[Minami Sora]

There was an art to covert missions. Sneaking into enemy territory, causing havoc, destroying supply lines and slaughtering the backlines, all without being caught or seen. It was a difficult job even for a Jounin to pull off, something that only the most experienced and deadly of Shinobi would even dare to attempt. It was a terrible thing to behold, the destruction that a well-armed, focused group of ninja could wreak when put to task, though few ever got to see, let alone participate, in such wanton destruction.

She had been doing it since she was 14. First, with the Hunter-Corps in the lead up to the Civil War, then during the war itself; dozens of missions, hundreds of targets killed and destroyed, all in the name of protecting Kirigakure and its interests. She had been a different person then. Angry, violent, hurting and wishing only to hurt. To kill. Life had mellowed that instinct, buried it beneath connections, hopes, and a dream for the future. Buried, but not erased.

Today, that person would have to surface once more.

Sora donned the faux flak-jacket and headband of her disguise without a word, face a mask of emptiness as she dressed, securing the buttons and tying the knots with a practiced meticulousness that belied the thunder burning in her chest. It had been… years since she had gone on a mission like this; it was something she liked to forget, most days. The village had not forgotten though. The village never forgot. And never stopped asking. She had wanted to say no, had wanted to turn it down and remain with Team 1, with Ikana… But when the Mizukage asks you, personally? There can be no turning it down.

Her false clothes on, Sora turned towards the door of her room; they had traveled here separately, using civilian means and disguises. She had come dressed as a geisha, with thick black hair (dyed) and clothes that drew more attention to her figure than her luggage, which was sparse. She’d burned them the moment she’d arrived at the small, ramshackle cabin in the woods near her port of entry. The others had taken different routes, but their orders had been clear. They were to meet here, today, and prepare. Before long, Haha island would burn, its people die, its Shinobi suffer defeat. And, if everything went according to plan, Kiri wouldn’t hold an ounce of blame. If.

With a deep breath, the Jounin pushed open the door to her room and strolled into the cabin beyond. To wait.
Kaguya Toru Sourei Kobashi Shouki Kumori

[Shouki Kumori]

Kumori was a big man. A rather large man, at that. And for a mission of this caliber – a mission specifically tailored towards deception of enemy forces to mistake him for someone else – his size could be detrimental. It served as an identifier in the rare case that enemies might face him once more, should they get the chance. And being identified as the Demonic Plague of the Mist was a direct compromise to the nature of the mission itself.

However, they were teaming up with the Suiryū Butai. Therefore, as the Shireikan Ryū of the Suiryū Butai, he was commanded to help carry this mission out alongside two expert Jōnin:

Fukyūsha. The Enduring One, Minami Sora. Leader of one of Kirigakure’s growing Genin Teams, and… a fellow Hunter-nin with a fellow past role in the Civil War years back. He couldn’t help but see a lot of himself in her eyes. A new legacy to build after wiping the dust off of the previous one. The wish to ascend from the past. But the past was what molded us, in the end… and we’d have to accept that, if only that. Therefore, diving back into such a role again could prove more rewarding than she’d expect.

Byakkaī. The White Spectre of the Mist, Sōrei Kobashi. No shinobi occupied a seat in the War Council without high expectations to be met by the Mizukage, and thus his cooperation would play a huge role in this mission as well. Kumori knew of his achievements leading up to the nickname ‘White Spectre’, partly due to the practice of the Silent Killing Technique… a technique that not even Kumori himself had mastered yet. The old man had to give probs where probs were due.

Entering enemy territory as a group was begging for attention. Every practicing shinobi knew that… so they were to enter through different routes. Kumori did arrive at the cabin at a later point than Sora… but his disguise needed more than the support of materiel cosmetics. The Transformation Technique, a Technique he’d mastered over six decades ago, came in handy so many times – a recent use of it was to disguise himself as the brimming youth he donned back in his Chūnin days. The appearance of a man thought to have been lost to time itself… and thus likely undetectable. Just a Reef traveler walking by, with half-long black hair, amber eyes and no facial scars at all… with a large backpack to boot.

