[Yuki Shuka]

Honor Among Thieves --- TAG Asa Go Kotobuki NPC - WORDS 264 POSTS 1/20

T

here was a storm brewing, clouds hanging heavy over the morning sky, casting all the world in a dull grey. This mission had been sent out with some urgency, the second the carrier raven arrived on the window of the lady's office, she was organizing the team to head out into the tundra. Given their proficiency on their delivery mission and Asa's particular expertise with the tundra, Asa and Kotobuki were selected.

They were given the instruction to make reasonable haste. The injured Chuunin had trained in the art of wilderness survival like every shinobi in Yukigakure, but there were still some concerns that he might not survive the weather and his wounds if he were left until a blizzard passed over, not to mention what might be done to the shinobi left with their attackers.

The two were given a general area. The missing Shinobi- Aoto, Mio, Tsumugi, and Ren- had been on a mission on the other side of the mountain range from Seppen, investigating civilian concerns about mysterious individuals coming up and down the peaks and scattered reports of highway robbers. However, a soft snowfall since the early hours may have resulted in most of their tracks being covered. There were several mountain trails which had been carved up the way to allow for track maintenance as it passed through one of the many caverns along the mountains.

They had available to them a map of the region, the crow that had come to deliver Aoto's message, and any other tools they brought with them.

How would they begin their investigation?

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Asa]

Time was of the essence. Asa didn't hesitate when she chose Go Kotobuki to accompany her. They had only recently returned from their supply run to Hyozan Keep to discover that a shinobi team had gone completely dark. She knew vaguely of Go Kotobuki's sensory magics: he would be useful in uncovering people hiding in the snow by their chakra signatures. Asa wasn't sure what that felt like, but she figured that it must be useful. 

Asa was not sure how useful this map and message would be. The snow was falling lightly, and it was bound to cover tracks sooner rather than later. This was a mission for the GOKA, and Asa was amongst the most fearsome and fast of them. Go Kotobuki wouldn't be able to keep up with her at her full pace, but she kept her keen eyes ready and open for tracks. 

The missing Shinobi -Aoto, Mio, Tsumugi, and Ren- all had names that Asa was unfamiliar with. Aoto was the one who sent the message, and this was his raven that was guiding them. She was no animal tamer, but she was familiar with the ways of animals. She hoped that she could use the bird to guide the two of them in the direction where the bird remembered Aoto being. 

Whether he was alive or dead was unknown, but ascertaining his position was of the utmost importance. 

[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

Keeping up with Asa was hard, even though he could tell that she was holding back her speed somewhat. Kotobuki was naturally a little more fit than shinobi who spent most of their time practicing chakra manipulation, but most of his athleticism came from his nomadic lifestyle.

No sled this time, nor pack of dogs. He hadn't summoned any sheep knowing they weren't particularly fast runners. Even just carrying Fuwafuwa around would slow him down a bit. More than once he considered ditching his heaviest scroll, but that had most of the commodities he needed for survival in it. More so it had memories of time on the road with his twin sister, so it was a bit sentimental.

"Hey, we've gone far enough that I should probably check again," Kotobuki said. Whether or not he was just making an excuse for a breather or not was hard to tell. Either way he took a moment to catch his breath.

Once they found time to pause, he'd dust some of the snow from his hair and then hold up a hand seal. He would expand his sensory range out to a kilometer.

If he senses any humans he'd do his best to describe their direction and quantity to Asa. He unfortunately did not know the people they were seeking, or their chakra signatures, so he couldn't tell the difference between friend or foe.

🗡️ Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

[Yuki Shuka]

Honor Among Thieves --- TAG Asa Go Kotobuki NPC - WORDS 248 POSTS 4/20

T

he exhaustion of the tundra was a real concern, so it was probably for the best that Kotobuki took a moment to breathe. As the body tried its best to both keep pace and maintain a certain level of body heat, it could become tiring to trek through the snow quickly. He stopped where he stood and held his concentration, slowly expanding his chakra out into a broad sensory radius.

His chakra explored the ridges of the mountainside, allowing him to become more familiar with the caverns carved into the surface. There were a few signatures of note to him:

In a small, thin cavern, pressed as far back as possible, there was an individual sitting alone. It was impossible to discern their medical state at this range, but it was fully possible that this was Aoto.

High up along the trail, there was a second signature alone, crouched and moving about frantically. It seemed like there was a chance they were also hiding or looking for something.

