Quest 6: Party members assemble!

"What the hell?!" Akiko yells through the radio, forcing us all to collectively wince.

"C-Calm down Akiko-chan, just a readjustment in plans is all," Tatsuki pleads.

"Readjustment, a hell of an understatement, those raiders are on alert, we lost radio contact with you guys, and you just dropped the complex on them before they were ready to move!"

"sorry sensei, the bandits being alert is on me," I apologize, even though what Tatsuki said to me is true I still feel ashamed by ruining the plan.

"Figures," I hear Ryuzaki mutter.

"It's fine Toke-kun, Tatsuki I'm assuming you have an idea," Akiko says though I'm not sure what to make of the new nickname.

"yeah, we're going to still split the group, if the enemy looking for a ninja, I say we reveal ourselves. Akiko's team can lure them into the valley, in the meantime, we'll continue an assault from behind, Be careful some of these men somehow learned ninjutsu." Tatsuki warns.

"Right, Ryuzaki will meet up with you guys once the barrier is up. Everyone with me, use the clone justu, to try and draw them into the valley," She commands.

"alright," Tatsuki turns off the radio "now we approach them from behind, they likely think that no alive is in the rubble, move cautiously. "

Itsuki and I nod, and move with middle-aged shinobi into the ruined camp moving from shadow to shadow, dawn's early light ebbing away at our only ally. Closer and closer we encroach on the enemy, confused murmurs, and angry yells are all I hear. Then roars of fury and stampede of footsteps, slowly descending in volume they take the bait.

"Alright they are going for it!" Tora sings out.

"Ryuzaki, on my signal," Akiko commands, Ryuzaki grunts affirmatively.

I peak out from under the rubble and see the human cattle being lured away.

"Now!" on Akiko's command, several gold inscriptions shoot out on both sides of the mountain creating a circle the kanji for gold appears in the center. The entrance is closed off by a yellow translucent light.

"now the paper bombs," I hear a distant roar and cracking coming from the valley as well as frightful screams and curses echoing to us.

I hear more explosives go off, but these are closer I look around and catch glimpses of silver and red descend of the bandits and after a shining flash, I hear more explosions and curses.

I trace the trajectory and see Ryuzaki, adamantly throwing more bombs into the fray. I free my headband from my neck, the sun is high enough for me to use it now. I angle it into a tiny portion of sunlight that I can see and deflect it toward Ryuzaki. He see its a and steathly descends toward us.

"I'm here," Ryuzaki says appearing to the west of me.

"okay, good, Itsuki are still good to go?" I ask she shakes her head.

She must have been using genjustu, alot in there.

"Take this both of you," Tatsuki hands us a small brown pill Itsuki takes it.

"Um, sensei," I say in confusion.

"Oh right I forget that food pills don't work on the Lotus clan," he chuckles.

Along with any another medicines, drugs, poisons, or alcohols, which is shame considering I would kill to get drunk and/or high again.

"Ryuzaki-kun," Tatsuki offers it to but Ryuzaki just shakes his head.

Tatsuki put the pill back into a bottle, and disappears, the jonin is so fast that our minds hardly registered when he moved, suddenly I hear shrieking ahead, I gaze over and see huge flames eclipse the ruins, and the small silhouettes of burning men dropping and rolling around desperately.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Tatsuki shouts standing in front of the flames.

Here we go again,

Itsuki removes her mask, and swallows the pill, her pupils become pin pricks and she shakes and jitters like she drank a gallon of caffeine. I look at her for a minute, no noticeable scars on her mouth or throat which I think is strange. She replaces the mask eagerly and joins the fray Ryuzaki and I follow suit. Steam suddenly covers the battlefield, and I see a woman spewing water on the flames. Seeing such a thing pisses me off, these bandit using ninjustu. They haven't trained for nearly as long we have, nor have the discipline or tactics to use them properly, they probably just guess at much chakra they need to perform ninjustu.

