[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     The Kazekage sat aboard his small vessel - little more than a fishing boat, really - reclining on a bench, back against the railing, snacking on goat cheese from Yama no Kuni, cuts of produce from Na no Kuni, washing it down with two types of tea - one floral from Hana, another traditional from Cha. His brother always tended to have some extra lying around when he came into town.

     He and Asahi had arrived late last night, spent a while at the Daimyou's palace and socialized briefly with Kotohime and Kiyoshi's older brother. Now the sun was coming up from over the bay, casting rays that hit the waves and bounced like flying fish jumping.

     The last few hours had passed by in a lazy fashion, Kiyoshi enjoying the early morning on the waters beneath the home he'd spent the first few years of his life in. Asahi was somewhere in the city, doing whatever he pleased with the time Kiyoshi'd given him to take in Roran before they met again to depart for their mission.

     Now that it was close to the appointed time, Kiyoshi covered up what he'd saved for his bodyguard and set to dealing with the lines. He deftly handled the ropes like he was a lifelong sailor, not a shinobi, and by the time Asahi had appeared on the docks to board, the ship was ready to push off and catch the easterly winds with only a few pulls of rope.

     Kiyoshi wiped a small bead of sweat from his brow and called out to the young man, beckoned for him to join him with a smile that suggested an even greater sense of happiness than the ones he'd shown in his office. Once the Kyokujitsu was on board and settled, Kiyoshi gestured for him to help himself to whatever he'd like, then unfurled the sails.

     Before long, the winds were carrying them southeast across the bay. It'd be quite a sail still before they reached the caves that were said to hide their target, and a stop at Hoseki on the peninsula, before they'd be projected to arrive at night. But time spent on the seas tended to go much faster, at least to Kiyoshi.

     He settled in next to his bodyguard. "Spent much time on the seas, Asahi?" he asked with a grin. He'd spend more still when they headed to Akazaya for the Chuunin Exams, in a few weeks, though Kiyoshi wondered if he'd voyaged far with Takato.

B-Rank Mission: Changing of the Guard
Kyokujitsu Asahi | 415 words

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

They had arrived in the country's capital late as a staging area for the upcoming mission which surprisingly was a bit more lavish than the man was expecting, though when one of the participants was the Kazekage who happened to be kin to the Daimyou it should have been expected. The Kyokujitsu had met the man --and his daughter-- before and the introduction had been equivalent to acknowleding an individual grain of sand in a vast desert, though guards were supposed to be seen not heard so Asahi didn't take it as a slight; besides, seeing Kotohime again was a pleasant surprise, especially when she wasn't pretending to be Arashi.

With some time until their departure the man had been allowed to check out what Roran had to offer and it wasn't everyday that one was able to visit the capital so even though there was an impending man hunt he would take some time to enjoy these last moments of peace. Food and drink, sights and sounds but nothing too unruly as he had an early wake up call. As the dawn came the Kyokujitsu began to make his way to the dock where he and Kiyoshi's ship was waiting for him though as the man neared he noticed it was closer to a dingy than a vessel. Maneuvering about in a large boat would more easily give away their position though Asahi wouldn't have scoffed at something with a bit more protection.

Kiyoshi had already boarded and looked like he had been working on final preparations for some time. How long had he been here? It was difficult to tell but once the bodyguard settled the two set sail as the ship began to coast along the waves towards their destination. Listening to the man's question Asahi took a moment to think about his travels, or more importantly how he traveled. He had been to cold places, jungle-like places, temperate climates and the common denominator between them all was that he walked. Come to think of it, the only time he could remember being on a boat was when he and Arashi dealt with those pirates... and no one needed to know about that.

"Can't say I have, mostly just walked everywhere." It was a different feeling being at the mercy of the winds for progress and direction with no solid ground being beneath them, though they had methods of mitigating the latter issue.

Chikamatsu Kiyoshi

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     Kiyoshi laughed heartily. "Can't say that's surprising," he said. "you're certainly not alone in that." Their nation wasn't very naval-oriented, for a number of valid reasons. Ports, for one, were difficult to find - the only good deep-water ones were in Sekara, Oetsu, and Roran.

