[Plotboard] Grand Theft Autumn

[Sanjuro]

Evenings in the Konoholic were loud, rambunctious affairs. Off-duty ninja blowing off steam tended to result in drunken karaoke sung exceptionally poorly and looser lips than was probably safe for mercenaries specializing in information gathering. The safety of home, however, brought with it a relaxed sense of security. The constant flow of booze certainly didn't help things either. It was simply a good thing that the bar was owned and run by a retired Jounin; the man probably knew more secrets about the village than even the Hokage. If anyone ever wanted to know anything, this was the place to find it.

It was on a particularly rowdy night that Taiga would find himself slipping into the confines of the bar, using the overwhelming crowd to disguise the fact that he was far too young to be in the bar. It was a well-known fact that the owner hated underage drinking. What he was here for was anyone's guess. He certainly couldn't drink here, at least not alcohol, and if he showed his face at the bar there was every chance he'd be thrown out on his arse. A single line of conversation, barely audible over the din of the bar, would perhaps catch the young Jinchuuriki's attention.

"Did you hear? Some kids were sent after the Autumn Soldier and managed to escape."

"Come on, pull the other one, Iwabe. Everyone knows that's just an urban legend. Ooo, the Autumn Soldier, be careful or he might smother you in falling leaves~ Yeah right!"

[Taiga]

It was a long journey, but Taiga had very slowly transformed himself from an impulsive knuckle-head and occasional peeping-tom to someone who realized his old ability in spying on pretty women was also an ability that could be used for spying... on anyone? Whatever. Either way Taiga liked sneaking around. Call it practice, call it curiosity, call it whatever. Lately he had been finding his way into many places he shouldn't have been, and tonight, it was the Konohlic. After slipping his way into the bar, he quickly made use of his unique skills to sink into the floor, and soon after into the bar itself. He was going to see if he could pull one over on the owner when he suddenly heard something...

"Autumn soldier..."

His ears perked up like a dog's as he stopped in his track. Quickly he made his way as close as he could to the source of the chatter. Someone apparently named Iwabe.... Did they perhaps know something? Taiga's stomach dropped. This man had grave-robbed his uncle Senju Shou. Hell- this man had toyed with Taiga... almost got him to kill his teammates.... All he could remember in that moment was how much he wanted to find the bastard again.

[Sanjuro]

Iwabe slammed his drink down after draining it dry, the glass making a loud clinking sound against the hard wood of the counter. "No man, seriously, he's real! No one with that many sightings can be entirely fake! Sure, some of the stories probably are, but not all of them!"

Iwabe's drinking partner shook his head in annoyance. "Just because you buy into all the crazy theories about super powered evil ninja, doesn't mean all of us have our head in the clouds. Down here in the real world, people like that don't exist. Either they're so powerful they're well known or they're so underwhelming no one has ever heard of them. Shit like the Autumn Soldier just isn't real."

"If they aren't real then why would there be a mission to hunt him down? Hmm? I was poking around the old mission reports just to make sure. Three kids left on a mission and got their asses handed to them by a mysterious ninja that wielded leaves as weapons. Leaves. How many Senju you know do that, huh? None, that's how many! It had to be the Soldier!"

"If it was the Soldier then why'd these kids live, huh? What makes them so special."

"Awai, Fanho. Inuzuka, Kazuo. Those were the only two names in the mission report. There was mention of a third one but every mention of the name is redacted. How many people get redacted like that, huh? The third one is either Black Ops or… one of them."

"You mean…"

"Yeah, man, has to be. How else would a pair of kids escape the Soldier? Special Jounin's are just Chuunin that got too big for their breeches, and the Awai kid was just a Chuunin at the time. They had to have some serious firepower with them. And why send out that kind of firepower for just an urban legend?"

"If you're right, where is the Soldier now, then? Honestly it could've been anything they were after. And if there was an ongoing investigation into it, which I'm not saying there is, not even you could get into those files."

"Man… if only. You know how many theories I could prove if I had access to ongoing investigations? Oh man, it'd be awesome just to get a peek into those."

"Keep dreaming, Iwabe. Keep dreaming."