Not far behind that individual, there was a group of four all together. Without more context, Kotobuki wasn't sure if they were currently locked in any kind of combat, but they were certainly on the move, descending gradually in the direction of the crouching person.

He communicated this information to Asa to give her options on how to proceed as well.

If Asa tried to encourage the bird to take wing, it would fly towards the crevice in the mountainside.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Asa]

Asa's eyes followed the bird as it flew upwards towards some sort of crevice. Hmmm. That would be difficult for an average climber to get up to, but for a shinobi it would be quite simple. The act of walking up trees also was quite useful for walking up stone and other solid surfaces against the pull of gravity. 

"The bird leads us back up to there," Asa said, and pointed to where the bird had landed. "Is that where you sensed one of the solitary people?"

Asa brought chakra into her feet, and began to walk up to where the bird was waiting for them. They couldn't waste such a lead. The bird knew more than they did about this situation. However, three steps in, she turned back to Go Kotobuki, so as to not leave him out of the loop of her thoughts. It was odd, working with someone in such a tense situation. Asa was used to relying on herself and no other.

"Aoto is likely injured, so there is little chance that if he lives, that he is the one moving so rapidly," Asa assessed. "I would avoid the group of four, if that becomes possible. It would be sensible to gain advantageous ground and then ascertain their motives, and then decide whether or not to strike."

[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

"It is true, there is someone up there. Perhaps we can kill two birds with one stone," Kotobuki began. He then looked at the helpful avian and grimaced. "Errr... sorry little one, I didn't mean anything by that."

He looked over at the elevation. He didn't mind heights, but Asa could engage from a longer distance. They could get a lot done by synergizing the tasks.

"What if you climb up there, see what the situation is with the person. After I could try to lure our group of friends over to see what kind of folks they are. If they end up being none too kind, then you've got the high ground."

He put his hands over his head. Pausing for a moment. He then followed up with. "Don't worry about me, I'm pretty scrappy up close. I can also trick their eyes if it gets bad."

He wished they had brought a medic with him, but it was what it was. If Asa agreed to his idea, he'd hand her a small scroll and explain that if she tore it open there was a ration pill and some basic first aid supplies inside like a blood pill and antidotes.

Though their plan was still to be decided by Asa, Kotobuki would begin looking around the area with his eyes. Sensory skills were great but not always perfect. He’d start looking for any objects or additional clues in the snow that might give them an idea of who was up there or who they were up against.

🗡️ Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

[Yuki Shuka]

Honor Among Thieves --- TAG Asa Go Kotobuki NPC - WORDS 378 POSTS 7/20

W

ith the new information they had uncovered, the two began to hatch a plan, with Kotobuki recommending his idea for a strategic course of action. Splitting up did seem somewhat reasonable in the situation, with the people separated as they were. Kotobuki's recommendation was for Asa to climb the icy slopes in the direction the bird had flown to seek out the injured shinobi, and allowing her to get a good vantage point on the tundra if a fight were to break out. Engaging from that distance with her archery abilities would probably be useful. Kotobuki handed over supplies and explained to her how to access them.

If she followed this plan of action, Asa would be able to scale the wall with little difficulty. She had done practice dealing with walking on ice and snow of late and even though the surface provided less traction than a tree or a wall, it was not difficult for her. If she decided to look out from her vantage point, she could see in the distance a figure of a woman working her way between two rocks, clearly trying to move about stealthily. She could see a few smaller figures in the distance.

If she turned and delved deeper into the cavern, she could find the injured Aoto, barely conscious and bloodied.

Kotobuki, for his part, was intent on remaining down and working out how to split the team's focus. He would first reach out with his sensory perceptions once more, trying to focus in.

The hiding figured was gradually getting closer. It seemed like she might be following some trail; maybe she was following bloody tracks that Aoto had left and was attempting to locate him as well.

The four further back had slowed slightly. Kotobuki did not get the impression that they were fighting now that he had a moment to examine them more clearly. Perhaps this was the bandit group, then. But then where were the other two shinobi? Already dead?

Either way, the four were gradually making way towards Kotobuki and Asa, perhaps following the harried woman's own blood trail, or Aoto's.

