[Graded][Social Mission] Routine Inspection...

[Willoria]

Mission ScrollShow

B Ranked Mission Contract
For: Koizumi, Kuodachi & Hyuuga, Aina
From: Tei, Kawa of Konohagakure No Sato for Mamorinuku
Requested: Just a month ago an outpost had gone silent and its woes were seen to by two members of the village. This outpost has been restaffed and is now in need of inspection by a member of Mamorinuku. You are to make sure members of this outpost are properly armed and patrols are being sent out as outlined in their given post orders.
Time Limit for Mission: N/A

Aina made her way in silence to Kuodachi's home, having gotten his address from the Mamorinuku headquarters. When she arrived she found herself before a reasonably humble abode, rather nice from the look of it outside. She had seen he'd moved recently and wondered if that meant he lived on his own now. She knocked on the door, Goro sitting behind her heels quietly as they waited for Kuodachi to answer the door.

The pup was being surprisingly well behaved as of late and so Aina thought that perhaps he would be worth bringing along on what was supposed to be a relatively simple mission. Routine inspections don't really go wrong all that often right?

[Gothmer]

Hearing the knock on his door, Kuodachi perked up from his relaxed position on his futon. He was not really expected company, nor did he often receive any random visits. An odd occurrence indeed. All the same, he placed the scroll to his side stand along with his glasses before making his way out of his bedroom to the door. Opening the door, he'd be met with a familiar face, “Aina! It had been awhile!” It was a pleasant surprise, though by the looks she was here on some sort of business. It was a relationship he'd not done just in keeping up with as well as he should have been since he was happened down by the workings of Chuunin life. One long mission after the next. Yet, here she was a sign that the relationship was far overdo for some rekindling. He'd quickly pull the door open, “Please, come in.” His eyes would go to the beast at her heels. He'd not had the pleasure of meeting her animal companion yet, but his main concern was, “Is he potty trained?”

The home was small, though plenty for a single person to find all the room he'd need. It was on the west side of town with a small backyard surrounded by a fence for some privacy from the other homes on the street. The inside of the home consisted of a fairly large open space with a half wall separating the living area and the kitchen. On the far wall, towards the back of the dwelling, was the only separated room, his bedroom. The furniture in the space would make it seem almost crowded, given the relatively small space. Still, it had a homely look to it.

[Willoria]

Despite her recent slump and depression, Aina smiled as Kuodachi greeted her at the door. Honestly it was a relief to see someone happy to see her rather than trying to step on egg shells around her or treating her like some boring or useless type. "Don't worry, he is." she said in response to his question about Goro with a bit of a laugh even as the pup growled from behind her.

"Oh chill, Goro." she told the pup as she walked in and he followed. "Don't mind him, I don't usually bring him on missions but he's actually been calmer lately... and tripping me a lot less." she told Kuodachi as she tried to explain the wild dog's presence. "Behavior is something I'm still training him on... but I just got a new place myself and he hasn't had any issues as of yet." she assured him.

"I'm actually here because we have a mission. There's an outpost that was shut down awhile back and they finally got it up and running again. You and I get to inspect the new set up."

[Gothmer]

As if the grown was not enough to answer his slightly worried question, his smile returned as soon as Aina confirmed the pup was indeed trained. He threw his hands back, feigning an intimidated stance, “You got me, you fierce little whelp!” before taking a knee and sending his loose hand out a distance from the pooch. It was customary to greet canine in such a manner, right? Should the pooch let him, after sniffing, he'd give a little scratch behind the ear. As he attempted to greet the pup, he'd listen to Aina's explanation.

Of course, his own ears perked up, finding her reason for visiting before, perhaps, she intended to overtly bring it to light. She doesn't usually, but she is now. He'd stand as she got to telling her reason for being at his door, “Inspection duty, huh? Sounds horribly dull.” Another mission seemingly out of the blue. Twas the life of a Shinobi, the young Chuunin was quickly coming to find out. Still, he'd shine her a grand smile, “Let me just get ready real quick.” As he walked with a quickened pace towards his room, he'd say, “Feel free to help yourself to some tea, if you'd like.” He'd motion to the pot on the burner as he vanished into his room, closing the door behind him.

Aina might notice, now having a real chance to look around the area, there were four different bookshelves in various places around the home, filled with scrolls. It would seem odd to most who didn't know the studious young man, but might even warrant a chuckle from those who did.

It would take a few minutes to get out of his relaxing clothes and into something more mission worthy. He'd walk loudly so the muffled words could reach Aina's ears through the door, “So, they are sending a Jounin and a Chuunin to inspect this place, huh? Any specific peril they are anticipating?” It seemed a little odd, though, Kuodachi was not complaining. It had been awhile since he had really been able to sit down and catch up with Aina. An uneventful mission would give plenty of time for that.

