[Senju Kazuto]

To some, assassinations were a nasty business. A type of assignment more fitting for a cutthroat armed with a jagged piece of metal to hack and slash a target. To other it was a demonstration of skill and finesse. A way to change events with the precision of a stab or with the sweet slice of steel on a throat. To other it was the way to leave a mark on the world, to do or undo a motion of events that would change history forevermore. It was better to live in ignominy those could tell you. But for Kazuto it was merely an assignment. A cold and calculated endeavor that he would take on and then compartmentalize with dispassion once it was concluded, to then move into the next assignment. If there was something he was glad for, was the this time he wouldn't be the lone hunter going after the prey. Working with allied shinobi had become something of an occurrence as of late and he was glad for it. Konoha needed all the allies it could get and those that hailed from Kumogakure stood out for their ingenuity and resilience. Still he had to admit that working alongside with a kage was not something he had expected. But both her and her subordinate had impeccable record and he was confident that they could deal with the guard their target had hired for protection. Now the trick was to wait for the target to move into a secluded area. If the information their contractor had given them was correct then the man would leave for their state after inspecting his fledgling business, leaving the safety of the small town that had grown around it for his more 'cozy' abode. Peering through dirty glass of window on a two story building, a shrouded figure overlooked the busy street below, eyes looked at the distance towards the resort, looking for a movement that would indicate that their target was now leaving. Eyes unblinking under the hood of the rough spun tunic that he wore over his usual ANBU garb as if he was ready to jump through it on a moments notice. "No movement yet." Kazuto announced in a hushed tone, before turning to the clock on the wall, the ticking sound of the seconds hand as it rounded the clock being the only thing that broke the silence that had settled as a shroud since he had taken his watch. He returned his gaze unto the building, narrowing his eyes and wishing for once that he had been born with the Byakugan. His lamentation stopped however as the saw the carriage, pulled by horses slowly round into the entrance of the resort. "Carriage spotted. He's going to be on the move soon." He added before turning to Kizumi and Sora, giving them a nod as he imagined that they were getting ready in their own way.

-tag- hirana kizumi Eitama Sora Ren -words- 497 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Eitama Sora]

SORA

❴ short few words here ❵

Quite some time had passed since Sora had last been on a stakeout, though this was merely the beginning of more excited festivities should the intel they were given pan out. A lot of his time over the past year or so had been spent helping train up the new generation of Kumogakure shinobi and while he enjoyed it the itch to get back out into the field had been growing as of late; ironic then that his first foray back into the fray was a joint mission with Konoha while being accompanied by the Raikage no less.

His mind wandered to just how important of a target this was for the leader of the village to personally take the assignment though he supposed there was technically no one better suited for such a task; just because they sat behind a desk stamping paperwork all day didn't mean they weren't still the strongest shinobi in the village. But this was no time to be star struck as there was a job to be done. Sora had swapped out his hitae-ate for a black bandana to lessen the chances of anyone being able to trace their identity back to his home village, though if the job was done correctly there shouldn't have been any witnesses left to tell the tale but one couldn't be to careful. If he hadn't known beforehand where their mission partner was from Sora wouldn't have been able to guess given his attire.

There had been no change in the situation for a while, no doubt their target tucked away safely in their lodging but at some point he was scheduled to be moved and that was when the fun would begin. Intercepting a target was nothing new to the shinobi world, but doing so while trying to avoid worsening relations between two villages was an endeavor Sora had never encountered before. Word of an approaching carriage broke the man's train of thought as his head turned instinctively towards the window, but he dare not take a peek to avoid blowing their cover.

"Right on time, it seems."

❴ Notes go here! ❵
❴ Senju Kazuto hirana kizumi ❵

❤

[hirana kizumi]

A HEART'S A HEAVY BURDEN

Kizumi had never been especially fond of assassinations, but hey: work was work, and money was money. She’d been in this business too long to have any scruples with her job description. As one of the higher-profile missions that Konoha and Kumo had accepted in tandem, it seemed only appropriate that Kizumi herself attend to assist, alongside the highly respected head of the Senju clan and one of her own special jounin, an accomplished genin team leader. It was like any other mission that she would have been assigned to before her promotion, and she refused to let her shiny new title keep her butt in her office chair. Kizumi was dressed plainly, opting for nondescript shinobi gear and a plain black bandanna in lieu of her Kumogakure hitai-ate, as Sora did. The only truly distinct thing about her was that she had an eyepatch, and even then—so did any number of mercenaries half the world over. Her hair was slicked back into a tightly-held ponytail. No movement yet, Hayato said. Kizumi nodded, and stepped back far out of sight of the window before forming a single handseal. There was a short pop and a puff of smoke, and two clones appeared at her side. "We’ll have to wait until he gets through the crowds and out into the countryside,” Kizumi said softly. "I’ll start scouting ahead for a better position.” Both clones performed basic transformation techniques in order to blend in with the throngs of civilians, then slipped away to begin scouting down the busy street, hopefully in search of a quieter, more discreet locale for the team to do their work. If one wasn’t immediately obvious, then maybe she would be able to divert the carriage’s path, but she would have to rely on her clones to do their duty and poof back. For now she kept back and low. This was the real reason why she didn’t like assassinations: there was so much gods-damned waiting.