Once he made it to the cabin, however, he had ditched his previous merchant costume but kept his Transformation up. Holding an ear to the cabin door did reveal that someone breathing was inside, which meant that he hadn’t come here first… so it was either Sora or Kobashi in there. And since he was tasked with accompanying the two, he simply made his way into the cabin as if he lived there. With the green flak jacket, outfit to boot and the headband revealing Konohagakure’s symbol as well.

"…” Kumori’s acute sense of hearing often helped him notice if any unaware souls were approaching them, and without an immediate risk of exposure, he’d reveal himself to Sora, "Now for the third…”

[Sourei Kobashi]

When he had first received the order he had not other option at the time, but to politely acknowledge the order and begin preparations for the mission. Kobashi had dyed his hair black and slicked it back to break from his usual style. His wardrobe had been changed from the usual whites and browns to a well made dark green samue with a ash colored haori over top of it. It was the sort of clothing that someone well off enough to spend their time writing and researching might wear, but not so rich as to invite any likelihood of robbery. Lastly he had donned a pair of glasses and a cloth mask to help in obscuring his face as well as to add credence to his coughing fits which served as an excuse to remain within the ship's cabin as much as possible.

Within the cabin however, Kobashi was much less calm that his exterior would lead one to believe. While he was not one prone to be emotional, the details of the missions had him somewhat aggravated and trying to recall what he might have done to irritate the Mizukage that he was once again assigning him a mission where they were to prevent a connection being made between their team and Kirigakure; this meaning that once again Kobashi was having many of his preferred tools being stripped from his list of options to use in combat.

If it had solely a matter of stealth or just required utter destruction, then he could have easily fulfilled either of those needs. Requiring utter destruction while also needing to hide any potential ability that could even potentially lead them to suspect Kirigakure became a much greater challenge. This was especially true given the amount of resistance they were likely to run into with such a bold operation.

The rather peaceful journey by ship gave Kobashi time to focus his mind and begin some of his basic preparations in peace. The largest of these was unsealing some of the replacement rolls from the Shibuki and through use of the generic sealing technique, placing them within separate sheets of paper before resealing the Shibuki within it's typical buckle that was now wrapped around his waist with this disguise. The replacement rolls being separated would hopefully allow him to drop them where needed to cause some serious destruction while allowing him to keep the Shibuki itself hidden and thus ideally not drawing connections to Kirigakure. Apart from that, the remainder of the journey was familiarizing himself with how his equipment would be arranged with the fake flak jacket and Konoha shinobi attire.

Eventually the ship would make port and Kobashi disembarked. He strode away from the small port and along the road headed inland to where the predetermined meeting point was supposed to be. His pace was slow so as to not draw attention, but if his calculations were right then his ship should have arrived early enough to not make his cohorts wait an unacceptable amount of time.

When he finally did reach the cabin, he approached cautiously. Putting his Silent Killing Technique to work to eliminate any noise from his movements he approached. He took a moment to listen. While he had no amazing sense of hearing, he was at least satisfied that there was not a horde of soldiers on the other side. If those occupying the cabin were enemies, then the mission was already botched and he would be free to use his bloodline ability to flee. Giving a short knock on the door, a simple twin tap with his knuckle Kobashi immediately opened the door after, entered and closed it behind him. The third had arrived.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Minami Sora Shouki Kumori Sourei Kobashi

Once the three shinobi had gathered they would need to come up with a plan of how to approach their mission. Whatever they decided, they had a long way to go. After all, they had to press further past the Suiryu Butai coastal attacks that had been ongoing. The entire team was a black flag waving in the wind, putting out those that could not quite stand up against these powerful pirates.

