[Graded] Without A Village

[Valkier]

The dark skies over Kirigakure had gave way to bright blue, the large wisps of white clouds doing little to block out the bright sun and no mist to hideaway in. The ship would slowly rock back and forth and the wind pushed the sails through the water, the waves crashing against the side of the boat paced like a metronome. With his arms hanging at his side, Kozan stood at the edge of the ship, staring off into the horizon as the coastline slowly began to consume more and more of his field of vision. They were rapidly approaching their destination, and soon the mission would begin.

He had intended to use the cover of night to initiate this mission, but the sea had been unkind and they were already several hours behind when they weee supposed to arrive, not a good start to the first mission he was being asked to lead.

”A shinobi is nothing without his village”, he whispered under his breath, reciting the first tenant in the code of conduct like a mantra.

In truth, the cover of night or not, it didn’t matter much. They were here to commit Democide, there would be no survivors except the ninja of Kirigakure. Had it been night, they’d be able to dock and attack directly from the ship, but with the sun above them, their targets would know they were coming. Right now they would look like a ship simply passing by but once they got close enough the pirates on the island would board their ships and attempt to attack. It meant the shinobi would likely have to dismount the ship carrying them and approach the village on foot.

Turning his back to the ocean, Kozan would walk towards the center of the ship, slamming his foot three times on a hatch in the center before taking a few steps back. It would quickly open and a group of people would emerge from it, forming a circle around the young special jounin.

”A ninja lives not for themselves or anyone else”, seemingly centering himself as the group clamoured around him ”but for the village.”, slowly the talking would die down as all eyes fell on Kozan.

”Three years ago during the Great War, Water Country took control of lands west of us, these lands here, and made claim to them. The samurai of Water Country have done a poor job of maintaining it and in the three years since on the peninsula a village has been formed and piracy has rooted into it. While we have turned a blind eye to this, their activity has taken an effect on shipments coming into and leaving the village, and our hand has been forced.”, he explained. As it was always, Kozan’s voice lacked emphasis or intonation, he stated this in a matter-of-fact manner, he could have been simply reading this from a mission bio given how plain his speech was. ”Kirigakure cannot appear gentle on these matters. Our mission is simple, destroy every ship, kill every pirate, every pirates wife or husband, every pirates mother, father, or child. To erase this village from existence. So that no other crew, group, or entity thinks to establish themselves on the land of our country.”

There was no room for interpretation on this mission. When they were done, there would be nothing left but corpses and ash to feed the vegetation that would grow to overtake the ruins of the village.

”Given the conditions, we will not be docking at the village. You’ll be split to your teams or dispatched independently and you will approach the village on foot. I will provide individual assignments. Are there any questions.”

He stood unwavering, a single thought in his mind

’they exist to maintain and further the strength of the village’

[Jinan B]

A shinobi is nothing without his village.

Kinsue stood alone on the starboard side of the ship, gazing distantly across the open water. Earlier he had watched the sun rise up from the horizon; seen it clear the mist as they crossed the open ocean. He was silent and unmoving, his mind focused on what the future would bring.

He remembered seeing the mission brief; his name sticking out from the assigned shinobi force. It had been a group almost entirely drawn from the Seven Swordsman, with a few striking exceptions. No doubt his cousin had been responsible. A test of his will now that he had returned, perhaps.

To some, it would have seemed a clear opportunity. Most would never chance upon such a gathering of the village’s most legendary organization. He had found himself encouraged to take the chance to watch and listen, to see their true strength in action. He had thought similarly years ago, seeing his name among the legends sent to Soul Country.

This time, however, there would be no straying from the path. Their purpose was singular and absolute. There was no room to stray, and the pirates they had been sent to quell stood no chance against such an esteemed company. It would be a slaughter, that much seemed clear.

