[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

If there was one thing Asahi hated it was emergencies. He enjoyed structure and a plan but this was far from it. Chaos had broken out at the salt mines to the north and with the ever growing risk of the prisoners taking control of the whole thing a request for help had been sent to the village. It was a nightmare come true for the young man as he had developed an irrational fear of the place over the years and knew that one day he'd be sent there for all the foolishness he had gotten into with a certain someone; thankfully this was not the case but he had still been ordered to help quell the uprising.

Two people seemed a little light for a task such as this at a place that was so vital to the country's needs but Asahi and Zakku had done great work as a duo in the past and as wild as the blue haired youth was there weren't too many other people the Kyokujitsu would want beside him in a situation like this one. He had skill enough to handle a crowd and had shown on multiple occasions that he could come up with a decent plan on the fly. A breath to calm his nerves as the chunin waited at the gates for Zakku to arrive, it'd be a bit of a trek distance wise but outside of walking through a literal desert not much else to worry about until they reached the mines.

Zakku Burokon

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Zakku Burokon]

// Zakku //

What good is skill
If you don't make it to the dance?
Despite circumstance
You've got a chance

Kyokujitsu Asahi

"...Really?"  Zakku had asked when the assignment had been given to him.  Standing outside his bastion he'd just sent his first batch to Sekara as part of his plan for making the place fall in line.  Instead of going out after his batch he was being sent to the salt mines.

Grabbing his pack and restocking his supplies Zakku angrily gave his clone the orders to finish up the replanting.  Attaching his packs to his belt he shot off moving in erratic and random patterns.  A bit or paranoia he'd picked up from how close his plan had been coming to it's grand climax Zakku moved so he couldn't be tailed whether it was leaving the Bastion or heading back towards it.  It'd become his home since he'd devoted so much time to this.  He wasn't going to risk anyone following him who shouldn't know.

Zakku had a little fear about the mission.  The mines were enclosed and if not set up right could cave in and after his and Azareas near death experience he'd found he had a new fear.  A shiver ran down his back as the imagined image of being trapped under dirt slowly sufficating.  Shaking his head he slowed down his speed getting closer to the gates.  

Slowing to a stop he gave Asahi a carefree smirk,  "Ya know, if we keep being assigned together like this people are gonna start talking."  Zakku teased letting out a chuckle.  "I'm ready when you are Dude."

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

It wasn't long until Zakku showed up and with that the two were ready to depart though his comment did draw a raised brow from the Kyokujitsu. "Don't even joke about that. I'm not getting lumped in with your foolishness." Asahi replied with a chuckle. He and the blue haired youth were friends but being lumped in with that man's shenanigans was one of the last things the chunin wanted to be a part of. He had wondered for some time how an entire generation of Suna shinobi had turned out so rambunctious, no that wasn't the right word, unhinged felt better, and between Zakku and Ayukawa alone there may have been cause for concern once they reached a level where they were left to their own devices. If there was an alternate meaning behind Zakku's words it was lost on the young man.

"Well, we got a bit of a trek so let's get going." The chunin added as he began to make his way through the opened earthen gates. Their path would more or less take them due north stopping just short of the border. Asahi wondered if the climate was any more forgiving in that part of the country but soon realized with pretty much the entirety of their mission taking place inside the salt mines it wouldn't really matter. "So the gist of the situation is an uprising by the prisoners who work the salt mines. Mostly low level criminals and the such so aside from their numbers and the mines being a veritable maze it shouldn't be too much a problem." Asahi spoke. "Except..." He paused before delivering the one tiny caveat of their endeavor.

"... We can't kill them. Can't mine the salt if all the workers are dead, so we'll have to do our best to corral and detain them without using lethal force." He hoped it wouldn't be a super tough pill for Zakku to swallow but even so Asahi had seen him show restraint on ops in the past even when the opponents were not showing the same kindness.

