100 times the normal eye, and in color, but he cannot specify details at long ranges (50+ meters). This is because wolves utilize their nose as their strongest sense. When it comes to jaw strength, Sköll's jaw is just like any other wolf's jaw. This means he has a 1500psi per square inch of biting power; granting him the ability to break bones if he were to law his teeth around a ninja. Speaking of teeth, everyone knows that wolves have sharp canines due to being carnivores. His molars are naturally designed to provide a scissor-like action as he chews. Molars on a wolf jaw are used to bite and chew while canines are used to tear and rip apart things. These said teeth can rip skin and meat clear off the bone without ease. Being the main defense for a wolf, Sköll does his best to protect his teeth as much as possible.

Lastly, Sköll is capable of running up to 35mph for roughly 30 minutes straight. A normal wolf can usually run for only 20 minutes but Sköll has underwent training since he was a pup to work on his endurance and speed. After all, he is utilized to fight against ninja when protecting his pack.

Spoiler:

Personality: Mythology claims that a wolf with a white coat and blues eyes, or a black coat with red eyes in Hati's case, would be born, once Ragnarok was near. Otherwise known as the "end of the world". Myths also claim that Sköll would be the name of the wolf that chases the sun while Hati would be the name of the wolf that chases the moon. Both wolves are said to devour these plantery entities; starting Ragnarok and causing the great wolf, Fenrir, to rise up from his underground prison. Truth is, Sköll and Hati are flattered by these tales but both of them believe they are normal wolves that do normal things. Well, besides using elemental jutsu and the fact that they possess rare markings and eye color. Still, they felt normal.

Sköll grew up all his life getting called the "sun herder" but never quite embraced the nickname. How was he a sun herder if he was mortal and stuck on stolid ground? Sköll could not fly. Neither could Hati. Sköll is a natural born leader, like his brother, and believes that the pack is his life. He and his brother are both dominant males within their pack and do not currently possess female companions. This is because Sköll is only two years old and technically too young to breed at this present moment. Sköll has other things to worry about then breeding anyway. He is responsible for protecting his territory against other wolf packs in the surrounding areas. He and Hati defend a large territory at the Island of Snow; a place located not too far from Kirigakure. Normally people do not bother them but if Sköll needs to fight then he is not scarred to do so.

Sköll is a social animal, like any other wolf, and therefore he talks through body postures, vocalizations, and scent. When it comes to actually being social, he is mostly reserved and does not speak all that often. After all, wolves are a lot quieter than many would think. You would likely hear him howl before anything else but of course this does not mean he is not afraid to talk to his human summoner or Hati.

Being a dominant wolf, Sköll will typically walk with his tail in a T2 or T1 position. This means he either has his tail straight off his back or up above his back. This is simply a sign of dominance. Tails are flagging systems to tell other wolves how they feel from distances; or without words. These tail postures also gauge confidence, which is what Sköll is. Sometimes he gets irritated at his brother, who can occasionally come off as a known it all or someone who too confident, so Sköll is seen a more casual and laid back wolf. Like water, Sköll rarely grows frustrated and knows how to keep himself calmed down. He tries his best to think rationally about situations and typically will not meddle in human affairs unless asked.

When it comes to a summoner, Sköll is one of those wolves that you could trust without a single doubt. Being social animals, Sköll forms social bonds with not only wolves but with their human summoner as well. He will fight to the death for his summoner; even if it means he can only fight with one leg and pair of teeth. He has a deep desire to protect those close to him and will help them any way he can. Sköll's closest counterparts are his brother, Hati, and potentially his human summoner (Seika). All the human has to do is speak her desire to Sköll and he would do as she wishes without much hesitation - unlike his brother. Hati calls him foolish for this but Sköll also thinks its irrational to argue with every order given. Sköll truly prefers peace over war but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, he is not afraid to kill.

Contract Type: Formal
Species: Gray Wolf - Canis lupus
Specialty: Ninja Techniques (忍術 Ninjutsu)
Elemental Affinity: How annoying. [Mission] Suiton

- Water Release (水遁 Suiton)

Summons Jutsu:

Jutsu:

Age : 94 Posts : 369

How annoying. [Mission] Kuro1_zps09b4c215

Enter: Kurogane

Kuro dashed through the Lightning country, quickly making his approach to the mission destination. The report had been brief, coming to him at a short notice. His original plan for the day was to just lay in bed and read his newly rented out book from the library, but instead, he was sent to assist a team of genin who were sent out on a B ranked mission. In the year he spent in Kumogakure, the red-eyed boy had shown promise, being considered to have the skill to that of a Chunin. Maybe this would be how he would prove himself to the Raikage. Though, there was something about the mission briefing that irked Kuro and that was the mentioning of Mokuzai, the man he had encountered a few months back. He was stated as being a Kumogakure Jonin when he was last revealed to being a Nukenin. This flustered the Genin with thoughts that wouldn’t be answered until a later date. For now, he would have to focus on finding the team and aiding them on their mission.