State information, riches had to be brought back. Defenses and strength had to be destroyed. So, what would they find on their way? It was not yet known, but it would likely be difficult simply due to the nature of the mission itself. Not to mention, the constant state of the coasts with the Suiryu Butai attacking it, further inland higher-ups were no doubt on alert.

At the meeting spot inside the broken down old rendezvous home the three would make their plans and then hopefully begin to move inland to begin their devastation.

However, they had a choice to make, the map that they had of the island detailed quite a bit - plenty of information it seemed was available about the main village that they were going to be attacking... Except one thing, they had a choice to attack from the south side or the east where the village gates were less guarded.

One path - the south - was the shortest, the other was longer by several hours. There was a note in the corner of the map that the shorter one was likely to have more traps and dangers on the way. The information was about as clear and accurate as it could get though there were never any promises on a mission such as this. Things could have changed since the note had been written, or even the information for the note had been received.

What would the trio do? Where would they go? Would they travel along the shorter path or the longer one?

4/40

OWL

[Minami Sora]

The others arrived in short order. Kumori Shouki was second, his appearance radically different but still recognizably him that she didn’t bother trying to test if he was who he appeared to be. The third, Kobashi Sourei, arrived in an equally inconspicuous manner, knocking twice before slipping in without so much as a sound.

Sora glanced at the two men she would be working with, silent as the mist itself, her face a mask of emptiness that, had either of them known her well enough, would have been a hint at just how thoroughly furious she was at being here. But none of that inner fury showed, either in her expression or her voice as she spoke, voice flat and sharp as gestured to the map she had laid out on a nearby desk.

"We’ve two options for our approach, south and east." Sora said, allowing the two men to look over the map for a moment. The south path was shorter but, according to their information, covered in traps and potential hazards, while the east was longer but less perilous. But information was never perfect, and the likelihood of success on a mission such as this one depended heavily on them being as efficient with the time and energy they had as possible. The eastern route might take more time to traverse on paper, but with less traps and potential dangers it was highly possible they could arrive at that gate faster than the southern one, even with the greater distance.

"I suggest the eastern route. It's longer, but intel puts it as being the easier path.” She paused, giving her comrades time to digest what she had said- and then, she spoke again. Because they had more to plan than just the approach.

"Once we arrive, we’ll need to work to our strengths. Kobashi, your talents make you ideal for scouting and assassination. Kumori-san, you and I are most suited on the frontlines. I suggest we utilize this to our advantage: Kobashi should sneak in under the cover of night while Kumori and I act as a distraction at the gate." The Sourei would be on his own for a time, but that was fine. He was used to working alone- there was no reason to try and force him into a team setting when his abilities were best served elsewhere. And as for Kumori…

"We’ll have to be careful though, Kumori-san." She said, still staring at the map. "Your poisons are very recognizable. If you use them, make certain the bodies are destroyed beyond all possible recognition and recovery." She wouldn’t have that issue, since almost all of her exploits were all done under a pseudonym and were so heavily classified that she wouldn’t have had access to the records, even as a Jounin. But she did, because she and her Hunter-nin team had been a key part of those operations. It was why she was here, after all. Experience trumps everything.

"Thoughts?"

Shouki Kumori Sourei Kobashi Kaguya Toru

[Shouki Kumori]

A short knock from the door convinced Kumori of one thing – whoever had approached the cabin were using a silencing technique to approach. Given the nature of this mission, and the fact that the guest still bothered to knock, convinced the elder shinobi that it was Kobashi – as if making use of decades of experience, his assumption was on the money.

As for Sora herself… Kumori could tell. That empty stare, those eyes void of glimmer – she was in no mood for small-talk of any kind. It suited the weight of the mission, and it was nothing that Kumori hadn’t accustomed to ages ago, but nonetheless did it intrigue him. Especially given her association with the Suiryū Butai.

