Fandom Shadow of the Leaf - Naruto RP - Accepting!

[Uncultured]

Welcome to the official Shadow of The Leaf RP! This is the main story thread.

Stay updated by watching this thread and thanks for being here, it means a lot!

Accepted Character Roster
​

Uncultured - Sora Jinsoko
Fearlesstiger - Niji Yuki
Duwang - Katsuyoshi Hanamura
Scion - Kotone Shihashi
Kloudy - Shizuka Shinrai
KnightOfNight - Yasu Maeda
Shining Wizard - Masamune Kotegiri
clarinetti - Naoko Aoki
Arrogant Menace - Toshi Okabe

Basic Info
​

The plot overview is this. Our characters have recently passed the Chunin exam and have begun their duties as mid level ninja in the Leaf village. It's been a peaceful few years for the Leaf and everything seems to be going well. The nine tails attack is only a few years removed, so there is an underlying awareness of danger, but the Uchiha have yet to be destroyed (it's in the works) , the akastuki only exist in the shadows, Orochimaru is a fugitive but his crimes were kept under wrap, so the mood is happy, safe, but cautious in this time of relative peace. However, our story diverges here.

For conflict comes much earlier than Orochimarus attack in this version of the story as bombings hit the hidden leaf village, killing hundreds of civilians and ninja alike. The attack is not claimed by any group, village, or criminal, it's an old fashioned "who done it".

To find the culprits, a coalition of ninja have been tasked to investigate the bombings. To bring justice and to find the motive, our characters enter a rabbit hole of violent clashes, espionage, and tested loyalties.

Later on in the story, as our characters grow, time skips will happen and we will become involved in an altered version of the Canon story, with our characters taking front and center stage against Canon foes who reveal themselves earlier in our time line. I don't have all that nitty gritty stuff worked out just yet but we can figure it out together.

 

[Uncultured]

Fearlesstiger
Duwang
Scion
Kloudy
Shining Wizard
KnightOfNight

The previous night reverberates through the office, like the Shockwave of so many bombs detonated only hours before, each one claiming the lives of Leaf civilians and ninja alike.

No one knows who was responsible, but in the aftermath of the attack, several individuals were seen leaving the village without checking out at any of the gate outposts.

One group, of six people, has been marked as "highly suspicious" by higher ups and a unit has been formed to track down the potential culprits.

Other targets are being tracked by other Ninja, but these six are to be tracked by the group assembled here, at the office of the Hokage.

The 3rd goes on for a time, lamenting the loss of all 127 souls to the attack, and then his eyes steel over, and he gives the command. To track down, capture and interrogate the suspects. The goal? To find out who gave the order.

The Hokage leaves the office, and almost ten minutes pass as the assembled group stand restlessly, waiting.

Then, breaking the silence the door opens from behind the group, and in walks the 18 year old Jonin, prodigy and anbu member Kakashi Hatake.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake..."

"Sorry for being late, my great aunts best friend needed help with the groceries"

He says, rubbing the back of his head, a guilty chuckle following closely.

"Meet me at the east gate in one hour. Pack light, for speed, we have ground to cover..."

"Oh... I hate saying this but I'll be your commanding officer on this mission, I expect you to carry out your role, save your questions for the road"

He continues, a harsh, emotionless tone descending over his last few words.

Before anyone can say a word in response he vanishes into a puff of smoke.

One hour later, east gate, weather is clear, temperate at 78 degrees. It's 11:00 AM. The targets were seen heading east. Kakashi Hatake has yet to show up at the designated time of 11:00. Our characters stand around waiting next to the outpost at the gate.

Begin!

 

[KnightOfNight]

Yasu had went straight to the gate after leaving the mission briefing, ever since the events of three years ago she knew that heroes were rarely given enough time to prepare in times of need and started to carry her most important supplies with her at all times. After reaching the gate she realized her mistake, if everyone was told to meet up an in hour, there was a good chance everyone would use most of that time to prepare meaning Yasu would be out here by herself and bored. "Ah, shit. Guess I gotta talk to myself for now even though I suck at making small talk. Damn, this is so awkward. Just me talking to me, yep. Yeeeeeep. Alright, gonna stop this now." After realizing that talking to herself was not a very good way to pass the time, she looked around the area to find something to mess with. "Gotta be a stick or something ah shit I'm talking to myself again. I said I wasn't gonna do that too." While her routine might have been somewhat entertaining if there were people around to watch, it just came off as a little sad now.

After the agonizing hour passed, the rest of her group arrived. "Hey, glad you guys finally showed up. I uhh, came straight here and you know how boring it is just standing around for an hour with nothing going on?"