Arriving at the cave side, Kuro found 5 bodies spread across the ground near the entrance. Four of them lay unconscious while one struggled to get up. The Genin approached the injured man slowly, calculating every footstep he took until he stood over the injured young man. With a swift movement, Kuro’s katana slid out of its sheath, the dark metal shining in the afternoon sun. Disgust filled the usually calmed boy. The bandit tried to utter the word please, but Kuro brought his sword to his throat before he could finish, bringing a clean cut to the criminal’s jugular vein. A pool of blood surrounded the ninja’s combat boots, as he took a moment to pity the dead man.

Kuro flicked his blade on his side, letting the blood that wet his blade splash onto the dirt in a splash of art. Sheathing his katana, Kuro faced the deep cave. The others must have headed in already to find the kids. Without much of a hurry, the soon to be Chunin headed off into the cave to catch up with the others.

Posts : 90

OOC::

The slang the two of them were using kept going over Yuu's head. It was however clear both her teammates intended on moving forward. Yuu nodded at Ni. The plan was sound and there was no reason to really alter it. Moku was nowhere to be seen and with a rogue chuunin lurking in the cave it would take all three of them working together to save the victim from the kidnapper. The only issue she could see that would shut down their combination was the fact that he could simply use the boy as a shield or threaten to kill him.

Yuu wasn't given much time to contemplate this though since K ran off into the cavern heedless of danger. Yuu blinked for a moment then cast a glance at Ni before running after him.She easily caught up to the young reckless man due to her training with her grandfather. The cave was lit by torches along the walls and a trail curved here and there deeper into the cave. Luckily the man hadn't bothered laying traps for them. Perhaps he hadn't the time or perhaps maybe he figured the five bandits would be enough to stop any pursuers. Maybe he had thought they'd have been long gone from here already with the lad in tow.

Not today. At the end of the tunnel they'd emerge into a larger cavern where a large campfire was lit along with several torches along the wall. A boy could be seen tied to a rock and a cowled man armed with gauntlets stood about to the right of the boy. His face was hidden, but his arms were exposed. He was pretty muscular with a dark complexion and numerous scars along the arms. The man was also at least two feet taller than most everyone there. A deep laugh echoed from the man as he looked at the three genin. "Really? Three brats is all it took to take out those louts? And I paid top ryo for the five of them. Whatever I'll just scavenge up what I lost off your corpses!"

He smacked his fists together creating a loud clang. Yuu readied her axes clearly ready for a fight. What she wasn't ready for however was that man kicking a large stone at both her and K. The man had to be strong to kick a stone at least twenty pounds at them like a soccer ball. Yuu leaped to the right to avoid the deadly projectile. She'd roll back onto her feet and stare at the man passively wondering what his next move would be. Provided K didn't get struck or do anything to the stone it would slam into the side of the cavern with a loud crash and leave a small crater in the wall. "You kids are in way over your heads."

Enemy Npc Sc's: Improved strength, Improved Endurance, and increased chakra capacity.

Yuu SC's active: Improved speed and strength.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

Emerging from the dark and rugged tunnel that took them on a slightly winding path down into the earth was a nice change of pace. The light off the many torches which lined the wall and the makeshift fire in the center was most welcome. Paganini was no claustrophobic or scared of the dark, it just made him feel constrained and he did not enjoy having his senses robbed of him, especially not his site. Almost hypocritical of him since he used his genjutsu to control others senses to his own devising. Almost.

As much as he preffered their new setting, minus the imposing figure on the other side of the cavern, he wished he was anywhere else when his amber eyes rested upon the boy tied against a rock quite near the one they were meant to extract. His heart sank immediately. Of course seeing any child in the middle of harms highway just waiting to be struck by oncoming trouble would be enough to make a kind heart throb. It made it sink like a rock with the recognition of his facial features, and of course his name.

"Shaka."

