A Not So Trojan Horse (A Blind Watcher)

Age : 32 Posts : 787

As the ship came back down towards the massive body of water upon which it floated a wave came crashing up, breaking against the hull and sending a cold spray across its wooded planks. Tekzuki caught full force of the salty mist across his face and leaving water trails across his black cloak. He would have been entirely soaked if not for the repelling formula he adhered to all of his attire. As he hung there, only chakra keeping him aloft from the dark see below, the voices of a slowly dying party trickled down from below. Although the words them selves were inaudible, the over all tone was that of joy, merriness, and over all drunkenness. Oh how grand it must be to take a relaxing voyage upon such a still night all in the name of tourism. To be entertained.

Instead, here he sat, having endured a long rowboat ride about two and a half miles out to see after which he and his comrade had sunk the boat and tread water for the next couple of hours until they saw the lights from the cruise liner approaching. When it had drawn just beyond the zone of comfort, they had dived and waited till it was just over head, taking to either sides of the boat and ascending. Now here he was, about half way up a ship from his own country, preparing for chaos to ensue. This plan would have never worked if it had belonged to another nation, it was just too complex and involved for two men to pull it off. However, as confounding as it seemed, it was also seamless.

Kyuseishu would board the ship on the other side, cause some pandemonium, and cause it to be put on lock. After being "apprehended" the passengers would be escorted to the main bar and put on lock down as security falsely patrolled. Thats when Tekzuki was to make his move. Thankfully their messenger pigeon explaining the mission to the shinobi on board would be full aware of what was going on thanks to their carrier pigeon sent out a couple days prior. The note in tow signed off by the Mizukage himself.

So far intel had shown that their target had not left his VIP room. All VIP had two guards placed outside their rooms, and would not be included in the larger restricted area. They were already protected and a transference would just provide an opening for the "intruders."

Most ninja would not be so keen on this sort of mission. Tekzuki wasn't sure how his temporary partner felt about it, but it was the perfect assignment for him. The thought of taking out any threat by any means to his native homeland was fulfilling enough to justify the actions they were about to take. In truth the fruit of the arrangements had been set by him, Kyuseishu allowing him to construct the catalyst for their operation. Their instructions had been to simply intercept the target at the port city the ship, fittingly named the "Awai," was destined for. This was close enough.

He sure did wish the jounin would accelerate his part though. Not that he was under any sort of risk of getting caught. The hull of the ship he was attached to bowed outward above his head, creating an outstretched deck beyond the section below the upheld it. This created the perfect cover. If he were spotted by a guest on board, the guards would have no choice but to apprehend him in front of everyone and their cover would be blown. He would not be able to roam free to find the Mountain country ninja as it was not really a suitable place for sneaking around, designed to prevent exactly that. The Water country had taken more subtle measures to ensure the safety of its well paying passengers versus the more traditional heavily armed methods. All the same, he was growing impatient. The thrill was starting to take its effect in escalating his blood pressure and forming beads of sweat upon his palms. The ambiance in his head was so realistic that it almost left a taste upon his tongue. Or maybe the salty texture was just from the water below being thrown up against the aquatic vessel. As he grew more bored, his mind filled in the gaps to allow his focus to remain true. These matters were less important and so mixed together into a solitary interpretation Tekzuki called "that extra bull shit."

In truth, he didn't even know exactly what it was that he was waiting on. That was one part that had been left out. It seemed Kyuseishu liked to have his fun as well. Whether that meant he would actually enjoy this mission or simply used it to cope with performing acts less favorable........well it didn't really matter. Tekzuki had only been told to "wait for the sign." Seemed like chunin were told that a lot by the jounin. As if they were supposed to just magically know all signs in the book or otherwise for any situation ever. Maybe it was a test to see how well he could interpret a situation, but in this case, how the hell was he supposed to interpret anything when he could barely see the light coming over the deck? Give what little he knew about the superior ninja, he had a feeling it would be a show of some sorts though. Time would tell.

Tekzuki muttered to himself, "I would definitely take seconds over minutes at this point.

Spoiler:

Posts : 760

In these moments of battle, he usually had very clear, but random thoughts in his head that would pop up from time to time. It's a daunting occurrence that would surprise his thought process in the middle of the fight. Worries about locking the door, payment for Kia, business transaction in Ame no kuni. They were just a few thoughts that would come in and out. He learned the reason was because his mind and body were finely tuned to one another. Such mastery allowed him to move his body consciously or unconsciously like the body does with breathing.

Then he had a break in that mind/body connection when he realized that he was on a ship, in the middle of the night, surrounded by ten men who were more than likely wanted to kill him than do physical harm.

He looked behind and saw there were five men already on the deck, incapacitated; they were either holding their arms, their head, or their stomachs. He made little work only because he suspected he simply caught them off guard.

"Oh, what did I get myself into this time?"

"I'm not leading this mission this time?" Kyu was sitting in his chair, looking over the mission details had set on his desk.

"I thought you would be more-" Kia started.

"Excited?" Kyu used a foot to push the chair to spin. Around and around he went, the chair kept spinning in place with Kyu enjoying the ride. "Don't take it the wrong way, Kia, I am quite excited about me just taking a more back seat role in this mission. It's just...this plan, it seems so-"

"Complex, I know." Kia adjusted her glasses, hiding her mild annoyance. "The mission entails you to act as a distraction causing the ship to go into red alert. Not the choice I would've used if you're going in and replace this man."

"I see where he's coming from." The chair began to slow. When it came to a full stop, he planted both feet on the table "Who am I to say that this plan is complex or not. I have my ways of doing things and so should this..." He picked up one of the files and opened it up. "This Kaguya, Tekzuki." He slaps the paper and picture with the man staring back at him.

"It's just that a plan such as this should involve a more 'indirect' approach. Why cause the distraction in the first place? Why not spy on him and then take his place as to not alert his guards?"

"Since when have you been an expert in covert operations?" Kyu teased. "You've been hanging out with me for too long, Kia-chan."

"Please don't put that honorific at the end of my name. Hearing it from makings my spine shiver" Kia said sternly. Kyu raised a hand in surrender and that made her smile. She lowered her glasses a little. "But you are right. I have been hanging around you too long. Guess I'm rubbing off from you."

"Kekekeke. Your concerns are well noted however. Why didn't the plan just do something like that? From the looks of this plan, it seems very false flag. It would be something I would do if I wanted to make an entire country go to war."

"But you're dealing with nukenin. No allegiances. Why bother?"

Kyu waved a finger, and let out of his charming smiles. "Ah, time will tell. This is his plan and I'm just there to the muscle. I rather see how the young man will do in terms of leadership and I think this is a great way to do it." His eyes went back to Tekzuki's picture. "Still, it's been awhile since I've had to deal with a Kaguya. And it would be good to see the potential of the young guy in action."

"Wait no, I know exactly what I got myself into."

The night air was cut with the boat’s harsh spotlights. He told Tekzuki to wait for the signal, but the signal the Kagyua probably thought was a flare of some sort. Granted, he didn’t exactly explain what that signal would be, but if this didn’t scream ‘signal’ then nothing would. This was the moment for Tekzuki to perform his side of the plan. For Kyu side of the plan, not only did he have to create a distraction, he had to look the part. Kyu wore a skin tight outfit, all black, with a collar around his neck that he pulled up to cover the bottom half of his face. With an open flak jacket that he found off a homeless man, and a headband from Amegakure compliments from his previous missions’ years ago, he had the look of a bold pirate looking for trouble. He didn’t carry his usual bag of shinobi gear. That he left back at shore where he would pick up his gear after the first part of this task was complete. He didn’t want to give away the fact that he was a shinobi. He had to keep the character to convince his attackers of the insanity.

“I’ll take all of your headbands and your heads along with it!!!” he screamed out. He put a bit of craziness with that voice of his, trying to make it as authentic as possible. “You fuckers, Imma eat your entrails for an early breakfast!” He feigned a maddening laugh. That would put some fear into his enemies on account of his first attack.

One of the sailors was already on him, kunai in the ice pick position, swiping at Kyu’s neck. His used an arm to block his arm before the kunai could reach his face. The shock ran from arm to arm, Kyu could feel the jolt run from his wrist all the way to his shoulder bone. He was use to shock as such, his attacker, not so much. The impact of the block made the man grunt from pain releasing the kunai in hand. Instinctively, Kyu grabbed the kunai before he it even had a chance to fall. He took a small hop back releasing a roundhouse kick to the man’s chin. He heard a crack in the man’s jaw and a painful blood curdling yelp. The man was out cold before he even hit the crates on deck.

Kyu got his bearings and saw that he was slowly getting surrounded by ten or so shinobi ready to come in on him. He saw two of them begin to form handseals, no doubt suiton on account of the water surrounding the entire boat. Utter foolishness, he thought. They were in too close of range for them to do any damaging suiton. Not with all these people around them. This was good. It would be all the more fun for him. They were in Kyu’s territory. And in his kingdom, Close Quarter Combat was king. He rushed them before they could even attempt to finish. He jumped, kicking both his legs out and hitting both shinobi at the same time. One shinobi felt the wrath of the left foot, while the other felt the blow of his right foot. The force sent them flying back just like their unconsciousness friend in the crates. Only this time they went overboard.

He landed in a squat position, but that didn’t keep him down for long. Like a sprinter coming off the blocks, he exploded towards the next group of people he had intended to combat. The spotlight was trying to track his but he kept dashing, making ins and outs as he got closer to his next victim. Hit, run, go to the next target. He kept the crazy, fast moving pirate charade until his partner did what he needed to. His next victim was small, about five feet, seven inches in height and frail. Ninjutsu or genjutsu user from the way his hands were clamped together in the dragon handseal. Did he want to release a fireball at him? Maybe put him in a genjutsu to suppress him? It didn’t matter in the realm of CQC. The man showed a moment’s hesitation, just a moment. The world of CQC saw hesitation as an opportunity and only those who ruled that realm took opportunities with glee. The man tried to pull back when he saw Kyu move at him, but his quickness overwhelmed him. Kyu grabbed at the man’s head, his fingers grabbing a good amount of purple hair to make sure he wouldn’t escape, and brought his knee up driving it hard into the man’s face. The man’s hands were still in the handseal when the knee broke the young man’s nose. Blood spurted out of the man’s nose, teeth shattered upon impact. A simple “GAH!” came out of his mouth along with blood and broken teeth.

He turned and saw the shinobi in a crescent formation trying to surround him. Kyu looked at their faces. There was fear, which was good. He wanted them to be scared to get even five meters of him. Hesitation was another thing he saw. Could they use Ninjutsu? From the way they were holding their weapons, polearms, knives, katana’s and broadswords, they were just as limited as he was. Was the cargo they carried too important for them to use jutsu? It would explain the hesitation, but that would be silly if they were out at sea and they were attacked by pirates or rivaling shinobi.

“You boys ready to have some real fun?” He said, that high pitched voice screeched. “Let’s play a game of tag.” He points to the bleeding shinobi next to his foot. The young man, looking at him now, he was probably no older than Tekzuki himself, was holding onto his nose and crying through every breath. “The rules are, if you get hit, you’re out. If you keep running, then you’ll just delay the chances of being it.”

He smiled underneath the collar but his eyes were wide with false euphoric glee. “Who wants to play?”

Your move, Tekzuki A thought came before his mind went back to mastery mode.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

As if to answer his prayer filled thoughts, commotion began to erupt from above. The first alert was a subtle vibration through the hull that occurred five different times in slightly varying directions of origin. It was indistinguishable as to what it was initially, but Tekzuki had a pretty good idea based on what followed that he could observe from below. The lighting intensified and a familiar click resounded signifying spot lights. The music and collective giddiness ceased and was replaced by barely distinguishable shouts and several echoing footsteps that fell heavy upon the wood below their heavy boots.

Waiting a few seconds to be sure, Tekzuki did not move until he picked up on the muffled but recognizable tone of Kyu's voice trickling down from above. The words, he couldn't make out. That needlessly vibrant ring to his words, however, was hardly mistakable. When they had met, that tone had never wavered and he seemed way to excited about every little thing and detail. Much luck had been wished to him for taking the frontal role, although he had placed the greatest work load on the jounin for obvious reasons. Despite being the head of operations, Tekzuki was unable to get a read on the older shinobi. Kyu remained content, not phased by new information, seeming to take everything in stride. He had a strong positive energy, that much was sure. As to what was really going on beyond the scenes, that would remain a mystery for now. He was like a seasoned poker player who never dropped his smile to make sure he wouldn’t give away a good hand.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Taking off across the hull at full speed, Tekzuki had only one reason to fear his feet slapping to loudly on the dead tree material. The water breaks would provide noise coverage for those above and they would be clueless to his presence even still. True that the bulge that had concealed him visually was now gone from above his head, but so to was the high probability of someone leaning over the hand rails to peer into the deep black abyss below. Unless of course they decided they needed to puke. No, what Tekzuki’s worry was, was the people in the rooms behind the walls upon which his feet were anchored. It wouldn’t have been to big a deal except his target was one of those people in one of those very rooms. Sixth window in to be exact.

He counted the rounded, sealed entryways as he passed below them, trying to determine exactly how he was going to incapacitate this ninja quickly. Strangely, this was the one part of the plan he hadn’t fully figured out yet. Rather he thought it would defeat the purpose considering he had no idea just how good this ninja was nor how off guard he would be by someone randomly breaking in through his window. Then again, maybe breaking in wasn’t the best idea. As he came to a stop under his destenation, he placed his right hand upon the nook in his left elbow, drawing a kunai from the fabric that covered his arm. He loved being covered in storage seals, so convenient. Carefully he slipped the kunai between the wooded frame and the rest of the ship, taking the hinges above as a sign that the window did in fact swing outward. After a few seconds, the entire thing flung open, much to the young Kaguya surprise as his hood was blown back and his hedgehog like white hair exposed to the wind.

Well that was easier then expected…………he thought to himself as hair began to wrap around his face. Placing the kunai back in his elbow, he continued to reach upward and grab the ledge. As his hand clasped down on the trim, another hand did so upon his wrist. Too easy it would seem.

With surprising strength, Tekzuki was dragged up into the ship and thrown across the fair sized room in one fluid motion. Reacting quickly, he was able to roll by throwing his shoulder over and hurdling his entire body through the air. Landing turned away from his target on one knee. Not the way he wanted to make his appearance. With out even turning he knew the Mountain native was approaching quickly by the sound of his feet and the vibrations in the floor. Wood was really not a good insulator of acoustics it seemed. Thinking rapidly, he once again hurdled forward, placing one hand upon the ground and twisting his entire body in a flipping motion, facing the foreigner who was no standing exactly where he had knelt only seconds ago.

“What the hell do you want.” The voice came gruff and was rather uninviting, which was understandable given the circumstances.

“Have you ever experienced a storm at sea” Tekzuki asked him innocently, as though asking a friend if they had heard a specific poem from a book recently read.

The tone struck the much bigger shinobi , clearly versed in taijutsu, and he lowered the dagger he had held up at chest level. “Huh?”

Clasping his hands together, he said with a little more force, “Storms Eye Barrier.”

The seal he had placed upon the floor when he made his flip flared to life, glowing for only a brief second and then shooting a turret of wind upwards and into the ceiling. Hopefully no one was trying to sleep above or they would certainly be alarmed. A moment later, as if on cue, the two cards outside the door breached it and entered the room, crossbows drawn and prepared to fire. Tekzuki instantly fell to his knees, “I surrender.”