     As he'd expected, time passed quickly. Soon enough they were leaving the bay, about to turn south and stop by at the city on the peninsula. The sun had continued its inexorable march as they chatted the whole way across, Kiyoshi mostly switching to questions about Takato, Arashi, and how the village had been for the past 3 years in particular.

     The two spent a few hours in Hoseki, at a modest little place owned by the Daimyou, where Kiyoshi tested Asahi with a quick-and-light Taijutsu spar - it wasn't either of their strong suites and it wasn't very tiring. They both needed to be at top shape for the mission ahead - more of a warmup, really.

     They were back on the seas well before the sun set, and had made their way around halfway down the Salt Coast by the time it did. Kiyoshi was working the ropes occasionally, catching the slightly more meager gusts of wind, which made for slower progress. He'd tasked Asahi with keeping a watch on the horizon for ships, handing him a spyglass if he had no way to enhance his sight - sensory might be useless, thanks to the immense distances.

     "I'll rely on you more than usual, out here," he relayed to Asahi, tapping his foot on the wood. "better to use solid ground for Haton." he said with a chuckle. It was a disadvantage for sure, which made sailing 'freeing' in more ways than one. Yet barriers had their use out here as well.

     Darkness surrounded them as Kiyoshi pulled them in closer to the coast. Salt flats dominated the area, though up ahead a large and deep spire of rock rose from the water. He spotted a dark opening in the front, with dim lights emanating from within. He brought them in slow and quiet, hitched them to a firm stalagmite, and they hopped out.

     Crouching behind some rocks, the duo could hear singing and yelling from within. A single man sat out front on some rocks a few feet ahead of them, far enough from the others no one would hear a fight. Kiyoshi signaled for Asahi to take him out, as quickly and silently as he could, then gestured for him to follow that up with a sensory sweep of the place.

     He doubted their target would be in the first cave they stumbled upon, but these seemed to be his men - the exact number would be up to Asahi to discover, but on average these hideouts held about 20 to 30, his experience told him - most being non-Shinobi.

Kyokujitsu Asahi | 473 words

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

It was an eye opening journey sailing the sea --or along the coast-- as the feeling of wind rushing past him as the boat glided across the waves was something that most who called Wind Country home never got to experience. Even his parents who were merchants by trade had only been on boats a handful of times and hardly at all since the clan had integrated into the village. As much as this was a mission it was also a learning lesson for the older man as he inquired to the goings on in Suna over the last few years, and there was plenty to tell.

Eventually the duo would stop at a midpoint to stretch their legs as well as get in a small training session, no doubt a de facto warm up for what was to come next, before resuming their journey down the coast until reaching the expansive salt flats as the sun set completely leaving them with only the light of the moon to guide their path. Thankfully their destination, or the first, shortly came into view as a large dimly lit cave mouth could be seen in the distance. Kiyoshi would moor their boat to a large rock jutting from the sea and the two would begin their approach, the sound voices coming from within the cave but only a singular person stationed out front. His distance from the mouth of the cave gave them enough wiggle room to take him down with some force if necessary though Asahi would have preferred to keep the element of surprise as much as possible.

With the go ahead from Kiyoshi to take the man out Asahi would grab a handful of shuriken from his munitions pouch and took aim at the target before loosing them aimed at the man's head and neck. As they hit the man the Kyokujitsu would sprint forward in a blur to try and catch the man before he could hit the ground while also covering his mouth to ensure he couldn't call out with one final gasp. He'd then turn his attention to the cave and focus his sensory efforts on the occupants. Most of what pinged back were unassuming with a couple exceptions, though the total number was surprisingly high.

"Picking up about twenty-five in total, but only two chakra signatures. Nothing great about those, though." He would speak in a hushed tone. Whoever this guy was certainly had a way to keep his numbers up.

