j8cob

NARUTO: Road to Ninja [ARC 3] Buy it now and get a second punt free!

Tsukiko Umene, Honeybadger

"It's Tsukiko-sama to you, you little shit," she spoke, though it was more venting to Yamato's insubordination rather than a direct order. Tsukiko shook her head and let out a sigh, but once she focused her attention forward again she began running. Sure, they had a bit of time until the enemies would arrive, but she didn't intend to waste any of it just in case her estimate of their speed was false. After a few minutes of running through the hot sand the party finally arrived to the ambush location. Ahead of them was cliff face with a valley through the middle of it. The valley was tight, being barely twenty feet wide, and was at an incline that would eventually lead to the top of the twenty meter cliff. Outside the valley were the typical sand dunes that the squad would be used to by now.

Tsukiko walked into the entrance of the valley, appreciating the shade it had to offer. "I'm sure that some of the gang will stay above the valley, but they will surely go through here. It is the easiest way down to the sands," Tsukiko mentioned, now turning to face the kids. After wiping more sweat from her forehead she took a moment to brush some sand off her chest. "I suppose we will be fighting some fifty enemies, maybe a bit less. So..." Tsukiko put her hand in one of her pouches, removing a thick spool of ninja wire. "We want our trap area to go from the valley out to about... that cactus." There was a single cactus poking out of the sand about thirty meters away from the cliff face. "That's a good area to cover."

The busty woman began laying the ninja wire across the ground, taking extra care to make sure she could cover the entire area in a spiderweb of the wire. Once the wire was all set, just deep enough in the sand to where the chuunin wouldn't mess it up if they walked over it, she began placing exploding tags along the pattern, spaced just far enough apart to prevent one tag from detonating another. This tedious process took about ten minutes, but by the time it was done the natural wind had concealed the web of death with sand from the nearby dunes. "This will be fun," she noted aloud, before turning her attention to Aoi. The girl should've been setting traps of her own, hopefully adjacent to the explosive tags instead of directly above them. "Be sure that your slime stuff won't be seen or smelled or whatever before the targets arrive. If they anticipate the attack it might cause problems."

Tsukiko looked back towards the valley. As she began walking toward it, she made a light whistle to get Yamato's attention, before gesturing for him to follow. Tsukiko channeled her chakra into her feet and climbed halfway up the valley's south wall. Once in position she waited for Yamato to reach her altitude. "You'll be hiding here," she began to explain, casually forming some handseals. "It'll be dark, if you're afraid of that sort of thing. But most importantly it won't be checked. Their forward operatives will be scanning the ground in front of them. Just to avoid any flukes you won't be on top of the valley or at the base." A square section of the wall pressed inwards, only one meter in width, height, and depth. "If you ask politely I can make it bigger for you, but it's better if you sit down and rest anyways. Make sure to keep your mouth shut and don't flare your chakra."

"Once I seal you in, the wall will be fairly thin so you can break out quick and easy. You won't have eyes on the battle until you break out, so you'll have to use your ears to determine the right time. You have to jump out to cut them off, before they get deeper in the valley. If any make it behind you it will divide your attention and we won't have a proper containment. I'll leave that to your judgement but you better not fuck it up." With this explanation done, Tsukiko looked back down to the ground where Aoi and Nobunaga were presently. "Once I get those two hidden I will seal you in, before taking a similar position across from you. I have a few last-minute details to take care of with the traps. Any final questions before you get in your hole?"

W&T: FT RP!

That blows.

NARUTO: Road to Ninja [ARC 3] Buy it now and get a second punt free!

Tsukiko Umene, Honeybadger

The chuunin seemed to receive the updated mission parameters well. Yamato didn't have much of anything to say and Nobunaga didn't say anything at all. But Aoi decided to ask a strange question. Her inability to sound out Barren Steppe left Tsukiko confused, to the point she finally looked over her shoulder at the girl with a raised eyebrow. "The fuck you going on about?" It took a few seconds for Tsukiko to figure it out, considering she had to take it from her memory of the map rather than simply looking it over. "You mean the Barren Steppe? We'll be passing through it. It is highly likely that we'll end up setting our ambush somewhere around it, if the targets hadn't deviated too far from their original path."