 

[Scion]

Kotone, unlike Yasu, did not immediately go to the gate. She went to her lodgings to grab what she needed to grab, which was mostly just taking her plain but rather dutiful looking flute and grabbing the satchel with the smoke bombs and other ninja equipment and attaching it to the side of her sash. As she did not need to gather many wares Kotone utilized this time to remove any traces of dirt from her wooden sandals and making sure her sash was tied in the taiko musubi style. She did not have enough time to go over the practice of tea, or thoroughly clean, but she did have enough time to practice a dash of calligraphy. Practice makes perfect as the adage goes, and Shihashi found a tranquility in the continued motions of practicing what others thought mundane.

So with these things done she made her way to the gate. As Yasu was quick to the draw with discussion, which to be fair anyone would be after such time waiting in their lonesome, Kotone offered a small nod in greetings. "If I may ask, though if it is not my place to speak I shall remain silent and humbly apologize..." Kotone went on as she looked around the area of the outpost near the gate. "...Is there not something going on? The breeze gently blows, the butterflies soar and the sun itself is smiling on this day, not too fondly but with a dignified appreciation of those under its presence. Again my most sincerest apologizes if I have offended, I do not intend to do so, especially as you have greeted me in kindness."

 

[KnightOfNight]

After the mind numbing hour of waiting, the dainty girl's words were like another language. "I... What? I'm just... No, I'm not offended just confused, what does that stuff have to do with anything? But hey, I like how you said it all cute-like and shit. So, you like all that small stuff?" Yasu approached the girl and smiled at her. "That's cool, way cooler than how some people in the village try to go out of their way to be sad. Doesn't make sense, right?" Before reaching out for a friendly handshake, she quickly wiped her hand on her clothes. Maybe digging around in the dirt to look for rocks wasn't such a great idea, especially since she hadn't found any. "Oh yeah, I'm Yasu. You got a name too? I bet it's all dainty and cute sounding, am I right? Oh, or maybe something really cool sounding."

Scion

 

[Kloudy]

Shizuka Shinrai
(Konohagakure - East Gate)

Shizuka had half-heartedly listened to the Hokage as he monologued, his focus tuning out as his thoughts turned to the recent events that had just occurred. One hundred and seventy-one was a big number, bigger than any one clan he knew of. So many deaths at the hand of one creature seemed almost surreal to Shizuka; impossible, yet all too real at the same time. It was only when their new commanding officer arrived did the Shinrai chuunin snap back to reality and perk up slightly, a tad more alert than he usually allowed himself to be. More information was thrust upon them before their jonin, Kakashi Hatake, disappeared without so much as a goodbye. Shizuka might have been inclined to respect some level of duty and salute or something, not that he ever felt inclined to but in light of the Nine Tails' attack it might have been wise, but their superior was gone before they could get a reaction in edgeways.

So they had time to prepare. Immediately people started moving in separate directions. At first, he was inclined to head straight to the East Gate and wait for Kakashi there, but it seemed that someone else had the same idea. Shizuka wasn't particularly sure who she was, frowning in thought as he tried to place her face to a name. Wasn't she from the Maeda clan? Something about extreme brute force taijutsu, if he could remember correctly. It didn't sound like that fun of a wait, so he turned back and went to find somewhere else to go.

Luckily for him, Shizuka was a smart lad; he'd been told so many times at the academy much to his own annoyance. The smarter you were, the greater everyone's expectations. He had been blessed with the foresight of packing all the necessary items he'd need for the mission, however, so it wasn't a complete burden. He smiled contently at the thought of having an entire hour to himself, no work, no stress. Of course, he'd have to get his head into gear when the mission actually started, but he was fine with just breezing on by just as he usually did for now.

"Honestly, missions are such a drag..."

. . .

An hour had passed and Shizuka and spent it gazing at the clouds from the comfort of a bed of grass. He wasn't actually too far away from the East Gate anyway, so he made his way over at about 10:55. Yawning as he approached the others, Shizuka couldn't help but overhear the conversation two of the early arrivals were having. Of course, he didn't care enough to attempt trying to eavesdrop, but his hearing was quite exceptional for even most normal ninja's standards. He blamed his training, or maybe his family and their hidden jutsus.

"I don't really understand it either, but..."

Shizuka took out a wooden senbon stick from a pocket on his leg and placed it between his teeth, chewing it like a toothpick. It was quite the habit he'd picked up since becoming a genin and beginning his training to learn a particular jutsu that involved senbon sticks. It was more a stress relief than anything, but he had to admit he thought he looked cool all the same.

"If I had to guess, things seem too quiet and peaceful despite everything that's just happened, right?"

Scion KnightOfNight

 

[Scion]

A h-handshake? thought Kotone Shihashi among a string of other thoughts that were occurring to her as Maeda was going through with her introductions. A-as if that were not enough she is going with familiarity out of the gate!? B-but we haven't really known each other, which using the given name implies...

