For all their success, for all their growth and their skill, a weight still lay upon the young shoulders of Iwagakure's Team Seven. Their last year had been spent in the hectic pursuit of promotion, then in excitement over news of the poetic war with Kaze no Kuni, then in fear over the threat of an invasion from Hi no Kuni which never manifested. They'd pulled through all of that, and each of them stood now stronger for it. But still something gnawed at them, an unseen itch, a blight upon their otherwise promising record. Kotori was reminded of it every time she heard the soft click of Kotetsu's metal arm, the rattle of his cold lifeless fingers a clarion call to their first, and worst, failure.
Today would be different. The three shinobi moved quickly under a late afternoon sun towards the mountain village of Mihara. Not three children in over their heads, running for their lives, cowering from a storm, but three proven Chuunin of the Hidden Rock. Older, stronger, perhaps even wiser.
"All right, come on out! Where the hell are ya?! We're ready, you wily asshole!" Hachiya Kotori was a potential exception to that last trait. She yelled at an empty sky, fists balled and eyes wide with eager energy. "You won't even touch us this time, just you wait!" Her bravado was lost to a bracing mountain wind, carrying her words away down the mountainside. She quivered with excitement, then turned to look back at her two comrades. How had they fallen so far behind?!
"Come on!" She yelled back and waved, ushering them onwards. There wasn't a minute to lose. At last, at long last, they were going to right their wrong, and save the people of Mihara. Not like last time, when they'd been sent scurrying away back to Iwagakure wrapped in shame and ragged bandages both. They were back, they had a score to settle, and the sooner they reached the village the sooner they could dig up a lead.
The Shadows of Mihara
[Closed] Team 7: Niro, Kao, Valk
The Shadows of Mihara
Last edited by Valkier on Sun Oct 27, 2024 6:49 am, edited 2 times in total.
CharactersShow
Aisu Naohiro ❆ Juunidaime Mizukage ❆ Kirigakure no Sato ❆ [Unit 12] [HHD] ❆ [#BAE0E2] [#70CEE2]
Hachiya Kotori ၜ Chuunin ၜ Iwagakure no Sato ၜ [Ukiyogenma Jinchuuriki] [H.N.K.] ၜ [Gold] [#BF8040] ၜ [Thread Tracker]
Hachiya Kotori ၜ Chuunin ၜ Iwagakure no Sato ၜ [Ukiyogenma Jinchuuriki] [H.N.K.] ၜ [Gold] [#BF8040] ၜ [Thread Tracker]
The Shadows of Mihara
"Settle down, Kotori." The team's leader responded with a lilting tone, suggesting it wasn't given with much expectation that it would be followed. Ishiwara Setsuna followed behind the youngest member of the trio and did her best not to visibly drag her feet. Dread wasn't quite what she felt for their upcoming mission, but the sentiment wasn't far off. In the past year the chuunin had stunned herself with her own growth, and she had come into her own as the leader of the team. Still, she had her doubts and reservations, nearly all of which she kept to herself. Keeping up the appearance of being a strong, confident squad leader mattered more to the girl than being honest with them about her fears.
Her gaze drifted briefly to the third member of the group, specifically to his artificial arm. Sometimes when she looked at it she was thrust back into the past, into the moment he lost that arm. This time when the memory threatened to rear its head she shook her own, physically shooing the images away. "You'll have plenty of time to let out all that energy later when we find the thing." Despite herself Setsuna picked up her pace so that she fell into step next to Kiyori. While she did so she turned back to the last member of the trio, beckoning him with a slight jerk of her head. "She's right though. Let's pick up the pace a bit."
Her gaze drifted briefly to the third member of the group, specifically to his artificial arm. Sometimes when she looked at it she was thrust back into the past, into the moment he lost that arm. This time when the memory threatened to rear its head she shook her own, physically shooing the images away. "You'll have plenty of time to let out all that energy later when we find the thing." Despite herself Setsuna picked up her pace so that she fell into step next to Kiyori. While she did so she turned back to the last member of the trio, beckoning him with a slight jerk of her head. "She's right though. Let's pick up the pace a bit."
