Village Exit & Briefing: Wrath Brings Forth Blood

[Santaru Rin]

Mission Rank: B-Rank
Team Leader: Hoshiko Gin
Battle: Yes/RP
Details: The Ryuu political faction is competing with the Bakufuu political faction to gain possession of a fabled gauntlet. The ANBU Sennin wants the gauntlet recovered and the factions hopelessly entangled out of the way of civilian settlements. A detailed briefing will be provided to the mission recipient. Retrieval of this item is a matter of national security.

Members Needed: Jinkotsu Kosei, Hoshiko Gin, Kogami Ayumu
Modded by: Rin

notes: Contemporaneous with Masao's mission arc. Will require IV travel.

The ANBU and pair of trainees had received the order to prepare for a short, undercover stint involving sanctioned criminal activity within the southern part of the nation. They had been informed in advance to pick up supplies from the Quartermaster, Anatori, which would last for at least two weeks. Further provisions would have to be acquired in the field, as the assignment was expected to last for at least two fortnights, including travel time.

Takayama Shimada​

Takayama-taichou awaited them in the huge dustbowl before the Gates. Those Gates, those bloody Gates, which had seen more Cloud shinobi deaths than any other site, and yet dreamed of more. That ill-fated spot was the first sight to greet all home-coming men and women, and the last to leave them when they departed again. The bundled-up captain leaned silently against the craggy rock wall abutting the huge thing, one gloved hand holding a leather-bound folio and the other holding a long-cold cup of coffee. Gate guards stared at everyone with reddened eyes slitted against the biting wind. They were all wound up in cloth, bitter about serving in the hateful winter's claws and unable, or unwilling, to conceal that gall.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu woke to a sharp knock at his door and groaned moving his hand instinctively over to his alarm clock to hit the snooze. Of course, this did nothing to stop a second knock on his door. This time, he recognized that this was no digital alarm. He sat up abruptly and looked at the door, then snatched his glasses off his nightstand and threw them on his face. He was in nothing but his striped red and white boxers and plain white tee still, so he didn't immediately rush over to open the door. Depending on who was on the other side, it would be highly inappropriate to answer in his current state. "Just a second! I'm coming," he shouted loud enough for his visitor to hear.

"That won't be necessary, trainee. You have an assignment, get ready and head to the designated location for briefing as soon as possible," a voice Ayumu didn't recognize came from the hallway. A moment later an envelope slid under the door. Ayumu walked to his door and bent down, picking the envelop up and tearing the top of it off. He withdrew the paper inside and unfolded it to see the very short, concise instructions he had become accustomed to lately. He was to prepare for a mission outside the village, visit the quartermaster for supplies, and then meet his team at the gates in approximately three hours. As soon as his eyes read the last line, the bottom right corner of the page caught fire. Ayumu, expecting this, tossed it in the sink nearby before casually strolling over and turning the water on to put it out after it had sufficiently destroyed the letter. "Alright then..." he said, not questioning the short notice one bit. The envelope in his hand subsequently caught on fire and he cursed as he dropped it in the sink as well.

After a shower and a spot of food he dressed himself and threw on his mission gear including his armor, his mask, and various weapons including his beloved two swords. He had gotten quicker at this by now, and it only took him about 4 minutes to gather everything he needed for the common mission. This mission was a little different, however, as he wouldn't be returning home for over a week. He packed some additional supplies in to a backpack that was already mostly pre-filled for such an occasion and then slung it over his shoulder. Heading towards his door he stopped before the entrance, resting his hand on the door knob and looking back to his empty apartment. Nobody to say goodbye to. How depressing. He grunted and jerked open the door, stomping out.

A while later, after stopping by the quartermaster in the Sileo and retrieving his supplies, Ayumu approached the gates which were shut tight as usual. He approached the gates where there was nothing of any interest except for a lone man leaning against a rock wall on one side of them. Of course there were the gate guards, but they were always there, almost blending in to the scenery. The man waiting near the gates was Captain Takayama, a man Ayumu had met in a class about interrogation not long ago. It had been an interesting class for various reasons. That's really all there is to say on the matter. Ayumu continued, walking up to Takayama and stopped, holding his arms to try to warm up a bit. He thought briefly that it would be nice if the team was going to head south to a slightly warmer climate.