SPOILER: Click to show

Shuriken x5

NAME: Shunshin no Jutsu [Body Flicker Technique]
RANK: D
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:
By invigorating one's entire body with chakra, a shinobi can seemingly disappear and reappear in another location faster than most people can see. Often times one's movements are disguised with the use of an extra element, be it a smoke bomb, leaves, water, sand, etc. in order to hide the user's trajectory from those with skilled eyes. Though it mimics teleportation, it is important to remember this jutsu merely boosts the agility of its user. As useful as this technique is, it can only be used 4 times in a battle thread, compounding in exertion and difficulty each time. with any more usages beyond that result in muscle tears in the legs from overexertion. The hand seal for this technique must be held until the shinobi reaches their destination, making it impossible to utilize other techniques regardless of any preparation.

Sensory SA

Chikamatsu Kiyoshi

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     The shuriken lodged into the man, who lurched backwards off the rock - but before he could yell out or hit the floor, Asahi was already upon him and silenced him. Impressive, Kiyoshi thought - simply as a show of speed. He nodded along to Asahi's analysis of the area. Weak chakra signatures, for the most part. As expected, few of the pirates - at least here - were Shinobi.

     No doubt some of those he'd picked up in Shio no Kuni were - clearly the leader was not here. "Alright," Kiyoshi whispered. "let's clear this place out - keep an eye open for documents and the like. We'll restrain the last pirate for questioning, find out where their leader is." He signaled for them to move up.

     As the duo peered around the turn into the cave, a wide cavern appeared - lit by torchlight, it was a sandy alcove with a pool of water in the middle. Pirates walked around on wooden pathways that'd been set up that led to a hollow area in the back with a campfire.

     Ten of the twenty-five resided in this 'room.' Three were on the left walkway, with one close enough to easily spot them once they entered and would be upon them fast. Two on the right, further down, and the remaining six were sat around the fire or drinking rum from a nearby barrel. Kiyoshi eyed it with a glance at Asahi.

     Leaning back into cover, he told Asahi the 'plan' - little more than running in, but this first batch didn't seem overly impressive with their tattered garb and rusted swords. "You take the left -" he said, reminding Asahi that he needed to ensure no one got in close to him - "I'll take the right." He didn't feel the need to remind him to take the initiative - part of his test. "Let's go."

     Dashing to the right of the opening, Kiyoshi left the nearest man to his left to Asahi to deal with and formed three handseals. A clump of sand leapt from the floor into his hands, lighting the cavern in a flash of light that startled the men before a solitary dove flew out from his palms. It screeched through the air as it made a beeline for his two targets.

     The dove exploded between them, the men screaming in agony as shards of glass flew through their bodies and molten glass coated their flesh.

Using Morning Dove, very low cost.
Kyokujitsu Asahi | 400 words

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

The numbers had been figured out and peering into the cave gave their exact positions with them mostly scattered about in the expanse which had its pros and cons. Given that most of them weren't anything special Asahi almost wished that they were standing close together so he could take care of things at once as it seemed clear their target wasn't here, but only dealing with a few at a time would give him more options and the two would still be able to keep the element of surprise for a tiny bit, which would no doubt come in handy when they eventually made use of that very flammable barrel of alcohol sitting in the back. Listening to Kiyoshi give instructions on which enemies they'd each be taking it would be on Asahi to deal with the man closest to the entrance so that Kiyoshi would be able to move in without fear of getting attacked on his blindside.


He needed to move quickly and decisively which meant no seals as even with his skills they would still take at least a few more moments to prepare than he would have liked. Forming a couple seals three miniature suns would appear around Asahi as Kiyoshi gave the signal to move in. With a thought one would hurtle towards the man closest to the entrance as searing flame mummified him from within. Another thought and the remaining two suns would shoot towards the remaining targets with similar fates in store for the men. Racing down the walkway Asahi's focus was now on dealing with the men sitting around the campfire whose attention would have no doubt been brought to them after the multiple death throes from their companions.