Zakku Burokon

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Zakku Burokon]

// Zakku //

What good is skill
If you don't make it to the dance?
Despite circumstance
You've got a chance

Kyokujitsu Asahi

Zakku tucked his hands into his pockets as the pair left through the gates.  Listening to Asahi explain the full details Zakku listened as they journeyed.  He knew about the salt mines.  His first sensei would often threaten to send his and his fellow Genin.  Thankfully the kage would remind him whatever they'd done whoever annoying wasn't illegal.  That was only the stuff they knew about.

"So quell the rebellion.  Without a loss of life.  That may have a bit of a challenge to it."  Zakku admitted with a bit of thought.  "Chances are they've been planning this for longer than we know.  They either see this as a bargaining chip for their freedom or they plan on making a home out of the mines."  Removing his hands from his pockets he retrieved one of his books tapped the spine of it against his palm.

"Even so there's bound to be people stuck in there so long they've forgotten what the sun feels like.  So we're gonna have to prepare ourselves for the possiblity.  Of a vampire uprising."  Zakku told his teammate in a completely serious tone.  "Think about it dude!  Dark place, little sunlight, no garlic around.  It's the perfect start up for a vampire rising."

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

Hearing Zakku be surprisingly mellow about the restriction was surprising but so long as they were on one accord about things that was all that mattered. Asahi doubted that one or two deaths along the way would draw the ire of the village but things had a way of snowballing when blood started spilling so it was easier mentally to keep in mind that everyone needed to come out of this alive. "Enough people with the same mindset and access to makeshift weapons can cause trouble anywhere, and if I had to guess there are probably half a dozen or so workers for every guard so it wouldn't take much. You'd think they would staff these places better given the people know the ins and outs of the mine."

Where the conversation was once poignant the blue haired youth had found a way to devolve it into a story of mythical creatures and foolishness, his serious delivery only helping to make his words that much more unbelievable. "Wait what? Why would there be vampires in a desert? There's nothing but sun outside of the caves! Besides, if they were stuck in the caves they'd have no way to feed or... I'm mad at myself for even responding." Asahi sighed as he regretted letting Zakku rope him into one of his ramblings.

The remainder of the journey north was virtually uneventful with little more than sand and wind to keep them company. In time the two would come across the sprawling complex of the mines with various mining equipment strewn about and tracks with mining carts in various states of fill about the area. In front of the mine were injured guards and other workers who had managed to escape when the rioting broke out and it was clear to see why they had been so easily overpowered. "I know it's in the middle of a coup, but this is kind of how I always imagined the salt mines would look." Asahi spoke as he scanned the area for someone in charge. In the distance a lone man seemed to be coordinating relief efforts and was probably the guy they were looking for.

"Think I found our guy." Moving through the scattered crowd the man would notice the arrival of the duo as he cracked a small smile. "Thank the heavens, finally some help. We've got all the prisoners running amok in there, some of my guys are still stuck as well. Some tried to leave but most are heading for the heart of the facility. Thinkin' if they control that they can get whatever they want." The man spoke unknowingly certifying one of Zakku's theories.

If there was any silver lining it was that the prisoners weren't stupid enough to try and escape out into the desert as this would have turned into more of a retrieval mission than anything. If the elements didn't get them then the animals would and Asahi had already had enough detective adventures in the desert for one lifetime."Is there a central path to the main operations hub?" Asahi asked prompting a chuckle from the man. "Son, we've been digging this mine for decades. There are so many tunnels and offshoots we're lucky to not lose a guy everyday. But we map it out best we can and once ya get close the lights in the tunnel shine blue." With that he'd hand the pair a couple small maps of the mines interior and it became clear just how huge the place really was. "Just try an' keep track of where you are with a pen or something and you should find it. I imagine the more prisoners you see the closer you'll be."

"Thank you, we'll be on our way in a moment." Asahi replied before the man ventured off to help more of his injured workers. Turning to Zakku, it was clear that the two were going to be in for a bit of a maze. How they would keep track of their place in the maze while also fighting was anyone's guess but they'd have to make due. "How do you want to run it? Looks pretty straightforward for a while then we get some pretty big splits. Might end up losing time if we both have to backtrack but we can see how it's going once we reach that point." The last thing Asahi wanted to do on missions was split up but they were on a bit of a schedule and couldn't afford to let the prisoners dig themselves in to the central hub.

