[M&M3e] Naruto

[dangelo]

The loud bangs produced by clashing kunai gradually vanish as you retreat from the battlefield. The grey wolf Daro rests his actual master, Inuzuka Nituro, on his back, leaving both of the man's colleagues, his son and Kyori for you Kimiko, Yazuko and Emiku to carry away. Kobayashi Kaede offers to carry one of the jonin.

With each one of you carrying another person on your back, moving back feels like a drag. Yotsuda might've said that the mission was over, but it surely felt like it was just getting worse.

You quickly find out what is delaying the backup troops so much: throughout the forest, you find several enormous slabs of dirt, 30-foot walls created through Earth Release. They're displayed around the warehouse specifically to slow down shinobi troops, being too taĺl to be crossed in a single jump but standing too far away from each other so you have to go all the way down before reaching and running up the next one.

"So many walls. That was the third one and we haven't found them." Daro says between gnarls. "The faster we get there, more are the chances that your sensei survives. Keep it up!"

Athletics or Acrobatics
(1d20+4)[11] Kimiko
(1d20+3)[14] Yazuko
(1d20+3)[8] Emiku

---

Crawling through the maze of juxtaposed earth barriers, trying to tell when it was best to just run around a barrier instead of losing time by running along it vertically, a boy named Mungi Koto does his best to find a route to the battlefield.

After a messy battle where your teammates were taken by surprise (you know for sure it was that girl's fault) and the whole situaton went south, you ended up taking way to long to win. Worried about the many units that called for backup (and for the animosity between Mungi and the girl who made a stupid mistake - almost too stupid to be an honest one), your sensei decided to split up the squad and locate those in trouble as soon as possible.

Your radio is working and all you need to do is tell your sensei whenever you find the warehouse. Your orders are not to approach it.

Perception
(1d20+8)[10] Mungi

---

With your current results, you take 5 rounds to find each other. Finally, Mungi notices the squad getting on top of a barrier and scouting the way.

[Darkstorm]

Emiku thought of using her ninja movements to easily get beyond the walls, but her chakra wouldn't be enough. So she endured one of the worst things - physical labour...

As he she was moving she notices a movement further away.

She nods to the others and says "We've got company."

[dangelo]

"Perfect." The wolf grunts. "Another cub."

[Novabomb]

Mungi Koto

Takes up the radio and reports:
Sensei, I detect a group of 5 (I think) coming from the direction of the warehouse, please advice. Also it is worthwhile to climb that last wall, the next one is in jumping distance.

He then pauses really still, back against the wall in a concession to stealth. (He would hide underground but the radio would not function there)

[dangelo]

"Five?" He replies over the radio. "What are their situation?"
"Follow protocol and say the password: When does a shinobi strike? You know the answer, it's rather long but if they're in this mission they were given this information."
"One misplaced word and you must kill them on the spot. I am on my way now. Over."

Spoiler: password

Show

Quick retcon: All units in this mission were given a password.

[Novabomb]

Mungi Koto
I cannot tell from here, I will get close enough to question them.
I will need to get close to have any chance if they are enemies

He performs the hand signs for his burrowing technique, and takes a deep breath.
He burrows close to the base of the next wall, and waits for the group to be mostly down before rising
When does a shinobi strike? he speaks aloud. (To the group)

[dangelo]

"Go ahead, brats. Didn't you listen to your taichou? Say the password." The grey wolf says.

[Darkstorm]

Emiku gives a small smile and then gets a darker look and answers in a raspy voice, almost as if she was imitating someone "A ninja waits until the enemy sleeps,when their guard is down,when their weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment when the ninja strikes"

She then giggles very childishly.

[Novabomb]

Mungi Koto
Ok, this way He rises fully out of the ground.
He then gives an update to his Sensei.

[dangelo]

"Where are your manners, annoying little cub?" The wolf rants while keeping up. "This shinobi on my back is Nituro-san, a jonin and head of the clan, so pay us some respect."

Over the radio: "Roger that, right on time! The other scouts are being misled by genjutsu. Mungi, whoever's behind this has this got a lot of weapons in their arsenal."
"I'm on my way to the warehouse. Get home safe, kid. Over."

[dangelo]

Spoiler: Visual ref

Show

Mungi leads the rest of the squad to an advanced outpost between the warehouse and the village. It consists of an underground bunker accessed by a solid steel hatch in the ground, carefully camouflaged in the woods.

These bunkers can house multiple shinobi and have been used consistently in times of war. There are beds, soldier pills, a kitchen, a nursery and a surgery center, but the place is totally empity, as the village never expected to need it in this mission.

Laying in a hospital bed, Kyori slowly regains conscience. The world is a blur, but she's definitely alive.

4:34 PM: Once inside the safehouse, you finally catch your breath Next step is getting back to village. You don't know what happened to Yotsuda or the warehouse, but there's nothing to be done. Although it certainly sounds like a victory, it comes with a bitter taste of sacrifice.

You have second thoughts about your sensei's capabilities: Yotsuda was unbelievably strong, the ideal jonin, and he could be dead already. He could have known that he was going to die from the very first moment, but the kids would be saved. Maybe he lasted long, maybe not. Who knows. How do you deal with it?