Senju Kazuto Eitama Sora Ren -- 328

LAIKA OF THQ

SPOILER: Click to show

checked in with Ren, forgot to link my jutsus... i am a fool

NAME: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu [Shadow Clone Technique]
RANK: B
CHAKRA USAGE: Medium
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 1
DESCRIPTION:
The Kage Bunshin technique evenly distributes your chakra between one or more clones with form and substance.

The clones created by this technique are able to utilize any jutsu the original ninja knows, has all of their special abilities, as well as their kekkei genkai. Typically a clone's equipment doesn't retain any special abilities and the clone itself is dispersed when hit with a single attack or incapacitated, although the clone can also choose to disperse itself or be dispersed by the user.

When the clone finally disperses, any new knowledge it has gained along with it's remaining chakra are passed back to the original ninja and any additional clones.

[Ren]

Their mission was a dark and dangerous one:

A prominent business owner in Hot-Springs Country has requested the assistance of both Konohagakure and Kumogakure shinobi in eliminating a new up-and-coming entrepreneur. The hiccup: the entrepreneur, a man by the name of Miwako Date, has hired a small squad of Yugakure shinobi to act as his bodyguards. Not wanting to ruffle any feathers, the anonymous contractor has decided to outsource the assassination. Get in, kill Miwako Date, and handle his bodyguards without endangering relations with Hot-Springs Country or Yugakure no Sato. This mission is the culmination of Konohagakure and Kumogakure's effective teamwork and strengthened alliance.

As such, discretion and efficiency were paramount for the success of the mission; there was much at risk, so much so that the Raikage herself decided to join the mission, together with the aid of the Leaf's ANBU Captain, and one of her own. Kazuto seemed to have eyes on the prize, and informed his team of it. The man was still in the resort, but by the looks of it, he would be on the move soon enough. In response to that, Kizumi decided to scout ahead for a better position, but before that, she performed the shadow clone technique, creating two shadow clones to blend in with the civilians.

Still, no sign of Miwako leaving the resort just yet, even though the man sitting on the carriage seemed to grow impatient, as he kept on looking at the door.

---

<sup>Word Count: 255

Senju Kazuto Eitama Sora hirana kizumi

A-Rank Count [4/30]</sup>

[Senju Kazuto]

It seemed a good plan, avoid collateral damage. Stop the carriage and kill the man away from a terrified multitude. As Kizumi produced doppelgangers, he gave a nod, a tacit approval at her idea, hoping that she would be able to do her part and that whatever escort their target had would not be able to see through transformation technique. Part of him considering that perhaps it wasn't the best option, but within the non-descript multitudes it was possible that the clones would not be seen. "We should be on the move as well." Kazuto said as he left his position. Going through his gear, his panoply of war lacking any identifying mark that could tied him to his village. His hands moving to retrieve two flat kunai, his hands pressed against the cool metal as a strange marking spread over it like gaseous ink. He took another two and nodded in approval as if he had finished a great work. Taking both kunai by the blade, he held them out to the two Kumogakure shinobi to grab by the handle. "Hold on this, they may be useful if the time is right." He said, not explaining much of their purpose, but trusting that they would accept them. They could use every advantage. He continued through the ritual until, going through a well rehearsed symphony of muted clicks and clacks as his suit and gear were affixed before he donned a long shroud about his shape, looking more like a wearied traveler than an assassin, enough to now draw attention to himself but ready to defend himself should they be caught or fall into an ambush. Not exactly a pleasant thought but one that needed to be in their minds.

-tag- hirana kizumi Eitama Sora -words- 301 -notes- --- -music- ---

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Eitama Sora]

SORA

❴ down came the rain ❵

Kizumi would work to give them more numbers as their mission partner from Konoha would hand the pair an oddly shaped kunai fresh off of some ritual. Details on its appearance and use were non existant but hearing that they may have come in handy at some point during this mission was enough for Sora to accept the weapon as he stored it in his munitions pouch. Performing a set of seals himself the man's appearance would alter ever so slightly in that his two extra pairs of arms were now nowhere to be seen. His attire and visage still looked the same but now it would be easier to blend in should the need arise.