As the guard began to cuff him, the other trying to figure out how to get past his wind barrier around the Mountain nin, he whispered into Tekzuki’s ear “Good work sir.” It was odd to be called sir, but he barely though on it as he grinned to himself, wondering if the guards had managed to “apprehend” Kyu yet.

Spoiler:

Name: Kinobori no Waza • Act of Tree Climbing
Rank: D
Type: N/A
Range: N/A
Element: N/A
Description: This technique allows the user to balance themselves on trees and vertical walls by focusing a constant and steady stream of chakra to the user’s feet. Gravity can easy be defined if this technique is mastered, allowing people to even stand upside down. If too much chakra is exerted the user will be pushed away; bark breaking and causing the user to then fall. If not enough chakra is exerted the user will lose their footing and fall.
Chakra Cost: 1 (1 per post)

Name: Aranako Sekisho - Storm's Eye Barrier
Rank: B
Type: Fuinjutsu
Range: Close (0-5M)
Element: Fuuton
Description: A very simply activated technqiue, the user will simply form three handsigns, slam their hand on the ground, and the seal will appear below their feet, centered on their body and expand outward in 3 meters each direction, forming a spoked wheel pattern. The outer edge will glow brightly and then unleash a torrent of wind straight upward ten feet into the air moving at 70mph packed with chakra. This wind blast will be continuously moving upwards and form a three foot thick barrier. Anyone who tries to breach it physically with out the A ranked strength characteristic will be blown upwards a foot and tossed backwards. The exception are those with B rank strength who can breach it but only after a post of struggling to get through. Projectiles launched at it will fly straight up the wind channel and rain back down in a random location. Depending on the nature of the incoming jutsu attacks, and being that it is coming from the seal itself will not deactivate it but create a void, again size depending on the nature of the technique. This void will form a disruption with in the technique, causing the air to flow around it, and will move up the barrier at a much slower rate of two feet per second and exiting after five. This remains true with any projectiles larger then a fumma shuriken. All B ranked Raiton techniques will prove ineffective against the barrier. Fire will light the entirety of it on flame, which will not go away until the seal is removed, whihc is achieved either through a de-sealing technique or the user ceasing the chakra upkeep. When having interacted with fire, it will quickly get very hot in the chamber and the user will have to get out in some manner by the end of the following post or face passing out. The only exit would be through the earth below, or through the circle opening above. The wind is quite loud and so it is difficult for people on opposite sides of the seal to hear each other. This can also be used as a container method by placing it on the ground and waiting for someone to walk over it before activating it, giving them a difficult cage to get out of.
Chakra Cost: 12CP (3 to activate, 3 to sustatin)

Name: Cloak of Endless Space
Rank: B
Type: Clothing - Robe
Appearance:This robe is a very comfortable fit, tailored specifically to Tekzuki's height and weight specifications. It flows all the way down to his ankles and hugs tightly to his body, but no constricting that it would restrict movement in any way. It is a deep black which gives excellent concealment in the shadows and at night. It also hides the seals that pattern its entirety, being that they are of the same color. It comes complete with a hood that droops deeply over his face, effectively creating a black shadowy area where his face is very distinguishable. From the portions where this head covering meets the neck of the collar come two grey, rope tassels that hand just below his pectorals, This can be used to tighten the hood down further yet, even being able to completely close off the opening entirely. Around the neck is a grey, unglinting metalick necklace with no real purpose. Finally, it is held together by a weave of charcol grey cloth that can be "zipped and unzipped" by gathering 1CP to the users hand and tracing it down the length of the weave.Typically this weave is kept open at the legs, only coming together at about his pelvis.
Quantity: 1
Storage: Worn
Special Abilities: Behind the apperance of a normal cloak is a very powerful tool to a ninja. It is the most favored of all Tekzuki's poessesions, even above his many different blades. Placed upon the fabric, both inside and out, almost completely covering it, are storage seals. Normally this would look quite ridiculous, however being that the cloak is black, the same as the seals, they remain unseen. Typically only worn when going out on missions, this gives him a competive edge as all of his tools and weapons are concealed and hidden away with in his clothing, ready to be pulled out at a moments notice.The amount that this cloak cant contain is 120 slots (Equal to the number of scroll slots a B rank fuuinjutsu can utilize). The trick to using this item, is remembering which storage seal holds what items and where the seals themselves even are. To be used effectively, the user must have "High IQ" or "Strategist" as a SC. The way the cloak is able to pull this off is by, instead of just having one massive storage seal in which all things are placed, it instead has many different seals of varying size placed upon the fabric. Should a seal be damaged, the cloak will immediately draw 3 Cp to reform the seal at a different, near location upon the cloak. In event of either sever or complete destruction, the effected seals will reform on the ground, or else will simply regurgitate their contents instantly.

Items Sealed - Slots Used

Skeletal Reaper -15
Amphibious Mole - 15
Trap Masters (Two swords - 20
Ninjato - 5
Quiver - 1
Short Bow - 5
Fumma Shuriken (1 from chuin kit + 2 additional) - 15
Stink Bombs - 3
Water Wax - 1
Senbon (72: Senbon Kit) - 24
Shuriken (16 :Chunin Kit) - 8
Kunai (4: Chunin Kit) - 2
Explosive Notes (6: Chunin Kit) - 6

Chakra: 63/80

Kunai: Conserved, back in robe

Posts : 760

Kyu stopped in tracks when he heard a few doors off from the side slam open. He could hear the quick movement of shinobi cutting through the air as they jumped and dashed forward to get to their target. It would be a matter of seconds before they were on them. The 'guards' would have to deal with both Mountain men if Kyu wasn't in position. That wasn't a part of the plan, they knew. Why don't plans ever run as smoothly as he wanted? Nothing ever went smoothly.

Kyu snapped his fingers at one of the guards. He made a face. "Do it now!" it said. The leader of the squadron, the one he pointed to, gathered his chakra and a quick decision. His hands were already moving, he finished the seal. He could see a dim blue light of from his hand and he heard something else too. Oh, the cackling noise of lightning. He wasn't going to do that was he? For a second, he thought it would be some kind of genjutsu that would ultimately stun him in place. Lighting streamed out of his the guards fingers and into Kyu himself.

It could've been a genjutsu, but something told Kyu that it was not. There was a jolt of pain filling in body, his muscles began to sporadically tighten and relax as the pain filled his mind. He made sure he didn't bite down on his tongue; the last thing he needed was to ruin the mission because he was bleeding out. He landed on his knees hard. The pain in his leg only amplified with the coursing electricity running through him. Then he was on his stomach. The immediate pain died then, but there was lingering pain that caused him to twitch. A little too much juice he wanted to say. But the Mountain shinobi had arrived, he saw the 'guards' look up at someone.

"What happened?" one of the men said behind him.

The leader of the squadron gestured toward Kyu. "A Pirate. No doubt one of the local pirates too. Tried to cause a ruckus."

"Looks like he did a bit more than cause some ruckus." One of the men said. He took a step over Kyu and walked over to the guards. Rest of the Mountain Shinobi did the same thing, all of them looking down at his stunned self. He counted five, with the leader, making six mountain shinobi. He couldn't tell what rank they were, but he could assume the recruitment process chose chunin and jounin for their detail. They were well stocked in terms of manpower, so the difficulty of this mission was appropriate to say the least.

"Ah, he injured a few of our men, but are medic should have them up and running."

The mountain shinobi leader turned around to look at Kyu. The pain in his body was starting to subside, thankfully, but he was acting the part of someone still incapacitated. He kept making his right arm twitch, just slightly, to let them believe the lighting was still affecting his nerves.

The mountain leader got down on one knee and grabbed Kyu by the jaw. He was doing a full examination of him, turning and twisting his head this way and that like a man checking to see if he was good breed of dog. Kyu was squinting his eyes just to see narrow down the features of his mountain leader target. He was older individual, mid forties perhaps, with a lot of guard detail experience on his belt. Green hair, green eyes, he probably came from a clan with those distinct features.

The mountain leader face puckered. He put a hand over his nose. "Oh god, he smells awful. What do you do, bath in your own shit?"

"You ain't too far off." His voice was weak, yet still in that high pitched falsetto. "I bathed in your mother's shit. I get a better clean feel from her. Tell me, does she eat corn? I feel the kernals do a better job at cleaning the deep, unreachable spots."

That gave Kyu a prize of a hard slam into the deck. His head began to ring opening up the door to the pain that he felt from the spot of impact. Kyu let out a choked cough as the mountain leader grabbed him by the locs.

"You are no position to tell jokes, bastard pirate." the leader spoke so harshly it could've curdled milk.

"Can't you take a fuckin joke, asswipe!" Kyu screamed at him.

The leader ignored that. He went back to examining Kyu, looking for any oddities from him. When he was satisfied, he took his hand off his jaw. "I take it your little plan to kill our ambassador was nothing short of a cracked out idea. No doubt from the way you smell, and the way you look, only a drugged up pirate could attempt such a foolish idea."

"Well, my father always told me. If you a plan, make sure you put about 12mg of opiates in ya before you go to sleep."

The mountain leader slammed his head into the deck again. The pain returned. He held back the first time, no doubt his patience was out the window with that last comment. "Tie him up and take him to the fucking cells."

Two guards were dragging him by the arms, hands tied by the wrist, and feet were bound by leather ropes. They were all but happy about dragging a large man through the bowels of the ship only to dump him one of the cells. The Kirigakure shinobi were strong, but it was a long way from the top of the deck to the bottom carrying a 225 pound man.

"You all right?" one of the guards whispered.

"Uuuuhhh, well," He cleared his throat. "Besides the vice grip crushing my head right now." He said in his normal voice. "I feel my performance deserved an award. You think I should've chose a different voice?"

"It worked fine. Scared the shit outta me if you were wondering." The other guard said in a straining voice. "Woo, you're fucking heavy."

"Oh you'll live. If I can take getting shocked and my head slammed into metal, you can carry me." He paused. "Did our little friend succeed with his part?"

"We're not sure yet. He was just captured just a moment ago, so you can ask him yourself. Give us a few minutes to get you guys prepared and we'll go ahead with the next step."

"Very good." It was still running smoothly. Despite his headache, he should be able to function despite it. This wasn't the first time he had his head slammed into something as solid as metal. It would definitely not be the last.

They entered in a small room, no doubt a small cell room to hold maybe six or seven people at one time. They set him down on the ground and one of the guards open the cell door. "You mind?" Kyu said, raising his tied hands to one of the guards.

One of the guards got down and pulled out a kunai. He began to untie his bound wrists and feet. Kyu stood up then and raised a hand to his forehead. It was tender, ready to bruise in the next few hours. He would need to see a medic soon after all of this over. He got in the cell and closed the cell down behind him.

"If you can make it faster than a few minutes, that'll be great." He grabbed the cut ropes and put them into his cell.

"We'll do our best, sir." They left then after and closed the door behind them. He heard a click from a knob and then a twist. The door was locked from the outside. The cell room was darker then, the only light was coming through one of the small circular windows in one of the cells. The dank smell of water, rotten cloth and dead rat feces filled Kyu's nostrils.

He took a deep whiff of it all. Now this was a mission.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

As the guard who was preoccupied with detaining the intruder yanked him up to his feet by the rope that now bound his hands together, it dug deep into his flesh. While glad for the realism that was being portrayed for all parties concerned, it was still an unwelcome sensation that he could have done with out. He didn't respond to it at all, allowing his body to be drug into an upright position, even pushing off of the floorboards below him with his knees to aid in the process. It was at this point that he took in the full frame of the shinobi he had himself successfully captured, brief though it may have been, as he released his chakra and the wind barrier sputtered out and faded along with the seal that acted as the funnel through which his energy flowed.

Deep red cloth circled his entire body, held together by an earthy brown belt made of a fine fabric and not the traditional leather. It looked very much like a double shoulder strapped toga and it was not quite clear where it began and ended. The color of his hair easily matched the tool holding his garb together, and was cut very short and rough, barely extending past his scalp and perfectly framing his pale face. Pale face, his skin tone, Tekzuki hadn't thought of that before. This could procure a potential bump in his plans that he had not foreseen. That would have to be dealt with later. For now, they had to continue on as planned with out any further delay or interruption. To not continue seamlessly would provide complications. Given the course of action that had been selected for this sequence of events, this was not of any desire at all. The Mountain shinobi seemed to be strong, and Tekzuki was glad that the guards had intervened when they had. He looked like he could have eventually broken free of his barrier, and while defeating him from there didn't particularly bother him, further damages did.

"Are you OK sir" questioned the other guard, no longer needing to worry about an obstacle that did not exist.

"Yea I'm fine, a little perplexed, but I'm no worse for wear. That runt is lucky you intervened when you did. I would have torn him apart, but from what I hear this country is not so kind to its criminals so I think leaving his punishment up to you lot."

"Oh he will receive his just do's don't worry about that, however, we would ask for you to come with us while we question him. Any information you may have as to the reason's behind these attacks could prove useful in discovering who these two are. It would be best to do so in a more private setting" The guard tilted his head to the left and right very slightly and quickly to indicate the rooms to either side holding people who had certainly heard the commotion and would be listening intently for developments as if glued to a radio during a national tragedy. Such was the natural way of most people. The ability to genuinely care for one another also came with the nasty side effect of them also caring about things that simply were not their concern. The job of a shinobi would have been all the simpler if these facts were simply not true.

"Certainly, but..........what do you mean attacks" The mountain ninja emphasized the S and the signification of a plural noun. To the best of his knowledge, the incident in his room was the extent of the evening excitement. The joys of VIP seclusion and ignorance.

"There was another intruder causing trouble on the main deck. He was a lot more of a nuisance than this one here but he was captured and already placed in a cell away from our guests. The entire ship has been on lockdown for several minutes now. It's going to remain that way until we reach shore, we are not far from port now."

It was difficult for Tekzuki to suppress the grin fighting for control of the muscles which controlled his lips. Things seemed to be going exactly as planned. Of course he hadn't expected Kyu to be actually placed in a cell but he that would provide for a much smoother transition between their facade and setting forth the next phase of their mission. He was sure the guard was speaking truth on the matter or else he would have mentioned him being questioned already or else being transported to the cell. It was too specific for it not to be a message as to the curtain situation. Probably why they had waited for so long to barge in. It had been a few moments after the commotion had been going on inside the room that they had appeared. Luckily the target hadn't picked up on this little detail.

"Well that is interesting, lead the way."

"Come on you." Tekzuki felt himself being forced to spin around, almost stumbling from the sudden change in his personal inertia and was subsequently pressed forward. Both a verbal and physical command to start walking. A large hand remained fixed to the knot between his own serving a dual purpose. The first was so that he wouldn't 'attempt to escape' and the second was to steer him in the right direction. The Kaguya was the wrong clan to be seeing behind one's self, but Tekzuki could easily hear the extra foot steps behind them as they followed in vocal silence down the hall.

A few heads were poking out as they traversed toward a staircase at the end. A crowd to some degree had also been expected and was the main reason for the elaboration where otherwise there wouldn't really be the need for. It was crucial that everything seem normal, as normal as could be expected for a cruise liner that had just been attacked so close to its destination. At this time, Tekzuki noticed that there was significantly less motion below his feet than was expected. Only a soft swaying as the ship was rocked gently by the rolling waves around it. They had stopped, which would easily buy them more time and was easily explainable due to the duo's antics.

