Blood Moon Rising

[Valkier]

Fushinkou Tomoe, wrapped head-to-toe in black fabric, hunched beneath the foliage of a low canopy and stared out at the encampment ahead, then glanced to the comrades at her side. Captain Muramasa Hisayo led this venture and her calibre was unquestioned, but Kaguya Li, the newest recruit of the Head Hunters, was yet untested. She looked the lad up and down, gauging his age, build, and weapons, but kept any reservations to herself. The Captain thought the lad was up to the task, and that was enough to at least spark her interest. The twin red bruises on his forehead held her attention for a moment before she returned her attention to their objective.

Ahead of them, perhaps forty metres distant and lit now under the gentle light of a full moon, lay a small army camp. The trio of hunters had circled it already, examining the picket lines of horses, the guards patrolling its edge, and the sea of small tents from a distance, before pausing to plan in the cover of this thicket. So far they hadn’t been spotted, but from here on there would be a real risk of detection. The peak of a larger tent was just visible near the centre of the camp, and their intel—a packet of orders pulled from the dead hands of an officer just that morning—suggested a high value target was stationed with this unit of soldiers. A lieutenant of some skill, but whose knowledge of the Heart Empire’s army could be invaluable to Water Country’s ongoing resistance to their invasion.

Tomoe took a moment to steady her breathing and check her equipment, then turned to her companions.
”Well, how do you want to do this?” She directed the question to both of them, though it was mostly aimed to test the new recruit. Hisayo was far above her questioning. “We need to grab that lieutenant and get out, ideally with him alive, or with what he knows if not. There’s maybe…” her eyes flicked back up to the camp again, then back to Li, “—maybe twenty, thirty soldiers between us and him, most resting, but with plenty of guards on the lookout. What do you think of our chances? How would you do this?” She watched him carefully, considering. She could get herself out of a good deal of trouble, and likely disappear from view if things went south, and there was no concern for the Captain. But she knew nothing yet of the Kaguya’s skill set or attitude, and wanted to at least get an impression of his temperament before the mission began.

Tomoe NPC ProfileShow

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Village: Kirigakure no Sato
Village Rank: Special Jounin
Power Rank: C
  Endurance: 10
  Chakra Pool: 10
  Control: 10
  Strength: 15
  Speed: 20
  Willpower: 15

General Information Type: Henchwoman
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Appearance:

Tomoe is a short and slight woman, standing at 154cm [5' 1''] and weighing just 45kg [100lbs]. She has sleek blue-black hair and expressive dark eyes, but is otherwise relatively nondescript. Her skin, as a Fushinkou, is unusually faded, the colour of ash or dust. Paired with a penchant for dark clothing, Tomoe is wont to blend into the background in nearly any scenario. She tends to wear a close-fitting black samue with a split black hakama for ease and silence of movement, with a rice sun hat to shadow her face and avoid notice, but will typically change clothes to best suit an assignment. Her two ninjato are usually shealthed on her hips, but are small and thin enough that one or both can also be concealed beneath bulkier clothes should a situation or mission demand it.

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Personality:

Tomoe is quiet and calculating, are keeps her emotions closely guarded at all times. She is terse but formal during her rare moments of speech, and tries to avoid undue attention whenever possible. Above all she is loyal, and will lay down her life without question to achieve her mission or to serve those she deems worth of her respect. Her ideal modus operandi is to move in the shadows, achieving her goals by finding those who share them, and allowing such people to be the face of her actions. Those who encounter Tomoe may believe her to be cold and merciless, though the truth is that she simply rarely trusts others enough to reveal or indulge in any sympathies. Despite this outward indifference to the world around her, she has a quick and dry humour, though only her closest allies can read the faint quirk of her smile.

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Combat Information Combat Mentality:

Tomoe is a silent killer, prioritising stealth, speed, and precision to achieve her goals. She has learned to blend insidious genjutsu into her taijutsu, fighting with a mix of illusions, evasion, and ruthless precision.

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Equipment:
Ninjato x2. Tomoe carries a pair of short ninjato, one worn on each hip, with each comprising a straight, single-edged blade measuring 48 centimetres in length and with wrapped black leather hilts and silvered pommels. The tempered steel blades are tinted a deep gloss black and polished to a malicious gleam. One of the ninjato features wide jagged serrations down its length, able to bite and tear into targets and armour. The other is sleek and smooth, able to cut quickly and cleanly.
Kunai x5, holstered in a pouch on her right thigh.
Shuriken x10, stored in various pockets.
Fine steel wire x 10m, wrapped around her waist beneath a fold of fabric.
Exploding tags x5, wrapped safely in her pockets.
Smoke bomb x1, kept in a concealed sleeve pouch.
Flash bang x1, kept in a concealed sleeve pouch.

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Specialization: [Sword Weapons]

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Abilities
First Ability	[Naikai Prodigy] Tomoe bears extraordinary talent with the Fushinkou Naikai release, and has naturally inernalised its use. This ability grants Tomoe two additional concentration slots occupied with the [Naikai] and [Advanced Channeling] concentrations.

Concentrations
Ninjutsu	[Naikai] - [Advanced Channeling]
Taijutsu	[Stealth] - [Perception] - [Sword Weapons] - [Projectile Weapons] - [Deft Hands]
Genjutsu	[Sight Initiation] - [Sound Initiation] - [Warp]

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NinjutsuShow

NaikaiShow

Naikai
The Kekkei Genkai of the Fushinkou clan, Naikai is an anomaly even among clans. The Fushinkou have an internal control of their tenketsu location in Space and Time, and have the ability to target parts of themselves, and even thoughts, and temporarily isolate and alter the location in space or time by utilizing their immense inner control over their tenketsu. This process is called "Disbelief" and grants the clan member the ability to temporary reject a reality. This includes, but is not limited to temporarily removing emotions, genjusu, injuries, and even death from themselves.

