[center][h1][color=Lavender]Osuushi, Senhime[/color][/h1]
[h2]Million Threads[/h2][/center]


The descent of the Statue Occupation Team had gone smoothly, the three members making their way to the statue proper without much of an issue. It was when they finally got to the statue that they began to encounter difficulty, as Confederation forces were already beginning to close in. At the same time, Tsukiko’s squad also leapt into action, intercepting the confederation shinobi that were attempting to deal with Akumako and her squad. The Jiyutai commander allowed the silk strings to disperse, only to turn around and see that several shinobi were already arriving on the rooftop, their present number sitting at about ten. [color=Lavender]”Ara ara~. So many of you to take care of lil’ old me?”[/color] Senhime chimed, smiling softly at the Confederation shinobi that had begun to fan out and surround her. [b]”This is your chance to drop your weapon and come with us. If not, then we’ll have no choice but to exercise force.”[/b] one of the Confederation shinobi spoke up, stepping forward with his hand ready to draw the sword at his side. The man had his black hair tied back into a ponytail, which stuck out of the back of the bandana-style forehead protector he was wearing. At the man’s [i]suggestion[/i], Senhime chuckled a little.
[color=Lavender]”Ara ara~. I’m afraid I can’t do that. Everyone else is working so hard, so it’d be wrong of me to let their effort go to waste, no?”[/color]

Seeing that there would be no convincing the horned woman, the shinobi simply drew his sword and rushed forward, leaping up for a downward slash and cleaving through the commander. Except, his blade had hit nothing at all. In fact, looking at his sword now, [i]it no longer had a blade[/i]. Before he could move away from Senhime, he felt a hard impact on top of his head that promptly knocked him out. While none of the shinobi currently surrounding her might have seen it, in the instant that the shinobi unsheathed his sword, Senhime had unsheathed hers as well, and [i]cut the blade off of his sword[/i] before resheathing her own blade. Stepping over the unconscious shinobi, Senhime beckoned to the rest of the shinobi to make their own assault. The Jiyutai’s commander parried strikes from all angles, using her sheathed sword like a staff by exploiting its length. During the exchanges, the Akumako ornament tied to her sheath managed to avoid any harm. A few of the shinobi were knocked out by clean blows to the head like their comrade earlier, prompting the rest of their number to step back to reassess the situation.

[color=Lavender]Kinuton: Gossamer Drill[/color]

A lance of silk pierced the thigh of a sickle-wielding shinobi and stuck into the roof behind him. Without further delay, smaller lances of silk shot out from the shinobi’s thigh and pierced the other shinobi that were next to him, before anchoring into the ground. Seeing that they were all properly secured and working on freeing themselves from the lines of silk that had hardened with Earth nature chakra, Senhime waved before leaping to an adjacent rooftop and reassessing the situation down below. So far so good. At the very least, it didn’t appear that anyone on the two primary squads had been gravely injured yet. However, the Statue squad hadn’t gotten around to properly breaking the Hamajo monument yet, having been distracted before they could complete that section of the mission.

That aside, there was another issue that very clearly required her attention. Entering the square was one of the targets that would be a serious detriment to the mission. The Phoenix-Touched. [i]Minamoru, Yamato[/i]. From what Senhime understood, the man was known for his use of Katon jutsu. Troublesome. But not impossible to at least hold off temporarily. However, Yamato had also seen fit to bring his own squad with him, which would complicate matters for everyone. 

As Yamato and his company entered the square, a crescent of chakra would tear up the ground in front of them, kicking up dust and rubble. Once the dust cleared, they would see that the attack had drawn a horizontal line in front of their feet. And, standing before them a few feet away, was the commander of the Jiyuna no Guntai, Senhime of the Million Threads. 

[color=Lavender]”Greetings, Minamoru-san~. I believe this is the first time we’ve met, yes? Unfortunately, I can’t really let you through here.”[/color] she chimed, remarkably casual and cordial considering the situation. She intended to buy time until the Statue Team finished their part of the mission or Tsukiko joined her in intercepting Yamato and his squad. It had become apparent that they would need to hurry along before anyone else of note showed up. It was bad enough that the first one to arrive was one who would be well-suited to dealing with her silk techniques. But that did not mean that she had nothing up her sleeves. Gripping Shurakumo, Senhime prepared herself for whatever Yamato or the Jounin accompanying him would attempt. The face of the resistance movement was right in front of them, so it would only make sense that there were those among their number that would want the glory of taking the head of the Million Threads.