Relatively speaking, it didn't take them long to reach the end of the walkway and transpire the stair case leading to the holding room. As they entered, Tekzuki got the first look at Kyu, unwatched and stuck behind metal bars. An odor hit him immediately that was putrid and unidentifiable to himself. He had never been all that learned on picking up on different scents. It was quite dark and given his companions complication, it was difficult to make out much of Kyu and his status. It would have been easier as they drew closer to the cell itself, but Tekzuki was focusing on what he needed to do next. The guard who was playing escort for their Mountain shinobi liege walked over and opened up the door without saying a word, though Tekzuki thought he caught a glimpse of a wink aimed at the Kiri Jounin temporarily behind bars.

The other turned to their victim, "Would you like to do the honors." Tekzui could almost feel the smile weighing on the back of his neck as he approached.

"Only a lot," as he shoved his attacker forward. Of course, Tekzuki began leaning forward right as contact was made, causing much momentum to be lost and just going with the rest of it. Foolishly, he had forgotten to grab his hands or at least the rope binding them. As his upper body lowered, those very confined hands shot upwards in forced unison and grasped a hold of the man's maroon tunic by the shoulder. "Fuck you" Tekzuki twisted his body in a similar fashion as he had back in the VIP room, dragging the Mountain nin with him. Executing a perfect flip throw, which was no easy task only using one point of contact and being restrained. It would have been impossible had his body not been trained to brandish heavy metal weapons around for extended lengths of time for his kenjutsu preference.

As the red clad, fair skin was launched into the cell, Tekzuki felt his back slam into the outer wall. Although it surely did not look graceful, he wasn't all too worried about it. Unable to see behind him, both of his eyes remained trained on the open door. Just like that door, Kyu had a very small window of time that would shut quickly as the stunning effect from the throw would end and the one who had suffered from it would try to escape.

Posts : 760

The silence and the darkness was Kyu's company for the time being. There was a small little cot for him to sleep on, obviously not comfortably, but he used it as a chair for the time being. He was taking deep, slow breathes in order to keep his body in that mode to fight. He wanted his body in fight-or-flight still. However long the guards, or Tekzuki, took, he had to put his body in that heightened sense mode. He felt every muscle, especially his abdomen and lower back, was warm from the blood and adrenaline rushing in. His body was in a fasted state, the one state he, learned early as an adult, could ever perform any extreme mental task. He would hungry after this, no doubt, but food was the last thing on his mind. Instead the sharpness of his mind could pick up the small details of his current status. He could still hear the waves hit the bottom of the boat, but the crashing of water to metal was different. The waves sounded softer as if the boat was coming to a stop or had stopped. He stood up and went over to the window to see his guess was true. The boat had stopped moving which meant that the second part of this plan was in motion. This was good. He knew that they would only stop because of his antics on the top deck, and there was no doubt that the 'assassination attempt' on the V.I.P.

There was a click at the door. The door began to slide open letting in the false light from the outside hall. Kyu got up slowly and moved his way to the part of the cell that appeared to had soaked up the darkness and stood there, letting his already dark attire blend in. The first to walk in with Kaguya, Tekzuki, his body expression mimicking submissiveness for the person behind him. The second person that walked in was one of the Kiri guards, a different one whom Kyuseishu remembered back when he first met Hiroshi. Junichi, or Jun for short. He was shoving Tekzuki into the cell room. The third person that came in his initial target. The light gave sight to a man who, essentially, the complete opposite of what Kyu had imagined him. Son. Of. A. Bitch.

He should've known. Hell, he should've had sixth sense the moment Tekzuki message him the plan of swapping places. The curses in his head couldn't surmount what he was feeling right now. The man was a little shorter than Kyu. Perhaps little was the not the appropriate word for he was about maybe seventy inches in height. He wasn't that large of a man either. Compared to Kyu's seventy-six inch height plus his bodybuilder frame compared to this thinner frame man that was walking into the room.

Tekzuki went into action. The moment they had the clear for any outside view, Tekzuki pivot his body so he could shift the mountain's nin weight and use the momentum to throw him. Despite his confined hands to grab at the man's tunic, he showed impressive skill in the art of Judo. The man was launched into the cell, his head colliding with inner cell wall. Kyu sucked in air through his teeth "Shit..." he said as the man went to the ground, unconscious.

Let it slide. He had to let it go. He asked for some excitement and here it was laid right in front of him, so he couldn't complain. He could manage. He hoped his transformation technique would be as good enough to impersonate him. He could change his size just a little, not much, but it would be enough for him to do a good disguise.

He was already taking off his clothing. First his shirt, then the undershirt. He could already see Jun's face when he was stripping down to his underwear. "Unless you want our mountain nin to smell like ass, I suggest you just turn around and just ignore what I'm about to do."

Jun raised a hand. 'Say no more' it said, and he turned around. He gathered all of his clothes. The putrid smell from the clothes just seem to amplify now that he had it off his body. He open his cell door and went into the other cell. The man was out, there was no doubt. He was already breathing shallowly. If he hit him now it would be cruel. It was good that he was a little cruel. He would have to incapacitate him just a little bit just in case he escaped. He hit him across the head. He grunted, but he was still breathing. Good, Kyu thought. He won't feel a thing.

He tore a strip of cloth off from his shirt and got that ready for what he was about to do next. He balled his other hand into a fist and smashed his fist into the nin's right hand. His strength would be enough to break the man's hand. The man jolted his eyes open, his mouth wide open ready to but Kyu was faster with his hand. Never mind, he felt that one. He stuffed the piece of cloth into his mouth. His screams would be muffled now, which was all the better for him. He grabbed the nin's right arm and broke it with his knee. The crunch was so shattering to the ear that it almost sounded like a twig breaking. The man muffled screams gave delight to Kyu. He repeated the process with the other arm, and the muffled scream only seem to intensify. Kyu looked at Jun who was looking at the guard outside.

The guard peeked his head in, motioning him to hurry the hell up. He had time. No one would hear him. Tears were streaming from the nin's face as he tried to slide away. Futile. Kyu walked over to the nin's his legs. The man already knew what was about to happen. The nin shook his head violently trying to get the cloth out of his mouth. He grabbed the man's leg and drove a hard right punch into his shin shattering it. Another crunch. The man's eyes rolled in the back of skull as the pain became unbearable for him to handle. He closed his eyes then, darkness giving him sweet sleep. Now it was time to take off the nin's clothes.

"Let's hope this works." he said softly. With one hand, the handseals were performed in quick succession. The ninjutsu was performed and immediately his body was covered with smoke. He was still naked as his name day only a bit shorter, paler and had brown hair.

"Let's get a move on." Jun said, as he turned around. "We stay here any longer, they'll get suspicious."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. If this...fucking...belt would...." He was trying to tie the brown belt around his waist. The toga was the easy part. He worn a toga before in a past life (involving a lot of women, a goat and two assassins, but that is another story) but he never had to put one on in a hurry. "Ah, got it!" He said with success. He smoothed out the wrinkles with his hand and walked out of the cell.

"Now, time to see if I can imitate the voice. Might be shit seeing that I only hear him say "Only a lot". Ah well."

"Good evening." his voice was too low. From what the guy sounded, it was a little higher than Kyu's voice. He cleared his throat. "One more time.'

"Good evening." That one sounded a bit closer to him, but he need to find the mountain nin's accent. It was definitely masculine, something he had no problem with. But it had a country twang to it. The man must've practiced so he wouldn't sound too much like a country boy when he negotiates with his clients.

"Good evening." Ah, perfect. That was definitely the voice. He could fiddle with it if need to, but he hoped he wouldn't have to speak a lot.

"All right, let's get a moving. Junichi, I want you with me. Let the other shinobi keep guard of this cell. And, Tekzuki," he turned to Tekzuki. "Transform into someone a bit less...assassin-y and lead me to the room where he was staying. I want to see if there are any reports on the nukenin we'll be dealing with."

SC's used

Spoiler:

Jutsu's used

Spoiler:

Age : 32 Posts : 787

Not long after he had made the throw and landed against the cage, rattling the steel bars with a sound that resembled a chorus of hollow chimes, a notable crack was heard. Subsequently there was a ruffling of clothing and a dull thump that was a clear indicator of the target hitting the floor. His name came back to Tekzuki now. Kodawari. Koda for short. He was certainly living up the "trouble" name sake now. It could be assumed that this was simply a nickname, the placement coupled with the circumstance warranted an assumption. Otherwise it was just another example of life's irony at work, a cog that never seemed to stop turning and producing once you knew how, when, and where to look for it.

As Kyu spoke and the guard turned, Tekzuki disrupted his own musings, not really catching what was said. At this stage, he was giving his alertness a bit of a break. He had a knack for easily transitioning between the two, almost as if he could turn his natural adrenaline on and off with masterful focus. He understood full well however as he heard some more motion behind him and not a second later, caught a site he really hadn't been looking forward to seeing on this mission. Nor had he even thought that he would have bore witness. He quickly closed his eyes and tried to get the image of Kyu's genitals out of his memory, trying to burn over the fresh mental scorch mark with a steaming brand stamp of "oh hell to the no." A man could do well to go an entire lifetime without having to lay eyes on such a display. It was what it was though, and Tekzuki quickly got past it. It didn't matter at any rate and it was just a cylindrical flap of skin with a mushroom shaped head after all. Still.........

His miniscule side mission to get away from the stink ridden cell number one, Kyu quickly began to get to work. As the sound of bone being decimated lightly echoed around all four corners of the room, a different kind of cog began to turn in Tekzuki's head. He had not all expected this. Essentially his superior was torturing Koda, and in all truth, with out any real good reason. At this point he was detained, he could be controlled, and he was no threat either physically or to their overall goal. If the Kaguya had been most anyone else from their respective village he very well may have spoken out. He probably would have foolishly and physically intervened. Definitely shouted, definitely shouted. However, Tekzuki had absolutely zero care for anyone outside of his own village. Frankly he didn't give a rats ass about even the other passengers who were from water country currently aboard the same ship. If you were outside of Kiri, you were scum. Given this nature of his way of thinking, a slight grin formed quickly formed on the face framed with peacefully chaotic white hair. This could be used to his advantage anyway.

Junichi turned to face the subordinate, yet over all planner, of the mission with a quizzical look. As though he were uncomfortable with what was going on. Instead of reassurance, Tekzuki instead provided him with the new stage of thoughts that were playing through his head. "You know, we were goanna send him immediately back to the shithole he crawled out of. I think instead we could do well to keep him for a while. Is there anywhere you can detain this guy for a day or two where we're headed?"

Jun just nodded not really understanding where Tekzuki was going with this. "Of course, why though."

"I'll leave the specifics out for now, but me and Kyu will be back to do a little more work with him after we finish out phases 2 and 3." Jun's eyes got wide as if aghast at what Tekzuki was saying. Clearly his words had been interpreted as coming back to do some more of the work Kyu was doing on him currently. Understandable given the circumstance. "No, no, not like that. I just added another layer to the mission. Unofficially of course. I think it would be best if you didn't speak to him at all until we got back."

Leary but unable to really argue the point, Jun simply nodded and turned to watch a newly dressed Kyu emerge from cell number two. It wasn't a perfect match but the difference was probably not going to be noticed by the simpletons who made up the majority of the ship's total population. It was at this point that the jounin actually took charge for the first time in this mission, making a few simple requests. The still nameless guard was to stay and watch over the broken and battered Koda. Jun was to stick with them for now, and Tekzuki needed to play escort and put on some new clothes. He had been intending to spend the rest of the short journey here in this jailer sector until they met with the dock. At the end of the day an order was an order, and that's all there was too it. After showing a moment's hesitation, clearly not wanting to use the henge jutsu as Kyu clearly had, Jun pointed over to a medium height, two door, gray locker over to the side, away from the cell's themselves. A quick few shuffles and an opening of the door revealed a series of ruffled up white T shirts all thrown in at random across the three shelves. He took off his own cloak, his favorite piece of clothing, and quickly replaced it with the T shirt, maintaining his black Gi pants and boots. If anything now he just looked like a guard who had been asleep or on break at the time everything had occurred.

After placing his cloak upon the top rack and turned to the guard who was not Jun. "Make sure that get's back to me before I get off. That is more valuable to me then any of the lives in this room." It was not a threat, nor was it issued in such a tone. It was simply a fact. If someone held a kunai to any of their throat; and another held a lighter up to the cloak; and he could only choose to save one of them, he would choose the cloak in all four cases. No questions asked. Except maybe in Kyu's case. That one he would at least take the time to consider. Turning back to the others now, "Alright, lets go."

Tekzuki made his way to the door, opening it and waiting for Jun and Kyu to get behind him so they could traverse back to the room he had just come from. It wouldn't take long and given that they would be passing the rooms of other passengers down this particular route, discussion was not entirely the best policy during the journey. When they got there, Tekzuki would open the door, allow the other two to enter first, and then follow behind. The door would certainly need to be shut behind him. Not wanting to wait any further, he took his first step out of the cell block and lead the way.

Posts : 760

As instructed, Tekzuki changed into a bit less conspicuous. He didn't henge, he wouldn't need to on the account that he wasn't trying to impersonate someone. He, instead, went over to one the two lockers and rummaged out a guard uniform. Replacing his current one for the guard outfit, he set his assassin attire on one of the racks and informed the outside guard to make sure he retrieves it before they left.

The Kiri guard made no response, but he gave a curt nod in showing his understanding. Jun closed the door behind them and they made their way towards the V.I.P room. He was grateful that everyone had gone back to their rooms. He raised a hand to his head and realized that there would be a darkening on his forehead; no doubt that it came from his head being slammed into metal. There were times he wished he had some of the Shikyo clan’s ability to transform into whoever he wanted without the use of illusion. If he had Shinjin within him to do the replacement and Kyu could be the guard, it probably would’ve played out better. The dynamic would fit perfectly.

He would be the first to admit that these types of missions weren’t exactly his specialty. In fact, this was the complete opposite of what he normally did. For one, he was quite big to be an entirely stealthy assassin. That was one of the faults of being a large man and having his features. Unless he was hiding among the people of his color, it wasn’t too hard to pick him out of a crowd. Even if he were to cut his hair, give his face a clean shave, and tried some different clothing, his skin would more than likely give him away. It would especially give him away in an area that’s population had the same color as glue.

He was a detective first and foremost, handling missions that required his mind to do heavy forensic work. He preferred this work because he simply liked to solve puzzles. As simple as it may be, it was the truth. Diplomacy he felt was his second best, and being a living, breathing weapon was his third and probably favorite choice. These things he trained his mind and body for. However, that didn’t mean he would readily refuse to do a mission of this caliber. Kyu enjoyed the challenge, especially when it came to false flag type of missions. Rarely was he the guy who caused the distraction and even rarer had he been the one to be used as a replacement. Hell, he rarely did these things at all. He was usually the one giving the orders to a unit to handle this situation.

They all entered the V.I.P room. When they were in, it was Tekzuki that closed the door behind them. The door made a swoop noise as the air sealed off from the outside. The room was exceptionally large for any type of cruise/carrier ships. It was well-furnished, particularly the bed. Kyu walked over to touch the silver linen sheets. Layers upon layers of blankets, all stacked together neatly like meat in a sandwich. He didn’t have to sit down to tell that the mattress itself. He could see that the mattress was one to swallow a man’s figure as soon as he rests his body. He got a glimpse of the clothes packed neatly in a suitcase. He could see the bright orange sash with a green robe. He went over and got down on his knees to open up the suitcase. When he inspected it further he found more togas, all neat and packed for his trip. Different colors ranging from purple, to green, to blue, to red. He went further down and felt something cold touch his fingertips. He intricately dig further in, sliding his hands through the colored togas, and pull out the traditional flak jacket a shinobi of chunin or jounin status would wear. He could tell from the fresh out-of-the-bag smell that it was made for him recently. It was that or he was saving this particular outfit for a special mission like this. The guy was living in style. Kyu got up from the floor and took another glance at the room. There tucked in the corner of the room was an oak cabinet no taller than Tekzuki. He saw a few manila folders on the top stacked neatly together. He went over and pulled two files from the pile.