"Takayama-taichou, good morning," Ayumu said in greeting to the man. He assumed this was who was to give the team their briefing- there was really no other reason for the captain to just be standing there. He doubted he was there to see them off, however much he liked them. Looking around, it seemed as though he was the first to arrive, but it was not yet the designated time for their meeting. They weren't late, they simply weren't as early as Ayumu. That was understandable, Ayumu was a pretty stellar trainee, after all. He nodded to himself in agreement. He wondered who else would be coming, and if the captain himself was to join them.

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Despite the fact that his torture/punishment had been held nearly a week ago, Kosei was still in a good amount of pain. He had finally gotten used to taking his bandages off without completely removing his scabs, and his posture was begining to return to normal, after changing suddenly to compensate for the parallel wounds lining his back. While his lacerations had indeed shut, the pain had not subsided asd much as he would have liked. And the worst part of it was that he was informed that he had a mission in only a few hours.

Kosei had been ordered not to have any chakra-based healing done on him... which he'd followed. He deserved his punishment (sorta), and so he adhered to the strict punishments that came with his crime. However, with a mission of unknown nature at hand, he felt like he would need to bend the rules a little bit. No, he wouldn't use any healing jutsu on himself, and he wouldn't get anyone to do it for him, but he did pop a couple of light painkillers to dull the incessant burning on his back, at least enough to get him through his mission. Just in case, he put a couple more pills in a capsule, which he placed into his belt pouch for later use. Kosei dressed and prepared as quickly as he could in the shortest amount of time that he could. He packed what was necessary. No more, no less. Donning his ANBU attire and mask, he exited through a portion of the Jinkotsu complex where he would not be detected. Cant have any wandering eyes noticing that there was an ANBU living in there, now can we?

When Kosei arrived at the gates, there was already two people there: another trainee (he assumed, based on his vague memory of seeing him somewhere in the Sileo before and knowing that he was a trainee as well), and his informant (based on the thought that no good briefing agent would be late). He approached the two people, and bowed towards the elder ANBU. "Good morning, Sir. Lag, reporting." he said, knowing that his code name would most likely be the main thing listed on his record. Of course, there was also that possibility that he was supposed to give his real name. Either way, his name would be listed as well, so no harm, no foul, right?

Woot, mission~

 

[Hoshiko Gin]

"Where is Ayumu-Kun when you need him to carry stuff for you?" Gin mused, hoisting her portion of needed supplies up onto her back. One gloved hand rested on the the stone wall she had patrolled so many times, and gave it a couple taps, "I'll be back home soon Kumo." This would be a new experience for all the members of this mission, especially Gin, who wasn't used to taking lead role. Really, it was the opportune time to show everyone that she was a capable and competent member of the ANBU; not just your run of the mill kunoichi who could technically walk around all time creeping on people with the, "I see dead people", charade.

Of course it wasn't a charade, she COULD see dead people, but it seemed to unease people more then fascinate them.

She said another silent goodbye, and looked towards the gates entrance to see a group of three figures. "That's my group, Neh?" No surprise that Kogami was already there. With a amiable smile, she walked up to the three unfazed; it wasn't like she was late after all! "Good Morning, Takayama-taichou, I take it?" It couldn't be anyone else, the other man was too young to be Takayama. "Agent Hoshiko, reporting. How may we be of service Sir?" The female operative asked, sure of only the possibly length of time they would be gone and nothing more.

 

[Santaru Rin]

Takayama Shimada​

"Good morning to you too, Kogami-san," Takayama replied. "You've a nice, clear day for travel." Subsequently, another trainee arrived, one whom Takayama had had very little occasion to see. The boy had been punished recently over some foolish kerfuffle, but that didn't seem to impact anyone's expectations of him. The captain decided not to mention it. Getting whipped once or twice only made boys stronger... Well, as long as the blows weren't crippling, and as long as no one ended up with gangrene.

"Hello, I--hm. Lag-san." But there was no time for anything else--the team leader had strolled onto the scene, which meant that business had to get underway.

