Ayumu had received word that he would be sent out on a hunting mission the day before, and was now fully equipped in his mission gear and headed towards the gates to meet his two comrades for the excursion. He dashed from rooftop to rooftop, checking all his gear as he went. Everything seemed to be in order, but one important element was missing which he needed to add before he proceeded. Shortening one of his jumps, he dropped in to an isolated alley and scanned it for any signs of life. When he determined that he was alone, he formed a seal and then placed his hand over his face. His standard issue black trainee mask, devoid of any markings, materialized rapidly over his face, the straps to hold it on pulling themselves tight around the back of his head. He removed his hand from the now in place mask and proceeded to sprint up the alley wall and return to the roof before proceeding towards the gates.
Approaching Dragon Tooth Pass, the buildings ceased and were replaced by the passage leading to the gates. Ayumu took to the ground and made haste through the passage. When he caught sight of the gates, two ANBU Mempo, one woman and one man, were already present, awaiting his arrival. He checked his watch to find that he was early- the Mempo were simply earlier. He slowed to a stop in front of them and gave a nod to them as he noticed the folio the woman was holding. It was unmarked, but familiar to Ayumu as the kind frequently used by ANBU containing the details of their missions and also sealed so it would burn to nothing instantly if held by any without the ANBU seal tattoo. "Toshiyuki Suzuki" the man introduced himself. "Hanazawa Rie. I've been assigned to lead this hunt," the woman said, holding the folio out for Ayumu to take. This was to allow him to see the details, but it would also prove he was an ANBU beneath that mask- the folio would ignite otherwise.
Ayumu took the folio, which remained safely unlit, and undid the clasp, opening it to view the contents. The first document was a picture of Koiko Oyama, taken from his previous shinobi ID, along with a label giving his name. Ayumu took a snapshot of it for his own reference with the useful ANBU jutsu and then turned to the next page. The first section contained a description of what was known of his abilities. He was classified as an S-rank shinobi both because of his ability and the fact that he had killed both shinobi and civilians alike before fleeing the village. He was a master of puppets and former colleagues claimed to have seen him manipulate at least 7 puppets at once, but almost certainly was capable of handling more. Furthermore, he was a known practitioner of human puppetry and had turned at least two Cloud shinobi in to puppets by the time he fled. Lastly, intelligence indicated that he was most likely hiding in a village called Shizugawa, within the mountain range known as the Spine of the World. Finished reading, Ayumu handed the folio back to one of the Mempo who tossed it to the ground and watched as it burned out of existence. The three departed immediately.
A few days later the team arrived at Shizugawa. Finding Oyama was sure to take some time, as he was most likely no longer within the village. Toshiyuki was a sensory specialist, however, so if he did actually remain they would know. Hanazawa and Toshiyuki went to ask around the village about Oyama. Meanwhile, Ayumu, as the trainee, was stuck going to the inn to get them a room. He entered a fairly large inn, having removed his mask and transformed in to some less conspicuous clothing, and approached the front counter. "I need a room for three, please," he said with a smile at the receptionist waiting at the desk. She was cute and had a warm smile, Ayumu couldn't help but notice. "Yessir! We have the perfect room for you on the second floor, 204," she said enthusiastically, turning around to the numbered cubbyholes which held the keys to each of the rooms. She took the key for room 204 and turned back to Ayumu.
"What brings you to our humble village?" she asked as she set the key down and scribbled something on the top piece of paper in a stack. "Oh, we're just here to see a friend of ours," Ayumu responded with a friendly lie. "Oh, how nice! Well, you have a wonderful stay!" the receptionist said, picking up the key and holding it out for Ayumu. "Thanks!" he said as he reached out to take the key. As his hand neared the key, a chill ran through his body. Something was off, he had a sixth sense about this sort of thing. He yanked back his hand on instinct, and as he did so the door to the inn burst open as Toshiyuki and Hanazawa entered. "Kogami, get away from her!" Toshiyuki shouted, though he was a bit too late. A small patch of the receptionist's extended palm raised and a tube of sorts emerged from underneath it. From the tube, a senbon erupted aimed directly at Ayumu's heart. There was no time to dodge- the senbon lodged itself deep in to Ayumu's core as a shocked expression flashed over his face.