Tsukiko shook her head and sighed, bringing her gaze forward. Apparently Aoi had a hard time reading too. Something that Tsukiko could emphasize with, considering that at Aoi's age she too had difficulties reading and even talking. Yet it still surprised her. I guess the clown girl might not have been educated much, it's not impossible. The jounin remained silent for the most part of the journey, until they finally left the country, entering the barren desert of the Land of Wind. As the squad left the treeline, Tsukiko sniffed the air a few times and looked to her right. Damn. I'd kill that bear if time wasn't important. Haven't eaten bear in a while...

Her gaze went forward as the familiar trees of the Land of Fire disappeared into the horizon behind her. "Inuzuka," Tsukiko called out, before motioning with her hand to approach. "You and your dog need to join me up here. We'll be arriving at the search area soon." Tsukiko looked over her shoulder again, partially to see how the kids were doing and also to make sure Nobunaga was speeding up. It was getting hot, definitely. She could already feel sweat building up on her skin. "Once we reach the sand dunes of the desert, it will get even hotter," she mentioned out loud, in case the chuunin weren't familiar with the Land of Wind. Odds are that none of them were, but Tsukiko wouldn't know otherwise.

As the party continued, eventually reaching the sands as Tsukiko predicted, the woman began sniffing the air. She seemed completely unfazed by the sand that would blast her upon every breeze, entirely focused on the mission. The heat, the sweat, the sand, none of it seemed to even slow this woman down. Until she suddenly stopped and raised a fist, a signal for the group to stop. Tsukiko sniffed the air a few times, a look of confusion taking her face. "Nobunaga," she spoke first. "You detect them too?" Of course she didn't need any confirmation, but a second opinion wouldn't hurt. She had definitely tracked the gang down. But there was a problem that was bugging Tsukiko.

"They are way ahead of where they should be." Tsukiko held her hand out toward Nobunaga, taking the map once he would hand it over. With one hand to shield her eyes from the sun, Tsukiko crouched and examined the map again. "Ayame said..." Her eyes scanned the map, up and down, over and over again. She squinted at the paper, her face already showing irritation. "Okay, this isn't too much of an issue. It just means that the concentration of shinobi in their ranks is higher than we anticipated. Not a big deal." She brought her other hand down and placed her finger on a point in the desert, on the Barren Steppe that Aoi had pointed out earlier.

By now she had hoped the chuunin had gathered around, but if not she looked up and gestured with her head for them to approach. "They are about here right now," Tsukiko began to explain, before moving her finger down the map to the east. "Here is where we are. This isn't a very good spot. But..." She moved her finger again, stopping at the mid-way point between the two groups. "This will have to do. The outer edge of the Barren Steppe has a valley, which will lead into the sand dunes. That is where we will set up shop. Once we get there, at the speed they will be going, we should have a good forty minutes to an hour to prepare, unless they change pace."

Tsukiko looked up to Nobunaga and Aoi. "When we reach the valley, Aoi will help me set up traps in the sand and rocks. I don't know the extent of your mucus techniques, but I'm sure you will be creative in finding ways to kill people with it. I can help you if you aren't familiar with trapping. Once the traps are set, you and Nobunaga will hide in the sand just inside the trap zone. We will trigger the traps once a sufficient number have entered the area, and the moment the traps are sprung you two will come out of hiding and prepare a frontal assault. Be aware that a large number will be shinobi, likely the ones that won't be dispatched by the initial traps."

"Yamato." Now Tsukiko's gaze went toward the main cause of the team's earlier discord. "Once they are attacked from the front, they will assume a defensive position. They will move the scroll toward the center mass of the group and retreat while a forward defense takes on Aoi and Nobunaga. You and I will be hiding in the valley itself, to get behind them. They will retreat right into you and your job is to kill as many of them as you can." Tsukiko paused a moment, to stare into Yamato's eyes so he can confirm he understands so far. "They will defend the scroll until they realize they probably won't survive, at which point they will try to destroy it. They will come to this conclusion once you attack them and start dealing damage. I will retrieve the scroll once you three have them pinned, as I can penetrate the group easily once they are distracted. After the scroll is in my hands you three are free to be as destructive as possible. We won't let a single one leave here alive."

Tsukiko took a moment to wipe some sweat from her brow with the back of her right hand and then giving the map back to Nobunaga. "No kiddie games here, if any of you fuck up you will die." She stopped crouching now and stood back to full height, brushing her hair out of her face as the breeze picked up to blow it over her shoulders. "My primary objective is to retrieve the scroll, but my secondary objective is to make sure you three don't die. I don't like failing my missions, so don't fuck up. Understand?" Rather than face the kids, Tsukiko looked forward in the direction they would be heading. The valley they would be ambushing them at was a little beyond the horizon, from what Tsukiko could calculate on the map. She waited for the kids to confirm that they knew the plan, rather than rushing ahead.