“Well, looks like he was doing some reviewing.” he said, opening the first file on top.

“On the nukenin?” Junichi asked.

Kyu nodded “If I’m not mistaken, this group aren’t the type that will listen if you are weak. If one is to negotiate, one must prove themselves through pain and blood, and if they deem you worthy then you have a large sway over them.”

“So you have to fight in order to talk? Sounds like some old diplomatic way of handling things.”

“It's a very old diplomatic way of doing things, Jun. “ He said, turning a page. “I get it. You want to acknowledge someone's, sometimes words aren't enough. Sometimes you gotta get dirty and bloody. It would make sense to get some sort of study guide on the people you’re about to engage. If I’m not mistaken, the man I just brutally crippled was going to do this exact thing. He probably would’ve done a good job. A had to use a little bit of force to break each one of his bones.”

“Which you didn’t have to do, by the way.” Jun added.

Kyu shrugged. I don’t give a damn what you think was what that shrug said. He set down one of the files and picked up another one. He flipped through the pages, scanning the picture given on the top page then set that down to pick up another. He repeated this process until there were no more manila folders.

“Interesting. I’ve dealt with some of these nukenin in the past. Some I hired as mercenaries for some,” He cleared his throat, “Menial work. Granted, none of them know I’ve dealt with them and paid them for their task and I haven’t heard from them in years. However, I am sensing that this group may pose a problem. Most of these guys are smart in an average sense. They’re the type of shinobi that trained their ass off in order to get to the skill level they want to be. But they are too rowdy, too many ‘lone wolf’ types. The word 'camaraderie' doesn't exist in their vocabulary.”

“So why the hell are they banding together?” Kyu rubbed his beardless face. “And why is the mountain nin wanting to engage in business with the nukenin?”

Junichi shrugged “Look, I’m not the detective here. That’s your job. I’m just here to look out for you guys. Now, if you excuse me.” He opened the door and went outside standing guard for the two of them.

“Right. It isn’t your job. That’s our problem.” He snapped a finger at Tekzuki “Right, so let’s say you’re me right? Like me in costume playing the part of the guy who was suppose to be the diplomat for the Nukenin. You follow?"

He gave a moment for Tekzuki to follow. There was no point of trying to go on if he didn't get what he was saying. He continued. "If you have intentions on fighting, why would you bring all these nice togas and shit and one nice uniform? And not just any uniform. No, this bad boy is brand spanking new uniform that hasn’t seen an ounce of combat yet. You’re about to fight, why bring all these useless shit with you?” He started to pace slowly. “If we look at the psyche of our diplomat, we can generally get an idea of what their intentions are.”

Age : 32 Posts : 787

It was interesting to listen to Jun go back and forth with Kyu. Subtle and not so subtle jabs placed here and there amongst the discussion. Like small strands of fiberglass slipped into a bowl of noodles, they didn't seem to out of place at first but were hard to ignore once digested. It seemed the guards on this vessel were not properly acclimated to there posts. Maybe there were just the wrong batch for the job. That was Tekzuki's take anyway. It could be given that Kyu's actions had not exactly been called for, but as blood lusting Kaguya he couldn't see how exactly they fell into the category of unwarranted either. He was a foreigner after all. With heads filled with the plague of their respective homes, they were little better then sewer rats.

No one cared if you stomped a flea infested rodent, so why would anyone think twice about crippling Koda. He was brute from a world that hardly resembled his own, or Jun's. How on earth he was able to form a link of sympathy for the piece of shit was beyond Tekzuki's comprehension.

As the two collaborators put their heads together and butted them against each other, the temporary black sheep took time to make observations of his own. Being left out of a focused conversation allowed Tekzuki freedom to broaden the search, to take special note of details that otherwise seemed not worth mentioning. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to be found. It seemed that Kyu had done a pretty good job of assessing the situation as soon as he had entered the door and had honed in on what was most important. Credit where credit was due.

The only thing Tekzuki was able to gather on his own in those few brief moments were bits of information concerning the style of the shinobi they were meant to take the place of. Little good that did them. The true targets new less about Koda and his people then Kyu and himself. If they actually knew these details already it would have been of vital importance that several vials, mostly likely poisons, arranged in a barely organized fashion upon the desk next to the window he had been pulled through less than an hour ago. However, this was not the case, so Tekzuki did not even bother waltzing over for further investigation.

Jun left the room, clearly wanting no more to do with the on-goings inside the room. It had been clear ever since Kyu had drug the passenger into that adjacent cell that he was feeling nothing if not discomfort with the proceedings. Suddenly Tekzuki didn't mind the fact that his type were placed here on simple guard duty where the threat level was ocean bottom low. This night was probably going to be the most exciting of his career. It would probably be the one memory from his job that haunted him when he tried to sleep at night. It was possible it would even wake him up with vivid nightmares involving his own body switched with Koda's as Kyu mercilessly dismantled it. For the infiltrators, this was another day on the job, not a second thought to be had.

When the dark skinned Jounin was finished fleshing out what he had learned, finally he asked for Tekzuki's input. Not that he had a whole lot to say on the matter. In his mind it was simple, his mind connecting the dots as though a child would while battling to form a square on paper before his friend could so that he could mark it with his initials. "That sort of attire blends in better with the public. Doesn't draw attention and we are going to a main port city. He probably thought it was best if he didn't walk off the boat looking like he was ready to kick some ass. The authorities also tend to leave those who look like they're better off alone. It creates complications when you harass those with influence, rightfully so or otherwise." At this point Tekzuki contemplated his brief interaction with Koda, which he had been able to take a lot from given how little had transpired in that small window of time. "Would you take someone seriously who showed up like that for a battle to test each other's skills? I sure wouldn't. I don't believe he is all that talented, but he is smart and resourceful. He fell victim to my Storm's Eye Barrier way to easily. It was probably meant to cause the person he was, and now we are, meant to meet to lower his guard to some degree. Also easier to impress when expectations are low."

Simple deceit. Had Koda been a difficult opponent? No. Then again, in a straight up fight, who knew. Tekzuki had knowledge of all the cards on the table whilst the mountain nin had been blindsided. Such was the nature of their work. The now broken ninja had understood that sentiment. And while continuing to feel zero remorse for him or his life, Tekzuki was able to at least appreciate that way of thinking. It was akin to the path he would have taken had he been in the same shoes. Of course these thoughts only occurred to him because he and Kyu were now quite literally filling the man's shoes.

The floor beneath their feet jerked suddenly, propelling into motion through the water. Lockdown was over. "We'll be landing soon," with relish in his voice, "and now the real game begins."

Posts : 760

Kyu digested the words thoroughly, slightly rubbing at his chin. "To divert the attention of the public." He said, pausing at the comment. "That could be a possibility." He could divulge into it further, but Tekzuki pointed out the arrival time of the ship making port. It would port within the hour. It was best to leave the monologue for another day he supposed. His focus would have to revert back to the actor side where he would ditch the persona of "Kyu" and live the life of the mountain nin he so articularly disposed of.

"Right." He said back in his best impression. He went over to the suitcase and began to re-pack the clothes inside. "We got some time so I'll look over our friend's notes to see what I'm about to dive into. Best to be prepared for these types of things." He smiled. He stood and went over to the pile of notes he had. "Probably best you read up too."

Within the time that passed before they made port, Kyu began to read up on the men he would be engaging. Rather, the men he would probably engage. He couldn't be sure who the leader of the group was. He was guessing it would have to be someone who was both strong in physical combat and somewhat charismatic to the wild card group. The problem was just that: They were all wild cards. The mountain nin was thorough in his report, but he couldn't pinpoint a direct leader of the men within the group. Kyu did not know the total amount of people that were in this nukenin group. Of the twenty-four files he had lying neatly on a small table, he had the doubt that the group, which caught the attention of mountain country, had a total of twenty-four souls of skilled men. There had to be more, he assumed. Mountain Country was not huge enough to compete with the bigger countries like Lightning, Water and Fire Country. They didn't have the large military strength nor do they have a plethora of wealth that these three countries had and displayed for the world to see. They were a 'just enough' country. They had 'just enough' men to be considered a military. They had 'just enough' to have an economy that wouldn't make them third world. They had 'just enough' to probably compete with another 'just enough' country like them.

The average held no place in a world of extremes. Mountain Country knew this. This particular mountain nin knew it well. To be independently strong, they came to Water Country in hopes of aiding in their strength with Nukenin, a risk so great that they would do everything in their power to make sure that happened.

It was bold, Kyu knew. To risk this type of plan in a place where information comes to be slaughtered was probably the move that the audacious, ambitious or the insane performed. No doubt the Nukenin group had some plan of their own hoping to benefit from this unlikely alliance. He couldn't explain the reason why the Nukenin would want to affiliate them with Mountain Country, being a 'average' country and all. Kyu had skimmed through a majority of the files and from every file he read, he summed it down the potential leader to five people. One was a Taijutsu user like Kyu, two were Ninjutsu Specialist and the last two displayed skills in weaponry. Out the five, each of the men was charismatic in their own right plus they were strong in their field of choice.

The question is why. How could this benefit them? If Kyu was following the usual formula of Nukenin groups, both money and power were two things any Nukenin, both simple-minded and intelligent men, needs in order to make due in their line of work. It was not an optional thing, it was a requirement. Could the mountain nin offer something like financial wealth to aspire the Nukenin group to work with them rather than against them? He didn't know which was annoying. Anything that was truly annoying to Kyu he would bite into something. He wasn't carrying any of his gum for him to chew so he nipped lightly into his cheek. He repeatedly tapped a nail on the table as he read more into the profiles.

There was a slight knock on the door. The door opened and Jun peered his head in. “We just made port.”

He drew his attention to Jun and Tekzuki. “Excellent.” His drew out the word. “Let’s get a move on then.” He gets up from the chair and walks over to the suitcase. “Tezuki, it’s your show. Take the reins good sir and pave the way to our next stop eh?” he cackled and lifted the suitcase over his shoulder.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

As Tekzuki too read over the notes, residing next to Kyu and scanning back and forth over the information, his blood began to boil with a steadily increased temperature. Every single one of these men were aiming to land a serious blow on Kiri, he was sure of it. If they had any other intention they would have surely struck up negotiations with the larger village to ratify some sort of assimilation in to their ranks. Rather, they had turned to a smaller nation that was known for its viciousness and lack of sophistication. It was so far unclear as to who had instigated this back and forth proceeding, but the objective, in his eye, was transparent as a polished crystal. It was possible, he supposed, that perhaps they intended to go mainland and venture into conquest there. The might of the Mist village could have that effect, scarring them off. It would make sense to find a less regulated land than here to perform these types of excursions.

That would be unfathomably stupid. Konoha and Kumo were both mainland villages. While it was at this point unknown who had the greatest military strength, surely it would be easier to deal with one super power than with two. The other two would also be unknowns to these nuke nin of Water country. Maybe their doings would be forgiven and ignored if they did not hassle the Leaf and Cloud. Maybe. That too would be more unknown, unless of course they had allegiances with one of the victims. That would be troublesome. It was most likely that they would stay here and target Kiri, at least at first that is how it seemed.

Tekzuki's sub theory became much more real after spying a particular file of interest. Recognizing the face, he picked up the folder with several sheets stapled to it at the top and gazed over the data to refresh his memory. Levitz, last name still unknown. He was handsome, even from a sexually objective stand point. It was simply a fact that could not be denied. Even his cheek bones and the slicked back nature of his hair told of a well kept and well mannered background. The truth was far more brutal however. One of the only internal serial killers they had ever suffered, amassing forty seven victims over three years. He was no warrior, but he was certainly dangerous. Even though he had little if any in the way of chakra fueled abilities, his cunning and ability to utilize resources had garnished him an unofficial S rank connotation by many.

No one had knowledge as to what sparked his sadistic nature to life, but it was all too real. After the fourth slaughter he had been pegged as the culprit and brought to a hearing. His influence and social power had locked in his safety from prosecution though. The seventeenth, twenty third, twenty seventh, and thirty sixth murders all bore similar results. It was unsettling watching it all unfold. Tekzuki had been much younger then, only 9, but he remembered it clearly.

With the final killing, justice finally prevailed in proving with zero doubt who the killer was, but still Levitz's power had not failed him. Utilizing his families vast wealth he secured a secret escape and was gone before the execution was to take place. Those responsible met his fate instead as compensation. Still it was not enough. Knowing that such a man had escaped their clutches was one of the bigger stains of Kiri's notoriously blood stained history. Here was the key. It was still only a theory, but it became much more possible now.

Tekzuki looked at Kyu who was vigorously tearing into the page's with his eyes. Already he had a plan in mind that worked well into his already formulated plot. Kyu would have to find out, but he would wait to reveal his hand, probably until it was too late for him to object. It was not so much that he wished to keep it secret, but Kyu needed to focus on his part of the mission. This......well this would be his can of worms to fry. Gross. Instead, he closed the file and tossed it off to the side as though it were unimportant. Things had just gotten a little more complicated as though they weren't already.

Not much else of interest popped out after that. There were a few noticeable warriors among the group but largely they were either unknowns or small potatoes that most of the village genin could probably handle on their own. Shortly thereafter, Jun popped his head in and let them know port had been made. Tekzuki hadn't even realized with how preoccupied he was with thoughts about Levitz. This only furthered his conviction in not revealing what had been found. Kyu's worry was the leader and the tester. Neither would be Levitz. He would surely play a more advisory role. The only complication would be whether or not that man would attend the meeting between criminals. Tekzuki surely hoped not.

As Kyu grabbed his things, or rather Koda's, Tekzuki revealed the part of his deductions that were relevant to the both of them. "I think it's best if we split up from here. The meeting is less than an hour away and I wouldn't be surprised if these bandits were checking to make sure that you show up alone as was agreed upon. They seem fairly organized all things considered." Hopefully Kyu did not read too much into that comment as it hinted at what Tekzuki did not want to tell him. "Ill tail you to the clearing outside of this small town and keep an eye out for foul play on their end, hopefully I wont have to reveal myself but who knows. The way this mission is going I'd say that almost anything could happen." With that Tekzuki got up from his chair and hurried himself out the door. It was time to go recover his cloak and make his escape off the boat a different route than what was intended. That would give Kyu plenty of time for a head start to create some distance between the two of them. Tekzuki was no assassin yet, but he had enough stealth capabilities to keep himself hidden and track the jounin with out him even realizing he was there for sure.

'Good luck Kyu, we're both going to need it on this one. I have a feeling today won't be the end of this, whatever this is.'

Posts : 760

That raised some alarms in Kyu’s mind. Now he knew what it felt to be withheld of information. It was funny how foreign it was hearing it from someone other than him. Nevertheless, he set the troubling thought aside and snapped a finger at him. “Ah, fair enough.” He agreed, “It probably is best for us to split up.” As they walked out of the room and towards the direction of the entrance, he made an unseen wave back to Tekzuki. He would need his items, that was a certain, Tekzuki was still a young novice in the art of stealth and he would need everything in his arsenal to stay hidden against with individuals of Kyu’s level.