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~Disbelief of Disbelief
E-Rank Ninjutsu
This is casually done to end the effects of any of the Fushinkou's own disbelief jutsu. This requires no handseals to use.

~Disbelief of Emotion: Fear
D-Rank Ninjutsu
Channeling chakra, the user will isolate fear in their minds and stop it in time. This completely removes the concept of fear from them for up to 10 posts.

Disbelief of Pain
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By preparing this technique the user will isolate their nervous system and flood it with Naikai. For the next 10 posts the user will be unable to experience pain.

Disbelief of Respiration
D-Rank Ninjutsu
By preparing this technique the user will isolate their lungs and stop them in time, disbelieving the need to breathe. For the next 10 posts the user will not need to breathe, and their lungs cannot be targeted by external techniques.

Disbelief of Impairment
C-Rank Ninjutsu
By preparing this technique the user will flood their bodies with Naikai and disbelieve any changes to their physical status. For the next 10 posts, the user will not suffer the effects of any debuffs to their stats.

Disbelief of Gravity
C-Rank Ninjutsu
By preparing this technique the user will flood their tenketsu with disbelief, denying the existence of gravity. For the next 10 posts, the user will float and move through the air as if weightless. This does not construe true flight, however, as the technique provides no method of propulsion or manoeuvring in itself.

Disbelief of Character
B-Rank Ninjutsu
By preparing this technique the user will flood their bodies with Disbelief, removing any physical or sensory evidence that they are anything more than a mundane and forgettable civilian for the next 10 posts. While under the effects of this technique, the user will appear so bland and unworthy of attention that observers without an equal or higher rank perception technique will be unable to focus upon the user or able to percieve her as being notable in any way, much less a threat. Despite how they may act as normal, nothing about the user's body will reveal their ability or intent, and even their chakra signature will appear bland and unnoteworthy if sensed. Observers will very likely forget the user entirely after a post out of direct contact with the user. This technique lasts up to 15 posts.

TaijutsuShow

Flawless AimShow

Flawless Aim
This style of combat is favored by shinobi preferring to use projectiles, often serving as a staple for ranged taijutsu users. Focusing on the synergy between their hands and senses, they strive to make their lethal skills reach as far as possible with absolute precision.
Requires: [Projectile Weapons]

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*[Flawless Aim Style • Tracking]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
After much training and study, the practitioner has learned how to read an opponent's movements and adjust their aim accordingly to compensate without penalty. This Discipline allows the practitioner to accurately hit moving targets, though sudden changes in the opponent's movements will still affect accuracy.

*[Flawless Aim Style • Dead Angle Targeting]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
After much training and study, the practitioner has learned how to use projectiles at close range, even point-blank range, with the same Strength as attacks against more distant targets. This Discipline allows the practitioner to use Flawless Aim techniques against melee-range targets without excessive exposure to counterattack and without losing Speed, Strength, or accuracy.

*[Flawless Aim Style • Hidden Shot]
C-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
By launching two projectiles, one immediately after the other, the practitioner attempts to create a decoy for the second. The first projectile is often larger or of equal size, and the second projectile is slightly behind and below it, the second projectile hiding in the first projectile's shadow. This masks the second projectile and makes it more difficult for the opponent to completely avoid. Opponents with a Perception technique equal or higher in rank may be able to see both projectiles clearly within a reasonable distance, though they'll still have to properly defend against it.

*[Flawless Aim Style • Uncanny Shot]
B-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
After much training and study, the practitioner is able to launch projectiles from previously impossible positions. This Discipline represents the practitioner's ability to launch projectile attacks without any detriment to their aim regardless of the position of their body. This includes while contorting their body or making rapid adjustments such as dodging attacks or performing acrobatic maneuvers.

OchibaShow

Ochiba
Ochiba is a weapon style originating from the fire country, one of the few weapon styles developed by Shinobi and not Samurai. Ochiba translate as “Dead Leaf” As it is a weapon style that focuses on the use of a Kunai which are similar in appearance to a leaf. The kunai is held in a reversed manner, the handle comes up by the thumb and the blade comes down by the bottom of the hand. This allows for short, yet quick strikes and parries. Though this style is developed to use a kunai it can be transposed to other short weapons such as ninjato & tanto, though not all techniques will be available.
Requires: [Deft Hands], [Projectile Weapons] and/or [Sword Weapons]

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*Ochiba • Single Finger Seal
D-Ranked Taijutsu Discipline
Having extensive experience with Deft Hands the user is able to manipulate a kunai within their hands and perform hand seals at full speed, without having to put down the kunai at any point.

*Ochiba • Dance Detour
D-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite: 10 Speed
A technique that relies highly on speed, the user will attempt to slap away any incoming melee strikes or projectiles with their kunai. The average of the user's speed and strength needs to be higher than the strength the projectile was thrown at, using the momentum of their own speed to deflect the strike.

*Ochiba • Leafing Lumber
D-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
A simple technique, the user lowers themselves down and performs a sweeping kick attempting to knock their opponent to the floor, whilst bring their blade into the opponent’s chest all in one fluid motion.

