To kill a Frog

[Izanagi]

Karagata Shinjiro only had one last stop to make before his affairs were in order before returning to Water country. The young Bannin held no love for Ocha province, the land could be retaken at any time but as the leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist he held a duty to stand alongside his men in defense of Water country. The fighting had already been going on for nearly a week and he had received reports and requests to come to aid. But there were preparations to be made if he was expected to fight off one of the most fearsome and wanted men in the world He had already secured some assistance from Chiaki, her small sets of blue and green butterfly ornaments that he kept on his person. They would be his escape if required, both against Fuhen and during his current venture. There was another man, one of similar caliber to Fuhen and only otherwise comparable to the village Kage’s of Konoha, Kumo, and Iwa who were engaged in a war of their own. It was a gamble but one he felt he needed to take. There was a time when Mistaki Shio was considered an ally, a prodigy who had managed to outshine even Shinjiro himself. The young Bannin had heard firsthand of how Maido had been defeated by the boy ruler of Iron country, an impressive feat that would be difficult for even Shinji to accomplish.

This meant that the infamy that Shio had gained as Taishou was not unwarranted. He was at least of Bannin caliber and comparable to Shinji. Therefore, he was the best chance available for defeating Fuhen. The 23-year-old Jinchuuriki had flown to the borders of Iron country, he had been in these lands before in fact. Interestingly the last time he set foot at the base of the three wolves he had been tasked with assassinating the former Taisho. Unfortunately, the mission had been called off due to distrust between himself and a hired comrade; Hyoryu, whom he had previously clashed with. He wondered if things would have played out differently with Shio if they had succeeded in their mission those years ago.

Dressed in his usual attire of a tattered brown cloak, cloth mask, and a green scarf Shinjiro approached the village of Sanrou. Despite being the leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, he had been trained primarily as an assassin and possessed many skills to attempt to infiltrate the village undetected. He considered briefly whether it would send the wrong message to attempt to enter undetected. Ultimately he decided it was more telling of his skill to test himself against their defenses. Therefore, from several miles out he would transform himself into a fly and then suppress his chakra signature as he attempted to enter the stronghold undetected. From there he would scout the area until he located the Taishou. It was entirely likely Shio would refuse his offer and attempt to kill him or simply refuse to let him in the gates if he approached more traditionally. At least this way he could get a better gauge of Shio’s skill and make a more appropriate judgment call of whether it would be better to have his support against Fuhen or attempt to kill Shio himself.

Jutsu UsedShow

Flying Insect
C-Ranked Full Kaerujutsu
Prerequisite: Form 1
This transformation allows Shinjiro to take on the form of a winged insect, typically a fly or flying ant though similar species are also optional. Colorations will match those of the native species, making detection virtually impossible short of chakra sensory. In this form he can slip through cracks most people wouldn’t even notice.

Chakra Concealment
S-Rank Taijutsu Stance
Prerequisite: [Stealth]
The absolute pinnacle of masking one’s presence Shinji has learned to eliminate his vital signs to such an extent that he can mask his chakra signature completely. He becomes completely undetectable by means of chakra sensory unless the opponent has a sensory jutsu of equal or greater rank. He can mask his chakra in such a way for a maximum of 10 posts.

[Ace Trainer]

Despite how much was happening in Iron Country in the past year, there was not a lot going on for Shio. At least, not directly. The young Taishou had set many of the things he wanted to see in motion, he'd began making connections and building relationships that he wanted to see grow. His journey to Suna had not been a fruitful as he had wanted it to be, he'd connected with Saisuke, Zao, but the interaction had left him more concerned than it had left him confident he'd be able to build a relationship there. To make matters worse, on his return back he'd been faced against Muramasa, Maido, and forced to kill her. She'd alleged she'd been sent to do this by Kirigakure itself, which left him feeling discouraged. That had really been the first time he had been forced to face and reconcile with the fact that he was a missing ninja who was on the run from his home village - even if he was the leader of a sovereign country now as well.