The sound of Kozan’s knocking echoes behind him, signaling that the time for isolation was over. He had separated himself from the close-knit group of swordsmen, having had no desire to tread beyond his status of outsider among them. Now, he would turn and join the huddling congregation. Kozan had been assigned as leader to the mission, tested even more so by Shinjiro than Kinsue himself, and the Karagata listened keenly as he covered how the mission would unfold. Kinsue’s expression would be blank and inscrutable; the mask kept close at hand since their departure.

His heart was hardened. He had known well enough what it meant to rejoin the shinobi force, and he understood the threat posed by the pirates better than most. As a civilian his own ships had been threatened too often by the souls they had been sent to condemn.

He told himself that the mission would strengthen the village. Tried to believe that it was the only thing that mattered now.

[Mre-face]

Being on a ship brought memories back of the great war giving him an almost seasick feeling. His stomach spun and his head was woozy needless to say the memories were not good if they made him feel this way. Not a single instance was focused on the mission at hand rather instead Mondai would be seen leaning against the starboard with his eyes staring straight forwards seemingly looking at nothing. Those that worked on the ship were invisible despite doing whatever labor they did right in front of his eyes.

Most of the swordsman was here but he kept to himself whilst a few others were brought along not that Mondai cared or talked to any of them anyway. Even then would they accept an untouchable who was sworn to the lower cast of Karugata? Mondai certainly did not so it was best to keep himself occupied in his mind.

The feeling he had in Oasis was faint yet it remained ever so slightly as he recalled. He was a veteran now the only reason he had these feelings was because he specifically focused on these feelings. A shinobi is nothing without his village His ever-sailing mind was interrupted by Kozan who had begun the mission briefing causing Mondai to light a cigarette somehow by partaking these orders Mondai felt a small bit of guilt for his friend Yuuto.

It was simple really almost laughably so kill everything and everyone in sight. Nothing embodies the name of "the bloody mist" more than a mission like this ever could.

He had a job to do and Kozan was the leader despite him currently being the lower-ranked swordsman maybe this was a test for him? No matter the untouchable turned Shinobi was ordered and so he did what he was told. There wasn't much else to do either way and it wasn't as if he had much choice in the matter. It was time to make a statement. A statement that would give strength to the village.

[Kabu]

"Mmm what a nice day to go show some pirate scum that we mean business." Asuna spoke to nobody in particular, tail happily swishing behind her. She had taken up position on the starboard of the ship, enjoying the feeling of the ocean wind blowing past as she stared out at the open sea. Of course she knew this was no time to be relaxing but even still... Perhaps it was a natural result of living in Kiri or maybe she had the makings of a sailor but she had always held a deep seated love of the sea. It was admittedly partly for that reason that she couldn't abide by pirates terrorizing the countryside but more than that they had gotten in over their heads and caused trouble for the village and they were going to die for it, every last one of them. Perhaps there were some among them that weren't involved in any of the incidents but they had still stood by and let it happen, even likely profiting from it themselves and that made them just as guilty.

She was soon distracted from her own thoughts by Kozan's voice, turning to face him as he spoke. She absolutely agreed and was on board with everything he was saying but the speech brought home that he was to be leading this mission. It was frustrating to think one of her juniors had overtaken her so quickly. She would need to double down on her training if she had any hope of catching up.

In any case now really wasn't the time to be having those kinds of thoughts, it was time for action. For now she would just have to fight hard and prove herself on the battlefield.

[WrightJustice]

Nishiki had joined such a big mission somewhat in a bumbling way as he looked for a bit of fun, though in accepting it he realised there were more swordsmen members in it which almost made it an outing for the seven which was indeed exciting. Given that he didn't pay too much careful attention to what was going to go down and just sort of showed up and hopped on the ship with the rest, though he of course wore his usual black kimono with golden detailing as it seemed fitting for such a big adventure.

The trip didn't seem to go quite as smoothly as anticipated but once they started to approach the pirate heathens Kozan gave the signal for everyone to gather, as such the grand fox stepped out and sort of made his way to the back where he started to listen. It was essentially the young special jounin's mission so the bannin aimed to stay out of any of the planning, simply willing to follow orders like anyone else as he took in the speech and plan.
That being said it did dawn on him that it was way more serious than he anticipated, though the man's voice was rather droning so difficult to focus on, which made the Tsukino wonder how much fun he would have to cut back on and how much oomph he would have to put into the mission.

