[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

The strange interview with the shaken bandits has left Tomomi incredibly curious. There are a great number of questions here and very few answers, exacerbated by the fact that the accounts from the various criminals are very different, only bare threads of consistency between the stories they told. With so much left unknown and a potential threat lingering on the outskirts of this anxious little town, there's little choice but to dive in and explore.

Tomomi might be a bit of an unorthodox pick for the excursion, but as it involves a sort of infiltration it's not too surprising that they would be brought along. Their perceptive abilities help with that. And Kazui is an up and coming, promising shinobi. Testing her mettle in a mission like this is not unheard of, even if it's a little above her usual rank.

The trip to the small village is not a particularly long one, and any conversation had with the village people is as unhelpful as the testimony from the bandits. The shrine in question is an old one, of course, and had been almost entirely neglected until the criminals moved in. No one remembers what was inside before that, so they can't provide significantly more information. They mention something about another mercenary who is in the area, but that's about all.

So there's no point meandering about. Best to get right to it. That all is how Tomomi and Kazui end up here, standing outside the entrance into the dark and quiet shrine. In the interest of giving Kazui experience, they'll defer to her for a moment, at least in theory.

"Alright, so we need to go in. We have minimal information. How do you think we should begin our approach?"

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

A quiet and gentle sigh escaped the girl’s lips as she and Tomomi stood at the entrance to an old sacred temple that had only just recently been inhabited by some criminals who needed a place to hangout to conduct their crimes and what not. The mission was a little less than ideal, considering that no one really knew anything. There was no information that was given to Tomomi and herself that could even be remotely close to useful, which was why the young girl was a bit frustrated. After hours of interviewing the criminals, nothing that they said truly adds up to one another except one recurring piece of information, but that didn’t help either.

Flipping through the notes she had taken during the interviews, hoping that her mind could piece something together out of nothing, it would ultimately fail. Shaking her head gently from side to side as she placed the small notepad back into one of the pouches of her flak jacket, her dark yet soft eyes would fall on Tomomi as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Minimal information is an understatement.”

The girl spoke quietly in a disappointed yet joking tone, her hand rose as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"There’s only one thing we can do, and that’s to just … see what’s down there ourselves … I guess.

Examine the scene, find some evidence that hopefully leads us to whoever .. or whatever has these guys so afraid. Personally, I would try to put myself in the shoes of the bandits, they lived down here for the most part, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to stay here for a day or two, as much as I hate to say it.”

Kazui said in a confident tone. She didn’t fear many things, actually there wasn’t anything that she could recall being afraid of, so she hoped whatever scared these bandits was something worth their time.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

Where the shrine began to descend into an underground hollow, there was a supply closet that was barred from the outside with scratches on the outside. Within several crates had been knocked in front of the door, and a man chained to an overturned chair was laying on the ground with a blindfold on. Standing over him was a large sheep dog with white fur, panting in his ear and slobbering on his face.

Kotobuki had been paid to sneak into the bandit’s lair to steal back a child being held for ransom. His journey had ended abruptly when his sneaking was detected… because Bobo came running in after him. His position was given up when one of the ruffians was going to kill his canine, and he broke his illusion to save him. Unfortunately, they managed to take his dog hostage and Kotobuki surrendered.

Next thing he knew he was blindfolded in the supply closet, with Bobo. After a few days of occasional bandit torture, his captors stopped visiting and he sensed something else. As the signature got closer he heard strange noises and a pounding on the door. He scooted the chair forward and knocked some heavy supply crates down to block things from his side, and in the end whoever or whatever was on the other side gave up. Unfortunately in doing so he fell over.

It had been quite some time now and Kotobuki was incredibly parched, and he had given up on his struggle to break the bindings. He was sleeping, until Bobo began to bark. Kotobuki’s eyes opened and he coughed. He could sense people outside the shrine…

"Hello?” he called out, though his voice would be too faint to be heard from outside. Bobo’s deep barks would carry much further, though it would also carry to the complex beneath.

🗡️Moro

[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

About to agree with Kazui's assessment, Tomomi was given pause by the sudden barking from inside the shrine. No one had reported any sounds similar to that when recounting information. It didn't sound like a particularly threatening bark, more of an alert, standing on guard. It easily could've been a cover. Someone making the sound, trying to lure them in. It's not a genjutsu being put into play, at least as far as Tomomi can tell at the moment.