Since then, he'd been thinking a lot about his international status and relationship. It had not occurred to him up until this point that his status as a missing ninja might actually compromise Iron Country's safety to some degree. Thus far, he'd attempted to be rather isolationist. Resisting invitations from any of the grand 5 (particularly Earth Country), in order to build and consolidate individuals of exemplary strength under his flag for insurance.

Regardless, since then he'd watch many of the things he set in motion occur. He was preparing for his next big move in the Land of Tides, which meant spending a lot of his time planning and preparing while everything else happened around him. So for today, Shio simply sat in his office, looking over maps and various texts Kesu brought about culture and history of the region. The bioluminescent moss that was used throughout the Sanrou was laced through the ceiling of Shio's office, giving a dim light to the office, with only a candle directly next to him.

[Izanagi]

It took some time to explore Sanrou, the stronghold built within a mountain. But eventually he did find his way towards the Taishou’s office. Slipping under the door he could immediately feel the presence of the powerful young ruler. He was fully expecting to be attacked or meet some kind of resistance, even as skilled as Shinji was he had learned not to underestimate others. But it seemed his disguise was sufficient, and his chakra was appropriately masked. He had even gone to the liberty of ensuring he was transformed into a local species of snow fly, the type that would thrive within these caverns and feed off the moss used to light the area.

Truthfully, Shinjiro felt no personal grudge or ill-will toward Shio, but it was hard to acertain how the Taisho would feel about him, especially after the failed assassination by Muramasa Maido, his known associate and friend. Perhaps if she had actually been killed he would be inclined to seek revenge, but regardless there were bigger concerns to focus on. Maneuvering behind Shio, a distance of only 3 meters or so, Shinjiro would suddenly transform into his human form. A brief wisp of green chakra would be the only indication before he landed with complete silence. If he had a mind to it was entirely plausible that he could have assassinated Shio right there. His speed and prowess with Iaido were legendary and he felt his finger twitch with the temptation to reach for one of the swords across his back.

But instead, he would calmly reveal his presence, “Shio. It’s been a long time” he said suddenly, watching the boy’s body movement closely in case he needed to evade or block an instinctual and completely warranted attack. “I’ve heard you talk now, so let’s talk” the Karagata proposed, lowering his mask and hood, one after the other with one hand while his other kept ready to draw a sword if needed. Though as Shio surely would turn to face him, Shinjiro was able to better gauge the signs of distress and the scent of decay on the teenager’s body. As an expert in the field, it was blatantly obvious to him the signs of poisoning. “You don’t look well, poison?” he speculated. That was quite convenient and fortunate. It was just the kind of bargaining chip he could use if negotiations were on the table. Otherwise, it was an advantage should a fight to the death be necessary.

Jutsu UsedShow

Situational Awareness
B-rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite: [Perception]
Shinji has developed a keen sense of awareness of his environment. His innate attention to detail allows him to memorize the layout of an area or building as well as having a knack for identifying the entrances and exits as well as the positions of any other people in the area and even important details about that person, allowing him to see through disguises or transformations unless the opponent has a technique to mask their appearance of equal or greater rank. This grants him an almost a sixth sense in combat situations and his constant readiness allows him to more easily detect hostile intent and escape from ambushes.

Shadow Step
S-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite:[Stealth]
Trained in the ways of an Assassin, silent movement is one of the Karagata families most esteemed talents. Shinjiro can move up to his full speed, running or flying without making a sound, be it footsteps, breathing, the drawing of weapons and movement of clothes. Even his heartbeat is slow and undetectable unless an opponent has an enhanced hearing technique of equivalent or higher rank.

Predators Tracking
A-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
Prerequisite: [Perception]
Shinjiro has developed a remarkably keen sense of smell even when not transformed into an animal. He can easily distinguish scents between people as well as pick up on trails that are several days old. His passive range is equal to his Willpower stat though for particularly strong smells such as blood or decay he can detect from a distance of [Willpowerx5] meters away. When in a transformed state of an animal with a strong sense of smell such as a canine the range of his sense of smell is doubled.

