Post
by Izanagi » Sun Apr 19, 2020 9:02 pm
Shinjiro entered the room when gestured, his eyes scanned the new surroundings quickly, taking note of the extensive underground portion of the village and the even larger catacombs beneath as depicted on the map. How fascinating, it seemed there were many secrets and layers to the village, more than he could ever hope to explore in a week let alone a day. ‘What really lies beneath?’ he wondered. He didn’t have enough time to memorize so many details at just a glance but certainly he knew there would be many dangers beneath, likely there were countless traps and contingencies in the event the citizens of Iwagaure needed to shelter underground and fight off an attack. He had already been impressed by the remote location of the village and the expansive walls, now he was convinced that Iwagakure had the strongest and most thorough defences of any of the great nations.
So too had the armor and sword caught his eye, he recognized high quality when he saw it. That was equipment worthy of a Kage and he doubted even his swords and strength would be enough to pierce it. That confirmed that Tatsuo was surely a close quarters fighter primarily, relying on remarkable strength and likely speed as well combined with nearly impenetrable defenses. Unlike Katsu however, this man had intelligence and composure to aid him, he would not have any weaknesses easy to exploit, therefore he likely possessed skill in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu to fall back on and act as additional tactics in case anyone were able to actually face him head on. The young Jinchuurki was already convinced that he would not be able to defeat this man, not without a few years of further training and more information, seeing him in action and discovering what areas he could exploit. Poisons perhaps would be his one advantage, that and the versatility of his transformations should he continue to hone them and find the best way to capitalize them.
The mere presence of Tatsuo was one every bit as imposing as the Mizukage, two titans that towered over him. One the pinnacle of Taijutsu and the other a master of elemental ninjutsu. As someone who favoured assassination rather than prolonged combat neither were someone he would want to fight seriously. Nonetheless the competitive drive, the insatiable desire to be the strongest nagged at him from deep within. There was a part of him that reveled in direct combat, a part that he reserved for opponent’s he was confident he could overwhelm. It seemed the stronger he became the more he realized how truly awe inspiring those who sat at the top really were. The assassin of the mist would stand about 2 meters away from the desk, left hand clasping his wrist kept near his waist. Sitting was often inconvenient with the swords across his back and moreover it felt a far more vulnerable and relaxed position for his liking.
Tatsuo stood and walked over to the map while asking a question. Admittedly, Shinji’s knowledge of the details were slim. “I only know that it resulted in a new Kage, Nakajima Hayate who had been the one to lead the revolution and ultimately claim more power for himself” he stated. He had heard that Lightning country operated much the way Water Country did now, with the Kage positioned as the most powerful in the country, any politicians or royalty essentially figureheads that deferred to the shinobi in most cases. However, the exact details of how the country operated were unknown to him. He had never stepped foot in Lightning Country before and the Karagata fleet had always made sure to keep away from Kumogakure vessels, resulting in limited information, most of it coming second hand through trading vessels of neighboring nations such as Forest Country or the developing Whirlpool Country.
The young man listened carefully, curious to discover what level of information gathering skills the stone village possessed but also knowing that any information discerned would relate to an assigned objective. For the most part the information confirmed his own observations and intelligence gathering, though he hadn’t heard that Kumogakure had been attacked, implying a force at work other than the revolutionaries. ‘Who could have a hand in that?’ he wondered. Certainly not Kirigakure or Iwagakure if he was only hearing this now, and it would seem to contrast Konoha’s intentions. Sunagakure perhaps? It would have to be a secret operation or more likely a group of rogue shinobi or spirits. Certainly, he wished to dig deeper into what potential enemies Kumogakure might have. At the mention of the railroad, the young assassin perked up. “I can verify that. I’ve personally scouted Whirlpool country barely more than 2 weeks ago. I helped navigate a route for a shipment from Iwagakure, accompanied by a Special Jounin of your village by the name of Vale. I scouted Whirlpool extensively and noted the railroad being build from the North, leading down into Fire Country. Kumo and Konoha shinobi were building it together and had already completed nearly half of the route through Whirlpool, further considering the evident progress through Forest country and presumably all the way up to Lightning.” He reported in. Surely Vale had written in his report the success of the delivery and noted some of his own observations though he had only been led by Shinji through the path of least resistance, keeping away from the construction areas as much as possible whereas Shinji had scouted the railroad from the air on his way through the country before meeting up with the Iwagakure shinobi in the Land of Rivers.
Hopefully that information would be valuable, and he would be forthcoming in drawing out locations of the railroads route as well as where he observed the heaviest concentrations of enemy shinobi. Of course, he had kept his distance though from the air with eyes as sharp as an eagle there was much that he had been able to discern. If necessary, he could lead forces into the country though scouting and assassination were more his specialty than sabotage if that were a potential plan of action. The young Jounin was somewhat relieved therefore when Tatsuo clarified that his purpose was instead an assassination mission, of a Daimyo in fact. Such a valuable target was a great honour and a mission of such prestige that his family would surely be proud. The Jinchuuriki nodded slowly, conviction in his hardened eyes. He wondered who the two others might be, ‘Maido surely and likely that other Akari, Kotaru?’ he recalled assessing who would be the most suitable and easily piecing together that there was surely a reason beyond protection why Maido had accompanied him to the village. Shinjiro’s eyes lit up, Iron Country, a good move. They were known for a strong military, the plan was a good one, made only possible by Maido’s remarkable abilities. Perhaps genjutsu could have had the same effect though such long lasting brain washing type techniques were extremely uncommon and not quite as ideal. “With pleasure. I take it subtly is priority. Incapacitating or avoiding guards, perhaps a distraction or two if necessary. Who’s the third shinobi? That other Akari from Star Country perhaps? Your brother right?” he speculated. He wasn’t sure what Kotaru’s skillsets were but he was sure he too was a Bannin by his presence and given his build and demeanor he seemed the type to favor deceit, torture, and assassination similar to himself though perhaps inclined towards Genjutsu or more supplementary ninjutsu of some sort.
Akari, Tatsuo flipped through a manila folder before signing off on another form as the sun hung high in the afternoon sky. He hated the monotony of paperwork; it was the bane of any ninja who still wanted to be out in the field performing missions for their village. It was dull and tedious which usually led to him falling asleep mid way through it atop his desk and leaving drool all over the piece of furniture. This specific batch, however, served a greater importance than most bits of paperwork did to the Bannin. This batch was multiple work orders and supply shipments for a new endeavor made in the interest of Iwagakure no Sato and its allies. 