Aaaagh! How do I respond, do I use my surname? Would that seem ill-mannered and trying to seem as if I am above her? That would be improper. Do I go into such familiarity, which would also seem improper...

To the external world her inner monologue of worrying was shown by a few quivers of the lips, which were more prominent seeing Yusa quickly just rub the dirt off of her hands on her very own clothes. Not to mention from these rather, direct compliments laced with such profanity. Kotone could not help from blushing as her pupils grew in shock from this laxity! Kotone took a calming breath in as she went about to regain her composure.

After all it would ill-fitting for a Shihashi to show such angst in unexpected situations. Even if she would not follow the full destiny the clan gave her, Kotone was still a Shihashi and that meant reacting with poise and demure demeanor. Not to mention her own family training at stake, there was no way Kotone would attract a husband if she gave in to such emotional temptations after all!

"Yasu, I am pleased to make a further acquaintance with you." Kotone began as she reached to take Yasu's hand. "In regards to my name, I cannot speak whether it invokes harmony or dissonance in you or others for it is not my place. However it is my place to provide the name you seek from me, which is Kotone."

"I cannot speak on the part of the grief others might have, it is not my place to judge how they conduct their affairs, but I would suggest to view it with comparison to peace. Such grief allows a new perspective on how truly peaceful peace is." spoke Kotone to not only Yusa but also to Shizuka who seemed to have wanted things to not have a chance to rest after tragedies.

KnightOfNight Kloudy

 

[KSMI]

*Foot tapping* -- *Foot tapping* -- *...More foot tapping* "Well..?" Impatiently questioned the girl known as Suba who'd only minutes prior ran home after her briefing with the hokage, and Kakashi. She'd changed her clothes, and was now questioning one of her most insightful critics about her fashion decisions. Unfortunately this critic was the youngest of the ten twins in the Hoshimiru family, and couldn't offer much besides sucking her own thumb and staring curiously at her bigger sister, Suba. Disappointingly sliding a hand down the length of her face, Suba began shaking her head. "You're right." Pretend sniffle. "How dare I try to-.." Sniffle. "-Match this green shirt, and red pants together. I-. .I'd look like a watermelon." She jokingly began wiping her eyes, occasionally peeking at the giggling infant. After a second change of clothing, she'd sit her younger sister on her lap and begin doing both of their hair for the day.

Shortly after, Suba zipped around the house with the younger sister on back until she found someone to take the infant. "Uh..Mitoro!" -- "Mm?" -- "Take her for abit? I gotta place to be, y'know?" After kissing the younger sister on the cheek, Suba passed her over and began to rush out the door. "Laatter~ I'll bring somethin' sweet back." Door slam. Geared with her scroll, medical equipment, and typical gear for a shinobi, Suba reached the rendezvous only...a few minutes late. Arriving without much in the way of nerves, Suba's cheeks flushed a faint red as she looked at everyone currently present. "P-. .Psst! Uhh. .hey~ What're we doin' here again? I kinda..spaced..y'know..earlier." She looked over her shoulder occasionally, using a hushed tone in hopes the individual in command didn't overhear.

Scion , Kloudy , KnightOfNight

 

[KnightOfNight]

With a sudden movement, Yasu took Kotone's small, delicate hand in her own and shook it vigorously. "Kotone? Kotone... Yeah, that's a pretty good name, you really got lucky. Yasu and Kotone." Seemingly satisfied by her name, Yasu nodded to herself.

When the topic changed to the peace of death and mourning, Yasu didn't really know how to respond. Personally she saw times like this to be better spent by celebrating the lives of the fallen, cherishing the time you spent with them, and remembering what they fought for. When she died, she knew she'd rather have everyone throw a huge party for her instead of moping. "I guess if they want to do it like that."

While Kotone was a small girl, the new girl that showed up was even smaller. More of a child than Kotone for sure, an image that was reinforced by her question. Yasu tried her best not to sound judgmental, but it was difficult. Sure, she had times where she didn't pay attention, but people were killed and the suspects were getting farther and farther away. "Justice for our fallen kin." Sighing, she turned to the girl before continuing. "Are you sure you're ready for something like this? People are going to get hurt, especially if you don't pay attention." She hated talking down to her like that, but the stakes were high and she was worried for the girl.

Scion Kloudy KSMI

 

[Uncultured]

"Hey! Whats up everyone!"

Chimed Sora, approaching the group, half waving, half saluting with his right hand as he came to the circle of fellow ninja.

"No need to worry about anyone getting hurt Yasu... That guy Kakashi is no joke. Was anbu at fourteen, gets too crazy we can just hide behind him huh?