Extinguishing the suns Asahi would perform another set of seals before clapping his hands to create roughly a dozen small bird like projections made of flame. They'd speed towards both the men and the barrel of rum looking to burn and ignite anything they came into contact with and if he was lucky it would make the contents of the barrel explode which would serve to add more fuel to the already torched men.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Shakuton: Kajōsatsu [Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder ]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Shakuton
DESCRIPTION:
The user creates from their body several flaming orbs of heat that resemble small suns, ones that will hover around him/her within a close proximity. These orbs rotate around the user and can be freely controlled by will of their creator to attack enemies, which is done by quickly charging towards and entering the target as conducted heat. Once an orb has been conducted, the heat immediately courses all throughout the body of the afflicted; when used on a living being all of their bodily fluids will be evaporated, leaving them as a steaming mummified corpse. This heat is difficult to block since it is energy, leaving the only true defense being Water Release techniques. However, because the orbs cannot move farther than five meters from the user's body, staying at a long distance is also an efficient defense.

---

NAME: Katon: Zekkyō Satsujin [Fire Style: Screaming Murder]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Katon
HANDSEALS: 3
DESCRIPTION:
After three hand-seals, the user will clap their hands together and create a dozen or so small, swallow like birds of fire around them. The birds are then used as projectiles, fired all at once, with a range of twenty meters, which they can cover in five seconds. They can cause serious burns, and disfigurement alone. But together can easily take down a group of shinobi as they will ignite any flammable objects, such as clothes.

Chikamatsu Kiyoshi

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     Startled by the entrance of the Shinobi, the men near the barrel stumbled to their feet - but drunk, tired sailors were little match for the speed of the duo's assault. They'd barely set hands on their weapons when the barrel exploded like a bomb.

     The fire bird'd punched a hole straight through the wood and the ignited liquor swelled. A wave of liquid fire hit the six men. Two of them stood no chance at all, being so close that they were killed instantly. Two were ignited and threw themselves into the shallow pool in the center of the room, writhing. The final pair yelped, patted themselves out, and rushed at Asahi with terrifying visage, curved swords in hand.

     With a clap of his hands, Kiyoshi created a sickly sharp kunai, which he launched to intercept one of the two that were rushing down Asahi, but his attention was soon stolen as 6 men poured down a curving tunnel from the level above. These were better prepared, but still scared witless. A voice bellowed from above. "Stay in the tunnels, fools!" it called in a gruff tone.

     Three heeded the call, quickly running back into the tunnel. Two were too blinded with fear and both ran at Kiyoshi, who with a single handseal created three glass clones who shot up out of the sand. They intercepted the duo and set upon them with glass kunai of their own, slicing clean through their flesh with ease.

     The last made straight for the exit, but tripped over the mummified corpse of the man nearest to the sea. His drunken scramblings were ended with a kunai by Kiyoshi. The two who'd thrown themselves in the water surfaced now surfaced, burnt and smoking, but cried out and followed the other two in slashing their swords at Asahi.

Kyokujitsu Asahi | 303 words

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

Their methods were quick and explosive which did well for creating an element of surprise but it would soon bring all eyes on them. Using their environment as such allowed the duo to cut the number of opponents in a near instant with only the perfectly placed pool of water preventing the kill count from climbing higher... for the moment. Asahi would see the two men who hadn't been burnt to a crisp begin to charge at him, their movements slow and sloppy. One would be felled by a glass weapon from Kiyoshi as the other would continue his assault, strikes being dodged with relative ease by the Kyokujitsu as he watched two more emerge from the water; no longer on fire but far from being ok.

He now had three people to contend with along with the forces on the other level he could feel mustering. Three quick seals would precede Asahi slapping his hands on the ground from his epicenter an intricate seal would spread out halting the movements of the three men who had been charging at him. From there the man would quickly throw six kunai from his holster, two for each, aimed at their head and neck region. They'd either drop instantly or finding themselves bleeding out and not long for this world. Whatever the outcome they were dealt with and the special jounin would work his way over to Kiyoshi and the tunnel that led to the upper level. Half of them were smart enough to not charge in which no doubt meant that there would be a host of them waiting to attack as soon as they got up there, and even for a couple shinobi there was but only so much they could dodge against those numbers.

"I don't suppose they'll welcome us up there with open arms." He spoke with a half-smile. So what could one do in this situation where numbers and vantage point were against them? Use their aggression against them, of course. Making a single seal a replica of Asahi would shimmer into being, a true copy in every way but with a deadly secret. "I can send this in to tank an attack and it'll send a blast of super heated wind when destroyed, and since they're in the tunnels there shouldn't be a way for them to avoid it."

