Fandom Naruto: Song of Shadows IC

[KageYuuki]

Battle on the Big Bridge
Deep beneath the Land of Rice, a kunoichi sat in silent meditation. It was a familiar sight, her communing with the beast sealed inside her whenever she waited. The summons would have long reached them, they would be arriving soon. Rei has been moving fast in the few short years since she abandoned the Hidden Leaf, building up a network of hideouts and informants. Her siren song and news of her earned freedom lured in several shinobi from the world. Their reasons for coming were as varied as the lands they came from, and the melody they would create would be heard by all.

They just needed to build a stage.

Behind her, another shinobi leaned against the stone wall with a sigh. He’d be a familiar sight for many of the Hidden Sound, having brought them in. Daisuke had been among the first Rei sought out to join her. While he’d been hesitant to return to being a shinobi, he eventually agreed. A worn tan cloak was draped around his shoulders and he watched the hall’s entrance with gold eyes. “Ah, it would seem the first few are arriving,” he spoke up.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Kiyoko ran into the hall, struggling to tie her sash. “I’m here! I’m not late am I- uwah!” Stepping on the bright green fabric, the kunoichi sent herself sprawling on the floor. “...I’m okay.” She pushed herself back up with a grunt and brought the treacherous fabric back under control.

“Actually, the first one here.” A voice sounded behind her, a man walking in rested his arms against a massive scythe like it was a pole. The scythe weighed as much as he did. His eyes glowed red, identifying the Uchiha of the Sound, Kyogen. “Not sure why I’m showing up, I have different orders, but, well, what sort of monster would I be if I didn’t laugh as you all go to your deaths. Sounds like ya’ll have a fun mission coming up.”

“No food again,” A quiet voice said, with identifiable discontent in her tone. Two figures had made use of Kiyoko and Kyogen’s speech to slink silently, though undoubtedly not unnoticed, into the meeting room. One was a hulking, white dog with the willd eyes of a wolf, the other a girl dressed in rough furs and a dark green cloak that was fiercely contesting Daisuke’s for the position of most ragged garment in the room. “Next time if there’s no food just send a bird. Can eat the birds at least,” said the girl, eliciting a soft snort from the dog that might have been agreement.

“Ugh, what is that smell?” A feminine voice grumbled as she stomped her way in. If her loud voice hadn’t signaled her arrival her footsteps surely did. The red-headed ninja’s eyes scanned the room, looking over everyone, before settling on a wild pair she nearly missed. “Hmm, I can’t tell if the stench if the mutt or the feral girl here,” Koikera stated rudely. She was never a big fan of dogs. Hell, she wasn’t a big fan of anything going on right now. Secretive underground meetings always gave her bad vibes, as did giant scythes…


“Prey are always alert to the scent of predators,” The cloaked girl, Mimi shot back, her dog growling softly to underscore her sentiment. “But if they yap about it too loudly they get eaten,” Paying no more mind to the annoyance Mimi closed in on the rest of the group and sat down on the floor, disregarding whatever furniture had been made available quite happily and scratching the head of her dog as he padded over to curl up next to her.

"This could be where I find the violence Father spoke of..." Eizo spoke to himself as he walked into the room, ignoring the people inside. His eyes scanned the room as he proceeded inwards as he searched for the person in charge. He saw a big dog and two girls who seemed to be arguing, but that didn't interest him too much. As he continued to walk towards the center of the room, Eizo's eyes finally landed on a calm-looking kunoichi sitting in meditation. Her attitude and the general aura about her instantly gave it away that she was the one in charge. Eizo chuckled a little, realizing he was staring at the Jinchuuriki who orchestrated this whole village, and he waited to hear what she had to say.

“We’re last,” Omukade spoke quietly as he entered the room. He stayed close to the stone wall and away from the arguing trio, like a cockroach trying to avoid being crushed. It wasn’t immediately clear who he was talking to, until a centipede poked its head out from under the collar of his black cloak. He didn’t seem to notice the antennae touching his cheek. Hidden beneath his cloak were the scrolls that held his puppets. “Repairs took longer than I thought,” he said. It was still unclear whether he was talking to the room or his summon.