[Taiga]

Taiga listened very carefully to the men talk. One of them was particularly annoying to Taiga- mainly because he doubted the soldier existed and made it out to be some kind of myth or joke... though he did have a point. For someone so powerful it was so odd how obscure he had kept himself. Generally when you were powerful you had a name, or you didn't... but Taiga knew the soldier was one of those guys who was a nobody, but quickly became a somebody. And worse, he knew that was because the soldier had an arm with the DNA and essence of Senju Shou- a hero who fell protecting the village against Enma and Fushinkou Yaku... and his uncle.

When the two men mentioned the names of his teammate, and that one was redacted, Taiga kind of grinned.

We're that important, eh big guy? he thought. I guess you could say we are... but I think we're pretty weak. His over-confidence had long been a balance to the under confidence of Sukairaa. In the end they were quite a good match. Yin and Yang, really. Taiga bit his lip. He'd never heard of "ongoing investigations". But, now he knew a lot of intel was there. Suddenly his curiosity and mood to have some fun at the bar had left.

Sinking into the ground he went to his full form- a complete ghost, free to move where he wanted and he began heading for the mission office. If what he wanted existed it was probably there.

Thanks, Iwabe.

[Sanjuro]

The administrative division of the Konoha Academy was as well guarded as the rest of the building. There were constant patrols of Chuunin-level shinobi, the doors were all locked and barred, and really who wanted to risk running into the Hokage on the off chance he was working late? None of that however mattered for someone who could merge with the walls and doors, becoming a literal part of the building.

The mission's office was a simple room, used not as storage but more for handing out missions to prospective Genin and Chuunin teams. When not in use the room was left in total darkness, the doors locked up tight, but no one was left to guard the room in particularly. Apparently, it wasn't important enough to warrant constant monitoring.

[Taiga]

As Taiga melded his through the building and into the room he began to feel out with his senses. Everything he was touching around him became his senses..... it was as if they were one. As he felt about, he realized there was no one here guarding it. He also realized that it was merely locked... And he didn't seem to feel anything odd at play. He poked his head up into the room carefully, only to confirm that. If so, he would begin to have a sneaking suspicion that this room was not the room he was looking for.

If it had such sensitive, dangerous information it wouldn't be protected only by locks and a roving guard that watched the rest of the building. After confirming no one was around, he'd pop up to have a look. If he found nothing in particular, he was certain he was in fact in the wrong room....

What the hell is ongoing investigations and where would it possibly be stored in the administration building.

It seemed he'd need to get some information... but how exactly? Perhaps it would be one of the more guarded rooms... his next action if he turned up nothing would be to slink back into the wall and rove the entire building, looking for a high concentration of people or anything that felt odd to him. He'd also feel for rooms that felt like a lot of "weight" was on the floor- which he was now connected too. Perhaps the files that held this information would make for a heavy room.

[Sanjuro]

There was nothing of note in the room. A few left-over mission scrolls that had been forgotten when the room had been cleared out at the end of the day, but they were little more than D-Ranks, nothing anyone would worry over as secret or vital. As Taiga moved through the floors, he would find… little in the way of what he was looking for. There were a few rooms that had a little more guarding than usual and some old storage rooms that had a little more 'weight' than most, but nothing that screamed 'archive of information about the Autumn Soldier.'

[Taiga]

Taiga wasn't able to find anything at all in the building. Even the rooms he'd thought would have the files seemed... like nothing of importance would be there. He wasn't sure what to do... but he realized he probably should have been less impulsive and gotten more information out of the two men at the bar... like where ongoing investigations files were? Sinking back into the wall he made his way toward where guards would be. He couldn't think of anything better to do... but fire was burning inside of him. He had to catch the soldier. He had to end him and take back what was stolen. Panicking, did the only thing that came to mind. His body warped to an odd, vague but scare inciting vision. A missing ninja... somewhat reminiscent of Enma. He then cloned himself in that form, planting it just past where the guards were.

Then, changing his appearance again he became more like Gene.... And following that, an ANBU robe and mask appeared. He knew Gene was a Jounin with high-clearance... and though they wouldn't recognize him, he also knew a ANBU had special power within the village. He went back into the wall and behind where the guards were.

He cleared his throat, and speaking in a way that masked his identity as many ANBU did, he came out a wall and turned the corner into the hall-way.

"ANBU- Shit, stop that man! He's heading for Ongoing Investigations!" he shouted. He made sure the clone was just seen enough before rounding a corner and disappearing- to appear as if he had escaped or left. That meant all Taiga would have to do was follow the guards to Ongoing Investigations- who thought they were following a criminal.

