Chis continued to monitor the all the areas enveloped by smoke. Moment by moment the village would continue to be shrouded by the suffocating substance. Shiwaa's wail echoed through the streets as it continued it's rampage. Seemingly large buildings were nothing but roadblocks to the beast. It's body count began to pile up by the minute. Back near Chis, he and the four council members stood in their own spherical vacuum. The smoke would not harm Chis himself, but it would surely prove deadly for the elders and he preferred to keep his hostages alive until it was their time to go.

Off in the distance, the shinobi now-turned messenger was frantically spreading the word to any survivors he met as he neared the site of the Kazekage who was occupied in a tough battle with the other responsible culprit. He along with many others started to feel helpless. The power being exhibited by these invaders were will-breaking to say the least. Fortunately the messenger would run into a strange sand formation that caused him to stop in his tracks. He slowly approached and quickly noticed a leaf headband. "Reinforcements from the Leaf?" The man shifted his head to try and get a better look at the four that stood before him. "Please! If you are here to help, be quick about it. They have our elders and may soon have Lord Kazekage as well!" The man continued to communicate the threat issued by Chis before he went off to continue his new objective, hoping for a miracle from the "special group" that had been sent to provide support. Surely, they had to be strong. It wasn't long before he reached the Kazekage's battle scene. The man didn't bother attempting to hide his presence from Akuno, he had to deliver the message. "Lord Kazekage, the other invader has taken the council hostage and will begin to kill them one by one! His request is for the Kazekage to surrender and peacefully leave with them... I encountered the reinforcements from the Leaf but I'm not sure if they will be enou--" The poor Suna shinobi's words were cut short and replaced by the sounds of spraying blood as a random piece of debris, a result of Shiwaa's rampage, had decapitated him from behind.

Meanwhile, Shiwaa continued to leave it's mark. The horrendous heads had began to spew a webbing across the area of fallen buildings. Many fleeing shinobi became trapped and if Shiwaa didn't directly end their lives, the thick black smoke would. Along with the smoke, the hellish creature spat out about 5 more white egg sacs. The ones from before had already began to hatch. Miniature, less-menacing worms creatures escaped the sacs and wriggled freely around central Sunagakure in search of unfortunate victims that would become their hosts. Chis continued to wait for a response from the Kazekage. He knew Akuno would return to him with the Suna leader if she were to succumb in order to end her people's current suffering. However, he stayed on his toes ready to oppose any that tried to target him. Chis had already cut down a few unlucky souls, and his fingers were itching to constrict one of his hostages in his smoke. Nobody would be offered a swift, painless death under his watch until they got what they came for.

@Reflection

Osha's mist filled the prison, mixing in with Seijuro's own poison. Seijuro seemed to ignore it for the time being as Osha spoke. Seijuro sighed once the Mizukage had said his peace. "Osha... you seem to be overstating your position here... you seem to be under the guise that you have some control over this situation, that you have some... what's the word..? Ah, leverage.." Seijuro watched as the Mizukage stepped out of his cell to lock eyes with the puppet master. It was true, Seijuro held Osha in a certain regard that offered him respect. He was not to be taken lightly, he was one of the Five Kage after all.

As the Mizukage stepped from his prison, the figure of a small girl stepped forward as well, stopping a foot behind Seijuro and to his left. She held her face down, and appeared entirely human in every facet. There were no mistakes in this puppet's making, just as Seijuro disguised himself quite well. Only the sounds that distinguished human and puppet were what gave it away. "This girl here, you see, possessed a certain genetic trait allowing her a level of chakratic sensory perception that has no rival. It is with her ability at my command, that your own mist that fills the air of this prison bares no surprise to me. You have but one last chance to come with me, or perish." Kyoka locked into the ground as Seijuro spoke, revealing a cannon aimed directly at Osha.

Seijuro was not fooling around. He wasn't going to disclose his intentions to Osha so that the Mizukage could escape and inform the rest of his allies what Seijuro wanted. But he was also short on time, and the game of who has the bigger gun or the stronger poison wasn't amusing in the least. So Osha had a choice to make, and while Seijuro didn't want to kill the Mizukage, having him dead was better than letting him live to face him again in the future.



@Reflection

"Filler villain? While my ego doesn't particularly take to that notion, I admit you have much bigger matters to attend to. But those are all future endeavors, perhaps right now you should attend to the degradation of your physical form first and foremost..." Kisuke had of course taken note of the cracks running along his opponent's body. They were subtle and well hidden, and yet Kisuke seemed to have intimate knowledge of the subject.

As they locked eyes and the fox prodded at his persona, Kisuke smirked at his opponent. It wasn't often someone could see through his mask. Yes, he was in fact playing a game. And it was also true that he had been at this game for quite some time. Not many could see that in such a limited encounter. He had to hand it to his opponent, he was just as perceptive as the data on him suggested. The fox suggested a game, and this appealed to Kisuke's playful nature. The two did seem to have a good back and forth.

"I'll have to say purple. Purple is the color of intuition and insight. It's also very pleasing to the eyes." He parried the blows from the fan with Shinken in one hand as he danced about, not shy about backing up a step or two and giving Jaakuna some ground to work with as they exchanged blows. But as he danced around, his cloak mimicked his movements and flew up in the air, concealing his free left hand for a brief second.

A second blade would protrude outward from the cloak, stabbing through it and extending like a spear outward for two hundred meters in front of him in a single second, giving the point-blank Jaakuna no time to dodge amidst attacking with his fan. This was the direct opposite of the playful game they had grown accustomed to. This was a direct killshot aimed at Jaakuna's chest. Was Kisuke trying to kill his opponent? No, he simply had to find out whether or not Jaakuna's body was immortal in his current state. This was a harsh method of testing his theory, but this game was more about collecting data than anything to Kisuke.

"So the game is Quid pro Quo, you say? My turn then. What is it you hope to achieve with your time here on Earth now that you've been resurrected? Your goal, that is." Straight to the point and very direct. He wasn't subtle about it, as he was with most matters. He sought to gain as much information as possible from the fox for he had a strange feeling that their encounter was going to be short-lived.



@Syn @Ladyinink @Odin @Write @Reflection @BladeSS4

The fight went on for but a few brief moments. Rarely were these things drawn out, and while his team had lost their opportunity to take down one or both of the Yomigaeri, he knew his kin would have been smart enough to follow the conversation with his Byakugan as well, or at least he had hoped so. He had gathered much from their exchange, and would have much to report back to Konoha despite the messy state of things back home.

And yet his mission was not complete. A lightning strike came down and the clouds grew larger, Kai had to maneuver away from the border of the technique to remain out of its boundary. He was doing his best to remain a ghost during this affair. Thankfully the range of his Byakugan allowed him to perceive these things while maintaining his focus far away from his current position. As the man known as Havoc was thrust from the tower and made his way out of the village, Kai would be darting around the border of the Rain Tiger at Will technique that Yogensha had strengthened and nearing Havoc's exit point. He was doing his due diligence on his enemies and at the same time filling a curiosity within him. Who were these people really? What were they like when they weren't infiltrating villages and killing their enemies? He had the urge to find out.