[Willoria]

"I'm hoping it'll be boring." she replied. "Boring can be good." she said with a chuckle, shrugging as Kuodachi went to get ready. She decided to take his advice and went to the burner, pouring a cup of tea for herself as she waited, leaning against the counter as she glanced around the home. It certainly seemed rather small, but she imagined that could be a good thing. Her family was pushing her in a direction that would certainly force her to have a larger home like the one she bought... though the idea of having kids with someone she didn't know frankly unnerved her.

She was glad to have her thoughts interrupted as she sipped the tea and Kuodachi returned. "Honestly I think the only reason I'm being sent was because I was part of the original team who discovered the problem." she admitted with a bit of a shrug. "The place had been wiped out so they're pretty worried about security out there." She added, shaking her head. She really wasn't looking forward to this, mostly because while she was hoping for boring she still remembered how the MN had tried to infiltrate the village.

[Gothmer]

He'd emerge from his room clad in his Shinobi getup. Even though it seemed to have a high chance of being eventless, no mission could be truly endeavored without being braced for anything. As Aina gave her explanation to being sent on this mission, Kuodachi found it seemed entirely reasonable. Reasonable enough to put his slight suspicions to rest and accept that this would truly be a boring mission. Boring can be good.

With a glance to Aina as she spoke, Kuodachi couldn't help but find her appearance a little odd compared to what he was use to. No makeup, nor piercings. It seemed so unlike the Aina he knew. But, as Kuodachi was fully aware of, she'd been through an great deal in recent times.

Kuodachi knew, only briefly, of what Aina spoke of. At least it gave setting to the mission. Also, given it had only recently been set back up, it was quickly seeming like this would be a mission filled with administration and paperwork. “I heard about that. Plenty of reason for concern. There have been too many attacks on this village of ours recently.”His eyes looked gloom, if only for a moment. Snapping back, almost immediately, “That is why we are going out there! We have to make sure these events stop happening!” He'd shine a smile at his friend before proceeding to grab a few things from the room: a couple snacks and a book to read. He wanted to give Aina time to finish the tea she poured. After a few moments, ensuring he had everything set, he'd turn to Aina, “Shall we be off then?”

[Willoria]

Aina nodded as Kuodachi returned, clearly ready to leave. "Alright, hopefully this is going to be pretty boring... last time was just a bit much for my taste." she replied as she led the way out. 'Hopefully I don't have to see anyone naked this time.' she thought to herself, glad she didn't have Yoru along with her this time. It seemed like things lately had just been stressful around her friend and she just wasn't sure she could handle it right now.

The trip to the outpost wasn't going to take long, and fortunately as they arrived Aina was relieved to see that there was some activity on the walls. The gates were open and the pair walked in to find a small marketplace within that seemed fully functioning. "Huh, I didn't realize they'd already begun trading here." she remarked as they stepped through the front gate. She didn't see many children, mostly a few traders selling goods to ninja that would take the items into the village later, though she also didn't immediately see their contact either.

[Gothmer]

He shrugged at the comment, “It is nothing more than an inspection. Probably going to be boring. That would be just fine though.” Either way, Kuodachi wouldn't complain. Lately, he has been a fan of missions with some action, but he couldn't complain about a mission without any drama. He got paid all the same either way.

Sure enough, Kuodachi knew exactly where the outpost was. He had been up this way shortly after his promotion for a scouting mission. Well, in the general area at least. The signs of life were relieving. He was half expecting the outpost to be up in flames or abandoned. It seemed as if things were perfectly normal.

As the gates opened, Kuodachi was just as surprised to see the marketplace as Aina. It was odd considering it had only recently had life breathed back into it. Perhaps it should be taken as a good sign. He shrugged off the sight, “Any merchant worth their weight could worm their way in just about anywhere.” His eyes scanned around, looking for their contact. Finding nothing, he'd question Aina, “Who are we suppose to be meeting again?”

[Willoria]

”He’s a member of my clan actually.” Aina replied as she glanced around, having a hard time getting a good look at the shinobi working the place over the hustle and bustle of the market. But fortunately she didn’t have to look long as a man stepped out of a group of people and put a hand on Aina’s shoulder, causing the woman to jump.

“You know, if you had used your Byakugan, it would have been easier for you to find me.” he said with a grin on his face. The man was fairly handsome, even by clan standards, his hair cut short and spiked forward in a way that bangs hung in his face. He wore dark pants and a typical green flak jacket. “She always this jumpy?” he asked, directing this question at Kuodachi and causing Aina to blush.

”I didn’t think about it.” she muttered, turning to Kuodachi to introduce the man who was maybe two years, at most, older than Aina herself. ”This is Kazuki, I ran into him during the rebuild of the clan area and apparently he got assigned this shithole.” she said, trying to recover from her embarrassment.

Kazuki only grinned in response, giving away the fact that he seemed to enjoy his clan-mates embarrassment as he turned to try and shake Kuodachi’s hand in greeting. “Aina told me she would bring you along, you’re Kuodachi then right? She must have a good opinion of you to drag you along on this boring endeavor.” he said, winking at Kuodachi as he was clearly teasing Aina still.