“Sir.” Jun said. Kyu had his peripheral caught Jun beside him. Jun kept his hands behind his back as if he was keeping guard. “Might as ask?” he kept his voice lowered.

“Well, you’ve already started. Don’t let me stop you.”

“Are you sure this is a good-“ Jun started.

“Idea? Perhaps not. Again, I’m here to only evaluate the young man and take part of this mission. Nothing more.”

“Right. I remember you said that to me early. But why on a high ranking mission? Couldn’t you evaluate him on something a bit more…meager?”

Kyu raised an eyebrow, smiling despite himself. “I could’ve. No doubt that it would’ve been easier. But I don’t get the full potential of a person if I want them to deliver cabbage to a vendor or guard work. I need something that'll awaken the true 'self' in a soldier. I do not want to cater to the idea of small test. It's the big test that makes or break a shinobi. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." He said. He didn't fully agree but this was none that should concern him. "This is where I split off. You're on your own from here out."

"Understood."

Kyu kept moving forward towards the exit while Jun made a right and made a quick dash down the corridor. Kyu heard his footsteps echo on that part of the hallway before it became silent. When that silence filled the corridors, it was then time for Kyu to move. Not as Kuro, Kyuseishu, but as Hoda of the Mountain Nin. He adjusted the bag over his shoulder and made his way out.

He signed in with the mountain nin guards. Their attention, despite being top elite, were elsewhere. He was glad he didn't find the head captain of the squadron only to see a feint little bruise on the top of his head. Perhaps they wouldn't known the man they tried to capture would receive the bruise on the account of the darkness that shrouded Kyu just hours before. He was fine with their absent-mindedness. It would fly past a few guards he was sure. As long as he didn't get checked by the head guard, he would be cool.

"They'll expect you to come alone." One of the guards announced as two of Hoda's guards followed him out down the walkway onto the dock. "We won't be able to come with you."

"That is fine." Kyu said. "The best thing we can do is avoid any sort of miscommunication. We're here to join forces, not to destroy a potential relationship."

"I agree," The guard said. "But boss is a bit on the worried side saying that this could be an ambush."

Not when they have money on the line. "They wouldn't be stupid to attack me. II have worth but hardly anything that'll supply them a constant stream of money that'll supply them. No, they won't ambush me. They're smarter than that."

The guard gave a perplexed look as if he was questioning the validty of the group's intelligence. Was Kyu doing a bit too much or was that just the look the guard gave because he didn't understand? Damn, maybe he should tone it down on the acting. The last thing he needed was to blow his cover on this shit. The guard's face was neutral yet again. It seem to be the latter because he simply nodded "I understand sir. Just please take in consideration of summoning us if necessary."

"I will." He said, smiling. Did Koda smile? He wouldn't know as the guard made a slight bow and went into the crowd where there were two other guards walking towards a group of shinobi. He blended in the crowd of people walking out into the docking town. He would be blind to the people on the mission for the next hour. He would have to enjoy that for the time being. He would have to get into that zone once again.

It was different from his fighting mindset, where instinct was king and logic only came to play when it was necessary. This particular zone of his was used when he needed to get into a deeper meditative state. Travelling through the trees, taking his time jumping from branch to branch getting closer to his objective, he found his mind what he liked to called the 'visionary room'. He could close his eyes and actively imagine himself being in a all white area of space with nothing but himself sitting in the middle. He could imagine himself creating the people in his head, looking back at all the files that he read and looking at every piece of note with almost perfect clarity. This room acted like a library. He could describe it clearly as a place where he stores a bunch of files and can retrieve through deep meditation. He was retrieving the information now on the potential fighter he would go against. He tried to retrieve any information within his head that could ultimately alleviate some of the tension going on. There wasn't any that was relevant to this. The memory he conjured was an old file that he read three years prior to this when he was still using nukenin as a false flag terrorists. The man was of low ranking then. From the file he read, the man had certainly obtain the strength to form the group. It was disappointing that he couldn't get all the information on the leader, but his demeanor did not fade. He already suspected that he did not have an updated version on the man. It was clear the moment he read up on him in the ship.

He decided best to get out of the trees and back on the path. He was twenty minutes out from the supposed location. The jumping from the trees let the blood flood into his muscles. He could feel the extra air fill into his lungs. He felt calm, which was what he wanted. He closed his eyes and there he envisioned that white room once again. He was still focused. That was good. If he had any assumptions on the matter, there would be a conversation first before the fight. This will give him time to examine the potential fighter. He moved at a steady pace on the path. He felt the palm of the hand holding the bag getting sweaty and decided to switch hands.

As he did so, he heard swift movement from behind. His did a quick turn and saw two individuals in cloaks come up and stop just a few feet away from him. The way they were built, the wide shoulders, the somewhat hairy arms told him that they were both of the male variety. He could see that one of them had a young face, probably in his early thirties while the second one to the left of him was older, in his mid-forties.

"Gentlemen." He said, nodding his head.

"Are you the shinobi from the mountains?" The younger one spoke up.

"That I am." Kyu responded. His zone from the logic to the instinct kicked in. He looked at the footing of the men. They could move any time but he didn't see any slight movement within their feet. He wouldn't been able to tell with the large cloaks covering a portion of his body. He couldn't fish out a kunai out of the bag only because that would take too long. He would certainly have to use his fist if need be.

The older man walked up to Kyu then he walked past him. "Our leader wanted us to rendezvous with you. He wanted to make sure you were safe when you arrived."

Kyu made a wisp smile. "Well isn't that a surprise. Does your leader always treat their guest with this good of hospitality?"

"Hardly, Koda-san." The younger man stepped from behind and stood adjacent to the older one. "If you were any other riff raff, he would've made you travel to our compound on your own. But seeing how this isn't a regular visit, it's only befitting that you would be escorted by one of us."

The question that filled Kyu was when did they know he was here twenty minutes out. The only explanation was either one of them was a sensory shinobi, which wouldn't be impossible, or they had a seal that acted like a barrier similar to a village barrier and detected his presence. That would be an issue if they possessed a sensor. It had to be the latter option as they clearly didn't attack him outright. They could easily sense Tekzuki if one of them was a sensor. He knew the young man was skilled but he wasn't entirely skilled in hiding all of his chakra.

He tried to get a better glance at the two to see if they were among the people the mountain nin carried a file on. The hoods hid their detail well, covering a good portion of the head and only showing their mouths. He couldn't make it obvious so he'll just to have to find another opportunity."Very well, lead on." Kyu spoke.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

Jun quickly found Tekzuki as he traversed back up the stairs to the room where Kyu had switched places with the now mangled mountain ninja. It had not been planned, but things worked out better this way. He was almost afraid he was going to have to hunt the man down. The other guard, name at this point still unknown, had better still be up there. Based on both his and Jun's reactions to Kyu's brutality had not boded well with the chunin. They just didn't seem to be the type that needed to be in uniform. If you couldn't stomach it don't take the bite.

"Where are you going, why did you split off from Kyu?"

A double barreled shotgun fired off directly into Tekzuki's ears. The voice was demanding, like a child who thought that candy damn sure was his and good god, wasn't he entitled to it? Rather than blow him off entirely, Tekzuki decided to dig into his skin a little bit. It was time he started having a little fun. Def con mode wouldn't be needed for a little while yet. Definitely not while on the boat. "I have something further to........discuss with out friend in the chair up here," as he bounded up the stairs towards the small cell room.

His displeasure was immediately apparent. Jun was no dummy and Tekzuki's tone gave away all of his intentions. "I think you two talked to him enough don't you. Hey!"

With that last word spoken, Tekzuki was already entering the door to the room where in fact, only Koda remained, still in the cell and collapsed on the ground unconscious against the far wall. His arms and legs were sprawled and the damage done to them were unavoidable to the eye. Not that it mattered, he would never feel pain again after the next five minutes were over. What mattered was that the one who was supposed to be guarding him was no where to be found. "That piece of shit," he muttered entering the occupied cell. As his foot crossed the thresh hold, so did Jun's into the room itself.

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

"And I'm busy so give me a minute," Tekzuki shot back. He was not quite as respectful as his team mate was, not on the job. If the two ever sat down for coffee later on, he would be the most well mannered individual ever encountered. Out here though, he was as animalistic as he viewed his enemies to be. This showed with the growl in his throat as he spoke.

With two fingers he tilted Koda's chin upwards, the sensation of the touch rousing the man slightly from his forced pain induced slumber. He was hardly coherent though, eyes glazed over and the ability to fully process what was happening completely gone. Good, that gave Tekzuki enough leeway to have a little fun. Jun was really not going to like this.

His two fingers turned into all five around Koda's throat, grasping firmly and sliding him up the wall. As he went, a white protrusion began to form from his forearm. It had to look absolutely disgusting almost as if a giant pimple was slowly being popped and oozing a thick substance. It was no oil though, it was pure bone. After he had gotten the crippled body up to just the right height he let go, allowing it to drop until the chin met the knee coming up towards it, sending Koda flying up towards the ceiling. As Tekzuki's leg came back down, his right hand came up snatching the bone drill from his opposing wrist and flicking it upwards in a way that would produce a spin allowing for extra penetration. The drill pierced just between his jawbone and went up into his head. Then the top of his skull met with the hardwood above producing a thick crack that made Jun cringe as he could only watch. Koda should have fallen immediately, but the force from above had been timed just right to drive the drill through the top of the skull where it would become lodged and into the ceiling itself, halfway fused with both.

The now dead man swung back and forth slightly from the momentum of the impact. Tekzuki just turned around as though uninterested to see the look of disgust on Jun's face, and just in time to catch the other guard coming back into the room.

"Sorry," he was muttering, "I got hungry and I just thought I'd..........OH WHAT THE HELL!?!?" As he noticed the hanging up, he dropped his sandwhich and took a step forward as though he were going to do something about the atrocity. His demeanor quickly changed when he met Tekzuki's eye, emotionless and unfeeling. It was simply inhuman.

Moving towards the cabinet, Tekzuki retrieved his cloak and quickly replaced the attire he currently had on with the more familiar and comfortable garb. He would need it for phases two and three. Turning back to them and sighed, realizing he needed to explain. His actions were heartless yes, but his motives were extremely passionate and well intentioned, at least in his mind.

"Look that man was planning on meeting with high ranking criminal's during his stay here. Their goal, from what is known, is more than likely to launch an attack on Kiri. If you want to feel sorry for him than go ahead but I have no remorse for this piece of shit, nor regret for mine or Kyu's actions. So quit trying to judge me with your eyes. You're wasting energy."

"Ok I get that," said Jun, "but this is over the top don't you think. I mean couldn't you just have slit his throat or something?"

"See now that just wouldn't be sending a message now would it?"

"Aren't you two supposed to be like incognito or something?"

"Oh we will be, this message will be coming from the people Kyu is about to meet. You see what you two are going to is wait for my message and drop him in the middle of the street here to be found when this is all over."

"Why........"

"To start a war, we aren't going to waste valuable time and resources capturing or killing all of these guys when I can just as easily pit them against each other. Let them do the work themselves."

Jun still didn't like it, but it made sense. He still wasn't sure what Tekzuki's over all endgame was in this but he had at least had some of the picture now. This guy they were holding, well no so much holding anymore, wasn't (hadn't) just been a mugger or a thief. He was a serious threat to the stability of their entire nation. The nature of his fate wasn't entirely justifiable but at least there had been reason too it and that was enough for him. "Alright, we'll wait for your message. Go do what you gotta do."

Convinced that he had satisfied Jun, Tekzuki walked past them to the door. It was time to get off this ship.

OUTSIDE THE PORT TOWN

Tekzuki wanted to slam his head against a wall as he watched the mountain ninja take off into the wilderness after Kyu from a rooftop near by. It seemed they had the same idea. Tekzuki hadn't realized that the other nation had infiltrated the boat. He was even more glad now that they had used the extra precautions in replacing Koda. That would have been very bad to have been found out. It had been intended more so for the benefit for the citizens aboard but it now seemed to work in their's as well.

Wasting no more time, he launched himself off the building and into the trees, following quickly yet silently. He had the edge here because Kyu was in no hurry and this Mountain ninja had to stay behind Kyu. Tekzuki was not restricted in this way. His freedom won him the short race. Quickly approaching from behind and drawing the Skeletal Reaper from a seal splattered on his left side with the other hand, he ran the ninja right through the chest, the blade erupting from the weaker sternum.

"Fuck you bitch" he whispered in the guy's ear.

"No, fuck you."

The man on the sword erupted into smoke, clearly a shadow clone. Tekzuki quickly ducked and spun around with his blade, creating a deadly cyclone around him, but he kept it slowly. As planned the shinobi grabbed the blade both to block it and to show off. Tekzuki could have easily formed barbs in the blade and ripped that hand right off, but this one had to be done quietly. Instead he yanked the blade back as soon as the grab was made, pulling the attacker towards him and directly onto the kunai that had been pulled from the cloak mid-spin. Right to the throat, severing blood vessels and vocal cords. Too easy. The clone idea had been smart, but Tekzuki was just a little bit quicker to react than hed anticipated apparently. Too bad, because now he fell down to the forest floor. Tekzuki turned around, Kyu was off in the distance, barely seeable. They were nearing their destination, so he needed to book it.

Kicking it into high gear, Tekzuki sped off limb to limb towards his comrade. By the time he caught up, Kyu was already in conversation with the missing ninja who had set this up. Two of them, that was not right with their info. Planning to spring out and attack, he stopped himself as they began to venture off as a group of three towards what he hoped was the target settlement. He had stayed out of ear shot to give himself enogh room and remain better covered by the shadows so he had no clue what had been said.

'No fight, no test......that doesn't add up either, what the hell. " Still it worked out better for him. At this point, he would could start focusing on finding Levitz, the perfect target to carry out his scheme with.

Posts : 760

The heavy burden was on Kyu now. The die had been cast and Kyu was fortunate enough to get a moderately good number. The silence that embroiders in these two men was making Kyu take the mental notes to be cautious. They did not talk with Kyu nor did they talk among themselves. The older man was walking ahead of them while the younger man was walking right beside Kyu. He didn't see any weapons on them, at least nothing visible. His eyes were trying to get a silhouette of what they were carrying. The cloaks were doing a very good job of making their entire figure blank as a board. The movement of their cloaks did not shift to their movements. It was as if the cloak purposely kept itself in place.

He took note that the older man footsteps were soft, padded even. He could barely hear the man’s footfall as they were walking. He looked at his feet and saw that he was moving with the finesse of a leopard. Each step was calculated and precise, no step was wasted to cause any sound. It reminded him of those in KYOBU in Kumogakure. He wouldn’t be too surprised if the man was from Kumo from the way he was walking. The second man had the same footwork as well only his was shorter in stride. He didn't know exactly that technique was from. From the way he was trying to mimic the older man. Novice or not, it was no wonder he didn't hear them come up. His mind was elsewhere then, which was a fault of the mental library. The inward focus causes the outward perception to decrease drastically. If they had attempted to kill him, they would’ve succeeded in at least incapacitating him.

Their walk led them to an abandon town. Abandon was really the wrong term as Kyu soon learned. He could describe it as an abandon town only because of the age of the buildings, parts that were deteriorating and different places with windows boarded up and signs that said "We're closed". But there were people lurking in the streets. They were all criminals of different origins and background lounging through the town. Some were operating some of the old jalopy of a store. He saw one woman come up with a jug in each hand. She raised the jug to her mouth and saw a dark liquid come out into her mouth. She then grunts then let out the loudest belch he ever heard a woman pull off. He saw another group, probably twenty or thirty men circled around two other men, shirts off, in a regular ole fist fight. The cheers were intense as one man punched the other in the jaw. Spiddle, blood and probably a tooth spat out of the man's mouth and he almost lost his balance. Kyu didn't know what happen after that. They walked past them and the cheering began to die away. If this place didn't spell "shithole" or take first place in it, it certainly made the honorable mention list.