And so he rounded the village until Kai was about one kilometer away from Havoc while the man enjoyed a moment in the rain before being greeted by his girlfriend. He evaluated their body language, and could only derive some strange sort of love between the two. Another woman showed up as well, but Kai's main focus were the reunited pair that seemed to be sharing a moment. He read their lips with his Byakugan and took in as much as he could.

The Rain Tiger at Will technique was released shortly after. Kai began to close the distance toward Havoc and company until he was only about three hundred meters from the man and his partners, all the while glancing at his radio as he clutched it in his hand, waiting to hear from his squad and what they planned to do.



@Syn

The memories of the love of his life flooded through his mind, stirring up all of the emotion he had hoped to bury after the funeral. He hadn't expected Shinko to be at the funeral, he had missed it while being Seijuro's guest. Part of him regretted this fact, and guilt washed over him. He gritted his teeth while holding back the pain, but when Shinko removed his thumb from the boy's forehead, he would be met with an emotionless gaze.

The boy had succumbed to his emotions for a time, this much was evident. Who wouldn't after losing the love of their life? But to think that Shinko was her father all this time, and had been watching Kyo grow as a Shinobi in the corner of Ginsho's office all his life. This.. this was a hard pill to swallow. How could he still deny that Shinko knew what he was going through? He couldn't. They shared a familiar pain. But why then was Shinko so calm, how could he just chalk up the death of his daughter to 'hey, that's life kid' and move on?

The boy's eyes flashed for a second, transforming into the Mangekyou Sharingan. "If you speak one more time of this world like you know what the fuck you're talking about, you arrogant bastard, Ill rip every single memory that brings you joy from your mind and leave you with nothing but bitter despair." Kyo threatened, as he waved his hand through the air. Black lightning cloaked his fingertips and formed a blade just long enough to cut the cigarette he was about to light in half.

"You don't deserve to remember her so serenely... you weren't there when she died, you didn't have to witness the life leave her eyes like I did. And why not? Because you were no father to her, a real father would have protected his daughter and been there when she needed him the most!! Is that what being a Shinobi is to you?! Putting your duty before the love of your life?! And in the end you couldn't even protect your brother nor your daughter! Your sacrifice was for NOTHING, Shinko. If that's what being a Shinobi means, than I am no Shinobi of this village! I will bring about a new world, a world where there is no need for Shinobi. There will be no war and no fighting, I will gain power enough to inspire fear in the hearts of all who live in this world, and that fear will keep them in line. And all who oppose me will fear my wrath.. and this, this fear will begin in you, Shinko.. I will show you the culmination of Shinobi your generation has raised, but I won't kill you, I will leave you a shell of a man with no memory of any of the happiest moments of your life, and I will show you how your daughter died before my eyes."

As Kyo spoke he removed his Leaf Village headband, casting it down to the ground as he swung his hand once more, the blade of lightning around his fingers extending as he slashed through the symbol of the Leaf, all the while glaring at Shinko with his eyes full of hate.



She snatched the paper back from Shinko's hands and folded it back up, placing it within her kimono aside her chest before wiping her own tears. She sobered up, quelling her fury as she knew Shinko would not do so for her. "You always were so hard to get rid of... even as kids, you never left me alone long enough to purge my head of your fondness for me.. but even as close as we were, you always knew I was much too guarded to let you all the way in, for I feared I would lose myself along the way.."

She held out her tongue in a playful manner at him while winking her left eye like she used to when they flirted with each other back in the day. She knew this cute little pose was out of place at this point in their conversation and that it would catch Shinko off guard and put him in his feels, stirring up memories of what once was. As soon as it came, she stole it away from him. With her tongue stuck out, she lifted it to reveal a seal on the underside of her tongue. Her facial expression changed, showing her true displeasure at the grim reality that was upon them. The seal bound her from speaking. It was a sign that she had joined 'that' organization.

"Now you know. Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn't. I can't help you read what's on that paper either." She took a moment to let the weight of the situation sink in. The fact that she resorted to this meant that there had to be no other option. Without her daughter anchoring her life, there was very little left that she could do as a Sannin of Konoha.

"If you wish to come with me, than come with me.. but don't hold back, my love.. If you're going to accompany me on this journey, I want all of you. Not some clone that you sent here to relay the message, or did you forget that I can tell the difference? I can feel it, Shinko. The village doesn't respect you, and worse than that, they blame your lies for the state of affairs here. I know that if I leave, you're not going to be here when I get back. You'll be driven out- or worse. And we know which one of those outcomes is more likely. So I'll only ask you once, which path is it that you're going to walk? The path of love, with me, or the path of righteousness, that your brother walked?"

Her words spoke in absolutes, as if she could see the future. It was hard not to see the outcome of things before they happened when you had insight into the hearts of Shinobi. Such things rarely changed. And yet even she was human, and her heart yearned for the man who fathered their daughter as best he could. She didn't resent him for not protecting her, because neither did she. That was a truth that they would have to carry for the rest of their lives. But those lives didn't have to end prematurely as their daughter's did. Shinko had a choice to make.

"Well, when you put it that way..." Ocha smiled, as if entertained by this whole ordeal. The weapon pointed in his direction didn't really seem to worry him, which became shockingly obvious when it fell apart into water. Sitting off to the side, in the next cell over, was Ocha Kyusu, the real one this time. He smiled, showing off his teeth when he did so. "I recommend you not threaten my water clones. Though you clearly knew that wasn't me, correct?" Utilizing the water clone technique, and his illusionary mist, he had created the most convincing clone in the next cell over, while erasing his existence from where he sat. But judging from how he still remained in the blast radius of Seijuro's threat, it was overly clear that the puppet master too enjoyed games of a sort. "Very well, to spare the people of Iwagakure from dealing with your presence any longer, I supposed you and I could have our discussion at your base." He stood up, pushing the door open as he did. Walking over to Seijuro, he placed his hands on his hips. "Though, if the Tsuchikage had cameras listening in on our conversation... Maybe you'll be kind enough to help me out later now that this... Attempted kidnapping proves my innocence." He rolled his eyes at the wall, though it was directly situated at one of the cameras.

"Now make it fast, I have things to do. A village to run. Sano can testify to it. Running a village is haaaard." He was all smiles as he opened up the large puppet's torso. Taking a step inside he sat back, getting rather comfy despite the dangers. The Mizukage was aware that if this was an assassination attempt, they'd probably have nuked the building in one go, rather than try to get him into privacy. This metal puppet clearly for his own protection, and to make it so he isn't spotted during the escape. Worked for him, kinda. "Keep in mind, if your tea quality isn't any good, I'll be leaving." He added, as a little quip of his own.




Jaakuna had to admit, his opponent was good. Back and forth, they seemed to dance together pretty well. He anticipated each blow as the cloak of the nine tails began to manifest around his body, increasing his speed as his attacks chained together. He even managed to get in a cartwheel at one point, which was always a joy in a close range fight. "Purple, really? I've always been partial to red. Purple is more a royal color to be honest. Hard to pull off." Jaakuna teased at Kisuke while swiping his fan through the air and over his opponents head.

