[NarutoITP] Episode 9: A Flower Blooming Amidst Cedars

[Purple Rose]

The world of the shinobi is one in constant shift. Clans and villages vie with each other at all times, the balance of power drifting endlessly between them with each subtle change in the landscape. New heirs are born with potent blood line abilities, alliances are formed, mercenaries are employed, powerful warriors fall, a million factors contribute to the steady flow of power from one faction to another. There are many ways a Nation, Village, Clan, or even individual people might obtain strength and increase their standing. Under the table deals cut with long time rivals against a shared threat, bribes to key individuals allowing information to fall into the right hands, and sometimes the acquisition of priceless resources by either purchase of theft. It is an endless struggle to stay on top and hold an advantage above the rest of the ninja world.

And within the secretive world of shadowing alliances and unspoken trades there exists a name often whispered in hushed and guarded tones. The name of a clan which some know of but few know about. A clan whose services have turned the tides in wars. Have allowed ambitious warlords to expand their territories and command power rivaling the hidden villages themselves. The secret of what this shadow clan has to offer is oft hinted at but seldom truly known. But even the vague insinuations are enough to grab the attention of men and woman in high places. To keep the collective ears of the worlds leaders perked for rumors of the clans dealings.

It is little surprise, then, that when the small hawk carrying an S-class mission request from the hidden clan arrived at Sunagakure it cause no small amount of commotion within the leadership of the village. The ranking of the mission came primarily from the urgency of the request and the payment for its completion was... substantial, even by the standards of National money flow. Half the amount to be delivered upon the acceptance of the mission (an impressive amount in and of itself) and the remainder upon its completion. The acceptance was unanimous amongst the ruling parties and the response sent less than and hour after its approval. The mission was on an extreme time constraint, requiring a team to have been sent days before the messenger arrived to complete it before it was too late. Luckily there was already a Sunagakure close enough, returning from a mission in a neighboring nation, to make it in time. And so the fastest dispatches were sent, speeding across desert for the Land of the Cedars and the team that the Village Hidden in the Sand would have to rely on to complete this mission.


*****

Hideyoshi stood, orders in hand, the bird that had delivered it panting in the trees above him, exhausted from its strenuous journey. His fellow squad mates were gathered around him, waiting for him to explain why they had been intercepted on the way home from a long mission on the border of their home country. The instructions in his hand were simple.

Intercept a group of enemies currently passing through the Land of the Cedars. Recover valuable, fragile stolen goods they were transporting. Return to Sunagakure with the goods secure and undamaged. Lethal force was advised and the general expected route they were taking was provided. Aside from that there was next to no information provided. No information about the ninja they were to intercept. No description of the stolen goods. Only that this mission had top priority over everything else. If they were still in the middle of their current mission they were to drop it without explanation and proceed with the new one. There was a substantial reward in store for them if they could complete this mission successfully.

Intriguing, but the orders were legitimate. And according to the instructions they were less than half a day from their targets if they moved fast and did so immediately. Even still, rushing into a fight against an unknown number of unknown enemies to secure an unknown object in an unknown land... It was a lot of uncertainty. But then, they were shinobi of Sunagakure. Charging into risky circumstances was par for the course.

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi looks up. "Okay, guys. We have our orders. There's a group we have to retrieve valuable- and fragile- goods from..."

He frowns. The nature of the goods wasn't specified. While that wasn't uncommon, it would make things... difficult. "We don't know what. While that probably means we don't need to, don't assume anything. If we find out the nature of the goods makes transport a difficult proposition, we might have to rethink things.

Also, they're recommending we fight to kill. So, secondary objective is to kill everyone in the group who stole the goods. However, that is a very much secondary objective.

...I don't like it. There's no information on what we're facing, but this is a top priority mission. Our insructions specifically say that if we're still on another mission, this takes precedence.

We know the general route, however."

Hideyoshi looks at the route, looking for a good ambush spot that they could get to, preferably before their targets.

[IcemanJRC]

Kurokuma says with a bit of disbeleif,
They expect us to complete this mission with next to no information?
his baritone voice rumbleing as he looks confused, he fixes his sandals and then DEADTIMES.

[Purple Rose]

The route the enemies are taking has them cutting straight through the heart of the Land of Cedars naming feature; the Grand Cedar Forest. A swath of densely forested land stretching for countless miles. It is a land of extreme danger and majestic beauty. Towering trees hundreds of feet high that dwarf those found elsewhere in the world. It won't be impossible to set a trap, but there isn't any obvious geological feature to use.

[13_CBS]

Toki

Toki flicks open his watch with his thumb, checks the time, then closes it. *Flick* "10:05:09 AM. *Click*

"Sir, I'm more...concerned about our-qualifications-for this...mission." He's nervous; a calm Toki wouldn't let his speech slow down and speed up like that. "This is...a...S...Class-mission,isn't it? We've never handled...anything...above...B Class...before...not to mention-the-lack-of-information-regarding, well, pretty much everything about the target. Should we...try...to...hold out until reinforcements?"

*Flick* 10:06:03 AM. *Click*

[horngeek]

"...no. By the time reinforcements got here, the mission would have failed already.

We'll just have to do this as well as we're able to."

Their leader sighs. "We'll discuss it further on the way. We need to move."

[IcemanJRC]

Kurokuma nods briefly and follows the team, taking up the rear o the formation.

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi starts leading the team to a spot where he thinks they'll arrive before their prey.