Last edited by Kao on Sat Oct 19, 2024 7:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Kao's CharactersShow
Akari Kotaru • Bannin • Iwagakure no Sato • Team 18 • Jousai • [color=#1fb8a3]
Komiya Shizuo • Jounin - S-rank • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#209DD3]
Ishiwara Setsuna • Chuunin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#E81D1D]
Aisu Namie • Chuunin • Kirigakure no Sato • [color=#5bc2d4]
Yanagida Yukino • Special Jounin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#a07ac2]
Enkouten Mai • Jounin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#CE5412]
Awai Fusae • A-Rank MN •Konohagakure no Sato • [color=#D95FEA]
Komiya Shizuo • Jounin - S-rank • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#209DD3]
Ishiwara Setsuna • Chuunin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#E81D1D]
Aisu Namie • Chuunin • Kirigakure no Sato • [color=#5bc2d4]
Yanagida Yukino • Special Jounin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#a07ac2]
Enkouten Mai • Jounin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#CE5412]
Awai Fusae • A-Rank MN •
Important NPCsShow
Akari Kanehara • Akari clan elder • [color=#80A0FF]
Sakata Kanna • Iwagakure Councilwoman, tenkujutsu specialist • [color=#3DA43B]
Hazuki Shuran • Jinchuuriki researcher • [color=#E854C0]
Enkouten Kaizen • Iwagakure councilman, clan leader• [color=#C65871]
Sakata Kanna • Iwagakure Councilwoman, tenkujutsu specialist • [color=#3DA43B]
Hazuki Shuran • Jinchuuriki researcher • [color=#E854C0]
Enkouten Kaizen • Iwagakure councilman, clan leader• [color=#C65871]
The Shadows of Mihara
The last year felt like a blur to Kotetsu with the advent of the war with Kaze no Kuni and rising tensions with other countries. Not to mention their own promotion to chuunin after a semi-international exam where they had fought against genin of their own village and Kiri to earn the advancement. The one constant, however, was the dreams. Each night, Kotetsu was plagued with nightmares of their first visit to Mihara. How they had been completely devastated as a team and stood no chance against the antler wearing demon in the trees. How he had almost lost his life, how he had lost his arm. As they travelled across the rocky path, Kotetsu's metallic fingers curled into a fist at the thought.
This time would be different, Kotori was right.
The route from Iwa to Mihara was tedious but not very dangerous without the threat of a storm barreling down on them. Some of the areas they passed even seemed familiar, albeit tinged with the memories of darkness, rain, and lightning, as their trek continued onwards. Kotetsu responded to Kotori and Setsuna's calls to speed up with a sigh and shake of his head as he sprinted forward to keep up with them and fell into position a step behind them.
"Who knows if it's even still here," Kotetsu sighed as he looked ahead and in the distance saw the meager sign pointing them to Mihara, now broken in two and hanging in pieces. "Who knows if the village is still there." He mumbled, his words tinged with a tone of guilt, as they came upon the sign. A bad omen if Kotetsu had ever seen one. A chill ran down his spine at the thought but he clenched his teeth as both hands tightened into fists. From here, Mihara was but over the hill and as they would crest it they'd see the village even more dilapidated and ran down than they had left it last time. Previously it had looked like a typhoon had torn through the community but now it resembled a ghost town.
"...Let's hurry."
This time would be different, Kotori was right.
The route from Iwa to Mihara was tedious but not very dangerous without the threat of a storm barreling down on them. Some of the areas they passed even seemed familiar, albeit tinged with the memories of darkness, rain, and lightning, as their trek continued onwards. Kotetsu responded to Kotori and Setsuna's calls to speed up with a sigh and shake of his head as he sprinted forward to keep up with them and fell into position a step behind them.
"Who knows if it's even still here," Kotetsu sighed as he looked ahead and in the distance saw the meager sign pointing them to Mihara, now broken in two and hanging in pieces. "Who knows if the village is still there." He mumbled, his words tinged with a tone of guilt, as they came upon the sign. A bad omen if Kotetsu had ever seen one. A chill ran down his spine at the thought but he clenched his teeth as both hands tightened into fists. From here, Mihara was but over the hill and as they would crest it they'd see the village even more dilapidated and ran down than they had left it last time. Previously it had looked like a typhoon had torn through the community but now it resembled a ghost town.
"...Let's hurry."