---

Shin Maru, Topaz

The underground fighting tournament reeked of illegal activity. From the drugs to the sweat and various perfumes. Shin could feel it in the very marrow of his bones that he was in an environment catered to destroy him. Everyone just lets this go on? he wondered as he followed Fujitora through the crowds. There must be some way that can put an end to this madness down here... Just ignoring it doesn't... His train of thought was derailed when the group was surprised by a strange looking man. Somewhat feminine in appearance, though not as much as Paneru, but completely crazy in demeanor. Fujitora handled the conversation, but the strange person still handed Shin a strange black coin.

The teenager took a moment to inspect it, finding nothing remarkable about it. It wasn't any currency he knew of, and it seemed like it was made of cheap metal. They continued on to their little VIP box, where the squad had a perfect view of two large men decapitating each other, or rather one decapitating the other. This is the real deal. These people are the scum that I swore to defend the city from, Shin continued to think, watching as another fight began with some guy covered in bandages and a puppeteer. Both clearly had shinobi skills, not just street thugs that looked tough. Whether this is easy or difficult doesn't matter. I've got to fight to do the mission. I will not be broken by this hellhole. Shin's expression was notably lacking the humor and gleeful pride it had earlier.

But he certainly seemed serious now. There was no more joking, no more parading his confidence or skill. It was time for business, time to fight, time to win. "I'm ready, sir," Shin said, removing his jacket and simply dropping it on the floor. The black coin was in one of the pockets, he didn't feel the need to bring it with him into the ring. Now without a shirt, Shin's muscular body was visible, suddenly making him more imposing than before. He glanced over his shoulder at Jaakuna. "Watch how it's done," he cracked with one last grin, but his expression turned serious. He also gave a reassuring nod to Paneru, who as far as Shin could tell was probably worried about the fighter's safety. Shin was confident, for sure. But he was no longer joking.

A simple hop from the concrete box and Shin was on the ground. The amount of blood stains almost made the concrete floor seem like it had been painted a dark red in the past, but there were select spaces that had the dull grey. As he approached the cage, he looked around. Some people watched him with devilish smirks, some with tantalized eyes. Some looked at Shin as if he was a stupid animal that was about to die, and others seemed intrigued by his courage to enter the arena. When he looked ahead to see his opponent, he didn't waver any. Many would, considering the man before him was terrifying to behold. A giant of a man, standing well above even Shin, wearing a bloody wife-beater and thick jeans. His long hair was matted and fell past his shoulders, and he wore a thick-looking hockey mask, also stained with blood.

The chainsaw in his hands really took the cake though. No rules, huh... Kinda wish I had a weapon now, Shin thought to himself as he entered the cage. The moment he passed the threshold the cage door was slammed closed behind him. He turned back to look at the cage. It had a mechanism that closed it, as there was nobody on the ground aside from him and the chainsaw-wielding man on the other side of the cage. The beast before him brought one of his big, meaty hands across and grabbed the ripcord on the powered tool, giving it a single hard yank to bring it to life. As the engine gave its initial roar, the blades began to spin at high speed and the man pointed the chainsaw at Shin. "Heh," Shin huffed, stepping forward slightly and bringing his hands up in a fighting stance. At this point he had tuned the rest of the world out. "This is hardly a fair fight..."

And so it begun.

Shin couldn't tell if someone had announced the fight to start or if a bell had sounded. But as far as he was concerned the fight had begun the moment the big guy started running for him. For a man of his size, the chainsaw maniac was quick on his feet. Shin jumped to his right to avoid a diagonal swing from the guy. He can move that thing fast. I have to find a way around it. I can probably drop him easy, but I don't want to be in pieces to do it. Shin ducked underneath a horizontal slash aimed to decapitate before bringing his left leg up for a kick. But in that split-second window before he could launch the attack, the man had halted his swing and the chainsaw was coming back at him. Crap.