[Innis Cabal]

Ren shuffles behind the main body of his team, his eyes half lided as he glances around at his immediate area. He lets out a soft cooing nose, bending down to pick up a handful of the local plant life, munching away on it slowly as his eyes unfocus.

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi yells at him. "Keep up, Ren, or I will leave you behind! We've got a mission to do!"

[13_CBS]

Hideyoshi yells at him. "Keep up, Ren, or I will leave you behind! We've got a mission to do!"

Toki


As the team speeds their way to the ambush point, Toki takes the opportunity to ask some pressing questions.

*Flick* 10:08:42 AM. *Click*

"Any information on who our targets are, sir? Where they're...from...and all that?"

[Innis Cabal]

Ren grunts loudly, shuffling slightly faster as the contents of his make shift meal fall freely from his mouth half chewed.

"No, he wasn't talking about milk. I don't know...ask him...ask him....a-ask...him."

Ren glances around again, frowning.

"Hahaa....fraid not. He's not into that."

[horngeek]

"MISSION, REN! KEEP UP!"

Hideyoshi sighs. "Seriously... can't he pay attention?"

[Purple Rose]

The team makes excellent time, quickly passing into the small Land of the Cedars. They move through rolling grasslands, passing small villages as they go. They are not stopped or approached, though. The Land of the Cedars is a small nation, lacking its own ninja and relying on commissions to the ninja villages for its protection. Soon they see a low mountain covered thickly in trees rising in the distance, rapidly growing closer and looming larger.

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi leads the team towards the mountain, looking out in case the enemy ninja have already passed this way.

If they have... this would become a lot more complicated.

[Purple Rose]

As they get closer it becomes suddenly clear that what appeared to be a mountain from a distance is actually the vast expanse of the Grand Cedar Forest. They soon find themselves reaching the edge and coming to a stop. Before them rises a solid wall of trees which ends abruptly at the edge of the grassy plane they are coming off of. Stretching out before them is a land of trees thirty to fifty feet in diameter at the base. Supported on these colossal trunks are trees hundreds of feet tall, their branches forming a canopy of of intertwined branches that make up a ceiling hundreds of feet up, blocking out the sun and casting the forest into a perpetual dusk. It is impossible to see more than a few hundred feet in any direction, owing to the sheer thickness of the trees rather than the actual density of growth.

The ground is nearly free of underbrush, the low light starving all but the hardiest of plants. It is carpeted by a blanket of pine needles many inches thick. The tree trunks themselves are host to a wide variety of creeping vines and insects and even other species of trees growing parasitically from the giants that dominate the land. Large creatures move about in the dark depths, flitting in and out of perception and filling the air with echoing calls. A sense of hidden danger pervades the air.

The team of ninjas comes to a stop at the edge of the forest, held back momentarily by a chill miasma that seeps from the dimly lit world before them. Perhaps they are cowed by the sheer enormity of the monstrous trees they must now charge into. Nevertheless, they have a mission to accomplish and they must cut into the heart of this forest in order to intercept their targets.

[13_CBS]

As they get closer it becomes suddenly clear that what appeared to be a mountain from a distance is actually the vast expanse of the Grand Cedar Forest. They soon find themselves reaching the edge and coming to a stop. Before them rises a solid wall of trees which ends abruptly at the edge of the grassy plane they are coming off of. Stretching out before them is a land of trees thirty to fifty feet in diameter at the base. Supported on these colossal trunks are trees hundreds of feet tall, their branches forming a canopy of of intertwined branches that make up a ceiling hundreds of feet up, blocking out the sun and casting the forest into a perpetual dusk. It is impossible to see more than a few hundred feet in any direction, owing to the sheer thickness of the trees rather than the actual density of growth.

The ground is nearly free of underbrush, the low light starving all but the hardiest of plants. It is carpeted by a blanket of pine needles many inches thick. The tree trunks themselves are host to a wide variety of creeping vines and insects and even other species of trees growing parasitically from the giants that dominate the land. Large creatures move about in the dark depths, flitting in and out of perception and filling the air with echoing calls. A sense of hidden danger pervades the air.

The team of ninjas comes to a stop at the edge of the forest, held back momentarily by a chill miasma that seeps from the dimly lit world before them. Perhaps they are cowed by the sheer enormity of the monstrous trees they must now charge into. Nevertheless, they have a mission to accomplish and they must cut into the heart of this forest in order to intercept their targets.

*Flip* *Click*

"Any plans for attack, sir?"

[Innis Cabal]

Ren glances around at the tree's, muttering softly to himself, touching the bark, his fingers rasping against the rough surface, a broad grin forming across his face.

"Big cats...We could move them. Yes, they just need a push, a big push and we could make them all fall over. They need milk to I'd suspect, do you have a saucer? No? You should have come prepared..."

Ren takes a swipe at the air, chuckling.

"Klutz...I just tapped you. Stand up and get the saucer out of the top shelf. We can't waist time here...oh...waste...thats what I said. You don't need to correct me."

Ren glances Toki

"Did you say something?"

[IcemanJRC]

Kurokuma whispers to Toki, while pointing to Ren

Is something wrong with him?

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi sighs. "Kurokuma, you're on scouting duty. Make sure they haven't come this way already, all right?

Everyone else... we'll follow behind."

[13_CBS]

Kurokuma whispers to Toki, while pointing to Ren

Is something wrong with him?

*Flip*

"You just noticed?"

*Click*

[IcemanJRC]

Kurokuma nods and activates his Nature's Umbra. Three hyenas composed of white, almost clear chakra. Thay then spread out and began surveying the area swiftly and thouroughly.
Scouting commenced sir.
He looks back at Toki,
I'm not very observant...

