[Imagawa Takumi]

It was always cold in Yuki no Kuni, but tonight it seemed especially so. Maybe it was because they were out on the frigid sea, but Takumi found himself particularly noticing the frosty temperature, not that he was too affected by it though. His coat, light gray for tonight, kept him plenty warm, especially with the drawstrings pulled tight, turning the typical high collar into an impromptu lower-face mask. Even so, the occasional puff of breath was visible in front of his face as he let out longer exhales, in tandem with the oar he was heaving.

Tonight's mission had them landing on a small island just off the west coast of Yuki no Kuni and ridding it of the pirate scum that had taken refuge there. HQ had determined that an attack at night would be required. To reach the island, the three shinobi of Operations Team 2 had used a small dinghy with an equally small sail, for stealthy reasons of course. And once they were close enough to the island, Takumi had brought down their small sail to ensure they remained undetected, having one of his other teammates take up one oar while he took the other. It only took a few minutes of rowing to close the distance, minutes that he hoped to spend in silence, though knowing Taro he was reasonably sure that the Nakajima would have something to say, if not to him then to the newest addition to the team. Speaking of which, in a way, this mission was a way of breaking in the new unit. Taro and Takumi were already well acquainted and used to working with each other, but this Sango, well... Takumi wasn't too sure what to expect of them, but he supposed he'd see on this outing.

Thankfully, it wouldn't be long before the boat hit land, a satisfying crunch as wood met the top layers of ice, slush, and rock. Immediately, the Imagawa hopped out of the dinghy, boots splashing in the icy water as he began heaving the boat further onto the land and snow. He had charted their course so that they would land 50 or so meters away from the pirate base, giving them an opportunity to perform some recon and plan before attacking, preferably quietly.

((Nakajima Taro , masahiro sango , Yuki Shuka ))

SPOILER: Click to show

Skull Island*
MISSION RANK: B
NPC REQUIRED: If Desired
RANDOM MISSION SCENARIO: Enabled/Disabled
PARTICIPANTS: Open
DESCRIPTION:
A small island has been found far off the western coast of Yuki no Kuni which seems to be a hub of pirate activity. Claiming this island would severely hurt pirating within the waters near Yuki, so a team is sent out to clear the scum from the base.

[Nakajima Taro]

Certainly becoming a chuunin had meant more high rank missions in his wake. However there was always a certain thrill in the young man's body upon learning he'd be assigned to something B-rank. In short he'd heard from many the threat of a shinobi fight was high. That'd likely be why they'd order this relatively new chuunin squads to handle this operation at night. At least he hoped that'd be the reason, as the alternative is their presence alone would trigger the pirates to run.

The whole sneak attack method though lacked any of the flare Taro liked to show in his fighting. They were travelling on the most pathetic of sailboats, it'd be too much to ask the chuunin keep silent the whole quest. They'd still be making noises most likely, so what was the harm of talking if it was hushed enough. They were all shinobi after all, it could be an exercise in improving ones hearing. "Hey Newbie!" The phrase was clearly spoken with a certain attention drawing firmness, but the actual volume was incredibly low.

He'd challenge the swishing water and whistling water around them, but it'd be certainly no louder than those things. A tree's creaking branches in the wind or a shift of cracking ice would speak louder surely. "I'm Nakajima Taro, don't be confused by my item scrolls, I'm all about up my taijutsu abilities. My old friend Takumi, he's more a master of weapons and silence. He'd tell you if he'd talk to me. he.. heh..." Takumi had to cut himself off and cover his mouth from laughing, then once he'd compose his inner silence again he'd add.

"So what about you, what's your story?" Taro stated with genuine interest. Though there'd likely not be too much room for a long reply, as Takumi began taking down the sail. Which to the Nakajima's belief made a touch more noise than his whispers. Granted that'd be his bias and potentially a little bit in his head. Taking an oar himself, he'd help send them to the island as silently as he could manage. Helping carry the ship onto the island before looking to the master of quiet for hopefully the funniest gestures to guide them. Ultimately he knew 'his route' wasn't the one they'd wanted on this mission, at least not yet.