*Ochiba • Spine of the Maple Tree
C-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Often used as a counterattack, by stepping under an incoming strike and resting on their front leg, they will quickly pivot slashing behind them, upwards across their opponent’s spine. This will likely cut the nerves connected to the users legs, making it difficult for them to move, giving a reduction of -5 speed, they will need to seek medical attention.

GenjutsuShow

[Flanking Shadows]
D-Rank Illusion Genjutsu
The user will prepare this technique before focusing on a target and saying the word "watch". Should the target hear the word they will become captured within this genjutsu. For the following four posts the victim will see shadows and humanoid shapes moving and flickering on the fringes of their vision, roughly resembling the user moving towards or around them. The shadows constantly shift out of view when the target attempts to look at them.

[Mirrored Assault]
D-Rank Illusion Genjutsu
The user prepares this technique and then begins running towards the target. If the target sees the user running they become trapped in this illusion. The user will appear to split into two mirrored clones, each running 2m to the left or right of the user's real position. The user themselves will not be visible during this technique, but their illusory doubles will imitate their every action and movement. This technique lasts only 2 posts.

[Fog]
D-Rank Illusion Genjutsu
The user will prepare this technique before raising their arms high, causing any who see their arms rise to become caught in this illusion. For the next 5 posts victims will see a fog around them, limiting vision to 5m. Because the fog is not real, it will not disappear if the target tries to disperse it.

[Focus]
C-Rank Warp Genjutsu
The user will prepare this technique and then speak aloud mentioning an object in their speech. The target will feel an intense draw towards whatever the focus of the desire is. This draw will also cause a sort of tunnel vision in the target’s sight, causing a blurring of their peripherals and making it hard to focus on anything but the target.This lasts for up to 5 posts.

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Tomoe is the youngest child in a large family of talented Fushinkou, and a natural Naikai user of unprecedented talent. Always quiet and reserved, she was often overlooked as a child when in the company of her older, more boisterous and boastful siblings; but this suited her just fine. Despite this, she was one of the youngest ever clan members to master use of the clan's kekkai-genkai, and by the age of four was using the techniques of disbelief without even understanding what it was she was doing, to avoid notice and make herself forgettable. This directly led to her living a relatively peaceful and easy childhood in contrast to her peers. But, quiet as she was, she saw everything going on around her. She watched, and learned, all the lessons of Kirigakure.

Her innate talent was unearthed once she was enrolled in Kirigakure's first academy, where even a prodigy child's talents were no longer sufficient to avoid notice. Her tutors in the academy caught on quickly, and much to her chagrin, began regularly testing her against her peers. Her classmates however were less certain and, whether by arrogance or ignorance, would see her as an easy victim. She very quickly learned to surprise them, developing quick feet and quicker fingers to make them rue ever underestimating her. But she never gloated or relished her victories, and—once she'd surpassed most of them in ability—often challenged herself to win in the most unapparent or marginal ways possible so as not to further stand out.

Regardless, she easily succeeded in completing the academy and earned a placement on a rival squad, though her attitude as a youth had earned her few if any friends. She devoted herself to the arts of stealth and subversion, spending long days as a genin refining her taijutsu and learning basic genjutsu. When it came her time to test for chuunin, she eagerly leapt into combat with her rival. Not because she had any reason to dislike the boy—he'd been a loyal and useful ally, and they'd completed a number of tricky missions together—but simply because she knew him and how he fought, and knew how to take advantage of that to win. He was, ultimately, simply a means to an end. They had worked together and grown together, but she owed him nothing now that it came to outshine him. And she did not hold back. Applying her unique mastery of Naikai and genjutsu, Tomoe unnerved her opponent by simply refusing to be hit or to suffer wounds as she closed in and ended the fight in a quick flurry of brutal slashes and stabs from her twin ninjato.

During the great war, Tomoe's skills as a scout and spy earned her an appointment to the village's infamous Head Hunter Division, where she began to refine her stealth into the precise art of assassination. She took to the new calling with cool efficiency. She began her tenure in the Division working for Aisu Naohiro, a man of whom she'd heard no small number of impressive stories, but never met despite their shared tie to a great house. She expected him to be true to his reputation—an exacting man of high standards and talent, but ruthless in pursuit of his goals—but instead found in him somewhat of a relateable spirit.

Under Naohiro's tutelege Tomoe grew more and more capable. She returned from the great war promoted to special jounin, but unlike others of her rank, she all but disappeared from public view. Instead she immersed herself into the Division, becoming Naohiro's right-hand-woman during his day to day operations. She happily took both grunt work and challenges alike, eager for the opportunity to learn from him and the other Hunters, and soon built herself a stellar reputation as one of them herself.

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Owner: Head Hunter Division
Stat Trainings: (0/25)

[Sia]

It had bene a while since she'd been on a real mission, lately she had been spending a great deal of time training new blood, so to be out and about with a purpose for the greater good once more was ecstatic to the Muramasa. Hisayo and Kayoko had been assigned to aid with this mission, there was a particularly high value target in the area. Someone with information about the Heart Empire that the higher-ups supposed was prudent and necessary to extract from them. So be it.

The Muramasa cousins were silent for a while, Hisayo listening to the area around them. Her nostrils took in the scents, the journeys, the travels. Kayoko looked at Li for a moment and considered him carefully. She wondered if he had grown any since the last time they had interacted. She hadn't expected Hisayo to lay down the beating upon him that she had, and she had expected even less that the boy had survived it. So he had grit, that was good. As for the Fushinkou, Hisayo herself had focused her attention on them.