Rei finally opened her eyes, a faint smile crossing her lips. “That’s why I only send my summons to you instead of messenger birds, Mimi.” She leaned back on her palms, “Threatening to eat messengers aside, it would seem everyone’s here. It’s still going to be some time before we have the power to take on the ‘Great Villages’ head on, but that doesn’t prevent us from undermining them and gaining allies.

“Tenchi Bridge is located near the border of the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth. In a few days, a merchant caravan from the Land of Earth will need to cross while headed to the Land of Fire. The mission will be twofold: seize the shipment and destroy the bridge. While it can be rebuilt quickly enough, the bridge’s destruction will attract the attention of a shinobi whose abilities we’ll need down the road.”

Rei pushed herself to her feet, “Expect at least one jounin guarding the caravan. Whether or not they’ll have genin with them… I don’t know.” She sighed and brushed a few raven locks out of her eyes, their natural red was beginning to show through at the roots. “Try not to kill them if there are any. Daisuke will be joining the four of you to seal the shipment.” Pale jade eyes met harsh red ones, “Kyogen, you’ll be joining me.”

Ganryu S n o w AtlannianSpy InsaneAsylum RoninN7

 

[Ganryu]

~The Great Tenchi Bridge~


Connecting the Hidden Earth and Hidden Leaf, the Tenchi Bridge spans across a massive ravine in the Land of Grass. For many non-shinobi, it is an essential gateway

Early in the morning, birds chirped as a caravan of merchant supplies began to congregate together before trying to cross the bridge. A ninja with the Hidden Stone's headband stopped them, making a single signal to stop before waiting for a signal, hearing the call of a crow in the distance from the trees. He lowered his hands and started waving for them to move again. He wore long robes, tied tightly around his arms and legs in bandages, and had two bandanas covering his face, one as a mouthguard, one over his hair, and a simple ninja pouch to the sides. On his back, half a dozen staves, covered in various symbols for the 5 elements lay.

Several sounds of dashing were heard in the forests nearby as he signaled for the first wagon to cross. One way or another, this group of Hidden Sound ninja's first job was about to occur. The team of Earth Ninja had yet to detect any of them, and it didn't seem like they had any sensors.​

 

[KageYuuki]

Kiyoko Shimizu

Perched in a high branch, Kiyoko shifted her weight uneasily. It was her first mission as a member of the Hidden Sound... her first real mission since she became a shinobi a few years back. She felt her heart racing in her chest as she watched the caravan begin crossing the bridge. This was it. They would be attacking soon. She cast an uneasy glance at the other shinobi gathered.

She reached back her fans and hesitated. Did they really have to kill the escort?

"We... we're leaving the actual merchants alone... right?" She asked the red haired man positioned towards the front of the group.

"I would prefer you lot didn't harm them," Daisuke said, standing. "We'll only have a few seconds to get on the bridge before I need to seal it off. The fewer shinobi we actually have to fight, the better our chances are. Let's go, before they actually get across." He sprang from the branch he'd been standing on, knowing the others would be close behind.

Kiyoko swallowed, drawing her fans and leaping after the group. She had the opening move, screwing it up wasn't really much of an option if they wanted to succeed. She tightened her grip on the tessen in an attempt to stop her hands from shaking. She didn't even notice Daisuke fall back slightly until he gripped her shoulder and moved into position. With a deep breath, she leapt onto the bridge and swung both fans in front of her, releasing a large sandstorm. While it lacked power, it was more than enough to obscure sight for a brief moment and allow everyone else to get on the bridge. It also coated almost everything in a thin layer of sand.

Dust Wind Technique

Daisuke was already finishing a rapid series of handsigns, causing brilliant golden chains to erupt from his back. Crisscrossing through the air, they formed a large dome over the bridge. It would keep the rest of the Hidden Stone shinobi's team from reaching them, but he couldn't keep it up forever.

Adamantine Sealing Chains

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Mimi Inuzuka & Shiromaru

​

As Kiyoko and Daisuke sprung into action Mimi, who was moving stealthily along the ground behind them, paused to sniff the air. Wihtout warning Mimi stood up and loosed a pair of bone tipped arrows from her crude bow, aiming for two seemingly random patches of forest not far from the Sound groups location.