"Hoshiko-san," he acknowledged. "As you are leading today..." He passed the leather-bound folio stamped Απόρρητον to the female operative.

"Five kilometers south of Tenouza is a site we know currently holds an artifact the Sennin seeks," he said, voice pitched low to dissuade common eavesdroppers. "The Bakufuu and Ryuu yet squabble over it--one supposes both sides are not yet willing to act in concert despite official developments. It would not do to allow this to fall into their hands, regardless of our own official stance. The site is a fortress which was abandoned for some fourteen years but, within the last nine months, has had rather unusual activity... Culminating in this find. Intelligence points to the Cabal, a group at least trying to become resurgent. We do not like them. Thus, we must also inconvenience them, and liberate this object. You can read about it in the folio, so I shall not describe it here.

"You have also an older map of the place, but a description of forces... Well. Ryuu's hirelings, led by a so-called Captain Yoro, have entrenched at the north face. The Bakufuu have pitched tents to the east. They are not currently skirmishing; negotiations of a sort are on, but may have ended by the time you arrive. We do not expect an agreement to be reached. We would, in fact, prefer if you left them at least as fiercely embroiled as you found them. The Bakufuu are led by Commander Hanibubu, who is much too independent minded by half. We suspect he has his own agenda. He does not seem to be acting on orders from the Chancellor. Nevertheless, we do not ask you to delve into it.

"The artifact itself is within the fortress, which is presently invested by neither force. Do not expect to find the place empty. We believe that the third party, the Cabal, has erected certain types of protections there. The folio contains the counter-seals. Please do not expose those counter-seals to any dangers, as you will almost definitely need them in order to access the fortress. If you lose those, it's game over, as the Vice Commander might say. If it is necessary, then engage the Cabal to retrieve the goods. Otherwise, to cover your tracks, arrange it to seem like one of these factions spirited them away. Understood?"

If there are no questions, please post your exit from this topic, and I will start the next.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu nodded as Takayama talked about the weather, thankful that they would have a fair day to travel on. Soon after a second trainee whom Ayumu had not met personally approached and greeted the captain while completely ignoring Ayumu. 'How rude!' Ayumu thought, but quickly let it go. Moments later, the third member and leader of the team arrived, Hoshiko Gin. Ayumu smiled as he noticed Gin approaching. She subsequently walked up and greeted the captain, ignoring Ayumu for the most part. Ayumu looked down with a little disappointment, but quickly let it go too. As he expected, it seemed Gin was to be the leader of their mission as the only full ANBU on the team. He watched as the mission specs were passed to Gin and prepared to hear the briefing.

As the general information of the mission had stated, they would be seeking an artifact being sought after by two sides- the government and the sore loser. Despite the fact that the government now had a new leader, factions within were still not happy to work together. 'Dumb politics,' Ayumu thought simply, shaking his head. He would never have a mind for them, he knew. Apparently a third faction was also going to be competing for the artifact, and of course the wrench it all was to be the ANBU. They would be infiltrating a fortress which contained the artifact and using counter-seals to break past the defenses of the Cabal. They would need to hold on to them, or they would fail.

"Piece of cake," Ayumu said, placing his hands on his hips. He would wait until Gin, the leader, was ready and then head out of the gates on the way to their destination. "To Tenouza!" he said, beginning their journey and their mission. "Hello again Gin, glad to see I'll be in your care again," he said, turning to Gin and then to the trainee. "I'm Ayumu. Kogami Ayumu, good to meet you," he introduced himself to his fellow trainee before continuing on.

[Topic / Village Left]

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Perhaps introducing oneself with ones code name was tacky, considering that they were all ANBU. Kosei made a note of that mentally: saying your real name in front of other ANBU was fine. The third member of the paerty, their leader, arrived last. She looked to be in her early twenties (or somewhere around there), and had unnaturally blonde hair, accompanied by equally bright yellow eyes. Maybe she was a Santaru? It would fit, considering her skin seemed to be paler than normal. Hell, maybe she was just albino. It didn't matter one way or another, because she was his leader, and he respected those over him. For the most part, that is.