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi nods. "All right. We'll head in. Keep your eyes open, people, just in case somthing gets missed."

[Innis Cabal]

Ren places his hands on his face, prying his eyes far to open to be comfortable, glancing around the area as he starts to shuffle behind the main party.

[Purple Rose]

And so the team presses forward into the gloomy ever-night of the Grand Cedar Forest. There is no sign of any passage at first, but as they progress deeper into the forest, Kurokuma's hyena's pick up a fairly fresh trail.

They missed their chance to ambush.

Which means that they have to move to catch up with their targets and likely face a much more head to head confrontation. Luckily, they should be able to catch up with their quarry before night settles, plunging the forest into a true pitch black.

[horngeek]

As soon a Hideyoshi gets the news, he cringes. "Crap.

Guys, we move as fast as possible, but still watch for ambushes. We're chasing them now."

[Innis Cabal]

Ren's eyes open, staring almost transfixed at Hedyoshi before suddenly rushing ahead into the gloom.

[horngeek]

"And keep quiet unless you have to talk. Use hand signals if possible. Kurokuma, you lead."

Hideyoshi lets Kurokuma lead the way.

[IcemanJRC]

(Didn't Ren just spotaneously rush into an unknown environment haphazardly?)
Kurokuma begins to ninja leap, keeping his senses peeled and his hyenas do the same.

[Innis Cabal]

(He did yes. Not spotaneously though.)

[13_CBS]

Toki

*Flick* *Click* Toki keeps his silence and follows Hideyoshi.

[Purple Rose]

Into the forest they charge. The going is difficult but they make excellent time nonetheless. As they move into the forest the perpetual night settles thickly about them. All around the team the sounds of large animals and unknown things can be heard.

The lack of underbrush makes for quick travel through the trees but makes it difficult track their targets. Hours pass with only the barest signs of any other humans having passed through.

Eventually the team finds itself springing into a wide open area where numerous trees have been cut down recently, laid as they fell. The sudden burst of light in the perpetual dark causes them to stop as their eyes burn and adjust. As their vision clears they see, sitting on the far side of the unnatural clearing, a lone figure perched in a relaxed position against the trunk of a relatively small tree. The figure doesn't look up as the arrive but speaks anyways.

"We were expecting trouble. Just not so fast. Though you bunch certainly aren't too discrete. Must have set off at least half our warning traps on the way here. So we were left behind to hold you all up."

They stand slowly. The figure appears to be male, dressed in a vibrant red jacket with a high collar that covers half his face. His hands are held in front of him, hidden as his sleeves meet to for a single cylinder of cloth. He observes the groups with a single visible eye.

"As it stands, once we cross out of the Land of the Cedars we will be out of reach. We have powerful employers and they are waiting to receive us with a sizable force just on the border. And frankly, you won't be able to catch the rest of us. Especially now that we have been left to take care of you."

There is a telltale twang as a hail of kunai streams out of the woods surrounding the team, fired from hidden traps.

((So, if you hadn't guessed, I was planning on running this in a standard "one team member stays behind to let the others go on, loosing members until only one is left to fight the final 'Boss'" style encounter. Feel free to choose who stays behind to fight this one for now. Note: Horn's character is the one who will ultimately reach the target, so he is not going to stay behind.))

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi frowns, as he thinks furiously, dodging the kunai. Because he was trapped now.

He had two choices. Three, really. But only two he could conceivably take. Either they left someone behind to fight this guy... or they all fought him. If he took the former choice, the person who was left could die.

But the latter... the mission would fail, probably.

[IcemanJRC]

Kurokuma eyes the man, his hyenas having retreated back to the group in a small badass looking circle around Kurokuma,

(Who would be the most cinematic choice to fight this guy?)

[Purple Rose]

((Honestly, I created him with Kurokuma in mind, though all of the baddies I developed were made open enough to be an interesting match against any of the party members.))

[IcemanJRC]

((Perfect.))
Hideyoshi, you should take the team and go. I'm perfectly capable of handling this guy.
Kurokuma shouts over the twan of the traps as he jumps out of the way.

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi nods. "All right. Don't take any foolish risks, okay?

See you when the mission's done."

[Purple Rose]

The man smirks.

"Wait, you think we are just going to let the rest of you go?"

He narrows his eyes and draws his arms apart. From inside his large sleeve appears a pair of long blades that glint in the sun. The enemy shinobi springs from his perch, flying at the group, his swords held back and ready to slash.

[13_CBS]

Toki

Toki's hand twitches as he resists the urge to check his watch again.

Damn...I'll have to slow him down...

"Sir!" he yells to Hideyoshi. "I'll try to...slow...him down, cover-me!" He draws a kunai and starts heading towards the assailant.

OOC:
Recall that Toki can slow down something he touches to half speed, including bodily functions. This ought to give the rest of the team enough time (har har) to get away from the enemy, and let Kurokuma deal with him.

[Innis Cabal]

Ren dodges the blades, narrowing his eyes,

"Bye bye...."

He punchs out at the flying Ninja, his arm suddenly glowing a bright blue, a massive chakra fist and upper arm suddenly appearing before the enemy trying to punch him out of the air.

[Purple Rose]

The enemy nin brings his swords up in time to block the animus fist and is driven back by the blow. If the team is going to move out, it needs to be now.

[Innis Cabal]

"Run..."

Ren grins broadly, cracking his knucles. Two massive fists appear behind him, cracking as well.

"Lets play....lets play play...day...may...may I?"