”Stoppit, Kazuki.” she muttered, still a bit red in the face.

”Only when you’re done being a stick in the mud, Aina. We need the old you back.” he retorted, reaching over and messing up her hair as he ruffled it. ”I swear if you don’t put your piercings back in at least, I’m gonna get a face full of metal just to balance you out.”

[Gothmer]

A Hyuuga was their contact? That being the case chances are he's already... his eyes turned toward Aina, caught by the sudden jump of her body. Sure enough, the Hyuuga had already spotted them. The gate opening would have been more than enough of a signal. Following the sneak attack, he immediate poked fun of Aina. Seemed they were familiar with each other, but that was no surprise. Clan mates seemed to always know each other, or at least of each other.

He grinned at the jest, joining in ever so slightly, “Think so.” True enough, the Aina he knew was not a jumpy person, but no harm in adding to the embarrassment.

Aina's introduction of the man confirmed his suspicion of more than a passing familiarity. His hand shot out to meet the man's, nodding as he seemed to already know who he was. His words came following the chuckle over the seemingly constant light teasing of Aina, “Pleasure to meet you. I'm afraid she was not nearly as talkative about you.” He'd shrug smiling a cheeky smile as his gaze went to Aina seeing her once pale cheeks turning an amazing pink color and only smiling even more.

He nearly burst into a fit of laughter at the remark about piercings before seconding the odd image, “I'll do the same, and it may be an even less pretty sight when than Kazuki here!”

Whoever this Hyuuga was, he was funny. Kuodachi liked funny. Of course, Kuodachi did not know all the details on Aina's current hardships, but he knew enough to know she was definitely not entirely herself. The lack of piercings were enough to relay that message.

[Willoria]

Kazuki laughed, clapping a hand on Kuodachi’s shoulder in response. ”See! You’ll have two extra ugly mugs to stare at then!” he told Aina between laughs, causing the young woman to simply shake her head.

”You just had to encourage him?” she told Kuodachi before turning back to Kazuki, obviously hoping to get back on track with their original purpose here. ”So what’s going on here anyway? It’s going to be hard to inspect anything with these civilians milling about.”

Kazuki sighed and shrugged as he tried to calm his own laughter, motioning for the pair to follow him as he led the way in and stopped in the center of the marketplace where they could have a better view of the interior of the outpost. ”Well we didn’t encourage it if that’s what you’re worried about.” he told Aina, motioning to the different sellers. ”We started arriving here and a couple days later so did they. They must have been watching for activity… but before you get cross with me about it I didn’t shoo them off, no. Honestly it’s helped with morale and some of the guys have been able to get things they can’t without going home. I’d say it’s helped us get our work done here better than we would have without them.”

Aina sighed and shook her head, clearly not okay with the presence of the civilians, but what was she really going to do. ”Alright, where should we start then?” she asked, crossing her arms under her chest.

”How about at the top? We can start with the roof patrols.” he replied, leading the way towards the far side of the outpost where a small tower was, hiding within a winding staircase.

[Gothmer]

Kuodachi would give an innocent shrug at the accusation before pulling it back to a more reasonable manner and halting his laughing when Aina turned to business. He didn't think the civilians would be any problem. They listened to orders relatively well should the need arise. The comment was enough to get an explanation for their being here, which was needed. Falling in line as the man motioned them to follow, Kuodachi would glance around at the operations more. Nothing seemed horribly out of place, or wrong, which was a good sign. Following Kazuki's explanation, Kuodachi would pipe up with a comment directed to Aina, “Like I said, worms.”

Then, with Aina's question, the response was right to the meat, roof patrols. Kuodachi was liking the Hyuuga more with every minute. He'd follow along, really allowing Aina to do the majority of the talking.

[Willoria]

Aina gave Kuodachi a strange look, not quite sure what their inspection had to do with worms but regardless she also followed Kazuki up to the roof of the wall and he started making his way across the ramparts. “We only have two guards up here during the day.” He was saying as they walked. “And they’re always moving, at night we have at least four. Two are to remain out of sight at opposite points while the other two rove, letting anyone observing us think we only have two guards at all times.” He told them. “Anyone up here has ranged weaponry, bows and arrows, or crossbows, even one of our guys simply uses throwing knives, but all have at least one element they’re proficient with for offensive maneuvering.”

Aina was nodding as they walked, pausing here and there to look over the wall. “Kuodachi, any questions for Kazuki?” she asked, not voicing any questions she herself had just yet. She had brought Kuodachi along for a reason and not just to have him observe in silence, she was genuinely interested in his opinion on the matters at hand.

[Gothmer]

Aina's odd facial expression clearly meant he was too late in mentioning the merchants and their similarities to worms, but he'd let it be with only a slight sorrow in his soul for a failed joke.