He jumped backwards, forced to back off from his attack to keep himself in one piece. He swings fast, but he swings with control. This guy is like a professional psychopath. How many hours did he have to practice this? This fight so far had been Shin dodging and running around the big guy. He left no openings, being just fast enough to make any overt attacks from Shin suicidal. Sure, he could hit him at any time. But that wouldn't stop the chainsaw from slicing him apart anyways, so Shin never went for the strike. I've got it. A smirk finally formed on Shin's face. This must've been visible, at least to the mask-wearing chainsaw guy, because he made a shout of anger before lunging at him again with another swing of the chainsaw.

This time, Shin dodged it and jumped away, all the way to the farthest corner of the cage he could find. The man turned to face Shin, and the smirk was still there. "That's a nice chainsaw you have there," Shin pointed out, unballing his right fist to point at the weapon. With another primal shout of rage, the lumbering man dashed forward. This time he raised his chainsaw into the air, aiming to bring it down in a vertical strike and split Shin like firewood. There was no room for Shin to go back and there wasn't enough room for a complete dodge to either side. As the chainsaw descended, Shin braced himself and brought both his hands up in a clapping motion.

Despite the whirring of the chainsaw's engine, the arena felt silent. Above Shin's head, he had put the palms of his hands against the central bow of the chainsaw's blade mechanism, where the chains rotated around. Such a feat on its own was impressive, but catching the attack from a large man like this maniac was doubly impressive. "Let me hold onto it for you." Shin's left leg picked up, bending in tightly before shooting out in a devastating kick into the guy's midsection. He could hear the air leaving his lungs as he recoiled around the blow, letting go of the chainsaw and stumbling backwards. The moment he let go of the weapon the blades began to slow down. But Shin didn't even wait for it to fully stop spinning. He tossed it to the ground violently, shattering the casing around the engine and sending plastic and metal bits flying.

Stepping over the mess he just made, Shin began to do what he did best: taijutsu. The man was vulnerable without his weapon, and he was already stunned from the first blow. Each successive strike gave off a powerful thud that reverberated through the arena, and each blow knocked the man backwards further and further. It was almost brutal how effective and fluid Shin's motions were, maintaining his combination of punches, palm strikes, elbows, and kicks. The man had finally been pushed into the back of the cage, and seemed to be swaying, clearly on the verge of passing out. "I said this was an unfair fight." After reaching all the way back, Shin delivered a powerful haymaker punch into the man's mask. The hard plastic shattered easily, as well as his nose and parts of his skull. Blood was leaking out of his nose, mouth, and eyes as he bounced against the cage wall. Shin stepped to the side as his own momentum sent him forward, putting the big man face-first onto the ground with a resounding thud.

His blue eyes watched the man for a moment, to see if he showed any signs of getting up. But it seemed he was either unconscious or on the verge of death, considering the blows he had taken. There was blood on both of Shin's knuckles, but none of it was his. He looked up to see the reactions of the crowd around him. Many seemed to be in an uproar. Whether that was good or bad, he didn't know. He didn't care. This man was the first stop on this mission, there would be more. He had to focus on future fights now that this one was over. That was a close one. Baiting him into making an easy attack to catch could've backfired. Not using my Crystal Release was harder than I thought. But thankfully it wasn't too bad for a first fight. Just gotta hope that Jaak does well too. Shin started walking toward where he remembered the cage door to be just in time for it to open and let him out. He didn't care to mess with the body, but several scrawny looking guys rushed in to drag the maniac out of the cage.

Shin looked up to Fujitora and his classmates, flashing them a grin. I don't know how long this will take, but I already have a feeling this is going to be a tough day.

Phoenix Wing (A Fairy Tail RP-Always Open, Open)

Are your cats indoor or outdoor types? Because outdoor cats can wander off for a few days and be just fine.

W&T: FT RP!

Hana Oshiro - The Last Samurai

The pink-haired woman made sure to keep looking away from Revan, even after he explained himself. "Yes, we can find you some clothes at the hall," Hana affirmed. She wasn't sure if there actually was any spare clothes he could borrow, but she would make sure he was clothed if she was going to be drinking with him and Matisuki. Rather than continue pouting about his indecency, Hana tilted her head slightly to look at Sage as he woke up. Apparently letting Revan slap him enough got him up. "The slapping worked," Hana noted aloud. She thought about the idea for a moment, about slapping someone to wake them up. I'm a heavy sleeper. I hope nobody slaps me in my sleep to wake me up...

