[aihara ryoko]

A glorious day! A glorious day, with a glorious cause.

No more shall she unleash her troublemaking upon her fellow citizens. She shan’t laze about and tease them, nor snoop and spy on them. No no, for today she was an invader. She was an intruder, a spy, a scout for her military sent to gather information on the status of their borderlands. No simple border defense, no, she was to gather information; and so she would.

Slipping into Nohara no Kuni was as simple as you made it. Some preferred to run, or sneak, or tunnel. Like many others, Ryoko enjoye flight. She also liked to transform, but in truth neither of those would be her real choice. Before she invaded, she liked to know what she was getting into. Several miles from the border, in the rolling and wooded foothills near the borders of the land of stone and the land of fields, she had summoned forth better eyes.

The jutsu was one of her own. It was like creating shadow-clones, but forcing them into animal shapes, and limiting their abilities. None of them could make jutsu, but summoning forth five of them just required some hand seals and some chakra. Then they departed, climbing high into the sky well before they passed into Nohara no Kuni’s borders.

Her target was Kusa. Not the exciting one, the other one. The one that wasn’t so much a powerful village as it was a vast and empty plain. It was hard to even call the place vital, but it was still a borderland. In the past it seemed that the Nohara no Kuni had shared the opinion that it was hardly worth fortifying.

Previous intel was old, though, which is why these sorts of missions were important. If there were suddenly forces massing in this border region, it would suddenly become exceptionally vital to be aware of.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Kage Kuchiyose no Jutsu [Shadow Summoning Technique]

RANK: B

CHAKRA USAGE: Medium + low per clone after the first

CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu

ELEMENT: N/A

HANDSEALS: 10

REQUIREMENT: Kage Bunshin, Henge no Shin

DESCRIPTION:

A unique take on the clone jutsu used by shinobi, this forgoes the jutsu capability of Kage Bunshin for a different sort of versatility. After forming hand seals and molding chakra into shape, the user creates one to five clones. These clones do not take the shape of the shinobi, or even the shape of a human. Instead these clones will always take the shape of an animal, chosen by the user at time of creation.

In truth this is a combination of a clone using the transformation technique, however it comes with some issues. The clone can not change shape after creation, nor may it revert to its human form. It may not use any jutsu, and comes with only a minimal amount of chakra inside of it used to maintain their shape. Creations will lose their owner's Physical SA's, however will retain their Mental SA's and passive sensory abilities. Due to the tiny amount of chakra in these constructs, and it being used exclusively to hold their shape, they can not use active sensing SA's.

Like True Transformation, these clones do not have the abilities of the person who made them, but instead have the natural traits of the beasts they take the shape of. They have all the physical abilities of the animals, including movement styles and sensory abilities, but lack any natural venoms or poisons.

Like Shadow Clones, these beasts are able to fight and defend themselves, however will be dispersed by only a moderate amount of damage. They may not use jutsu, however like Kage Bunshin these clones will return their experiences and memories back to the user when they are dispersed. They will not, however, return any chakra, as they had a minimal amount inside them at creation.

It should be noted that this jutsu summons standard animals of standard sizes, and may not summon anything smaller than a mouse or larger than an elephant, nor may it summon elephant sized mice, or cat sized bears. The user may decide the coloration of an animal, but it must be a coloration the animal is capable of. No bright purple giraffes.

[aihara ryoko]

Her birds act as her forward scouts for now, the five vultures soaring high on wing. Many consider the eagle to be the master of vision. Those with little practice in animal forms would make that mistake, drawn to the majesty and reputation. They did have keen eyes, but they had nothing on the vulture. An eagle is looking for the living, for small animals, snakes, things that move. Vultures were searching for the dead. The motionless corpses already half hidden by debris.

No bird she had ever taken the shape of had better eyesight, by day. From her vantage some 10 thousand feet in the air, only the clouds below her would obstruct her view. Able to survey simply massive expanses of countryside like this her vulture scouts just glide. Long wings on warm thermals keep them well aloft.