When she finally spoke, Kayoko noted that Hisayo looked rather bored, or perhaps she was just tired. "If it were up to me, we would just turn invisible as a group and sneak past all of them, grab the target, and get out without any complications.... And if it were up to her..." She pointed at Kayoko, "Then we would take them out one at a time, either very stealthy or very brazenly and brashly, and then eventually get to the target anyway..."

"Honestly? Either one is fine." Hisayo said with a shrug. "Regardless, take some of these just in case you find yourself in a sticky situation. If you throw it you'll turn invisible immediately, use it as an escape rope." Hisayo reached into her pouch and handed Tomoe and Lii each a Kaguya Bone Ghost Senbon.

[Sinpoder]

Li walked near the person who had mere weeks ago had beaten him into unconsciousness. He didn't feel any kind of resentment for that, as that was pretty normal for him all things considered. He often was beaten that hard before while training with his clan. They claim it would make him stronger and they were right, he was able to take alot more punishment than normal, but sometimes that would upset the people they were training with. He eventually snapped out of his thoughts once he heard Kayoko speak. He then took in the person that was infront of him, a short and slight woman, standing at 154cm, and maybe weighted between 40 to 50kg. She has sleek blue-black hair and expressive dark eyes, but is otherwise relatively nondescript. Her skin, as a Fushinkou, is unusually faded, the colour of ash or dust.

Li knew that this was some kind of test and he wondered why he had spaced off at that moment but right now he would have to think about that later. Li stood there quietly, as he didn't want to get in the way of a conversation he had no part in being there for. Li was a genin after all, and he was being surrounded by people much higher then he was, but maybe that was the point. He was supposed to do something and learn what it was like to be strong. Li was then handed something, a senbon, and once he put his hand on it he instantly knew what it was. Bone. Kaguya Bone. The craftsmanship of it was very good, far greater than anything Li could make but he did as he was told and slid the senbon under a bracelet on his wrist to hopefully keep it in place.

[Valkier]

Tomoe pursed her lips in thought, considering Hisayo's words and fingering the small bone senbon. She hadn't thought of using those, and the idea certainly had merit: It'd be an ideal approach if she and Hisayo were alone. But with four people, and possibly lacking enough senbon to cover both the approach and the escape for everyone as well, it would be safer to keep the weapons ready as an emergency escape tool. No doubt their capturing of their mark would raise an alarm, anyway.

She turned to regard Li for a moment longer with a raised eyebrow, meeting his gaze and giving him a slow, reassuring nod. That he didn't join the conversation did at least tell her something about him; he was not brash, nor overconfident, and seemed to understand that he was an accessory to the mission rather than it's commander. Perhaps he would be an obedient operative, following orders without question. But on the other hand, that she'd asked for his input and recieved none suggested that he either lacked initiative or confidence, perhaps both. She just hoped he was quietly intelligent rather than dumb. Either way, she made a mental note of her assessment to pass to her superiors later when his performance was raised. Assuming, of course, they all made it out in one piece.

”Okay then," she nodded and began rising into a crouch. ”I agree with the Lady Kayoko. We keep the senbon ready in case we need to escape in a hurry. And we sneak in, tent to tent, and take out those in our way. But only when we need to, and quietly. I don't want to return a failure because some grunt lets out a gurgle as he dies. Stay close to us, Kaguya-san."

Tomoe quietly began moving forward towards the camp, staying low and moving slowly within the deeper shadows of the thicket. For the three head hunters, Hisayo, Kayoko, and Tomoe, moving silently came as second nature. The organisation had trained each of them well in the art of stalking their prey and never being detected. But they'd need to cover for Li, who had not yet recieved the honor of such techniques. Tomoe quietly wished they had a mist user on their team for the extra visual cover, but they'd have to do without. At least they had the partial darkness.

Once they reached the edge of the deeper shadow, about 30 metres away from the outermost tent, she stopped and waited for the next guard patrol to pass. They walked in pairs around the perimeter, one group watching each compass direction, with slightly overlapping routes. But guarding was a boring job at the best of times, and more than once she saw a yawn, or a lazy glance at the sky instead of the treeline, or lips moving in idle chatter. They were not yet on high alert, and that would give the group their entrance.

Finally, when the coast was clear--hopefully with enough distance to avoid anyone hearing the noise of their soft footfalls--she darted forward and sprinted across the opening towards the nearest tent. The moon was full overhead, but sporadic clouds provided a degree of shelter, and hopefully the stealthy Hunters would not stick out too much. Not compared to the tents, anyway, which were all pale fabric which caught the glow from the moon and stood out even in the night.

Tomoe reached the first tent and threw herself down into its shadow, then wriggled down to lie flat near the base of the fabric, where to a passer-by she'd likely just look like another flap of spare tentroll if they even saw her at all. Then she looked back to the others and, when the timing was right, waved them forward. Behind her, within the tent, she heard the rustling of movement and the soft murmer of men's voices...

Jutsu usedShow

[Vigilance]
D-Rank Taijutsu Discipline
The user maintains a constant state of vigilance with respect to their immediate surroundings and all persons in their vicinity. This allows the user to effortlessly identify and recall the environment, obstructions, and structures around them to passively recognise entry and escape routes, vantage points, probable sources of cover, and so forth. Additionally, the user can quickly recognise and differentiate civilians from trained (D-rank or higher) persons, such as by analysing gait, body structure, reactions, deftness, and the target's awareness.