After dismissing the thought, Hana looked back to Sage. "You are a minor, yes," Hana confirmed, despite this being obvious and not in need of discussion. "It would be rude not to cater to guests like Revan and Matisuki. Even if they arrive indecent, we must treat them to the best of our abilities. If they want to go for drinks, then we shall oblige them. Jeanne and I will have drinks with them, but you will have milk instead." It didn't even occur to her that suggesting Sage have milk could be taken as rude. In fact she only suggested it because it was the first non-alcoholic drink she could think of that might be served at a bar. "But we must first be presentable, so we must find clothes for Revan."

Ajax Thera - Hellmouth

The moment the magic circle appeared underneath Ajax, the Wizard Saint gave a light hop backwards. The jet of water blasted past him, but he didn't seem the least bit surprised or concerned by the trap. Afterwards his attacker finally appeared from the steam. After giving him another threat, he created a blade of water extending from his arm and launched a barrage of attacks at Ajax. "Lava Dragon's Magma Armor." Lava formed around Ajax's hands, spreading up his arms until they were both covered completely in magma. Rather than moving from his position and risking stepping into another trap, Ajax held his ground against the high-speed assault.

For a man of his size, Ajax proved how fast he could be. Moving only his upper body, mainly his arms, he blocked each strike by the empowered water blade. The heat of his magma armor not only weakened the water before it would even connect, but the strength of the armor itself wasn't daunted by the attacks once they did. Steam would explode from the impact point with every block, though the continuous heat would lift the steam after a few seconds, preventing the space around Ajax from becoming too clouded. And once Ira backed away to attempt a ranged attack, Ajax continued to hold his position. The thin jet was blocked by crossing his arms over his chest. The steam cloud that erupted from this connection also dispersed after a few seconds, but Ajax was revealed to be unharmed.

"You have impressive power behind your attacks," Ajax complimented, looking up the moment Ira appeared overhead. He was preparing some kind of powerful attack, coming down on Ajax while within a violent torrent of water and red energy. "But..." The Wizard Saint held his right hand back, forming a tight fist. The ground underneath him visibly began to crack from the magical pressure building up. "It's not enough." At the last second, just before Ira would crash into him, Ajax thrust his lava-coated fist forward. As he swung the lava expanded, growing thicker and brighter as the swing left an arc of lava droplets in its path.

"Lava Dragon's Iron Fist!"

The two powerful spells collided, immediately sending a gust of power across the plateau. The violent winds brought forth by the collision banished most of the flames, on top of entirely ripping some of the burning grass out of the ground. Underneath Ajax the cracked ground completely shattered, sending dirt and stone flying in all directions and leaving him in the center of a crater. Then the explosion occurred. Magical power exploding outwards from the impact point between the two spells, bathing Ira and Ajax in white light. But within a split-second of the collision a pillar of orange shot vertically through the explosion. A plume of lava, resultant of Ajax's spell, burst through the magic, going into the sky.

As the dust settled and the light levels returned to normal, Ajax was alone in the crater. Ira had been quick to retreat immediately after his attack, but Ajax's attack would've likely left him somewhat seared. Or at the very least concerned. Meanwhile the big man himself still had his arms coated in lava, standing upright and strong like a proud soldier. His armor had always been scarred, so it was difficult to tell if it even took damage, but the black cloth around it was notably tattered now. "Now that I have a taste of your magic," Ajax spoke, his voice as monotone as ever. "I will take the initiative."

"Lava Dragon's Maw." Ajax jumped up into the air, above the demolished plateau. After taking a deep breath, he faced the ground below and opened his mouth wide. Lava began to pour out of his mouth like a flowing river, so much that it would cover the entire plateau and then some. Turning the battlefield into a sea of lava was, ultimately, lethal for most mages. Ira had already proved he was of a caliber high enough to survive or circumvent the change, so Ajax wasn't worried he would lose the opportunity to interrogate him later. He hadn't pinpointed Ira's position just yet, but the lava attack before would finally eliminate the mist. He would have nowhere to hide by the time the lava reached the ground, let alone Ajax himself. "You picked the wrong Fragment holder to attack today."

NARUTO: Road to Ninja [ARC 3] Buy it now and get a second punt free!