The mission briefing began soon after all introductions were made to the informant. It appeared that there was a certain artifact over which three separate factions were fighting for, not including the ANBU unit which was about to be deployed to find the artifact and return it to Kumo for whyever the Sennin wanted it. Kosei assumed that it was the ANBU Sennin, Rin, who sought it. Whatever reason it was needed was not made known to the triad, but then again, they didn't really need to know. Two of them were just trainees. They were the lackies of Kumogakure, and Kosei was fine with that.

Kosei nodded at the end of the briefing. It seemed like it would be a fairly easy mission, provided that there wasn't any conflict with the three factions. A fight would make things oh-so-difficult, not that Kosei was unsure of his fighting abilities. He was more than confident that he could complete the mission, but with three different groups all trying to get into the same spot... he was just nervous. He didn't want to mess this up, because if he did, it meant it would take longer to be promoted to a full-fledged mempo. And he didn't want that to happen. A sudden gust of wind blew Kosei's red hair into his face, and sent a low wave of something... similar to pain through his back again. It wasn't exactly pain, more of a rawness, like new flesh that had yet to be covered in an epidermis after being wounded. Wait... that was exactly what this was. asdfghjk.

The other trainee introduced himself, and it was at that point that Kosei had completely ignored him! How rude! "Oh, hi! I'm Jinkotsu Kosei, nice to meet you too. And you as well, Ms. Gin."

[Topic/Village Left]
[MFT]

 

[Hoshiko Gin]

Introductions and cordial greetings were the farthest thing from her mind, as she strode up later then the two trainees. The first order of business, receive intel. Second, get this show on the road and talk once they had their grounds. She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand as she glanced to Ayumu. He seemed a bit.. Off. A bit sore that they hadn't said hello to him? Or perhaps nervous for this next mission. After all, he would be promoted soon. Looking to Kosei, who oddly enough seemed to be also sizing up his appointed mission leader, she recognized him vaguely. At any rate, he would be also looking to be promoted. She let that thought rest as...

Her hand gently retrieved the envelope and tucked it protectively under her arm for the time being, glancing upward as their mission briefing began. Just when you started to think all that politics stuff was ironed out for a while... Here they were. 'I wonder what's so special about that artifact...' It was of national security, so there was no point in questioning it. Ideally, they would infiltrate the fortress and leave with no opposition. Unfortunately, that was very unlikely and took some of the excitement out of it. Her arm tightened around the folio with the seals tucked neatly inside, intent on keeping them on her person at all times. She would have to find a safe place for this... after they read more on the mission specs.

"Understood Sir..." Said Gin before turning to leave and addressing the two trainees on their way out. "Ayumu-Kun, I'm glad to see you have also been assigned to this mission." He was a capable young man, and felt confident with his abilities. She already knew he held expertise in Taijutsu and Melee combat, but lacked in Ranged Ninjutsu to a degree. Now this Kosei... She had heard very little of him, and was uninformed of his past record. But none of that mattered, now did it? "As for you, Jinkotsu-San, it is nice to meet you," Now that they were away from Takayama, she could address him how she had planned to from the beginning. She turned her head to face him and looked upward, giving him an even stare, "I do not look like much now, however, do not let my looks deceive you."

Her head swiveled forward as she addressed both of them, "Failure is not an option. I will do everything in my power to make this an easy success. I would like to see both of you succeed, for we need more reliable ANBU in the corps, and this mission will only further you in your goals."

"Now, Trainee Kosei, please give me a brief description of your strengths."

[Topic Left/Village Exited]
[MFT; WC 463]

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

A few days had passed since the team had retrieved the gauntlet, hopefully unnoticed, from the fortress occupied by the Cabal and surrounded by Bakufu forces and Ryuu's hirelings. The main objective of the mission was a success, though Ayumu still wondered if they had successfully escaped implication in the infiltration. Ayumu had inspected the gauntlet on the group's trip back, and found it to be rather unpleasant. Just looking at it gave him a feeling of pervasive evil. Somehow he felt as if this inanimate object wanted to do him harm, as inexplicable as it was. At any rate, the sooner they got it off their hands, the better as far as he was concerned. Luckily, they were getting close now. Ayumu recognized the landmarks that indicated that they would soon be reaching Dragon Tooth Pass. It was a difficult place to find if you weren't familiar with the area. It had taken him a few times getting lost to get used to it himself.