The thugs come at us with renewed vigor, thinking that this clown is going to be enough, Ryuzaki leaps with a flying knee sending one of the bandit tumbling down and ducks a blow from a ax, and sweeps the attacker. He then takes the ax and slams into the side of man using a Kusarigama, Ryuzaki grins taking it from the man probably because he finds more useful, and he spins it, loosing the chain so stretches out, the bandits eye it warily. He whips the chain around flexing around his shoulder blades, showing his proficiency with the weapon.

Hear singing, louder than I ever heard it before I can't tell whether it the food pills, or the valley's acoustics helping Itsuki out. Either way, I hear her haunting melody, reverberating through out the mountain. The entire group of thugs begin assaulting each other. In the shadows I see her, the woman from earlier, she jumps out with a kunai in hand, prepared to strike. I rush over reaching in my pack, and grab the demon wind shuriken and parry the surprised woman with it.

" The little boy wants to play," she says in singsong voice.

"oh please, I doubt you could keep up," I retort.

She sneers at me, and flings through hand seal familiar hand seals. I slam shuriken down and immediately copy the tiger, dragon and rabbit signs, I manage to get it time and we both use the technique simultaneously.

Water style: Raging waves

The streams of water collide, but hard feel it her justu, I compress the water the stream punches through her weak waves, and knock her down onto mud.

That just sad my affinity is much stronger than hers though I give her props for knowing how to cancel the genjustu.

I pick up the shuriken and slowly walk over, but not in threatening way I am hoping someone else kills her first. Sadly that didn't she looks at me with pleading eyes, eyes that tell me she didn't choose this life, that tell me she regrets the choices she made. I close my eyes for second's reflection, it doesn't help that I have a weak spot for women. I hear her get up abruptly, I open my eyes and she her enrage face, moving at me with kunai in hand. To me she moving in slow motion, I raise the collapsed shuriken and it's over.

I wonder if she even realized I killed her yet.

I turn around, at see her limped lifeless body.

I really hate this.

I feel that same sinking in my heart like I always do, I try to bury it for the sake of the mission.

Unknown pov

I look out from above, watching the bandits get slaughtered left and right, such waste. I didn't expect the clan to move against us this soon. My plans to take out the medic and jonin failed completely all thanks to one brat who seemed to have the foresight to know where I was aiming. I see him, his hooded figure cutting down any bandit that got to close the genjustu user. Well, let's see if he can stop this. I pull out my custom musket rifle, specifically made for increased range. I take aim on the green haired girl.

Sorry nothing personal, but the Star must die.

Brian pov

I hear an ear piercing crack ring out and look over to Itsuki, she still singing, her form is behind what look like cracked glass. In the center of the fissures is the musket shot. The crack fuses back together and pushes out the bead. Thankfully Ryuzaki has the sense to protect her with a barrier. I look out guessing the trajectory of the bullet, after tracing I see a figure the same figure with the dusty brown cloak standing over the mountains crater. I rush toward him immediately, between Tatsuki and Itsuki they should be able to take out all them without much issue.

"Where are you going?" I hear Ryuzaki shout out.

"Dealing with our old friend," I say over the radio "I call you if I need back up. For now, just help them deal with rest."

I weave through the ruins and form more hand seals, as move one cover to another cover I use the Clone-jutsu. I send the clone out, hoping the sniper didn't notice the slight delay. I make more hand signs and feel energy surging me forward same as a body flicker, Only this time I feel air current lift and push me forward.

Wind style: Body flicker justu

Unlike a normal body flicker, it's wind variation, increases the range exponentially. My vision returns after a brief dizzy spell and I'm behind him quietly, I move behind him prepare to strike, I bring down my shuriken like a sword, he whirls around and parries it with musket rifle.

"paragon," I say expecting a reaction.

"hmm, how much the does the clan know," the figures voice is deep yet his tone is soft and he speaks English perfectly.

An exile or a traitor which is he? If can remove his hood that'll give us a face.