Then, a puff of smoke veiled Ayumu for a moment before revealing a potted plant from the lobby which fell to the ground and shattered. Ayumu himself appeared in a blur behind the receptionist and ran one of his katana through her torso. Something about it didn't feel right- it didn't feel like it normally did when impaled people. Another compartment opened on her back, but was concealed by her clothing. Suddenly, a kunai ripped through the fabric and shot in to Ayumu's arm, causing him to release his sword. He staggered back, and as another kunai primed to fire he was prepared to take another hit. Instead, he found the puppet before him destroyed as the head of a large hammer landed on the puppet's head and didn't stop until it hit the ground. The puppet's various tools and weapons stored inside spilled out on to the floor as it was annihilated by the hammer. Ayumu blinked a few times, surprised by the sudden destruction, then noticed the hammer belonged to Hanazawa. "Uh, thanks..." he said awkwardly. He pulled the kunai lodged in his arm out and tossed it aside. He had to wonder if the puppet they had just dispatched was actually the receptionist before Oyama had arrived and made her what she was.
"He has to be in this building," Toshiyuki said, Ayumu and Hanazawa agreeing. "How about we make sure he stays that way?" Ayumu suggested. The other two nodded, knowing what he meant. Black Blockade, the barrier jutsu meant to trap an ANBU's prey, even more powerful with multiple users. They each performed the needed handseals, and a black semi-transparent field in the shape of a box flickered and sprang to life around the building, boxing them in. "There are three floors, we'll each take one. I'll take the first, Toshiyuki takes the second, Kogami take the third. Be careful, I'm sure he has more puppets like this one. We can't trust anybody in this building," Hanazawa instructed. They nodded and each put on their headsets then moved to the stairs, splitting up until Ayumu was alone ascending to the third floor.
He began to check the rooms one by one, knocking politely on the doors of those that would let him in and knocking down the doors of those who wouldn't. Some were agitated at first but seemed to understand with a little explanation. Ayumu took to cautiously checking pulses to be sure he was not dealing with puppets. He cleared a few rooms before Hanazawa came in on the radio to report that she had run in to one of the shinobi puppets and dispatched it on the first floor. A few more room searches passed and then the important call came. "I found him! He's headed up to the third floor, he's holding me back with more pupp-" Toshiyuki came in over the radio. An explosion that rocked the building seemed to cut him off. It had come from the second floor where Toshiyuki had been.
"Toshiyuki!" Ayumu called back in to the headset to no response. "Kogami, get to the stairwell," Hanazawa instructed- Ayumu was already running. As he neared the door to the stairs it burst open, revealing a man in his 20s with silver hair. Ayumu consulted his snapshot mentally and immediately realized it was him. Oyama raised both of his arms which seemed to come apart revealing numerous slots each with the tip of a kunai protruding from them. Without warning they shot forth sending a wide volley of several kunai at Ayumu. Yanking open one of the doors the wrong way, Ayumu shielded himself with the door before pulling it off the hinges and throwing it at Oyama. A long blade shot out from Oyama's palm which he used to slice the door in half, the two halves flying in to the wall behind him.
Ayumu was right behind the door projectile with a slash which Oyama barely met with his own blade. Their swords were locked together, but Ayumu had more strength and was bearing down on Oyama. Unfortunately, the kunai launchers on Oyama's arms reprimed and prepared to send another volley at Ayumu. Ayumu twisted his sword and pushed Oyama's sword, and his arm to the side sending the volley in to the wall instead. The familiar sound of an explosive tags on some of the kunai burning away caused Ayumu to instinctively leap backwards in time to avoid the explosion, though the blast still threw him against a wall and fractured a few ribs. Through the thick black smoke that resulted emerged two puppets with long bladed arms emerged and started swinging them violently at Ayumu. Ayumu drew his second katana to deflect the flurry of attacks and quickly out maneuvered the less agile puppets, removing their arms.
The next to emerge from the smoke was a bulkier puppet which seemed like it would also be attacking with blades. Instead, wires shot out from it's core, wrapping around and constricting Ayumu's weapons, tying them tightly together with his arms and also constricting his legs. Oyama emerged from the smoke himself this time, his blade extended intending to impale Ayumu. The AiT quickly yanked both sword, pulling the wires and the puppet with them. The puppet collided with Oyama just before he reached Ayumu, though he still managed to leave a nasty gash on Ayumu's side. Oyama and the puppet crashed in to the wall while Ayumu pulled free of the loosened wire.