Kuodachi listened closely as Kazuki explained the routine of their patrols. It seemed fairly straight forward, yet Kuodachi was never a fan of hiding cards in such a manner. By keeping two out of sight, it invited attack by even the more weaker parties. Sure, they might be surprised when they see two extra, yet they might not have even attack would they have seen them in the first place. Of course, it was a completely valid tactic, granting the defenders the counter element of surprise. Each has ranged weaponry, ideal for such a task as patrolling and defending walls. All around, it appeared a fairly solid routine, of course, Kuodachi had a few suggestions.

When Aina spoke up, Kuodachi took the opportunity to pose a a few questions before actually offering any advice, “Am I safe to presume you are running periodic check-ins for the patrols? Should one of the patrols spot something, or should a patrol be late to a check-in, what course of actions are taken? Finally, are the routes set for the patrols in advance, or is it more of a sporadic pathing?” Kuodachi would simply nod with each answer, not relaying any disdain, or affirmation of the responses. All the while, he'd be building as complete an image as possible of the operations and trying to develop some potential improvements. Though, given what he was already learning of Kazuki, there was no guarantee there would be any.

[Willoria]

Kazuki grinned at Kuodachi’s questions and nodded. ”As far as check-ins go, during the day I’m usually the one wandering around doing spot checks and inspections, if it’s not me it’s someone else. There’s a handful of us that do it.” he stated as they walked, pausing at a wall where the man leaned against it and looked at the pair. ”The men are encouraged to make routes as random as they can, but honestly with a circular walking path there’s only so much you can do to make it random. If they don’t check in or they can’t be found the entire place goes on a lock down. No one in or out until we find out what happened, and that includes the merchants.”

Aina was smiling as the two spoke, glad to see Kuodachi had not only been paying attention but he took to asking the questions relatively quickly, meaning he had been working on them in his mind already without any guidance. ”And what happens during a lock down?” she piped up to ask, turning her white eyes onto her clansman.

Kazuki motioned down into the small area that served as a market, and the other side of the courtyard. ”The men return to the barracks for a count, myself and two others start a search of every nook and cranny, including the merchants’ carts. The men and merchants are kept separate to keep things straight.” he replied.

[Gothmer]

Perfect. Simple and routine operations. He would nod along as Kazuki gave his responses to each question. He even cracked a smile at the light jesting about the circular patterns. Aina quickly chimed in with what would have been Kuodachi's follow up. Lock down protocol was just as important as what leads up to a lock down.

Kuodachi was very impressed to hear how much of an active roll Kazuki took in the operations. Someone in his position could fairly easily delegate every task to those under him in order to keep a clean cycle of operations. The young man has experience plenty of the type. While it is undoubtedly a legitimate form of leading when done correctly, there is something to be said about leadership who get in and rub shoulders with their subordinates.

Ultimately, Kuodachi thought of only menial suggestions he could make thus far. It seems a very thoughtful operations leader was picked to oversee this reestablished outpost. Perhaps it was due to the past having such a recent feel for so many. Whatever the reason, Kuodachi would look to Aina with a curious gaze. Had she picked up on anything Kuodachi had not?

[Willoria]

Aina walked along with Kazuki and Kuodachi, a rather thoughtful look on her face. Kazuki meanwhile was looking around, activating his byakugan as he looked out over the landscape, and only a moment later he suddenly turned and lunged at the two. ”DOWN!” he shouted as he moved and only a moment later, after knocking both down at the waist, an explosion rocked their part of the wall.

Shouts were heard from below and Aina could hear some of the men moving merchants within the tower, shutting the gates as her ears rang and the smoke slowly began to clear. Part of her was both agitated and yet not surprised to find Kazuki unconscious. She rolled the man off of her and checked his vitals before activating her own byakugan and checking over the wall briefly, turning to Kuodachi. ”Get downstairs and help get the merchants in the barracks, they’ll be safer there.”

[Gothmer]

Kuodachi was beginning to think the check was going to be truly eventless, just as they had originally thought. Might even be back for dinner! As they walked, his eyes peered around, looking at the intricacies of the fort. Nothing stood out as needing critique. Check a few boxes, leave the rest of the paperwork to Aina. Simple.

As he was looking around, he suddenly heard the shout right as the impact came to his waist. Following the impact came a new kind of impact, an explosion. The familiar shell shock hit his head an instant later, making the trip back to his feet take far longer. The ringing faded quickly, just in time to hear Aina's orders. He'd take only a second to realize the situation and quickly break into a sprint back the way they came, “On it!”

There goes an eventless mission. What a perfect time for an explosion! He was not sure who was attacking, but they were definitely under attack and Kazuki was downed instantly. Of course, without his fast acting, they probably all three would have been. Pushing with all his might, he sprinted back down the path they came and down the stairs to the main gate. He was met with a scene of a few personnel coaxing the merchants into the much less sturdy granary. They were clearly not entirely sure what to do with the merchants in the case of an attack. The gates, at this point, were in the last moments of closing.