Kumori approached the map laid out and took a close look at the two routes that they were dealt, a southern and an eastern one. The southern path was shorter, which could save them time to attack, but accordingly, it was also littered in hazards. Likely planted by enemy lines due to the events at the coasts.

In order to sell the idea that Konoha-nin were behind this assault, subtlety was key. That ran through his mind with Sora’s suggestion to take the eastern route. "Agreed,” Kumori replied shortly, knowing that with less distractions around them, his sense of hearing could be a huge help. The eastern route would allow him to keep an ear out for approaching shinobi – each step they took on branches or on the floor, even from 2 kilometers away, he’d be able to detect if given the chance.

Distracting the gate at night, then have Kobashi sneak in under their cover. Kobashi’s skills were optimal for this role, but Sora brought up a detail to consider – the use of his Dokuton… or more specifically, his Hijutsu overall. The Shouki clan, despite their rather discreet nature, were still recognizable… and feared. People knew of those whose bodies were weaponized poison. Therefore, to leave behind whole bodies would allow the enemy to track his clan down- this had to be avoided. Easy. Doable. Absolute. "Roger. I’ll be sparse with them – for your sakes, as well,” he replied to both of them. His poison wasn’t only recognizable up close, but those who managed to inspect it would often find themselves caught in its snare. Besides, as the Shouki were devious in their experiments, there was no current antidote against the concoctions flowing through their biofluid.

"I will refrain from using my Hijutsu unless absolutely necessary. It shouldn’t compromise the mission to do so,” he added in confidence, having done so himself multiple times in the past. As long as he could remember, the only time he had no holds barred in regards to his Hijutsu was back during the Civil War. "Other than that, satisfactory.” He wasn’t really taking the reins in this mission – while being the oldest around, he also paid respect to the two of them for being of the same Ninja Rank. He’d been going on missions in teams for years, so perhaps that was why he kept his talking short and simple. Besides… they could only plan so many things, in the end. Most of a mission’s success came from rapid decision-making during said mission…

"That is all from me. Kobashi.”

[Sourei Kobashi]

Having entered the clandestine cabin Kobashi was immediately aware of the two figures sharing the space with him. While they looked nothing like their usual selves, the Konoha flak jacket on one combined with the fact that he was not currently being attacked meant that they were indeed his teammates for this mission. While he did not know either of them particularly well, he at least knew them by their reputations. All in all the three of them were not a terrible team for this mission, but a part of him did idly wonder if there were not others even better suited. Either such individuals had been occupied and Toru had chosen the next best group he could or the young man had some other criteria beyond how well their abilities synergized with the nature of the mission.

Listening as his teammates spoke, Kobashi kept his own mouth shut for the majority of the exchange preferring to absorb all the information he could before giving his own opinion. A decision between South and East seemed an obvious one to him, at least for their group. Had he been alone or with some other Sourei or even Hozuki then perhaps they could have bypassed most of the defenses to the South, but such was not the case. No, it was far more diligent to expend the extra time and ensure they actually made it to their target.

It seemed that Sora was much of the same mind as him, albeit for slightly differing reasons than he would have given. She also had volunteered Kobashi to be sent off on his own, stating that his abilities were the most suited for it. Such a statement was not untrue, but making heavy use of his bloodline would also prove slightly taxing as well as could potentially show a connection to Kirigakure which could not be tolerated. Much like Sora's warning to Kumori, Kobashi too would need to ensure that no witnesses survived.

Kumori's comments were very direct and to the point and Kobashi actually appreciated the professionalism; it made it much easier to work with others when you could trust that their head was focused on the task at hand. When Kumori stated he was finished and shifted the focus towards Kobashi's own thoughts; he was silent for several moments as he studied the map.


"The only suggestions I could give is potentially stalling our assault a bit longer if we arrive early. Were we to time the assault to be just twenty minutes or so until sunrise then it should be to our advantage. Shadows will be lengthened, eyes will be adjusting to the rising sunlight and guard shifts typically change around then. The guards from the previous night will be tired and losing focus while the morning shift should still be groggy and not yet fully equipped.