If Kiyoshi was ok with the idea then the clone would begin to charge into the tunnels, kunai in hand, aiming to get as close to the pirates as he could and baiting them into attacking which it would not try to dodge at all.

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.


--

NAME: Shakuton: Kansō Bunshin no Jutsu [Scorch Release: Dehydration Clone Technqiue]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Shakuton
HANDSEALS: 1
TRIGGER: N/A
DESCRIPTION:
A shadow clone technique on a timer. These clones are created with the sole purpose of performing kamikaze style attacks. They will charge their target in order to catch it in a predetermined dehydrating wind-blast. The power of the "explosion" is roughly that of a standard explosive note, but the winds that follow are capable of causing moderate dehydration to those afflicted, the effects increasing if set upon by more than one clone. The clone will auto-detonate in two posts (if not destroyed sooner by outside means).

Chikamatsu Kiyoshi

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     Kiyoshi smiled. "Yes, that's a good plan, but," he said while holding a hand up. "Let me take a look first." With a single handseal, a small glass dove floated up from the sand and flapped quietly down the tunnel. It'd cooled to the point of being near-transparent, allowing it to go unobserved while Kiyoshi spied through its' eyes.

     Halfway up the curving tunnel, it split into three. Groups of pirates laid in wait, around the corners of the horizontal paths, but at the end of the third was a ramshackle wooden wall and door. Good. If there were any documents, they were safe behind there, most likely. The dove flew back and landed in his hand.

     "Alright," Kiyoshi said. "Send him in." The clone rushed forward into the tunnel, reaching the junction, where the pirates yelled and attempted to dogpile him. A faint explosion sounded in the distance, and a dry wind washed over the duo at the tunnel's entrance.

     The pair cautiously progressed, coming to the branching path and the bodies of the pirates. It was silent, save for faint wheezing. "Not bad," Kiyoshi said with a grin as they stepped over the dead and dying, headed for the door. "let's see what they were protecting."

     There'd been thirteen down below, and nine laid dead here. Going by the count, there should be three more inside here. "I'd rather not damage anything in there," he said. "but there'll probably be a few waiting inside. No explosives, or fire." Wooden furniture could be heard scraping inside.

     Kiyoshi pulled a long, rapier-like sword of glass from a storm of fire he created on the stone floor. With his other hand, he bade Asahi to take the lead.

Kyokujitsu Asahi | 287 words

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

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With the signal to proceed the shakuton clone would speed down the hallway where to no one's surprise the pirates would attack thinking they had an easy victory with their superior numbers and element of surprise. Little did they know that once damaged the clone would explode in a rushing blast of superheated air that drained the very moisture from their bodies. It was not a fun way to be shepherded to the other side and they were much too far away from the pool of water to try and save themselves, but if there was any silver lining they had experienced much less bloodshed than their comrades.

With the path now clear of enemies the two would make their way down the tunnel to the sight of the dead and dying bodies laying about the floor. Asahi's eyes shifted to the door that held the last three people and according to Kiyoshi perhaps something of value which he wanted to avoid damaging. Truth be told this was the trickiest part of the mission so far given the parameters and the man took a couple moments to think of the best way to enter the room as safely as possible without damaging what contents may have been inside. He figured they'd have to get up close and personal once the door was breached which was fine but taking the time to see what weaponry their opponents had and where exactly they were at would take a moment or two, so he needed to do something that would give them back the element of surprise.

"Understood." Performing a set of seals the Kyokujitsu would inhale deeply as he took aim at the disheveled door before unleashing a powerful gale of wind that would no doubt fling the door off of its hinges and crashing back into the room. Asahi hoped that the attack would startle the men inside just long enough for the duo to make their entrance and get the jump on them. "Left, right and back of the room." He spoke. Whether Kiyoshi wanted to be the first to enter or have Asahi lead the charge it mattered not as a shimmer would begin to envelop the man's hands and feet, his extremities now coated in Shakuton chakra. Once the order was given Asahi would quickly enter the room turning due right and beginning his physical assault on the pirate.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Fūton: Kyōryokuna Kaze no Nami [Wind Release: Powerful Wind Wave]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Fūton
HANDSEALS: 3
DESCRIPTION:
After forming the necessary hand seals, the caster releases a powerful gale of wind from their mouth. The gale itself has enough power to lift and push opposing Shinobi off their feet.