USEDShow

*Ninjutsu • Advanced Transformation Technique
C-Rank Ninjutsu
An advanced form of the Transformation Technique, after performing the correct hand seals and holding the final one temporarily, the user will coat and mold chakra around their body into the shape and form of something or someone which is no more than twice their size at a speed of 4. This technique's true advantage is that the disguise is given physical substance. This means, for example, if they transform into something with claws, they will have claws that can physically be used. For the disguises 5 post duration, if it is damaged by a hit of 16 or more strength, the disguise "poofs" from existence. This includes collateral damage caused by striking an opponent that may occur to the disguise.

E-Rank Academt Clone

[Sanjuro]

Guard duty was boring. Guard duty in the village was even more boring. Guard duty stuck in the missions office of the village? Hell on earth. So when an ANBU suddenly appears, screaming at the top of his lungs, and there is an intruder behind you running around a corner, well, it was like all Chuunin Masako's birthdays had come at once!

She turned and started running after the intruder, turning the corner, a kunai at the ready, ready to pounce!

Only to find nothing but thin air.

"Oh come on!"

She jogged forward a bit, opening a few doors, before the words of the ANBU clicked. "… Wait a sec. We don't have any ongoing investigations held here. Was he talking about the files held over in the archives? Or maybe he was after the list of missions we have running right now? I'll check there first."

Masako made her way up a few floors, running as fast as she could while maintaining an element of stealth, checking each and every door on her way just in case her quarry was hiding in wait for her. It seemed she was remaining in the building for the moment.

[Taiga]

Taiga was ecstatic to see his plan worked. The guards were so eager to prove themselves, as all youngins were, that a percieved commanding officer and a run-away were plenty enough to draw attention and get information. As the girl told him the things he needed to know- specifically the stuff he was looking for wasn't here and that it was probably in the archives. He responded in a rushed tone, keeping in character.

"I know, he said he was heading for the ongoing investigations in the Archives!" he shouted out as he began to take off for a stair well. He yelled, so she would hopefully hear it. "You need to stay on alert here and guard this building- in case he comes back!" he shouted. Soon as he cleared her vision he'd sink into the earth, out of the building, and make his way towards the archive building. He was gunna get those damn files tonight... And the Autumn soldier would get what he had coming.

[Sanjuro]

"Roger that sir! If you find him first, save a piece for me! Or two!"

The archives of all recorded past missions and any other pertinent information not related to any new missions were stored in a single place. Likely one of the most secure places in the entire village. The place no one went without invitation. The trunk that held up the Village Hidden in the Leaves and office of the great Fire Shadow himself.

The Hokage Tower.

Deep within the bowels of the building one could find information on all ninja, past and present, that Konoha had ever produced. Every mission ever taken, every coin ever earned, every technique ever discovered. It was all here. All heavily guarded by Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, solid walls and energy barriers. To anyone else it would be a death sentence trying to get through without the proper authorizations.

Many rooms held a significant amount of 'weight', it seemed that the storage of documents had been occurring since the beginning of the village. It was up to Taiga to figure out whatever sorting system the administration of the Tower used and then find the information he was looking for.

[Taiga]

When he arrived at the Hokage Tower he'd knew he'd have to tread carefully. Phasing into the wall he'd make his way around the building feeling everything he could, searching for a heavy room or something that might contain the documents he was after. At the moment, he was a ghost and near undetectable, but he was sure there was sensors or someone capable of finding him out somewhere in the building. Avoiding those guards would be rather important. The big issue he had now was he had no clue which room with "weight" held which documents... Checking to make sure a room was devoid of life, he'd eventually take the plunge and exit the wall, keeping his feet phased into the ground from the legs up to make sure he didn't trigger any pressure sensitive traps or anything.

He'd look around to see if there was like... dewey decimal.. or something that'd give any clue of what was in here away. He'd also open up various drawers to look at the contents to see if he could piece together any scheme.

[Sanjuro]

The room Taiga was rummaging through had no especial sorting system, at least not one that had been labelled for ease of access. The drawers he opened had scrolls and folders that all had a slight yellowish tint to them, a hint to their age. Not so ancient as to fall apart without proper handling but not particularly recent either. A few of the folders in the drawers had specific names of people, while the shelves held more generic titled scrolls and folders. Mission numbers, team assignments.