Zakku Burokon

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Zakku Burokon]

// Zakku //

What good is skill
If you don't make it to the dance?
Despite circumstance
You've got a chance

Kyokujitsu Asahi

"Heh heh heh."  Zakku giggled as Asahi was left regretting responding to his nonsense.  As they travelled Zakku read from his book finishing it before they got to the mines.  He'd have gotten irritated but he took the remaining time to prepare himself for the mission stretching his hands and arms.  He didn't get much time to prep getting this emergency mission as soon as it was assigned to them.  

Arriving at the mines he listened to Asahi and the man get the briefing out of the way.  Crossing his arms Zakku watched the man leave before looking at the mine entrance.  "I say we stick together.  If we get too curious I can always send one of my clones down the way to check or to spring any traps which may no doubt be waiting for us."  Shrugging he reached up to his chin and rubbed the stubble that had begun to appear.  It was time for a shave once he got back.  

"Yeah I think that'd probably work best.  Especially since this is unknown territory to us.  We also have no idea how the tunnels will effect your ability to sense out other chakras."  Clicking his tongue in satisfaction he nodded.  "Yeah its best we stick together."
 

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

Asahi had half expected Zakku to want to split up and see who could make it to the central hub of the mine first, perhaps he was truly afraid of the vampires after all. But his reasoning was sound in that the two had little idea of what they were stepping into and getting lost alone in the maze of tunneling wasn't too great an idea. He did bring up a good point about sensing perhaps being affected by all the mining and it was something that the Kyokujitsu hadn't considered until now. Normally, extending his chakra out until it bounced off something was simple but with numerous tunnels going off in various directions in whatever lengths it would take a considerable amount of effort to keep track of it all.

"That's actually a good point, let me check something." Holding a single seal the chunin would pulse his chakra out in the direction of the mine entrance. A lot of training and practice had helped him increase his range exponentially over the years but the mental map being created just continued on and on. Strangely enough there were pings of chakra bouncing back at him but something was off about them. "Yeah, there's just too much in there to get accurate readings. I did pick up some signatures but something's off about them, not sure what exactly though." The chunin replied. "Well I guess we'll figure it out sooner or later, let's get going."

The entrance to the mine was sizable with more than enough space for minecarts to move in and out as well as people and other equipment. The two would begin to hear echoes of general conundrum coming from deeper within the mine but it was impossible to tell the source or direction. Hanging lights strung across the walls took the place of natural sunlight and even though the duo had just traversed the desert the confined tunnels provided a different, more oppressive heat. It was just everything Asashi feared the mines would be. "Looks like we keep going forward for a bit then there's a split at the... pickaxe junction, whatever that is." Asahi spoke as he checked the scribbles on the map to ensure he had read things correctly.

Zakku Burokon

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Zakku Burokon]

// Zakku //

What good is skill
If you don't make it to the dance?
Despite circumstance
You've got a chance

Kyokujitsu Asahi

Letting out an irritated click of his tongue Zakku hated when he was right.  He was hoping that Asahi would prove him wrong but a broken clock was right twice a day he guessed.  Walking to the mine entrance Zakku couldn't help but smile at the sound of the activity.  "They're not to creative with their naming convention huh?"  

Reaching out he grasped the handle of a pickaxe and tried to lift it, but he could barely lift the heavy metal tool.  Leaving it where it remained he let out another irritated click of his tongue and remembered why he stuck to his jutsus and tools.  "Probably for the best I can't pick that up."  Coming up to the junction Zakku stopped looking between both the ways.  

Letting out a low hum Zakku leaned over to read the map and stared in awe at the scribbles.  "They actually operate like this?  Dear Kami."  Shaking his head he'd bring out two of his clones.  "Go."  He told them casually.  The pair ran down the two tunnels.  "Just wait a few moments.  We'll know which way to go."  

Pulling out one of his blunts he examined it when he got a wave of images from one of the clones.  His eyes grew a bit as he quickly turned to Asahi.  "Patrol down that tunnel heading this way.  Five armed with weapons."  Zakku warned Asahi pointing down the left tunnel.
 