"You can come out now," she said coldly, as she nocked another arrow and held her bow ready to fire at the first sign of movement. "I know where you two are anyway,"

While Mimi called out her challenge she made a subtle gesture with her fingers and Shiromaru who had been padding along beside her suddenly lowered himself and disappeared into the underbrush of the forest, silently making a long loop around the positions of the enemy to come at them from behind while they were focused on Mimi.

Even with Shiro two is... a nuisance maybe Mimi thought, not bothering to glance back at her supposed teammates. They could do whatever they wanted, regardless of what happened she and Shiromaru would survive together. That was the way it had always been.

 

[S n o w]

Omukade Nakano

First Task: Seize the shipment

Omukade crouched in a tree beside his squadmates, eyes on the caravan. A shinobi from the Hidden Stone was leading them. The jonin they were warned about? As far as he could see, there were no children with him.

Second Task: Destroy the bridge

Omukade looked at the bridge itself. Sturdy enough to cross, but he had doubts that it would sustain a heavy attack. He would have to leave that to Koikera, or Kiyoko. Centipede was too light, and while Scorpion would be able to eventually break the bridge, he neither wanted to nor thought they afford to waste that kind of time. He glanced over when Kiyoko, then Daisuke spoke.

Third Task: No Killing

Whether the merchants lived or died didn't matter to Omukade, as long as he got the job done. But if his superior wanted them to live, then he would do his best to stick by that rule. He didn't add to their conversation, but refocused on their target. He would get the shipment. He had the feeling it wouldn't be that easy. "You can go now," he said quietly to Akabakku, hidden beneath his collar. He didn't wait for an answer, but the weight against his skin was abruptly gone as he leap after the others.

Once he landed on the bridge and saw the Hidden Stone jonin up close—before the sandstorm obscured his vision—he recognized him. His appearance was distinctive, and the staves on his back even more so. "Tadoaki," he thought aloud, his hands already moving to the scrolls strapped to his side before his brain caught up. Dangerous, he thought. The situation could very easily become more than they could handle if they allowed him to use those staves, if he hadn't already. Centipede was summoned in an instant, chakra threads emitting from his left hand as he moved to secure the shipment.

One barrier, and they could all be trapped. Dangerous. "Scatter," was all he said to his team. As soon as Daisuke's barrier fell, they would have to move, and move fast.​

 

[RoninN7]

Eizo Tanaka​

This was it. It was finally time to do something and follow this new path Eizo had embarked on. His target? A Hidden Stone caravan crossing a bridge with important cargo. His mission? To neutralize all threats protecting the caravan, secure the shipment, and destroy the bridge. The catch? None of the Hidden Stone shinobi were to be killed, and the caravan seemed to have a particularly strong shinobi guarding it. Looking around, Eizo could tell that, considering the group he had, the others wouldn't pose too much of an issue. However, they would still prove bothersome while backing up their superior.

We can either try to fight the big one or create enough of a distraction to take out the lesser shinobi to leave their leader alone...

Before Eizo could properly organize his thoughts, he saw Kiyoko and Daisuke spring forward into action, clouding the bridge with a sandstorm and chains began erupting around the bridge. Eizo had to think fast and decide whether he would stay out and follow Mimi's lead to take out the surrounding shinobi or dive forward with Omukade to take out the one with the staves. He quickly realized that it would be better to try to take out the strongest enemy while they had the element of surprise, and followed suit onto the bridge. Eizo wasted no time positioning himself near Omukade and pulled out a kunai, quickly imbuing it with chakra and casting his genjutsu on it.