One drawer that Taiga had opened was a little jammed, not so much as to be difficult to open, but it made it quite squeaky and seemed to echo in the silence of the room. Half way phased into the floor as he was, he would feel the weight of someone approaching the door from the hallway just beyond. The drawer would take too long to push back in properly without making a loud noise to phase back into the ground before the door was opened.

What was Taiga going to do!?

[Taiga]

Shit

Someone was coming and he'd found out absolutely nothing. Well, that was unfortunate. Phasing into the cabinet he took a senbons worth of material out- and then used that extra space to slam the drawer shut without making a noise, hopefully. It wouldn't fit great anymore and would be a little loose, but thanks to the drawer below it as long as no one opened it... which why would they? It'd be fine.

Wonder if this guy would know where this shit file is.

USEDShow

Deigenma Technique: Matter Manipulation [Kunai]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After phasing a body part into a source of material and channeling into it, Taiga will manipulate the source into ejecting up to 10 basic projectiles, such as kunai, shuriken, or senbon out of it. The tools are ejected instantly but with no strength, meaning they can just be accessed without lag time but aren't launched or anything.

[Sanjuro]

The door slowly opened and a dark-haired man with bland, forgettable features poked his head inside the room, eyebrows scrunched together as he looked around the room. "Maa, these old storage rooms are creepy. I swear the further down I get the more haunted this place is. Oh great, now I'm talking to myself. See? This is why they don't give you real missions Daisuke." The door fell closed once more as the pinnacle of averageness disappeared back into the hallway, continuing his boring guard duty.

It seemed that Taiga had managed to evade raising suspicion with his surprisingly quick thinking.

[Taiga]

Taiga was already moving through the floor when the guy entered, and upon hearing that this was in fact an old storage room, knew that this room probably did not include the very recent high-profile and important files of the Autumn Soldier. It also explained why the room had no understandable organization. Lazy folk most of just chucked old shit in here! He left the room.

Back in the building he'd rove it again, looking for a room further from this one that had a similar weight and potentially more people guarding it.

[Sanjuro]

As Taiga moved through the floor once more, he would feel more shifting presences towards several rooms with even more weight than the room he had vacated previously. He was entering dangerous waters now, however, as with more people raised the risk of being spotting when he phased back out to look through the cases. Most of these new presences, seven in total, were wandering the hallways at seemingly random intervals, however there was one that was moving slowly through one of the two weighted rooms.

Taiga had the option of choosing which room to go to. The risk of being detected by an errant sensor was also raised now that he was in the heart of the Tower.

[Taiga]

Taiga was growing impatient. He wasn't sure where he would find what it was he was looking for, and worse, there was no way to easily find what it was he was looking for. With a sigh, he began to pulsate chakra into his body. Another him formed out of a girder that was beneath the floor. The floor didn't collapse, least not yet, so it must not of been a horribly important one. The clone was submerged into the ground with him. He'd send it off into one room, and hopefully to poke itself into a file cabinet or something.

You see, he didn't need to ever be seen to search the cabinets. He could just phase into the cabinet itself and look... from within. Meanwhile he'd keep rove, and watch, making sure he was never to close to another- what he guessed- was a human being.

USEDShow

Deigenma Technique: Matter Manipulation [Drone]
B-Rank Ninjutsu
After phasing a body part into a source of material and channeling into it, Taiga will manipulate the source causing several pillars to emerge. These pillars then bend and interlock until they form a vague, detail-less golem similar in size and build to Taiga. These clone's jutsu are capable of performing Taiga's Matter Manipulation techniques if they are B-Rank or lower. They possess the following stats:

Taijutsu: 5
Stamina: 12
Strength: 5
Speed: 5

[Sanjuro]

Perhaps it was a stroke of genius. Perhaps a stroke of sheer dumb luck. The clone he had formed had managed to phase right into a cabinet that held a list of records marked with a particular name. Senju. Going through them would lead him to the file that had once belonged to Senju Sou. If he took the time to read that file, it would send him to a file marked simply 'Autumn Soldier'. The location of which was in the room that held the vibrational mass that he had picked up on earlier that marked a person was within the room.

One of the wandering sources of vibration paused for a moment, long enough that Taiga could suspect something was up. Especially so when the vibration started moving again, but not on its original path. No, it was now coming straight towards where he was fused with the ground. The clock was now ticking.

