[center][h2][b][color=ed1c24]Katsuko Moto[/color][/b][/h2]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-6XX3k9rtk&fmt=18]Vantage Strike[/url][/center]

The flare shot through the sky, explosions rocked the small village, and hordes of Red Sage rebels closed in. The plan was going perfectly so far. But it wasn't going perfect enough. As Lady Tametomo and her entourage of recruits marched through the city towards the government compound, a red blur flew past them from behind and careened ahead of the pack. One could discern it was an adult male from the body shape and build, and a big one at that. He wore no red armband but instead was concealed behind a red hoodie. His face was hidden behind a white oni mask, but one could see red hair just underneath the hood. But perhaps the strangest part about the mystery rebel's wardrobe was his lack of shoes, instead navigating with only his bare feet.

As he passed by the Lady Commander, he turned his head to face her. He gave no words or gestures, he instead was making sure she was watching him. He was making sure his boss was paying attention to what he was about to do. [color=ed1c24]"Don't take your eyes off me,"[/color] he mumbled to himself as he landed on the steps leading up to the ornate government building. Immediately a Confederation soldier approached the masked Katsuko, bringing down a naginata with the intention to decapitate the invader. Instead the red hooded figure reached out and casually grabbed the weapon by the handle, yanking it away from the soldier and discarding it down the stairs lazily. Before the guard could adjust his strategy he was met by Katsuko's left fist, sending him flying to the side and crashing entirely through a nearby storefront. The unnatural strength was calling card. Katsuko Moto had entered the scene.

Without delaying any further he dashed up the stairs, using his momentum to knock over any enemies that got in his way. Some even had the reflexes to dodge or put in a preemptive strike, but Katsuko was just as fast. Those who [i]really[/i] tried to stop him were delivered a swift elbow or knee to reward them for their effort. The defeated enemies usually just rolled down the stairs towards the rest of the invading party, but sometimes they were sent flying from a solid, Chakra Enchanced Strength level blow. It seemed like child's play with how quickly and efficiently this man went through his opponents. He reached the top of the stone stairs, having cleared it of almost all opposition for everyone behind him. A smirk formed on his face, one that couldn't be seen but likely could be felt. When he looked forward again, however, there were two more female soldiers blocking his way. One seemed to be in her thirties and wielded an electrified sword. The other was a teenage girl with blue hair and a large metal arm, also brandishing a blade in Katsuko's direction.

The younger girl opened her mouth to speak but Katsuko didn't even let her start. He dashed between the two, faster than either could react. His shoulders connected with the midsection of both girls, sending them backwards and out of the way. Even their swords clattered to the ground, both having dropped their weapons on impact with the beastly taijutsu master. In his headlong charge there was only one obstacle left: the door. But before Katsuko could handle that he ran into some kind of invisible force. Immediately upon contact it became briefly visible. It seems the Confederation wasn't completely inept today, they had their guards place a barrier around the main building. [color=ed1c24]"Oh boy,"[/color] Katsuko grumbled aloud. He looked over his shoulder at the stairs behind him, waiting briefly for Lady Tametomo and her entourage to arrive. Once they were in view he faced forward again. [color=ed1c24]"Oi, Confederate assholes!"[/color] he shouted to the people inside. [color=ed1c24]"Anyone that isn't on the ground when I come in is gonna [i]die[/i]! Prepare yourselves!!"[/color]

He then took a few steps back, digging into one of his pouches and extracting a small summoning scroll. He quickly opened it and channeled his chakra into its writing, creating a massive cloud of white smoke that quickly blew away in the breeze. In his hands now was a gigantic steel weapon, dwarfing Katsuko in size quite easily. He wielded it tightly with both hands, lowered it to be parallel with the ground, and then deliberately pulled his arms back. One could compare it to a batter in baseball preparing to swing. [color=ed1c24]"The Red Sages are coming in!!"[/color] With a mighty swing the monstrous steel club collided with the chakra barrier. A powerful reverberation resounded from the impact and a massive backblast of wind erupted from the impact point. It was so strong, in fact, that those behind Katsuko and were not prepared were lifted off their feet and tossed down the stairs. Katsuko himself recoiled from the attack, his Saihyousen bouncing off the barrier with enough force to slam into the ground and smash the stone tiles into a shower of debris. His expression underneath his mask wasn't one of anger, but instead one of confusion. [color=ed1c24][i]It's one of the tricky ones.[/i][/color] After staggering for a moment the young man regained his balance and settled down, resting the gigantic weapon on his shoulder as he pondered on how to deal with this situation. He would look foolish if he tried to break it again, as clearly his monstrous strength wasn't the right tool for this job. [color=ed1c24]"Find the tags!"[/color]

[hr]

[center][b][h2][color=0072bc]Mirai Yumiya[/color][/h2][/b][/center]

Mirai and Aneko had traveled to this festival of their own free will. Or at least it was at the suggestion of Aneko, as Mirai wasn't particularly enthusiastic about farming or the like. Apparently her servant had come from a long line of wheat farmers or something, so that explained her investment in the silly event. While the blue-haired teen found nothing interesting throughout the day she was still dragged along by Aneko. It made her wonder why she was going along, considering she was technically in-charge of Aneko and not the other way around. The day's festivities, however, came to a screeching halt with the red light in the sky.

The first few explosions were all it took for the girls to realize the situation. [color=8dc73f]"It's the Red Sages,"[/color] Aneko stated, grabbing Mirai by her (right) wrist and dragging her along. It was a completely unnecessary action, as the younger girl would've followed without physical assistance, but Mirai didn't say anything about it. [color=0072bc]"What do we do? Are we going to the General?"[/color] [color=8dc73f]"Yeah, that's our priority right now. They must've come for him."[/color] It was a brief trip to the main building of the government compound, where already a sizeable portion of shinobi had gathered. The two young women took their battle stations, at the back of the formation as per Mirai's usual. But within minutes the enemies had already managed to make their way into the compound.

She could hear the screams and sounds of battle below, but only when she finally saw the red did she truly understand her situation. Mirai and Aneko were the last two guards outside the building, all the rest were inside. And the man with the demon mask and the red jacket appeared at the top of the stairs. The two girls drew their weapons, Aneko using her lightning ninjutsu to electrify her blade, and took defensive stances. There was an awkward silence for a moment as the man looked backwards towards his comrades, but the moment he looked forward Mirai decided to say something. [color=0072bc]"Sto-"[/color] She felt a sudden, heavy impact at her side, just below the ribs. The blow sent her flying sideways, causing her to land on her side and roll several times before coming to a stop laying face-down on the ground. [color=0072bc][i]So fast,[/i][/color] she thought, before using her metal arm to pick herself up. Looking over to where she was she immediately saw that Aneko had suffered a similar fate and was sent the opposite direction. Their swords lay on the ground where they had been knocked away from. And now more rebels were appearing as the red man prepared some kind of attack to get into the building. [color=0072bc][i]This is bad. They just brushed us aside. We don't stand a chance out here![/i][/color] Mirai gulped back some fear, but didn't yet get to her feet. She was worried that it would draw attention back to her. She didn't want to die here. She didn't even want to [i]be[/i] here in the first place. [color=0072bc][i]We can't do this on our own. We're gonna fail. We're gonna die...[/i][/color]