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Off the Map
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The forest to the north of Kyokoa, mid morning…
Perched in a tree at the edge of a clearing, Shikamaru abruptly held out his hand. "Hold up," he quietly ordered.
The trio had left Kyokoa two hours ago, and had quickened their pace since then. The scrub oak had given way to fir with scattered deciduous patches and long slices of natural meadows. Near the town, the meadows were fenced off and occupied by flocks of sheep. But as they went father into the mountains, the meadows became wilder, and cattle became the livestock of choice.
Coming to a stop on the ground below, Temari took a few steps forward and looked up. "Something wrong?"
Crouched in a bough of leaves on a nearby elm, Kankurou nodded. "Yeah," he answered, looking out beyond the meadow. "Unless that's not Dyokin's Hill over there."
Shikamaru, staring intently at the broad, multi-peaked mountain that rose beyond the meadow, nodded grimly. "That is Dyokin's Hill. Those two bowls on the southern face match the icon that was on the sign."
"But if we've reached it already…" Temari prompted.
"I figured it would be a day away, at least," Kankurou mused.
"If this is Regekion," Shikamaru continued, answering Temari, "then she's struck unusually close to a city. And since cattle have been reported missing rather than mutilated, something different is going on here." Shikamaru glanced at his two teammates. "Temari, pick your path and take point. Kankurou, fan out to the left, I'll go right. Keep an eye on everyone else, and stay alert…"
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The western boarder of Steppe Country, noon…
"Well, I for one actually find this comforting…"
Glancing at his teammate out of the corner of his eyes, Choji scowled. "I don't think I could ever find this comforting, Ino."
After breaking camp in the morning, Ino, Choji, and Gaara had moved south through the valley. They spent the early morning going over ground they had already covered, but the new terrain just proved to be more of the same. They had seen no large game, but now knowing what to look for, they did find several tracks headed north. Ignoring these, the ninjas continued south. After a few hours of covering new territory, Gaara had spotted something unusual in the grass. Upon closer inspection, it had turned out to be another kill site.
"Oh, come on," the kunoichi shot back. "Thirty-some odd dead antelope, stripped, left open in the field. This at least we understand. A swarm of those scourers came, killed and ate the animals, and left." Ino sighed and looked over the spectacle. "At this point, that is comfortably routine."
Choji shook his head and sighed. "Y'know, I was hungry before this…"
Ino rolled her eyes. "Gaara?"
"This was not recent," the Sand ninja observed. "The bones are over two months old."
"Yeah," Choji agreed, kneeling beside one of the skeletons. "It doesn't smell, there aren't any flies, and the bones look like they've been gnawed on. Grass and creeper vines have practically covered them up completely."
Glancing between the two boys, Ino brushed her signature strand of hair to the side of here face. "Okay, so this does give us something new. It means Regekion has been active for at least three weeks longer than we thought she was."
Choji nodded, standing back up. "And it means she did use her hunting parties out here before she used that ridge for a slaughter house. She's been stepping up her operations."
"Two incidents to not create a pattern," interjected Gaara. "Nor does it tell us anything of what Regekion is actually doing."
The two Leaf ninjas quietly regarded Gaara for a moment.
"The attack at the ridge would be a natural progression as Regekion's swarms get stronger," Gaara continued. "But that would also imply the acquisition for a permanent base. A nomadic Regekion would have neither the need nor the resources for such a large-scale harvest. Yet, we have found no hints as to where this base is."
"How could we?" Asked Choji. "Even you agreed we couldn't track the insects from the ridge." The boy glanced back down at a nearby skeleton. "And all the tracks here have already been grown over…"
Ino exhaled loudly. "Our only real option is to just keep going. If we find enough kill sites, eventually we'll be able to figure out where they're centered around. Some of them may even have some take-off prints that we can get a vector from."
"So we continue following the valley?" Gaara prompted.
"I called it yesterday," said Ino as she held up her finger. "'Regekion has been in this valley.' And I was right. She may even still be here. If we keep going south, we may find another operation like we saw up north. And if it's still running, we'll have the perfect chance to follow the insects back to their nest."
"Great," said Choji, with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"But before that," Ino continued, "It's just about lunchtime. I'm hungry, and not for something as old as that," she said, pointing to a scattered pile of bones.
Gaara smirked.
"If we find another one of those gopher colonies," Ino prompted, turning her attention to the Sand ninja, "could you catch them? Without, y'know, mashing them into a pulp or anything."
"Of course," Gaara replied, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Lets go."