He got lucky to be honest. He sensed the attack through Kisuke's emotions before it came, giving him a nanosecond of extra time to react. His grip loosened on his fan, and he let it fall. Grabbing the handle as the fan came between him and Kisuke, just as the spear came rocketing out. The spear tore through the fan, and suddenly there was a hole on Jaakuna's left side. Not a particularly large one, but large enough that it hurt. It hurt a great deal, and cracks began to grow rapidly along his body as he leapt away. Hand on his side, the wound began to rapidly heal, as if stitching itself back together using the rest of him as glue. The splattering of dark colored blood that hit the ground made his mortality questionable, but the need to avoid injury made it clear that he sought to avoid injury.

"Personally? While I'm here I want to pick up where I left off. I want to be Hokage." Jaakuna said, now fully healed in the short time span. But the cracks along his body where noticeably more defined by the experience. "Yeah, I know that won't happen. Heck, I fully expect to die by then. But, living again? I might as well have some more fun with it." He was already moving, attacking up close again. But this time with fire. When Kisuke would move to avoid his first strike, one of the wisps that followed him would be expended, and a wave of fire burst out. A distraction though, since his goal was to get past the shinobi and make his daring escape. "Now my question for you, and swear to honesty here... Who do you work for, really?"




"Well, captain, promise me you'll do a good job." Nousagi grumbled, directing a fair deal of resentment in Tashiro's direction. The water user seemed more like baggage to him, but the choice for team leader seemed obvious enough. He at least respected Kurin's judgement, since the Senju was set in inherit his clan's leadership. Tashiro seemed ready to inherit nothing. Turning to his radio he hit the button to contact Kai.
"Kai, did you make sure to follow the attackers? You're probably the only sensible person here." Nousagi added that last bit on a whim, and mostly to spite Tashiro who he know could hear him. "Yogensha told us they've stopped at a cave, but judging from... Well the scenario I believe she's just trying to distract us." He added that last bit once they had left the village, knowing that the anbu had now left them to their own devices. "But, inspecting the cave may be just as useful, though... That decision rests entirely on our NEW leader. Dirt boy is going to be leading. I guess Kurin decided to give him a chance to prove himself." Nousagi chuckled at the idea.

But, he paused. His eyes narrowed and he turned to look behind himself. "Are you going to just follow, or do you want to join us?" He smirked, having spotted the boy from earlier. Kaito, the name had managed to stick with him. "Or, maybe you want to waste my time with a rematch. I could always use some proper exercise if you get my drift." He respect Kaito, a tad. Anybody who was brave enough to not only fight a Hyuuga, but declare a desire to steal away their future was worthy of at least some respect. "After all, I'm sure our brave leader needs an actual strategist, right?" He directed that jab at Tashiro, who may actually benefit some from having Kaito on the team. After all, Kaito would redirect some of Nousagi's mistreatment.

TIME: Present Day - Morning | LOCATION: Kumo | INTERACTION: Nadia Rising! @Ladyinink Kiku @Grey Sama Ryoko @BladeXKaba @Altered Tundra Jaak @Olira Blonde?? @GlitchyBugger Yui

The Cloud in a nutshell is a bombshell like as in a deathtrap? Nadia's team walk through the village, locals just seem to be bothered by them. It wasn't a warm welcome, not at all, not that she expected it considering her verdict is that they'll be in the enemy territory . (This is exciting and crappy as I thought, what have I gotten myself into?) Nadia is stunted by the situation, feeling all nervous but tried remaining calm as much as possible. Trying to get a better angle of the situation, Nadia activated her sharingan and summoned two kunai but then Ryoko positioned herself in front of her blocking off her path to the enemy.

(What is this feeling? Is it fear? Am I going to die here? ) Nadia's body started to get numb from nervousness and she's breathing profusely like as if she's having a heart attack. That goes to show that she has never been in a real life and death situation and a big contrast to her friendly neighborhood missions.

The red man stopped her from performing any hand seals, seems like the team anticipated well that an Uchiha like her would gladly spam fire type abilities. As time plays the count, her fear grew stronger, tears start coming out of her eyes without her noticing it. "One mistake is all it takes to get a someone killed, We cannot just gonna stand here and do nothing." She said to the Red Man. She literally quoted her Sensei.

----------
Flashback Prior the Jounin Exam Incident
Team Shimura(Last Name of her Sensei)

"Nadia. A blind cannot lead a blind. Learn how to cooperate with your teammates and cherish them and trust them. Rushing to the front lines with a plan is a good thing but one mistake is all it takes to get someone killed. If you really want to be Hokage, you need to be willing to listen to people and not selfishly rely on your own belief." Her sensei is a nice woman who have great insights in most things.
----------

She grabbed the Red Man's hand and she smiled shrugging off her fear. "Once this is all over, you better give me more of those chocolates!" Her grip loosens. "I dunno your name Senpai but I have a plan. Please listen carefully and let's help each other out, I'm not saying this as an Uchiha but as a Leaf Shinobi." All this is said softly to The Red Man, trying to be more discreet.

---

---

Before Kamui could even move according to Sakana's orders, assuming a supportive position behind Date, the whole situation changed in an instant, as the man who Kamui recognized as one of the criminals attacking the village as well as the one responsible for the chakra filled smoke suddenly moved together with his clones, using a formation to start the process of summoning something colossal, a monstrosity so large that even without his sensory technique he'd be more than capable of easily noticing it - not that much of a feat, considering that even a blind man could notice how the deformed beast instantly caused monstrous damage to the structure of the village from simply standing there.

"T-the situation completely changed. The clones weren't there to help him create more chakra smoke, they were part of a formation. He just summoned this... Thing and is now going after a group of people. " Kamui quickly reported as soon as Shizuka asked him about what the man was doing now, his normally neutral voice sounding strangely rushed due to how desperate the situation truly was as he followed the Shinobi natural from Suna, hoping that finding the messenger would give them some hope about how to deal with the situation. "It - the beast - also seems to be releasing some kind of living projectile as it wal... Sincerely, I have no idea about what we could possibly do to stop a beast like that. It is actually spawning miniatures " Kamui gulped down, for while he liked to consider himself someone who was normally fairly cool headed in despite of the situation, it was simply away too absurd for him - a sealing specialist - to fight such a monstrous beast, a being that wasn't only monstrous by itself but actually created minions for itself.

By the time they reached the messenger, though, most of Kamui's anxiety was already once more hidden under a mask of indifference, as he wholeheartedly tried to find a way to deal with the situation with just the few members they had gathered here - something that the messenger failed to provide, though he did answer one of Kamui's main questions: the identity of the attacker's hostages. "I see... So the one's being held by smoke person are the village elders." The Uzumaki muttered, turning back to his team as he waited for the others to expose their views on the situation.

@ZeroXposure Sebun's Clone

Steadily the amount of weapons being flung Koma's way grew, allowing her to find out that the attacker's attention was fully on her now. It was for the best really, this way she could keep him moving in a way she'd like him to and focused on what she was doing, though with the sheer volume of them and some of his strategic firing, she found herself surrounded and essentially cornered.