Kuodachi shouted to the two guards, “No, no! Get them in the barracks!” Aina was completely correct. The barracks would likely be the safest place they could possibly be. Luckily, Kuodachi caught them in time. Grabbing their attention, his orders immediately made sense as the two personnel began redirecting the merchants to the barracks. The entrance to the barracks was large enough to fit the carts in tote. Of course, that was the original reason they probably started for the granary. As Kuodachi made his way over, another explosion came from the same direction as the last. What was happening?

[Willoria]

As Kuodachi moved to obey her orders, Aina knelt by Kazuki and grabbed him by the collar of his vest and pulled his unconscious body up into a sitting position before hoisting him over a shoulder and running for the stairs. She stumbled and almost lost him as another explosion rocked the wall, but she managed to keep her hold on him. She grabbed a passing Special Jounin. ”You have long-range techs?!” she demanded of him, and the man nodded. ”Man the wall, I’ll send more.” she replied as she ran down the stairs, not stopping until she was at the barracks with Kuodachi.

She stopped a merchant with a straw filled wagon and set Kazuki on it, giving the man a thankful smile as he nodded in understanding and took over watching over Kazuki. Meanwhile Aina turned her attention back to Kuodachi. She ran over to him and took him by the upper arm as she glanced around. ”We need anyone with ranged techniques focused on the top, we need any close range fighters here behind the gate, any medics need to move between the two. You and I both are going to grab anyone we can and assign them, got it?” she told him. ”Tell anyone close ranged to meet me at the gate, I want you in charge of the top, you ready for this?”

She hadn’t planned originally to give the boy so much responsibility on what was supposed to be a simple task today, but it would seem fate had changed their plans for them.

[Gothmer]

With the orders issued, Kuodachi jumped in to speed along the process, directing the merchants, one by one with their carts and all, into the barracks. It only took a few moments before he noticed Aina as she set Kazuki down on one of the carts. Then, with a jog, she was in front of him and giving him instructions. Ranged up top, close range fighters at the main gate. Medics running between. Simple and effective. It seems Aina was going to be taking charge of the operations with Kazuki out of commission, which was good as she was probably the only other Jounin in action. Kuodachi nodded, ignoring the uneasy feeling he had in his stomach, “Ready as I will ever be! Spread the word, get as many people as possible working on dispersing the orders.”

Without hesitation, Kuodachi shouted, “Anyone with ranged techniques, head to the walls!” With more than a few confused Shinobi funneling into the area, a few took the command moving for the stairs. Kuodachi, spotting a younger Shinobi, a young Chuunin, perhaps, grabbed the individual's should to draw his attention. Kuodachi could see the fear in his eyes, his body even trembling. “Got an important job for you. I want you to find any stragglers still down here. Shinobi, close range fighters here at the gate, long range up top. Medics moving between. Civis to the barracks. Can you do that for me?!” Kuodachi knew the young man would accept. The orders, while important, kept the scared boy out of harms way. “Yes!” was his response, Kuodachi loosing his shoulder with a smile, “I'm counting on you.” The ordered young man turned, sprinting through the town. That should ensure most forces get to their assigned location whether by the kid or something more indirect.

With that matter taken care of, Kuodachi followed the remaining folks up to the walls. His heart pounded with a mixture of fear, anxiety, and excitement. His mind rushed through tactics as he was set to be in charge up the Shinobi on the wall. Who knew this mission would turn out to be so nerve wracking?! Given what he had seen of the wall, a tactic would not be difficult. Stay low, defended, and take what shots you can make, essentially. A more intricate plan could be made once he sees how many people he has and the extent of the attack.

[Willoria]

Aina meanwhile was collecting people down behind the gate which was now closed and appointed someone in charge. It wasn't long before she was heading up onto the wall herself, her byakugan active as people settled into their new places and things began to quiet down. She began taking a look around, as far out as she could see, and as she began to scan, she wasn't seeing much.

"Not making any sense..." she said quietly, still sweeping for people.

She couldn't see anything, and there were no explosions. Two total? It seemed weird to throw a couple of explosions at the place and nothing more. "Kuodachi, any thoughts?" she asked him, silently wondering if this had anything to do with the time she found the place abandoned...

[Gothmer]

When he made his way up the stairs to the wall, he gained a view of the surroundings. Unfortunately, he saw nothing. Not even a single movement that would draw his eyes. That made him suddenly realize, there had not been an attack, at least not an audible one in some time. What was going on here? His mind began running through potential scenarios, but none seemed overly rational. What kind of attackers launch only two explosions and then vanish? What explanation could there possibly be for that?