Ni could remember quite well the boys presence at one of his parents many dinner parties. He had never truly cared for such occassions as they seemed almost to be showy for the sake of nothing but showmanship. That being said, everyone tended to have a good time and it was a playing field for many interactions with different kinds of people, something Ni loved. Here as of late, he had even been asked to perform the music for the festivities. He hadn't seen Shaka in two years though. Then the boy was only eight, now ten. His parents, quite wealthy, had been a most honored guest and of course Ni had been tasked with over seeing the youngling while the adults carried on adult business. While nothing of real substance had taken place, only tossing a ball about and a few innocent laughs, seeing someone he had spent time with made the matter all the more real, as well as the weight of possible failure.

You wouldn't have known it by the look on his face as he adverted his eyes from the boy and fixated his gaze once more on the chunin level criminal who had proceeded to kick a rock at them. Ni's eyes were narrowed in pure focus, his brow furrowed as his mind raced to figure out the best soloution to their problem. Of course it would have been a great time for Moku to show up, but it didn't look like that was going to happen.

'That bastard, where is he. This isn't some test, Shaka could very well die.'

As the dense boulder sailed towards them, Yuu rolled out of the way. "You want him, go get him." Ni spoke only briefly, using fragments to conserve time considering the small window he had that was quickly closing. The words were a direct acknowledgement of K's brashness and over confidence back at the entrance after all the weaker bandits had been dispatched. Ni had no doubt that his taijutsu centered team mate had no chance on a one on one with the earth moving warrior they had to bring down. In fact he was counting on that fact. Their opponent would know it too well also. Seeing the one coming in solo he would notice K's confidence and actions for what they were, foolishness, and he would engage him to show Ni and Yuu how quickly and expertly he could dispatch any single one of them.

And that would be the perfect oppurtunity to strike, all the more potent if Yuu threw in a punch............or an axe.

Age : 31 Posts : 208

K was a little more than slightly annoyed at the fact that his teammates decided to catch up with him. He said he had, which ultimately meant that he… well, had it. With as weak as those other guys were at the cave, K had zero doubt in his mind that he would need help facing ol’ big baddie hidden suspiciously in a cave full of small children. Hell, if K didn’t know any better, he’d figure that this last guy would probably hold a weakness to something like a restraining order no jutsu. It seemed pretty funny in K’s head, but truth be told, he really had no idea what to except going into this, but part of him was excited for the challenge.

The other part of him however, a very hidden subconscious part, was actually just a bit unsure of whether this was going to be as easy as he said it would be. Regardless of the circumstances, this had to be labeled as a B ranked mission for a reason and, considering that this was K’s first mission ever… there was a bit of a stretch here. This whole time, this same subconscious part of K was also wondering who in the right world even approved a B rank mission for three new genin who had previously never met before.

Whoever, K hadn’t had much time to dwell on it since he and his team had left the village, and he sure as hell didn’t have enough time to dwell on it now. Speeding up his pace, K mentally pumped himself up as he got closer and closer to their destination. Once the team of three had actually gotten to their destination, the entire atmosphere changed immediately. Considering they were in an open field of a cave, with torches on the wall and a campfire brought the whole creepy vibe in their environment; add in the child tied to a rock and some big, muscular killer in front of them, well… it kind of resembled a cheap sequel to the movie Blood in Blood Out, but that was beside the point.

At first, K was going to let the obvious movie references go until he had heard this guy’s speech, at that point, K couldn’t take it anymore. As soon as the adult male finished talking, the dark skinned genin’s shoulders slumped a little while he held his right eyebrow up in confusion. “Yo, f’real dawg? I mean, you got a lil kid tied to a damn rock and your own monologue, can you even get more cliché than that?”

The question was never answered though as this man decided to showcase his strength, easily lifting a rock big enough to hit both him and Yuu at once then kicking it towards the team of genin. While Yuu leapt to avoid the attack, K stayed put, prepared to showcase his own strength. Flexing his muscles, K pulled his left arm back over his right shoulder before back fisting the rock, knocking it a couple meters to the left of him. Unfortunately though, K had misjudged the level of hardness that an actual rock had compared to his endurance so the second his fist touched the boulder, K felted an immense pain in that area. Fortunately though, it wasn’t even pressure to actually break or even sprain his hand or wrist, but K had to force his mouth closed to avoid yelling out in pain.