Shin Maru, Topaz

While Paneru didn't seem as confident in the mission at least Jaakuna could match Shin's attitude. "Right on," Shin said after the high-five. Once Fujitora spoke up again Shin put his full attention toward the Jounin Commander. Most of what he had to say was directed to Paneru and Jaakuna, who both would stand out more than Shin would. Likely because Paneru looked feminine and Jaakuna looked like a pretty-boy. Shin shared neither of those qualities, at least as far as he was aware. But when he was informed not to use his ninjutsu, his expression was one of surprise.

Oh wait. I get it, he thought to himself as he followed Fujitora through Downtown. It'd give away my identity. These guys are criminals and will surely recognize my Crystal Release as something unique to the police. So I'll have to go all physical. The grin returned as Shin came to the conclusion. Once at the location, Shin was quick to respond to Fujitora's final warning. "Oh, I'm ready," Shin stated, before making a fist and pounding it into the palm of his other hand. For a simple display of enthusiasm, there was a powerful reverberation from the impact. "I hope they can give me a good challenge. No way I'll get any better if I beat them all in one punch."

---

Tsukiko Umene, Honeybadger

Yamato's parting shots toward Tsukiko went largely ignored. By now she had realized that catering to him would be a hassle, and he did have a good point about wasting time. Which is unironically entirely his fault. Dumbass, Tsukiko thought to herself as she made her way to the meeting point. She kept her pace casual intentionally, to arrive at precisely the five minute mark. That way she wouldn't have to stop at the gate, she would simply keep going and the chuunin there would follow her rather than meet with her. Still wishing I could've just done this one by myself...

As Tsukiko arrived at the gate, she didn't even glance at the gathered chuunin. Rather she continued walking past them, only gesturing for them to follow. And the second she was outside the city, she dashed forward at high speed. Tsukiko was one of the faster jounin, so she would have to tone it down slightly to ensure the team wouldn't split apart on the journey. It would only be after a few minutes of silence would Tsukiko speak up again. "The gang we're hunting left Sunagakure yesterday morning at five, heading approximately east," she explained. "This narrows the area we have to search. I don't like combing deserts, so Nobunaga and I are going to take advantage of the geography."

"The desert wind is one that blows east. This means that we will strafe north and south ahead of the area the targets are in to remain downwind and catch their scent. This shouldn't take us more than thirty minutes, once we reach the effective range. Then we can designate an effective area to catch them, unless an oasis is along the path in which case we set up shop there. Aoi will help me with the ambush preparations, but let's save that for when we get there." From one of the pockets on her pants, Tsukiko withdrew a folded piece of paper. A map. "Study." Rather than handing it to any of the kids, she simply let go of the paper. At the speed they were moving, it would be fairly easy for the nearest chuunin behind her to simply catch it out of the air before it could hit the ground. "Miss Choko was already kind enough to draw a messy circle around the approximate location the gang will be at. If you have any questions go ahead and ask. No guarantee I'll answer." This entire elaboration went without Tsukiko so much as looking over her shoulder at her team. Her focus was primarily on getting to the right place as soon as possible, not on catering to the kids.

NARUTO: Road to Ninja [ARC 3] Buy it now and get a second punt free!

True. They have significant firepower and brutally effective tactics up their sleeves. Their personalities all clash outside the mission, but they probably work pretty synchronized when the time comes.

NARUTO: Road to Ninja [ARC 3] Buy it now and get a second punt free!

Not much about Team Tsukiko is silent. lol

At least not right now.

NARUTO: Road to Ninja [ARC 3] Buy it now and get a second punt free!

Tsukiko Umene, Honeybadger

The jounin narrowed her eyes at Yamato as she practically radiated anger. This boy had a lot of nerve to talk to her this way. Shinobi or not, comrade or not, most would receive a beating for giving her the same treatment. But Tsukiko restrained herself from attacking Yamato, something which may or may not be visible to the others. "Listen up you little shit," Tsukiko began, before being interrupted by Nobunaga. It seems that he, and probably his dog, were both fairly level-headed. A trait that was only mildly annoying, but far nicer to handle than Yamato. She waited, surprisingly patiently, as Nobunaga put himself between Yamato and Aoi before they could start fighting as well.

But once he was done, Tsukiko spoke up immediately. "He doesn't have to have faith in me," Tsukiko said simply, in regards to the last point Nobunaga had. Her gaze drifted back to Yamato now. "Questioning things you don't understand is natural. That's how humans learn, after all. So how about this..." Tsukiko put her hands on her hips now, a cocky grin forming on her face. "Why don't we let Yamato here tell us exactly where these assholes are going? He clearly knows more than I do. I'm sure he can identify exactly which oasis in the desert they will stop at, and by extension he'll be able to find them all on his own in the first place. Piece of cake."