As he peered out into the distance, he picked up on a new figure coming onto the walls. A glance revealed Aina with her activated Byakugan. Seemed even she was not picking up on anything with her all seeing eyes. Her question would bring about a slow shake of his head, “Maybe it was meant to be some kind of warning...” Suddenly a thought popped into his head, “Or not an attack at all...Kazuki is in the barracks right?” Could an assassination attempt really be so poorly executed and in such a place? Or perhaps his mind was truly wandering far beyond reason under the pressure.

[Willoria]

"Yeah he's in the barracks." Aina replied as she thought things over, remembering her mission here with Yoru. "When Yoru and I came here and found this place wiped out, we found only one enemy... a woman with the ability to steal entire identities, right down to the target's memories." she told Kuodachi, her gaze far away as if remembering something, recalling the little details.

"We never did figure out what happened, there was a camp of enemies later, but we couldn't figure out why all it took was one person..." And suddenly Aina stopped, turning and taking off across the path and towards the stairs, taking them three at a time as she ran down them.

[Gothmer]

As Aina and him poured through their thoughts, Kuodachi listened to Aina talk about the past events. A woman to steal identities down to their memories... That was a chilling thought. Could the events be related in some way? Kuodachi didnt know. He'd of needed to have been there, but as it stood, the facts were not enough for him to piece anything together.

Then, suddenly, Aina took off with a crazy sense of urgency. “Wait, what are you thinking!” He'd call to her. Still, he felt he needed to stay where he was, just in case something did turn up. His duty what to command these forces. And command he would, should the need arise. His feet, however, wanted him to follow Aina. He knew her mind found something that his own had not.

[Willoria]

Aina ran down the spiral staircase as fast as her feet could carry her, but the moment her feet touched the ground at the bottom, she felt a pressure in her ribs, and something slick running down her side, and a moment later she was pushed against a wall with a hand clasped over her mouth. Wide-eyed she found herself staring at what appeared to be Kazuki. "Perfectly done, dear, putting him out of sight so no one on the ramparts knew he was out of commission. Flawless.... for me." Though it looked and sounded like Kazuki, Aina knew it wasn't him, and moments later the shape of the man changed and she found herself staring at a spitting image of herself.

Aina tried to struggle, to speak, but the hand kept her silent and the pain in her ribs kept her in place, it was then she realized what she had felt. There was a blade in place, held by her attacker. "You took my twin down... I'll be happy to save something special for you later." she heard in her own voice before an elbow slammed across her face.

The impersonator pulled Aina into a nearby storage area, leaving her behind some crates where no one would be looking for some time, before turning and walking back up the stairs. She joined Kuodachi on the wall and looked out over everything. "Sorry, I thought they might have gone for Kazuki but he's safe." she said, panting slightly as if she'd been the one running.

[Gothmer]

As Kuodachi stood there atop the ramparts, the wind bellowed over the walls. His eyes peered out into the surrounding area, searching for anything out of the ordinary. Yet, they found nothing. It really didn't make sense. “Does anyone see anything?!” He shouted. Sporadic sound offs made their way to his ears, all claiming the same as Kuodachi... Nothing. It just doesn't make sense! Hit and run? On a fort? Could his suspicion have been correct? He assumed Aina was checking on that matter.

But... could it all be related to the woman Aina was talking about? It seemed doubtful, but at this moment, Kuodachi was not willing to cast aside anything. Still, there had to be more to it. People dont just attack a fort and vanish. Finally, after some time had passed, Kuodachi began to grow worried for Aina. It was possible she found something and needed help. With nothing on anyone's radar, it seemed the attack was not actually an attack at all, but something else entirely.

His eyes stepped back from their scanning and his feet were just about to start carrying him on the same path Aina took when the source of his concern appeared once more. The explanation came right away, to which Kuodachi nodded. “That's good, but couldn't you have just watched with your Byakugan? And, who do you think 'they' are? You seem to have an idea, and I feel out of the loop here.” The concern was evident in Kuodachi's voice. He was growing more worried by the situation with every passing second. It was just too odd, and his mind couldn't piece the story together.

[Willoria]

'Aina' returned to Kuodachi's side, glancing out over the ramparts as she chuckled quietly at the question. "I could have, but as good as these eyes are I can't always tell who is who with the byakugan, especially since Kazuki is still unconscious. If he were channeling chakra I could have been able to tell who he was fairly quickly, but unconscious? Not as easy." she replied. The imposter had everything she needed to impersonate Aina, down to the smallest detail, at least in appearance and memory.

"I'm thinking this was a distraction, but for what I'm not sure. No one got in so if this was about invasion or infiltration, they failed." she stated quietly, turning her eyes onto Kuodachi a moment. "What are your thoughts?"

[Gothmer]

An infiltration technique worthy of praise. In essence, the quickest mind would be unable to see through the amazing ability. Kuodachi was no exception. With an answer so reasonable, he couldn't be more in the dark. An imposter standing breaths length away, and he saw only Aina.