SPOILER: Click to show

Words. -- Tags. Notes. Grinning with the intensity of a madman.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[masahiro sango]

i am flesh and i am bone

This wasn't Sango's first mission as a chuunin - what a sad sign for both their own and the village's prospects if it had been, a full year after their promotion - but it was their first mission with this particular team.

With their team, they supposed they should get into the habit of calling Imagawa Takumi and Nakajima Taro. They still weren't sure quite how they felt about this new, permanent placement on a team - even though Sango had been the one to put in a request for it or not - but in the end, their feelings didn't really matter, they supposed. Failure was not an option, so they would simply - make this placement work.

A whisper of a voice interrupted their concentration from where they'd been keeping watch - soft enough that the words themselves escaped Sango, but not the intent. They tilted their head over towards the older chuunin who had spoken, keeping one eye on the sea even as they met Taro's... rather intense grin with their own polite little smile. Their eyes traced his scrolls with interest when he mentioned them, before flicking over to the still silent Takumi and back. "Masahiro Sango," the younger introduced themself as. "I'm a mid-range fighter, specializing in the rope dart with a bit of genjutsu sprinkled in here and there." They shifted slightly, letting their cloak fall away from the center to reveal their rope dart that was wrapped around their waist as a belt.

Sango's smile faded into something twisted with grief, just for a heartbeat, before they shrugged. "Nothing too interesting, really. I've been floating between teams, filling in where needed for a while. It wasn't bad, but - well, you can't really get anywhere without stability, you know?" That was all true, but it wasn't the whole truth - the whole story - and they weren't disappointed that Takumi's preparations cut off any other chance of sharing more.

Takumi and Taro worked well together - old friends, as Taro had called them, shifting wordlessly between tasks together - which would cause Sango a moment or two of worry and doubt in the future. At the moment, the Masahiro merely pulled their weight where they could. They helped the other two chuunin haul the boat onto land as quietly as could be managed. They looked over towards where the base was situated. "Recon first?" Sango asked, glancing between Taro and Takumi. "All together or splitting up?" Their voice was soft enough to blend in with the gently lapping water behind the three shinobi - though if you were listening for it, you could pick it up.

Imagawa Takumi // Nakajima Taro  // Yuki Shuka

Takumi and Taro can use whatever pronouns for Sango!
They tend to speak very neutrally, but wouldn't have told either of their teammates yet.

rise up, ting ting, like glitter and gold

MADE BY MIZO

[Yuki Shuka]

☠ Skull Island ☠

template by Punki of Pixel Perfect

Imagawa Takumi Nakajima Taro masahiro sango

The history of Yukigakure was one of mercenary and piracy. For a great many years, the nation had cared little about officializing its full military power and was willing to pay anyone with sword in hand. As they began to focus on shoring up their strength, establishing more centralized control, and being taken more seriously as a nation, these activities were cracked down upon. While many left their prior careers behind to become shinobi, many others didn't and instead shrunk into the shadows, becoming more outright criminal. This long history made the establishment of many strongholds of piracy unsurprising.

Tōkotsu no Shima was a particularly famous one. Young shinobi enjoyed whispering about it in gossip, saying that it got its name because the island was blanketed in the skulls of the pirate's enemies. Most people older than genin had since gotten past such ridiculous fantasies, but the impression remained.

The actual island was much less impressive than those stories. The island itself was decently large, perhaps the size of Shisenno, but the structures occupied by the pirates of the island took up much less space, the scale reminding one more of Seppen than any major cities.

The layout of the pirate village was interesting. The water held docks on which there were many ships, both built here and pillaged. Some were used to create bridges, building out additional dock structures over the water. It seemed that boats were still coming and going even at this hour, though sparingly, which would hopefully have helped to disguise the trio's approach from the few watch guards meandering about.

More inland there was a tiered structure. Houses and marketplaces were built atop one another, their scaffolding built into icy mountain walls. In the traditional design of most villages, it seemed that the centralized and highest point of this tiered climb would probably house the most important members of the community. Pirate ringleaders, the ones with the money.

While the structure was unimpressive at first glance, it was notable that the arrangement of the platforms and scaffolding was designed to make the use of the tree walking technique not impossible, but certainly a bit harder. Someone who understood chakra and had some shinobi training had had a hand in designing this place.

Most of the small village was blissfully asleep, the hour perfect for an approach like this.