---

NAME: Shakuton Ganakei [Scorch Gauntlet Technique]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low Activation; Low Drain
CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu, Ninjutsu
ELEMENT: Shakuton
HANDSEALS: N/A
TRIGGER: N/A
DESCRIPTION:
Coating the hands and feet in Shakuton chakra, the user will look to add additional damage to their punches as kicks as the scorching heat leaves burns on the targets body, with extended contact capable of rapidly dehydrating the afflicted area, moisture being drawn from their skin, muscles, and circulatory system. This technique can also double as an effective torture and interrogation tool as contact with exposed skin feels as if they are being subjected to a searing flame.

Chikamatsu Kiyoshi

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     Letting Asahi take the lead, the duo rushed into the room. The man that'd been in the back let out an ack as the door slammed into him and pinned him between it, a table, and a chair. The two to the left and right seemed just as weak as those in the prior cavern.

     The left most man tried to rush at Kiyoshi, who relieved him of his hand with a stroke from the glass rapier. The pirate clutched at where it'd been as he fell to his knees with a scream, but was immediately silenced with a thrust of the thin blade, which Kiyoshi snapped off and threw on the ground.

     Asahi's opponent was likely to be dispatched in similar ease, after which Kiyoshi remarked that these pirates had been even less of a challenge than he'd expected, as he lifted the door off the struggling man. He was a weaselly-looking man, thin and weak. "Gen'ichi give you the dregs?" he asked with a mocking smile. "Really? Not even a single Shinobi?"

     "Asahi, do you mind taking this..." Kiyoshi trailed off as he looked around the room. There wasn't anything in the way of valuables in here, but there were a number of scattered documents. Between those and what the man might have to say, they might be able to track down the hideout of Gen'ichi without much more lollygagging about. "I'd say man, but he doesn't appear to be much of anything, honestly."

     "Could you take him down to the ship, start putting the screws to him? I'll be down in a minute, after I've seen what there is to be had in here. "

Kyokujitsu Asahi | 277 words

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

{

}

The blasting of the door had done more to stun the men than Asahi anticipated, with one being crushed by the door itself as it flew back and the other two being so stunned that the special jounin had been able to bring him down in a few well placed hits. Looking about the room there wasn't much in the way of valuables but there were more than a few documents strewn about that may have held some kind of knowledge. Kiyoshi would instruct for him to take the remaining fellow down to the ship and see what information he could get out of him which sound a whole lot like interrogation; a practice the Kyokujitsu wasn't super familiar with but he had the means to extract information.

"Yes, sir." He replied before grabbing the man by the shirt and hoisting him to his feet. His dazed and injured form was just suitable enough to walk and so they would, first out of the room and then down the tunnel and through the larger opening where the pirate could see the carnage his fellow ne'erdowells had played victim to. Once back on the boat Asahi would sit the man down before using a spool of ninja wire to bind his hands and feet, couldn't risk him trying to escape or more than likely jumping into the sea to avoid what was to come next. "I'd like to do this without you incurring further pain, so please tell me where your boss is hiding out at." He would ask. "I-I can't! He'll kill me if we rat him out!" The pirate replied obviously still much more afraid of his absent boss than the shinobi who had helped to kill twenty plus men in a matter of minutes that was sitting across from him.

A soft sigh escaped the Kyokujitsu as he felt his metaphorical hand be forced. Being unable to draw simple information from a low level goon wouldn't look good and Asahi wanted to show that he could be depended on for whatever Kiyoshi needed. Once more a shimmer of shakuton chakra would envelop the shinobi's hand as he gripped the man's shoulder making sure to hold a tight enough grip to keep him in place no matter how much he tried to squirm away from the intense pain. "AAAAHHHHHH, OK OK, HE'S IN TEA COUNTRY! PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP!!" The man exclaimed. Asahi would end the technique as he removed his hand from the man to reveal a bright red hand print that had left the skin cracked and brittle from the moisture being evaporated. "Thank you."