No one seemed to notice the three of them. It was that or they simply didn't give a damn as to who Kyu, or rather Hoda was. The ones who did notice gave a glance, blinked then returned to what they were doing. One man was standing on top of the building, binoculars in hand, looking down at the two of them. The older man made a nodding gesture to him and the scout above return with a small, informal salute and went back to his duties.

"What a town you got. Seems lively." Kyu said.

The younger man looked at him unblinking. "This is a quiet day really." he said it so matter-of-fact that it was hard to know whether he was being sarcastic or not. Kyu didn't think so. "Last week, we had three murders and two robberies and that was on a Tuesday afternoon. Wasn't even three o'clock yet. A fight like that you just saw is a part of the everyday norm here."

"What did you do about the murders?" Kyu was curious.

"Well, there isn't a 'court' system installed. It's basically the murderer has a bounty and people from around town try and find the guy. It's kind of like the Igloo in Snow Country or the Treehouse in Forest Country only smaller and less regulated."

"Less is being too kind." The older man chimed.

The younger man made a face. "Well the Treehouse is pretty regulated to be honest. The Igloo is too cold to start shit their without freezing ya balls off."

"How much do the bounties go for?"

"Oh…" he was trying to grasp straws. "What do they usually go for Haji?" The young man said the man's name.

Haji cleared his throat and twirled a finger in the air as if he was trying to grasp something. "Ranges from either 40,000 to 80,000." Haji replied. "Sometimes it can go into the 100,000 range depending on severe it is."

"Wow, that's…actually a lot of money." Kyu was surprised. They had the sort of set similar to the systems of the neutral. Places like the Igloo and the Treehouse were famed for giving out internal bounties whenever someone a heinous crime. This organization was doing just that just on a smaller scale. That was a bit interesting.

"Our organization has a pretty good financier to be honest so…yeah" the young man shrugged like it was common as taking a piss in the morning.

Kyu gave a nod of understanding, not wanting the conversation to continue, and let them continue to walk him to their destination. He was expecting to go in the 'cleanest' looking building possible. He saw that the cleanest was the one building that could've been a police headquarters. The insignia on top was so destroyed from vandalism and possibly age that it was unidentifiable.

Instead, the older man turned into a small restaurant. It could've been a bistro perhaps, but the set up changed drastically to some type of fallout shelter. The door was sealed from the outside. Kyu could tell that this was done via barrier. The old man put a hand on the door and he could see a dim light around the cracks of the door. The door began to open then, slowly moving to the side ominously. This was so old-fashioned; it reminded him of how he had to enter into an old temple back at home. When the door was done opening, lights flickered on leading down an elegant hallway. He could tell it was longer than the building itself and knew immediately what it was.

"A pocket dimension. You guys created a pocket dimension" Kyu said, quite honestly astonished that they did such a feat and he didn't break out of character.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Never stops impressing me." The young guy said, moving in front of the older man. "Place is even cooler on the inside."

He couldn't see Haji's eyes but he could tell that he was rolling them. "Kids these days impress by the slightest thing."

Kyu didn't know how he wasn't impressed with the fact that they literally created a pocket dimension. It's not easy to do was what he wanted to say, but he didn't think Koda knew about the workings and formulas of seals. Instead, he held his tongue and walked with the two of the down the red carpeted hallway.

The hallway had a style almost similar to a royal household or the Daimyo's estate. The place was well furnished stocked with lights held up by a gold handle. It wasn't just regular metal painted gold, no it was actual gold. He touched it and could almost leave an indent with his finger. It was soft, the properties that made gold 'gold'. But he would be damned if it took them forever to reach their destination. It stretched. That was the one thing Kyu could describe this pocket dimension hallway was the fact that it seem to go on forever. He honestly thought he was a in a genjutsu for the length they were walking. The younger man was ahead of them, simply shooting the shit with Haji as he learned earlier. He later learned that the young man's name, or rather nickname, was Munch. He never knew why the man's name was Munch as he didn't give any indication that he was fat or he ate a lot. He talked a lot now that he wasn't outside in the public.

This was a safe zone. A novice could tell that no a single thing could get in or get out. Munch was certainly comfortable here now and Haji seemed to relax. His step didn’t look thought out now like his steps were outside. They were normal, causal even. If someone wanted a secret meeting and didn’t want any information to get out, then this was the perfect spot.

It was a simple thing to create a pocket dimension. Containment seals were somewhat of a pocket dimension. Seals where people stored their items, their kunais, their swords, or whatever can be contained in a pocket dimension of the sort. What made that one unique is the fact that the pocket dimensions that sealed away these items are unaffected by the time stream. They remain in a stasis, which was reasonable. The early sealers knew that this stasis could not support life for the atmosphere of a pocket dimension is similar to the vacuum in space.

The creation of certain objects within that pocket dimension plus creating an atmosphere that could sustain life do exist, and are used rarely, but the formula is so complex that even the slightest mistake could create a ‘messy’ pocket that could kill someone the moment they attempt to transfer themselves into the pocket. Sometimes the formula opens up other dimensions if the user was inexperience. Many fuuin users were inexperience and did not know the exact formula to make sure they don’t enter into a dimension filled with demonic creatures, but that was neither here nor there.

It was why Kyu was impressed about this dimension. Whoever made it was a master like him and probably did an extensive study on the formulas for this type of creation. He didn’t want to be excited but he couldn’t help to feel a sense of giddiness with this. If only he could look at the formula of the seal and see how this man or woman made it.

“How long exactly is this hallway?” Kyu asked finally interrupting the story of how Munch wanted to find that one chick with the Mohawk.

“It’s not much longer.” Munch replied. “It is pretty long of a walk. He’s kind of a sadist when it comes to these types of things. An asshole really.”

“Munch…” Haji voice was stern voice.

“What? He kind of is. He even admits to it. I ain’t disrespecting him. I’m simply stating a truth.”

Haji folded his arms and stayed silent after that. It was awkward for a short moment until Kyu saw a light ahead. Munch saw it too. “Fucking finally. I swear he made this hallway longer than last time.” Kyu could hear a bit of reverberation now. His voice was travelling out and spreading, echoing into the room with light. How spacious did the leader make this place? He was about to find out.

From the dark, somewhat lit hallway to the bright and almost heavenly light, the adjustment was so harsh on Kyu’s eyes and immediately blinded him. “Ah shit.” He said. His

“Yeah, it does that at first.” He heard Munch said. "But you get use to it after a second or two." He could feel something cold press against his throat and something pointy press lightly on his back. When he opened his eyes, what didn’t surprise him was the fact that Munch had a knife to his throat, yawning casually as if this was all a part of procedure. He didn’t have to turn around but he could feel a blade press up against his back and it could only be Haji.

“Funny,” Haji said. His voice sounded eerily familiar. Too familiar in fact that it hit Kyu like the back of a shovel when he finally realized who it was. “You certainly have the look of a mountain shinobi. But if it wasn’t for that little bruise on your forehead, you probably would’ve pulled off this little stunt.”

Kyu let out a sigh. “Thought I avoided you back there.”

“No.” Haji came around Kyu. He could see he was carrying a katana. From the design, it was meant to be portable and unseen. “Even if you somehow found a way past me, you would’ve had to pass by Munch who would’ve rendezvous with me.”

“Well shit. If you knew I wasn’t Koda, why the hell did you drag me here and not kill me when you had the opportunity?”

“Two reasons.” A voice said in front of them. Kyu turned his head and immediately saw a man sitting at a table. He was dress cordially, sitting down his legs folded and his hand holding what appeared to be a glass of wine. “Stand down. The last thing we need is a dead man who has as much importance as a Daimyo.”

Munch looked perplexed. He raised his blade just a little, but not by much. “Who is this guy anyway? Just seem like some Kirigakure shinobi to me.”

“He isn’t a Kiri Shinobi.” Haji said, sheathing his katana. “You could hardly qualify as a kirigakure shinobi with the amount of allegiances you've been in.”

Kyu raised his hands. He definitely wasn't in any particular situation to fight just yet. He could've. He was sure he could take out the two beside them with a well-place kick or punch. He whispered to his mind to be patient and made himself surrender. “You mind if I deactivate the illusion?”

The mysterious man didn’t give a second look. He simply gestured Kyu to do so. Kyu lowered the illusion over himself. He was still wearing the Toga and felt ridiculous now wearing it. “I like being in the illusion wearing this.”

“It made Koda look ridiculous. It was going to look ridiculous on you.” Haji stated. “Those fucking bright colors…” Haji made a disgusted face.

“Yes, yes, yes. We all know Koda was going be to…eccentric when it came to that. Now that’s that and here we are with our guest.” The mysterious man took another sip of his wine. “Come, sit. We have much to discuss. After all, I do intend to keep my business with Mountain Country on time.”

Age : 32 Posts : 787

As Kyu was swallowed up by the rough shambles of what Tekzuki was sure these wanderers called their village, he dropped from the final limb that had been used for his travels. Landing on the ground, he was obscured by the night and the dark aclove of trees that surrounded him. Still he kept back a ways in case any prying eyes with special techniques should happen to glance his way. The last thing he needed was a rouge Hyuuga busting him based on a fluke of genetics. Then again, if there was an experienced enough Hyuuga, this distance still wouldn't be enough based on what he had heard. Most rumors turned out to be untrue, but when it came to skills you had to combat, it was best to treat them as legitimate until otherwise verified.

So now he just had to come up with a viable way to penetrate the small settlement without being detected. This was where the information he did have came in handy. Although he was not sure what they did not have because the files were likely incomplete, he was privy to a few things they did. Two sensor ninja at the very least. A group like this was always looking to expand and they may have unearthed and assimiliated more into their ranks by now. Having one sensor was useful, but two could keep track if the other went down and immediately bring the place to high alert. It was not likely that they would be side by side. It would be smarter to place them on either end, at opposing entrances to keep them away from each other and to give them the best radius of their skill.

Typically Tekzuki wouldn't give them that much credit, but they had Levitz with them and that changed everything. For everything he was, his intellect was not to be underestimated. That would be a grave mistake that would cost more Kiri lives than were in the area tonight. If they found out who Kyu and he were, well retaliation would ensue. Again Levitz made that danger ever more real. He knew quite a bit about how the village was run and their weak points. Needless to say many others here were probably defectors of Kiri as well. They surely had a wealth of knowledge on the subject of village specific techniques and methods.

'What the hell?'

Tekzuki brought his hand to his right eye as it began to water up with a stinging sensation. The gas was odorless and without color, but it was clear what this was, a chemical attack. He had not been cautious enough. Now he was going to pay for it. There was no telling what this agent would do, but it was probably not pleasant and it probably did not allow his life to remain a factor for whoever had released it upon him.

Quickly he put his back against the trunk of the tree he had dropped from. It would have been ideal to just try to get away, but he had no clue where his attacker was or how many of them there actually were. For a few more moments he would have to endure the gas. For the third time that night he felt his blood pressure sky rocket and his field of vision narrow slightly as his focus increased ten fold. The adrenaline pumped hard through his blood stream as his body naturally reacted to the threat by turning up the amperage that circulated through his nervous system.

His goal was to go up and out, so he took the actions to make it so. Not even a foot off the ground however, he felt something hard connect with the top of his head that came down upon him as he ascended. He was slammed back to the ground, out cold.

The missing ninja twisted in the air and landed in front of Tekzuki, his form cast in shadow and barely distinguishable. Not that Tekzuki was awake to observe anyway. He crouched near his fallen target and gripped his air, jerking the head up into the air so he could look at the chunin's face.

"You're lucky day kid, today I was ordered to not kill you. That would have just been far too easy."

Posts : 760

He had no doubt the man knew he was at an advantage. Kyu only had his brute strength and wits on him while these men were heavily armed, blade sharpen to cut open his jugular without a second glance. Could he find an opening? He was trying to see whether there would be, but the mighty ones of fortunate were not on his side. His attackers, although their weapons were down, were still prepped to cut him open. He was fairly certain he could take on Haji with a quick disarm and a swift punch to the solar plexus. But it was Munch that gave him the feeling of him being a bit of a contest. When he drew his blade, he looked down and saw the striations of muscle that led to a well developed shoulder. The movement from hand, to the handle, to removal of the blade to Kyu’s neck was so clean and swift that it made Kyu think on who this “Munch” character was. He was probably the man who would’ve fought Hoda. He would’ve been interesting.

There was no other choice but to sit. He pulled the chair and sat down resting his hands on the table. No doubt hiding them would set off alarms in Munch’s and Haji’s mind. He kept his hands folded. The man in the prim suit took a sip of his wine. He wasn’t a threatening looking man, not by his standards. He looked very normal, plain to the point that he could walk into a crowd and disappear without trying. He kept his hair short so his brown bangs didn’t cover his face, and his eyes were more or less the same color as his hair. Kyu would’ve had never guessed this man had the potential of gathering a large group of criminals. His looks were, by definition, deceitful.

His eyes seem to ponder the taste, relishing the wine his mouth for a second. He swallowed slowly and let out a soft sigh. “I like the age of this wine. I really do. It’s not often that I’m able to get a vintage like this.”

“I would say the wine is able to travel this far into this part of the country.” Kyu looked over at his empty glass. At a time like this, he would’ve loved to have a sip of the wine. The man in the prim suit made it tantalizing.

“Ah, yes.” He set his wine glass down. “It’s a shame that we have to rob a decent merchant then get it from someone more ‘reputable’.”

“I figure you’re not asking me or the mountain nin of a good supply of wine and good food.”

“No, our aims are a bit bigger than just the simple necessities and pleasures of life. You see, when I first established this small little organization, my goal was to become free from the clutches and watchful eye of International shinobi community.” The man in the prim suit grabbed the bottle of wine and poured into Kyu’s glass. It wasn’t red liquid but rather blue. To his surprise, it smelled of blueberries. “I wanted to gather a group of nukenin so that I could relatively bring a safehaven for criminals and mercenaries alike.”

“You want a neutral place similar to the Igloo and the Treehouse.”

“Bingo.” He pointed at him. “The layout of the Igloo and the Treehouse has brought in a passive income that sustains it. From the black market trade, it’s a lucrative trade to get in."

"It's admirable." Kyu took the wine and sniffed. It didn't look poisonous nor did it smell of it. His nose filled with the aroma of blueberries. He took a sip. It was sweet. Very sweet. It didn't have the harsh afterburn that most alcohol had. It went down as smooth as a mousse. He swirled the alcohol in the glass. "Albeit it's a bit…too noble for someone who is considered by the world as a criminal."

"The world may view me as a criminal only, but I am as a noble as any saint…well, not as noble. Perhaps I have good intentions. That would be a better word for it."

"Well, I don't doubt it. After all, you didn't slit my throat when you knew it was me."

"Call me Mr. Generous."

Kyu furrowed his brow."Do you honestly want me to call you that? You never formally introduced yourself."

He moved his shoulders so slightly that it could've been a shrug or a simple twitch. "You can call me whatever you like."

Eccentricity was this man’s game. He was playing it well, Kyu could admit that. Perhaps that was his way in convincing a bunch of criminals and mercenaries to band together to create an organization. Find someone who was crazier than the craziest, which ironically the craziest was the one who was the sanest.