"The pesky little bugs barely deserve any respect from us, annihilate them all in one go!" bellowed Yoshimitsu in his host's mind, scoffing as he did so.
"Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi... What is the fun in that?" retorted the jinchuuriki, managing to keep the talking internal.
"Fun in slaughtering a bunch of maggots?" the genma questioned, giving the man an intrigued look.
Hearing those words did concern Nishiki a bit; had Yoshi's influence encroached even further upon him? It didn't exactly uphold the will Fuhen hoped to bestow upon him but he still held Kirigakure above all else and so with a sigh he tried to focus back on the monotones leaking into his divine ears.
”A shinobi is nothing without his village” he then muttered under his own breath as he pondered how to go about things, awaiting for further instructions.

[Diatenshi]

Whilst many others on the ship seemed weighed down by glorious purpose, Chisaki bounced around with a cheery, giddy expression. Though being on a ship was an uncommon experience for her, she was mostly preoccupied with thoughts of the carnage that was to come. Given the grim nature of their task her attitude and behavior most likely came off as sadistic or psychotic.

Chisaki bounced on her feet with barely contained excitement as she listened to the mission brief only half paying attention. She'd been put on a temporary assignment to assist in an eradication mission. No survivors. It'd been much too long since the leash was taken off and she was given true agency to let loose with her viral abilities. She would be able to actually eat her fill. She wondered how the other shinobi on board the vessel would react to seeing her devour a living human. She shivered with ecstasy at the mere thought and her face was a tad unsightly as she drooled a bit.

Her daughter and her lover were on the mission as well. It was as if it was a family vacation for the three of them. Granted yes, she had to share and it certainly wasn't a solo operation, but she was just so eager to feast. She'd almost forgotten the sensation of giving into her primal urges to feed and spread her viral corruption. At least Shinji would be there to help keep from getting too carried away.

As she heard mutterings of the code of conduct she did her best to hold back a snort. After, all it wouldn't do for a member of the HHD to sneer or ridicule the teachings of the village. It wasn't that she held no love for the village or viewed the teachings with contempt, in fact it was quite the opposite; she was certainly attached to the place she called home. What made her want to laugh was the serious, almost solemn intensity with which the phrase was being spoken across the ship. Despite doing her best to reign in her overly enthusiastic attitude, she giggled out the phrase herself, unable to contain the joy in her voice."A shinobi is nothing without their village."

[ThatGuy]

Abari’s time on the ship was spent in quiet meditation. He did his best not to get too excited about being alongside members of the seven swordsmen. Now was not the time to play fanboy, it was the time to steel his mind. If the boy wanted to prove himself, he couldn’t mess this up. There were far too many high-ranking shinobi here for that. Holding Muramasa close, he wondered if he had made the right choice in bringing it. The weapon was far too… Cosmetic for your typical Kiri nin. As nightmarish as it looked, it wasn’t actually organic, it wasn't actually a demon sword. But if he wanted to inflict fear in the hearts of Kiri’s enemies, then he figured it would help get the job done. When there was a pounding on the hatch, the boy got up and joined everyone in going to the deck.

Kozan was leading the mission, someone the boy knew well. Not on a personal basis, of course, Abari just made a note to memorize the members of the seven swordsmen. As Kozan gave the briefing, the boy closed his eyes and listened intently to the speech. These pirates had been squatting on their territory for far too long. It was going to be an absolute slaughter. Killing children didn’t sit quite right with Abari, but he would do what his village asked of him. What good is a tool that refuses to do its job?

A shinobi is nothing without his village

The boy had been so focused on proving himself in terms of combat that he had neglected something far more important: proving his loyalty. Abari would have been a nervous wreck right about now, unsure if he was worthy to be around shinobi of such high caliber. But the boy wasn’t here, in his place stood the Bloody Demon of the Mist, and he only had one focus: to kill in the name of Kirigakure. Opening his eyes, he made it clear that he was ready to follow orders.