The goal of the mission was to secure the island. That meant a difficult uphill battle. The trio would have to make a strategic decision about where to strike to take the head without being completely overwhelmed by enemy forces.

How would they enter without drawing attention?

SPOILER: Click to show

Random Mission Scenario:


The tides have changed.

[Imagawa Takumi]

While Takumi wasn't all that privy to casual conversation, he still found himself gleaning some useful information from Taro's and Sango's interaction. The Imagawa shot a glare at the Nakajima when he used the god awful nickname for who-knows-how-many-th time, though he didn't grace it with a verbal response. When the trio made landfall, Takumi did become a bit more talkative, nodding to the idea of getting some recon done. He thought about the situation for only a moment before pointing towards a fairly tall hill on the horizon, confidently moving as he gestured for everyone to come along.

"That looks like a good vantage point. We'll go together."

Takumi didn't leave much in the way for disagreement or discussion, simply carrying out actions that he thought were best whether or not his teammates followed him. He wasn't the official team leader, but by the way the other two acted so far, he assumed they'd be content to follow his lead for now. Cresting the hill proved Takumi's guess was correct, most of the pirate village laid out for the team to see. The darkness concealed some of the finer details, but moonlight and artificial light were adequate enough to get solid grasp of the base's layout.

"Look there, do you see?" Takumi pointed towards the highest tiered housing unit in the center of the base, keeping his voice low since they were even closer to the pirate hub than before. "That's most likely where the pirate chief is. We should sneak around, climb down the side of the mountain, then use rope to lower ourselves onto the building. We can cut off the head of the snake silently before working on the rest. If an alarm is sounded, then there will be chaos and confusion as a chain of command is re-established."

That wasn't their only option, of course, but it was the one Takumi felt was best. He looked to the other two to gauge their opinions, curious to see if either of them would have a better plan in mind.

[Nakajima Taro]

Another mid to long range fighter? Oh well, that'd mean all the real combat was for him alone. He'd happily get the right to test his and others metal with his own, it was easily the best part of being a shinobi! It was crazy how tough these thugs and wanna be shinobi got. However, there'd be something more catching in Sango's story than their specialization. One offs with other shinobi could be very teaching, but not having the groove of a solidified team seemed awful. Especially when it came to the dynamic of missions, so without word he'd take a thoughtful look and nod up and down.

After they'd gotten ashore and put the dingy away to the best of their ability. It'd be as Taro almost expected, Sango looked for direction and Takumi would be the answer. It was fine! Neither of them were the leader and the Nakajima knew his plan wouldn't be well received. Granted he'd of loved just running in fists a blazing and beat down every pirate one at a time. So he'd follow his old teammate and attempt to keep his eye out for lookouts and his teammates, to assure they'd not slip up either. Trusting Takumi to lead them the best path up the ice and stone structure over the pirates base.

If they'd avoid all forms of trouble, then upon reaching their drop point, Taro would retrieve his third scroll. He'd unravel a specific portion before summoning a full 50M length of rope. It'd hopefully be enough to get them down or down close enough to drop on this should be leaders headquarters. He didn't think Takumi had any rope and he figured what rope Sango had would be for their mid-range combat. Unless he needed to hold the rope, he would absolutely be the first to go down the rope too. As he'd bet his pay they'd not be able to survive the traps and attacks he could live through.

SPOILER: Click to show

Words. -- Tags. Notes. Grinning with the intensity of a madman.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[masahiro sango]

i am flesh and i am bone

Sango glanced at the vantage point Takumi pointed out and gave a little nod of agreement - though it went unnoticed, probably, since the other chuunin was already moving that way with Taro on his heels. The corners of their lips twitched, unsure whether they should be annoyed or amused; ultimately, Sango decided that they could appreciate a teammate that cut right to the chase and didn't waste time inviting pointless arguments.