Kotobuki could attempt to lure them towards him, or move up to try to lay a trap or ambush, or could attempt to step in to meet with the fleeing woman. Or he could simply wait.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Asa]

Asa spotted the two other groups of figures with wary eyes, the way a fox does when it sees a bear feasting on a kill. Now was not the time for her to approach. She was quite confident that she would be able to spot those figures again, once she finished her descent into the cave. She needed to follow after the bird. 

She found the barely conscious man, and her instincts kicked in. She was not a medic. She was not skilled in keeping a man alive. However, she was well practiced in staying alive on the tundra, and making use of what was given to her. She followed Go Kotobuki's instructions with regards to the scroll, and was able to procure the medical supplies he sealed within.

"I am Asa, of Yukigakure," she announced as she approached him. "We have received your message, and have come to assist."

She proceeded to look over his wounds, not waiting for a response. Perhaps he would tell her where he was most injured, but she was not going to risk his life on his ability to speak. She didn't understand how to use most of what was here, but she could give him the blood pill and the ration pill and try to keep him from bleeding out further.

[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

Kotobuki spent his time planting several papers into the snow and drawing fourth fires into seals upon their surfaces. Afterwards he would dust the scrolls over with snow. Upon completion, Kotobuki would begin singing loudly to make his presence known. Loud enough not just for the team of bandits he hoped, but for Asa to know to be prepared for battle.

He wasn't one hundred percent sure that they were bad people, but if they just started to come out to attack someone for singing as great as he did (it wasn't great), then they probably deserved what they had coming to them.

"Kagome, kagome..." he began. "The bird in the basket, when, oh when will it come out?"

As he started getting their attention he readied his staff. "In the night of dawn...The crane and turtle slipped...

Who is behind you now?"

Depending upon the approach of the group Kotobuki would act differently. If they seemed to be mostly confused about his presence and wanted to ask him questions he'd tell them to get no closer and engage in conversation. If they ran right at him, well then they'd have to risk stepping on his fiery land mines.

He was sure if Asa saw a fire spring up, she'd know that they were hostile. He hadn't forgotten the hidden figure. He was waiting to see how they acted if things got spicy.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Katon: Jirai [Fire Style: Landmine]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Fūinjutsu
ELEMENT:
HANDSEALS:
DESCRIPTION:
This seal is marked by an insignia for 'Katon' drawn inside a tight circle, which can be placed against the ground or drawn along a surface. Once disturbed by outside means other than proper seal disarmament, the seal ruptures, hot blue flame erupting from the point of rupture in a five meter radius This is enough to fiercely burn anyone caught in the area, surpassing the flash point of most cloth.

🗡️ Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

[Yuki Shuka]

Honor Among Thieves --- TAG Asa Go Kotobuki NPC Aoto WORDS 444 POSTS 10/20

T

he messenger crow fluttered to the ground next to its ailing comrade and made a discontented rattle call, clearly hesitant to approach. Aoto looked up at Asa when she spoke and let out a relieved laugh, the rattling in his chest mirroring the sound his animal friend made. It seemed he may have been struck in the torso and that may have impacted his lungs in some way. Nothing to be done about that here. She would have to treat the more immediate wounds.

"Didn't think you'd make it," Aoto breathed, trying to force himself to sit up and slumping back down with a cough. "They got me in the back when I wasn't looking. Then the leg. Surprised I got away." He placed his hand over the slash on his thigh, showing he'd been applying pretty consistent pleasure and had taken whatever materials he could to wrap it up. He took the blood and ration pills and grimaced, though they did seem to make him mildly better. Then Asa set about using whatever mild rudimentary medical training she'd been hastily given in the academy, trying to do her best to ready him for the trip back.

Just as she began doing that, a song began to carry up to her. Her travel companion was singing. Asa could recognize it as a song the children in town would sometimes sing while playing games.

Down below, the party of four paused for a moment before beginning to travel towards Kotobuki's singing. They stopped when they could see him, not approaching in a rushed attack. Two stood at the front of the group, and one in particular hung back, eyeing Kotobuki with even more suspicion than the rest. It appeared he seemed keen on hiding.

"What're you doing out here?" One of the bandits called. The duo standing at the front seemed rough around the edges, wearing warm jackets and carrying weapons. The one speaking- the leader, presumably- was carrying with him a bag of supplies which appeared to have been looted from one of the shinobi they'd been sent to find. Kotobuki could tell because of Yukigakure's symbol, branded on the pocket. That was the fate of one decided.