Given the targets choice of protection there was an added wrinkle of needing to keep things clean and hush hush. It wasn't a secret that the remnants of the Mayonaka mostly resided in Yo no Kuni and one of the last things Sora wanted was to cause what family he had left any problems should word get back that a six armed man was seen assaulting their forces. The man had dreams of reuniting his clan best he could and he couldn't afford any derailments to that plan.

With last minute preparations and attire seemingly complete all they needed now was for their target to appear and get a move on. Causing a ruckus in the middle of a civilian population would have been too messy even if it meant not having to wait around anymore and though loss of life was an eventuality in this job bringing harm to innocents was unnecessary when it could be avoided. Besides, having some open space to move around in was preferable to the many corners and rooms that buildings of that size were composed of, and being able to keep everything in front of him would be a boon.

SPOILER: Click to show

NAME: Henge no Jutsu [Transformation Technique]
RANK: E
CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low [Continuous]
CLASSIFICATION: Ninjutsu [General]
ELEMENT: None
HANDSEALS: 3
DESCRIPTION:
After performing the necessary hand seals, the user transforms their appearance to become that of another person, animal or even an inanimate object. This is considered one of the most advanced academy techniques, as it requires a constant emission of chakra as well as a constant mental focus to maintain the technique; suffering moderate pain or severe distractions will cause the technique to falter.

Shinobi are limited to transforming into objects roughly their size and their mass remains unaffected. Furthermore, this transformation is purely a shift in their physical appearance, conveying no specialized abilities of the person, animal, or object to the user upon their transformation. Transforming into a wolf does not grant a more keen nose nor would changing into a bear grant a sudden increase in strength.

❴ Notes go here! ❵
❴ hirana kizumi Senju Kazuto Ren ❵

❤

[hirana kizumi]

Kizumi, original flavor, accepted the odd kunai that Kazuto offered, looking over it curiously as if staring hard enough would reveal its secrets. Alas, no such mystical wisdom came, so she accepted the mystery as it was and tucked it away in a pouch for safe-keeping. She was tempted to seal it away into the massive scroll at her back, but refrained for the moment—she didn’t know how the ritual Kazuto had conducted would interact with the sealing technique, and she didn’t want to find out the hard way. "What does it do?" she asked quietly, curiosity getting the better of her. "Anything explosive?" She performed the transformation technique as well—a titanic scroll on a diminutive woman was sure to stand out in a crowd, so the disguise instead made her look like a diminutive woman with a titanic merchant’s pack instead—world’s most effective delivery girl, a large stack of goods borne on strong shoulders. She was visually unarmed, but a full arsenal of weapons was bound in the scroll at her back, and even the scroll itself acted as a fierce weapon in a pinch. Her clones, meanwhile, continued their search down the street, discreetly mingling with the throngs of civilians and meandering outside of the city to scout ahead on the path that their target would be taking when he eventually departed.

Senju Kazuto Eitama Sora Sprinkles -- 209
[7/30]

LAIKA OF THQ

[Sprinkles]

    The growing impatience spread to more than the shinobi waiting outside, but most were unaware of the others direct existence in that moment all the same. The man in the carriage was easy enough to spot, and likely the one that bought the most attention, until the door of the resort the three and their clones were scouting opened. There was a long pause, no one exiting, and even the man with the carriage moved, stretching their neck until finally the target exited the building. There was such a loud sigh of relief that even with the others walking about it could just about be heard by everyone. Someone else followed their target out, but looked far too well dressed to likely be any of the hired bodyguards, as they opened the door to the carriage and made a movement with their arm for the man to step inside.



    By the time he stepped in and got comfortable the door to the resort opened again. By now the carriage was getting ready to leave, but the target they had been waiting for stepped out of the door of the resort? The man looked paranoid, nervous even, and took a quick step off to the right, as the carriage driver caught sight of them with a raised brow, watching someone he could have sworn just stepped into his carriage walking off. After a moment, the door opened a third time, and as the second Date was starting to walk into the crowd, Miwako Date stepped out of the resort.



    The carriage driver didn't seem to notice this third Date as he was assuming he was tired and hungry and was seeing things with the second one already and was starting to move his carriage. This third Date started walking off to the left side of the building, rather casually, as the well dressed man who had helped Date into the carriage now turned and started following this third Date as they both walked off towards whatever their destination was.