Tea country, hm? It was just across the sea from Wind Country which made getting back and forth a relatively simple endeavor which was perfect for those who were dealing in less than honorable ventures. With the information --assuming it was correct-- obtained Asahi would await Kiyoshi's return to deliver the news and what he assumed would be the continuation of their voyage at sea.

Chikamatsu Kiyoshi

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     After a bit of rooting around, Kiyoshi laid all the relevant papers on the table he'd kicked back into place. Useless, useless, useless. Nearly all the letters and receipts contained nothing more than vague instructions or orders. Go here, attack this. Yet a pattern began to appear after a while, in the way the orders were given - the wording was exactly the same as he recalled Gen'ichi had used towards the end of their voyage.

     While nothing had proved all that important, that much confirmed this was the correct group of pirates. And - thanks to mentions of various Cha no Kuni islands, he was able to triangulate an approximate spot for their base. Kiyoshi piled the papers in the center of the table and closed the door behind himself and made his way back down to the boat.

     "Good job with that," Kiyoshi remarked with a smile after Asahi had relayed what he'd learned. "nothing in there mentioned a location - but it did confirm we're on the right track." He grabbed the man from the boat and hoisted him onto land.

     The duo left the man tied up in the cave. Kiyoshi formed a small glass dove and engraved a message on the side and they watched it fly off north. "We might end up gone for a bit, so I've sent word to Hoseki. Garrison there'll send someone to clean up this mess, and a messenger to let Takato and Arashi know."

     Sailing to a small salt-mining village nearby, the pair spent the night in the home of a welcoming elderly couple and enjoyed their hospitality, until mid-morning when a larger boat arrived from Hoseki to pick them up.

     It was still small - a skeleton crew, but much bigger than their previous vessel. Much more suited to the deep seas, and naval combat, if it came to it. At least for the time being though, that seemed unlikely. Their group made it across the Kaze-Cha sea with no incident and docked in Port City, at the tip of the peninsula.

     After a bit of asking around, they'd put all their information together to place a likely X over a small set of islands off the west coast of the nation. Pirates had been seen coming and going from there, mostly heading west.

     On an overcast dusk, the pair eventually arrived. Sailing up from the coast, they approached the eastern side of the islands - the ships had all been moored on the west. Kiyoshi and Asahi hopped off at the most southeastern island, barely a mound with a small scouting camp for three people and a long bridge that connected to the main island.

     Some distance away, hidden against a backdrop of stormy clouds, they could see the old stone fortress that the pirates had commandeered. As the two crept up to the small fire and the three men who appeared to be dozing off, Kiyoshi asked Asahi for a sensory scan of the place. He expected there'd be far more here than they could fight - or want to, at least - and a healthy chunk of those were competent Missing-nin.

Kyokujitsu Asahi | 520 words

[Kyokujitsu Asahi]

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Asahi would spend the time reflecting on the endeavor he and Kiyoshi had embarked on as he waited for the Kazekage to return, along with as much breath-catching as possible; he had used a number of jutsu in rapid succession and the man had not been blessed with large chakra reserves so keeping track of what he had remaining was paramount for longer missions. Once the man returned to the ship it wasn't with news of the world changing variety but what Kiyoshi did find combined with the intel from their captive confirmed that the Tea Country was indeed their next destination. With their trip now stretching beyond the borders of their home country Kiyoshi would send word back home to inform the powers at be of the situation.

After tying up the sole survivor the two would once more set sail until they arrived at a small village where they rested and prepared for the next day's journey. A larger ship than the one they had started off in was waiting on them the next morning and would take them across the sea to Tea Country territory. While not a full armada by any means there was now more than just the two of them which was a welcomed sight should any danger come their way while they were sailing. Thankfully the journey was without incident and after stopping in a port city to gather information it was determined that the pirates base of operations was most likely on some small islands to the west.