[horngeek]

"No. This guy's Kurokuma's- rest of us, go, now."

Hideyoshi attempts to drag Ren along if he doesn't come willingly. "I get the feeling you'll get your turn."

[13_CBS]

Toki

Toki drags Ren along as well.

"Good-luck-Kurokuma. Let's go, sir."

[IcemanJRC]

Kurokuma, having evaded the blades, waves a quick farewell to the team before encircling the enemy ninja with his hyenas.

Let's see what you can do.

He stands facing the enemy ninja, his hyenas to the left, right, and behind his opponent, ready to strike out at any time.

[Innis Cabal]

Ren is dragged away easily, muttering something obscene under his breath, glancing back long enough to glare darkly at the enemy ninja.

[Purple Rose]

[Kurokuma]

The ninja gets to his feet and spits a curse after the escaping team. He presses a hidden button inside his sleeve.

"There are four of them. Three got away from us. Estimate mid level at best. Going to kill the one left behind and try to catch the others."

He glares at Kurokuma, ignoring the hyenas for now.

"Well, you stood a chance of defeating us when you were all together. But seeing as your allies abandoned you to fight us alone..."

The visible half of his face twists into a wicked smile as his chakra flares. He holds out his hands and the swords skitter across the ground and massive felled trees that make up the area, flying to him. No sooner have they returned to his hands then he throws himself at Kurokuma, sweeping his blades in fast and savage strikes.

[Team]

The team passes once more into the dark of the forest, speeding away from their ally, unsure of his survival. Clearly any hope of surprise has been lost if such a reception was left for them. It also means their targets won't be slowing down until they reach the border. Which is another thing they now know. The time constraint is so much more urgent than they previously thought.

[13_CBS]

Toki

Toki runs along next to Hideyoshi.

"They seem...to..be..heading in this direction for the next stretch of the journey. Is there a shortcut you know of, sir, that we can take?"

[horngeek]

"Unfortunately, no. But the fact that they're sending people to slow us down tells me something else. The goods are probably bulky enough that they're slowed enough that if they didn't, we'd catch up."

Hideyoshi does look at the map as they go, however, trying to see if there is a shortcut.

[Purple Rose]

[Team]

There is, in fact, what appears to be a deep ravine not far ahead that splits the land where a now dried up river used to run through the forest. It should provide a straight, clear line for them to follow, letting them run unimpeded by trees.

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi frowns. "There's a ravine that's clear of trees, though. However... there's probably a good reason they're not taking it."

[Innis Cabal]

Ren is dragged along easily through the ravine, though continues to look back at where the fight he was pulled away from rages. He shrugs off his team mates, charging forward with renewed vigor.

"Baaaannn...."

[IcemanJRC]

[Kurokuma]

The ninja gets to his feet and spits a curse after the escaping team. He presses a hidden button inside his sleeve.

"There are four of them. Three got away from us. Estimate mid level at best. Going to kill the one left behind and try to catch the others."

He glares at Kurokuma, ignoring the hyenas for now.

"Well, you stood a chance of defeating us when you were all together. But seeing as your allies abandoned you to fight us alone..."

The visible half of his face twists into a wicked smile as his chakra flares. He holds out his hands and the swords skitter across the ground and massive felled trees that make up the area, flying to him. No sooner have they returned to his hands then he throws himself at Kurokuma, sweeping his blades in fast and savage strikes.



Kurokuma, dodges as much as he can. His hyenas rush in, the two on the side ready to attack and the one behind, pouncing onto the ninja's back.

[13_CBS]

Toki

Toki glances towards the ravine, then at the path ahead of them.


"Do-you-think-we-should...split...up...sir?"

*Flip* *Click* *Flip* *Click*

[horngeek]

"...someone could act as a decoy, yes. Head along the trees while the other two head down the ravine. "

[Purple Rose]

[Kurokuma]

The enemy ninja lands several shallow hits on Kurokuma before the hyenas are on him, forcing him to hold back. They tear at his cloths, pulling a sleeve off as he spins, sending them flying with a series of kicks and punches. The man lands a few yards off, looking at Kurokuma with an annoyed expression. His bare arm is... startling. The skin is a molted gray from the shoulder to the wrist, where it meets the other flesh in an ugly, melted seam. Now exposed, it becomes apparent that his hand and face are not the same color either, off by several shades of fleshtone.

"We guess we are going to have to stop holding back to beat you. Tell us, what is your name? Kurokuma, right? Would you like to know the name of the enemies that will kill you today?"

[Team]

Though there is no way to tell, the ravine was most likely avoided because when they passed through here the targets were focused on not leaving a trail, something easier done in the chaos of the forest than over the open ground of the ravine. Either way, the team does not have much time to debate how to proceed.

[horngeek]

"All right. Ravine it is. Let's go!"

Hideyoshi starts heading down the ravine, keeping an eye out for any... critters.

[13_CBS]

Toki.

"Acknowledged."

*Flick* *Click*

[Innis Cabal]

Ren shoots ahead of his team mates, two massive animus fists appearing in front of him to claw at the ground like some massive running animal. He lets out a loud howl, panting from the effort.

[Purple Rose]

[Team]

And so down the ravine they went, making excellent time through the dense wood. All around them the sounds and fleeting shadowed forms of large creatures stirred, staying always just out of sight.

Ren leads the group by a slowly expanding gap, drawing away from them with his enthusiastic gallop. The dark starts to fill in between them as the gap widens, his charging form fading into the black.

[horngeek]

"Ren! Unless you intend to carry us both, slow down a little!"

