Takeo nodded in affirmation to Yoru's suggestions. They were obvious precautions to take though he was glad that Yoru had come to that conclusion himself. It was a good sign that the boy was in fact competent enough for this sort of task. The bearded man nodded again in response to the mercenaries explanation.
"That's what I figured" he reflected,
"At least for mercenaries they seem competent enough", he mused as he accepted the map in silence. His eyes scanned over the terrain of the map, he was familiar with most of the area in Fire country, especially this close to Konoha. A five day Journey was longer than he had anticipated, he was comfortable travelling or such a duration and had embarked on lengthier missions on several occasions. The flicker of apprehension he felt at the mention of the duration however was not due to any inexperience on his part but rather that of his students. They would be tested hard to remain vigilant for such a duration; he had to have faith in them however, doubting his comrades would put everyone at risk.
His attention perked when Retu said 'you'll' rather than 'we'll' though his gaze remained fixed on the map for several moments longer, memorizing the route and picking up on landmarks and possible course alterations. When the door swung open Takeo neatly folded the map and placed it in his hip pouch. There would be time to go over it further with his students later that night. The lithe young secondary mercenary hadn't been what Takeo had expected. He was clearly far less experienced than Retu and seemed somewhat out of place. At first Takeo deemed him an utter fool, instantly noticing the empty scabbard and surmising that the woman, whom he had doubted was much of a fighter had managed to seize.
It would certainly be an inconvenience and he was glad that the man wasn't accompanying them but other than those thoughts Takeo didn't feel any particular concern about the situation. That is, not until he entered the room, his eyes immediately fell upon the woman, foremost noticing her intimidating and flawless stance. Naturally he scanned his surroundings next, noticing the damage without taking his eyes completely off of the woman before him. He had instantly assessed that she was not someone to be taken lightly. He knew there would be no point in attempting to talk down a woman of her apparent brashness. Moreover he noted the title she gave her father,
"Red Hawk? He's likely part of some sort gang or corrupt organization then", he surmised, also realizing that this gave credence to the theory that Onami would respect power over diplomacy.
He simply nodded calmly when Retu asked for assistance, Takeo was already forming hand seals,
"Yeah, we've got this" he declared confidently. He nodded to Yoru, giving him the go-ahead to perform the capture technique that he had taught the boy. A moment later Takeo's seals had been completed and an earthen armour began to envelop his body, also granting him with a sword-like extension emerging from each of his forearms. He channeled chakra to his feet in preparation for Yoru's technique and then he charged forward in an impressive burst of speed, aiming to fake a direct charge at the woman but then sidestepping to her right(his left) and twisting his body to face her as his right arm moved in a circling motion in an attempt to catch her sword and deflect it away from him to his right. Meanwhile his left arm rose defensively, ready to act if necessary.
*[Earth Element • Earth Spear]
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After forming the needed set of hand seals, the user will harden their body using the Earth Element. From there, they will pull dirt and other earthen things from the ground and assimilate them with their chakra in order to create an armor around them. The name Earth Spear comes from the fact that the user’s arms have spear-like attachments to them that are two feet long and are as sharp as any normal sword, which aid in taijutsu. The armor lasts on its own for six posts. The armor is also malleable, not impeding in movement of any sort. The face is left uncovered, as are the hands.