It helped that they agreed with him. The climb

The pirates' den was well-made, Sango had to give the criminals that at least. Hidden unless you knew to look for it and in an optimal position for defending against attacking ships. Their lips curled into a true smile at that thought - unfortunate for them, then, that their current attackers wouldn't be charging in from the sea. "That works," they murmured lowly, watching from the corner of their eye as Taro, apparently also in agreement, started pulling out and uncoiling some good quality rope. But -

"We should hit the docks too." Sango traced the carefully maintained wooden structures that jutted out into the sea. "They're the lifeblood of a place like this - setting a fire there should draw people out from the town and cut off their ability to escape and regroup later." The docks themselves, of course, might be too waterlogged from both ocean spray and snow to properly catch fire without a stubborn and constant katon - but Sango would be willing to bet that there was quite a lot on top of them would prove to be nice and flammable. "Could split up and hit them both at the same time -" risky, particularly for a three-man team like theirs, but effective - "or stick together and take out each main target, one at a time -" slow, but safer in numbers, and all that. Sango would go along with whatever their teammates chose, though they couldn't deny that their preference was for the quicker option.

<3

rise up, ting ting, like glitter and gold

[attr="class","mizocredit"]

MADE BY MIZO

[newclass=.mizocredit]font:bold 6pt calibri;color:#ffffff;[/newclass][googlefont=Open+Sans][googlefont=Karla]

[Yuki Shuka]

☠ Skull Island ☠

template by Punki of Pixel Perfect

Imagawa Takumi Nakajima Taro masahiro sango

The trio climbed into a good vantage point and used it to overlook the pirate village, speaking in low voices as they hashed out their plans and prepared for their infiltration. The idea was simple to start. Takumi wanted to be relatively direct. Get right to the head of the village and kill them immediately, wiping out the chief to sow chaos and make it more difficult for the pirates to react.

Sango had a different concept. Their idea was to distract the pirates with a fire on the docks. A risky venture, as it would result in more pirates being awake, but possibly a suitable distraction that would keep eyes off the chief until it was too late.

Taro was more ready to jump right into things, though even with the coiled rope he was not against the idea of listening and planning.

Out on the horizon, a slightly larger ship began to crest the waves. The trio had not been told to expect any kind of travel of this sort during this recon mission, so it struck them as odd that a ship of decent quality was headed directly towards this pirate base. It flew no flag, so it was difficult to identify its origin, but it was certainly sturdier than the dingy ships many of these pirates were using.

Something strange was going down. Perhaps a trade? It might give more weight to Sango's idea of hitting the docks. Or it might dissuade the team away, depending on their read on the situation.

If Taro continued his descent down the rope, he would spy something as he approached the dock. Trip wire. There were traps set around the chief's housing that would need to be approached carefully.

[Imagawa Takumi]

Before the group could descend down the rope, Sango piped up with another suggestion, drawing Takumi's attention towards the relatively quiet docks. He was quick to consider dismissing the idea, driving away the pirates wasn't ideal but it served the same purpose as cutting them down: aiding in Yukigakure's desire to claim the island for further operations. The dismissal died on his lips, however, as he noticed a ship rising up over the waves, one that was larger and more robust than the others in the harbor.

This snippet of information hadn't been in the mission briefing, and the appearance of the new ship birthed a slew of questions. The Imagawa bit his lip, though that wasn't really visible to the others, as he thought for another moment before making his vote. Hopefully Taro hadn't already begun climbing down the rope so that he could give his thoughts as well.

"Splitting up is dangerous. That ship is interesting... we should go there first, actually, and find out what it's doing here. Then burn the ships as Sango suggested."

Takumi could already see that sneaking down to the docks would be a bit more nuanced that their current plan of dropping down to the chief's residence, but the allure of vital information and crippling the pirates' ships was quite powerful. Unless Taro vehemently opposed to the change in course, that would be Takumi's next goal.

[Nakajima Taro]

Taro would certainly be intrigued by their new teammates suggested adjustment to their plan. They liked the bravery in suggesting they split up, he had confidence in his own abilities even if Takumi wanted to be safe. More importantly as a Nakajima the suggest to burn things always amused him. "I do carry an arrangement of flammables too." The chuunin would explain slapping another one of his scrolls, as he'd be more than willing to drop oil, wood and paper upon any target. Though there'd be a more sensible part of him nagging at the back of his head, if they start a fire they can't put out this won't be a capturable establishment.