[Innis Cabal]

((Ignore the last post please))

[horngeek]

{{Gap's still widening, isn't it? :smallconfused:}}

[Purple Rose]

[Team]

Ren passes out of view of the other two for a moment, a wall of deep shadows obscuring him and cutting him off entirely. But it is only for a moment. Out of the darkness he comes as they catch up, the shinobi having slowed his pace at their request.

[13_CBS]

Toki

"I...smell...ninjutsu...s-s-s-s-ir..."

Toki's complexion begins to fluctuate, his nervousness and tension boiling within him.

[Purple Rose]

[Team]

Almost on cue the air before them ripples and a huge beast drops into the ravine between them and Ren. The creature looks like an ape, only ten feet tall and with six arms. It looks at Toki with slightly luminescent eyes and lets out a loud yowl that carries through the forest. From the distance comes a chorus of replies. The beast pounds its chest aggressively and charges Toki and Hideyoshi.

[13_CBS]

[Team]

Almost on cue the air before them ripples and a huge beast drops into the ravine between them and Ren. The creature looks like an ape, only ten feet tall and with six arms. It looks at Toki with slightly luminescent eyes and lets out a loud yowl that carries through the forest. From the distance comes a chorus of replies. The beast pounds its chest aggressively and charges Toki and Hideyoshi.

Toki

"Oh-crap-!" Toki hurls himself out of the beast's way, drawing a kunai as he tumbles into the soil.

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi also dodges out of the beast's way, drawing his katana from his back.

[Purple Rose]

[Team]

The monster charges past and skids to a halt, turning to face them again. It leaps, landing heavily between them, reaching for each with two arms and massive, strong hands.

[Innis Cabal]

Ren takes a swipe at the creature with the massive animus fist, trying to knock it away from his companions.

[13_CBS]

Toki

Toki wastes no time springing back and showering the creature with Accelerated kunai.

[Purple Rose]

[Team]

The beast staggers back under the flurry of kunai, only to be slammed hard from behind by Ren's animus. It bellows in pain and turns on Ren, swinging three fists in quick succession.

[Innis Cabal]

Ren jumps back from the massive beast, one of the large hands comming to swat at the beast as it presses its attack, the other comming from behind, trying to take out Toki and the Beast in a large clapping motion.

[13_CBS]

Toki

Toki just barely dodges Ren's swinging fist, and ends up on his back for the effort.

"W-w-w-at-at-ch it!"

He prepares another stash of kunai, but decides against it.

"S-ir-ir," he calls out to Hideyoshi, panting. "We should-should move out..."

[Innis Cabal]

"W-w-w-at-at-ch it!"

((Nice pun. :smallbiggrin:))

[horngeek]

Hideyoshi sighs, and nods. "Ren, we'll leave this thing up to you."

He then starts to move out...

[Innis Cabal]

Ren continues to swing and swat wildly around the ravine, trying to sweep his team mates and the beast away with his mighty hands, snarling and screaming obscenities over and over.

[13_CBS]

Toki

Toki glances backwards at Ren as he follows Hideyoshi's lead.

Good luck.


*Flick* *Click*

[Purple Rose]

[Team]

The two of them dash off, leaving Ren behind to handle the monster on his own. They run for a few minutes before a figure appears in the gloom ahead of them. As they get closer they discover that it is... Ren? He stands over the body of the beast, now bloody and mangled from his onslaught. The ravine lead straight with no forks or deviations to explain their inexplicable doubling back. Something is going on...

[horngeek]

Hachirou frowns. "Damm. Must be a technique of some sort..."

[13_CBS]

Toki

A genjutsu? Or something else...?

He cautiously walks towards Ren, his hand outstretched.

"R-R-Ren? Are-you-alright?"

[Innis Cabal]

Ren turns to his compatriots and quirks his head. He is soaked head to toe with brilliant blood. He turns slowly to face them and they can see something in his hands. Something not quite right.

"He... He came back..."

Ren turns the rest of the way and it becomes very clear exactly what he is holding.

Kurokuma's body.

The ninja is bloody and beaten and quite clearly dead. Ren chuckles.

[13_CBS]

Ren turns to his compatriots and quirks his head. He is soaked head to toe with brilliant blood. He turns slowly to face them and they can see something in his hands. Something not quite right.

"He... He came back..."

Ren turns the rest of the way and it becomes very clear exactly what he is holding.

Kurokuma's body.

The ninja is bloody and beaten and quite clearly dead. Ren chuckles.


Toki

"I...Ren?

W-w-w-w-w-w-w-wwwwwwwwww--------hhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-aa-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a--"

Toki can only stare, eyes blank, at the scene before him.

[IcemanJRC]

As far as myself and everyone else knows, Kurokuma's being dead. As I imagine that's genjutsu though. Real Kurokuma is doing a sort of two pronged assault, using his three hyenas, on sword/knife guy.

[Purple Rose]

A quick recap:

The team, having been sent on an urgent mission to stop a group of Shinobi from reaching the border out of the Land of Cedars, entered the Grand Cedar Forest in hot pursuit. They picked up their targets' trail and soon confronted the first of their opponents, a mysterious shinobi.

Kurokuma was chosen to stay behind and deal with the sword wielding foe so that the rest of the team could continue on, increasing their chance of success. His fight is under way.

The remainder of the team diverted into a dry river bed that cuts through the forest and provides a good chance of catching up to their quarry, but were soon attacked by a viscous wild beast. Ren was left to deal with it, but Toki and Hachirou soon found themselves back where they had started, only this time Ren seemed to have killed Kurokuma in their absence. It is likely that the two others have already begun suspecting something is up. Only time will tell if they make it out of this successful...