"Hm," Tomomi says, rather succinctly, peering down into the darkness. Now would be a decent time to look in another way as well. The Mind's Eye; they allow it to open, since it isn't a major chakra investment and shouldn't be a problem to leave activated for now. As their senses extend, they pick up on a faint chakra signature below.

"It seems like someone is trapped down there," they say. "Another bandit?" They offer. They step into the entrance of the shrine and begin to creep deeper, tone dropping into a softer hush as they go. They're not particularly intimidated either. Little can faze them. One way or another they'll be confronting what or whoever is in this cave, so no point lollygagging.

This entrance area is a bit of a mess. It's clear that the bandits had been staying here, perhaps primarily, and had been neglecting the lower parts of the cavern. Things are overturned, thrown about, evidence of a struggle. And the barking is coming from behind a blocked door.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu Used:

NAME: Kagura Shingan [Kagura Mind's Eye]
RANK: A
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu
DESCRIPTION:
This ability allows the user to find, sense, and track individuals through their chakra over vast range that exceeds ten kilometers. This is done by focusing and opening the mind's eye, though due to the low chakra cost many users keep it active often. The ability also extends to telling when a person is lying from the fluctuations in a person's chakra made from dishonest emotions or detecting if someone, including the user, is under a genjutsu. Also by focusing on a particular chakra, the user can perceive its location and movement with great detail.

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Shortly altering giving her assessment of what to do next, a noise would quickly grab the young girl’s attention. Her eyes widened as she listened closer to the sound as it carried from deep within the shrine. It was clearly a dog, but why were they stuck down there? Was that the thing causing such a stir within the criminal ranks? Kazui would mentally sigh to herself as the thought of them being called out because of a dog seemed to get to her.

However, the closer the girl listened, she could tell that the dog was barking more so to gather their attention rather than to warn them that they were trespassing in its territory. There were no growls, the sounds of the barks came off as a plea of some sorts. Looking over towards the jonin as they spoke, Kazui would offer her thoughts on the matter.

"Probably. It’s not uncommon for people to become selfish in such dire situations. The person probably slipped up or got stuck while their crew hightailed out of there.

Let’s go see what they know.”

There was no loyalty among their ranks, and Kazui was aware of that. The life of a criminal was less than ideal, but nonetheless somehow this person managed to survive for quite a while. Striking a fire in one of the torches that hung by the entrance, the girl would use the brightness of the flame to light their way. Kazui would take the first step in before letting Tomomi lead the way since they had superb sensory abilities there was no reason for Kazui herself to be out in front. Instead, her sharingan would activate as she followed the jonin side by side as they ventured into the deeper parts of the shrine. The place was trashed but that’s what the girl was expecting to see.

Nevertheless once they came upon the closer in which the guy was in, the Uchiha would try to open the door, but to no avail. No matter how hard she pushed, the door just wouldn’t budge. A sigh escaping her breath as she turned to face Tomomi, her voice as soft as a feather as she spoke in a quiet whisper.

"He blocked off the entrance.”

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

Bobo stepped over Kotobuki towards the boxes lying on the floor. As he barked with excitement his tail wagged, batting the disheveled mercenary in the face. He could sense the presence of two people on the other side of the door, Bobo had made out the quiet sounds of the whisper and the pushing of the door that Kotobuki himself didn’t detect.

"Hello.. out... there...pffff,” he stammered in between the dog's tail lashing against his mouth. "Do you... have any water?”

It was all that he could think about. He didn’t even care if it was the bandits back to reclaim him as a hostage if they would just provide him with something to drink. Bobo on the other hand began bashing against the large crate that had fallen over the door. After a few moments of bumping against the door he made it budge just slightly mostly by mistake. If he wasn’t a beast and had some understanding of geometry he might have been able to nudge it further away.

Instead when the little nudge opened the door a small crack he stuck his black snout through it and began smelling the newcomers. He barked at them a single time, and then started making whining noises.