Dicing up this enemy wasn't going to do him any good, he needed to destroy it completely. Removing an explosive note wrapped kunai from his pouch he tossed it at Oyama who was tangled in the wire of his own puppet, then stepped back. The explosion rocked the building once more, prompting screams from several rooms. A few people entered the hallway, but Ayumu shouted for them to stay back which they did. As the smoke cleared, all that was left was the smoldering remains of Oyama's puppified body. An arm there, a torso over there, Ayumu surveyed the scene. Hanazawa appeared at the top of the stairs followed by a limping Toshiyuki.
"Check the compartment on the torso," Toshiyuki said, leaning in the door frame. Ayumu approached the fractured torso and cautiously knelt down, reaching for the hatch on the chest. "Wait," Hanazawa said, walking over before Ayumu could touch the hatch. He froze, realizing what she probably meant, and stood back up. He used his sword to pry the hatch open instead. The instant it so much as cracked slightly open, several tiny needles shot up around the opening, no doubt poisoned. "Phew!" Ayumu said as he opened the hatch the rest of the way. Inside was a heart, the only living thing inside the formerly human puppeteer. Except it was no longer living either, it was still. He was dead.
"Looks like that's it... hey, you don't think his other weapons were poisoned too, do you?" Ayumu said, looking at Hanazawa and Toshiyuki. He was suddenly feeling a little woozy. "Uhh..." his comrades said simultaneously as they watched him wabble slightly before stumbling against the wall. He slid down the wall on to his behind, and then things went dark.
When Ayumu awoke, he found himself sitting in the back of a carriage, Toshiyuki sitting in the seat across from him. Ayumu sat up straight and rubbed his eyes, yawning and stretching. "Oh, good morning, Kogami. Fortunately for you, they found a sample of the poison Oyama used in his old home and created an antidote for it, which they sent with us. Aren't you lucky? At any rate, we're on our way home now," Toshiyuki said, explaining the situation to Ayumu. Ayumu still felt a little woozy, feeling some after effects still. "Yeah, super lucky..." he responded, rubbing his eyes. It was further explained to him that the two Mempo had cleaned up the scene while Ayumu was out and destroyed all of Oyama's puppets, saving only the heart which they would bring back as proof of the deed.
Soon, they would reach Dragon Tooth Passage and leave the carriage at the gates, returning to the Sileo for a debriefing- after Ayumu and Toshiyuki went to the hospital to get checked out.
[Mission Complete]
[WC: 2,302]
Approaching Dragon Tooth Pass, the buildings ceased and were replaced by the passage leading to the gates. Ayumu took to the ground and made haste through the passage. When he caught sight of the gates, two ANBU Mempo, one woman and one man, were already present, awaiting his arrival. He checked his watch to find that he was early- the Mempo were simply earlier. He slowed to a stop in front of them and gave a nod to them as he noticed the folio the woman was holding. It was unmarked, but familiar to Ayumu as the kind frequently used by ANBU containing the details of their missions and also sealed so it would burn to nothing instantly if held by any without the ANBU seal tattoo. "Toshiyuki Suzuki" the man introduced himself. "Hanazawa Rie. I've been assigned to lead this hunt," the woman said, holding the folio out for Ayumu to take. This was to allow him to see the details, but it would also prove he was an ANBU beneath that mask- the folio would ignite otherwise.
Ayumu took the folio, which remained safely unlit, and undid the clasp, opening it to view the contents. The first document was a picture of Koiko Oyama, taken from his previous shinobi ID, along with a label giving his name. Ayumu took a snapshot of it for his own reference with the useful ANBU jutsu and then turned to the next page. The first section contained a description of what was known of his abilities. He was classified as an S-rank shinobi both because of his ability and the fact that he had killed both shinobi and civilians alike before fleeing the village. He was a master of puppets and former colleagues claimed to have seen him manipulate at least 7 puppets at once, but almost certainly was capable of handling more. Furthermore, he was a known practitioner of human puppetry and had turned at least two Cloud shinobi in to puppets by the time he fled. Lastly, intelligence indicated that he was most likely hiding in a village called Shizugawa, within the mountain range known as the Spine of the World. Finished reading, Ayumu handed the folio back to one of the Mempo who tossed it to the ground and watched as it burned out of existence. The three departed immediately.