"Almost there... might as well let them know we're coming," Ayumu said, taking his headset out of his belt pouch and placing it on his head. He made certain that it was tuned to the ANBU exclusive channel and then spoke in to the radio. "This is Kogami- Hoshiko and 'Lag' as well. We're returning from our mission, the objective has been secured, we'll be at the gates in 30," he announced in to the microphone over the secure channel. He expected that they would send somebody to pick up the gauntlet, though he wasn't sure who it would be. They would find out soon.

True to Ayumu's word, the group arrived at Dragon Tooth Pass about 30 minutes later. Approaching on horseback, they stopped just before the gate. Ayumu dismounted and allowed a handler to take the horse. It belonged to Kumogakure after all, he didn't know where the horses went when they were off duty exactly. 'Probably a horse bar,' he thought, obviously too tired from the trip to come up with any decent jokes. Now at the gates, Ayumu and company awaited whoever would come from ANBU to meet them.

[Back for Reentry!]

 

[Santaru Rin]

Jeno was still rolling on the floor after a rough game of roshambo with Numa, who had, as usual, gone first and won. Jeno was still holding on to Numa's promise that, if Jeno didn't lose in round one, he'd get to go first next game. So far, it hadn't happened. One day, maybe when his balls finally went numb...

Someone threw a wadded up piece of paper into the telegraph office.

"Guests," it read.

Dicks, thought Jeno, and he crawled down the stairs and eventually managed to right himself before facing whomever awaited at the Gates.

"Oh, uh, Hoshiko-san, and, uh, hi guys..." Seeing the team reminded him of something.

What? What was it?

Maybe if he'd spent less time playing roshambo, he could have remembered... He fished around in his pockets and pulled out a crumpled note.

"Oh yeah! Takayama-taichou said 'BRB'!" Jeno exclaimed, then dropped the paper. "So um hold on a sec." He tapped his headset. "Is this thing on? Hey, Takayama-taichou? ... ... ... Er, sir. Your team has returned ahead of schedule."

He looked to the ANBU and trainees. "May I have your, er, papers while we wait?"

A few minutes later, Takayama Shimada jogged through the Gates to where everyone was waiting.

"You all look well," he remarked. "Please give me the report and, I hope, the gauntlets..."

Once you've reported and given me the stuff, I will post for payments!

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Kosei and company were at a decent pace as they came flying up towards the gates of Kumo on the return trip from their mission. Kosei held the gauntlets in a pouch on his hip, and he knew that once he got inside the gates, he would need to get them to Takayama-sama posthaste. The chill of the air, accompanied by the wet drizzle just starting to fall, in combination with the erie aura that seemed to eminate from the gauntlets were enough to make the AiT uncomfortable. He was eager to get this mission over with so that he might go home to the Jinkotsu Mansion and wrap himself up in warm blankets, and lie down by his fire place. But now was not the time for thoughts like that; the mission was still not technically over.

Kosei pulled his steed to a halt about thirty meters from the wall. The horse, turned to the left as it stopped, turned a circle, then righted itself again. It most likely did this because Kosei wasn't the most skilled rider in the world, but no matter why it had done so, the unexpected twist sent a raw pain through the teen's back, where he was still recovering from his punishment. Ayumu had gone ahead of the group a little bit, but Kosei and Gin caught up to him after a few seconds. The guard seemed a bit nervous, but maybe that's just the way he was. He asked for papers, which the AiT produced out of a different pouch than the gauntlets were in. Takayama-sama approached not long after Kosei handed the guard his papers.

"Have no fear, Takayama-sama, we have the gauntlets." he said in a quieter tone, so that nobody who wasn't in the immediate wiscinity could hear him. Kosei untied the pouch containing them, and handed it to the man. "They were being held deep underneath the fortress, in some kind of... round, perfectly smooth amphitheater-type room. Well, there was a vault in that room, but 'in the room' nonetheless. We did our best to pin it on the Bakufu, and from the way just about everyone in the fortress started freaking out, I would say that Ayumu did a great job causing a comotion about it."