But at least he'd given her plenty of methods to fight back against him, the array of swords strewn around her meant she could find something that she figured could be used by a novice at the very least. And as soon as she found one she used her free hand to grab it by the handle and heft it up infront of her, taking as guarded a stance as she could... She really did need to learn how to fight up close, it's steadily become the main situation she's found herself in.

---

@LadyinInk Kiku @Eis Nadia @Altered Tundra Jaakuna @BladeX Kaba @Grey Sama Ryoko

"What do you want?!"

Four words that got right to the point, exactly what Yui was hoping for in the face of the hostage crisis she laid out before the Konoha-nin, though she was clearly observant of the actions of the others whilst Kaba took the initiative. Before she began to respond a tremor rolled through the ground from the fight between the Raikage and the General, which in turn caused her to wear a slightly sour expression before she returned to her previous smile.

"I love how straight forward you are, young man, you'll certainly be useful if this is what you're always like. I'm Yui Matou, you don't need to introduce yourselves, it'd be a hassle if you got too familiar with the enemy, right? They'd think you're compromised or something no doubt, maybe even kick you out for being so buddy buddy with me." Yui chimed, seemingly pausing as she sniffed at the air, someone's chakra smelt quite exotic, spicy even. She couldn't tell which of them it was due to the team being clustered together, but it seemed her interest had piqued further.
"I'll start with this, I'm not looking for a fight, I'm just a supporting character in this battle over Kumogakure. You may or may not know how the Yomigaeri works, but today we're a two-man cell and whilst my counterpart is fighting the Raikage, they've got some bad blood between them you see... I have to tend you to five. Personally I'd prefer to be in Suna right now, but this is what Seijuro-senpai told me to do."

Yui gracefully rose to her feet, not a single hostile action in her movements, nor one in her demeanour as she stood before them like some kind of statue. "The worst thing about today is civilian casualties, I absolutely loathe them. So I need you five to go ensure that no one else dies because of a disagreement between two scorned men, because I can't actively work against my own companion, that wouldn't be decent of me in the slightest to be so traitorous. Which is where you lot come in, if you know what to look for you'll be able to find and dispatch the gallery fakes easily, they'll explode otherwise and Kumogakure will be short several more innocent lives." Yui acted as if their decision had already been made for them, already moving onto the important information they needed to help with the situation at hand.

"The fakes will look like ordinary people, but they'll have an eye mark with a little teardrop mark underneath it, they should be weak enough that you wont need to even try to defeat them. Admittedly I don't know what'll happen to them when you beat them, they might still explode or they might disappear into nothing. I haven't tested the idea. Maybe you'll be able to cut the seal off of them?" Whilst she spoke, the woman seemed to be using the equipment in the cafe to prepare herself a cup of coffee, and once it was done, she returned to her seat and looked to the shinobi again.

"As your little Uchiha there said, "One mistake is all it takes to get someone killed, We cannot just stand here and do nothing." So, will you leave me to my own devices in this cafe whilst you thwart my companion's plan to hold the entirety of Kumo at ransom, or will you try to save these fifteen people whom as of yet haven't been harmed aside from a few possible bruises and make me punish you all by making the mistake of putting your pride over the lives of Kumogakure's civilian population?"

"The choice is all yours, but I think the many have priority over the few. These people won't be harmed unless you force my hand." Yui finished her statement with a sip of the coffee she'd poured, it tasted horrible, nothing like the coffee she'd had mere minutes ago. But she would hide her distaste for the time being, if only to save face.
At least she'd zoned her senses in on the spicy-scented one, she knew the natures of all five of them now, but the boy in red, his fire-natured scent had that interesting spice to it and it wasn't the lightning nature he had as well. She'd have to get him to herself if she had the chance.

As they ended talks of their battle plan Date chuckled at Shizuka's attempted joke. The seal that fish Jonin wore was something dangerous and joking about it did not seem to make his words lose any less meaning, at least to Date. In the back of his mind, Date was excited, he was going to get a chance to test his steal against a real threat. Every time this excitement rose you could see a flicker in his eye but it was quickly snuffed out by his fathers words "Only a fool looks for a fight." He could not help it though, this was a real mission that required some actual combat (the first in a long time) and was looking forward to fighting these clones. Date knew he would prob have to deal with them and protect Kamui but that did not phase him in the slightest. Even though this was not a time to be excited with the death and destruction surrounding them, Date's excitement and anticipation overshadowed all that because in his mind a blade that never tasted blood would simply rot away in its own scarab.

Before he could set out to do the task given to him, a giant worm-creature-thing erected itself from in the sand village and destroyed a large potion of it just by being there. The beast caused a similar reaction to Sakana's seal, Date's hand was on the hilt of his blade in an instant, to the untrained eye it would look like he twitched but really he was setting up for a fight. The beast was massive and hard to miss, and he listened closely as Shizuka told them of his mothers tale. It was quiet the monstrosity and sent chills down the spine of the boy, he had never faced such a daunting opponent and it scared him. That fear also drove his excitement even higher and made his adopt a shit eat grin on his face, Date assumed he was the only one smiling in the face of certain death but that was the exciting part. To him there was always a bright side for every situation and the more the odds were stacked against you the sweeter your victory would be.

When Shizuka pointed out the fallen ninja, he was quick to follow behind his teammates and intercept him before he could go anywhere. The news about the hostages worried him a little bit, but this just made the game more interesting. The idea that this "man" had Sunagakure elders hostage was just as thrilling as Earth Worm Jim thrashing about in the back ground. "It's obviously a trap for the Kazekage, but how do we handle it?" He said after Kaumi with an eye roll, he did not roll his eyes at his teammates but more at the simple plan. There was no drama in mercy win..no the Kazekage should go down in flames and smoke, but instead this guy has no style.

"Seems kind of like a simple counter to me, instead of us distracting her with this information why don't we go to him instead." Date said with his usual small smile. He offered this solution for 2 reasons: one being that he did not want to have a repeat of the Jonin Exams, and end up in the middle of a kage death trap, and the second was if they were to split the group like originally planed what could Kamui and Date really do to the worm. His blade could cut almost anything but it was gonna take more then one hack to break the skin of that thing, aside form the massive size and raw power coming off it in waves. He looked over at the worm and noticed the eggs falling out, and the other ones that just recently hatched into much smaller versions of their mother. Wait does that mean its a chick worm? Date thought to himself with a confused face. He watched as the babies slithered around and pick off those who got trapped by the webs covering the building, and any nearby ninja who didn't.

"Hey that might be a problem." He said as he point to worms nearby their location. "I mean if you got a newspaper or a fly swatter we can deal with those things easily, but the bigger one is gonna take some sharper treatment." Date joked with a smirk. He knew this was no time for jokes but this was his way of getting past the fear of battle and steeling himself for the fight to come. His dad has always taught that you can shake, cry, and moan all you want after a fight, but during one wear a smile with and have determination in your eyes.

"Uragiri, Ichimi, what are we gonna do? Date asked their leaders, with his hand on the hilt of Howaitosupāku, ready for action.