Said Sora, with a laugh, reassuring as best as possible before continuing.

"And hey..... I graduated twentieth in my academy class so there's that too"

He said sarcastically, smiling as he looked around at the assembled nin in the circle of conversation.

Standing there were Shizuka, Kotone, Yasu and Sabu, all capable ninja, bringing unique skills. Among them was offensive talent, physical durability of an extreme level, medical proficiency, taijutsu and ninjutsu ability and multiple hidden techniques.

He was confident that they could take any enemy, even the extremely powerful kind.

 

[KSMI]

Suba, in all of her 5'0" ft glory, looked over to Yasu. The midg-. .-rown adult began sucking in so much air it'd raise the question of if she'd pop or not. Promptly after, she'd exhale with a sudden deflated slouch. "I knoow, I knoow. But.." She began lightly knocking at her forehead. "I promise ya' its somethin' up here. I just..well..gotta lot goin' on." With her memory jogged up to speed, her slouch would gradually shift into a stance of pride and confidence. "Yooossh~ It's all comin' back to me now. Leave it up to Suba to make such a magnificent recovery! A sight to behold, that one. Mm." Nod. "Mm." Nod. Moments later, she'd slowly open one eye and lean toward Yasu. "Oh uh. .I'm Suba, by the way. You're clothes. They're like. .super cute."

Words she'd follow with a thumbs up and a click of the tongue. For now it'd seem the young Suba was having trouble striking a balance on attention between the two halves of her life. Seemingly snapped back into the real world, for the time being, Suba offered a blank blink toward the newcomer: Sora. "Maan~ You sure make this Kakashi sound like a real super guy. Even knowing that though..I don't think any of us got this far by hidin' behind others." Her eyes would trail off ward briefly, "I mean..except for that one time-..buuut still! The Kakashi guy wants us to bring our A game, soo..what'dya guys say we show 'em what we're made of, mm?"

Uncultured , KnightOfNight

 

[Fearlesstiger]

Niji Yuki
Theme: The Eye of The Storm​

An unexplainably sudden flurry of snow hit the area around the gate as Niji approached, he was incredibly uncomfortable with the fact that he had to be a part of a large squad. He understood that apprehending the bombers was important but the group of ninjas that had been assembled seemed a bit overkill. Slowly he took his place among the others, trying not to draw attention to himself. He hadn't really been paying too much attention to who all was at the hokage's office during the briefing so he wasn't sure if anyone else from his official squad was here. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to anybody he wasn't familiar with but he would if he had to just to be nice.

 

[Scion]

Kotone Shihashi felt as if her very body was being shaken as a result of that handshake from Yusa Maeda. She kept a simple and unassuming expression as she listened to what her peers were saying. The matter of braggart speech came up, to which Kotone slightly stretched out her lips rightward for a flash of a second. It was impolite to brag of ones self, Shihashi knew this and knew the most proper way to accept acknowledgements of skills was via a dignified and humble response. Boasting oft fed hubris and hubris weighed one down far more than an humble spirit. No one wanted a braggart of a husband or a wife.

So Kotone slowly pressed her palms together in a gentle fashion and began to speak.

"The waters will flow.
Gently or strongly they go...
...What. Why is there snow?"

It seemed that someone did not care for a nice temperate climate that was bestowed to them via the beauty of nature and sent out a flurry of snow. This in turn battered the woman who began clutching to herself to provide a new heat while wiping snow from her face.

"Excuse me, if I may inquire and you may not answer if you feel I do not deserve a response but why did you, if I am correct to assume you played a part in a rather, eccentric set of weather patterns which I only suggest due to this happening as soon as you arrived you see, inspire such a thing on a sunny day such as this? To tend to these grasses?"

Fearlesstiger

 

[Duwang]

Katsuyoshi was not unfamiliar with the son of the White Fang of the Leaf and knew many of his exploits. Being only two years his senior and yet having such a higher standing, Katsuyoshi looked up to the man, though to a greater extent, he was jealous even if it didn't seem like many women were flocking to him. If only, it was because women didn't seem to care much for Katsuyoshi either.

Meeting in broad daylight made sense. Katsuyoshi had woken up six hours ago, using his time to prepare things for the day after hearing about what had happened the night prior. Explosive paper, caltrops, throwing stars, and a box lunch made up the contents of Katsuyoshi's bag.

Katsuyoshi arrived about the same time as Yasu and quickly made himself hidden so he could nap between branches of a tree. The conversation underneath him wasn't enough to wake him up. However, when the temperature suddenly dropped, Katsuyoshi couldn't help but stir awake only to notice that his squad had already been assembled.

The boy hung from the tree on one arm and with the other, removed his bag from the branch to place over his back. Then, he dropped down next to the group.