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Dyokin's Hill…
"See it now?" Asked Kankurou in a quiet but firm voice.
"Wait…"
Temari nodded. "Trip wire."
The allied ninjas were on the south face of Dyokin's Hill, standing on a rock outcropping. The outcropping was small, and in the midst of the towering fir forest. Before them, a game trail laced its way through the trees. However, the trail bore a handful of subtle signs of human tampering.
"Okay, I see it now," agreed Shikamaru a moment later. "Damn, this is troublesome."
Kankurou nodded grimly. "Yeah. Very basic, but pretty well done. Whoever did this has got some skill."
Noting his tone, Temari glanced at Shikamaru. "You think someone else is tracking—"
"Shit!" Abruptly swore Kankurou. As he did, he grabbed Shikamaru's shoulder and pulled the younger ninja backward. Shikamaru lost his footing and fell, while Kankurou ducked down himself. A pair of darts whizzed through the air where they had stood a second earlier.
Temari reacted just as quickly, pulling out her fan and firing off a retaliatory gust back to the darts' origin. The wind blades cut a tattered swath through the forest, but hit no one. With her eyes anxiously scanning the scene, Temari stood over the two boys with her fan defensibly spread in front of her. For his part, Kankurou eased to the side, putting himself in a better position to react to the next attack. Favoring his shoulder, Shikamaru turned himself over to see what was going on.
"Well dodged, Windy," came a voice out of the forest.
Shikamaru, Temari, and Kankurou all turned sharply to the right, where a man had appeared amongst the trees. The man was full grown, and dressed in forestman brown. The right side of his face was tattooed, with strings of black spines stretching from his hairline down to his neck. He wore a brown, pocketed vest, reminiscent of those worn by Chuunins. However, he bore no insignia.
The man smiled, his tattoos giving him an unhinged looked. The ninjas on the rock outcropping carefully set down their travel packs and stood up into defensive stance.
"The first appearance is always a feint," Shikamaru muttered as the two Sand ninjas glared at the new arrival. "Temari… To his right."
"And behind us," added Kankurou.
"I know," Temari muttered back. "The one who threw those darts is to his left."
The figure Shikamaru spotted was a stringy figure dressed in loose fitting pants and an open vest. The boy, an older teenager, wore the beginnings of a goatee and a long brown ponytail. He had a few weapons attached to his belt, but his main weapon was a long bo staff he held in his hands.
The woman Kankurou had spotted was perched halfway up a fir tree, with her back pressed against the main trunk. She was dressed entirely in tan leather, with boots that came up past her knees, shorts that only covered a few inches of leg, and halter-top that covered even less. What did cover her was the boa constrictor that was draped across her arms, neck, and lower torso. On average, the snake was as thick as the woman's leg and was over five meters long.
Barely distinguishable from the forest beyond, the figure Temari had seen was similar to the man in the jacket. However, he wore a simple jerkin rather than a flack jacket, and wore armored gauntlets on both wrists. The man's clothes were all stained to blend better with the forest, and his face was painted black and green.
"Just what we needed," complained Shikamaru as he and his teammates eased closer together.
"Sand ninjas," observed the painted figure. "Looks like your lucky day, Harsi."
The lady with snake smiled. "So they are, Giyam. A bright day for all Oregis."
"Aw crap," Kankruou muttered. "The Oregi clan. Haven't they given this up yet?"
The figure in the jacket stepped up. "We are not all Oregi, Sandy. Just as you are not all Sand ninjas." The figure fixed his gaze on Shikamaru. "Ah," he said, with a small amount of pride. "A Konohate. And in command. Just where we belong."
Temari growled, impulsively stepping forward.
Amused, the jacketed figure raised his arm and encouraged Temari forward. "Come, little Windy. I'll show you what a Leaf ninja does to kunoichis."
Shikamaru tapped Temari on the arm before she could be egged on any further. "The only Leaf ninja that I can see," the Chuunin said, subtly projecting his voice, "is me. And I am in command. So if you're really from Konoha, you should show some respect to a superior officer and back off."
"Pretty uppity for Jiiya's new errand boy," observed Giyam.
"I'm starting to think all Konohates are like that," quipped the kid with the bo.
"Don't jerk with me, kid," the leader warned. "I am in control here, and I will not be pushed around by the likes of you."
"And you are?" Asked Shikamaru, unimpressed.
"The one Jiiya sent you to kill, Hagane. My name is Togai Ken."
"Never heard of you," Shikamaru replied. "And I'm a Nara, not a Hagane."