Also, if the idea is for me to slip in then it might be beneficial to lead them on something of a chase. You two could begin your assault and after a short time split away, going along the perimeter of the city. I doubt all the soldiers and guards of the city will go towards you and abandon their post, but at least some should follow and more importantly if I were in command of the defense I would have no option, but to dispatch some reserves in an attempt to head you off once your path becomes clear. Even if I suspected it to be a ruse, the chance to surround you and capture you alive could not be let go without making the attempt."


Kobashi had spoke a fair deal, but he felt the suggestions worthwhile enough to warrant the slight delay. He had also out of habit kept his suggestions to just that, suggestions given the suspicion he had been so accustomed to after the Kiri Civil War had ended. Even now when most of the wounds from that division had healed over into faded scars, he still could not keep from stepping cautiously when it came to such things.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Minami Sora Sourei Kobashi Shouki Kumori

The trio discussed, ultimately there was some consensus that they should go the longer route. Though longer, it was noted to be safer. Whether this was the right choice or not, would make itself known in due time. But there was no getting away from a fight on this kind of mission...

They still had time to discuss their plans as they moved out of the cabin and towards their goal, quietly traversing a heavily wooded area that seemed to have no path. Even if they searched they would likely come up empty handed. Perhaps this was on purpose, a map with a built in path that did not reflect reality. They had received this map as a part of their mission, someone was making sure that they did not wander along main roads towards their goal - a fortress of a town - it seemed. Indeed, these things were often carefully orchestrated even if there were doubts about skill and in the case of Kobashi his lingering doubt about his fit for such a mission.

But a swordsman of the mist could not get away from missions such as these. Some might say that it was woven into the very fabric of his existence.

Either way once their journey through the woods would begin they would notice the usual, there were a lot of animal noises coming through. There were birds singing in the trees, and a bird specialist might recognize a few voices. The occasion rustle in the bushes could be heard too, perhaps rabbits or something of this sort. The yelp of a fox in the distance. Bugs buzzing by. But without a clear sensor in the group they would not be able to tell if it was something worth investigating. Aside from Kumori whose passive hearing would allow him to be barraged by a cacophony of these noises.

OWL

[Minami Sora]

A consensus was reached, the three of them agreeing that the longer, safer path was the best choice- though not all for the same reasons. She heard the doubt and indecision in Kobashi’s voice, but didn’t speak on it- he was a fellow Jounin after all, one of the Seven Swords, and whatever misgivings he had wouldn’t stop him from fulfilling his duty. His suggestions would, in her mind, have been obvious parts of the plan, but this too she kept to herself. A mission as perilous as this one was neither the time nor the place for arguing with one’s comrades.

So, their plan agreed upon, the trio set out; Kumori in front, Sora to the left and Kobashi the right, following the map they had been given by intel. The path was circuitous, taking them through forests and dense underbrush, but that was understandable; they needed to move unseen through enemy territory, and that meant sticking to paths that either didn’t exist, or were so far away from the norm that they might as well have.

Surrounded by the typical sounds of nature, Sora didn’t bother trying to decide if they should investigate anything, instead focusing on the objective, and gently pushed her comrades to move, if not recklessly fast, than perhaps quicker than they normally would have in this kind of situation. If Kumori heard anything, however, she wouldn’t object to slowing down, oven stopping- the integrity of the mission was paramount, after all.

Kaguya Toru Shouki Kumori Sourei Kobashi

[Shouki Kumori]

Kobashi shared his insight in infiltration, much of which Kumori took mental notes of. The timing of invading a settlement, the habits of guards and the like, these methods were good to remember. Their mission was to cause damage to their defenses, so any optimal strategies to leave the enemy as worn out as possible was hastily embraced by the elder.