"Morning." He yawned. "Yeah. I'm wondering too. It was cool seeing your move during the chunin exams but the enemy could be watching us. If they happened to be watching us and there was a small chance they didn't know your chakra nature, then they certainly have that information now."

 

[Uncultured]

Sora nodded to Suba's words. She was right after all, they were all Chunin, capable fighters who had fought through the forest of death, let along what other missions they had gone through.

"Yeah you're right, I'm sure we will pull our weight, no way I'm getting shown up on this mission"

Answered Sora to Suba with a nod. He had been sarcastic for the most part, of hiding behind the Jonin, his self confidence was stalwart, and he was ready to face down the enemy even if they were at the level of their Jonin commander.

As he pondered, Katsuyoshi descended from a nearby tree, hanging from one of the branches, still sporting sleep in his eye as he had, apparently, used the tree as a spot for last second rest before the mission.

"True, you never know who's watching eh? They might even have agents here in the village..."

Said Sora, conspiratorially, to the group. He didn't believe that the enemy was watching, and thought the concern was overblown, however there was a chance that the cautious ninja of the tree was correct.

 

[Fearlesstiger]

Niji Yuki
Theme: The Eye of The Storm​

Niji sighed as he was approached, he didn't really see the reason. He hadn't really been aware that he was making it snow since it wasn't actually the result of a jutsu. "Sorry about that, I haven't really fully mastered that aspect of my kekkei genkai quite yet. These things seem to happen for a variety of reasons." He explained with a hushed tone since one of them had mentioned something about being watched. He wasn't exactly lying but he wasn't going to admit the situation was making him uncomfortable. Performing a one handed sign that was meant more to maintain his focus the snow slowly began to come to a stop but it was taking awhile since he was trying to force himself to calm down.
Scion Duwang Uncultured

 

[KnightOfNight]

Yasu listened to Suba and the boy talk about the mission and the team leader and realized something she should have known from the start. They must have all been chosen for a reason. "Hey Suba? I'm sorry for doubting you without knowing what you're capable of." She then turned her focus to the boy. "And you, there's no such thing as being shown up on a mission. The only thing that matters is if the team succeeds or not." His kind of attitude wasn't that uncommon, but Yasu just didn't understand it. Maybe it was due to the difference in how her parents raised her? That would explain a lot. It was about this time that Suba's comment about her clothes finally registered. "You really think so? I wasn't trying to go for cute, but I'm not complaining if it is. Thank you."

Yasu hadn't noticed the snow until her clothes had started to get wet from it melting on her. What kind of person summons snow right before an important mission like this? It could be a lot more dangerous than anyone would think if they ended up in a protracted battle today. Pushing those thoughts aside, she focused back on what really mattered right now. "So where is this Kakashi anyway?"

KSMI Uncultured

 

[Scion]

"I see. My gratitude for your explanation but if I might express concern, forgive me if this sounds overly offensive it is not my intent I just simply wish to note something..." Kotone remarked as she found the explanation given by Niji a tad curious. "Let us, if you do not mind, journey into the realm of hypotheticals, in this hypothetical let us say that on our mission to discover them, let us say another example of these eccentric weather patterns happen. This is not to say I am suggesting it will happen, I assure you this is just in the speculative realm you see, but would that not be a danger to the rest of the group?" Kotone tilted her head slightly before bringing it back up and speaking further. "It could, in this hypothetical scenario, tip off, unsavory characters to your presence without much need for spying?

Kotone lowered her head for a moment. "It seems like it would add another unwarranted danger." Raising her head back up Shihashi breathed in and out slowly hoping that she had firmly expressed in diplomatic turns what danger could be ahead for them, especially with such a thing occurring. She turned her head towards Yasu and glanced towards her. "If I were to speculate on that matter, I would assume on the way to the ordained meeting place, which is to say here."

 

[Kloudy]

Shizuka Shinrai
(Konohagakure - East Gate)

Shizuka continued to observe the conversation as it went on, content to remain a bystander as the two seemed to ignore him for the most part. Which was fair, he had just butted in after all. His ears twitched slightly at the sound of footsteps drawing close, prompting him to turn around and gaze with mild curiosity at the short girl that had just arrived. She seemed spunky and excitable, if not a bit lax in attention just like himself. Shizuka smiled reminiscently to himself as they all conversed; she reminded him of himself when he was younger, although perhaps with a bit less energy then she seemed to exude.

More ninja came, faces he had seen from the meeting with their Hokage an hour earlier approaching to input their two cents on today's mission. Kakashi sure seemed quite the individual, if not a bit brief in his formalities earlier. Shizuka wondered if anyone from his old squad had survived and by some rare chance had also been assigned to this mission, this hurried plan to give chase to the cunning village bombers. It'd be easier on him if he saw a familiar face to put a name to, he could do teamwork better with those he knew after all. Forming plans and strategies, as he was so keenly known for, was that much more simple when considering allies he was already familiar with.