[Taiga]

The clone was in the cabinet when it found something. It found something very juicy- the file of Senju Shou. The clone would shiver at that- Shou not only died for his village... But Shou connected Taiga to the Autumn Soldier more than anyone could have ever- because the Autumn soldier had stolen the flesh of Senju Shou... and now used the power of the Senju, Taiga's uncle and his family... his ancestors... to commit crime. The clone got, with this new intel panned down only to find a marker that sent him to another room for 'The Autumn Soldier'. Taiga gulped. The clone sank back into the ground- it grabbed the file too, which hopefully had an exact location beyond just a room for where the Autumn soldier was... Like a dewey decimal or something.

Taiga however, didn't have much time to act. It seemed something was walking right for where he was. His first instinct was to run for it. But that would only add danger. He couldn't spring for the room either because, well, someone was in there. The clone got closer however, and with that, it dropped the file and he released it. It fell back to a clump of the material it was made out of- and his hands together, he used the academy kawarimi technique. It used such an insanely minute amount of chakra, and cause it was instant, it would mean it would be hard to realize he had switched places with it or left... perhaps it just look like whatever was there had disappeared, and was part of someones imagination.

With the clone closer to a wall, he'd grab it's file then try to move to a different floor momentarily. One less populated and further away behind more dense walls and rooms. He'd inspect the file the clone got then.

[Sanjuro]

A non-descript ninja or average rank if the uniform was anything to go by paused in his steps. He was sure he had sensed something. Kneeling, he took a kunai and prodded the lump of iron in front of him. It was completely out of place. Evidence of something amiss. He touched a finger to his ear and muttered a few words. Taiga's connection to the ground would tell him that the vibrations were now moving faster, more erratically, with a few occasionally pausing and rushing in his direction. He would only have time for a quick glance at the file before he had to move again. The tower was very much aware that something or someone was somewhere they shouldn't be.

The file did in fact have the location listed for whatever information there was on the mysterious figure known as the Autumn Soldier. Well, it had a catalog number. R3 1174 TAS 0251. If Taiga recalled any time he spent in the Academy, he would understand the filing system; it was the same one used in the Academy libraries. Except for the last 4 numbers. Those were something that even if he did recall the filing system he wouldn't recognize.

That was if he had time to remember at all. Vibrations were closing in on his position, four distinct patterns, all converging on him.

[Taiga]

Taiga's arm turned to wood. Acting fast he grabbed the kunai and etched the numbers into it. It hurt a little, but not really. When his body became materials his body actually became the material. It meant he didn't have to deal with a lot of the pains or problems flesh would of had. He recognized enough of what it really meant, though he did not quite get the final four letters. What the hell did they mean, exactly? Either way, he'd be heading for the room where these numbers would mean something. It seemed a group of people wanted to converge on him, though. Fine by him.

His hands together he made another clone. He himself delved deep into the building, falling through it all and even into the floor until he was deep in the earth. He'd approach the other room from another direction.

Meanwhile the clone would pop up out of the ground, to the four things closing in on it.

"Surprise!?!? it's me!??!?" it's sayd confusingly as it shook it's hands jazz hands style. it's head was down concealing it's face a bit. "There's an intruder in the academy building- a chuunin is in pursuit. More information to come.!!! Oh, but you don't have money to pay me for this intel? Shame."The structure would then collapse into a pile of concrete chunks as the clone dispersed. Hopefully it would be both weird and confusing enough for Taiga to slip away, fall off the radar, and make his way to his intended target.

[Sanjuro]

Taiga's little stunt with the clone would only serve to draw even more attention to himself and the building. Seeing a clone randomly appear, start screaming a bunch of gibberish, and then collapse into its base element did not serve to soothe the currently frayed nerves of the guards on watch; an intruder in the Academy meant that there was an intruder in Konoha in general. The warning had the Archive watchmen on high alert, sensory scans going out more frequently, trying to find any sign of an intruder coming into the building in case they made a side trek from the Academy to the Archives. Taiga had just made getting the actual file he needed infinitely more difficult as he had to avoid a wave of sensory chakra every few minutes.

[Taiga]

Taiga had rapidly retreated away to a safe range, but from his retreated position within the building, he had become one with it and could feel the movement within. He would look for one of the chakra sensors, feeling for their footsteps. The second they were close enough, he would rocket himself from his retreated position at a massive, full speed and into the sensors body, taking control of it using his unique ability. With that ability, he would hijack the man and continue forward to his next point- the room with the file.