So Kobashi breaks in and seizes intel and riches, while Sora and Kumori combat the resistance. A solid plan, but as many other plans, it required that each member pulled their weight, and Kumori was ready to make use of his sharp sense of hearing to contribute as they moved across the woods. Still in his transformed form, a young man from ages way past, the Shouki swordsman appreciated the discreet and secretive woods with all of its shrubbery as their path, avoiding large roads and the view of others.

Just like back in his missions as a Chūnin, he kept his ears open. All of the sounds of the wild registered, from the chirping of singing birds to the rustles of walking creatures traversing the bushes. Even the miniscule sounds of buzzing wings from insects were caught by his super-sensitive hearing. Kumori made sure not to say much, as he’d have to focus on his hearing in order to detect any potential approach of enemies. It was how he’d kept several platoons safe back in the days, and it was sort of his specialty…

"… No approaching forces yet…” he updated to the team behind him, his guard at an all-time high in the worst case of a counter-ambush. However, should the sound of humans walking, the rapid stepping or human speech reach his ears, he’d warn his team immediately.

[Sourei Kobashi]

As they moved towards their objective, Kobashi found his mind steadily honing its focus as they neared ever closer to the town. With him being assigned to infiltrate while the others caused a distraction, he would not have any back up to rely on, but that also meant he had no one to worry about and could put all of his focus on making it through the town undetected. Already the jounin was speculating on what his best method of approach was likely to be. While there was the possibility that his plans would change were he to become aware of new information, at the moment the rough idea he had in mind was to make use of his bloodline to slip through the town's walls and from there do his best not to rely on his clan abilities. While their use would have made it much easier to slip through the town safely, he figured that between the possibility of it being recognized and the likelihood of sensors somewhere in the city that his best bet from that point was to move with his own feet while suppressing his chakra to hide from the potential sensors.

As Kobashi finalized his current plans within his mind, Kumori broke the silence to inform them that there was no forces approaching them yet. A part of Kobashi was slightly judgemental about the man having broken silence to tell them that there had been no change, with Kobashi thinking that silence should have only been broken to say to inform them of a change. Kobashi said nothing however, it would be pointless and hypocritical of him to voice complaint when it would require him to break silence as well.

For the time being, the 2nd Seat prioritized keeping his movements through use of his training with the silent killing technique and focusing his senses as best he could on his surroundings. It seemed Kumori had means to detect potential hostiles approaching, so his senses were turned to the environment they moved through. The Jounin scanned for recent footprints, disturbances in the foilage and fauna or any discrepancies which might indicate that someone had passed by recently or might be laying in wait nearby.

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[Kaguya Toru]

I would know him in death At the end of the world Sourei Kobashi Minami Sora Shouki Kumori

The forest and the trek was seemingly endless. There was often the sign of a similar trees, and the sounds all around were pretty repetitive. Following a pattern, but wild animals often did this. It was a call and response.

Kumori told the team that there were no forces approaching, and indeed, nothing really was approaching. Just the same trees, pine, oak, maple, and other trees. Some larger, thicker, others not so much. A great deal of underbrush that scrapped at their waists and ankles. If they paid close attention, it was actually quite beautiful. But perhaps their senses were dulling to some degree seeing the same thing over and over again. How interesting could a pine, oak, and maple be when seeing it for the second or third time?

Kobashi was paying attention to his surroundings visually. So he might notice the occasionally - every fifteen minute - repeating pattern of pine, oak and maple. They were scattered throughout the forest pretty casually, but there was a set of three that would grow together every so often. It was kind of strange.

Otherwise, no disturbances, no footsteps or broken leaf litter. Just the sound of birds, and bugs buzzing as the day went on...

OWL

[Minami Sora]

The forest dragged on. And on. And on.

Sora sighed as she followed her comrades, glancing about the endless landscape of trees and brush without really looking at any of it. She wasn’t tired, not yet, but the idea of continuing on the longer path was starting to look like a bad decision. It was taking forever to get anywhere through the underbrush, and all the trees had started to blend together like some massive abstract painting, making it hard for her to even tell where the bloody hell they were, which… wasn’t right.