His trance of thought was broken by a cold gale that seemed to break out from seemingly nowhere in an instant. Thinking quickly, Shizuka reacted by swiftly standing behind the girl named Yusa, her larger frame serving as a decent windbreak from the ensuing snowy breeze that followed. While he may be lazy, Shizuka was very sharp-witted when he wanted to be, although usually that only came with avoiding work or responsibility, or for annoying situations like these. Despite his annoyance, he did not voice any complaints as the others did because it didn't really seem worth it to him. Besides, everyone appeared to be wrapped up in their own interactions to feel any desire to bother with a quiet slacker of a ninja such as himself.

By the time everyone had introduced themselves, Shizuka had managed to passively listen in and file away each name in his head. Of course, no one asked him for his own, so he saw no reason to introduce himself. However, with his exceptional analytical skills, he had noticed one particular nin that appeared to be more perceptive than the rest. He seemed to glance around at everyone, checking who was already present and their eyes locked for the briefest moment as Shizuka gazed back coolly. He probably already knew who Shizuka was, in that case. Well, that was fine, it was always good to have another set of capable eyes to keep an 'eye' on things. He then heard the girl he was still standing behind ask after their commanding officer, piquing Shizuka's interest as well.

"That's a good point, where is Kakashi? It's already 11:00, he should be here by now."

Uncultured Fearlesstiger KnightOfNight

 

[Uncultured]

Fearlesstiger
Duwang
Scion
Kloudy
Shining Wizard
KnightOfNight
KSMI

"YO"

Came the voice of Kakashi from a cloud of smoke, at exactly 11:10 am, inturrupting the socializing of those assembled.

Since the earlier meeting, Kakashi's gray Flak vest had been replaced by the standard light green of a middle or upper ninja and a large pack was now present on his back.

"Sorry about being late...."

"A little girls cat was in a tree you see...."

Explained the Jonin, unconvincingly to say the least.

"I guess you've all had time to introduce yourselves, good. From now on, you're one unit, one squad, comrades, remember that. It doesn't matter if you've never met before. Under my command, you're brothers, sisters, understood?"

He said, the last bit coming off as, well, rather menacing, forming a threat to the ninja, to have each other's back, or else, capping it with a rhetorical question.

"The six we are tracking were spotted at the Kuriasupuringu Hot baths, heading to the land of springs. We have little time to waste"

He continued, commanding, leading the way out of the gate in a blur with the chunin in tale.

The group is now somewhere in the forest, due east of the village. Time 8pm. Temperature has fallen to 60 degrees. Light rain falls from the sky. The group comes across a couple being accosted by a mob of twelve who have the pair on their knees. The mob is going through their possessions and several are brandishing weapons. A couple of them insinuate that they will sexually assault the woman and have the man watch. There is no time to waste but the group stops, a good deed for the day.

Enemy strength level.

5 Academy level fodder
3 Genin level street fighters
2 Genin level, ex ninja
1 Chunin level, ex ninja
1 Upper chunin level, ex ninja

 

[Shining Wizard]

From deep within the bordering forest came a rising scream, filled with fury and hate; a real-deal proper warcry sort that rose in volume as it neared the group, trees splintering in it's wake. Looking for all the world like some giant monster had been let loose, the missing-nin and couple both stopped, a couple of the academy dropout goons stepping forward to peer into the woods. This, as it turned out, was a mistake. A torso-sized ball of fur and desperation erupted from the treeline, leaving scratches across one goon's face as it used him as a stepping stone to reach the opposite side of the road. Seconds after this, the very same tree fell forward onto the stunned goon, cut cleanly at the base by a short woman in an oversized coat that draped over her hands, the point of a katana blade emerging from the ends of either sleeve.

Masamune Kotegiri, the wide sleeves of her overcoat oozing delicious, sugary tree blood, pointed to the adjacent treeline with her left blade and screamed at the oversize feline, which had stopped to check if the crazy lady was still following or not.

"RUN ALL YOU LIKE, FOOLISH CAT- BUT KNOW THAT TO STEAL AN EGGROLL FROM THE BLADE OF JUSTICE (self-proclaimed) IS VENDETTA. I SHALL TRACK YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH AND, WHEN I HAVE FOUND YOU, I SHALL CUT YOU DOWN WHERE YOU STAND- AND I WILL FIND YOU, FOOLISH ONE, FOR JUSTICE NEVER SLEEPS! I SWEAR IT UPON MY FATHER'S- eh?"