It was a fitting name, the Village Hidden in the Rain. The cold, damp air was quickly drowned out by an endless stream of droplets from the heavenly skies, clouds covering the blue wonders above. As if a steady flow of tears, the rain crashed down against the asphalt relentlessly, never to stop, never to falter. Joined only by the soft trickle of a passing breeze, the rain would proceed to blanket one's sight in its obfuscation, erasing the distance with a shroud of blur. There was a beauty in it, for sure. A soothing sound of rainfall had managed its way into normality for the young ninja, easing him into sleep when darkness came to blanket the already grey sky. Indeed, such harmony would not shy away from dotting open eyes, all the same. It drowned out the clashing of steel, washing away impurities of war and guided blood towards obscurity.

The tall buildings were a sight in themselves, offering a view most would consider astounding, was it not for the less than charming architecture of iron, and steel.

His name was Natsu Ketsueki, the boy whose adventures lingered behind a corner yet undiscovered. Acquiring the rank of chuunin somewhat recently, Natsu was still growing used to the position now allowing for daring missions and life threatening scenarios. Quite exciting, wasn't it? Indeed, it would be a foolish endeavor to assume this boy innocent, as it would follow the same faulty logic with any ninja. He sat on the floor, leaning against the wall in silence as those crimson red orbs remained fixed on the cloudy sky. Soft, recurring sounds of porcelain on wood would reach his ears and remind him of the life still lingering within the tavern Natsu had taken shelter. An empty bowl colored beige from the ramen once within its confines stood besides him, a pair of chopsticks neatly placed along its length to mark his finished meal. Leaving the temple was quite a step, one Natsu had looked forward to, but seemed all too real now. A pilgrimage, they called it. See all the colors of the world, and return to us with stories to tell. It was a phrase often repeated, and more often still looked towards.

Gently undoing the strap buckled together across his chest, Natsu placed his sword in his lap, hugging it as he pushed his knees up and breathed out. There would be combat, down the line. Nothing he wasn't used to, but rather, in a fashion unlike the world of a genin. Life and death was never quite as present when chasing cats down the endless streets. Facing an opposing ninja however, would earn the young shinobi a notch on his belt, as they say. "Finished, with that?" A voice pulled Natsu from his thoughts, turning his gaze towards the tavern owner before he lowered his attention to the empty ramen bowl.

"Yeah," the boy returned, reaching a pale hand towards food ware and handed it to the approaching man. "Thank you," a soft, quiet voice finished.

"Need anything else?" The conversation continued.

"No, thanks." Natsu shook his head, before shifting his gaze towards the open porch only inches from where he sat. It was a difficult path to tread, when you had little knowledge of where to start. However, placing one foot in front of the other would eventually land the shinobi in a situation he could consider noteworthy.

Clones had spread out over the village, all running some kind of distraction operation. Though their purpose was pretty minor, they where a massive pestilence to the average shinobi. But, one clone had taken a seat on a rooftop to watch it all go down, right next to Hikaru. The explosive kid was one he'd noticed before, since Jaakuna's clones had been so active around the Forest of Death. "Not bad, huh? I plan to make the whole village like this." Jaakuna grinned, easily hoping aside should Hikaru choose to attack the clone. "You see, I don't have anything against Iwagakure... Okay, that's a blatant lie, and you know it." Shockingly friendly for somebody who seemed to be causing a mess. The clone jumped down to the rooftop under the one where he and Hikaru had begun to sit comfy, grinning with all his teeth showing. "So, how about it, kid? You want to entertain an old man? Maybe give me the good ol' one two. Or do I have to start philosophizing about how Iwagakure is a shit hole. Because I can only be so honest in a day and I don't want to waste it reminding the world how dumb this village is."

It's a long, complex story, but Jaakuna Aka was still a leaf shinobi at heart. And that included an overall hatred for the village of stone, referred to as Iwagakure. He couldn't help it, the whole village pissed him off. It was the history probably. Fact was he fought Iwagakure for years. And at one point he even... Oh wait, that might be spoilers. "And hey, I've got a deal to make with you." He waggled his fingers playfully. "Make the fight good, and I'll give you a gift. Could be anything. Could be life even! But, I know a strapping youn lad, so disinterested with life that he just watches as people die doesn't care about that kind of stuff." If anything, he may just end up trying annoy Hikaru to death. "So, favorite color? What you being all grim for?" Then just now, something important was finally noticed.

The clone had a scroll on his back. On that scroll was a very clear seal, the one that explosion corps of Iwagakure used. It turns out the clones sent by Jaakuna had a second agenda, collecting all the sacred and forbidden scrolls in the village. That one in particular had a blood soaked scroll, probably from one or two men who had tried to stop him from taking it. "So, how about it?" He smirked, tapping his prize. "Beat me, and I'll give you this scroll. It'll probably be useless to you, but hey, somebody has to love this kind of shit, right?"

Some information was better than none and if there would have to be an exchange then so be it. Kyoka had no prized secrets, but the Blacksmith and his association did. Speaking of which, the association between the Blacksmith and the Yomigaeri was still at large. Colleagues was too vague for it to mean anything.

"I reckon I'd be remiss if I ain't gonna ask how yer gotta invovled in all dis, Yo-mi-gae-ri business." Kyoka's thoughts were briefly interrupted by cousin's inquiry. "Ain't de time cuz. I'll tell yer when. Yer just stay right here." Kyoka was relatively short with her cousin for the time being. There were more important studies at present and this opportunity was fleeting. "As I was sayin', yer don't seem to abide by da same philosophy as dat der Shark, lettin' our kin go n' all. Appears to me, yer all got some end goal in mind. Something to bond over."

Kyoka was interrupted again by her cousin's ruffling. "Sweet, sweet, cuz...." Kyoka's attention turned from her present conversation to glance up to her cousin, grinning surprisingly. She was flattered by her cousin's honesty but also annoyed by her constant interruptions. Still, Kyoka could never say no to her cousin. "Yer just writin' a ticket dat Imma punch later. Sweetly so, though. I wanna hamma' ya after dis." Kyoka's tone was rather endearing as she reached up and gently grabbed Rumia by her hand. Turning to face her cousin, Kyoka suddenly and violently pulled Rumia's hand down in a suggestive place right between her legs, forcing Rumia's hand to rub the outside of her clothing a few times before releasing. Kyoka played the action off and instead contrasted herself by sweetly looking up and leaning her head on Rumia's shoulder, teasing her tongue out just enough so it didn't touch Rumia's cheek this time. Of course anyone could understand what Kyoka was meaning here, but only Rumia might understand that the magnitude of what she had gotten herself into. Frustrations could be released in many different ways and Kyoka preferred just one way...

"So as I was sayin'..." Kyoka turned from her cousin and returned to her conversation, her cheeks still bright red from her vivid imagination. " So what are yer hopin' for when dis is all said n' done. Yer own village? Riches? I reckon everyone has der wants and der sweets."