[Sia]

The Muramasa cousins moved into position, slowly working their way around the opposite side of their Fushinkou comrade, waiting patiently as the guards passed and sneakily walking around the perimeter without being noticed. They drew closer upon a tent and stepped inside to allow another soul to pass by them without being detected, then sheepishly checked both ways before moving back out and going in a little further. Kayoko, being the most volatile of the group, was growing bored with the proceedings. She was never one to take it easy, that was always Hisayo's game. Brash and Brazen, the next guard that got within reach of her whilst they were hiding found himselves suddenly at Hisayo and Kayoko's feet, with fear in his eyes and a large cloth stuffed into his mouth.

"I think you could have let him go." Hisayo said quietly to her after Kayoko had tied him up properly and stuffed him into a tent. "Screw that I want some fun." Kayoko retorted, but Hisayo rolled her eyes. Still, she had to admit that doing things the clean, proper, and stealthy way was much more boring and tedious than going in with the intention of leaving absolutely no survivors. There were reasons that the Division handled things the way they did however and subtlety was the key here. Quietly the two of them continued onwards, keeping a careful and watchful eye on Lii and Tomoe as they went. Silently, Hisayo brought her hands up, brought up four fingers on her right hand, then clicked twice on the side of her head. Kayoko nodded and began to move away from Hisayo, circling around the other side. From her vantage point, Hisayo could see Kayoko, whom made eye contact with her and then gestured towards the east, then gestured very specifically at one particular tent.

Hisayo motioned for Lii and Tomoe to come closer, and then encouraged the two of them to press on ahead. "I'll be right behind you." Hisayo said to the two of them. "Kayoko will keep scouting ahead."

[Sinpoder]

Li stood there, and did what he thought was best in this case. Listened to every word that was said, but he couldn't help but notice that Tomoe appeared to look at him and give him a slow nod, with an eye brow raised. Li couldn't quite figure out what this meant, as she could have been impressed that Li knew to keep his mouth shut or that he was too shy for not speaking. Though that being said, Li didn't really care that much as his true test was ahead of him and not if this person thought he was smart or dumb based on one interaction. Li heard that they were going to do this quietly and nodded before placing his hands together, and he felt a small amount of his bone pierce his skin and slide across to attach to his wrist. This was Li's tool of choice at this moment for silent take downs, as this will cut off the windpipe instantly and not allow for a grunt to come out if it came down to it but Li wasn't about to do anything he didn't need to do.

Li followed the group of hunters-nin, and wasn't surprised when they were extremely silent but was also impressed. If Li wasn't looking directly at them, he wouldn't have even known they were there at all. Guess being a Hunter-Nin, you had to learn how to be stealthy otherwise things didn't quite work out well. Either way, Li followed them and tried to learn what he cool and even looked in the direction they were looking basically just trying to do his best to mimic their every movement. It was interesting that he saw several yawns, a glance towards the sky and idle chatter from the guards.

Eventually they reached the location that they were expecting, and the team decided to split up into two different location, targeting two tents. Li was then told that he would be the first to go into a the tent, and he kinda just shrugged. They most likely didn't know they were here because if they didn't they most likely wouldn't pretend like they didn't. So Li walked over to the back of the tent they were in front of, and gently slid his elbow blade against the tent flap, his foot keeping the tent flap tight against the ground. His elbow had a very small but extremely sharp blade coming out of it. This blade would never survive a strike, it simply didn't have nearly enough mass to take a hit, but it was thin and sharp which allowed Li to slowly cut the back of the tent without making a noise.

After a few moments, Li let the blade fall off his skin, as his wounds closed up instantly behind him before pushing his way into the tent. Inside this tent were three men, two of them talking and playing cards of some kind with another standing directly in front of Li. Li almost ran directly into the man's back as he walked through the tent flap. Li had to act quickly as he wrapped the bone garrotte around the man's neck before pulling it extremely tight, severing the man's vocal cords and jugular in a moment before pulling the man backwards out of the tent and into the darkness of the outside.

Li knew the man was already dead, he would lose consciousness in fifteen seconds or less, but he had to make sure he didn't make it back into the tent to warn his friends. Li wrapped both of his legs around the man's waist and threw his weight backwards, having the man fall onto of Li as they fell out of the tent. Li simply held the man still and prevent his cries for fifteen seconds before he went completely limp from lack of oxygen to the brain.

Li had assumed his other two would handle the other two without him having to do or say anything about it. Once the man went limp, Li snapped off the bone garrote before it slide back into his wrist like it was on a spool before he pushed the man's body off him and looked to see if his comrades had dealt with their part of the problem.

[Valkier]

Once the team had entered the camp, Tomoe rose and followed the others on their path through the tents, quietly admiring Kayoko's deft takedown of one guard, and a little surprised that the man escaped alive. No matter; their path forward was neatly cleared either way. She stuck close to Li as they snuck further in, and was quickly impressed with his ability to take to what she assumed would be a new experience for him. Instead of stomping through the camp and causing a riot, he was instead a natural at the stealthy approach.

When Li cut his way into his target tent, Tomoe positioned herself to one side and watched. The way he darted inside and snatched a victim away in the blink of an eye, and had him down on the ground and breathing his last within moments, was damned impressive. Like an owl snatching an unsuspecting mouse, with barely a ripple of the tent flap. But praise could come later. For now she focused on the two other figures she'd seen sitting within the tent.

One of the two men evidently caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye, or perhaps felt a rogue gust enter the tent from the new opening in the rear, and looked up just as Li's victim fell out of sight. Tomoe saw realisation dawn on his face right before her kunai, drawn and thrown in one sleek movement, took him in the eye. He toppled backwards, crashing onto and through the game table where he'd been sitting a moment before. The final guard let out a startled shout and reached a hand onto the hilt in his waistband before Tomoe was upon him.