Gritting his teeth, K didn’t let that stop his momentum as he didn’t even wait for his teammates’ input before shaking that hand and dashing in towards the enemy, right fist already cocked for the punch to the face. Once it was actually time to execute though, the older man simply sidestepped K’s punch. As soon as this happened, K twisted his body around while sticking his right leg out for a roundehouse kick, but the older fighter simply ducked his head in while twisting his own body around for his own roundhouse kick onto K’s chest., to which the genin was able to put up both of his arms in a cross motion in time for a block as he was getting closer to landing on the ground. Right after the block, K flipped around to land on his feet, giving his opponent a quick stare down before running into the older man. The dark skinned genin went for a right jab, a left jab, then a right cross punch with his enemy dodging the first two while backing up, but then parrying the last one his left hand before thrusting his palm into the left side of K’s ribcage, effectively stunning the genin momentarily before giving him a right hook to the jaw. This forced K to stagger back a little, feeling the stinging pain in his face yet simply spitting out the blood that formed in his mouth right before running in once again.

This time, K went in with a low sweep with his right leg, to which his opponent lifted his own right leg to avoid it, before the genin following the momentum from his attempted sweep in order to jump toward the older man and go for strong punch with his right fist. The bandit leader however countered with a swift knee to K’s gut followed up quickly with an elbow to his back, immediately knocking the genin faced down into the rock hard ground. Though K had initially tried to push himself back up, the bandit leader stuck his right foot into the small of the back of K in order to pin him to the ground. Now that one of these meddling kids was taken care of, the leader looked at the other two with an undeniable smirk on his face, barely able to hold back his laughter. “This? This is what those idiots had trouble dealing with? Please tell me you have something better than this obvious decoy or else this will be short work for me.”

Age : 31 Posts : 1900

Faint sounds of approaching footsteps against soil caused the wolf's ears to involuntarily twitch, his head turning to peer down at the reason for the noise with genuine curiosity. Quickly the shoes grew closer and closer as the predator silently watched a black haired boy draw near the cave. He seemed to be in a rush but lacked any sort of panic or anxiety on his face. The wolf blinked its blue eyes as he watched this male closely, his Kumogakure headband being one of the first things he noticed besides the coloration of his raven black hair. It shimmered in the sunlight, causing a ray to flicker up and flash Sköll in the eyes. The wolf winced in response, lowered his head some, and opened the blue hues yet again to witness the newcomer cast his sword straight into one of the fallen bodies jugular. The fresh scent of iron took to the air like wildfire and made Sköll cringe his nose in response, his ears falling against his head momentarily to show his disgust. The new male removed his blade and disappeared into the cavern, perking Sköll's interest all the more.

'He smells of minty shampoo and...' Sköll sniffed the air once more despite blood lingering in it, '....is that lipstick?'

The wolf snorted to get the later of the two out of his nose, as well as the iron scent, and proceeded to leap down from the high branches. Sköll landed on all four paws with enough grace to mimic a cat, his white fur glowing beneath the sunlight as though he were an angel which rained down from heaven. Gentle pads failed to make a sound as the wolf progressed forward into the cave, his ears and eyes alert while he briskly walked. Silence seemed to consume the cave, a hint that the genin had yet to engage in any sort of combat. It seems the new male had yet to find the others as well.

'Three Genin and the minty male,' Sköll thought as he stopped to sniff the air.

*CRASH*

Narrowing his eyes, the wolf raised his tail to a near T1 position - straight above the back. This did not signify fear but rather confidence. He perked his ears forward with interest and heard the sound of voices talking. It appears the Genin had just found whom they were looked for. Surely the other newbie would have caught up with the rest at this point.

Sköll picked up his pace, his feet carrying him closer to the sounds emitted deep within the cavern. It seems two people were engaging in hand to hand combat. Based on the deep voice the wolf had heard, Sköll assumed a genin against the supposed nukenin that Mokuzai mentioned. That was when the mere thought of the male gave the wolf an idea. An imagined light bulb shined above his head as he realized the genin team may think he was an enemy due to not recognizing him. Sköll summoned forth chakra and suddenly took the shape of their Jounin leader - Mokuzai. The wolf was a bit awkward on two legs but certainly the jutsu was not foreign to him, having learned it as a young pup to trick humans into thinking he was one of them. Hopefully the new appearance made him more presentable. The end of the tunnel was now in sight.

Quietly the wolf raised his human hands to his chest to pretend to perform a set of random hand seals. Any water user aware of the same jutsu would catch his bluff but, seeing as how they were all genin besides the nukenin, Sköll felt he was still acting his part. Coming to a halt next to the two genin, and perhaps newcomer, the wolf released his first water technique.