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

"The simpler the better I suppose." Asahi replied. Easy to spot markers that didn't take much thought were surely the way to go in places like this. People in all states of exhaustion more or less running on muscle memory would have a tough time with complex directions so whatever simple tactic got the job done is exactly what the people in charge would stick with. Asahi was surprised to see that Zakku struggled with the pickaxe, it was just a simple mining tool right? Maybe they needed to be heavy enough to break the rock and salt but if the people in here had been using them how strong were they?

A bit of walking later and the two would reach the first fork in the road, at least the map hadn't let them down just yet but now they had to figure out which path would grant them egress and which would only slow them down. The chunin watched as Zakku sent a clone down each path and now all they had to do was wait. The idea was smart but given how expansive the mine was the Kyokujitsu had concerns about how many times his mission partner would be able to pull it off. He had never seen Zakku create more than a couple clones at a time and if the map stayed true there would be instances where they ran into multiple mine shafts at once. "Great idea, but don't strain yourself too much."

After a few moments Zakku would inform him of what was coming from one of the tunnels and it was none too fun. "I was hoping we wouldn't run into anyone this quick but just our luck." Asahi replied as he began to think of the best way of dealing with them without killing, but they also couldn't use anything that would compromise the integrity of the mine less they get trapped in here. "Ok, just like the noble. I stop 'em and you take them out. Move over to the right tunnel so we stay out of sight." He added before hugging the wall. Chances were these guys would not make their entrance quietly so it would be simple enough to get the timing down.

Surely enough the sound of voices and weapons dragging against the ground would herald the arrival of the group, five in total and none the wiser. A calming breath preceded Asahi skating around the bend skidding to a stop before the group whose eyes widened in surprise. A set of seals later and the chunin was slamming his hands on the ground to create a seal that halted the men's movement with tendrils that snaked around their lower extremities. "Zakku now!"

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Kinbaku [Bind Tightly]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Fūinjutsu
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 3
DESCRIPTION:
After three hand-seals, the user will slap both hands on the ground and summon an intricate spherical seal on the ground, ten meters in diameter, with the user at the epicenter. Anyone or anything standing on the ground within ten meters is then sealed to the ground itself, locking their feet in place. They will be stuck in place until the seal is broken, which can be achieved by destroying the ground it is summoned on. People who were not inside the range can move over the surface of the seal once it's been summoned without any issue.

Zakku Burokon

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Zakku Burokon]

// Zakku //

What good is skill
If you don't make it to the dance?
Despite circumstance
You've got a chance

Kyokujitsu Asahi

Bracing himself around the corner Zakku crouched low.  One hand on the wall and the other beside him gently touching the cold dirt.  He didn't know what he was going to do what he did know was it had to be non lethal and he really didn't want to get reprimanded again from Lord Kage.  Especially with what he was being trusted with.  

Watching Asahi prepare his seals Zakku gripped the ground and wall tighter bracing his legs.  As soon as he was given the word he shot out.  Unleashing his metal stakes he would slam the blunt end against each mans temple.  The blunt end rendered each man unconscious.  Zakku slid his stake back into his pack and let out a sigh.  "Clear."  
 
Looking at the men Zakku stopped at one guy.  "Hey I know this guy.  He was a bouncer for a club in Sekara last time I saw him."  He remembered seeing the man when he was in gathering information on the gangs in Sekara.  He'd thrown Zakku out seeing his face on a not allowed inside poster.  He wasn't surprised and left without incident.

"Well I guess this way is clear for a bit."  Zakku looked at Asahi.  "Unless you wanna follow my clone he hasn't found anything yet."  He glanced down the way his other clone had gone.  His clone ran at a steady pace out of view of the two following noises that seemed to get closer.  

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

With the arriving patrol stuck in place the momentary confusion was more than enough time for Zakku to zip around the corner and use his tools to take out each of the men, thankfully not killing them but they were going to have a hell of a headache once they woke up. While it shouldn't have come as a shock hearing the blue haired chunin say that he knew one of the men from his time in Sekara was a stark reminder that people had their own dealings in life no matter how vile a place might have been. Now wasn't the time to try and lecture him on being associated with that place and to be honest Asahi was pretty certain it would fall on deaf ears anyway.