Moving like a spectre in the night she swept in towards the man, then threw herself down to the ground and below the vicious swing as he drew his sword and slashed horizontally infront of him. But even as he registered that he'd missed, she twisted around and kicked his feet out from beneath him, then reached up and seized a handful of his shirt to pull him down. He grunted at the kick, staggering off balance, but it was the following shirt-pull that finalised the takedown. He lashed out with a flailing arm as he fell, and his blade tugged at her sleeve, but it was too little, too late. He hit the kunai held in her other hand as he fell, and his own weight sunk onto the blade, straight through his heart, to the hilt. She finished the kill by tightly wrapping her arms around the man's head and brutally twisting her torso around to one side with a sickening crunch. The kunai was fatal, but too slow; she was already concerned about the shout he did manage to get out.

She took just a moment to recover a few breaths before wriggling out from beneath the man's body, then quickly found and snuffed out the only lanterns in the tent, plunging it into pitch blackness and hopefully concealing the bodies. Had anyone heard the struggle from outside? Best not hang around and find out. She was leaving the back of the tent and admiring Li's kill when she realised her right hand was slick with blood, slipping down within her sleeve from where the sword had found her.

”Shit," she shook her head, disappointed in her own lapse, and tore off a strip of her sleeve to start wrapping the wound.

[Sia]

Just as she was about to reach into her bag to retrieve a summoning scroll, Hisayo smelled Fushinkou blood very suddenly and her head whipped around immediately, ignoring Lii and Kayoko for a moment as she all but teleported by Tomoe's side, very suddenly appearing next to Tomoe in a burst of speed that might've drawn attention if Hisayo hadn't been so well practiced in the art of silent movement. She had in each hand a senbon, primed and ready for dealing with whomever had drawn Tomoe's blood, but found instead that Tomoe was just fine, just slightly injured. "Oh, phew, I smelled blood and feared the worst." Hisayo said very quietly to Tomoe. She put her senbon away and rummaged around in her bag for a moment before pulling out a small red pill. "Here, it'll stop the bleeding." She said, and encouraged Tomoe gently to take it from her before she suddenly disappeared in another burst of speed, joining up with Kayoko up ahead.

They were getting closer to their primary target now, but there were still a few obstacles in the way, and the further in they got, the denser the guard population became. Hisayo rummaged around in her bag again, retrieving a scroll from the Head Hunter's main headquarters. She had never performed the summoning before, but she had a feeling that Substiwolf could do a lot of good for them here. This was beginning to become a little more tricky than she had originally anticipated. She considered her options for a moment and thought that perhaps a distraction of sorts might not be a bad idea. "Kayoko, distract them and let's see how Tomoe and Lii handle a group. We'll step in and intervene if necessary, but I think it might be time to put the wolf to use." Hisayo said, and Kayoko agreed. Kayoko broke her cover, stepping out into the open and merely walking out in plain sight, causing one of the guards to spot her and start moving closer. Kayoko waltzed around the tents, she moved around the crates, the cargo, the guard himself. She was slippery and hard to pin down, and Hisayo couldn't help but smile as she watched her cousin work. She was leading the guard straight to Li and Tomoe.

Staring down at the scroll whilst concealed by her cover, Hisayo read the contents quickly, and was surprised that she was able to understand its meaning. She had seen Maido summon Substiwolf many times, but never got around to learning it herself, so she was stuck with utilizing the scroll as guidance. Hisayo gathered her chakra together and began to manifest it outwards, willing a great beast to come forth from the shadows. Her chakra seeped into the paper and reacted violently, sending out sparks of wild blue chakra that surprised Hisayo, but then Hisayo ignored it and continued the summoning jutsu. She put her palm on the ground and within moments Substiwolf had materialized before her. "Hey bud long time no see." She said. "Go corral some more towards the others, I'll be right behind you." And Substiwolf did just that, running forwards on all fours and snarling and being loud, drawing the attention of those nearby almost immediately. Several guards heard it, a few saw it, but none of them had expected the ridiculous looking canine that they stumbled upon. "What the fuck is that?" Hisayo heard one of them say, and she wondered whether or not Substiwolf was ever offended by such remarks. Still, Substiwolf was doing exactly what she needed it to do, grabbing the attention of the guards so that Hisayo and the others could lure them away from their target and into their clutches. By her count, there were four guards near Tomoe and Li, and three near Kayoko now.

Perhaps she should hang back and help them, but for now she decided to just watch from her vantage point and see how they handled it.



622/400 C-Rank trained

*Ninjutsu • Spiritualism Technique]
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
The base technique for summoning, the Spiritualism Technique allows users to bring forth their summons to fight on their behalf. Once an agreement has been made between the user and their summon, they will be able to use this technique to call upon it at any time unless stated otherwise. The chakra used for this technique varies, as it is dependent on the size and rank of what is being summoned. Once it has been summoned, the initial cost of the summon is equivalent to its rank. It is paid upon being summoned and then the same cost is paid as often as follows:
D-Rank: Free to maintain once summoned.
C-rank: 10 posts
B-rank: 9 Posts
A-rank: 7 Posts
S-rank: 5 posts

[Sinpoder]

Li did not see everything that had happened, as he did have to wait a fifteen seconds for the man to lose conciousness, which in combat was effectively forever but he couldn't allow the guy to maybe get out a liquid filled cry for help as that would defeat the point of the missions. He heard the sound of a body hitting the floor, all attempts to prevent the fall not being heard, most likely dead before he hit the ground. He then heard a sound he didn't expect to hear, a yelp of surprise. Well it looks like their mission might be over already if this alerted others. The sound of a scuffle happened before there was silence, and the tent they were just at went completely dark. As he threw the body off himself, Tomoe was already in front of him her right hand slick with blood. Li assumed that it was the other person's blood, because Li was currently covered in it from the man bleeding onto his white clothes from a cut throat, until he heard her curse. Apparently she had been injured and the next thing was Hisayo was next to them watching over her wounds. Li took the man he had killed and dragged him back into the tent so he wasn't just outside.