Phantom Projectiles

Eizo then threw the kunai at the shinobi with the staves. He realized that he wouldn't have time to try and use a more effective genjutsu, and that his opponent didn't seem weak enough to make trying worth it. Even though this jutsu would be minor, it would serve to distract him for a moment longer and potentially buy the Hidden Sound team a second or two. That was provided his kunai made any sort of contact, and that his target wouldn't realize that it was a genjutsu. Eizo had learned from his mentor that in combat, a second was often more than enough for skilled shinobi to win.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Koikera​

The plan wasn’t one Koikera liked. It was less an ambush and more of a confrontation in the redhead’s eyes. She watched as two of her new allies jumped out to confront the jonin head on. She herself was tempted to launch a fireball his way as well. She couldn’t risk her teammates numping in the way or getting caught in the blast though. She didn’t know them well enough yet. Instead she turned her attention to the bridge. Once they secured the supplies, she was going to blast the wooden piece of shit to splinters whether they had gotten all the stone ninja off or not.

She was still perched in a tree, listening as the dog girl attacked what Koikera assumed to be enemies in the forest. It was probably best to let the her handle the forest enemies, since she’d be so comfortable there. In the meantime, Koikera rested her blade over her shoulder, and began looking the exact spot on the bridge she’d blast first. If any of her teammates needed assistance, surely they’d yell, or scream in pain. Either sufficed as a cry for help.

 

[Ganryu]

===========================
Kiyoko, Omukade, Eizo

Thousands of projectiles flew at Tadaoki along with the small amounts of sand blown everywhere. He calmly started a series of handsigns, his hands mere blurs, his staves flying out the strap on his back, and three of them slamming into the ground infront of him. One staff which read 風, or 'wind', activated, creating a tunnel of wind, blowing away Kiyoko's sand, and making a hard barrier for Omukade's centipede to pass. He still jumped as thousands of kunai made it through, the barrier of wind flickering away as the enemy nin checked himself.

"Genjutsu...."

He stared at the group infront of him, looking at Kiyoko's headband.

"The Hidden Sound? Why?" Guiding his hand infront of him, his staves would dance. A slight glow transferred from the wind staff to the one that read 火, or fire, and between the staves a wall of fire was created, and blue outwardly at the group on the bridge, trying to force them off it.

"You will find it hard to pass, I am a jonin of the Hidden Earth, Tadaoki of the 5 barriers."

================================

Mimi & Koikera

"Okay, okay!"

One of the ninja leapt out of the trees infront of Mimi, hands up in a surrendering position. He was also wearing a thick cloak like Tadaoki, obscuring almost all of his face.

"You got me, now what?"

Mimi would immediately notice something off about the man, his eyes weren't glistening in the least through the robes, and he seemed extremely light, extremely. He pressed against the soft earth, but only barely. He then laughed wildly.

"Course, who knows what my partner is doing while I'm surrendering!"

In the trees, a kunoichi held her hand like a gun, aiming somewhat toward the direction of the tree. A large blast of lightning fired like a bullet, straight towards the branch Koikera was observing from, rather large fire power behind the shot. The bullet of lightning was half as large as Koikera, and would explode on impact, igniting the tree. The 'surrendered' ninja then leapt at Mimi with a kunai in hand, though she definitely had space to move.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Koikera​

“Damni-“ The blast of lightning sent Koikera tumbling down to the forest floor, where she took a few extra moments to get up. She had managed to avoid a direct hit, but that didn’t make her ass hurt any less. Her pants had a hole burnt in them down her left leg. Fortunately the cloak covered the burnt exposed skin.

“Hiding in the forest eh? Of course you were. I’ll just have to burn you all out then!” Koikera yelled. She formed a series of handisgns, before muttering, ‘Great Fire Annihilation’.

From her mouth, a wave of flames were brought forth. The forest before Koikera was set alight, the wave bursting dorth for another couple seconds before ceasing. The flames weren’t done yet though. Now they would spread, and Koiekera knew that. She unslung her blade, and waited to see the movement of some poor fools trying to escape her inferno. She had to take care of these opponents fast, so she could be ready to blow the bridge when called upon.

 

[KageYuuki]

Kiyoko Shimizu

Kiyoko gritted her teeth, "Why does it have to be a fight...?" Her amber hues widened briefly at the appearance of a wall of fire and she drew her fans in front of herself. Grains of sand danced in response to her movement, drawing together and forming a thin wall. It likely wouldn't stop a jounin's fire technique, but if she could just buy the other two a few more seconds.