🗡️ Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

[Moro]

what bandits fear,B RANK MISSION

template by Punki of Pixel Perfect

Darkness was all consuming. Or so it seemed to those who ventured into the old shrine. What the newcomers did not know what that a single, small mass watched them from the corner, high above the ground. It had no chakra signature, and when it moved to follow their movements? It made no sound. While they were occupied by the dog and trapped man, they’d likely not realize that something else was here.

Something they perhaps had not expected.


As they would likely start to attempt to free the man who had trapped himself in the supply closet, a shrill scream would soon echo through the walls, it was faded as it came from deep within the old hallways, some which were collapsed or partially caved in. The man in the supply closet, however, would recognize the scream as something which had preluded the scuffle and banging outside his door. Would it strike fear or simply make him want to retreat back into his supply closet with whatever water the two shinobi may or may not have? Or would he tumble out of the shrine to dive head first into the first fresh water spring he could find?


Either way, if they team attempted to brave the old hallways in search of the shrill scream, then they’d eventually encounter an old torii gate made in solid stone with a set of stone doors. They were heavy. But… Perhaps they’d be able to climb through the small hole at the top where the two doors met? It was a frightfully tight fit if they tried and a grown adult with wide shoulders or hips surely wouldn’t fit through.

BAD GUYS:

SPOILER: Click to show

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JUTSU USED:

SPOILER: Click to show

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[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

Any water? Perhaps the man inside had been stuck, then. Or he was so frightened he had hidden away for days without daring to tread out of his hiding spot, which wouldn't be particularly surprising at this point. The dog beginning to nudge the door open at least means that the man didn't intend to stay particularly long in there.

"We have water," Tomomi confirms, "and we'll give you some after we have a chance to talk." They greet the dog with caution. He doesn't seem particularly dangerous and in fact seems somewhat friendly, relieved to have rescuers here to free his master. But that means little. Plenty of attack dogs are friendly outside of battle and Tomomi would rather be wary, especially with an incapacitated handler. Animals. They're just so unpredictable.

To avoid having to enter the room, they slip a kunai from its pouch and attach a puppet string, maneuvering it into the room. Aim carefully and, with a flick, it launches across the room, slicing the ropes keeping Kotobuki bound in place before knocking against the wall.

"There we go. Why don't you help us unblock the door and then we can ask you some-" They're interrupted by a rising shriek from somewhere deep within the shrine and they pause to listen.

"Rude yokai," they crack, giving Kazui a look, brows raised. The sound is unfamiliar, alien. "Either of you have any idea what that might be?"

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu used:

NAME: Soshujin - [Manipulating Attacking Blades]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [Puppetry]
ELEMENT: N/a
DESCRIPTION:
The user attaches invisible strings of chakra to their weapons before launching them at a rapid rate at the opponent. These blades will be fired much faster than a person can throw them with the added bonus that they can be transferred from the thrown weapons to a nearby object, allowing the user to attach their strings to an opponent who has deflected their attack physically.

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

Kazui stood there beside the jonin as they answered the man, her eyes shifting from left to right as the flickers of the flames created a small radius of light, beyond that was darkness and the unknown. It was an eerie place to be, but all was going well so far. They had another potential witness to question, and hopefully he could provide more answers and help them come up with a solid understanding of what truly transpired that resulted in them being called upon.

The sound of panting could be heard behind the door as the canine was knocking around whatever was in front of the entrance before sticking his snout through the crack of the door. Another push from the girl would make the door budge, but it wouldn’t open any further, so instead she would let Tomomi do what they had planned. Her sharingan picked up on the puppetry string as it entered the room, but the girl’s attention wouldn’t remain stuck in one place, this place was much too shady.

Instead, she continued to shift her eyes around, as if she were a look out of some sorts. The sound of the kunai hitting against the wall however would bring her interest back, but it was quickly stolen once more as an odd and blood curling shrill echoed throughout the shrine. Immediately Kazui would look in the direction it came from and try to make out exactly what that could have possibly been. She had a vast amount of knowledge, but for some reason she could not pinpoint what kind of animal could have even come close to making such a horrid sound.

"We might have to put those questions on hold for the time being...”

The girl spoke softly as she stared off into the darkness. She wanted to go investigate, but doing so alone was foolish through and through.

"No clue what that was but, I guess we’re going to find out”

Kazui said as she turned to face the other two.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

"Thanks,” Kotobuki said with a sigh of relief.