“But is my reason for wanting to create a safehaven wrong? Well, of course you can answer yes because it would be morally wrong. Morally, of course, it isn’t right in the eyes of the shinobi. Mass murderers, thieves, rapists, terrorist, all of the sorts enter into the safehaven from the watchful eye of the international community.”

“It seems counter-productive if you’re asking for the help of the mountain shinobi.”

Mr. Generous had a prim smile on his face. “That’s the most interesting thing that I enjoy about people who are desperate, Kyu-san. It’s the fact that they’ll do anything to get what they want, even if it was a simple offer of using my organization to start a war within the village.”

Ah, now Kyu was getting into the heart of the matter. He had a his fingers pinching the slim part of the cup, making sure he didn’t put enough force on it to break it. “Oh?” Kyu said, putting emphasis on his rising interest.

“Well, that was the main objective. I should explain why they wanted a coup d’état. To put it simply, there were two warring groups within the mountains spanning back to about…oh, 1,500 years or so. Long before the shinobi were even thought of, these two clans were at war with each other over the wealth within the country itself. Mountain Country, as you may or may not know, is filled with precious metals and gems that have been deep within the mountains for eons. Gold, Silver, Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds, the entire works.”

It seemed fantastical but the man spoke truth in that regards. Kyu couldn’t help but not put his investments towards the shipping and receiving of these precious metals. Kyu made sure he had some shares when it came to the businesses within the country. The Mountain Shinobi were unaware of these transaction, but he wasn’t too sure whether the man in the prim suit. The man continued,” These metals are sought after by everyone, but the wealth will always be sought after from the two clans within.”

“Our job,” The man in the prim suit leaned in and spoke softer as if the pocket dimension wasn’t confidential enough. “was to make one of those clans disappear. Our job was strictly to make sure we did a thorough job in making sure their wouldn’t be any insurrections in the near or far future.”

“That is,” he leaned back. “Until you and your friend decided to intercept the ambassador. They’re probably going to be agitated that one of their men hadn’t come to finalize the deal.” He took a sip of his wine. “Ah, well, no harm no foul.”

“Isn’t that terrible business?" Kyu chimed in. "They’ll probably assume that you decided to change your minds and betray them at the last second.”

The man in the suit shrugged. “Hardly. They were risking life and limb to make sure they could make a deal with a bunch of criminals. I hardly call that bad business. That’s just a part of the business. If, let’s assume that what you say is true, that they did do decide to blame someone, they do an investigation, who could they lead it back to? You? Hardly. Kirigakure would surely deny it. I’m even sure you could even file a report on the subject matter, work your magic on the people on the ship, and voila, no Kirigakure involvement. That would just leave Water Country as a whole. You already know that Criminals are in the area. Water Country is famed for it. Accidents happens, murders come and go. No skin off my bones.”

“So you know I’m very connected to Kirigakure and a lot of businesses within it.” Kyu couldn’t help but continue his fascination. It was honestly sickening to him.

“Not just regular business, Kyu-san, but both white and black markets. You are feared for not your skill in combat but in your way in handling business. You’re a scary individual I may add.”

“Which led you to believe that I may have connections to other businesses in the other nations.”

The man in the prim suit made a disbelieving face. He had done his homework, Kyu thought. This man knew a lot about him. Many businesses had no idea what Kyu was connected to or what he was capable of. This man had a general idea of his connections, but how much was what made this scarier. “I know you have connections to a variety of people who you’ve helped and invested a good amount of money and time into. I know you could easily supply me the funds to create this safehaven that I want.”

Kyu lifted the glass and held it there for a moment. “Well, you could threaten me with my life if I don’t accept, but you’ll be out of a great option from me. I don’t see the leverage here. If anything, this is in my favor and not yours.”

“That would be true.” The prim man smiled showing a little of his white teeth. “And in normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even consider the option. However, the one thing I have over you is the fact that I have the confidence of killing one of your contacts.”

“And which contact would that be?”

“Oh, you may be surprised once I tell you who it is.”

Kyu lowered his eyes. “Just tell me.”

“Why don’t you guess who it may be? I’m actually curious whether that genius mind of yours will be able to figure it out.”

Kyu sipped at his wine not out of thirst or interest in the wine, but rather to contemplate. It was obvious then. So obvious that it should've hit him the moment Mr. Generous tried to threaten him. He sighed. “Quite a dangerous thing to play with fire, Mr. Generous. But I’m going to guess that the one contact that you’re probably talking about Maya in Lightning Country. That’s my one ‘powerful’ contact and one of my more powerful investments.”

The sentence lit the man’s face up with such glee that it was then Kyu saw the madness within him. Just a short glance, a tiny event that passed by the man’s face in an instant that showed that the man, who was the sanest, was the craziest. “Then you know that I have the ability to make sure her and her company are buried six feet under. You know I can do it.” Mr. Generous couldn’t hide that threat. There was no ounce of a lie within that voice, no hint of a bluff. He could probably kill Maya without a second glance, and it would certainly bring down hell from both a financial perspective and a political one.

Kyu looked into Mr. Generous’s eyes. He had looked over at his wine glass and could see it was still half full. He drank the rest of it and set the glass down. He got up from the chair. Immediately, Haji and Munch moved their hands to their blades but Mr. Generous made a gesture to hold. Kyu looked at him, dead in the eye, and laughed.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

His hands immediately tried to reach for his head to stop it from splitting in two and failed. The euphemism felt like a stark reality as Tekzuki awoke, the lingering side effects of the knockout gas causing him a great deal of discomfort. As his senses flooded back to him, he realized that this was not a correct assumption. It was his sudden surge back into consciousness that caused the momentary pain which was fleeing him as quickly as he awoken. The flood of neurological sensation had been misinterpreted as pain. Just another testament to the fallacy of the human brain.

'Low grade, short time frame'

The world came back to him as his eyes fluttered open. Rather the room which he had never seen before came to him. Coming from a momentary slumber, his chin was naturally close to his chest and his eyes directed downward. As the blurriness faded, the ropes which constrained him were the first thing he noticed.

'Im tied up, a captive. but how.....'

"Inefficent, Im sure that's what your thinking right now young man. Why on earth would we put you in such a simple holding, knowing full well you could get out of it with a simple technique they teach at the academy?"

Tekzuki raised his head and glared at Levitz, the man that he had pinpointed as a special interest back on the boat. He didn't look like he had aged at all from the pictures in the local paper from the days he had been labeled for the killer he was. The final days in the village before he had fled, becoming one of the only non shinobi criminals that held a viable threat. It had been the goal to go after him while Kyu tried to act in diplomacy under the guise of Koda.

'Why did he tell me that. Hadn't even crossed my mind yet. Haven't had enough time. He's right though, why did they use simple rope to restrain me.'

"I dont know. Maybe you're stupid."

The antagonistic response was met with a laugh. It was condescending, as if Levitz knew something that Tekzuki also should but did not. There was truth to this, as the blood lusted Kaguya was about to find out.

"You may be a youngster, but I know you know better than that. Surely you know my face......hmmmm?"

So that's how this game was going to be played. It should have been expected. More often than not, serial killers had a complex about them that put themselves high above all others in their head. That sensation of superiority was never enough by itself though. It had to be asserted, made known. The ants had to know they we're ants and be made to suffer with the knowledge of their insignificance.

That was the formation in play right now. Their conversation would go with Levitz leading Tekzuki into answers as if guiding him down some sort of epiphany road. When the fun was done, he would go to work. Most likely he was still alive, so that information could be extracted. After that bill had been sufficiently paid, his life would be forfeit and he would be a bother no more.

"Ya I know who you are, and I tell you Id appreciate it if you got the fuck up out of my face you piece of shit." Hostility poured through his lips as though it were the air upon which it was carried to the murders ears. "Your odor is contaminating my space."

"Oh?" Instead of backing up, Levitz instead took a step closer and brought his face just inches from Tekzuki's, a large smirk breaking his otherwise handsome face. "Why don't you just go ahead and do something about it then?" There was a fluctuation in his voice now. Before he had been almost pleasant. Now the captor matched his captives anger with his own intensity, a malice, a challenge.

'He wants to see me attempt and fail, fuck that.'

Tekzuki at this point realized that something in that gas was stopping him from clearly remembering what the basic escape technique entailed. It was difficult to explain because his mental functionality was otherwise up to speed. But for some reason anything to do with techniques was simply not coming to him. Whether it was another effect of the gas or a genjutsu that had been placed upon him, that he did not know. The end result was the same however.

"Well you've clearly made it so that I can't magic my way out of this chair, so why bother? So you can see me squirm? I'm not playing your stupid ass games. Fuck you. I don't care who you are, the fact that you've left me alive and as of yet uninterogated shows you're a dumb son of a bitch. Taking an awful big risk just to gloat aren't you?"

At this point the slender fingers of the man in front of him slipped over Tekzukis wrist as he leaned just a little closer, his voice reverting to its almost sweet texture. The moment would have been slightly intimate and extremely uncomfortable if Tekzuki hadn't been too busy being infuriated with the sight of the scum that was in front of him. So damn sure of himself he was.

"Not at all, Im perfectly safe. Your brain can't put together two separate strains on how to formulate a technique whatsoever. And let's just say you do manage to get out of your half assed prison. You see that man over there?" Levitz cocked his head to the side toward a slightly brawnier man with his arms crossed over his chest in the corner. Tekzuki hadn't even noticed him before, but he took full account now. "That's the sensor that pinpointed you out there in those trees and brought you to me. He and the other sensor are linked to each other, fully aware if one or the other goes down. Let's say you do manage to do what I can see in your eyes you so desperately wish to do. You'd have a hell fury raining down on you before you stepped outside the door."

So this was where he played the helplessness card. 'We don't need to go through the trouble of properly detaining you. We're smarter than that and don't need to waste the energy or time.' That's what was being said here.

However, they hadn't accounted for the unknown. How could they have? Levitz had just revealed he didn't have a single ace up his sleeve. This whole thing was just an act. A mental game. Well Tekzuki was the wrong specimen for that trial. That wasn't something they could sense, but they could definitely sense how powerful Kyu was. Everything would be locked on him and the deal.

"You Kiri shinobi are so damn su......."

As soon as he had said "you Kiri," Tekzuki had sprung into action. That was it, all that he needed for clearance. They had been found out. It did not matter how or why. Not yet. That would come with the mission analysis back home. All that mattered now was pulling out. First he had to rendezvous with Kyu, hopefully that didn't involve saving his ass. Not that he had any doubts of the Jounin, but they were compromised in enemy territory. That was as unfavorable a situation as he could imagine.

Whatever was inhibiting his mind may have been able to block his mental ability to form the thoughts needed to shape his techniques of fuuinjutsu, but they could not stifle his body's instinctual reactions to stimuli. He was a Kaguya, a vessel for warriors blood. That could not be inhibited just by a mental trick. The would have had to directly tinker with his chakra system to do that. Bones erupted from his wrist and shins, slicing the ropes clean off of him as the blades extended from his body. He pushed himself up and off the chair and slammed both palms on Levitz's chest, sprouting minispears from his palms that dug deep through his lungs and his heart. Levitz fell backwards and Tekzuki on top of him, using the body slowly draining of life as a springboard as they landed to roll over and back onto his feet, launching directly and immediately at the proclaimed sensor in the room.

Unfortunately this one had time to react, professional it seemed. Still, he was a sensor, and true to the stigma, he was not battle ready. He may have surprised Tekzuki last time, caught him off guard even, but this time they were face to face with nothing between them. Even as the sensor began to step forward, Tekzuki allowed his larch dance to fully take over him uninhibbeted as several more knives of bone erupted randomly across his arms and shoulders and over all upper body. Launching into a spinning motion, the blades cut deep into the mans chest and face as they collided.

'So much for professional' Tekzuki thought as the man followed suit and collapsed to the ground.

With out much other thought than trying to get out of here, Tekzuki reached for his cloak which he now realized was sitting in the corner next to the sensor. At least they had recognized the threat that had held, which was impressive by itself. He had just been the wrong bloodline to try an easy approach on in any regard. A single hole was all he needed for total exploitation and they had given him a chasm. That's the way it went with these outlets. That's the burnt mess you pulled out of the oven when your recipe lacked any kind of organization or sensibilities. They could dance to the facade all they wanted. In the end they were all selfish and backstabbing. No better than sea pirates, really.

Quickly Tekzuki slipped back into his cloak which he had thought to have been on him the entire time. He was thankful because it would have been a pain getting it repaired, costly too given the intricate nature of it. On the other side of the door, he found himself outside, feet standing on nothing but grass and commotion coming from every which way.

Was he the cause, or was Kyu. Tekzuki prepared himself for either answer as he set off towards his right.

Posts : 760

“Go the fuck ahead. Behead her and put it on a silver platter for all I care.” The confidence Kyu was exuberating enough to make that smile on Mr. Generous' face waver. That eccentric look of confidence was slowly beginning to fade, but he didn’t lose face just yet.

“Are you an idiot?” Mr. Generous smile didn’t fade. "Or are you a lightweight?"

“Tch, it takes more than just a glass to get me close to tipsy. ” Kyu retorted. “You think threatening me by killing one of my people is going to convince me?” He shrugged inconsequentially. "Do it. Let her company fall if you're able to actually pull that off. If you succeed, I'll, one, commend you for the victory. But I'll still be richer than I was before."

"You're kidding?" He looks over at the two guys. When Kyu got a glimpse of the two, they were as confused as lost children. They were debating as to whether or not they should unsheathe their blades and cut him down on the spot or still hold the word of their leader.

"Why would I be kidding? You act as though you have the capability of threatening a powerful entity like her." He put a hand on the table. He saw the smile was gone on Mr. Generous’s face. "If you wanted to threaten me, you should've threatened someone who was close and defenseless. You would be a damn fool to try and kill her. She has an entire squadron that protects her day and night, a small organization that protects her estates like dogs protect their master. You may have numbers, Mr. Generous, but you hardly have the tact to even get a single strand of hair from Maya."

"I don't think you understand yours and her position." He said, but his confidence had seem to go down after that. Kyu was in the position to counterattack now, and the ball was moving on his side of the court.

"No, I don't think you understand." Perhaps it was Kyu's expression that made Mr. Generous face turn sour. He was taken aback, holding the glass of wine his right hand. It shook ever so slightly. The slightest pressure could’ve broken the glass in two. "If you understood what position you are in, and you understood how much power I really possess, you would be sure that threatening me was the last option to take."

"I've never been one to laugh when I'm faced with being cut open with your boy Munch over here, but it's hard to not laugh only on the account that you are limited in your...understanding."

The next few seconds happened in an instant. There was no wind up, no point where Munch had a chance to react to the quick and powerful fist that landed perfectly on his chin. He heard Munch make a quick groan before Kyu heard the sound of bones in his jaw crunch into tiny fragments. Kyu simply pivot in his position and landed the first blow on the man connecting. He saw the shimmers and vibrations of the impact go down his neck before it sends him soaring into the wall. The wall wasn't made out of any soft material like concrete but rather solid steel.

Kyu didn't know what happen after Munch slammed into the wall. He assumed, later, that the man died after his body was hit with enough strength to break boulders. He had grabbed the chair and met Haji's knife. The blade went in the cushion of the seat. Kyu's eyes caught a glimpse of Mr. Generous pushing away from the table and then rolled backwards on the chair. He was going to prepare something, what it was, Kyu didn't want to know.