Kiku turned her attention to the Shinobi approaching them, something was already unsettling to her. "Who?" She questioned under her breath and then looked around to her teammates, and then down to the youngest Nadia. Her lips pursed and then followed after her teammates. Her stomach tightened at the thought of what laid ahead of them, and the hopes that Nadia wouldn't let her pride of proving herself get herself hurt, or worse - killed. Making their way there, they all seemed to be in their own mind - a few passing words slipped out of Jaakuna's mouth that caused her to side eye him. Well if he could see through her mask that was.

As they arrived at the Café, Kiku began to walk forward only to be halted in her tracks as ribbons of purple hair that matched her own took the Shinboi in. Her mouth let out a quick click as she assessed the situation of all the bodies inside, relief sending waves through her body as she realized they were all okay. "Nobody is hurt," She stated, and shifted her masked face around taking in the area. This was all new to her - so letting out a louder click she mapped the area around them in her mind. Before she could react and remember Nadia, it appeared Jaakuna already was on top of her and berating her with an order as to not make a rash decision.

She turned her attention back to the Purple haired seductress as Kaba had spoken out. The rebuttal cooly leaving the lips of the enemy in front of them. "So we need to split up," Kiku stated and looked to her teammates "Maybe three of us stay here and two go to find these human bombs.." She bit her bottom lip "Maybe I can sense the difference in Chakra in these fakes? And someone else can dispose of them....." Her hands gripped into fists as she began to think of all the options. "I could also place them under a genjutsu, we could immobilize them then...try and cut it off...or.." Kiku looked to her teammates, "Anyone else have any ideas? We need to think and move quickly" Her attention turned back towards Yui, her energy was one she didn't trust and wasn't even sure if she should try and leave the area.

The umbrella covering Natsu's frame from endless, and unforgiving stream of watery tears was of affordable accommodations. It was perhaps a noteworthy addition, to mention the economical situation of a Ketsueki clan member. Material possessions beyond the confines of the temple are rare, indeed. Though the chuunin had earned some money through missions, wealth remained an unreachable distance from his pale, slender grasp. Splashing beneath his sandal clad feet, Natsu's eyes maintained a fixed gaze on the countless ripples stretching across the wet ground before him, each step sending ever larger ripples through the surface maintained by ceaseless rain. A hand traveled down to the zipper of his hoodie, pulling it up to offer some warmth, or rather, repel the cold. As per usual, Natsu's sleeves covered most of his hands and traveled down the shape of his fingers. In this case, he was quite thankful for that, as the rain was starting to manage a chilling touch.

The best way of familiarizing himself with the strife to come, the young ninja's destination had been set. He needed to head towards town hall, and sign up for a contract. It would put some money in his pockets, and it would send him down a path with a present goal. The less than exciting trip bringing the boy towards town hall had been all but eventful, though as was planned, Natsu stamped his name on a contract which now drew him as its holder.

B-Rank Mission. - Bandits have been attacking travelers between Amegakure and the western trade route. It has been narrowed down to five individuals at work, armed with conventional weaponry, likely stolen. Their leader is believed to be a rouge ninja, and possesses skills expected of a trained warrior.

Bandits, the scums of the earth, as some would call it. Those who feast on a misfortune they cause, for others. Those to relish in the spoils of robbery, and death. It was no stretch to say that these contracts were of the more usual variation. As Natsu's eyes scanned the documents, pale fingers slipped beneath the page and lifted it to reveal payment information on the upcoming information. Nothing special, or noteworthy. A job's a job, as they said. Anything that earned the boy ryō and leaned towards his skill set was fair game. Natsu signed himself up, and started towards the designated destination. This was, to be fair, his first mission by his lonesome. As a genin, you rarely worked alone. As if a bird in a nest, it was time to be pushed out and fly, or fall.

"So what are yer hopin' for when dis is all said n' done. Yer own village? Riches? I reckon everyone has der wants and der sweets." Kyoka said, after returning her attention to Sebun. What he had just watched was very interesting. Kyoka had forced the other females hand in between her legs. The sight was extremely pervasive, and raised questions to Sebun. If these two were actually cousins like they claim, that moment would make things a lot more awkward. It seemed like the two were into taboo things, more or less an incestuous relationship. It was a quite repulsive sight to be sure. Questions for another time though, Sebun shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind and mulled over the question that he was proposed. What was it that Sebun wanted? Riches, Fame, his own village with followers? All of that would make him a king. What would he name this village? Babylon?

"I'm not a man that would be interested in those things. I am a blacksmith, I create weapons of destruction. I test those around me, if they are worthy, I bestow upon them great gifts. My cohort up there is using one of my legendary Weapons. Samehada the Shark Skin sword. I only accompany him to see if he his worthy of my creation. That is my sole purpose." Sebun said between inhales from his pipe. He had no true ties to the Yomigaeri, they were just vessels for him to find the strong willed shinobi of this era.



Everything had work out in South's favor. The whole area where the Archer was is now surrounded by weapons. The Archer must've figured out the plan, because she grabbed one of the swords that were near her. She was ready to fight South in a close combat situation. In a blink of an eye, South teleported to a dagger that sat three feet in front of the Archer. The clone smiled as he gazed up at the Archer now brandishing a sword. "Now that we are face to face, I think it's appropriate to exchange names. What do you say? I am a Clone of Sebun Chimi-Teki Tsumi, you can just call me South seeing how I am the southern clone. What's your name?" South said placing his hand palm down causing a Trident to materialize through a portal.

---

“Tsk,” was the only noise that came from Sakana as the situation changed drastically. They were forced to stop, to address the changing situation. Luckily, Shizuka's kekkei genkai meant that they could do so under the cover of the smoke that was supposedly produced by the criminal, while still being able to breathe due to Shizuka's pocket of air. Kamui, Shizuka and Date all gave their take on the situation, but nothing seemed to happen until Sakana made a choice or command. Date's suggestion earned little more than a sarcastic remark, however. “Yes, I'd love to get crushed by a worm like that while we try to fight this guy. We need to get rid of that worm first. Either we lead it to the outskirts, but that'd mean crushing half the village to get there. Or we kill it...”

He glanced at Kamui then and had a revelation. He grabbed Kamui by the shoulder and forced the boy to look at him. “Hoy.. you Uzumaki are good at sealing. I know that, since all my seals were made by your clan. So... you can seal that thing. Just find a pot or something to seal him in. Shizuka, Date, we have to distract that thing, and then we can go fight whoever this guy is.” He waited a moment more for any questions - but he didn't give them too long since there wasn't exactly a whole lot of time. Like the Sunagakure shinobi had said, they had the council captive.

“Kuchiyose no Jutsu!” Sakana would then proclaim, biting his thumb hard and smashing it into the ground, bringing forth Axu the axolotl.

“Ehh, Sakana, what's wrong..?” the lumbering beast said, obviously not being able to see anything given the fact that there was smoke all around them.

“No time to really explain, all you have to know is that there's a giant worm, and I'm going to shoot it with that technique we practiced.”

“Ah... okay... I guess.” Axu wasn't exactly in a talkative mood it seemed, so he simply opened his mouth and shot out a large water ball into the air. Before it'd be able to land, Sakana formed several handseals, before proclaiming the name of the jutsu to warn his teammates. This was supposed to distract the worm and give Kamui the time he needed to seal the thing away in some sort of vessel. Preferably one they could retrieve, so that they could use the might of the worm again at a later time whenever they needed it.