Huh. Weird. The Jounin blinked, shaking her head and shoving the thought away as she kept walking, annoyed but not fully understanding why. Her lips pursed, forming a tight line as she reviewed the information they’d been given in her head and formulating a plan for when, not if, they encountered any enemy forces.

Kumori was the closest one to a sensor among them, so he’d likely get the first strike in- the man was a monster on the battlefield, and wouldn’t hesitate to attack first if he thought an enemy was near. Kobashi would likely move second, as his bloodline would allow him to slip through the underbrush easier then she could, which wouldn’t leave much for her to do, as the pair of them could likely handle anything that came their way. But if they couldn’t… well. There was a reason she’d be going third. Not many Shinobi could survive an A-ranked blast of Raiton to the face at close range.

Still, she did keep an eye on her comrades; they were more observant than her, particularly Kobashi, and if he made any covert hand-signals or gestures, she’d pick up on that. Probably.

Shouki Kumori Sourei Kobashi Han

[Shouki Kumori]

Kumori found it odd that there hadn’t been any forces approaching them yet. That was why he found it necessary to voice it out for the others to hear, to make them keep their guards up – the likes of Kobashi and Sora would likely densify their guards in response, but a long period of silence could also detriment them by numbing senses. Like turning your brain off for a long period of time…

Sora’s sudden sigh was a sign of that. Then again, someone like her wouldn’t be tired now of all times, far from. He wasn’t worried about that… but he was slightly suspicious of the surroundings. The sounds that he heard were repetitive, but at first, he associated that with basic, wildlife behavior. Animals made noises, and others responded in similar fashion. Animals were strangely homogenous in behavior compared to humans, after all…

Nothing’s changed…

Kumori had taken the front and turned his gaze towards Kobashi for a moment mid-advance through the shrubbery. His face conveyed it all – a raised brow, widened eyes filled with curiosity… was something off? More a question than an observation, since Kumori knew that the sense of hearing that he had could be messed with at times. It’d happened during the Third Shinobi War, and he’d made sure to never repeat that mistake again.

[Sourei Kobashi]

Other than the sigh from Minami and the previous update from Kumori, the journey was proving to be an incredibly uninteresting one. While Kobashi watched for any changes to the scenery which continued to slowly pass them by, the jounin saw no tracks, broken branches or anything really which might have indicated that someone else had been in the area. What he did begin to notice was the same cluster of trees. At first he dismissed it as everything in the forest just looking the same and his mind beginning to wader, when they passed by it the third time after noticing he began to suspect they had somehow got turned around.

At least, that had been the case until he also noticed that their footsteps were not in the area, nor was their any sign of their passing among the foliage or fauna. His mind began to consider possibilities and tried to reaffirm that it was not just something in his mind. This time they passed he purposefully pulled a leaf from a bush as they passed and once they cycled back around he saw no sign of his action.

Now certain it was not in his mind and with glances towards his companions showing that they too were starting to be uncertain with Kumori even shooting him a questioning gaze; Kobashi purposefully decided to miss a step and stumble slightly, landing on the ground with a knee. There where his hand had moved out to seemingly catch himself, he used his finger to scrawl a single kanji into the ground which read illusion. The hope was that his two allies would be able to see it and ready themselves while keeping whoever had set the illusion from being able to aptly see, but he had no way of knowing for sure after all if all the terrain was an illusion he had no way of knowing what the enemy's actual sight line was like. Still, he hoped the false stumble would at least keep them from becoming too suspicious.

Once he was certain that his teammates had seen the symbol and were ready, Kobashi planned to attempt a kai and regardless of it worked stand back up and ready himself for potential combat with the unknown trickster who had successfully derailed them. The idea that most worried Kobashi was whether the trickster had already called for back up and how far away they might be.

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