"Well, that tracks. Kinda only so many places you can end up living there. Help me tie 'em up, can't have them getting loose once they wake up." Asahi replied as he fished some wire from his munitions bag. A few ties with the arms behind their backs would do the trick and hopefully they'd be out long enough for the duo to get things taken care of before the guys could even think of wriggling their way out of the bindings.

With that taken care of now came the question of which path to take. Zakku's second clone had yet to encounter anything which was either a good or bad sign depending on who one asked, and on the other hand if the pair were to follow the path that this patrol had come from there was a better chance of getting to the central hub of the mine. "Let's keep on this path for now, these guys didn't look lost so I'm guessing they probably knew their way to and from the central hub. Worst case scenario if you're clone gets closer than we are we know where to backtrack." The chunin replied. Normally heading in the direction of where people had been coming from wasn't the brightest idea but this place was a maze and they needed to press on what little leads they had.

Zakku Burokon

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Zakku Burokon]

// Zakku //

What good is skill
If you don't make it to the dance?
Despite circumstance
You've got a chance

Kyokujitsu Asahi

Helping Asahi tie up the unconscious men Zakku let out a low hum.  They weren't even a challenge yet the teen felt something was off.  The men hadn't even called out to each other.  They had just taken the attack.  They weren't trained for combat.  Maybe they were surrendering?.  Letting out an irritated grunt he wanted to call his clone back but decided it was best not to.  "Alright then."  Nodding to Asahi Zakku would move down the tunnel keeping his footsteps light to minimize their noise.


The Clone of Zakku crouched behind a few barrels watching as a pair of prisoners gathered pickaxes and moving further in.  Needing more information the clone moved behind them and watched as they joined with another group of other prisoners with other assortments of tools.  "...what you can and get ready.  We gotta pull more of this out."  A louder voice came from deeper in.  

The clone moved out and closer.  Using as many shadows as he could he made it to the backs of the prisoners.  Risking a peak he came face to face with a very large man.  His eyes widened as the larger man brought down a pair of pickaxes the man had tied together.  The clone didn't get a chance to yell as the points sunk into its back and dispersed the clone. 


Zakku let out a soft gasp and placed a hand on his lower back.  "They're grabbing tools and bringing it to the main chamber I think."  So that's what being crushed with a pickaxe felt like.  Making a mental note not to back up his clones findings he picked up the pace.  "Small possibility they may have an idea we're here for some reason."  Intentionally looking away from Asahi he didn't want to see the accusatory glance that he'd gotten from too many people in his lifetime.  He never understood why though. 

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

Zakku's information seemingly out of the blue could only mean one thing: his shadow clone had been dispersed and more than likely not voluntarily. Well whatever element of surprise the duo had was now gone but given the size of this place and how many people were tasked working it that was a fleeting luxury anyway. "I don't think they're dumb enough to believe causing an uprising wouldn't bring a shinobi presence, we were bound to lose the element of surprise sooner rather than later." Asahi replied. There was no judgment in his tone and his expression was surprisingly flat all things considered. A younger, inexperienced Asahi would have had a nervous chill running laps on his spine by this point but this was a situation the Kyokujitsu had been in a few times now and he had learned that keeping a cool head was paramount.

"If I had to guess now that they know shinobi are here they'll probably try and get word back to the bigger group, so I don't think we'll have to worry about them coming after us." He added while continuing down the path they had previously chosen. As the duo walked that same, odd chakra signature that Asahi had sensed at the entrance to the mine popped back up only stronger this time. "Someone's here." The chunin spoke as he stopped to take a look around. They had come to another fork in the road yet this time there were three paths each as inviting as the next but there were no people present other than them. "I feel a chakra signature, no, signatures right in front of us but I don't see anything. Unless..."

A single seal would help the young man focus his chakra out in the immediate area revealing a sealing tag buried underneath the dirt on the left and middle paths. Fuinjutsu? The mission report hadn't mentioned shinobi so how had these guys gotten access to such strong a strong technique? "There are sealing tags buried under those two pathways. None of these people are supposed to be shinobi so I don't know how they even got access to this stuff."