“Suiton: Sensatsu Suishō!” The ball of water would slowly disperse into a thin layer of mist, while other water particles were drawn from the area as well - there was a lot of water available, given the fact that the oasis had more or less spread everywhere. The water would form into thin strips of water - senbon like - hanging in the air. When Sakana felt comfortable with his level of control over the water senbon, he moved his hand forward and the senbon shot forwards, targetting the worms' vital parts like the eyes and its' mouth, though really, who would even know what the vital parts were on the monstrosity.

Rather than 1 burst of water senbon however, Sakana continued drawing water from the area around them, reducing he humidity so much that he also had to draw water from the oasis pool to keep it up. This meant that the worm was receiving a rather large amount of water senbon aimed at it. “Shizuka, Date, spread out and distract it so that Kamui can.. do whatever the Uzumaki do!”

---

The General expected no less from the Raikage. The ability to easily ward off clones while under the pressure of a nefarious field hazard that was especially toxic to his arsenal could only be done by someone of Bakuto's caliber. Nonetheless, Gozubura was going to capitalize on this accumulation of advantages. Though it wouldn't be before the dark skinned veteran delivered a high magnitude quake prompted by the control of vibration he had via the sound Kekkei Genkai.

Starru was surprisingly calm and stiff when the earth beneath him shattered and rumbled. The man had a similar jutsu in his arsenal, and wasn't going to flinch so easily. It allowed him to finalize his jutsu he prepared with his glowing, extended hand. The shift in landmass and surface would conceal what was actually created from Bakuto's immediate awareness. Yes, he could hear things, but with the chaos he created, it'd be at the very least fuzzy when he'd try to determine what Gozubura had just birthed. But there was something. Something difference from clones.

Speaking of, they would serve their goal as distractions against Bakuto. They would not be able to handle the earthquake as efficiently, and would find themselves in the air, with difficulty to control their landing due to the gusts of wind ruling over the area. Nonetheless, they'd go for one final attack, only to be a diversion for the real fun.

"If you think you can switch the field advantage against a war veteran such as myself, you may as well present your Kage crown right now."

Something was speeding toward Bakuto. No, two things to be exact. They were slightly slower than clones, but moved almost unnaturally. The Quake would have since lost some of its power, and would allow for fluid access by these odd interlopers. They would be none other than replicas of Gozubura, albeit with a completely absent stare, and movements far from human. They both wielded rapers, but none were enhanced, as would their entire bodies seemed to be lacking any form of basic enhancement to improve mobility. They charged toward Bakuto, one with the sword sheathed but would attempt to grab the Kage, while the other stayed behind with a sword drawn.

The General stayed put, waiting to see how Bakuto would react to all of this. He had to be ready for a surprise, however, as these copies would not seek to dodge or go for special maneuvers. But they would not fall, even from a fatal hit on the body. Neck and up? Well, he was to see what it'd do, but who ever bothered to hit a clone in that area? The gusts of wind continued, plaguing any possible lightning ability, and limiting Bakuto's movements.

---

---

Rumia had her blood lust, Kyoka had her ... Downright lust. Not exactly the most compatible of degeneracy factors, but an odd symbiosis that allowed this vile duo to co-exist and consistently improve themselves. The revolting display of unrestricted sexual urges from Kyoka's part, and the almost callous attitude of Rumia toward these acts would prove it all. With the beast's hand dragged down to the blonde's crotch, she'd but squint at the acid lass' direction for a brief moment before glancing back at the Tsuchikage's show. Her arm rendered into a toy for Kyoka to use in the meantime.

The ginger did not wish to have her face melted by various fluids from questionable areas, but she was also too dumb to really care about consequences that would occur beyond an hour from the current moment. Her blood was burning in desire to destroy the shark, and possibly all these Yomigaeri types out there.

"Ehhhh? Ya' speakin' o' dat funny sword? Kyoka 'ere tells me it cans suckle on them chakras. Ain't dat a nifty thingie mcgig."

Her orange eyes peered toward the old blacksmith as the term 'shark' was evoked. The uncertain nature of the relation between Sebun and Sano prompted the numbskull to perform a slight mental exercise. Maybe if she terminated the shark, she could be the one worthy, and get ever more tools to rip people she didn't like apart? The more reasons she had to terminate that arrogant sharkman, the more she just felt compelled to dive in and deliver the coup the grace.

With that in mind, her hand that had been set on Kyoka's crotch would suddenly raise, and almost brutally shove the corresponding index and major fingers into the cousin's mouth. The acid in the saliva would commence frying the tips of Rumia's fingers, before she'd slide them out. Bubbling in noxious chemical transformation, the fluids excreted from the horrid effects of the acid would be red with blood and other tissue. As for Kyoka, she wouldn't be hurt, mostly startled by the sudden, very suggestive, action. The lass would tap the bloodied fingers onto her marked forearm.

Poof.

"Dun mind if I feed m'Roid 'ere some shark steak, 'ight? Ain't reasonable fer a shark to hold 'nother shark, gonna do ya' a favor 'n fix dat fer you.""

A smirk, as the explosion of smoke prompted by the summoning technique would clear, revealing a monstrous, almost deformed horned beast. It seemed to be a form of dinosaur-like bipedal with no arms, but a gargantuan head and jaw. With a glowing one eye fitting its long, shining horn, it was not a beast anyone would want to be confronted with. The Shinrikyo would snap her fingers, and the beast with immense obedience, would face the direction of the ongoing battle Sano took part in as Rumia had pointed toward them upon giving the order cue. Its horn started to shine brightly, sparks forming around its body as it prepared an attack on Sano in particular. Nothing would be fired yet, but the light would become ever more obvious to the two titan duking it out.

@ZeroXposure

As Ai made her way through the buildings towards Koma's position, she suddenly cursed, and ducked behind a building. Another clone stood on a rooftop; or was it the original? Either way, it complicated things. Ai took a breath. She had confidence in Koma. She was a Jonin. So was Ai. The rank was a show of faith by their leader. Ai wasn't going to betray that. In a sense, she was still in debt to the Tsuchikage.

Ai sighed, and cracked her neck. On one hand, all this business of getting stronger, of prestige, and proving yourself had absolutely zero interest for her. On the other hand, Ai HATED debt. She just wanted to live how she wanted. She just couldn't if she felt indebted. She had to pay something back to the Tsuchikage. Ai gulped, now as mentally prepared as she was going to get.

Walking out, she eyed the other enemy on the rooftops, and brandished a card as a threat. Barrier cards still orbited the jonin protectively. Ai would prefer to get the jump on him, but wasn't stupid enough to try when she knew she'd been seen.

"Fighting's not exactly my favorite thing in the world; but I still have to answer the prayer of protection. Would you consider retreating?"

Ai moved, body flickering towards him, trying to slap a seal on his chest.


@Reflection@BladeSS4@Lyfe@Syn
Kaito wasn't exactly surprised to be found so quickly, those eyes were the bane of Kaito's existence. Still, it wasn't like they would be a problem for too long. Problems were meant to be solved.