With his bindings broken Kotobuki quickly pulled the fold off of his eyes and hoisted himself up. He wobbled in disorientation, made worse by Bobo running to him in excitement and jumping up onto his chest with his front paws. Then came that familiar shrieking sound. The dog backed away from him and let out a whining noise, moving into a corner of the room under an old end table.

"Not sure what it is, but last I heard it the bandits started high tailing it out of here,” he said as he found a rack of ale in the supply closet. He grabbed it from the shelf and quickly popped it open, taking several large swigs of the warm booze. It was refreshing to his tongue, though he still craved water. It’d have to wait for now though. He looked around the room trying to find his largest scroll, the one that held his camping supplies and personal effects. It was missing. He did find his staff, which he excitedly grabbed.

"Damn it,” he cursed. He wedged the supplies in the way of the door further out the way. His dark hair and rouge eye peaked out the door for a moment to see the two figures standing on the other side, noticing the leaf symbols on their attire. He backed himself out and looked to Bobo in the corner. "Psst, good job. I’ll take it from here,” he whispered, and then he left the supply closet.

"Hello Leaf Ninja,” Kotobuki said with a bow. "Thank you very much!”

He walked a bit past them, towards the source of the noise until he came to the torii gate. He bit his thumb and let the blood run down his staff, which he pressed against the ground. A small white sheep appeared, sitting on its butt. It sighed at Kotobuki.

"I don’t know the answer to your questions I am sure, but let me repay you by finding out,” he said. He picked the sheep up by the scruff of its neck. It made no signs of discomfort on its face, it seemed almost like it was used to it. In a sudden movement he tossed the sheep through the tight hole above the blocked gate. "Go take a look around!” he called to the creature he had thrown to the other side.

🗡️ Moro | summoned Fuwafuwa

[Moro]

what bandits fear,B RANK MISSION

template by Punki of Pixel Perfect

It seemed the trio had decided to dive into the darkness and go towards the shriek. Kotobuki would summon a small sheep with a surprisingly deep voice - betraying its fluffy, cuddly appearance. The sheep went through the small hole and would land in a dark, dark cavern. Limited light streamed through the hole the sheep went through, but it only illuminated a small spot not much larger than the sheep itself was. What the sheep likely could see was old rocks from a cave in, the rocks piling up on one side of the large room. Old, faded murals were hinted as by their darker colors, making it seem like dark shadows were dancing across the walls in all sorts of odd shapes with large, pointy maws.

Another black mass was situated in the opposite corner of the torii gate, a bit in the top crook of the gate, again as inconspicuous as the other.

If the little sheep with the deep voice explored further it would likely find another set of smaller openings - five total- a good four meters up on a bit on a wall which was still standing despite being surrounded by the rubble of the two other walls. The holes looked like four gaping maws, pointy stone teeth on top and on the bottom. Would the sheep go in? Or would they simply report back? The holes were large enough for the average human to crawl through on all fours, though certainly didn’t have much room beside that.

The ruined room did not display much about the possible religion if might have belonged to - if any at all.

BAD GUYS:

SPOILER: Click to show

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JUTSU USED:

SPOILER: Click to show

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[Yamanaka Tomomi]

YAMANAKA TOMOMI

NINGYO/HIDARI

Catching another ally on this mission hadn't been expected, but it is appreciated. Especially because there's no way Tomomi was fitting through that gap. Sure, they're lithe, but not enough for that. Looking at it, they're not even certain Kazui could fit. And they would hate to send her through alone anyways. The sheep was the strongly preferable option, even if Tomomi is still wary about Kotobuki.

They can perform their own investigation from this side of the door anyways, at least slightly so. Allowing puppet strings to extend from their fingertips, Tomomi sends delving strings up the wall and through the hole at the top of the doorway. They bring them down the other side to begin feeling around. Five strings in total; one to feel the door to look for ways to open it from the other side, one to feel the floor, the others to examine walls. It's a somewhat slow process, which will give the sheep time to look around further than the delving strings can explore and time for the sheep to come back. If it didn't get attacked, of course.