Below there was much to see, but also little to see. The seemingly infinite plane seemed near endless even from the sky. Kusa no Umi was aptly named, the sea of grass. Soaring above it, her birds are extremely discrete. Not that most could sense so extremely high up, the birds contained next to no chakra. Neither natural animal, nor contracted summon, her Shadow Summons were different. Half clone, half transformation, in this sort of application they were among the finest techniques.

Each one sets its own path, not controlled by Ryoko but holding their own will, mind, and memories. They fan out amid the other raptors and other carrion birds common on such vast plains, and begin their search. The Kunoichi herself, however, remains safe far below the birds. She still lingered near the last few trees before the mountains gave way to the plains. Just on Iwa’s side of this border, ensuring her passage was safe before she crossed.

[aihara ryoko]

As far as her eyes could see there was just grass. The occasional tree dotted the expansive plain, the rare survivor from the grazing predators that roam about. The grasslands were good for them, but they were also good for the predators. Anything could sneak through the tall grass, to pounce upon the unaware without warning.

Of course, she had no mind for natural predators. They could do as they pleased, few were a threat to her when she was still a human.

Like some manner of clover in the sky, the four birds each wend their own circle across the sky. They were wide arcs covering dozens of miles each, and as the birds circle and spread apart they seek out what clues are available.

While she was a mountain girl, and her love of freedom showed it, she knew nature well enough. In any wild place, signs of humanity could be spotted when they were present. From her vantage she could see more than grass. She could see the common trails, the roads of nature which served as byways for the animals of the prairies. The trampled grass was easy to spot from above, and the network of roads they left behind severed as a sort of map.

Not a map to anywhere important, typically, but a map of places the animals are most comfortable. A path where prey feels safe from predators. Game trails rarely lead to humans. From up here, they showed the larger expanses that probably didn’t have anything to offer her. It was a helpful tool, as the bland savannah left little in the way of landmarks.  Short of knowing the local flora well enough, the place was a maze of wide open space.  While easy enough to pass through and leave, finding something hidden in such a large area was still a challenge. 

With four sets of eyes, so high up, it wouldn’t be long before she found her first point of interest.

[aihara ryoko]

Even as devoid of strategic resources as Kusa no Umi was, the military leadership of the land would be remissed to leave it completely undefended.

As such it was known that at least one concentration of troops existed in the region. She had been given a specific area to check as she surveyed the land. Flying in that direction one of the birds would finally spy the small fortress that housed whatever this land called guardians. They should have been stationed in a small fortress by a river, which was somewhat upsetting.

Rivers made for such lovely natural borders, and as the sparkling waters of the Showa river came into view, she could see the fort near its shores. On Iwa’s side of the river. At least, what should have been Iwa’s side of the river. It was such a clear and obvious natural border it seemed perfectly natural, in her mind, that her home land should claim the grass all the way to its banks.

Of course, it wasn’t her say. That was up to the Tsuchikage, and as of yet she was not taking military advice from Ryoko. As of yet, at least.

The Vulture wings easily closer to the Outpost with little regard for danger. As far as hidden spies go, the shadow summons were among the best. She was already a little over 10,000 feet up, above the clouds, and above the sensory range of even her sensei. Even if someone were to get a sniff of her presence, the birds smelled normal. Their chakra was minimal, far less than any shinobi would have.

She knew not the name of the keep she was spying on, but she knew how to count. Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Ranks of ten were lined up, keeping themselves busy with practice drills outside. Training, a valued pastime, but she could tell the foot soldiers were normal military, and not shinobi. Still, the outpost was expansive, it held more than just the basic ashigaru.

She circles high overhead, as vultures do, wide eyes viewing the ground as if she stood upon it. It was something to be a bird.  There were definitely shinobi here somewhere. She loiters high above, searching across the complex with her keen, carrion eyes.

[aihara ryoko]

She was more than a single bird, however. She was a small squadron. While the one bird sought out evidence for shinobi, there were 4 others spreading out wide, and searching every square inch they could.

Four of them remain overhead, scanning, searching, and sweeping. One of the four would dip ever lower. It was time. The vulture spies a corpse already serving as breakfast for other vultures, and begins her descent. Lower and lower she drops, but not in the steep dive of a raptor. No, she circles lower and lower, lazily even, her prey going nowhere. She lands near a fallen boar half eaten already, and scuttles closer to the corpse.