[Novabomb]

Mungi Koto has been mostly silent since the answer was offered. He gave the occasional line of direction when a wall should be climbed instead of circumvented. (He usually goes under rather than over)

Once everyone is situated his curiosity eventually gets the best of him: What happened out there?

[Seandiggersby]

Yazuko sits down somewhere and doesn't say a word. He is still shaken up after the battle and doesn't know what happened to Yotsuda which scares him, he was such a good sensei and powerful shinobi and he might not see him again. He never even got to be trained in his form of genjutsu, something Yazuko planned on asking when the mission was over.

[Izzarra]

Nara Kimiko Conditions: Hindered & 1 degree of damage. Chakra: 26/60 HP: 1

Kimiko searches the outpost for any way to contact Konoha quickly to inform them of what has happened.

[dangelo]

There is a telegraph there, wired directly to the village's headquarters. Kimiko sends a succinct message via morse code, which is immediately responded with "Acknowledged. Investigating. Identify your responsible jonin."

She gets back to the beeper: Long, short, two long beeps: Y. Three longs: O. One long: T Kimiko spells out her sensei's name and can almost hear him in her head: "That's right, Kimiko-kohai! Very good!". She wonders if he's comming back at all.

[Darkstorm]

Emiku smiles and colapses, sitting in the floor as she rests and catches her breath. She answers Mungi "Rogue ninjas attacked the warehouse. Among the was the Green snake of Konoha. We were over our heads... They were better than us kids... Yotsuda-sama stayed covering our escape."

She picks the green snake blade and watches it closely, her composure a bit ruffled.

[dangelo]

The blade seems to be rather simple; Handmade, it's fine craftsmanship. Although it's not a "special" object, Emiku remembers it being referenced as the Green Snake's signarute in the Third War.

[John Cribati]

Kyori

Kyori lies awake, letting her senses flow through the area. Reading the chakra in the air is time-consuming, only gives the most basic of information, and requires her to make a mental map of... everything. So its only real application is helping her focus instead of breaking down in grief.

She allows herself to think about her newfound mortal enemy for thirty more seconds, before she koves from the infirmary to join her group.

So... recovering sensei’s body isn’t our job, right?

[Novabomb]

Mungi Koto
Has your sensei fallen for certain?

[John Cribati]

Kyori

I mean, unless you think he's been fighting for hours, he probably should be back by now. Whether that means he's injured or dead is up in the air, but I'm not the optimist I this group.

[Novabomb]

Mungi Koto wonders (silently) at the skill, speed, and techniques needed for someone to catch up so quickly.
He shrugs.

I will keep watch until you are ready to go.
He puts his knuckles to the wall.
Tap Tap Tap, Tap Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap Tap, Tap Tap I am returning
Tap Tap Tap, Tap Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap Tap, Tap Tap Tap I am being coerced

He heads back out.
He uses his earth style to sink all but his head into the ground (Conceals his head with a bush) and focuses on his earth sense.
He keeps an ear open, but does not bother with vision.

[dangelo]

Kaede Kobayashi, sitting in a corner feeling bad like the rest of the team, gives Kyori a serious look: "Don't say silly things. He's not dead."

[Darkstorm]

Emiku stores the dagger and nods. She speaks up and adds to the discussion "It's not the important thing now. If he died we will mourn and avenge him. If he survived we'll smile and hear his tale."

She looks vague and without the smile that usually graces her face "We should move out now. Get back to the village for medical checkup and to report to the Hokage. They need to know what happened."

She refrains from asking Mungi about the rest of her team and her sensei. She was trying to remain calm and behave as if in court where "there are no surprises" and "everything was expected." even if the sky had fallen in their heads. She makes a little gesture, warding evil, and gets up.

"Are you all able to move? It'll take, at least, another hour to get there."

[Seandiggersby]

"It's possible Yotsuda is injured and unable to reach us on his own. Do we not owe it to him to try and see if that's the case? Wouldn't it be better if we returned to the hokage with a full team?" Yazuko says trying to avoid thinking about the possibility Yotsuda is dead

[Izzarra]

Nara Kimiko Conditions: Hindered & 1 degree of damage. Chakra: 26/60 HP: 1

After reporting the situation Kimiko collapses from exhaustion.

[John Cribati]

Kyori

Which brings me back to our original question: is that our job? Then again, Kimi is still knocked out in the infirmary, so if we leave now it means one of you has to carry her. Might as well wait until she’s on her feet before we call it.

[dangelo]

Kaede indicates the other injured shinobi, laying uncounscious at the infirmary. "I guess... I can stick around and watch over them while you run ahead to the village. Would that help?"

[dangelo]

Mungi's sensei contacts him through radio. "The warehouse is clear." He says. "I'm taking Hyuga Yotsuda to the village. Get there as soon as possible and report your mission to the Hokage, then come see me at the Emergency Center. Got it?"

[Novabomb]

Mungi Koto

The others seemed very concerned about their sensei, should I push for more information? No that is a bad idea, the communication could be compromised, and it does not change what is to be done.
Do these orders extend to the team I accompany?
(Answer goes here)
Confirmed Sensei.

Tap Tap Tap, Tap Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap Tap, Tap Tap

(Assuming that someone lets him in)

Your sensei is being brought back to the village. We are to return as quickly as possible for debrief.

[dangelo]

"Yes, you should report the mission together." He confirms. "Do it as soon as you get there."