Kosei still didn't know how Aumu had done it, just that his timing was deplorable. It didn't matter, really, because in the end, it probably ended up helping pin the blame even more. And that was a good thing.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu watched as a short (or so he thought, he couldn't tell because the boy was slouching) blond haired boy slowly descended from the gates to meet the group. He greeted Gin by name and referred to the rest of them as "guys". Something about his seemed generally downtrodden and sad. 'Who is this loser?' Ayumu wondered as he started rummaging in his belt pouch for the passport before it was even requested. "Kogami Ayumu," he introduced himself in a friendly tone as Jenosaido pulled out a crumpled note apparently from Takayama. Jenosaido read the paper before subsequently dropping it on the ground. 'AND he's a litter bug!' Ayumu thought. Of course he couldn't be bothered to pick it up. He was more focused on the fact that Takayama had actually left a message that said "BRB". Somehow it seemed like him.

Jenosaido called Takayama up on the headset and then requested their passports. Ayumu handed in his after Gin and Kosei had done the same and then waited while they were inspected before taking his back. Soon, Takayama returned to the gates, remarking that they looked well and getting straight to the gauntlets. "Oh shit! We forgot the gauntlets!" Ayumu exclaimed, ever the joker, but Kosei quickly cleared up any possible confusion for Takayama and produced the gauntlets for him to take. "Yes, there was a general sense of chaos above. The samurai seemed to have occupied the fortress, we saw a few guards posted, and I called a few more in using their own signaling system. I also let a few of Ryuu's lackies in to the structure where the gauntlet was held, so hopefully they'll blame each other. It might have caused a bit of trouble for these two... but I had faith in their abilities!" Ayumu said, shooting them a thumbs up.

"Of course it still remains to be seen how they'll interpret the disappearance of the gauntlet," he added, turning back to Takayama. He wondered if any word had reached them about it yet. He stood ready if Takayama had more questions, but he was ready to be back in the village at last.

 

[Santaru Rin]

Takayama only raised his eyebrows slightly at Kogami's announcement that they had forgotten the gauntlets. He was secretly relieved when Jinkotsu Kosei handed them over. "Good work, everyone. Yes, we've had a little static about something going on over there. I am sure we'll hear more in a few more days' time. I wouldn't be surprised if a skirmish resulted--but don't worry, I don't expect open war again. Not soon, at least. A dust up at the fortress would be just a pebble on that scale, anyway," he mused.

"Well, no doubt you're tired... And Kogami-san, you've got a pending date with destiny. Please go ahead and rest, all of you."

Good job! I'm making your payment post now.

 

[Kogami Ayumu]

Ayumu was somewhat pleased to hear that the village had heard about the trouble at the fortress already, even if just a little something. He hadn't really thought about the fact that they could start some kind of fight over there. It gave him a slight sinking feeling when he realized that he could be responsible for a battle. He had really only been thinking of causing a distraction and implicating the factions already present. Then again, he was just following orders to make sure Kumogakure wasn't suspected.

Takayama's comment to Ayumu distracted him from his thoughts. "A date with destiny?" he wondered aloud, but it seemed that was all Takayama had to tell him. "Oh well! Good work, team! I hope we work together again soon!" Ayumu said, giving them a wave as he passed through the gates. He was headed home now, home to go and rest. Little did he know, there were plenty of things for him to do and little time for rest. He had somewhere to be that very night.

[Topic Left / Village Entered]
[OOC: Thanks for the mission, Rin!]

 

[Oshiro Saki]

[color=0080FF]Kosei hadn't thougt about the possibility of another war breaking out between the parties, which is pretty dumb... considering that that was just about the whole point of the mission, aside from the gauntlet retrieval. Nevertheless, Kosei was glad. When Takayama said something about a date with destiny, Kosei replied with "Make it sexy." before he took off in his own direction, away from the others, towards the Jinkotsu Mansion.[/color]

[TL/Village Entered]