Li didn't pay attention to that conversation as he sat there and tried to listen as hard as he could, trying to figure out what other things were happening around them because if someone did see what had just happened they would call out, investigate or do something else to alert them of what else is going on. Li heard none of this for a bit and was simply focused on trying to find the enemy. He was surrounded by people who could save him if needed, and a guard wasn't likely to just kill him from behind. So he had some reasons to not be as worried as he could be.

Li and Tomoe were left together when Li finally focused on his instant surroundings, and taking a very mild risk stuck his head out from behind the tent before regretting his choice. There were four guards walking towards them, and they appeared to be semi-aware of what was going on but not on alert. Li looked back at Tomoe, not really knowing how much she already knew made a series of rough hand signs at her. Li held up four fingers and then made a motion you would say in a fight to say " Come", Li then held up two fingers and pointed at himself and then two fingers and pointed at Tomoe before giving an OK sign. He had hoped she understood what he was requesting, and if given a visual Que of that nodded before starting to plan.

So Li had to take out two guards, using half surprise, so this time he would have to be fast and lethal which might make this very messy and more importantly louder. Li wasn't nearly strong enough to kill two guards by himself silently, he would have to do it in a fight, and he could only hope it was quiet enough to work. Li's bones began to morph into a blade that came out of his wrist and once it was fully made, fell into his hand as he waited for the next move.

Eventually the two guards that Li was to take came within range and with a leap forward at full speed, a speed on par with the Special Jonin that he was with, he leaped forward and swung his left hand at the first guard, using a variation of Iaido but with bones as three inches of blade went through right side of the man's face and out the left. This technique was designed to blind someone, but with a long enough blade and enough strength it could easily be used as a killing move as the blade went into the guard's brain, causing a full system shut down.



The other guard only had enough time to make another surprised noise before Li's speed and strength, a speed and strength he couldn't keep up for long periods of time, used the sword he created earlier to cut the man from his left shoulder to his right hip. Li had hoped he hit both of the lungs, and the heart in that swing, and even if the man wanted to give a scream out with his dying breath, he would only get his lungs filled with blood and there would only be the sound of bubbles heard. As both men fell to the ground, dead or dying, Li had to drop down and quickly drag both of them back into the shadows between the tents before covering his mouth with his bloody hand. He was panting so hard from doing that, his body while capable of moving at speeds above most adults could not keep it up for any real length of time. It was meant to surprise the opponent enough for Li to get in a killing shot and then for him to leave. Li had covered his mouth so that he could get more air into his body as he tried to figure what Tomoe was doing.

SpoilerShow

[Kaguya-Iaido • Bloody Eyes]
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
Prerequisite(s): 8 Speed.
A simple technique meant to cripple the target's vision, the practitioner slashes at his opponents with a knife hand, only to extend sharp bone out of the tips of their fingers at the last moment, making the attack harder to dodge against an unprepared opponent. The bone can be from one inch to three inches in length. This technique can be done in any single direction to either target one or both of the opponent's eyes. The user can then choose to have the small spikes fall out if they wish.

Death Bone Pulse • Bone Blade
D-Ranked Taijutsu
The user focuses any part of their body, causing it to ossify on the surface and create a blade of various size, shape and type made out of bone that can be broken off the body and used as a weapon. The strength of the weapon is equal to the strength of the user.

~Death Bone Pulse • Garrote Wire
D-Rank Taijutsu Maneuver
The practitioner places both wrists together, creating a bridge of a thin wire between them, then then spread their arms apart enough to create however much length of wire required at the time. This is normally used to then create a loop, wrap it around an opponent's neck at which point the wire is pulled back into the user's wrist at [Strength] and [Speed], creating an ever tightening noose on the opponent. It is possible with enough strength and with how small the surface area of the wire is, this could lead to decapitation of an enemy.

[Valkier]

Tomoe jumped and spun to face Hisayo with one of her swords half-drawn before she regonised her comrade. Their eyes met for a moment before the Fushinkou grinned ever so faintly. A rare display of emotion from one of her lineage. She took the pill and nodded her thanks before knocking her head back and swallowing it. She’d never heard of such a pill before, but she knew better than to question her superiors in the field, mid-operation. When she lowered her head, Hisayo was gone again. She seemed to be having fun, at least.

Pill or no pill, she paused in the shadow of the torn tent for a moment to quickly tear off a strip of her dark sleeve and examine her wound. The cut was deep, but thankfully not anywhere important, and she could still move her arm through the pain. She held the flesh closed and bound it tightly even as the pill began to help the flowing blood to slow and coagulate, and soon enough she was ready to continue with one bandaged arm. She looked up in time to catch Li’s hasty signals.

Four targets, she read from his fingers, two each. No problem. She made a mental note to start teaching Li the Hunters’ real hand-talk later, then nodded back at him to confirm that she understood anyway, and crouched down to try and meld into the shadows of a tent as best she could while the enemies drew closer. She drew one of her wicked wakizashi in her good hand, then waited. Four enemies. Perhaps she’d made too much noise, after all. Shame on her for compromising the mission!