We finally break away from our standoff, he stands tall he won't be like the bandits. I unravel the shuriken and focus chakra to sole's of my feet, and jump away from him I funnel chakra into the shuriken, making it as thin as I possibly could and toss at him. He easily dodges it, but I make the snake sign and feel the air around the giant shuriken, I pull it back down at him aiming at his head he narrowly evades it but the shuriken cuts his cloth. I levitate the blade in front of me, I grab a second shuriken from my backpack infuse it with wind chakra, I unfurl it and it levitates next to the first one.

Wind release: Jade hurricane

"so you want to dance is that is it?" he says with a hint of mirth.

I form the snake seal again, and the blades rotate violently and charge the man, he vanishes, I immediately pull the shuriken back to me, I look around, my heart rapidly beats in my chest. I spin shuriken while they revolve around me. I hear another loud crack with the following clang, I see a silver piece fly in front of my face as it strikes the ground. I twist around and throw the broken shuriken at him in haste, it hits him dead on but he morphed into mud. I quickly reach for the radio and bring the speaker to my lips.

"I need help," I mutter but all get is radio static, he's was in the building.

" yes you do," he says right behind me.

I whirl around trying to catch with him the blades but he vanishes again.

He's toying with me! Calm down, this area isn't perfect for hiding it's to open he camouflaging himself, as a rock!

I take aim at a nearby rock, sure enough, it leaps away, but I have the shuriken give chase, a wall of rock appears before him, and my last shuriken shatters smashing into it.

"well looks like this is over," I hear from behind again I dive forward, narrowly missing the butt of his gun.

I grab a kunai and try to parry his second blow, but he overpower and knocks me to the ground. He flips the gun around, to where the barrel is aimed at me, I am petrified, Air is trapped in my lungs and heart is beating violently in my chest.

This really it isn't it.

Suddenly a blur of dark green and red rush into him, Ryuzaki finally arrives.

"How did you know?" I ask in disbelief, to my relief he somehow made it here nick of time.

He shrugs "Itsuki and Tatsuki look like they can handle for them for the moment anyway. I came to see what in the hell you were doing."

The hooded figure appears to us and lands a foot in my chest, my eyes water and vision grow blurry air harshly escapes my lungs, as I'm thrown to the ground, I try to fight to keep consciousness.

Ryuzaki is holding his own, for the moment skillfully dodging and parry the man strikes. No that's not right, the man is hardly trying, he's too strong for him, for both of us. Ryuzaki throws a swift sidekick only to block by the rifle and pushed off. Ryuzaki tries to keep his moment with hay-maker from his left, but the man catches it with arm and flips him to the ground. Ryuzaki groans in pain and growls getting to his but rifle is aimed at his head this time.

Orange flames slam into the man's back causing him to cried out in agony before turning into mud. I look over to the source, Kali. I Roll over and get back up.

"Thanks," I say still catching my breath Kali just smiles softly.

"You okay, Ryuzaki-san?" She asks the flame-haired boy.

"Y-yea-"

Then another, ear-splitting crack rings out and see blood spill out from Kali's arm she shift forward almost falling but catches herself.

He gazes over and sees the sniper, "I'll kill you!" I quickly grab the idiot before he gets himself killed.

"Let me go bastard, I'll totally destroy him!" Tears stream from his angry eyes.

"Shut up and watch, it'll take a lot more than this to kill her," Both Ryuzaki and sniper seem puzzled by this.

Kali's arm erupts into flames, " Damn I got careless," is all she says.

Her normal hazel eyes become replaced with a radiant orange. I can feel the heat emitting from her, from her chakra. The chakra is so dense you can practically see it, streams of fiery orange dancing around her. The mystery sniper steps back intimidated by Kali's raw power.

"So this is what the Research group has been working on," The sniper says.

So he's been looking at the R&D department. With Kali here it should make things easier.

"Ryuzaki back me up," the boy looks in surprise as I charge at full speed on the sniper. The distracted man focuses attention on me, I funnel wind chakra into my kunai knife a swipe at like always he darts away from the blade as nearly hits his neck but another rip appears in his hood nearly cutting it free. He step back and tries to use the butt of his gun to strike only to be parried from a kick by Ryuzaki. I lunge at him again but he leaps back completely dodging it.