Noticing she was suddenly surrounded by both a bunch of dickweeds with crossed-out headbands and a bunch of dickweeds she recognized from the chunin exams was enough to give even Kotegiri momentary pause. She did a double take, briefly regretted not owning a watch to check (because time was no master to the Blade Of Justice), and decided that her best course of action was to take a mulligan and track the feline fiend down later for a formal execution.

"So, uhhh...", she paused to lick some sap off her sword hand, wondering how to handle this, "How you dildoes doing? Wanna help me skin a cat?"

 

[Uncultured]

Blundering through the treeline, the Kunoichi had accidentally killed one of the henchmen working with the ex ninja, and what would come next would be a mob attack on a fellow ninja of the leaf, not and acceptable outcome for the ninja posted in the trees, who had, only moments before spotted the gang.

Following his first instinct, Sora descended like a moron, into the center of the semi-circle the goons had formed around the hollering ninja. Behind the shadowy figures, through the silhouettes of the enemy, the tear streamed faces of the captives reflected somber moonlight, their eyes glancing nervously at the two ninja, who seemed outmatched against the mob.

As the rain descended, Sora looked up to the trees where his squadmates still stood, expecting some form of help, knowing that an assist would come, perhaps more measured in nature than what Sora had done, but an assist none the less.

"Hey you... I don't know what you're doing out here but... We got your back"

Grunted Sora to the girl, withdrawing his two trench knives, channeling wind Chakra to the blades, adding a hefty level of killing power to the weapons. Knowing that the mob was soon to pounce, seeing it in their emboldening body language, the Chunin struck first, body flickering to one of the henchmen on Sora's left, looking to lower their numbers by targeting weaker members. His attack was successful, stabbing the man three times in quick succession, two in his abdomen, under his middling guard, the final in his neck, dropping the sluggish man with a thud, blood leaking onto the forest floor as life slipped from him.

Turning with lethal intent towards another henchman, to thin their numbers further, Sora came face to face with a raging fireball technique, rolling towards him at great speed sent by an ex-ninja who seemed to be the leader of the pack, his headband sporting a healthy scar across its emblem, the four dash lines of the rain.

Where the hell? How did he release that so quickly!?!

Thought Sora to himself with a mild dose of fear, dodging to the left, right arm stinging with heat as the ball of flame crashed into a large tree at his rear, sending fragments of burning wood and super-heated dirt into the atmosphere as what remained of the tree caught kindling, the flame holding to the wood despite the slow mist of rain, illuminating the darkness with a dull orange glow.

"Take them out, all of them!'

Commanded the leader of the group, his voice raspy and mechanical, coming through the vents of a rain village re-breather, revealing on his arm a series of tags, activating one of those labelled "Earth", rising his group thirty feet off the forest floor, giving them the high ground, even on the ninja still in the trees.

----------------

IMPORTANT

The leader is the high Chunin level ninja I mentioned in the establishing post, he has a series of techniques confined to tags he has attached to his arm and can activate them once using the tag, without using any seals, making them fast to deploy. Lets thin out the weaker ones first and then we can take out boss man.

 

[Scion]

Well this was, not quite a situation Kotone figured she'd be in. No matter, she supposed that it was now a matter of removing some of these unsavory elements from play. The safest course of action would possibly be whittling down the lower ranks of the enemy so everyone could gang up brute force style on the remaining ones. But groups were often like a snake and they would disband as soon as the head or heads were taken out. But what did Kotone know, she was supposed to be in more courtly affairs - well if it weren't for her desire to get a husband. Surely these trials would be worth the eventual day of marriage and...

...But now was simply a time for testing.

With that said the kunoichi Kotone looked towards the sorta obvious second looking in command and performed her hand-signs to send him into the world of horrific visions of Genjutsu; in this case having the very tree itself growing and binding their strands around him to eventually make their way into every orifice, as if it was not happy with them using it.

Target: Chunin Level

 

[clarinetti]

Naoko Aoki​

Of the group which had been assembled to complete the Third’s assignment, Naoko was one of the last to arrive. Punctuality was typically her strong suit, yet there were matters to attend to in the brief time before their departure. Besides packing for the indefinite journey, there was the matter of informing her mother and siblings of her new mission. She had initially planned to remain in the village until her father Toru returned from his current assignment, and leaving the trio in the wake of the unprecedented attack caused her much anxiety. It wasn’t as though they were incapable of handling themselves, but if another bombing should occur and Fumiko was the only one there to help the others… it was a troubling thought. But she left all the same, reached the gate in time to offer a brief wave in greeting before Kakashi, the leader of their operation, arrived. The lecture he gave them was short and concise- watch each others backs, work together. They were basic ground rules, but valuable all the same.