Ken's expression darkened. "Don't lie to me, kid. You won't convince us you just stumbled here on your way to deliver a message. And it wouldn't save you anyway. Jiiya sent you here, and you're as good as dead."
Still holding her fan defensibly, Temari momentarily fixed her gaze on Ken. "We actually weren't sent here to kill you. But we've got nothing against doing so anyway."
Ken extended his arm again, gesturing for Temari to come forward. "Bring it, bitch."
Shikamaru preemptively grabbed hold of Temari's arm. "Don't," he harshly ordered. Ignoring the look Temari gave him, the Chuunin kept his attention fixed on the figures surrounding him. "We can't afford to risk a fight that has nothing to do with Regekion. We're wasting our time here."
"Oh, no you don't, Nara," cut in Ken. "I told you, you're not leaving here alive, under any circumstances!"
Her eyes narrow with anger, Temari tore her gaze away from Shikamaru and back to Ken. "You think you can kill us?" She asked, this time trying to egg him on. "How? There isn't a real ninja among you."
Ken's face hardened. "A piece of metal doesn't make you a ninja. And not having one doesn't keep us from being ninjas. We've all been trained. We've all killed. We've all lived the life!" Ken thumped his chest for emphasis. "We've all earned our place as shinobi!"
As Ken's outburst ended, Shikamaru disdainfully watched him out of the corner of his eye. "You flunked out of the academy," he deduced. "You left your country, and you took up life as a bandit. Congratulations, you're a shinobi. Now get out of our way. We don't have time to deal with you."
"Too bad," countered Ken.
"I think we're going to have to fight our way out," observed Kankurou. "Not that I'm complaining. But it is four on three, and they've got an Oregi. We could use some strategy right about now."
Shikamaru scanned the field for a moment. "Fine. Plan D, version 1."
Kankurou winced in exasperation. "Dumb-ass," he said, opening his eyes again. "Temari and I don't know your code—" Kankurou was cut off as Shikamaru unceremoniously shoved him off the rock outcropping. As he lost his footing, the boy let out an undignified yelp and tumbled to the ground.
Shoving Kankurou without even looking back, Shikamaru kept his gaze fixed on the three ground-based bandits. All their attention was drawn to Kankurou the moment he started moving, giving Shikamaru the opening he was looking for. Clasping his hands together, Shikamaru muttered the incantation for his Shadow Imitation. His shadow immediately shot away in three directions. Ken and the teenager were caught before they realized what was going on. The painted bandit, however, had managed to slip away.
"I've got two of them," Shikamaru yelled as Temari watched her brother hit the ground. "Take them out, Temari!"
Quickly understanding the situation, the kunoichi slid down the rock outcropping and brought back her fan. As she did, however, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Reacting instantly, she whirled her fan upward. She was rewarded with the sound of a dart deflecting off metal. Just as quickly she reset her feet and sent another gust of wind through the forest towards the dart's thrower. But again, the gust missed its mark. As its wake began to fade, Giyam dove down at Temari from the treetops.
Recovering his footing, Kankurou urgently glanced up. "Punk!" He yelled out. "Behind you!"
Shikamaru leapt to the side just as Harsi landed on the rock outcropping. Though she had missed, her boa constrictor had already started slithering beyond the reach of her arm and struck the back of Shikamaru's neck like a lariat. The boy tumbled in midair, hitting his head on the ground as he landed. Jarred by the twin impacts, Shikamaru lost control of the Shadow Imitation. Rolling to the side reflexively, the boy clutched his forehead in pain and tried to reorient himself.
Standing confidently at the top of the rock outcropping, Harsi extended her arm towards the fallen Leaf ninja. "Karai," she ordered. "Finish him."
At her order, the snake silently darted forward, arcing from Harsi's arm to the outcropping and on to the ground. From there Karai lunged straight at Shikamaru. The boy had just enough of his wits about him to roll to the side. Karai's body continued past him, but her head instantly arced around to face the Chuunin.
Still acting on instinct and fighting off the urge to panic, Shikamaru pulled a kunai from his side holster. As he did, the boa lunged at him again. Shikamaru whirled to his left, taking a wild swipe at Karai in the process. The attack missed, and Karai began gathering up her body just beyond Shikamaru's reach.
In an attempt to take the initiative, Shikamaru darted towards the collected folds. Karai predictably pulled the folds away, while her head darted in from the side to counterattack. Anticipating her move even as she anticipated his, Shikamaru whirled on his foot and slashed at the snake's head. The strike missed, but Karai was forced to awkwardly pull back.