[Ace Trainer]

He ran his finger across the topographical map for Tides, Shio considering different approaches they could take to move on the stronghold he knew he'd be moving on. Shinjiro transformed and despite his ability to be stealthy, the power of the Taishou had gifted Shio with the ability to protect his rear to a supernatural degree. As he spoke aloud, Shio reflexively began channeling chakra, reaching down to his hip and pulling a kunai as he turned on the pillow he sat, begin to surge to his feet. His hand would drop from his hip however and the chakra would subside (albeit slowly) as his eyes landed on Shinjiro, a scowl coming across his face as he slowed his movement and instead stood to cross his arms. "I do, a long time indeed.", he responded, "Given I'm looking at you, I take it you're not here to follow up on what Maido was sent for.". The sting of his home village attempting to assassinate him was clear in his voice, and it didn't seem like he was even attempting to mask it. Shinjiro was observant though, and he had locked onto and underlying issue that Shio was not exactly being public about. He had a couple of the physicians within Sanrou working on it, but it had be a less than significant inconvenience currently.

He had a quick calculus to do, if Shinjiro was intending to kill him, he'd have done it already. He had an opportunity, or at least a part of one, and the fact that they were talking and he was asking about the poison gave Shio some pause. He considered lying, but would bring any benefit to do so if Shinjiro was already suspicious. He reached slowly to his hip leaning back against the desk he'd just been sitting at to come off slowly less dangerous as he reached for a kunai. "Something like that.", he held the kunai up and ran it across his palm, a small cut forming across his palm. Holding it forward, he presented it to Shinjiro as his natural healing quickly manifested, a sliver of white bone forming over the cut in place of it simply closing up. "A minor inconvenience.", a slight lie, "We're working on a cure, which will hopefully let us synthesize it for future use.", another slight lie. He didn't want to tell Shinjiro it had came from the short fight that he had had, or that it hadn't been fully resolved yet.

"What are you here for.", he said flatly. A question, but presented sternly as a statement, aiming to project his unwillingness to be patient.

SpoilerShow

[The 26th Taishou: Taishou Keitai]
S-rank Taijutsu Discipline
The 26th Taishou was assassinated on his throne when his eventual successor crept from behind and lodged a sword in his back. This technique draws from that experiences and bestows the Taishou with an improved rear guard. While the Taishou's hearing in general is improved in comparison to the average person, an instinctual recognition of sounds coming from behind them is always present. This means an opponent must have a [Stealth] technique higher ranked than this one in order to silently approach the Taishou from behind. Otherwise, he will always be aware of anyone who comes within 25m of him from behind. This does not give the Taishou the ability to automatically respond, but does make them aware of anyone who approaches them from behind at all times.

†Moirae
A-ranked Poison
This venom is one of Yaksha's pride and joy. It takes a very long time to get to work; the durations only begin 5 posts after it enters the bloodstream, once it has properly saturated the body. For 10 posts afterwards, the user's body refuses to heal properly; any time they would normally heal with flesh or muscle, the body replaces it with bone instead. This can greatly hinder mobility in the target, giving them a 1 taijutsu penalty for each wound they receive and summarily heal, up to a maximum of -4. Those with a strength above 7 can break the bone and thus get rid of the penalty, with relative ease, though if healed again during that time it, and the taijutsu penalty, will return. What's especially noteworthy is that the effects don't cease when the duration ends; the penalty remains until such a time as the target can find a person to properly remove the bone, and heal the area normally.

[The 40th Taishou: Taishou Tenmu]
S-rank Taijutsu Discipline
The 40th Taishou was a skilled manipulator and liar, able to think of virtually any lie and pass it as truth to those around him. He alleges he was such a skilled liar he convinced a woman he'd never met before that they'd be married for 10 years. This technique taps into that knowledge, granting the Taishou incredible skill in lying. While this does little in the way of convincing people, the Taishou can present anything they say as truth. With no physiological tells, the Taishou will appear as if he is telling the truth by every metric. They are so skilled at lying that even supernatural means of lie detection such as mind reading do not work, as the Taishou can concoct entire memories, thought processes and scenarios for their lies to deceive anyone who may doubt them.