"Waste your time? I'm assuming you mean the few weeks to recover once I've broken the other arm? That'd certainly be time wasted, hehehe." Afterall, a jutsu will never work on me twice. "But no, I'm not here for that. I suppose I could join you, though to be honest, I'm here to make sure you lot don't start anything in the village, and because I'm curious. Well then, let's fill my curiosity."

Without waiting a second confirmation, Kaito walked with the group. He tapped his chin.

"Of course, being found taking my own orders could be nasty. I hear the Hyuga wasn't the only failure on the road to Jonin, someone in the Rain also didn't make it. Well, let's try this instead."

A handsign later and he ever so slightly changed his appearance with a transformation jutsu. He'd become a few inches taller, a bit more muscular, and his headband now appeared to belong to the Leaf.

He hurried along with the group towards Kai, and towards Havoc. He surprisingly kept his quips to a minimum and really did seem more interested in observing than making a nuisance of himself. Nousagi was an easy read, so Kaito looked back and forth between his teammates, mostly curious at their reaction his sudden joining, if they had questions, or were they aggravated. The longer they went, the more his attention would shift to Tashiro. The interesting one.

Bakuto found himself in this predicament of fighting someone who is a master at the art of war unfazed by the earthquake Bakuto created. The general was up to something and due to his own movements and dealing with the clones Bakuto barely heard what Gozubura was doing. Not knowing what Bakuto had to keep on his guard the general is known in the cloud for devastating jutsus and being dangerously cunning.

The winds were strong and lightning ninjutsu was out of play or at least lightning jutsu that had to go through the air.
Bakuto had little time to prepare as Gozubura's next attack was on him. Bakuto notice something was off not that he could see them but he could hear from their movements something wasnt right. One was trying to grab him the other with the sword drawn. Nothing seemed off but that was puzzling Bakuto. Bakuto didn't have much time to weave hand seals to use his jutsu that required it. All he could do is dodge or block, picking the former over the latter.

"My crown as Raikage as you put it wont brushed aside so easily General. Being a war veteran as yourself what it means for someone to be a kage."

Bakuto weaved seals quickly as he slowed down, Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake the simple body replacement technique or Substitution jutsu. Letting the thing grab him as he casts the jutsu looking to switch places with one of his four lightning clones that were still watching or rather listening. The clone used in the substitution would activate as the lightning clone would discharging at contact with the other with a violent shock of lightning

Talking out from one of the now four corners Bakuto speaks rather amused by the battle, "It is like fighting my sensei. Just like the third Raikage careful thinking out everything down to every movement. If one of us don't do something this fight isn't going to end anytime soon. So..." Bakuto draws his sword the uniquely shaped duel prong and bladed tuning fork sword. The other three now remaining clones draw their swords. Bakuto then finally resumes speaking, "Let's drop all pretense General. You came to the village to kill me the Raikage for your organization ,and I must kill you to protect the people of my village. Cannot keep those waiting for us to kill the other, It is time for us to end this."

Channeling his chakra into his sword using his chakra to cause the sword to vibrate and ring out. The three clones do the same. The four corners of the area surrounded by the original Bakuto, and three corners four swords ringing out as it gets enhanced with chakra. "Sound Release: Slicing Sound Wave" Bakuto followed up slicing towards Gozubura from the north end of the battlefield sending a slicing wave a sound moving at a speed as an arrow fired from a bow. The clones do the same while their attack will only be a fraction to the strength of the attack it still has cutting power behind it. Looking to attack the General with a barrage of sound chakra slicing waves. Bakuto was only trying to get Gozubura from easily attacking the way he has been with his clones.
-



The resentment from the Hyuga was rather amusing but also irritating to Tashiro he grabs his own radio and spoke to Kai, "Alright we have a general idea of where we are to be going should the intel by the Amekage prove correct. Kurin gave us orders, We are to go to the place that was given to use and if we are to spot the enemies we are not to confront them but to just keep an eye on him. So when we get to the area Kai you and Nousagi use your guys eyes and scope out the area. Keep an eye out as we approach we dont know if they left any surprises or are expecting us, so be ready for anything. You can meet up with us or follow from a distance the choice is yours, assuming you are still watching from your spot."

Tashiro cuts the radio off and then hears the other joining the group a rain shinobi. At least finally there is someone somewhat pleasant since arriving to this village. Tashiro then greets the new shinobi, "We would appreciate your help. You have nothing to worry about we don't have any intentions to start anything with your village. If you havent heard we are going out to get some eyes on the rogue shinobi that just fled from here. Feel free to pitch in as you want just remember we are going after powerful criminals that can kill a kage."

Tashiro then stops and gets in Nousagi's face, "As for you, I don't like being in charge as much as you hate it, our squad leader put me in charge. That was Kurin's choice not mine but we have to deal with it as a shinobi must. We follow orders so cut it out and fall in line. I don't care if you are from one of the village's noble clan, you call me dirt boy again and I will see to it that you eat dirt. Do I make myself clear?" Not waiting for an answer Tashiro turns to Kaito, "Let's get going we have ground to make up. If we dont catch up before our targets leave we might not catch them. Rain dude if you have any insight of those we are going after you can fill us in on our way to the their location that Lady Amekage provided for us. So let's go." Heading out wanting to get to where the Amekage said they should go.

Surely a member part of such an organization like the Yomigaeri, had more ambition than being a blacksmith. No matter how notorious he became for his craft, Kyoka doubted he'd be respected beyond the craft. It is why Kyoka had much higher ambition than just her craft...

"Just a man of yer craft, huh..." There was skepticism in the young chemist's voice. Kyoka opened her mouth to try and press the man for further information, considering her words for a moment, but found Rumia's aggressive progression of their twisted foreplay to be quite prohibitive. From Kyoka's experience, it was always a rare and exciting treat to experience the few times Rumia took the dominant role in their romance. It was the surprise and suspense of what her dimwitted cousin could come up with that made it exciting, and this sudden maneuver was certainly surprising. What's more, Kyoka believed that Rumia was caught up in the moment and was willing to take her right here, right now! In front of the Blacksmith! In spite of the battle! Oooh Kyoka's cheeks burned brightly as her body tensed in anticipation. To think her battle-lusting Rumia would take her right now, showing that her pleasure was more important than battle she craved! Closing her eyes, she waited ...

No. No! Kyoka screamed internally as she felt Rumia's fingers pull away. She looked lost, dejected, as she reached after Rumia's hand, stopping herself as she realized what Rumia used her for. A stewing anger replaced her sadness, as it was her turn to glare at her cousin. Kyoka looked clearly annoyed by being shrugged off so easily, but she did consider that if this was all some surprising calculated ploy to make her want Rumia more, even though it was highly unlikely Rumia could outwit Kyoka in such a manner.

Kyoka would leave that for now, after all, the Blacksmith was still present. "N' is yer colleague worthy? Say if he were gonna lose today? What den?" Kyoka asked, only now removing her glare from Rumia and turning fully to the Blacksmith. "More importantly, I reckon I can prove my worth to yer. Yer just gotta give me a chance."