[Kurokuma]

The shinobi lashes out with several savage blows at Kurokuma, but all of them fail to hit as the hyena's are upon him again. They sink their teeth into him and begin tearing at his body. The man struggles against them but soon is overcome and torn limb from limb.

An interesting development, to say the least, considering the ease with which he previously fought them off before. Either way, Kurokuma looks to be the victor...

[Team]

An odd conflict, if the other team members knew that Kurokuma was still fighting his own opponent in the clearing they left him in... But for now, it appears as though Ren has gone rogue. He throws the body to the ground and sways side to side slightly, his eyes glazing over. When he speaks, it is clearly not Ren's voice at all. But something deeper. Malicious.

"You fell so easily into my trap... should I be disappointed?"

He chuckles again and the flesh on his face begins to melt and run like candle wax.

"Looks like it wasn't to last..."

The world shifts and starts melting as well, blurring with itself and condensing oddly, overlapping with a world identical in every way save lacking the marks of battle and the corpse of the beast Ren killed. Quite suddenly Toki and Hachirou find themselves in the ravine, their bodies tightly wrapped in thick vines. The vines are rotting fast, the binds loosening with each second. Before them, sitting on the top edge of the river bed is a man in tight fitting black armor. For a moment his face is... wrong somehow. Shifting swiftly to a sharp eyed, dark skinned visage. His pupils are narrow slits, serpent-like, and an orange color that stands out against the rest of his pointed features.

"I apologize for the cheap genjustsu. I just needed to hold you up long enough to allow the Leader to get a good headstart on you two."

Two indeed. Ren is nowhere in sight.

"I hate to hold you up further, but I felt it prudent to talk for a moment before letting one of you go running off to die, like so many ships throwing themselves against the rocky shore."

He smiles and the two of them get a sense of something vile just beneath the skin of this new foe.

[Ren]

[Previously]

As Ren charges ahead of the group he fails to notice how the darkness thickens behind him, separating him from the rest of the group. Without warning a vast bundle of arms stretch from the embankment of the ravine, grabbing him and tugging him into the dirt embankment and fast away.

For a moment he is surrounded by swirling chaos of dirt and stone and black. Suddenly he is ejected from the ground in the center of a large stand of trees.

His bearings are thrown, giving him no clue as to what direction to head to either get back to his team or press onto the objective. Either way, he is quite suddenly alone in the middle of a vast forest of dark giants.

Or...

Perhaps not entirely alone.

"Well, well, well... Look what my trap captured me. Quite the lively one, eh? Please, call me Arms. Not my birth name, but my designation. So, shall we begin?"

[hr]

Ren tilts his head, his eyes daring to and fro.

"Arms, I have arms, ten arms...12 arms...forty arms...you have arms...but you'll have 0 arms. Let me show you what I mean. Let us show you what we mean...do you hear it? Do you hear that sound of darkness? Do you hear the animals with bloody maws. You do don't you...you do you do you do we do...we don't...why can't we hear it? Why? WHY!?"
Ren lifts a hand, a massive animus copy appearing in the air. He brings the hand down on his foe, screaming loudly.

"Flat like a pancake! Flat like breakfast!"


[hr]

Ren's attack lands heavily on his opponent, who was standing not far away in one of the lower branches of a tree. The attack splinters wood and brings the whole thing to the ground with a crashing racket that vanishes into the forest, muted in the dense growth.

For a moment it looks as though Ren has soundly squashed he foe with his opening move.

Suddenly Ren feels his animus being lifted from the ground by something very strong. Slowly but surely the large hand if lifted into the air and Ren can see what is repelling his attack. Rising from the ground below the hand is a cluster of thin pipe-like protrusions made of shadowy material that half mimics the ground cover in appearance. At the end of each pipe is a hand, splayed and pushing against his attack, combining the force of dozens of arms to accomplish the task. Standing amidst the strange growth of limbs is Arms.

He is a man of youngish age, perhaps in his early twenties. His hair is a light blond, somewhat long and held up in a spiky column of three inch hair. His eyes are a crisp hazel and his sharp face is pulled tight in a smug grin. He stands, arms crossed, wearing a long beige jacket that reaches to his knees and has the arms cut off cleanly at the shoulders. His slacks are a dull brown and he doesn't seem to be wearing any extra equipment or pouches to store weapons.

"Hmph. Looks like I got a crazy one. Here's hoping Schrodinger can act the part successfully. Now, what was it you were saying about many arms?"

As he speaks a pair of arms reaches from a tree behind Ren, their material shadowy but run through with hints of bark and wood. They reach for the animus wielder, ready to grab his arms and restrain him.

[hr]

Ren seems to fall into a catatonic stupor, the arms gripping him readily. He seemingly offers no resistance to the arms.

[hr]

The arms retract into the tree they sprang from, holding him tightly against it. Arms narrows his eyes at the ninja as more arms push from the trunk, grabbing at Ren's legs and torso and head.

"That was awfully easy. I don't suppose you are intending to lure me in close and finish me off, are you? Well, I am fairly content right where I am. After all, my orders were to slow our pursuers down to buy the boss time. Though... He never said I couldn't have a little fun..."


The grasping hands tighten their grip on Ren and begin pulling harder, pinning him tightly to the tree as if trying to draw him into it. Of course, the tree is quite solid, so all this effort translates to the arms attempting to crush the life out of him against the gnarled bark.