"Look, you look like you're not from the area, so I'm gonna be real nice and give you a warning. Turn around and go back where you came from," the bandit said.

The hidden figure had also creeped closer to the sound, but didn't appear to be moving in for an ambush. Rather, it seemed she was interesting in figuring out what was going on. She kept a decent distance, hiding behind the terrain to observe.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

[Asa]

Kagome, ka-go-me, bird in a cage....

For someone who was a little better versed in horror, this would be quite a chilling experience. For Asa, it was simply vexing and baffling. What was Go Kotobuki doing? Had he been spotted and he was trying to stall for time? She was barely able to patch Aoto as it was- she needed to work faster.

"There are others outside," Asa said. "Four as a group, and then one solo. Do not move until I return."

After ensuring that Aoto would not die if she left him alone with the bird, Asa readied her bow and began to make her way back to the front of the cave. With Go Kotobuki taking point, there was little worry for someone as trained in stealth as Asa that she would be spotted. If the people he was speaking to were hostile, Asa would eradicate them all with a hail of arrows before they could bring harm to Go Kotobuki. If they were otherwise nonhostile, she would merely wait in silent stealth until Go Kotobuki had ascertained their motives.

Asa was not skilled with speech, so between them Go Kotobuki had to be the one more suited to this by default.

Relevant SA

SPOILER: Click to show

『Silent Killing』
As part of her appointment to Yukigakure’s GOKA, Asa has been trained in the arts of stealth and assassination, ensuring that she is difficult to detect as she sneaks up on her unwary targets.

[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

Kotobuki's eyes caught the eye of the Yukigakure symbol on the supplies being carried that had just a little bit too much blood on them for his taste. Kotobuki grinned into his scarf as wind blew against his snow speckled hair.

"Thank goodness I've found you comrades," Kotobuki said. "I've been lost out here for awhile."

He listened as they gave him a warning. He took a step back.

"Oh, is there something dangerous around here?" Kotobuki asked. "Perhaps you could give me an escort back to the village?"

He hoped that the bandits would think that he thought that they were from the village and try to trick him. He was trying to bait an approach so that they'd walk into his field of fire mines that was between them. Fire would be an easy enough signal that hostilities had begun to have his hidden sniper take care of helping against any who might hang back and try to fight from a range.

That'd work unless they thought that he was trying to trick them by pretending to think that he thought they were from the village. If that was the case and they held their ground at a distance from him, he would hide his hands in his sleeves and begin weaving the hand seals to call an oil rain over their position to goad them forward with much less subtlety.

🗡️ Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

[Yuki Shuka]

Honor Among Thieves --- TAG Asa Go Kotobuki NPC Aoto Ren (?) WORDS 335 POSTS 13/20

W

hen Kotobuki requested the group's aid, the man at the front turned to the companion directly next to him and they discussed something for a few seconds at a low volume. Whether they were deciding to really escort Kotobuki away or had intentions to rob him, too, didn't really matter so much. Either way, the man said,

"There are a lot of bandits and wild animals. Here, we'll help show you back."

He motioned for one of the men behind him, not the one hiding, to step forwards. He did so and began to approach Kotobuki.

He stepped over a covered seal and a sudden flame ruptured upwards, exploding into the sky, and the man's scream rose with it. He stumbled back, attempting to pat out the fire, then collapsed into the snow to put it out. But he was badly burned and would probably be little use in the fight that was now to come.

"Motherf- Get him," the leader of the group told the others. "Watch the ground," he warned.

One of Kotobuki's tags was exhausted. He still had a few left.

The leader of the group grabbed a shuriken from his supplies and threw it in Kotobuki's direction. Midway through its flight, it lit aflame, threatening to burn Kotobuki if it struck him. The second man began to weave hand seals for another technique, but it didn't come through yet. The third man left standing readied a weapon.

That was when Kotobuki noticed something odd. The third man, hidden at the back until now, was wearing a forehead protector. With the symbol of Yukigakure. If they'd found Aoto, that must be Ren. But what was he doing with the bandits?

Up above, at the entrance of the cave, Asa was still carefully hidden. None of the bandits had yet noticed her presence and that meant she could send a hail of arrows. With her skillset, she could easily choose one of the men to take out. Who would she target?

Aoto would listen to her instructions and would not move.