#MakeIwaGreatAgain
Name | Village | Rank | Team |
Tatsuo [color=#940839][b] | Iwa | Tsuchikage | Team 18 Jousai |
Kinomichi [color=limegreen][b] | Iwa | Bannin | Jousai |
Kotetsu [color=slategray][b] | Iwa | Chuunin | Team 7 |
Ashura [color=coral][b] | Suna | Chuunin | |
Sai [color=#FF14A1][b] | Kiri - MN | D-Rank | |
Yamato [color=#C71585][b] | Kiri | A-Rank | |
Yoshinori [color=steelblue][b] | Konoha | Chuunin | |
Shikatsu [color=chocolate][b] | Konoha | Genin |
The Shadows of Mihara
And a ghost town it was. The last time the trio had trudged up the rough muddy track that passed as the town's main street they'd been confronted by wary locals, then welcomed with relief by their ailing leadership. This time? No welcome. Doorways loomed dark and vacant as they passed, and the only cries were that of the wind whistling through gaps in the ruins of a wooden lean-to shack. Where before there had been fear and desperation now lived only dust and the empty, lengthly silence of a disaster long past.
Kotori's steps grew heavier as she walked. Her eyes lost some of their bright eagerness, and she shared a worried look with her comrades. This... This was a result of their failure, wasn't it? They'd come to help these people, and instead all they'd done was become a burden, waste their time and their supplies, then left them to their miserable fate. She slowed and stopped as they reached an intersection that had previously led directly into the central courtyard of the town. Now the ground before them was rent in two; a large, jagged crack in the earth, in places up to a couple of metres wide, ran around the entire circumference of that courtyard. The ground inside was broken and disjointed, as if something colossal had reached down from the heavens and broken the heart of the village list a fist to a mirror. Kotori's mouth was open and she stared, wordless, at the carnage. What the hell could do such a thing? The split seemed natural if you only loooked at one side of it at a time, like an earthquake had passed directly through the town. But multiple splits, criss-crossing to make the courtyard into an island? No way.
She turned to ask the others what they made of it, but froze part way through the motion. A flicker of movement, a shadow within a shadow, from a nearby window. Was it a reflection of the sun in that broken pane? No. She raised a hand to signal the others silently, then pointed at the entrance to the building and fell into a crouch, scurring over to press herself against the rough cobbled walls of the structure. She closed her eyes and reached within herself, unlocking that well of power that was Nolosha's. A faint aura of golden-hued chakra swirled around her and show outwards through the town in a brief pulse. Her expression grew excited for a second, then petered out into pale-cheeked shock.
"Survivors." She mouthed to the others, and nodded to the building beside her. "At least three, moving downwards, maybe into a basement or something. I think there's some more hiding below, but I can't make out how many at this range. I think they saw us." Part of her hoped they weren't remembered from their last visit. "But... That's all. The rest of the town..." she met Setsuna's cool gaze, then Kotetsu's stoic one. ...There's no one else.
Kotori's steps grew heavier as she walked. Her eyes lost some of their bright eagerness, and she shared a worried look with her comrades. This... This was a result of their failure, wasn't it? They'd come to help these people, and instead all they'd done was become a burden, waste their time and their supplies, then left them to their miserable fate. She slowed and stopped as they reached an intersection that had previously led directly into the central courtyard of the town. Now the ground before them was rent in two; a large, jagged crack in the earth, in places up to a couple of metres wide, ran around the entire circumference of that courtyard. The ground inside was broken and disjointed, as if something colossal had reached down from the heavens and broken the heart of the village list a fist to a mirror. Kotori's mouth was open and she stared, wordless, at the carnage. What the hell could do such a thing? The split seemed natural if you only loooked at one side of it at a time, like an earthquake had passed directly through the town. But multiple splits, criss-crossing to make the courtyard into an island? No way.
She turned to ask the others what they made of it, but froze part way through the motion. A flicker of movement, a shadow within a shadow, from a nearby window. Was it a reflection of the sun in that broken pane? No. She raised a hand to signal the others silently, then pointed at the entrance to the building and fell into a crouch, scurring over to press herself against the rough cobbled walls of the structure. She closed her eyes and reached within herself, unlocking that well of power that was Nolosha's. A faint aura of golden-hued chakra swirled around her and show outwards through the town in a brief pulse. Her expression grew excited for a second, then petered out into pale-cheeked shock.
"Survivors." She mouthed to the others, and nodded to the building beside her. "At least three, moving downwards, maybe into a basement or something. I think there's some more hiding below, but I can't make out how many at this range. I think they saw us." Part of her hoped they weren't remembered from their last visit. "But... That's all. The rest of the town..." she met Setsuna's cool gaze, then Kotetsu's stoic one. ...There's no one else.