Shikamaru moved to press the advance, hoping to drive Karai's head away from the rest of her body, thereby limiting her mobility and ability to counterstrike. But as he lunged forward he snagged his foot and took another fall. This time he took a blow to chest as he landed on an exposed root. The Chuunin had the wind knocked out of him and dropped his kunai as a result. Frantically looking back, Shikamaru saw that Karai's tail was wrapped around his ankle.
In a panic, Shikamaru tried to hick the snake off him with his free foot. But Karai quickly looped a coil around the second leg, binding it to the first. At the same time, Karai folded a stretch of her body across his side holster to deny Shikamaru access to his weapons. In response, Shikamaru twisted his torso to the side and reached behind his back to unbutton his back pouch. But before he could remove anything from it, Karai's head forced itself under his side and around his waist, pinning his wrist to his back in a vicious hammerlock.
With control of Shikamaru at two points, Karai easily folded herself over the back pouch and began coiling around Shikamaru in earnest. The Chuunin thrashed violently, but for naught. He had only one arm free, and the only weapon at hand had been brushed beyond his reach by a stray sweep of part of Karai's midsection. In frustration Shikamaru started clawing the ground to try to reach the discarded blade.
The feeling of rough scales brushing across the side of his neck focused Shikamaru's thoughts like nothing else could. In a moment of clarity, he became acutely aware of the pressure being applied across his chest. Of his wrist being forced against his back. Of his legs being crushed together. All those points of his body could survive that pressure, at least for a time. His neck would not.
Realizing he had seconds to live, Shikamaru dug his chin against his collarbone and tried to push his head into the dirt. As he did, he reached his free hand behind his back and dug between two folds of Karai's body. Feeling his trapped hand, he quickly clasped the two together to form a seal. "Shadow Imitation!" Shikamaru defiantly yelled.
Karai went still.
Relaxing his chin, Shikamaru exhaled a ragged breath. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to steady his breathing. As he did, he again became aware of just how thoroughly Karai had a hold of him. Exhaling again, Shikamaru opened his eyes. He had bound the snake, but she was still wrapped around him, and he had no way to manipulate her movements. He was just as bound as she was.
"Damnit…" He swore as he let his head fall against the ground.
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Temari quickly backstepped out of Giyam's reach, letting the ninja drive all his momentum into the ground. The kunoichi counterattacked as quickly as she could, slashing her fan upwards in a cross-body slice. Giyam rolled to the side and under the blow. The painted bandit kicked forward, using his substantial size advantage to shove Temari against the rock outcropping.
Giyam smiled. "Gotcha, little g—"
With a grunt of exertion, Temari threw the bigger man to the side.
"Karai," came a voice from above. "Finish him."
Temari looked up just in time to see the snake's tail slither off of Harsi's arm. "Oh, no you don't," Temari yelled. Quickly taking a few steps back to get a better angle, Temari clicked her fan to its two-thirds mark, the optimal configuration for quick point attacks. With a flick of her wrist she shot off a gust with an upswing. Grabbing the fan with her second hand at its zenith, she followed up with a hard downswing. The twin gusts knocked Harsi off her perch, but Temari saw enough to realize she was more stunned than hurt.
Momentarily closing her fan, Temari scrambled up and over the outcropping. As she jumped off the other side, she passed over her brother, who had just flung Giyam off to the side. Sparing a half second to glance at Shikamaru, she saw him slashing at the snake with a kunai. Satisfied no one was in immediate need of help, Temari returned her full attention to Harsi.
The leather-clad bandit had already recovered, and was waiting for Temari in a defensive stance. Harsi shot forward as soon a Temari hit the ground and aimed a chop at the kunoichi. Temari veered to the side to avoid the strike, at the same time passing her fan behind her back and striking a glancing hit on Kari's shoulder. The bandit took the hit in stride and both women continued a few steps past each other.
"For the pride of the Oregi," Harsi growled, holding her hands in a defensive posture at exactly eye level. "I'll drink your blood, Sand-scum."
"I'm surprised to hear Oregi still have pride," Temari shot back. "After all the time they've spent with your face on the ground. Its been how long since you've been house slaves to the Wind Lord? Two generations? Three?" While egging on her opponent, Temari made sure to keep her fan ready to parry. She was not about to underestimate the rebel.
Swaying slightly from side to side, Harsi let out a hiss of anger. "Everything changes. The desert is littered with the bones of the mighty!" Mincing no more words, Harsi stepped to the side and lunged forward.