So he'd rely on Takumi's better judgement, which to his amusement was for them to as a team strike fire upon the ships? The dock? His attention had more so focused on comrades and the original goal of striking the leaders quarters. A new ship however was incoming and it looked far more prestigious than what was already in the dock. It could be reinforcements that Sango wanted them to be denied, it could also be a vessel whose trade would interest the team and even more importantly it could be the leaders vessel. They might strike the address below and fight it otherwise completely empty.

"Sure, we can check out this ship first, then proceed to dispatching the rest of these pirates." Taro liked Sango's plan of burning, but ultimately questioned what they'd be up against? This wasn't a simple mission and the expectation was they'd be confronting those with shinobi training. Natural fires was his way of healing, but natural flames would be easily tamed by the elements surrounding them. He was grinning with excitement at the potential challenge and combat ahead, but deep down Taro was getting more and more nervous about what 'could' be around the corner. They just needed to get into combat already, he'd reluctantly though wait for that team effort to commit to so.

SPOILER: Click to show

Words. -- Tags. Notes. Grinning with the intensity of a madman.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[masahiro sango]

i am flesh and i am bone

Sango had yet to be on a mission that ever went smoothly.

All three of the chuunins' eyes were caught, it seemed, by the ship that approached the harbor. It stood out against the rest of the boats that were docked - and that made the hair along Sango's arms prickle with unease. They hummed agreement with Takumi's suggestion, though it was likely lost underneath Taro's. He seemed eager for the bulk of what their mission was to get underway and - well, the youngest of the three couldn't blame him.

"What do you want to bet that whatever business that ship has here is important enough to get the Chief involved?" Sango glanced over at Takumi, a wry smile tugging at the corners of their lips as they added, "We might have a chance to cut off the snake's head early on, after all."

A ship that large couldn't approach a dock like the pirates' quickly - not without risking some major damage to the docks - which should give the three of them time to get down there and in a better position. But how to get there...? Sango was quiet for a moment, observing the cliffs and hills and structures before their eyes widened and they whispered, "There!" They pointed at the path they saw, tracing it down from the vantage point along a narrow ledge - the sort that only a shinobi might dare to traverse - that looked like it would take them down close enough to one of the roofs of a mid-tier structure. Sango thought there were enough shadows and obstacles between them, Takumi, and Taro and the docks that would camouflage their movements. From there it would just be a matter of sticking to the shadows as they roof-hopped down to the docks.

Sango would glance at their teammates for their opinions and so long as there were no protests, they would start to lead the way down into the town. If either Taro or Takumi had a different suggestion, though, then they would follow their lead instead.

Imagawa Takumi // Nakajima Taro // Yuki Shuka

lmk if anything needs changing~~

rise up, ting ting, like glitter and gold

MADE BY MIZO

[Yuki Shuka]

☠ Skull Island ☠

template by Punki of Pixel Perfect

Imagawa Takumi Nakajima Taro masahiro sango

Agreeing to take on the matter of the ship first and worry about the rest later, the group was ready to move. Even if Taro held some hesitation in him, the other two were ready for this path, and he wasn't raising any disagreements. Sango pointed out a potential way forward without catching too much notice and if the other two followed along, they would be able to advance across the town under a careful cover.

It seemed like the eyes of most of the small pirate village's guards were on the giant looming ship slowly approaching. It would take several minutes for it to make its approach and slow to a proper stop without crashing into anything. This did give them enough time to maneuver into a new vantage point.

A younger-looking pirate made his way up the docks and towards the Chief's place. He seemed to move in a strange pattern, clearly avoiding traps by muscle memory. It seemed like a lot of the higher structures of the village were really rigged to be hostile to invaders. Maybe they should all keep their eyes on the ground, just in case.

The Chief's door opened a crack. It seemed the young pirate and whoever was inside spoke for a moment. Then the Chief exited shortly after. He was a tall and grizzled man riddled with scars and wielding a particularly nasty-looking battle axe. He began to trudge down the many docks towards the ship, following the same pattern that the young pirate before him had.

A ramp was lowered from the ship, though whether it was to deliver someone or for the chief to board the ship was not yet apparent.

They had a decent shot right now if they wanted to attempt to attack the Chief. It would possibly be risky, but they'd avoided attention and had a good chance. Would they wait longer, or strike now?