The smell was intoxicating to her carrion senses. The way delicious cookies smelled to a child, but her mind still recoiled. It was gross, but thankfully short lived. Amid the frantic eating of vultures, her summon goes poof.

Memories the shadow vulture had transmitted immediately back to the girl who summoned them. The path was clear, so she would finally move out. Before she does she flicks through a few hand seals, and transforms herself. Easy peasy.

It was fortunate she had experience. Animal shapes are only fun when you’re not out in the middle of a grassland and hoping for the best. A snake would have been an obvious choice, if she hadn’t previously been hanging out with so many snake hungry birds in the sky. Rabbits, even cats had this same problem, and Ryoko had no desire to get into a fight with an eagle. … while she was supposed to be working.

A favored form is chosen instead: the humble coyote.

Shaggy fur and a bushy tail made her absolutely adorable, but it was the general effectiveness of the animal she valued. Keen senses, excellent stamina, and almost as charismatic as a racoon. More importantly, few animals of the prairie wanted to eat coyotes. While the remaining 4 vultures search, Ryoko in her coyote form begins her approach to the borders. She had other target she was supposed to investigate. And at least she knew the coast was clear on the way.

[aihara ryoko]

Above the military outpost the Vulture continues to circle. High in the sky she didn’t need to be directly overhead, however the occasional pass over complex gave her a great vantage.

The Ashigaru were less of a concern. A single member of her family could lay waste to entire formations of foot soldiers, but they were still worth making a note of. She counts as many as she can find as she searches the battlements and defenses. Shinobi could be spotted in the more important roles. The longer she loitered high overhead, the more she spotted milling about and working below.

She couldn’t tell what they were doing, but a bulk of them wore flak jackets and glinting metal headband. Those who were otherwise in their own costumes stood out as shinobi just by merit of not being ashigaru. There were a lot of them, however overall it wasn’t a huge amount of man power for such a vast territory.

It seemed like enough to hold Kusa no Umi, but not really enough to fend off a serious assault.

That made sense. She counts up the door guards and lets her eyes study the different buildings. She wanted to commit the layout of the outpost as firmly to memory as she could. This was important. This was most of her mission.

The complex was large, but not overly so. A small village unto itself, it had a few large buildings near each other, and several other smaller buildings that filled the walled in compound. Several high watch towers dotted the camp’s perimeter, giving those inside them a wide and nearly unobstructed view all the way to the horizon. Sneaking up on the outpost would be pretty difficult for normal forces.

Iwa had their own Ashigaru, and these wide open plains were perfect for their sort of warfare. Sending shinobi would be more effective, in her mind.

[aihara ryoko]

Crossing plainly into the grasslands on foot would never do. Coyotes were a common enough animal and raised little suspicion. Unlike her vultures, however, Ryoko still had all of her chakra.  As such, she was very alert.

That was the natural world though, and she loved it. She was always in enemy territory when she was in an animal shape. Sure it’s cute to pretend your a robin and flap about without a care in the world, but robins are weak. A hawk you aren’t watching will kill you. Just about every animal had this problem, constant paranoia driving them to be on the defense even when they’re just trying to sleep, or eat.

She sniffed the air as she trotted, moving not slowly or quickly, just carefully towards the grass. Iwa had their own things hidden in this area. At least, they used too. It’d been some time since any of the secret tunnels between the lands had been used. Crafted by doton experts from Iwa, they were to remain hidden in case invasion was needed.

Far overhead a vulture watches the progress of a coyote sneaking through the grass. None of the grass paths lead to the first couple tunnels she wanted to check. She wasn’t so foolish as the use them without checking their exits first. It’d take her a little time to reach the few dead trees that marked the exit of a tunnel, and she would approach it very carefully.

She had a fine system. The bird above was watching her back. Should anyone be spotted by the bird’s powerful eyes, it would pop like any other clone, and relay that information back to Ryoko. With her second sight she felt more comfortable in focusing on the ground, and her immediate surroundings.

If Iwa’s tunnels had been discovered, they’d no doubt be destroyed, swimming with traps, and possibly defended by nin. She slows some half a kilometer from the location and sets to searching like a hungry coyote looking for food. Nose to the ground she seeks out any hints of human scents.  As she does she circles around the location, to ensure she is down wind on her final approach.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Henge no Shin [True Transformation]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium (Low Drain)
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: N/A
HANDSEALS: 4
TRIGGER: N/A
DESCRIPTION:
After four hand-seals, the user is capable of transforming themselves either into a person or animal, as long as the creature is less than 10 meters tall. Unlike regular henge, this technique allows the user to completely take on the characteristics of the said animal, though they lose their ability to perform jutsu while transformed. They're also capable of holding the form in battle, even after taking considerable damage, though the more damage they take the more taxing the technique becomes.

Damage is retained between both forms, so a broken arm in one's original form would make it impossible to fly if you transformed into a bird; and any damage taken in their transformed state is retained when they return to their original form. If this jutsu is used to transform into someone with a higher rank, you're still limited by the physical capabilities of your rank and specs; this same rule doesn't hold when transforming into an animal that might have natural physicality beyond the user.

Ability of Note: Expert Shapeshifter
Due to constant practice with the true transformation jutsu, as well as pushing herself to use it for long durations, Ryoko has become as natural at holding an animal shape as she is walking on ceilings. Her deeper understanding of this jutsu, paired with her exceptional chakra control, allow her to maintain the jutsu with only a very low amount of chakra. The cost for the initial transformation remains unaffected.

[aihara ryoko]

The approach was simple enough. Skirting around the location she sensed no recent inhabitation. There was plenty of smaller animal life, but no sign of human motion.

Still, it wasn’t the success she had hoped for. Thankfully she was being caution, searching for traps. She spied the pair of tripwires before stumbling into them, and followed the shining filament back to some explosive notes. That didn’t bode well.

She left them unaltered, neither springing the traps nor disarming them. Sniff sniff. She tastes the air but still finds no trace of humans. This trap was old. The mouth of the cave was destroyed long ago. This passage had been discovered. She wastes no more time in the location and trots away, making her way into the grass and towards the next location.

She expected it to be like this. The more time that passes, the more likely something is to be discovered. She’d only been here for a little while. Those tunnels had been there for years. Well, they were there years ago. She’d report to her superiors their state, so the rest of the tunnels could also be collapsed.

It was unfortunate. She moves on. At least there hadn’t been any lurking enemies waiting to ambush whoever was using the tunnels. With how long it’d been since they were used, that would be a particularly boring detail to be stuck with. Then again, other forces besides Iwa or Kusa might enjoy the anonymity such underground passages provided. There were a great many criminals across the lands.

The coyote bolts into the tall grass and departs for the next target. High, high above the birds continue to keep their vigil.

[aihara ryoko]

All across the grasslands very little changed while she was working. The vast wilderness remained completely unaware of her activities, busying itself with the constant need to feed. Stomping beasts ate grass, sneaking ones ate the grass eaters.

She assumed most of the animals did not care about her. Then again, she was several of the animals. Not just the Coyote doing more direct investigations, but the vultures in the sky. They remained on alert, and thus far spotted no signs of response to Ryoko’s invasion.

While the vulture that had swept over the outpost previously was still flying north along the river, one to the south came soaring over to replace it. Endless slow circling. It was simply what vultures did. The many different corpses on the ground held no interest, however. Back over the outpost a fresh set of eyes sets to repeating the process she had already gone through once. She counts out the ashigaru in the courtyard, then counts up the building.

She has plenty of time, very high up. The paranoid may suspect something is amiss, however they’d have little chance to investigate it, without themselves being spotted. Approaching the birds required first surmounting the clouds.

Taking these mental notes twice was a quality assurance idea she’d come up with. If she could get the third bird to investigate it would be all the better, but for now it was the one fixated on watching her back more directly. It was sticking to the coyote like glue.

It was a strange sort of feeling working in the grasslands. It was the exact opposite of being hidden in a crowd. She was more comfortable in a crowd, but she could get used to this. The wide expanse of tranquil green was very different from the jagged peaks and crowded valleys of Tsuchi no Kuni.

Not better, mind you, just very different.

[aihara ryoko]

Whatever it was at the end of that path, she wanted to see more. The vulture had seen a lot already, entered across the border and surveyed a great empty sea of grass. It was the first to locate the military outpost, and followed paths to the river.

Another vulture was already repeating the first survey of the outpost, so for the first it had only to seek out targets of opportunity. Curious, it tilts its wings and begins to glide lower to investigate. It could be anything, though it seems to be nothing. She can already tell there is no dock into the water, nor another bridge across the Showa.

Lower still it was clear that the path simply ended. Perhaps it was made by an animal, but she wanted to see more. Lower and lower she glides, until finally she comes into a slow running landing. On the ground she opens her beak and lets out a loud screech. Not a gentle whistle or magnetic caw, vultures have the throaty, hissy rasp of the dinosaurs they are. She digs claws into the ground, an then hops some.

Movement on the ground was more awkward, but she didn’t need to go far. She dips her head down and literally wets her beak. A drink from the river, a pretty normal thing for a vulture to do. She lifts her head and swallows, then takes another drink.

All the while she is searching around. She didn’t see anyone on her way down, so she felt pretty safe. Still, a vulture on the ground was vulnerable to all manner of assault from natural enemies. Cougars, panthers, whatever these grasses held. Even other coyotes. She hops away from the water.

The bank of river had a decent slope to it, but wings helped her ascend again. There wasn’t any signs of boats being shoved into the water, but there was a number of relatively fresh bootprints. Probably not made today. Recent enough to remain though. Most remain away from the river, following the bank and then disappearing into the grass once more.

There wasn’t enough soft earth to keep any footprints she’d had the talent to follow, but the place was definitely suspicious. She flaps a little more, scuttling about the little discovery, but unsure what it was. She gives a sniff. Vultures had a great sense of smell, but not for the same things a hound might. Traces of death on the wind attract her attention, but she doesn’t focus that way.

She’d eaten in many animal forms, but this one was a line she had no desire to cross. Off in the distance the coyote-Ryoko was still making her way towards her next target, but this vulture had some investigating to do. Above, 2 more vultures remained. One above the outpost some miles away, and the other in the distance watching the coyote's progress.

[aihara ryoko]

The coyote shape kunoichi approaches the second set of hidden tunnels with all the care she approached the first. Slowing some distance away she would lower her nose and set to investigating.

Her ears took in all the sound of the grassland. Calls from birds mixed in with the constant swishing of the tall grass that filled the great grass sea to provide a serene sort of background very different from the mountains. She sniffs her way around a few oddly placed boulders before approaching them from the downwind side.

She spotted traps at the first tunnel, so she expected the same here. She was not disappointed. Of course, the whole idea was flawed. The only boulders in the grassland made for a fine landmark, she supposed, but not for great camouflage. Had the tunnels actually been used, they might have been better maintained. Unfortunately, the lingering, if strained, peace between the nations had seen much decline in national defenses on most sides.

This place was another bust. She doesn’t bother to approach any closer, and turns away upon spotting the first traps. No need in getting herself tangled up in those. Nose to the ground and ears up she sneaks away.

If Iwa had any intention of warring with Kusa they had some work to do. At least if they wanted to invade through this portion of the border. In Ryo’s mind it didn’t seem the best place. To open, too exposed. Just as hard to defend as it would be to keep.

Her work was done. The coyote starts to follow its own path back towards home.

[aihara ryoko]

Of course, inspecting the viability of secret passages was only a small portion of her mission. Granted it was the only portion she felt she needed to be present in person for, but that was only because she’d be way too conspicuous flying around here. Even as a bird, she hated the idea of being caught be some random sensor.

Way up high she couldn’t interact. Even on the ground her Vulture self was mostly useless. Stumbling around the area she had a human’s mind, but bird senses. A lack of hands made investigation difficult. It wasn’t a huge matter, the few drawbacks that came with her Kage Kuchiyose jutsu were well diminished by the jutsu’s excellent utility.

Her job was done here too. There was nothing more she could learn here.

Poof!