CharactersShow
Aisu Naohiro ❆ Juunidaime Mizukage ❆ Kirigakure no Sato ❆ [Unit 12] [HHD] ❆ [#BAE0E2] [#70CEE2]
Hachiya Kotori ၜ Chuunin ၜ Iwagakure no Sato ၜ [Ukiyogenma Jinchuuriki] [H.N.K.] ၜ [Gold] [#BF8040] ၜ [Thread Tracker]
Hachiya Kotori ၜ Chuunin ၜ Iwagakure no Sato ၜ [Ukiyogenma Jinchuuriki] [H.N.K.] ၜ [Gold] [#BF8040] ၜ [Thread Tracker]
The Shadows of Mihara
A frown tugged at Setsuna’s lips. Now was not the time to add more doom and gloom to the situation, but the young Iwa nin silently agreed with Kotetsu’s concerns. Instead of addressing the elephant poised above their heads, she headed into what was left of the village with her teammates. The hairs on her arms and neck stood on end as she looked left and right and assessed the area. There had always been the very real possibility that they would return to a situation that was worse than before, but she hadn’t dared imagine that the village would be decimated.
‘We’re too late.’ The pit in her stomach threatened to deepen, but Kotori’s sudden announcement stunned Setsuna into cautious optimism. “We should be careful then,” she responded while eyeing the building. “Whatever happened here probably made whoever is left more wary of strangers than before, especially shinobi.”
Her next words were shouted just loudly enough for the survivors to hear. “Hello? Is anyone there? We’ve come to provide aid.” There was no answer, but Setsuna immediately bristled from the sensation of being watched. She jerked her head to indicate to the others to follow behind her. Simultaneously the team leader held up her hand and jabbed her thumb upward, then to her left: a sign for the other two to fall into formation. They’d have to stay aware of their rear and anything going on above them.
Cautiously, Setsuna padded up to the shoddy building and pushed open the door. It was just as much of a wreck inside as it was on the exterior. It was eerily quiet, with only the sound of water dripping from a nearby pipe occasionally interrupting the silence. After taking a few tentative steps into the ruined foyer she said again, “Please come out! We’re here to help!”
‘We’re too late.’ The pit in her stomach threatened to deepen, but Kotori’s sudden announcement stunned Setsuna into cautious optimism. “We should be careful then,” she responded while eyeing the building. “Whatever happened here probably made whoever is left more wary of strangers than before, especially shinobi.”
Her next words were shouted just loudly enough for the survivors to hear. “Hello? Is anyone there? We’ve come to provide aid.” There was no answer, but Setsuna immediately bristled from the sensation of being watched. She jerked her head to indicate to the others to follow behind her. Simultaneously the team leader held up her hand and jabbed her thumb upward, then to her left: a sign for the other two to fall into formation. They’d have to stay aware of their rear and anything going on above them.
Cautiously, Setsuna padded up to the shoddy building and pushed open the door. It was just as much of a wreck inside as it was on the exterior. It was eerily quiet, with only the sound of water dripping from a nearby pipe occasionally interrupting the silence. After taking a few tentative steps into the ruined foyer she said again, “Please come out! We’re here to help!”
Kao's CharactersShow
Akari Kotaru • Bannin • Iwagakure no Sato • Team 18 • Jousai • [color=#1fb8a3]
Komiya Shizuo • Jounin - S-rank • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#209DD3]
Ishiwara Setsuna • Chuunin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#E81D1D]
Aisu Namie • Chuunin • Kirigakure no Sato • [color=#5bc2d4]
Yanagida Yukino • Special Jounin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#a07ac2]
Enkouten Mai • Jounin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#CE5412]
Awai Fusae • A-Rank MN •Konohagakure no Sato • [color=#D95FEA]
Komiya Shizuo • Jounin - S-rank • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#209DD3]
Ishiwara Setsuna • Chuunin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#E81D1D]
Aisu Namie • Chuunin • Kirigakure no Sato • [color=#5bc2d4]
Yanagida Yukino • Special Jounin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#a07ac2]
Enkouten Mai • Jounin • Iwagakure no Sato • [color=#CE5412]
Awai Fusae • A-Rank MN •
Important NPCsShow
Akari Kanehara • Akari clan elder • [color=#80A0FF]
Sakata Kanna • Iwagakure Councilwoman, tenkujutsu specialist • [color=#3DA43B]
Hazuki Shuran • Jinchuuriki researcher • [color=#E854C0]
Enkouten Kaizen • Iwagakure councilman, clan leader• [color=#C65871]
Sakata Kanna • Iwagakure Councilwoman, tenkujutsu specialist • [color=#3DA43B]
Hazuki Shuran • Jinchuuriki researcher • [color=#E854C0]
Enkouten Kaizen • Iwagakure councilman, clan leader• [color=#C65871]