[Imagawa Takumi]

Takumi found himself fostering something that was akin to fondness for Sango as the mission went on, which he supposed had been part of the reason why they had been sent on a mission so soon after they had been introduced: missions had a way of forging connections between shinobi. The 'fondness' of course wasn't anything like what he felt for his clan and his lynxes, this was more of a satisfied understanding that this newcomer to their squad was quite useful, particularly in spotting things he had missed as well as a potential path forward.

The Imagawa followed close behind Sango as they led the way down the path, sticking to the shadows to remain unseen and minimizing any noise that they made. What happened next threw a bit of a wrench into Takumi's pre-conceived notions. He had expected that whoever was on the boat would come out to meet the pirate chief, not the other way around. At the moment, it was impossible to tell if the leader was going to get onto the ship or simply remain on the dock, but now the squad had to decide between striking out at the chief while he was vulnerable, or sticking around to see what exactly was going to happen. Communication between the trio seemed a bit risky from his position, but Takumi made his split-second decision known: he would wait to see what would happen. The Imagawa would not be the one to strike first, but if any of this squadmates chose to attack, he would readily aid in the combat that followed.

[Nakajima Taro]

Taro wasn't just around for the ride, but he understood the importance of appropriate teamwork and his instinct to fight wasn't always right. Sometimes allowing others the reigns was best, but other times people had to strike out for themselves. The group making it down to the docks, Taro's attention would be focused for the traps they'd seen previously. Anything out of the ordinary, but upon reaching a strike or stand position. Takumi wouldn't talk to Taro, he'd instead send a message in his lack of motion.

A message Taro wasn't sure he was incredibly interested in following. Using his best foot work and attention to detail, Taro would do his best to sneak forward and avoid traps. Speed was the last thing that concerned Taro, he just wanted to get closer to the group and the ship. If they'd go for the ship he'd be ready to attempt sneaking on board as well. If they took off to sail, than the open water would be no cover. They'd have to swim or risk a greater chance of being spotted. He didn't want that, but if they did board and set sail. Beating these pirates leaders without damaging the dock that'd be ideal?

Besides if combat did need to occur soon, he'd like to be the first candidate to fight. Especially knowing his teammates specialties, it'd be best they had room to do their thing after all. Though his motions were clearly not jumping to strike, he just wasn't going to remain totally back. Rushing over potential traps could be more dangerous than the actual engagement after all. He's attempt to point out anything he spotted, incase Sango and Takumi were able to watch him too.

SPOILER: Click to show

Words. -- Tags. Notes. Grinning with the intensity of a madman.

Template by Kuroya of THQ & GS.

[masahiro sango]

i am flesh and i am bone

The three chuunin made it down to the docks with ease, all of the shadows and cover hiding them from any watchful eyes. Their full focus was on their surroundings and the mission, but if Sango had felt a sense of smug satisfaction that their teammates had followed their lead... Well, it would have been a perfectly reasonable amount and definitely not necessary to quiet down any anxious need to prove themself to Taro and Takumi.

The pirate chief came into view - armed with a battle-ax, and now wasn't that curious? - and Sango's hands instinctively went to the rope dart wrapped around their waist. This was a perfect moment to take him down, but... they needed more information on this new player. Anyone who was daring enough to approach a pirates' den in a ship like that during the middle of the night, and who was important enough to lure out the chief himsef, was someone that Yukigakure needed to keep an eye on.

Or slit the throat of.

Sango stayed their hand, therefore, helped along by the fact that neither Takumi nor Taro seemed inclined to leap into battle immediately. Any slight movement from the latter caught their eye, and when they followed Taro's signals they would finally spot any traps that were hidden about. They glanced at him with a nod and a barely-there smile. Movement from the ramp drew the youngest chuunin's attention back to the ship, however, and they settled into a more action-ready posture.

"On your signal," Sango breathed to their teammates - well, mostly to Takumi, if they were being completely honest - their voice soft enough to be lost under the creaking of the docks. "I'll disorient the chief for a moment with genjutsu." Whether to distract him or to take him out would be up to one of the others.

Imagawa Takumi // Nakajima Taro  // Yuki Shuka
Sango has decided who the leader is lakdfj sorry taro xD

rise up, ting ting, like glitter and gold

MADE BY MIZO