[hr]

Ren gives a massive burst of strained laughter, though dosn't seem to struggle against the grip of the tree as he's crushed against its mass.

"0 arms...no arms...noarms...norm...."

He glances at his adversary, a grin slowly forming across his face.

"He's comming...."

[hr]

Arms quirks an eyebrow at Ren.

"He? An ally? I doubt it. Or are you rambling uselessly again? I feel almost ashamed beating you like this."

An arm springs from the ground before Ren, clenching into a fist and delivering a solid punch to his stomach.

[hr]

Ren oofs as the air deflates from him, continuing to laugh, though now grasping for breath as well.

"He's comming comming comming comming...your leaving...leaving leaving. Don't leave me!!"

His arms suddenly buldge with a dark blue glow, trying to rend out of the arms grip. Two massive animus arms, buldging with muscle, appear out of thin air interposed over Ren.

[hr]

The arms holding Ren strain under the pressure and Arms narrows his eyes as the animus limbs appear. The phantom limbs gripping Ren loosen.

"Ah, a real fight at last.”

[hr]

Ren slowly stands, his arms and legs visably straining for several moments. He glances up at his opponent, grinning broadly though his eyes seem to focus at something just past him.

"No fight. No chance. No life."

He brings his hands togather, two massive animus versions converging upon Arms as if in a massive clap.

[hr]

The arms release Ren as the animus claps around Arms heavily. But... Something is wrong. The hands are refusing to come entirely together. Something is between them, pushing them apart. Slowly the animus hands are force open. Rising from the ground is a pair of thick arms, opposing Ren's attack. Between them is Arms. He looks mildly surprise and, though he is trying to hide it, is straining to keep the hands from crushing him.

[hr]

Ren smiles, shaking his head, his tone suddenly all to lucid.

"He's here."

Ren opens his mouth wide as if to scream, the hands suddely sliding away as he leans his head back. He then brings his head violently down, a massive Animus head screaming into existance, its mouth wide open, crashing down on Arms.

[hr]

Arms throws himself out of the way of the oncoming attack, all of the ethereal arms vanishing as he looses his concentration. He sprints across the open ground, leaping behind a tree trunk and vanishing from view.

"Looks like I would do well not to underestimate you."

[hr]

Ren smiles, placing his hands flat to the ground.

"Yes...yes YES!!!"

He slowly starts to spin, massive animus hands appearing around him, cutting down the tree's as if made from metal.

[hr]

The arms slash through the trees around them, sending them crashing to the ground with earth shattering force as thousands of tons of wood impact. The tree Arms was hiding behind is cut and topples with a dragging slowness as it rips through the canopy high above them. A storm of debris rains down from above, nests and animals and branches heavy enough to kill a man fall from the sky as the treetops are destroyed by the fall.

And in the midst of the violence, phantasmal arms begin reaching from tree trunks all around Ren. They stretch into the air and grab the heaviest of the falling clutter and throw it in the direction of the shinobi. From somewhere in the chaos, Arm's laughter rings out.

[Innis Cabal]

The massive animus hands swat the tree's out of the air like gnats, the wood splintering and falling to the ground from the heavy blows. Ren pants loudly as sweat starts to pour out all over his body, oddly tinged blue. He glances around once more, blood starting to pool at the corners of his eyes and lips.


"I told you....he's here..."Why won't you listen...listen...listen to me...you...we...we...we're...DEAD!"

He slowly falls to his hands and knee's, gasping for air as he slowly starts to shimmer with animus energy.

"Take me! Ye hallowed might! The dead rise and I am its form! Hahahahahahahaha!!"

On two massive legs of Animus does Ren stand, suspended in a chest of the same sparkling energy. In seconds, where one only Ren stood, a massive man made of glittering blue energy stands some twelve feet in height. His voice booms across the littered forest as he grabs several of the arms, tugging at them like rope.

"Come."

[horngeek]

"So talk, then."

Hachirou relaxes, seemingly, but is ready to go at a moment's notice.

[13_CBS]

"So talk, then."

Hachirou relaxes, seemingly, but is ready to go at a moment's notice.

Toki

Toki, meanwhile, still seems nervous. The genjutsu had shaken him to the core.

"S-s-sir," he whispers, "Shouldn't-n't-n't- we be goingoingoing? We don't hav-have time to waste..."

[horngeek]

Toki might see that Hachirou is trying to reach one of his kunai. "What do you think I'm trying to do?"

[IcemanJRC]

[Kurokuma]

He waits in silence, his senses trained on the surrounding area, trying to detect any signs of his opponent. One of three hyenas lurking around between the trees.

[Purple Rose]

((Might suggest checking out the OOC thread for some context to this post))

[Kurokuma]

For a moment nothing happens. The tattered body lies unmoving on the ground and a silence fills the clearing.

For a moment.

The body before Kurokuma spasms. A hand shoots from the pile, launching itself onto the trunk of a tree nearby. At the same moment, the body falls to many differently shaded pieces. At least a dozen of them in total, they are the patchwork portions of the ninja, arms, legs, hands, uneven portions of the torso; and in one piece; the head. They scatter into the fallen logs that populate the clearing and the shinobi's voice filters in from all directions.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves, we are the Brotherhood."

The hand nearby has grown a tattered mouth on the back of the hand and a single bloodshot eye at the end of the cut off wrist.

"I'm afraid you are hopelessly outnumbered, Kurokuma."

[Ren]

The snatched arms stretch and tear, dissolving into nothingness as they break. Arms leaps from his hiding place and lands before Ren.