"Pardon my tardiness," the wolf said politely. His voice nearly mimicked Mokuzai's, seeing as how both of them had deep tones to their nature, but Sköll usually sounded more majestic. It carried a sense of flow to it that it sounded just like the water which now manifested itself around the cavern as mist. Ten meters from the wolf the mist grew thick and thus prevented any remaining line of sight to be destroyed. It was dangerous to perform a technique such as this for those with common ears but Sköll was able to hear the heavy breathing male, tired from using his body for taijutsu purposes, in the distance. He could warn the kids to watch their back when necessary.

"Use this mist to your advantage," he whispered to the other genin nearby, "One of you should consider sneaking by to grab the children.... Meanwhile, someone lead an attack and I will back you up as deemed necessary."

Although he were an alpha male in his pack, which consisted of his brother - Hati, he decided to leave the reins in the Genin's hands when it came to planning and plotting. Had they ran into trouble he would merely play the role of support for this fight. Honestly he needed to be careful as to avoid being de-summoned. Besides, this was their day to shine anyway.

OOC: I figured it was dark in this cavern and therefore no one could see buuut #NaruLogic

Log:

Age : 94 Posts : 369

Joining The Fight

Traveling through the darkness of the cave, Kuro could see four figures up ahead near a lit campfire. The light up ahead was dim but The Genin could tell that it was the other Kumo ninja facing off with the leader of this whole thing. Not wasting any time, Kuro formed a few hand seals before a water clone formed. He reached into his pouch and placed and explosive tag on the center of the clone’s back as they quietly approached the cavern. The duo witnessed the boulder thrown at the Cloud Genin. One evaded but the other stayed put, back fisting the large rock. He must be the cocky one of the three.

The boy dashed forward to take on the Chunin leveled criminal hand to hand. Considering that difference in ranking, it was easy to determine the outcome. The boy was brought down, the bandit preventing him from getting back up. Without missing a beat, Kuro pulled out a kunai. He twisted it around his finger before launching it before the man could finish off his cocky speech. As expected for his ranking, the criminal caught the projectile centimeters from his face. He searched in the direction of the kunai, looking for its source. Kuro stepped out of the shadows and into the light that was emitted by the campfire.

“Ha! Another kid. The Cloud Village must be running out of ninja!”

Kuro disregarded the male and looked at the red headed boy who was to his right. He remembered him from the time he explored the Shuuren District. Oh the bad memories that brought of the bar. Too many embarrassing times... Kuro took a second to analyze the other members of the squad but did not recognize them from the village. Facing back towards the criminal, Kuro took a few steps closer leaving 10 meters between him and the bandit.

" I’ve been sent to assist you on your mission.”

Kuro spoke to the three ninja as he observed the boy who was tied to the rock. This must be one of the many boys the man has kidnapped. The Genin’s clone approached Ni, removing his Katana while he kept his eyes on the boy. The real Genin stopped closer to Yuu and faced off with the bandit. The Yuki ninja had a large disadvantage in closed off spaces such as this cave, having very little access to his Hyoton jutsu. Nonetheless, he would do his best to assist the other Genin on their mission. They didn’t match the man in rank, but they did currently outnumber him three to one.

“Ni, let’s work on saving the boy.”

The clone spoke swiftly. The real mission here was saving the children that were being held. The bandit was just an obstacle that stood in between them. Of course, taking him out would be ideal to bring an end to this man’s business.

“In the meantime, let’s keep this guy busy.”

This time, it was the real Kuro speaking, who stood beside the kunoichi. His katana was still sheathed unlike his clone counterpart. The clone-awaited orders from the red-headed boy while the real ninja made his move, hoping the kunoichi followed. He pulled two shrunken from his kit and launched them at the man. One of them was thrown under the other remaining hidden in it’s shadow.

“Not this again.”

The bandit tossed the previously thrown kunai towards the visible shuriken. The two projectiles clashed, but the hidden shrunken continued towards the man. He seemed slightly shocked, as the projectile pierced into his shin. The bandit didn’t even flinch while he casually removed it and let it drop to the floor. Following behind the thrown Shuriken, Kuro dashed towards the man, his hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade. He was ready to move in for the slice before the man lifted his foot of the defeated boy and kicked him towards Kuro. Stopping in his tracks, The Genin braced himself as they collided. He was able to catch the boy, but it didn’t stop them from being sent back, stopping two meters behind Yuu.

“You alright?”

He let the boy gain his footing as he faced the bandit again. They had to be persistent with their attack if they wanted to buy enough time for Ni and his clone to get the boy. Every second that past only infuriated Kuro more. This bandit would die today for the suffering he caused to these children and The red-eyed boy would make sure he carried it out.

Jutsu: