[294]

 

-tell me am I still the same?-

"Nothing left of me remains"

It had not been very long at all since Unit 294 had returned to Sunagakure, but things were beginning to return to normal once more. He had spoken with the Kazekage and been reassigned once more to a position within the village's operations. He had met with Arai Shimako and received repairs to his husk--as well as some new clothing, so that he was no longer in the tattered kimono he'd presently been dressed in. Though, after being appointed on a new mission, the Shippai couldn't help but to wonder if she would later be cross with him.
    When he'd returned to the village last time, he had been covered in blood. It had been masked--mostly--by covering himself in sand upon Unit 77's suggestion. Humans did grow uncomfortable at the sight of blood, after all. But if he was sent on another mission to slaughter enemies who were causing trouble and posing as a threat, then it was inevitable that he would get bloodied once more. There were few creatures or living beings in the world that could pose an actual threat to the puppet, so worry of damage was not a present concern.
    After all, he had survived the past twenty years with barely any damage sustained to his vessel at all.
    But in his expertise, it was difficult to return home without his hands dirtied.
    Unit 294 would wait outside of the village where he was to be met by Azarea--a Kumogakure shinobi who was visiting Sunagakure and wished to aid them in missions. Unit 294 did not require her assistance--in truth, he could take an S-ranked one solely with his own company and there was little concern. But it would be a learning opportunity, perhaps. Azarea would get to assist an allied village in disposing of some hostile invaders that had overtaken a fort, and she would get to learn more about what it meant to work alongside a Shippai.
    Unit 294 had met Azarea a day or so prior to this mission, but his memory of her was already fading. He knew and recognized the name, knew she was from Kumogakure... he understood that she was eager to help--caring. And nosey. There was much for her to learn about Sunagakure, and with no awareness of its rich and grim history, there would still be a great deal to adjust to. Hopefully after this experience, she would learn better.
    Unit 294 did not like to be seen as human.
    Conversations revolving around his situation made him uncomfortable, and he tended to avoid them when unnecessary. He did not mind explaining that he was a puppet--but he preferred to show than tell. Many didn't simply accept the brief explanation that he "wasn't human", and without going into all of the semantics it was difficult for humans to understand properly. Though, perhaps even after this she would not understand.
    After all, he doubted he would need anything more than a single blade for this mission.
    He did, however, bring a medical kit with him in addition to his regular belongings. He did not carry them often--but whenever he was accompanied by a human, it seemed a proper addition to take with him.
    Even if it was long forgotten--deep within the soul of the infamous Sunagakure assassin there still lived the heart of a medic.

Aburame Azarea

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs Active:

Unflagging Endurance

Armored Bodies

Titanic Speed

Enhanced Sensory

Enhanced Reflexes

Shin of GS + Adox

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

What Makes Us Human

"It's just a Puppet. A weapon. Foolish children should not play with knives," The Merchant offered with a casual shrug as he passed Azarea's purchases to the woman. Answering her inquiry of if the Shippai were often harassed. His answer just another variation of the responses Azarea had received from others in regards to her quiet questions. The consensus that the children were foolish to toy with something they ought not to understand, not that they'd been wrong for doing so.

Thus the morning found the red head quiet and introspective as the Kumo Shinobi tugged her head scarf into place to keep out the overwhelming sun as she moved to meet 294. Her head filled with questions of what made a person and person? The puppet had a chakra signature. A living, if dormant, one as unique to itself as any others, but... items could be imprinted with their owners signature as well. Thus she pondered was this puppet a human in a mechanical shell or the fingerprints of a man long gone living on in his image like a broken mirror? The sunrise offered no answers as Azarea pulled two pomegranates from her bag. One for her to eat, and one that had barely come to rest in her palm before her beetles silently swarmed it. Devouring the fruit skin and all with a frenzied joy happy for the treat. Her Kikaichu preferred meat, but even they enjoyed sweets. Her hive thrumming low and happy unheard beneath her skin as the woman cut and portioned her own fruit to eat. Eventually turning the corner to come to a stop at the gate her gaze finding the dark haired form of her mission partner as she offers him a small close lipped smile. "Good morning 294-san." The woman greeted.

"We likely want to get this done before the heat of the day. Do you know what we should expect in regards to the old forts current occupants?" She inquires uncertain if they were dealing with thugs, thieves, or just the starving and desperate.

SA's

SPOILER: Click to show

Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria [Queen's Coronation Regalia]
A mutated variant of the Aburame clans Yūdai no Omorejō ["Bewildering Grandeur of the Alpha"] resulting from the subsequent poisoning of Azarea's former Yūdai no Omorejō hive to prevent potential hijutsu theft. While the Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria lacks the Yūdai no Omorejō size instead Azarea's hive has maintained the ability to produce alpha pheromones and commanding vibrations. Evolving instead to hyperspecialize in these two aspects allowing them to produce pheramones and vibrations strong enough to be detected by human hearing and sense of smell.

Reigning Chakra Control
Fine tuning her chakra control to a razor's edge Azarea is capable of performing delicate techniques with minimal to no wastage of chakra. Allowing her to conserve her reserves in prolonged combat and managed more finickity techniques and jutsu.

Kagura Mind's Eye
Born with a natural affinity towards sensing chakra like her Father before her Azarea has trained herself to become a capable sensory shinobi. Unlocking the Kagura's Mind's Eye, and with it, the ability to passively sense chakra signatures in the distance (when using the technique), thus allowing her to not only track, but also memorize a person's chakra signature, even if barely any chakra is being used. Due to her proficiency with this technique, Azarea can currently passively sense chakra up to 500 meters and actively at 2.5 kilometers.

Techniques

SPOILER: Click to show

JUTSU GOES HERE

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 344 | 294

[294]

 

-tell me am I still the same?-

"Nothing left of me remains"

Unit 294 would know Azarea was approaching before she'd even cut into his line of sight--not that he couldn't see from far away, but there was a great deal of architecture in the way that often obstructed his view. Still, not many people were out during this hour of the morning where the sun had not even begun to rise from the horizon. So, even without the same field of sight as he might have had out in the open sands of Kaze no Kuni, he still was able to stay alert of his surroundings. From the sound of approaching footsteps eventually to the wild mane of red hair; it was Azarea, certainly enough.
    "Good morning, Azarea-san," Unit 294 mirrored, offering a slight bow of his own to the woman as she'd given her own greeting. She went on to ask about what he knew about the information--and it was completely understandable not to go into things blindly. Even if she'd not asked, he would have offered to brief her based on the information that he, himself, had been supplied. "We are to arrive at a fort that has been overtaken by invaders and to clear them out so that we can maintain our national defenses. I suspect they will be hostile and will be using lethal force." As would he. "I reckon that there will be a large number of men there, but they likely lack the skill and ability to pose a real threat to any certified and experienced shinobi. We will be fine. If you prefer, you could leave the fighting to me, I will have no issue wiping them all out." He gestured lightly with an artificial hand for them to move out. Even if he was briefing her on the mission's details--they could still get moving while they did so. "I will allow you to lead the way so as to set the pacing, however. You do know where the fort is located, yes?"
    He had little interest in leaving her behind if he was going to be working with her, so letting her run ahead seemed the best option to easiest avoid leaving her in the dust. But it was not for any lack of knowledge or sense of direction.

Aburame Azarea

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs Active:

Unflagging Endurance

Armored Bodies

Titanic Speed

Enhanced Sensory

Enhanced Reflexes

Shin of GS + Adox

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Travel

"I'm not opposed to combat. Though I tend to favor ambush tactics." She admits as the Kumo nin offers 294 a dip of her head before turning on her heels to exit through the gates. The woman pausing a moment to orientate herself with the map before nodding in the direction of the fort they're meant to clear.

"I can lead the way, but please alert me if I'm growing too near any dangerous fauna like sand worm nests." She requests because just cause she could draw a straight line between Suna and their target didn't meant he journey would be so easy without knowing the lay of the land. The Kunoichi peering towards the grey dawn knowing that they were on the clock to get to their destination before the unyielding rays peaked over the ridges and began to bake the dunes in unforgiving heat. While she would undoubtedly be slow next to the puppet man she picked a brief pace that should get her to the fort before the sun rose too far with a bit of time to spare for mishaps. The woman channeling a minute amount of chakra into her feet to stay above the sand as she lit off across the dunes.

"Do you often get sent out on missions like these to clear out opposition?" Azarea inquires looking to fill the silence the spanned between them with something other then the sound of the wind and the soft sounds of her own breathe pooling from her lips in the cold air like smoke.

SA's

SPOILER: Click to show

Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria [Queen's Coronation Regalia]
A mutated variant of the Aburame clans Yūdai no Omorejō ["Bewildering Grandeur of the Alpha"] resulting from the subsequent poisoning of Azarea's former Yūdai no Omorejō hive to prevent potential hijutsu theft. While the Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria lacks the Yūdai no Omorejō size instead Azarea's hive has maintained the ability to produce alpha pheromones and commanding vibrations. Evolving instead to hyperspecialize in these two aspects allowing them to produce pheramones and vibrations strong enough to be detected by human hearing and sense of smell.

Reigning Chakra Control
Fine tuning her chakra control to a razor's edge Azarea is capable of performing delicate techniques with minimal to no wastage of chakra. Allowing her to conserve her reserves in prolonged combat and managed more finickity techniques and jutsu.

Kagura Mind's Eye
Born with a natural affinity towards sensing chakra like her Father before her Azarea has trained herself to become a capable sensory shinobi. Unlocking the Kagura's Mind's Eye, and with it, the ability to passively sense chakra signatures in the distance (when using the technique), thus allowing her to not only track, but also memorize a person's chakra signature, even if barely any chakra is being used. Due to her proficiency with this technique, Azarea can currently passively sense chakra up to 500 meters and actively at 2.5 kilometers.

Techniques

SPOILER: Click to show

JUTSU GOES HERE

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 259 | 294

[294]

 

-tell me am I still the same?-

"Nothing left of me remains"

"Noted." She held greater skill and familiarity with ambush tactics--which would certainly be no problem. Unit 294 was skilled in close-range slaughter, but he could fight from afar as well. Likely, the two would begin combat via ambush, and then Unit 294 would narrow in to complete more of the fighting--keeping any enemies at bay and away from her. If she could sneak in another few ranged attacks--great. And, if not--that was fine, as well. Unit 294 was very likely more than capable of finishing everyone off before they could even notice there was more than one of them. This was, after all, a rather low-ranking mission. Intended for genin and chūnin, really. Certainly no real threat to someone--something like him.
    "Yes, of course," Unit 294 answered her request with a nod of his head. Of course, they would not likely run into any trouble with the wildlife or environment around them--but there was always the possibility that she could be caught off-guard. She was not native to these lands, after all, and so it would be up to him to keep vigil of any other possible dangers. Which, considering his knowledge and heightened senses--it would be second nature to the puppet.
    And, with that, the two would set off. Unit 294 would follow the woman's lead--just as requested. And while her feats were certainly nothing in comparison to the Shippai's own abilities, it was still a good, steady pace--and he had little doubt that they wouldn't arrive before the sun fully woke their soon-to-be victims. They would, likely, be able to get in and out of there before the sand dunes began to heat up too much--which, while working alongside a human being, was ideal. The last thing that Unit 294 wanted to do was to be responsible for carrying an overheating woman back to the village--he was not designed for such things, and he was uncertain if he would even be capable of lifting her.\
    The poor creature only weighed a hundred pounds--which was less than most teenagers.
    "To my understanding, yes," Unit 294 answered simply as the woman attempted to make small-talk with the puppet. While he could not remember a great deal of it, "I am designed to be a lethal pursuer. Best suited for combat and execution--that has been my specialty since I could remember. A hundred years ago, I was known as an 'Angel of Death', and my presence only meant eminent demise. Those times have mostly been forgotten, I believe." At least, he did not seem to be frequently referred to as such. But he knew, vaguely, of his history as an assassin. Like a student who had only skimmed notes--he could not recall any real details. But he knew at least that much. "Favoring ambush tactics, do you hope to become something akin to my likeness? An assassin who operates in more traditional tactics?" Many shinobi, it seemed, were loud and flamboyant with their fighting and abilities.
    But something in his spirit scorned the idea of such. He held preference for those who studied the blade and dedicated themselves to it--and to those who operated in the shadows, and were far more tricky to notice or catch.
    Like samurai and shinobi of old.

SPOILER: Click to show

SAs Active:

Unflagging Endurance

Armored Bodies

Titanic Speed

Enhanced Sensory

Enhanced Reflexes

Shin of GS + Adox

[Aburame Azarea]

The Devil That You Forgot

Black Ops

'Angel of Death' certainly was an interesting moniker and too often claimed by the flash and foolish, but with 294 she suspected it wasn't merely hearsay. The Kumo shinobi keeping to a steady pace as she considered her partner's particular line of questioning. Most of her birthclan tended towards scouting or assassination though the latter was less well known and she would be lying if she didn't say she didn't follow in their footsteps. "I intend to acquire a specialization in Assassination and Infiltration yes." She admits because it was her nature like it or not. Though nature did not define nurture and she had every intention to grow beyond her roots.

"But I have no interest in becoming a special operative or joining the ranks of ANBU. So I will likely try to prove myself as a tacticians and leader first. I might favor a more subtle and brutal fighting style, but my end goal is to become Jounin Hanchou which is difficult to do if most of your mission records are off the books or sealed." Azarea quips casting a curious glance towards the puppetman. "Why do you say to your understanding? Can you not remember back then?" She inquires curious. Perhaps he'd been around so long and done so much that such details simply slipped through his fingers. The days bleeding together in endless monotone. After all could she really recall the smallest details of her life from years ago? Had their work become simply so common and routine for him?

SA's

SPOILER: Click to show

Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria [Queen's Coronation Regalia]
A mutated variant of the Aburame clans Yūdai no Omorejō ["Bewildering Grandeur of the Alpha"] resulting from the subsequent poisoning of Azarea's former Yūdai no Omorejō hive to prevent potential hijutsu theft. While the Joō no Taikanshiki no Regaria lacks the Yūdai no Omorejō size instead Azarea's hive has maintained the ability to produce alpha pheromones and commanding vibrations. Evolving instead to hyperspecialize in these two aspects allowing them to produce pheramones and vibrations strong enough to be detected by human hearing and sense of smell.

Reigning Chakra Control
Fine tuning her chakra control to a razor's edge Azarea is capable of performing delicate techniques with minimal to no wastage of chakra. Allowing her to conserve her reserves in prolonged combat and managed more finickity techniques and jutsu.

Kagura Mind's Eye
Born with a natural affinity towards sensing chakra like her Father before her Azarea has trained herself to become a capable sensory shinobi. Unlocking the Kagura's Mind's Eye, and with it, the ability to passively sense chakra signatures in the distance (when using the technique), thus allowing her to not only track, but also memorize a person's chakra signature, even if barely any chakra is being used. Due to her proficiency with this technique, Azarea can currently passively sense chakra up to 500 meters and actively at 2.5 kilometers.

Techniques

SPOILER: Click to show

JUTSU GOES HERE

流人

                           Made by Keen of FBNRP | Word Count: 254| 294