He twisted the chair hard, wrenching the blade free from Haji's hand. If Haji was a stupid hand, he would've held on. That wasn't happening. Kyu did a hard push kick into the man's chest sending him backwards. Haji was lifted off his feet but he was attempting to get his balance back as he was flipping backwards. He pulled the knife out and threw the chair hard as Haji landed. It connected but Haji had his hands up to block the incoming charge.

That was fine with Kyu. He was already upon him, using that quick moment of distraction to get close. He saw Haji's face then, utter surprise enveloped his features. When he drove the knife into Haji's stomach, pain enraptured him. Kyu made it quick by slicing open his abdomen and letting all of his entrails fall out. Blood spurted out onto Kyu's hand. He remembered the times he took the life of a man in a single instance. So fast, so clean, it was like cutting butter with a hot knife.

Haji fell back then and Kyu turned his attention to Mr. Generous who had his hands in the Rat seal. "Don't you fucking dare!" He bellowed. "I'll collapse this entire pocket with just another command, I swear I will."

Kyu breathing was heavy, but he was far from feeling fatigue. He could easily sprint on to his position. No more than that eight or nine meters at best. He could reach him and cut his head off with a decapitator move.

"Then do it." Kyu said. "Kill us both, and your dreams of becoming financially powerful will be gone just like that." He snapped his fingers. "Trust me, you're better off just letting your two colleagues die and letting me go."

"You killed two of my best men." His voice wavered and cracked. "You killed FUCKING Haji."

"Yeah, well he did slam my head into metal so I owe him for that really." He didn't dare move. Not yet, not when Mr. Generous could clear the playing field, literally. "But you're better off just looking past this rather than killing you and me for the sake of revenge. You're a better man than that."

Mr. Generous took a deep swallow. He let out a small gasp as his breathing was becoming more erratic. He was walking on eggshells, Kyu knew. Anything he said wrong could end his life here and that was the last thing he wanted to deal with. He was estimating how long it would take him to stabilize the dimension for just a few seconds so that he could escape. He could do, he was sure he could, but he didn't want to resort to that.

He would have to play this out carefully. "Look," Kyu put his guard down, showing him he didn't want to fight now. "You're a man of power. You know that if you were to kill yourself, your legacy will be turned into dust. You want to be remembered, yeah?"

Mr. Generous swallowed again. It was like trying to swallow a rock with that heavy lump in his throat. "Yeah...I do..."

"Right." Kyu was speaking calmly now, putting his voice low. "You know that the next few moments, you can walk out of here a better man than you were when you woke up. Why? Because you learned something new."

"W-what?" Mr. Generous puzzlement worried Kyu. He had to bring him back to understanding.

"You learned," He quickly responded. "That today you had the opportunity to reach an agreement with a potential ally. You did. You were doing so well until you decided to threaten a man. Perhaps this was misjudgment. Perhaps. Would you say that is the case?"

"I..I uh," Mr. Generous hands were beginning to shake a little. Kyu was inching his way slowly to the table hoping he wouldn't noticed. "I guess."

"Right. You made a mistake. Everyone does. A mistake cannot be learned unless they go through certain consequences yeah? I'm a generous man, a kind man at heart. I forgive easily, I do. I'll overlook this threatening incident and simply help you in...well later times. So...let's start over"

"Y-yeah...yeah, you're right but-" A table came flying towards Mr. Generous. Kyu had kicked the table hard off its legs and let it go towards Mr. Generous.

"Fuck!" Mr. Generous yelled as he rolled. The table went crashing into the wall. He was one knee with his hands on the ground. "What the hell...?" That was the immediate thought hit him. The seals. He let go of the seals. He was so out of focus that he didn't realize Kyu was just trying to get closer to the table so he could distract him. He had to do the jutsu fast, he had to the handseals. He had-

-no time left. Kyu had both hands around Mr. Generous neck, gripping it hard so he couldn't even come close to breathing. Mr. Generous grabbed at Kyu's wrist, scratching, trying to pry free. His hands were like a vice grip on his neck cutting off any potential air to come in or out. He couldn't even try to breathe. He felt the blood vessels that was leading to his brain were about to pop. As the tension tighten, Mr. Generous's eyes began to widen and seem to pop out of his socket.

"How unfortunate, Mr. Generous. The first rule of holding power is that, when you have the map in your control, you never appear weak...otherwise, the opponent will know and it'll bring your downfall." Kyu said softly. He was walking with him in hand towards the exit. His voice was sweet then, nurturing like a father talking to his son. "But the thing about me is this: I am power. And you good sir, should've realized how we poeple of true power handle weaklings." He tighten his grip on Mr. Generous. "From what I know, a pocket dimension of this caliber will continue to exist. It won't cancel, even if I kill you now. I'm sure I'll be safe when I walk back towards the exit." He twisted Mr. Generous head and all Kyu heard was a-

Pop.

Kyu dropped his lifeless body on the ground. He looked to see the deep indentations of his hand on the neck. The neck itself was purple and blue, from brusing and from his strength crushing the blood vessels in his neck. He stood there for a second to look at his body. He turned to see Haji laying lifeless, his entrals laid out on the ground like a dish ready to be eaten. He turned to his left and saw Munch's body. His face had caved in and his neck was twisted. The force of his punch plus the amount of force causing his face to concave in was not a pretty sight. Some artwork aren't really pretty to look at, but one could still admire it.

Kyu made his way to the exit, taking his time knowing that he would either have to run to immediate safety or kill whoever was out there. When he got out, there was no one to be found. He was alone and in the clear. He had done his part of the mission, but now it was time to find Tekzuki to tell him it was a set up.

The whole entire thing was a set up.

Age : 32 Posts : 787

There was not even a gentle breeze on this perfect evening. The day's sun had left the air rich with a warmth that could soothe even a cold heart into a relaxing quarter if it were to open up to the idea for only a moment. Yet this man was shaking as though the temperature had just plummeted to a sub zero temperature. He was a trusted sensor shinobi of what was supposed to be a prominent organization, yet here he was like a kicked dog, shivering his timbers into a premature rot.

There had been signs of nervousness on display from the moment Tekzuki had put him down to his knees upon the roof he perched upon. A fidget here or there was normal under the pretense of a blade sticking from your watchdog's wrist stuck promptly to the base of your spine where it attached to the skull. All it would take was a whim and the vibration of his body would cease as would all thoughts and movements save for the remaining vitals that struggled against the odds to keep their vessel moving through this life.

Why not? He had fulfilled his purpose had he not?

Exerting just a fraction more amount of force, Tekzuki's bone slipped under the flesh and seperated those of his captives with relative ease. Leaning forward allowed his weight to carry the makeshift weapon through without any actual work, refusing to stop until his wrist met even with the bloody nape of his source of information. The Kiri shinobi could hardly be to blame here. Only one guard and a messenger boy unsuited for battle to accompany such an important piece on the board. It was like using your chance to castle to bring the king out into the open instead of your rook, ignorant at best.

Seizing the opportunity, Tekzuki had dispatched the burly man first and then the scrappy kid afterwards who's age was not far off from his own. Very few words were exchanged after. A few pleas that meant nothing to the Kaguya feeling refreshed as the effects of the gaseous cloud were finally vacating his mind. There was no sympathy in his heart for enemies of the state which was pretty much a blanket category in his mind for anyone who was not a part of his village. He only acted outside of this notion when ordered to do so. Otherwise an animal was nothing more than an animal to him. These were vicious creatures that had to be dealt with before they bit for their teeth carried disease. Heartbreak. Such a pandemic he feared worse than anything else. It was the only thing he actually feared.

It was a good thing his theory on the setup of things was correct. Discovering the now deceased sensor had confirmed everything and revealed some new fruits. The fact that Kyu was still alive and the tension had not already broke spoke truth enough of that. Levitz had spoken of Tekzuki as a Kiri shinobi. That was enough to say for certain that they had been found out. Yet the meeting commenced.

The specifics were not certain, but that did not ultimately matter. What mattered now was that the game had changed. When the fidgeting had ceased for a moment, Tekzuki knew that the apex was nearing and the ultimate conflict was fast approaching. Once the violent shivers had erupted, he knew that Kyu had come out on top and would soon be making his way back to the outside.

He landed next to the door at the exact moment his mentor for this mission emerged from within. Before he had a chance to say anything, Tekzuki spoke in a rushed fashion.

"We can talk later, but right now we either have to make like the wind and flee or like the fire and level this place. Your call, but make it quick. I dispatched both of their sensors, but seeing us both standing here is indication enough to make us a target to everyone here. What's it gonna be?"

Posts : 760

There was no doubt in Kyu's mind that he couldn't run like the wind, or at least a bat out of hell. Would he say he was the fastest person alive? No, at least not yet. He could say that if he ran and had a head start, they wouldn't be catching him anytime soon. He first thought about playing it cool. Perhaps if he can change into Hoda and walk his way out of it. He imagined the height of Hoda, the weight he could remember, the look he was fond of and try to shift into the illusion.

One problem. He looked down and there was Haji's life juice all over the toga. It had stained it completely, turning the colors of the toga into crimson. Well, that wouldn't do him any good. He was setting himself up for more fighting. He wasn't exactly tired, he was hardly sore from it. But if a group of them swarmed him, he would certainly be injured, captured or killed at this point. He doubt the first two would be on their minds once they learned of their leaders death.

When he exited out of the pocket dimension, he came face to face with Tekzuki, the young Kaguya. He appeared to be ruffled himself, why he was he wasn't sure. It wasn't really anything that couldn't be discussed later. He was thankful he was okay. He would've been more than upset if this mission went to shit because of their situation.

Tekzuki wanted to know if they needed to stay or not. He was confident in their skills to eliminate the entire town without a hitch. Kyu was certainly reassured knowing that the Kaguya could do work, but he was in mood to kill anymore. He simply wanted to leave. "We need to leave now. Let's split up just in case anyone saw us and return back to my estate when this is all over. You did good kid, now let's go."

He was certain that in their current situation, they didn't even the people a chance to see him. He had no doubt that no one saw Tekzuki either. However, Kyu has always been a bit more cautious when shit hit the fan. He simply turned face and booked his way out into the forest. Fuck that noise, he thought. He wasn't planning on fucking with more niggas then he already had. He felt his forehead beginning to throb. He knew that bump would be there until he got home and had Kia heal him up. For now, he would have to annoyingly deal with the pain. He was gone, sprinting in a straight line leaving the village in the dust. He didn't hear any footsteps, no yelling, simply the footfall of his own feet and the wind passing in his ear. Would they even know that their leader was murdered? Perhaps, once they actually go check to see if he was all right. Would they even notice Kyu walking out of the broken down store and dashing his way out of the village? He was sure they didn't, but he wasn't going to assume they didn't know.

A full minute of sprinting and he could feel the muscles in his thigh beginning to burn. There was a sharp decline in the road, no doubt he was coming up a hill. Kyu didn't stop running. He simply prepared himself for the long jump. He jumped into the clearing, his body in air, maybe twenty feet soaring outward. He was airborne for just a moment or two before he felt gravity become his friend once again. He began to drop down into the steep decline and landed, sliding his way the hill and coming back on a solid plain. He began to slow down, easing his way into a steady run then into a jog.

He was out now. He felt he would be safe, at least for now. If he need to run more, he would, but he now it was probably safe to message back. Kyu did four hand seals before slamming it on the ground. The fuuinjutsu activated, creating a small opening into another dimension. It was enough to put his hand in and that was exactly what he did. He pulled out his ear-mic radio and set that aside. He snapped his fingers and the small little portal closed.

He turned it on and placed the ear piece into his ear. He could hear nothing but static which just as pleasant as hearing tin foil being chewed on. He began to adjust the dials until he was to get the right signal. The static was beginning to fade more into the background when he believed he was on the right channel.

"Kia." He spoke. "Come in, Kia."

There was nothing at first. Then he heard a scramble, like someone dropping the mic on the other side before it dropped on the floor. He could hear all of the sound back and it made him tense up. "Shit, Kia."

"Sorry, sorry. I heard the mic come on, but I was in the other room talking to Okoki."

"Kia...the mission is over."

"Already? Wow, I was kind of expecting you to be out a little late. How did it go."

"Fucking sucked. Got my head smashed in, got baited into a trap, someone try to threaten Maya and I had to kill three people before they got the drop on me."

There was silence on the other end of the line. "So...same old, same old?" she said finally.

Kyu sighed. "Ayup. Same old, same old. Could you do me a favor and heal me up when I get home?"

"Hmmm...well, I could do that." Her voice was teasing. "If you promise to make everyone lasagna tonight. Okoki is fiending for something cheesy and I want something revolving around pasta."

Sure, once I take a ten hour nap. "Fine." Kyu said. "Just make sure you get the ingredients. I'm hella tired."

"Okay babe~" She made a kissy noise over the mic, and that was every reason for Kyu smiled.

"Stay on the line with me, Kia." Kyu asked. "I'm thinking of taking a walk and it'll be good to get some things off my chest."

[exit]

Spoiler:

Age : 32 Posts : 787

So that was it. Tekzuki was of two minds here. Half of him wanted to stay and eliminate every last soul from this land. His blood roiled against the knowledge of his experiences. Everything in him told him that these people needed to be taken care of here and now. They knew one way or another that Kiri shinobi and not mountain shinobi was what they were. He was also sure that whatever had happened during that meeting had not been pleasant by the look of Kyu. He wasn't exactly roughed up, but blood had soaked his poorly acquired toga and there was some wear around his edges. The book was still very readable, but its spine had a little fraying action going on.

The other half was ecstatic when Kyu sped off at such a rate that Tekzuki knew he could never hope to achieve. He was fast, but it was his hands that moved with the quickness, not his feet. Not carrying his body across distance anyway. His speedzone was about a meter from his core in every direction, maybe a bit more. Past that he was about as average as the next chunin. At least in that category. He was mentally exhausted from this journey. It had been by far the most intricate one he had dealt with to date. This was vastly a step up from what he was used to as a genin. The lad couldn't help but feel like he'd been scraping by by the skin of his teeth during this whole ordeal. Kyu's words had given him comfort in that aspect.

It would have been best to follow his orders and journey back to the village as he was told, but there was a loose end that needed to be tied up. Tekzuki had foreseen this going very differently than the outcome had become. Jun would be waiting for a message that wouldn't be coming. He couldn't just leave the guy in the dark until he got fed up. That just wasn't good manners.

(Back in the Port City)

"Come in, come in," the boat guard quickly ushered Tekzuki into the little shack who obliged by stepping over the precipice and into small abode. There was literally nothing here but a black traveling trunk in the middle of the single room that comprised the entire building.

"Jesus Jun, and you gave me shit for my brutality. Stuffing a man in a box is hardly kosher."

The security officer shook his head and sighed. "What did you want me to do. I can't just be dragging bodies off the boats I'm supposed to be securing. You're a hard one to please aren't you."

Tekzuki had to give him that much. It wasn't like he had a problem with it, but it would probably be the last chance he had to get under Jun's skin for a long time at the least. He wasn't permitted to lay a finger on the inhabitants of water country, but he could sure as hell annoy the shit out of them. It would have to do. They may have still fallen under his protection, but they were no more Kiri than a Konoha shinobi. They were just closer to home.

"So what are we doing with this corpse. Im not going to lug it around with me everywhere I go."

"Not everywhere, just on your next journey. Before long I'm sure there will be another boat headed towards the mountain country. Its simple, you just deliver the package."

With the final words he said, Tekzuki's eyes darted towards Koda's unconventional coffin to further indicate his meaning in case Jun had trouble with the context clues.

"You want me to......"

"Deliver the package, yes."

{Exit}