"While we're waiting for your friend to return, do you mind telling us how you ended up down here?" Tomomi prompts.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Jutsu used:

NAME: Onisageru Mojiretsu [Delving String]
RANK: C
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [Puppetry]
ELEMENT: -
HANDSEALS: 0
DESCRIPTION:
A simple, but very useful technique; by extending puppetry strings and concentrating on the sensation felt in their fingertips a user can probe to try and manipulate or detect what they can't see. Shinobi commonly use this technique to unlock doors, sliding a string under the door to unlock it from the other side. However, this technique can also be used to try and detect opponents in pitch black or other vision-obscuring scenarios like the Hidden Mist Technique.

[Deleted]

Don’t just weather the storm.
Dance in it.

❧

"Yeah yeah, no problem. Now come on.”

The girl spoke to the random guy that they had found. She and Tomomi were just doing what they were sent there to do, which was find what has been causing such unrest, there was no need to thank them, especially now since they weren’t completely out of the waters yet. The blood curling shrill was enough to put the girl into an overly cautious state, so she was sure that they could be attacked by any moment.

Nonetheless, as the new addition to their squad took a few steps forward, Kazui would follow slightly behind him, watching as he summoned a sheep. He had some shinobi training, yet there was no band or symbol to link him to any major shinobi villages. Did he teach it to himself? These thoughts raced through the young girl’s mind quickly before it returned to the sheep that squeezed its way through. Kazui herself could’ve fit through as she was, and well any of them could have fit but at the cost of chakra.

Standing around waiting for what the sheep could possibly find, Kazui would be looking around while Tomomi questioned the random guy. Hopefully the little guy could find a way to get them to the other side as well before things take a turn for the worst.

word count ● @tag ● notes

[attr="class","cred"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + GS

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[Go Kotobuki]

Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings.

---

"I was paid by a villager to come here to retrieve a kid,” Kotobuki told the blonde truthfully. While he spoke he began digging through his pockets to pull out a couple of small scrolls. "Bobo decided to help me and got himself taken hostage. I’m hoping the kid is still here or that the bandits left enough behind to recoup my losses.”

The mention of the dog’s name signaled a whimper from the storage closet the sheepdog was hiding in. His eyes slid back over towards that door and he smiled, obviously not all that upset with the canine. His attention returned back to the path ahead when he heard the echo of a deep voice coming from Fuwafuwa on the other side.

"It looks like a cave-in in ‘ere, Kotobuki,” the sheep called back. "It’s pretty dark, but I found a bunch of tunnels you could fit through, it's a bit creepy though.”

He looked back to the Konohagakure shinobi. It didn’t seem like there was much contention and they were both going the same way, and the ravenette seemed to be ready to push forward. Ditching the rest of his equipment to try to squeeze through that little hole wasn’t his style though. He’d usually stir things up and then use genjutsu to hide, but drawing out whatever it was closer to the entrance would make egress easier, he thought.

He walked up to the blockage and placed an explosive tag on the wall, set to trigger to go off.

🗡️ Sorry for the wait Moro

[Moro]

what bandits fear,B RANK MISSION

template by Punki of Pixel Perfect

Fuwa would do his investigation and find the tunnels as well as report it back to the trio. Tomomi’s delving strings would find their way around the unknown door, no handles or mechanisms could be found via the strings - if any were there the strings were not enough to activate them. An explosive tag was set ad detonated, which would cause much of the rubble to be catapulted outwards towards the trio and if they were not on guard they’d likely find themselves with a few bumps and bruises once the dust settled. It would leave behind a nice hole they all could fit through.

If the trio and sheep ventured into the mural halls drenched in shadow, they’d eventually find the tunnels Fuwa had reported. If they decided to go into the tunnels they’d find themselves in total darkness for long stretches, the one furthest on the right would end in a sudden drop, the middle would have a sharp incline, and the leftmost one would end in darkness and if they were not careful well… They’d find themselves dropping quite a distance and would find themselves with a few cracked bones. Upwards they’d find a wall which stretched up into the darkness. Basically, a hole in a massive vertical wall.

If they chose to explore the darkness in the mural hall, they’d find old wooden objects used to prepare wool for threads, cooking utensils, among other simple things.

BAD GUYS:

SPOILER: Click to show

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JUTSU USED:

SPOILER: Click to show

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