ISHY of THQ & ADOXOGRAPHY

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu used:


NAME: Katon: Faia Tama no Jutsu [Fire Release: Fire Projectiles]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: 火 Katon | Fire
DESCRIPTION:
Activated by two handseals [ Horse then Tiger]. A skill where the user gathering their fire chakra they imbue it into their projectiles. Releasing them from their hands, spiraling about they catch flame in order to add to the damage of those projectiles. This technique can be utilized with Shuriken, Kunai, and Senbon.

[Asa]

The flame erupting was the go signal that Asa needed. There was no hesitation: Go Kotobuki was in danger. He was far enough away that she could blanket the field in arrows and not harm him, by her estimation. This technique would require a lot of energy, but Asa hadn't used a drop in this mission so far: she was plenty capable of drawing on her chakra. She didn't normally need chakra to fire arrows. 

She drew one arrow back, and chakra lit aflame in her fingers, rushing into the arrow, and filled every last inch with chakra. She needed to keep them off Go Kotobuki, so then they could regroup and continue their assault. This technique would do so. There were only so many assailants: even if this did not kill them all, it would absolutely turn them into pincushions. 

"Ya Kage Bunshin," Asa whispered, using the magic words to steel her resolve. 

And then she let the arrow fly. Midway through its silent flight, it doubled, and then tripled, creating a volley of arrows in the air, blanketing the opposition in cloned steel and wood. If they couldn't erect a barrier in the blink of an eye, they would be caught. 

Jutsu Used

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Ya Kage Bunshin no Jutsu [Arrow Shadow Clone Technique]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very High
CLASSIFICATION: Bukijutsu
ELEMENT: None
DESCRIPTION:
The user performs a tiger seal with their arrow holding hand and charges the chakra into it, then using a bow launches the arrow. Upon command, after the arrow has been launched it will duplicate into a volley of arrows. Shadow clones of the arrows will range in the hundreds depending on chakra usage. This can be used as a surprise attack and can make it near impossible to dodge without sustaining injury.

Relevant SA

SPOILER: Click to show

『Silent Killing』
As part of her appointment to Yukigakure’s GOKA, Asa has been trained in the arts of stealth and assassination, ensuring that she is difficult to detect as she sneaks up on her unwary targets.

[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

Kotobuki saw the shuriken coming too late, scuttling through the snow he managed to avoid being hit by the center mass, but the hot shuriken embedded into his left arm and sizzled with heat.

Watching the other making seals, he started to dislike his odds at defending himself with one hand. He swiped his hand over the bloody part of his arm and then pressed it into the snowy ground, leaving a red handprint as a summoning circle opened up.

Uri would appear, a fluffy white full grown sheep that had been his vanguard in the exams. He shouted at her to put up a barrier when she arrived, and she began shaking until a translucent white light covered herself and Kotobuki.

"You again?" Uri said. "You're helpless aren't you?...O-Ohh..." she muttered as she saw his bloody arm and arrows began to thwack part of the barrier, though most went beyond it towards the group of bandits.

"Nevermind that," Kotobuki said. He looked at the person in the back with the forehead protector. He wished that he could easier speak to Asa from this far away. He wasn't sure what to do.

He'd wait to see the results of the volley of arrows. If the Yukigakure shinobi was still standing he'd rush forward with Uri at his side to get into melee range with them, thinking Asa probably wouldn't shoot at that one anymore so he could try to subdue them without killing them.

🗡️

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Kuchiyose no Jutsu [Summoning Technique]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low - Very High depending on summon.
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 5
DESCRIPTION:
One of the most common and beneficial techniques in the known shinobi world. Simply drawing blood and releasing a mass of chakra from one's extended hand is capable of calling an animal or otherwise to one's location. As a Space-Time Ninjutsu, this technique is capable of instantly displacing an intended summon from wherever they may be to the requested location, though there are obstacles that can prevent this. To use this jutsu, one must first make a contract with whatever they are summoning, living creature or not. Both the size and the stamina of what a shinobi calls upon increases the demand of chakra they must spend to perform the jutsu.

NAME: Kekkai: Sheru (Barrier: Shell)
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: --
DESCRIPTION:
After performing the required hand seals, the user places their hands in front of them to create a translucent 5x5x5 cube around themselves to block incoming attacks. This side-sided cube has similar disability to that of steel, but instantly shatters once it has been breached or the user removes their hands from the front wall. This technique is optimal for defence against all sides and can serve to protect themselves and their allies from multiple attacks.