A wrinkle in the grand scheme of things but a problem that could be solved down the line, for now they needed to find a way to progress. Without being able to see the seals Asahi didn't know what kind of technique they may have held and just trying to run past them would surely set them off. "I need a way to see the tags to know if I can possibly disarm em. You got any ideas?" He'd ask Zakku. There were a couple options the chunin had himself but most would involve breaking the seals in the process.

Zakku Burokon

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Zakku Burokon]

// Zakku //

What good is skill
If you don't make it to the dance?
Despite circumstance
You've got a chance

Kyokujitsu Asahi

Letting out a low hum Zakku crouched down to look at the seal.  He'd seen plenty in his time and this one seemed a bit too familiar.  "I honestly don't have a clue dude."  Reaching into his pack he kept examining the seal.  "It looks familiar though.  I've seen it before."  Squinting he took a couple of steps back and casually tossed one of his kunai over the seal.  

Raiton arced from the kunai blue light illuminating the tunnel as Zakku arched an eyebrow.  "Oh so that's where I've seen it before.  This is the work of the Prajna Group."  Zakku casually mentioned as his kunai landed on the otherside of the seal steam rising from it.  "A mercenary group that had their reputation ruined after they couldn't protect their quarry from Sunas worst."  He let out a knowing chuckle.  Having humiliated the group himself on a mission to collect a debt owed to Sunagakure he left the leader a burned and forced to retreat and lick his wounds.  

"Don't underestimate these guys.  They tend to account for things we haven't yet."  Crossing his arms he stared at the two seals.  "They're trying to lead us in a certain direction so if we can get through this we can move around them and flank em."

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

In the surprise of all surprises Zakku had been the one to recognize the seal that was impeding their path and it belonged to a group who unsurprisingly were known to be up to no good. So did that mean they were part of this rebellion or someone had managed to smuggle in their munitions? The latter option would be slightly less concerning yet either way the door was now open for possibly running into all types of traps of both the natural and shinobi kind. "Well that's just great, wasn't expecting to deal with this kinda stuff but I suppose quelling a rebellion never goes smoothly." Asahi replied while rubbing his temples.

Watching the kunai whizz over the seal but cause no reaction seemed to indicate that it was either one that needed pressure to activate it or a large enough presence to set it off proximity wise; every seal had different mechanisms for activation so that was nothing new but the mystery lied in what exactly these things did and without knowing that it would be hard to counter them. All hope was not lost, however, as not being able to counter a seal didn't mean they couldn't just overpower it altogether. "I think I have an idea. Not exactly sure what's gonna happen but at the very least it'll get rid of the seal." The chunin spoke as he fished a blank sealing tag and brush from his pouch before quickly writing an intricate seal with the symbol for 'wind' in the center.

"Tie this to one of your kunai and toss it just a bit shorter than you did the first one, that should put it right over the seal and I can take it from there." He'd instruct. Once the kunai had hit its mark the grounded seal would erupt, with thankfully enough pressure to activate the seal which produced a slate of jagged, earthen spikes one of which rupturing Asahi's seal that in turn loosed multiple waves of slicing wind that cut into and destroyed the spikes. It was all a bit of a flurry of wind swept debris that in the end left little more than rubble that could be easily traversed.

"Well it wouldn't have been pleasant to get hit with any of that, but that probably means there's more where that came from further in." With the left path now cleared the two would be able to continue on having enough of a berth to avoid the seal laying wait in the middle path. "I wonder how these guys even smuggled in this stuff, there's no way they could have paid for it."

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Fūton: Jirai [Wind Style: Landmine]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Fūinjutsu
ELEMENT: Fūton
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:
This seal is marked by an insignia for 'Fuuton' 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, releasing a vast array of cutting wind blades out in a five meter radius. This is enough to shred against skin and cut into armor for anyone caught in the blast, as well as blow away any mist or particles in the air.

Zakku Burokon

MADE BY VEL OF GS