The grin vanished now. "I'm going to be honest here. This is a job that I could perform solo. I've done shit like this my entire professional life. Hunting shinobi is what I do, and tracking down dumbasses that think they can steal from shinobi is even easier. The presence of you three is to bolster the odds of recovering the scroll. Four pairs of hands give four chances at snatching it before they get a chance to destroy it. I like success. I'm sure you three do as well. So I'm going to utilize you three to the best of our abilities to guarantee that success." Her gaze drifted between all three of the chuunin, even looking down at Nobunaga's dog (which Tsukiko couldn't remember the name of) at one point.

"I am in charge of this mission. This isn't a democracy. I don't care about your suggestions or your feelings. I only care about succeeding. To save myself time and effort later on..." Tsukiko turned her gaze to Nobunaga specifically. "Inuzuka. I tolerate you the most right now. Keep doing what you're doing and I won't abuse you. But I will need you later to assist in tracking. Don't disappoint me." Now she looked to Aoi. "You dress too colorfully and vibrant, you stand out too much. Change your clothes before we leave into something that can't be spotted from miles away. And also: you better not goof around on the job or I will tape your mouth closed."

"And you." Now she was staring at Yamato again. Or more like staring through him. "I already see what type of person you are. You're an alpha male. I appreciate men who handle themselves with natural authority. But you're still a boy. Keep yourself in check, because you aren't the leader of this pack. If you keep stirring shit I will put you down like a dog with rabies. I am the alpha here. Don't fucking forget it. You're strong, but not strong enough." With that out of the way, Tsukiko let out a sigh. "Five minutes. To meet me at the East Gate. We'll be traveling fast so pack light, if you pack at all. I don't care if you get hungry or thirsty out there, so that's all up to you."

The jounin woman began walking away now, giving a casual wave over her shoulder as she departed. "I don't field questions and I don't care if you feel five minutes isn't enough time. All three of you are good shinobi, act like it." Tsukiko glanced over her shoulder, to look at the kids again. Their skills were valuable for this mission, but their personalities didn't sync well with hers. At all. They better cooperate on the job. Clashing with me is just annoying, but if they bicker with each other the entire way...

NARUTO: Road to Ninja [ARC 3] Buy it now and get a second punt free!

Tsukiko Umene, Honeybadger

The jounin woman looked surprisingly well kept today. It was evident that she skipped her morning workout, otherwise she would appear much more disheveled, as per her usual. But in order to be prepared for this meeting on time, Tsukiko had to forgo the exercise. Not having her daily dose of wilderness had another effect on her, aside from her appearance: she seemed grumpier than usual. Tsukiko constantly shifted her weight from one leg to the other, occasionally fidgeting and adjusting the weapons on her back. Near-constant movement as she not-so-patiently waited for everyone to arrive and the mission to get going.

Then one of the chuunin assigned to her team decided to speak up. Minamoru, I've heard that name before, Tsukiko thought after Yamato introduced himself. Despite hearing him talk to her she appeared as if she was ignoring him. Isn't that the place I stole that shirt from when I was twelve? What happened to that shirt? Huh. Kinda regret shoplifting it now. Younger me wasn't very smart. Her train of thought, which was intentionally silly to at least keep herself entertained, was broken when Yamato spoke up again to suggest he co-lead the team.

She finally turned to look at him, having to look down slightly from the minor height disparity. Aoi's provocation toward Yamato seemed to have gone unnoticed, but while Tsukiko heard her she was now focused entirely on Yamato. Her eyes squinted as she read his body language and began to understand the way he carried himself. Yamato may not know it, but Tsukiko was excellent at reading other humans. And she already came to a conclusion about him. "You can co-lead?" Tsukiko began, her voice already painfully sarcastic. "That's good. You can carry your ego for me." After sparing Aoi a glance, almost serving as a warning as if what she said applied to the girl as well, she crossed her arms over her chest and sized him up again. Mainly to see how he would react to her aggression. After a few seconds of silence, possibly awkward seconds as it consisted of Tsukiko simply watching Yamato, she turned away to face Ayame and listen to the official briefing.