"I am impressed. I presume I am no longer fighting that poor soul from before, am I? And if so, then to whom am I speaking?"

[Toki/Hachirou]

The man before them stands and the vines drop them rather unceremoniously.

"You have a few minutes to talk. This ravine will take you straight to the Leader with time to spare, at the rate you travel. However, I feel obligated to at least postpone one of you."

He smiles and points at Toki.

"Him, specifically. I can taste that he is the stronger of you two by far. I felt obliged, though, to give you a bit of... warning. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Enk."

He grins sadistically, knowing the name to be familiar with most people in the world.

((Taking a moment for some friendly exposition conversation before the battle gets going in full force.))

[13_CBS]

Toki

Toki stands confused for a moment, but realization dawns on him.

"Enk? You? That...thatthat's not t-true, that's imposs-ssible! He's...you're-re-re only a legend..."

[Innis Cabal]

"We are one. And you will join us."

The massive Animus shell turns slowly as Arms comes into the clearing, its twisting visage impossible to read as Ren, suspended, lifts his arm.

"We are dead. And we claim you."

A massive fist suddenly forms in front of Arms, moving swiftly to strike him.

[Purple Rose]

[Ren]

The fist impacts arms brutally, sending him flying across the clearing. He smashes into a tree trunk with enough force to splinter the wood, his body issuing sickening cracks as his bones shatter. He sags to the ground, blood running from numerous wounds, his head bowed against his chest.

Slowly a smile crosses his lips and a gurgling chuckle rises from him. Swaying slightly, he straightens up again, leaning ever so slightly against the tree. He spits out a mouthful of blood and speaks, his eyes still focused on the ground before him.

"A a good hit hit hit. But not good goo denough."

He looks up at Ren and grins. His face is brutally smashed. A trio of arms shoot from the ground around Ren, angling to strike him simultaneously from different directions.

[Toki/Hachirou]

Enk laughs out loud.

"A legend! Yes, imagine my surprise to find out my humble exploits had become the subject of legends and fairy tales!"

He quirks a smile.

"An interesting story, really. Locked away for five hundred years in that wretched cave. And then one day, a cocky shinobi comes along and lets me out."

He pauses.

"I feel obliged to warn you about the Leader, before you go off to fight him."

He looks at Hachirou.

"He is ruthless. Brutal. Driven. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. His team... Trust me, I am far from the biggest monster he has bribed, beaten, and blackmailed onto his team."

He smiles again.

"When he let me out, the first thing he did was feed me a few shinobi he had captured."

Enk's face shifts several times, ending on the face of a darker skinned girl, who the two might recognize as a Sand Ninja who vanished while on a mission some years back. At the time it was suspected she had defected to another village, but... He, It, continues in a female voice.

"Then he put a lovely little seal on me so that if he died, I went right along with him."

Enk's face shifts once more, becoming one with crisp blue eyes and tiger-like stripes across it.

"And then... to seal the deal and ensure I survived the sealing, he single-handedly took out his own teammates and fed them to me as well."

He looks long and hard at Hachirou.

"I might have freedom from that blasted cave, but I am hardly free. I would not be particularly torn if you actually managed to kill the bastard. If you see an opening, if he drops his guard for even an instant, take it. Kill him. No hesitation. No remorse. If he slips up even once, it will be your only chance in hell of getting him. Now go, before I change my mind about this."

He turns back to Toki and grins, his tongue; long and pointed, lolling out past his chin.

"Shall we get started?"

[13_CBS]

[Toki/Hachirou]

Enk laughs out loud.

"A legend! Yes, imagine my surprise to find out my humble exploits had become the subject of legends and fairy tales!"

He quirks a smile.

"An interesting story, really. Locked away for five hundred years in that wretched cave. And then one day, a cocky shinobi comes along and lets me out."

He pauses.

"I feel obliged to warn you about the Leader, before you go off to fight him."

He looks at Hachirou.

"He is ruthless. Brutal. Driven. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. His team... Trust me, I am far from the biggest monster he has bribed, beaten, and blackmailed onto his team."

He smiles again.

"When he let me out, the first thing he did was feed me a few shinobi he had captured."

Enk's face shifts several times, ending on the face of a darker skinned girl, who the two might recognize as a Sand Ninja who vanished while on a mission some years back. At the time it was suspected she had defected to another village, but... He, It, continues in a female voice.


Toki

Toki's face twists into one of shock, then rage.

"Haru-nee...I didn't...I knew she wouldn't betray Suna like that."

He listens to the rest of Enk's tale, fist tightened.



"Then he put a lovely little seal on me so that if he died, I went right along with him."

Enk's face shifts once more, becoming one with crisp blue eyes and tiger-like stripes across it.

"And then... to seal the deal and ensure I survived the sealing, he single-handedly took out his own teammates and fed them to me as well."

He looks long and hard at Hachirou.

"I might have freedom from that blasted cave, but I am hardly free. I would not be particularly torn if you actually managed to kill the bastard. If you see an opening, if he drops his guard for even an instant, take it. Kill him. No hesitation. No remorse. If he slips up even once, it will be your only chance in hell of getting him. Now go, before I change my mind about this."

He turns back to Toki and grins, his tongue; long and pointed, lolling out past his chin.

"Shall we get started?"


Toki

Toki glares with hate filled eyes at Enk. He's focused now--no more stuttering or temporal static.

"Go on, sir. I'll take him." He draws a fistful of kunai and makes a ready position.

He whispers to himself, "Come on, demon. For Haru-nee."