It wasn’t the most subtle of exit. A little pop of summoning smoke and the now very obvious clone disperses. Memories are transmitted back to Ryoko, flooding her mind with the vast amount of information the second vulture had gathered. She pauses in her trotting for a moment, really processing the hour of memories before she continued on.

Her birds had revealed something interesting, something she’d like to investigate, but it was too close to enemy positions for her comfort. She makes a note of the suspicious location and continues on. She wanted to get home with her intel. As she trots there are still a pair of her vultures in the sky. One continues to generally track and follow her Coyote shape as she falls back towards Tsuchi no Kuni.

[aihara ryoko]

Still high above the military outpost, one the othe remaining vulture spends as much time as possible counting and memorizing the buildings and troop positions of the base. In her mind, and in the mission report, this was her primary task. Assessing the strength and locations of the enemy military.

Once more the buildings are surveyed. Guard towers noted, paths to the river and the single bridge. All of it was repeated, just to ensure her mental images of the interesting locations were truly well remembered.

It was important. She didn’t have a camera. She wasn’t even sure cameras existed that could take pictures from as high up as she was. She could turn into a bird easy enough, but technology was weird in her world. She was the closest thing she could think of though, that came close to mastering aerial reconnaissance.

Doing it more than once was just quality control. High above, once finally satisfied the it had fully devoured all the visual information there was to gather on the exterior of the outpost, she finally peels away. She tilts her wings to the other side and begins circling back.

It’d barely taken more than 2 hours and she was done. From invasion to egress she kept on task and went where she needed. Her particular jutsu made this sort of mission almost trivial for her. Peeling away from the military outpost, the last vulture joins the other, and the coyote, on a retreat back towards home.

[aihara ryoko]

She continues to trot at a moderate speed, ever alert for predators of all species. Large enough cats, and also shinobi, could still threaten her. With each step she took, however, she felt herself padding closer to victory.

It’d take her another 30 minutes or so of some canine jogging, a somewhat zigzagging path cutting her through long grass and towards the foothills of Tsuchi no Kuni. Her mission had gone well, but there was still a chance for things to end poorly. Intel was useless if you didn’t get home with it.

Above her two vultures surveyed vast tracts of open grasslands, and saw no one making their approach. Only from below ground would she be able to be surprised, and while that was a possibility, she was a doton user too. She came from Tsuchi No Kuni, a the land of stone. Surly she used the earth better than the grass people.

Regardless she feels at least some relief when she passes back into her own beloved homeland. Intel in hand she feels pretty successful. She continues to trot for another few moments before suddenly releasing the transformation.

Back on two feet she feels less aware, but more able to defend herself. She gives a last look over her shoulder at the land of grass, and at the birds in the sky. Hundreds of shinobi, less so in ashigaru. A well fortified outpost built near the river with many towers around it providing easy vision across the featureless expanse. She again pictures all the buildings in her mind. She needed to go prepare her report to turn into her superiors.

Both of the birds above finally disperse, disappearing into little puffs of summoning smoke. Once they’re gone she reaffirms her memory of the outpost with a fresh surge of information from her dispatched scout, and it comes with no alarm that she might be being followed. All in all this seemed like a win.

[aihara ryoko]

With the doomstar resting on her shoulder, and braced with her right hand, she lifts her left to work through a couple one handed seals. From here she needed to hide no secrets. She was done. Mission accomplished. Her strings guide the doomstar away from her shoulder, as her feet lift gently off the ground.

Her birds could fly, but so could she. Any time she was denied the ability to fly she found it more and more occupying her mind until she could do it again. Of course, who wouldn’t choose flight if there was ever the option of it? She drifts some on the wind, eyes once more sweeping over the planes behind her before focusing on the mountains ahead. Still at the border she was far from home.

She wouldn’t be able to fly all the way back to Iwagakure, however she could reach another village to rest and prepare her report.

With little warning flames suddenly erupt from the girls feet. A moment later she is gone, focusing the flames into cones of easily vectored force. Smaller jets form in her hands, the better to steer with as she flies. Of course, she is no vulture.

Her speed is remarkable, and across the midday sky she becomes a comet, a blazing fireball streaking at a blinding clip towards home. Victory, and she gets to fly. Why would anyone ever choose anything but a shinobi’s life?

[exit]