She waited until Li began to move before launching from cover herself, bringing her hands together to perform a few rapid seals before darting towards the nearest two guards. The illusion would take hold as soon as they turned to see her, and their eyes widened in surprised as Tomoe suddenly appeared to split into two, with one copy of her running towards each of them. Meanwhile, the real version of her slipped between both, whipped her wakizashi around in a brutal arc, and slashed cleanly through one’s neck.

Her illusion broke as soon as she begun the fatal strike, but it had already served its purpose. One guard was about to die, and the other was distracted, searching for the illusion of her that was no longer there. He spun with a wild slash as soon as he realised his mistake, but she was already closing in and ready. Ducking beneath the swing she danced past him and fell to one knee, spinning and lancing out with her small blade. It bit across the man’s back, shearing his spinal column, and he crumpled to the floor as his body stopped responding. He stared up at her with desperate eyes as she whipped her blade back around to pierce through his forehead. She briskly did the same to the first guard, too, to stop the strained kicking and gurgling of his ongoing death.

Beside her, Li had already finished his own attacks, his demonic speed and strength making even shorter work of the two guards on his side than on Tomoe's, despite the benefit of her experience. It seemed the lad would be a great asset to the Division if that was how fiercely he fought. She drew his attention with a raised hand and indicated that they should keep moving, to avoid the next set of soldiers surely already being drawn to their location, but froze mid-motion as she heard the gutteral howl of Substiwolf, not far away.

”What are they playing at?" She hissed, surprised by the brazen luring of guards towards them, but there was little time to think. ”This way!" She darted to one side and touched Li's sleeve to encourage him to follow. ”If you see Hisayo, go to her. We can't be far from the middle of the camp now. Find and capture that Lieutenant! Kayoko and I will cover for you two."

Jutsu Used…Show

[Mirrored Assault]
D-Rank Illusion Genjutsu
The user prepares this technique and then begins running towards the target. If the target sees the user running they become trapped in this illusion. The user will appear to split into two mirrored clones, each running 2m to the left or right of the user's real position. The user themselves will not be visible during this technique, but their illusory doubles will imitate their every action and movement. This technique lasts only 2 posts.

*Ochiba • Spine of the Maple Tree
C-Ranked Taijutsu Maneuver
Often used as a counterattack, by stepping under an incoming strike and resting on their front leg, they will quickly pivot slashing behind them, upwards across their opponent’s spine. This will likely cut the nerves connected to the users legs, making it difficult for them to move, giving a reduction of -5 speed, they will need to seek medical attention.

[Sia]

From her vantage point Hisayo of the Muramasa watched the others. Tomoe and Li seemed more than capable of holding their own she was happy to see, and Kayoko was doing just fine by herself too apparently. She watched as Substiwolf ran around, turning circles and backtracking and confusing those that followed it, until three guards were all following it down the same pathway, running straight past Hisayo, whom tripped one of them very simply by merely sticking her foot out. He ate wood, his face colliding with the boards below them as Hisayo swiftly stomped the back of his neck hard with her boot heel. Kayoko saw it and grimaced, even by their standards that was rather cruel. Hisayo's body flickered away, darting towards another tent as Kayoko joined with her. There were still two guards chasing substiwolf, and as they turned a corner Hisayo and Kayoko both descended upon them.

The Muramasa leapt into the air, Hisayo grabbed Kayoko's hand as they jumped in unison and Kayoko's body began to transform, melting from its human form into that of a rather largely sized claymore, which came crashing down with the flat side of the blade against the both of the guards, immediately concussing and knocking them into the wooden docks and out for the count, Hisayo landing a mere split second later between the two of them silently. She took a singular step and left the spot, backtracking towards Li and Tomoe. "Okay, let's go for the target, anyone else that pops up can be taken alive as well I believe." Hisayo said quietly with Kayoko in her hand. Hisayo let out a long breath, held it for a while, then slowly inhaled for a while and then held that too. "Okay, let's move."

Her body flickered forwards past the tents. There were, as it was, a few large buildings, but intel had told them that only one of them was actually being used for criminal activity, the others were somewhat upstanding businesses, fishermen, crabbers, the dock had several yards and warehouses here and there, it would have been easy to get lost if they hadn't known exactly which one they were looking for.

As it were, it was rather simple. The building they were looking for was the only one without a yellow door. "How convenient." Kayoko had said sarcastically to Hisayo during the briefing. Hisayo snickered as she recalled, but lead the way and shook the thought aside. Substiwolf ran forwards, now moving very quietly throughout the area and sniffing around. Substiwolf paused suddenly and alerted. There were more guards nearby. "Good job." Hisayo said quietly and motioned for Substiwolf to come back. Hisayo thought for a moment and considered the best way into the building, since the front door was likely not the best move.

"From above." Was all she said to the others as she darted forwards, maneuvering her way around the side of the building and scaling some crates. There were windows they could enter through here and there, they just had to figure out the right ones. Hisayo peaked in and motioned for the others to draw closer. The inside was filled with boats and scaffolding. There were rafters with ropes, pulleys, and heavy chains lining the entire building. There were guards here, sure, but not that many. Hisayo silently clicked her teeth and Substiwolf ran in from the front, snarling and screaming in ways that sounded both human and canine and immediately causing a distraction long enough for Hisayo and the others to slip in through the window and position up into the darkness of the rafters.