Hours passed as the team raced to catch up to the suspected culpits. At the rear of the pack, the kunoichi hardly spoke to any of her fellow leaf-nin, much of the time passed on trying to identify them. Some she vaguely recognized as being from the year below her, whereas a handful had more familiar faces from their days at the Academy, though even then she didn’t feel she knew them well. Not that any of that mattered, really- whether they were old acquaintances or total strangers, they would certainly get to know one another better over the course of this assignment.

Before the kunoichi could contemplate this further however, the group conveniently found themselves encountering a large gang harassing what appeared to be a civilian couple. Before Kakashi could instruct them on whether to get involved in the conflict, one of their brethren took it upon themselves to start making a racket and making their presence known, inadvertantly murdering one of the goons in the process. Immediately a spike of pure annoyance rose within the woman, which was subsequently tamped down with a heavy breath. There would be time for that later, once they handled the conflict they'd been unwillingly drawn into. As the leader of the hooligans activated his own jutsu to raise his cohorts up to the air, Naoko’s focus directed to the panicked couple.

Coming to a standstill whilst still in the tree cover, the woman whipped out her own hand signs before slamming her palms into the ground. “Earth Wall.” she intones, and with it a wide pillar rises from the ground beneath the civilian’s feet. As gently as possible, she directs the structure away from the clearing and sets it down a moderate distance away from the fighting. Releasing the technique, her gaze glances back towards their Jonin leader, who seemed perfectly content to watch the proceedings. “Forgive us, Kakashi-san: I know we must proceed with our primary objective, but given the circumstances, surely we must intervene?” she questions, her expression still uneasy and she turns back to face their opposition. Noting that a few others in their party had stepped in, Naoko’s attention shifted to another one of the men above them. Pausing to raise her dominant arm up as though to judge the distance, a second collection of hand signs were implemented along with a vocal cue. At the words “Earth Style: Flying Thrown Stones.” a collection of fist-sized rocks rose from the freshly disturbed clearing and rocketed towards the miscreant.

Target: Genin, Ex-ninja I

 

[KnightOfNight]

The sight before Yasu disgusted her, a group of bandits had outnumbered a poor couple and demanded their money and the woman's body. Usually Yasu refused to let the world get to her, but today has been a terrible day that just didn't seem to want to end. Even more worrying, a third party entered the scene by dropping a tree on one of the bandits despite being seemingly unaware of what was going down. However, the quick response of her team did a lot to improve her mood. One of the boys had rushed in and despite that being an incredibly stupid thing to do, showed his heart was in the right place. Then, the cute Kotone did... Something, most likely a genjutsu to deal with what appeared to be a second in command, assuming savage animals like these bandits understood the importance of the chain of command. Finally, a girl Yasu hadn't noticed until now moved the very earth the civilians were on to get them to safety. "Nice one!" She shouted to the new girl before running out to join Sora.

Upon joining him, she bumped against his back with her own to let him know she was there. "Hey man, I get what you're trying to do, but do you even know what the rest of the group is capable of? What if we couldn't help you once you got out this far?" So far she wasn't liking this group dynamic, but not because of the others. She didn't like it because she felt like she had to act in a way she hated. Almost like a mom, and with her being one of the older members of the group that bothered her even more. "After this we all need to talk about what it is that we bring to the team, alright?" But before Sora could respond with 'got it' or 'shut up' or whatever he'd say about her nagging, three of the bandits attempted to surround the two chunin. Now, a lot could easily explain why they would try such a silly thing. Perhaps they were so used to pushing normal people around they grew an ego, or perhaps they thought that the foolishness on the part of Sora, and regrettably Yasu since she followed, meant they would be easy to beat. Both were fair assumptions, but the bandits were probably just really stupid.

"Well, what the hell are you dumbasses waiting for? If you're hoping to wait for us to die from old age, I got bad news for you." She said, pointing out a bandit with quite an impressive beard. "Looks like you got a head start on us." Unfortunately, the joke seemed to be too clever for the bandits as they just responded to it with their usually 'we're gonna have our way with you' rants. Is that all they ever thought about? Deciding it wasn't worth wasting more jokes on them, Yasu figured using them on her ally was a better idea. "Hey, I think they're talking about you. Kinda flattering huh?" Now this, apparently, was too much for the bearded fighter and he leapt at Yasu, hoping to silence her. Seeing such an obviously reckless and incredibly stupid move be used by someone considered dangerous to normal people, she couldn't help but laugh. Laugh and snap her leg out, kicking the man in the sternum with her toes pointed out. The force from such a fast kick focused on such a small point of contact was enough to knock him out of the air and onto his back, and while it wasn't likely enough to be lethal, the man was probably wishing that it would have been.

clarinetti Uncultured

Target: Genin level street fighter (Beardy)
Surrounded by: Academy dropouts x2