Yet, something was scratching at the back of his mind. “Mmm. There has to be more to it. The attack was a distraction, without a doubt.” Of course, they did not know with certainty that no one got in. Looking around to see the few individuals on the wall, he lowered his voice to a whisper, “Tell me about that woman you mentioned before. Do you think it could be her behind this? A second time?”

The paranoia was setting in. It only took mention of such an intimidating ability to plant the seed in his mind. He didn't want anyone else to hear for fear that any one of them could be this woman that can copy an entire persons being. Yet, his mind did not even suspect the truth... That Aina could also be the person.

[Willoria]

'Aina' shook her head. "Not possible... she took on the appearance of my partner at the time, Yoru, and managed to make her way into the village. By time I realized what was happening she'd almost gotten to her target, the head of Mamorinuku, Kawa. But Yoru and I took her down, it can't be her." she said, almost a little rushed as she spoke and paused as if remembering something.

"But she was with a camp of people... maybe her crew is out for revenge or something?" She looked out over the wall and towards the nearby trees, pointing out towards the area. "They kept a camp out there last time, maybe we should check the woods again, we might find them."

[Gothmer]

As Aina told him about the end to the woman that could take on the appearance of others, the expected relief did not come. Perhaps it was simply due to how chilling such and ability really was, or perhaps it was due entirely to the oddity of the situation. Nothing was sitting right with him. Regardless, Kuodachi nodded, accepting her words. His mind still raced, trying to find answers. It all just made no sense. The explosions were a distraction. That much was certain. He began playing the events back in his mind, trying to find what in that moment would have been an opening.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Aina mentioned her theory. Would they really be coming back for revenge? His eyes look out into the surroundings once more, “Hmm... You think so?” After a moment of pause, he continued, “Scouting is not my specialty, but if you think we will find something, going alone is not an option.” Once again he paused in thought. Nothing made sense, but assuming there was something lying in wait out in the woods, why would they do what they did? “The attack was a distraction. Why would they be waiting out there? If it failed, they would retreat. If it succeeded... Well, we have yet to figure out what they succeeded at.” They came more as if he were hammering things out in his mind than actually talking to Aina. With a deep sigh, he finally came to his conclusion, “Scouting out the area wouldn't be a bad idea, and with your eyes, we don't even have to get too close. Just say the word, and I'll go with you. or I can stay here and watch the walls.”

[Willoria]

"Come with me." the woman instructed simply as she turned and started heading across the walkway back towards the stairs, a visible smirk playing about her lips. The facade was so far working, and she was succeeding, just what her full goal was however, was not yet evident. And as she headed down the stairs she'd have a surprise waiting for her.

Aina had woken up in the closet and as the imposter and Kuodachi made their way down the stairs, the door suddenly exploded open and Aina tackled the imposter, blood smearing across the clothes of both with the move. The two women rolled out into the open area where all could see, and everyone seemed to stop in their confusion as one rolled up to her feet with a snarl, and the other remained kneeling, one hand over her side with blood seeping through her fingers.

[Gothmer]

Kuodachi would follow behind the figure whom he thought to be Aina. Seems she intended on him coming with her, which he was not entirely opposed to. It was a proactive opportunity to find answers to this odd attack, which is what they needed.

Of course, everything Kuodachi thought about the current situation was shattered when the next events happened. As he stepped down the stairs, one by one, trailing just behind the fake Aina, he was startled by a door bursting open. Of course, the sudden shock was not nearly as profound as the following shock. "Aina!" He screamed. Of course, that was when he noticed.... there were two Aina's. He saw the blood, the two copies of Aina tumbling out into the open. What the hell was going on?

His mind immediately went back to what Aina had told him only minutes before. 'A woman with the ability to steal entire identities, right down to the target's memories.' There was no way! Had he been conversing with a fake Aina, or the real one? He watched in horror as the two identical copies of Aina tumbled. Kuodachi was speechless and frozen.

[Willoria]

The real Aina was on her feet as the pair faced off, one hand over the wound that had blood seeping through her fingers as she kept her eyes on the other. "Kuodachi, she's the fake!" she told him. "She's trying to find a way to infiltrate the village... just like her twin did..." She added, shaking her head as the fake Aina crossed her arms over her chest.

"Please. I'm the real one, after all there are better ways into a village than as a healthy shinobi, the better way would be to feign a wound and garner the pity from a student to make your way in." she retorted, looking rather smug as she spoke.

Aina grinned. "Poor phrasing, he's not actually my student."

[Gothmer]

His inability to move ended almost immediately after he heard the word 'student.' Even before the read Aina retorted, Kuodachi turned his body towards the one he knew to be the... real Aina, assuming a combat ready stance. "All that matters is that the real Aina wouldn't let herself get injured like that." His voice was unwavering, teeming with certainty. He was going to kill himself over such an insult later, but right now, his mind was developing a plan. "Just surrender now. Your infiltration has failed. No one needs to die here."