He knows what aiming for.

Tiny embers enter from the corner of my view, and flow towards the sniper, they suddenly burst into flame, shocking the cloaked man finally revealing his face I try to burn in every detail even it was a transformation, someone will have seen him use it.

He is white, with a slightly tan complexion blue eyes and a prominent scar on his chin, he has a slight five clock shadow forming, brown well-groomed hair, cut low.

Kali's living flame element allows for accurate control over fire and can even heal wounds and protect allies. Unique elements are really something, I wish I had one. why can't Levi just wake the hell up?

However, my skin begins to crawl, to making shiver up and down and I'm suffocating, Paragon is just staring us down I look over at both Kali and Ryuzaki and they're fairing any better. It is then I finally realize what he's doing killing intent, something so sinister than almost mistaken it for genjustu.

Why is he doing this isn't he part of the clan?

Perhaps my naivety is due to being in the clan for so long, we see each other as a family because we're stuck in this crazy world. Yet, in reality, the clan focuses on that single attribute we have in common, we're all different and have our own agendas.

The man eyes widen as he barely deflects a blow from his right, in a flash of turquoise and silver, appears, Akiko. The jonin bolts in with a barrage of swift swords strike that could hardly see, Paragon doing his damnedest to block and parry the blows, he leaps away his furious attacker.

Paragon disappears through a body flicker leaving us hopefully for good. Everyone collectively exhales, as our tough opponent is routed out the fight.

"Everyone okay?" Akiko asks worriedly looking at the three of us. "I rushed over here soon I as realize you guys went radio silent."

"He was jamming our communication," I say still catching my breath.

"What about the bandits?"

"Dead on our end, I sent Tora and Ken to back up the others, "

"Then they should be almost finished themselves," Ryuzaki surmises.

The battle ended with every bandit dead, and nearly of us exhausted, especially Itsuki. The effects of using that genjustu non-stop alongside the effects of the food pill wearing off she passed out soon as the battle was over. The strange thing is I somehow left with more chakra that when we started, something that I'll need to report on later. We made our way back to Nippon to tell Kai the news and get Itsuki some much-needed rest. We decide to stay in Nippon one more day before my our long journey back home. Naturally the foreman and his workers we overjoyed to see that threat had passed, but Kali and I still have business with intelligence office report our findings.

"Hmm, he calls himself Paragon now," Sarah says, I can feel a sense of familiarity in her tone.

"I dunno if that's we he refers to himself as or if it's an organization name. You know him?" I ask.

"if the person you described is who I think it is then we might have a problem."

She pauses in thought for a moment, "because that man is a former blackguard, Englishman Richard Wells, he was proclaimed KIA in an S- rank mission gone wrong ten years ago. You brought in some valuable info despite the fact that weren't asked, I'll see to it that you both are mentioned favorably in my report to the elder council."

Kali and I leave the bar hideout and head back to the inn.

" Well, this more than I was expecting, " I say to her.

"hmm, I wish I wasn't," she retorts, our footsteps are only thing disturbing the silence in the night.

"At least, our part in this is all over, the blackguards should be able to deal with one of their own."

"I hope so Aniki, I really do."

I suddenly find myself remembering something and it fills me with a bit of joy, She looks at me questioningly.

"Ryuzaki might have a crush on you."

"pfft I suspected that much, he doesn't really interest me not as much you do Aniki," She says in a playful tone I suddenly stop walking and she stops as well with beaming smile on her face.

I put in my 'serious' face "Kali five years from now... you'd still be too young." she adorably pouts at my statement and I chuckle.

"I'm sixteen in real life." she declares proudly.

"And I'm in nearing my thirties, " I say we continue as we walking into the night.

Hopefully, we can still have moment like these as time goes on Kali,

Bounty claimed:20000 ryo

Paragon Arc part 1 clear!

Items obtained:

Lorebook Ch.1

10000 ryo

golden shuriken x2

Ryuzaki lvled up 13

Raging waves proficiency lv.5

New title: One with the Shuriken