Sand Shell

Had Tadoaki not blown away the sand from her initial move, she probably could have trapped him. Maybe. "These staves are a big problem..." He'd only used two of them so far, but if his name was anything to go by three more elements awaited them. "We need to get them away from him." Kiyoko's voice had lowered, she wasn't entirely sure how they'd accomplish such a thing. They didn't have the luxury of standing around and discussing various tactics, they needed to move.

Kiyoko acted on a hunch, pulling the last of the sand from her gourds as she jumped up on the bridge's railing. The sand scattered with a flick of her tessen. The kunoichi crossed them again, directing a sand shell to try and ensnare the wind staff. It had stopped glowing when Tadoaki went to use his fire technique, if she could grab it Daisuke could seal it off from the other jounin.

 

[S n o w]

Omukade Nakano

The wind, Centipede could brace through. The fire, however, was a different story. In an instant, Omu de-summoned his puppet and leapt to the side. He never took his eyes off Tadoaki. He frowned. Two staves were down, and only three more were needed to erect a barrier. His eyes flicked to the caravan. Though, he hadn't missed that instead of taking the opportunity to snare them while they were bunched up, Tadoaki only tried to get them away from it. He had both scrolls in hand when he landed on the wooden beams beside the bridge, and it only took another half a second for him to summon his puppets.

He directed Centipede back onto the bridge while Scorpion stood in front of him, tail raised. Kiyoko, meanwhile, was going after the wind stave. Getting rid of Tadoaki's ability to make a barrier was a chance Omu couldn't waste.

Senbon Barrage

Protecting the caravan was Tadoaki's top priority. Which was why, instead of aiming for the jonin himself, Omu took a calculated risk and had Centipede spew a barrage of poison needles at the caravan.​

 

[RoninN7]

Eizo Tanaka​

Eizo kept a close eye on the man guarding the caravan, watching his every move and seeing how he reacted to the Hidden Sound nin's attacks. As he observed the shinobi, Eizo studied his movements to catch any sort of weakness. As soon as Eizo's genjutsu had taken effect, he saw the man's staves leave his back as three of them planted themselves in front of him. Suddenly, one of them activated and strong winds blew away the sandstorm and prevented Omukade's puppet from crossing. That was when Eizo noticed a moment of surprise as the man jumped, clearly affected by the genjutsu. A small smile formed on Eizo's lips, as it seemed that his genjutsu had some effect on the man. Unfortunately, Eizo realized that it also meant that his opponent would be better prepared if Eizo chose to try genjutsu again. Before he could dwell too long on his thoughts, Eizo saw as another staff lit up and a wall of fire barreled toward the Hidden Sound shinobi.

Eizo quickly dove out of the way, holding onto the railings and hanging off the bridge as he waited for the wall of fire to pass by. He pulled himself up, still not stepping onto the bridge, just enough to keep looking at the man. The enemy shinobi introduced himself as Tadaoki, and, judging by the ease with which he caused his assailants to disperse, he was clearly dangerous.

Five barriers and Five staves... each staff seems to have different elemental abilities and he's only used two so far. That means that we can't allow him the time to use all five in tandem or we might be screwed...

As he was thinking about a potential move he could try, Eizo turned to see one of Omukade's puppets step back onto the bridge, preparing to attack. He then closed his eyes to think, hanging onto the bridge with one hand as he pulled out five shurikens.

Continuous attacks on him are our best bet at stopping him from using him all of his staves.

Eizo then jumped onto the railings of the bridge and prepared himself. He realized that Tadaoki would be prepared for another barrage of genjutsu projectiles, so Eizo decided to try again, only this time there would be more than one real projectile in the bunch. He hoped he could, if not hit Tadaoki, fluster him enough to force the jonin to react rashly to Omukade's attack and not allow him enough time to regroup.

Phantom Projectiles

Eizo then launched the one shuriken infused with genjutsu chakra, waiting until it was within Tadaoki's space, before launching the other four shuriken. He timed it so by the time the genjutsu would take effect, the real shuriken would get lost in the imaginary barrage.