He tried to make the display as real as possible. There would be no sign that he was not entirely serious. All the while, he gauged the fake Aina's reaction, to make sure she would go along with it. It all went as planned, the ensuing events would lead to opportunity to take the fake Aina down quickly, and hopefully, alive.

[Willoria]

Aina's grin disappeared almost immediately as Kuodachi seemed to turn against her, her own blood still seeping through her fingers as she fought to stay standard. "You're fucking kidding me right?" she responded simply.

Meanwhile the imposter laughed, reaching into one of the scroll pockets of her vest and withdrawing a kunai. "I knew you'd figure it out, Kuodachi." she said simply.

[Gothmer]

He was kidding, in a manner of speaking, but it was clear that Aina was either really good at playing along, or going to beat him up later. It was too late to go back now! He didn't know how strong with shape-shifting person was, so he had to be on his toes, and play any advantage he might be able to create.

He posed the question in an overly curious voice, “Why would I be kidding?” Following the words, with no delay, he'd throw two shuriken towards the bleeding Aina before jumping right into a series of seals. Of course, the shuriken would fly slow, and they would be aimed at non-vitals in a manner that would make a backwards jump a very effective dodge. Though, if Aina were not too injured, she could likely just catch them. He hoped to reposition her to make some room for his jutsu. He was certain Aina would be ready to go, and he hoped her target would be the one responsible for all this, rather than the one who just called her weak for getting injured.

Should he manage to finish the seals, the result would give his plan away almost immediately. Blue chakra of a barrier would begin to spring up around the fake Aina quite quickly. His main hope was that his feigned belief would cause enough surprise in the fake Aina to successfully trap her within the walls.

[Willoria]

Reading his movements were easy, and Aina managed to drop to a knee briefly as she moved to her left, both under and away from the shuriken as she went. She was putting two and two together now, figuring out what was happening and by time Kuodachi had started the barrier, the copy-cat was not only taken by surprise, she was trapped.

And Aina was grinning. "Not bad."

[Gothmer]

It worked? It worked! For a moment, Kuodachi couldn't believe it. He knew there was a chance it would. After all, he always puts serious thought into his planning, but this off the cusp plan he was not actually expecting to work without a hitch. Perhaps he was truly growing more than he realized. Of course, staving off a serious infiltration attempt with his quick thinking would be a major boost to his reputation as a Shinobi. His goal of promotion would undoubtedly be closer after this.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder now that he'd trapped the odd, shape changing person in this barrier what had it hoped to accomplish? He put off the thought for a moment as he jogged the short distance to Aina. “Thanks, but are you okay?” He questioned. She was bleeding pretty well from what was probably a pretty serious stab wound. He would continue with another question as his eyes went to the barrier, “What do we do with her... it now?” He knew she needed to be taken alive, for interrogation and examination. He'd never seen anyone with such a devastating ability. To take the appearance and memories was truly a skill to enter the books. Plus, they still were not certain of a motive as to why these people were trying to attack in the first place.

[Willoria]

Aina grinned not only at Kuodachi's excitement, but his worry. "I'll live." she assured him, straightening up as best as she could before motioning to another shinobi nearby. "I have a plan for that." she assured Kuodachi as he asked about the woman they had trapped.

When the other ninja came near Aina gave him instruction. "Tell the others they can resume normal activities. This one will have to be locked up until we can take her back to the Yamanaka... and also send a medic over here will ya?" The man seemed to grin at the last bit, an instruction that seemed more than a little obvious, before he ran off to follow directions and Aina found a wall to lean against.

She watched as two other ninja approached and motioned to Kuodachi that he could release the barrier. Once that was done the two other shinobi took a hold of her and quickly bound her before dragging her away and Aina grinned over at Kuodachi. "I guess that wasn't as boring as I thought it would be..."

[Gothmer]

Kuodachi listed as Aina gave her orders. Of course, the Yamanaka would be able to pilfer any secrets this one might be holding. Now that they had this one alive, it would likely answer the question that the twin brought in the last event. Maybe, just maybe, this base would stand a longer test of time than the previous. Once directed to, Kuodachi would, with a bit of hesitation felt, release the barrier. The two quickly grabbed the prisoner, it seems she would not be putting up much of a fight. He infiltration had been squashed.

To Aina's comment, Kuodachi couldn't help but laugh. It was suppose to be a simple inspection. He had slightly been dreading what he thought would have been a truly boring mission. "Little more eventful than should be expected from a cookie cutter inspection mission." He was really eager to hear what answers might be gained from the investigation of the shape changers mind. "Seems we staved off what could have been a truly devastating attack on a freshly renewed base. All in a days work!" He chuckled at the over the factious boasting. In truth, had the being not happened to take the form of someone who held a pretty decent relationship, things could have gone different, and for the worse. The ability sent shivers down Kuodachi's spine. Having witnessed it himself, had conversation with the being he believed to be Aina, it was scary.