[Gara]

I am unsure of why I was chosen to go on this mission, but I will do my best to go above and beyond their expectations of me. Hatsuyuki followed the rest of his comrades out of the hull of the village, a steely look in his eye as he resolved himself to complete the task set before them. It had not been long since he killed his Genin rival, and he was still coming to terms with having to take the life of his friend. This led to a small part of himself second guessing whether or not he would be able to murder helpless civilians. Whether he would be able to murder children. He took a deep breath as he resolved himself to complete the task set before him. " A ninja's duty is to become the best at what the ninja does, willing to sacrifice anything to accomplish this goal." Hatsu began repeating the fourth code of conduct for ninja both in his mind and under his breath. It was the code of conduct that stuck out to him the most above all of the others, and truly resonated with him at that moment.

[Kaitos10]

Nozomi had come along on a mission to exterminate pirates she was currently standing on the boat listening to Kozan. As he continued explaining everything to her it sounded like it was going to be a rather easy and simple. So would wait until he was done explaining everything. When he was she heard they would be placed on teams, she wondered who’s team she would be placed on she would then ask “so are we all approaching from the same position? And do we get to strategize with our assigned group? Or do we just make everything up on the way there? Or improvise?”

[Izanagi]

Shinjiro observed those his Dagger had gathered for this mission. Three members of the Seven Swordsmen, three Daggers, two promising potential swordsmen and lastly his cousin Kinsue, and his girlfriend Chiaki. Among these 10 chosen were some of Kirigakure’s most fearsome and ruthless shinobi. Such a force could conquer even a nation, let alone eradicate a simple village. Truly it would be a grand testament to the strength of Kirigakure and stand as a reminder of what happened to those that dared to provoke them.

The Overseer felt only pride as he watched his apprentice command this mission. Perhaps to some surprise, Shinjiro himself had allowed women and children to be spared on occasion, particularly during his assault on Tea countries strongholds during the war. He realized now that had been a mistake, as, despite that mercy, Heart Empire had rallied to invade Water country and retake their lands. Kirigakure could not afford to show such compassion again. Any threat that provoked them would be removed from existence and he felt no pity or remorse for anyone that would willingly oppose them. His mercy now would only be in the form of a swift death for those too young to understand the foolishness of their parent’s actions.

Flitting about as a literal fly on the wall, Shinjiro had intended to keep his presence scarce until it was time to act. He didn’t want to detract from Kozan’s test of leadership. However, he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to further provoke Mondai. Second only to bullying Chiane, he felt it necessary to remind the weak links of the Seven Swordsmen of their shortcomings. His voice would be like a whisper on the ocean breeze, one for only Mondai to hear. “He’ll be coming for you soon. You should get used to taking orders from him. If you survive” he warned, his voice cold yet laced with a mocking undertone. Truthfully, he believed Mondai had already plateaued. Kozan would replace him soon enough and even if Mondai survived he doubted he would be able to contend with the other competitors that were quickly gaining on him. Even the relatively unknown Abari seemed like he might be a more worthy candidate.

As always Shinjiro only wanted the strongest and most ruthless members within the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Those who always strived to reach higher. He saw that hunger in Kozan, but in Mondai there was only a sense of complacency. Darting across the ship, Shinjiro appeared next to Chisaki after a brief glow of green chakra. Hooded and masked the menacing figure wore his pair of Katana across his back and his legendary arrow at his hip. “A Ninja recognizes no limitations” he muttered to himself after the chorus of shinobi reciting their vow to the village. This was the code of conduct Shinjiro most embodied. As much as he was loyal to Kirigakure and grateful for the strength the village had given him, he knew that in order to ascend higher and secure unrivalled strength for the Karagata family the village may suffer. But Kirigakure would never fall while he still lived. And he would never allow anyone to interfere with his ambitions.