Once there he and Kiyoshi would begin their approach from the south until a huge stone fortress no doubt built for some long forgotten purpose came into view. A small group of lookouts sat sleepily around a small fire with a large bridge behind them connecting to the main island, no doubt their entrance but also where there were surely a hell of a lot of people inside waiting for someone to give them the chance to use their weapons. Upon Kiyoshi's request Asahi would pulse his chakra out to scan the area, this time focusing intently to ensure he got as thorough a sweep of the area as possible. Almost instantly the special jounin's suspicions were confirmed as dozens upon dozens of people pinged back and unlike with the small cave before there was chakra mixed in as well.

"I'm picking up around 130 people spread out among the islands, but only about 35 in the fortress ahead of us. However... there are four decently sized chakra signatures clumped near each other. Hired help, maybe? Or Bodyguards?" Asahi spoke running through the possibilities. It only made sense that the main base of operations would have stronger people watching over things and whoever was leading them would no doubt want as much protection around themself as possible.

Chikamatsu Kiyoshi

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Chikamatsu Kiyoshi]

     "A hundred and thirty?" he quietly confirmed. "That's not so bad." he joked. Placing his hand on the earth, a small flash lit up the campfire. One of the pirates turned to look, barely in time to see the thin kunai that dispatched him.

     When Asahi and Kiyoshi had finished them off, he wiped his hands and looked over to the main island and the fortress. "I might've suggested stealth," he considered with a grin. "but sending a message couldn't hurt. And besides, I've got to at least try to show up Takato now that I've taken his old position, don't I?" Kiyoshi laughed.

     With a few handseals, a large glass dove for them to ride upon rose up out of the earth. Kiyoshi beckoned Asahi to board, as he weaved another four. A great, loud rumble began as the small island erupted into a broil of fire and lightning. "Might want to shield you eyes," he advised. "and prepare for a fight."

     One hundred fire-red glass birds crawled up from the inferno, lighting the island like a second sun in the dusk. Holding his last seal, Kiyoshi stepped aboard beside Asahi as they lifted off into the sky, the horde of glass doves following them.

     A pirate in the main fortress made his rounds, ready to retire to his quarters for the night. Looking up, he saw a sea of red stars shooting across the sky overhead. He dropped his spear and yelled, pointing up as an ear rattling screech split the air, as a hundred falling stars fell to the earth.

     From far above, Kiyoshi and Asahi looked down at the erupting chaos - men on each island were shredded by exploding glass, their camps lit afire. The stone fortress' insides were like a bonfire, huge flames licking up at the walkways. Screams and yells rose up in cacophony, along with the noise of the bridges collapsing into the sea. Their glass dove brought them down into the main courtyard, Kiyoshi expanding a barrier that snuffed out the flames.

     "Gen'ichi!" Kiyoshi bellowed as he hopped off onto the scorched ground, their landing surrounded by corpses. "We've come for you!" He turned to smile at Asahi.

     The heavy doors of the central chamber creaked open. Their target bristled forth, barely more than Asahi's age, and other than his ragtag appearance, remarkably similar-looking. The younger man's bodyguards, four men of Kiyoshi's age, or a little younger, followed him and formed a square formation with Gen'ichi in the center.

     "Barely on land a few months and you've already replaced me!" Gen'ichi yelled with a disrespectful gesture at Asahi. "He'd replace you too, Shinobi," he spat, "if either of you were leaving this place alive."

     The burning wreckage of the fort crumbled around them, smoking railings falling into the bushes that lined the courtyard. The front two bodyguards slid to a knee, unleashing a flurry of ten kunai at each of them.

     The two in the back weaved a series of handseals, and after they'd blocked or dodged, Asahi would find a giant water dragon flying down at him, having risen from the seas over the wall. Kiyoshi was targeted with five roaring dragon heads of fire that bore down on him from above.

Used Faithful Dove, C-Rank, medium cost and Ascension of One Hundred Doves, S-Rank, high cost.

A       K


1       2
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3       4

Guard 1 & 2 throwing shuriken, then 3 is attacking Asahi with Suiryuudan no Jutsu - [Water Dragon Projectile Technique] [B-Rank] & 4 Kiyoshi with Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu [Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique] [B-Rank].
Kyokujitsu Asahi | 541 words