While this would be new information to the chuunin she was leading, Tsukiko had already gotten a gist of the information from meetings prior. This big organization was mainly to coordinate the teams more so than inform them, as all the jounin had been prepared ahead of time. This was particularly evident when one observed Tsukiko's complete lack of interest in Ayame's words. She had already heard them before, and didn't need to hear it twice to remember her objective. After the Hokage's Assistant was finished, Tsukiko turned to face her chuunin.

Tsukiko stared down at Nobunaga intensely for a moment, sizing him up much like how she evaluated Yamato. But in this case she seemed more skeptical of his presence as compared to being offended by it. After a few seconds of silence, Tsukiko finally relented her intimidating gaze from Nobunaga only to put it on Aoi. The clown girl stood out, visually. This may be a problem, but it likely wouldn't be. Tsukiko had read the files on these three, and they didn't seem to be buffoons or prone to insubordination. Yamato was the first to break the silence, questioning if Tsukiko had laid a plan out.

Leaning forward slightly, so as to put herself eye level with Yamato, she stared him directly in the eyes. "The plan is simple," she began, speaking at a moderate pace to sound more intimidating. "Do as I say the moment I say it." With the overview completed, Tsukiko stood back to full height and addressed all three kids. "First thing we're gonna do is track down the clan's movements and position ourselves ahead of them. We'll create traps ahead of their path to ambush them and annihilate their forces." Simple, straightforward. That's how Tsukiko kept it. "I'll figure out the traps we need once we get recon on their numbers and strength. The biggest condition we have to worry about..."

Her gaze became notably angry, as if the chuunin had already failed the mission. "Not to destroy the scroll in the skirmish. No explosives, no big jutsu. Got it?" Tsukiko made sure to look each one of them in the eyes before relenting again. "Real simple. I don't tolerate any fuck-ups or weakness. Any of you brats make this harder than it has to be and I'll personally ensure you'll be sitting out the next mission you're given." These three were likely unfamiliar with Tsukiko and her reputation, but by now they might realize her threats are anything but idle.

She finally turned away from the teenagers, motioning for them to follow as she left the meeting room. "Let's get going. We have work to do." Their objective was in the deserts outside Sunagakure, deep in the Land of Wind. This trip would certainly take several hours, at the least. But it would also take time, or luck, to properly locate the Fushido clan. Time Tsukiko didn't want to waste. If everything goes well, I can be home in time to thaw out and cook some of that venison I made the other day...

---

Shin Maru, Topaz

Why... Shin thought, standing casually by Fujitora and his team. Why am I put on an all-guys team? Am I being punished? Have I been too inappropriate or mean? With a sigh, Shin stuck his hands in his jacket pockets and looked to his feet. Could be worse, I suppose... His attention snapped up to Ayame surprisingly fast when she began speaking, the large teenager taking in every word as he stood at attention for his superior. So the reason they were gathered was to capture some sacred scrolls and the man that originally stole them. And Shin's team was going after one of the scrolls, but one the village was unfamiliar with.

"No information on it?" Shin pondered aloud, bringing a hand up to his chin. "Why couldn't we get details on that scroll but on the others? ... Fujitora, sir?" The team leader simply started walking away, without hardly a gesture or acknowledgement of the team that had gathered to be led by him. This left Shin looking confused, unsure if he should follow the Jounin Commander or not. "Uh..." He looked to Jaakuna and Paneru for suggestions, but his phone vibrated in his pocket. A quick examination proved it was a text from Fujitora himself, with a meeting place and a time...

---

Once Shin finally arrived at the park, he sat down before Fujitora and listened intently. I've heard about the fighting ring, Shin thought to himself, his expression doing nothing to reveal his thoughts. My uncle raided it once. I remember he said it was stupid because it wouldn't solve anything. I guess I understand why a little better. Into the lion's den we go... He first sighed, but then the grin came back. "Gahaha!" Shin began his unmistakable laugh after Fujitora asked if there were any questions. Once he calmed down after a second or two, he pointed at his chest with his right thumb.

"Don't worry, sir," he said confidently. "I'm not afraid of a little fighting. I'm more worried about catching the flu than getting hurt." Big words, considering the situation. Shin wasn't completely ignorant of the weight of what they were about to do. His goofy grin toned down a bit and his tone became slightly more serious, but still notably confident. "We'll get that scroll. Bashing a few skulls isn't too bad, we just gotta blend in effectively. Fighting opponents one at a time in a ring is easier than being jumped by an entire mob."