A few days later the team arrived at Shizugawa. Finding Oyama was sure to take some time, as he was most likely no longer within the village. Toshiyuki was a sensory specialist, however, so if he did actually remain they would know. Hanazawa and Toshiyuki went to ask around the village about Oyama. Meanwhile, Ayumu, as the trainee, was stuck going to the inn to get them a room. He entered a fairly large inn, having removed his mask and transformed in to some less conspicuous clothing, and approached the front counter. "I need a room for three, please," he said with a smile at the receptionist waiting at the desk. She was cute and had a warm smile, Ayumu couldn't help but notice. "Yessir! We have the perfect room for you on the second floor, 204," she said enthusiastically, turning around to the numbered cubbyholes which held the keys to each of the rooms. She took the key for room 204 and turned back to Ayumu.
"What brings you to our humble village?" she asked as she set the key down and scribbled something on the top piece of paper in a stack. "Oh, we're just here to see a friend of ours," Ayumu responded with a friendly lie. "Oh, how nice! Well, you have a wonderful stay!" the receptionist said, picking up the key and holding it out for Ayumu. "Thanks!" he said as he reached out to take the key. As his hand neared the key, a chill ran through his body. Something was off, he had a sixth sense about this sort of thing. He yanked back his hand on instinct, and as he did so the door to the inn burst open as Toshiyuki and Hanazawa entered. "Kogami, get away from her!" Toshiyuki shouted, though he was a bit too late. A small patch of the receptionist's extended palm raised and a tube of sorts emerged from underneath it. From the tube, a senbon erupted aimed directly at Ayumu's heart. There was no time to dodge- the senbon lodged itself deep in to Ayumu's core as a shocked expression flashed over his face.
Then, a puff of smoke veiled Ayumu for a moment before revealing a potted plant from the lobby which fell to the ground and shattered. Ayumu himself appeared in a blur behind the receptionist and ran one of his katana through her torso. Something about it didn't feel right- it didn't feel like it normally did when impaled people. Another compartment opened on her back, but was concealed by her clothing. Suddenly, a kunai ripped through the fabric and shot in to Ayumu's arm, causing him to release his sword. He staggered back, and as another kunai primed to fire he was prepared to take another hit. Instead, he found the puppet before him destroyed as the head of a large hammer landed on the puppet's head and didn't stop until it hit the ground. The puppet's various tools and weapons stored inside spilled out on to the floor as it was annihilated by the hammer. Ayumu blinked a few times, surprised by the sudden destruction, then noticed the hammer belonged to Hanazawa. "Uh, thanks..." he said awkwardly. He pulled the kunai lodged in his arm out and tossed it aside. He had to wonder if the puppet they had just dispatched was actually the receptionist before Oyama had arrived and made her what she was.
"He has to be in this building," Toshiyuki said, Ayumu and Hanazawa agreeing. "How about we make sure he stays that way?" Ayumu suggested. The other two nodded, knowing what he meant. Black Blockade, the barrier jutsu meant to trap an ANBU's prey, even more powerful with multiple users. They each performed the needed handseals, and a black semi-transparent field in the shape of a box flickered and sprang to life around the building, boxing them in. "There are three floors, we'll each take one. I'll take the first, Toshiyuki takes the second, Kogami take the third. Be careful, I'm sure he has more puppets like this one. We can't trust anybody in this building," Hanazawa instructed. They nodded and each put on their headsets then moved to the stairs, splitting up until Ayumu was alone ascending to the third floor.
He began to check the rooms one by one, knocking politely on the doors of those that would let him in and knocking down the doors of those who wouldn't. Some were agitated at first but seemed to understand with a little explanation. Ayumu took to cautiously checking pulses to be sure he was not dealing with puppets. He cleared a few rooms before Hanazawa came in on the radio to report that she had run in to one of the shinobi puppets and dispatched it on the first floor. A few more room searches passed and then the important call came. "I found him! He's headed up to the third floor, he's holding me back with more pupp-" Toshiyuki came in over the radio. An explosion that rocked the building seemed to cut him off. It had come from the second floor where Toshiyuki had been.