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Kankurou scowled as he saw Shikamaru get cut down in midair. "Aw, good going…"
Further commentary was cut short as Giyam was tossed Kankurou's way. Though off balance, the bandit had had the presence of mind to stumble straight into Kankurou and shove the ninja against the rock. Snarling, Kankurou promptly grabbed the man by his jerkin and spun around, pressing Giyam against the wall. Giyam immediately regained his footing and returned the favor. Loosing his temper, Kankurou synched up his grip and tossed his opponent to the side. The bandit landed in a tumble, but quickly rolled out of it and handsprung away.
Cracking his knuckles, Kankurou walked confidently forward. As he did, Giyam ceased retreating and fell into a defensive stance. A moment after he stooped, Ken and the fourth bandit shuffled forward and took positions by his side.
"Do we need to back up Harsi?" Brusquely asked the kid?
"When we're done with this guy," Ken answered, smiling. "I wanna make this brutal."
Still walking forward, Kankurou didn't even check his stride. "Good. So do I," he said. Casually unstrapping Karasu and tossing it to the side, the Sand ninja cheerfully cracked his knuckles again.
Ken clasped his hands together in a short sequence of seals. "Blowback Technique," he gruffly stated.
The air around Kankurou exploded, throwing him off-balance. The Sand ninja nimbly danced to the side, trying to keep from being an immobile target. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Giyam and the kid rush forward. Deliberately falling to the side, Kankurou brought down Giyam with a drop-toe-hold. Kankurou rolled away just in time to avoid a blow from the fourth bandit's bo. The teenager leapt over Kankurou, and struck a second time. This blow struck true, catching Kankurou across the chest.
Kankurou let out of grunt, but wrapped his arms around the staff after the impact. "Not good enough, punk," he warned. Still on his back, Kankurou wretched to the side, throwing the kid off balance. The Kankurou then rolled over, pulling the staff over him and tearing it from the kid's grasp in the process. Dropping the bo, Kankurou pushed himself back to his feet.
Unfortunately, Ken was waiting for him. The bandit roughly pulled Kankurou around and punched him in the face. The force of the hit knocked Kankurou back a step, giving Ken the time to deliver an even stronger haymaker. The second punch sent the Sand ninja tumbling backwards.
Pressing his advantage, Ken pulled out a kunai and charged. Belaying his lack of advanced training, he approached too close to his opponent before leaping, giving Kankurou the opportunity to counterstrike. From his position on the ground, Kankurou quickly rolled forward. Coming out of the roll on his hands and knees, he spun to the side threw out his right leg in a low roundhouse. The kick hit Ken in the gut, stopping him in his tracks and doubling him over.
Still on his hands and knees, Kankurou made an awkward lunge at his opponent. With his shoulder driving into Ken's neck, he managed to grab the bandit's head. Without his vertical base, Kankurou promptly fell to the ground, yanking Ken down with him. The bandit's body jackknifed and there was an audible snap as Kankurou twisted it on his way down. Ken's body promptly went limp and bounced to the side. Leaving the fallen bandit where he was, Kankurou immediately pushed himself back to his feet.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Kankurou saw Giyam charging with a kunai in his outstretched hand. Quickly dancing back, Kankurou grabbed Giyam's wrist and flung the bandit past him. Kankruou watched amusedly as Giyam tried to check his momentum.
Predictably, the fourth bandit was charging forward as well. Kankurou turned to face him just as he attacked, blocking a swing from the bo with the palm of his hand. "You really suck, kid," he observed.
Enraged, the kid pulled back and tightened his grip on the staff. "The name is Gannon!" The kid yelled, with an odd accent. "Remember it!" Gannon shot forward again, aiming a swipe at Kankurou's head.
Kankurou ducked under the blow and lashed out with an open palm as soon as it had past. Gannon took a fatal strike to the neck and tumbled backwards.
Smiling grimly, Kankurou turned to face the last man standing against him.
Having already stopped short, Giyam stared at Kankurou with wide eyes. "You bastard…" He spat out.
The smile left Kankurou's face. "Leave my heritage out of this."
His expression hardening, Giyam began forming seals.
Kankurou casually pulled his right hand to the side, with his fingers splayed out behind it.
At Kankurou's bidding, Karasu sprang from the forest and attacked Giyam from behind. A blade pierced the bandit's lungs before he even realized what had happened. With his expression slowly fading, the painted bandit slipped to the ground.
"Puh," Kankurou disdainfully spat out. "You guys all suck."
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