"Toshiyuki!" Ayumu called back in to the headset to no response. "Kogami, get to the stairwell," Hanazawa instructed- Ayumu was already running. As he neared the door to the stairs it burst open, revealing a man in his 20s with silver hair. Ayumu consulted his snapshot mentally and immediately realized it was him. Oyama raised both of his arms which seemed to come apart revealing numerous slots each with the tip of a kunai protruding from them. Without warning they shot forth sending a wide volley of several kunai at Ayumu. Yanking open one of the doors the wrong way, Ayumu shielded himself with the door before pulling it off the hinges and throwing it at Oyama. A long blade shot out from Oyama's palm which he used to slice the door in half, the two halves flying in to the wall behind him.
Ayumu was right behind the door projectile with a slash which Oyama barely met with his own blade. Their swords were locked together, but Ayumu had more strength and was bearing down on Oyama. Unfortunately, the kunai launchers on Oyama's arms reprimed and prepared to send another volley at Ayumu. Ayumu twisted his sword and pushed Oyama's sword, and his arm to the side sending the volley in to the wall instead. The familiar sound of an explosive tags on some of the kunai burning away caused Ayumu to instinctively leap backwards in time to avoid the explosion, though the blast still threw him against a wall and fractured a few ribs. Through the thick black smoke that resulted emerged two puppets with long bladed arms emerged and started swinging them violently at Ayumu. Ayumu drew his second katana to deflect the flurry of attacks and quickly out maneuvered the less agile puppets, removing their arms.
The next to emerge from the smoke was a bulkier puppet which seemed like it would also be attacking with blades. Instead, wires shot out from it's core, wrapping around and constricting Ayumu's weapons, tying them tightly together with his arms and also constricting his legs. Oyama emerged from the smoke himself this time, his blade extended intending to impale Ayumu. The AiT quickly yanked both sword, pulling the wires and the puppet with them. The puppet collided with Oyama just before he reached Ayumu, though he still managed to leave a nasty gash on Ayumu's side. Oyama and the puppet crashed in to the wall while Ayumu pulled free of the loosened wire.
Dicing up this enemy wasn't going to do him any good, he needed to destroy it completely. Removing an explosive note wrapped kunai from his pouch he tossed it at Oyama who was tangled in the wire of his own puppet, then stepped back. The explosion rocked the building once more, prompting screams from several rooms. A few people entered the hallway, but Ayumu shouted for them to stay back which they did. As the smoke cleared, all that was left was the smoldering remains of Oyama's puppified body. An arm there, a torso over there, Ayumu surveyed the scene. Hanazawa appeared at the top of the stairs followed by a limping Toshiyuki.
"Check the compartment on the torso," Toshiyuki said, leaning in the door frame. Ayumu approached the fractured torso and cautiously knelt down, reaching for the hatch on the chest. "Wait," Hanazawa said, walking over before Ayumu could touch the hatch. He froze, realizing what she probably meant, and stood back up. He used his sword to pry the hatch open instead. The instant it so much as cracked slightly open, several tiny needles shot up around the opening, no doubt poisoned. "Phew!" Ayumu said as he opened the hatch the rest of the way. Inside was a heart, the only living thing inside the formerly human puppeteer. Except it was no longer living either, it was still. He was dead.
"Looks like that's it... hey, you don't think his other weapons were poisoned too, do you?" Ayumu said, looking at Hanazawa and Toshiyuki. He was suddenly feeling a little woozy. "Uhh..." his comrades said simultaneously as they watched him wabble slightly before stumbling against the wall. He slid down the wall on to his behind, and then things went dark.
When Ayumu awoke, he found himself sitting in the back of a carriage, Toshiyuki sitting in the seat across from him. Ayumu sat up straight and rubbed his eyes, yawning and stretching. "Oh, good morning, Kogami. Fortunately for you, they found a sample of the poison Oyama used in his old home and created an antidote for it, which they sent with us. Aren't you lucky? At any rate, we're on our way home now," Toshiyuki said, explaining the situation to Ayumu. Ayumu still felt a little woozy, feeling some after effects still. "Yeah, super lucky..." he responded, rubbing his eyes. It was further explained to him that the two Mempo had cleaned up the scene while Ayumu was out and destroyed all of Oyama's puppets, saving only the heart which they would bring back as proof of the deed.
Soon, they would reach Dragon Tooth Passage and leave the carriage at the gates, returning to the Sileo for a debriefing- after Ayumu and Toshiyuki went to the hospital to get checked out.
[Mission Complete]
[WC: 2,302]