Outside of the cave Kiba saw the other two Kirigakure genin directing the villagers to a northern path down the hill. Moji was kneeling down among the trees drawing blood seals on four scrolls surrounding him and two additional scrolls to either side of him. Finishing the final scroll he looked up and nodded to his genin to follow the villagers. Waving Kiba and Karui over to him he quickly bandaged his thumb and stretched his back.
"The marines are going to clear the hill in about five minutes. Personally I'd like to avoid any bloodshed but that might be a foregone conclusion. I don't like revealing these seals, but this is our best chance." Motioning to the seals on either side of him he said, "I understand we're in a bit of a predicament. We don't trust each other, but we're out of options at the moment. Please stand on those scrolls."
"What's the plan?" Karui stood on the scroll, but a slight scowl crossed her face.
"I've prepared these seals to use the shadows of this forest as a trap. The seals you are standing in will allow you to move freely. I'm asking you to go into danger, but if we don't delay the marines they will kill or recapture the villagers. Lure the marines in here and let them get trapped, then fall back and rejoin us at the farm."
"Only two seals?" Kiba looked at Akamaru, scratched his friend behind the ears and nodded in the direction the villagers had run off in. With a bark of 'be careful' Akamaru ran off through the trees.
"I'll maintain the technique from here for three hours, after that I'll catch up as well."
"And what about you?" Kiba asked as he stood on the seal.
"At that point we'll be approaching dusk. I'm more than capable of getting away at that point." Clapping his hands together, Moji checked the placement of all the seals and nodded. "The seals will be set into your sandals and will last for as long as I maintain the technique. Ready?"
Dark shadows leapt up from the scrolls and tightened around Kiba and Karui's legs. It was at that moment that Kiba was certain of it; there was a definite relationship between this technique and the Nara Clan's Shadow Bind jutsu. A wave of darkness spread out from Moji, blending with the shadow, making it only a shade darker than it naturally was. He sat concentrating on the jutsu with closed eyes, senses shutting out the world around him.
As the shadow bind around their legs lifted, Karui got off the scroll and knelt down to rub her calf muscles. Checking her sword in the sheath on her back, her face had that look that silently said she was ready for business.
The scroll slightly stuck to the bottom of his sandals as he lifted his feet, but it was firmly planted to the ground. All the seals which had been written on the scroll had vanished. Opening his nostrils, Kiba smelled the marines coming up the hill around a kilometer away. Upon pointing the way for Karui, she took off at full speed.
Kiba ran after her as best she could, but after a minute he realized that the beating he had suffered that morning had weakened him more than he realized. His core was as strong as ever, but his muscles and joints were limited to the point where he figured he was weaker than he was as a genin.
Karui looked back at him once or twice, but didn't wait for him to catch up. Limited as he was at the moment, he knew he'd have to change strategies. Reaching into his pouch he tied explosive tags on Kunai before a thought came to mind. From the sounds coming from below he figured he had three minutes, just long enough. Akamaru had taken off with the larger supply bag, but Kiba had gotten his personal pouch first. Finding the right scroll, he unfurled it and began looking for the seal he had in mind.
Completing the seal with blood, Kiba sat and began concentrating what little chakra he had. In normal circumstances he would be able to activate the seals in a few seconds, at his current strength it was all he could do to give the minimum required. Concern for Karui crossed his mind, but he could not let himself be distracted. She could handle herself, in his current state he'd be more of a problem for her than anything else. So he sat calmly, in spite of himself, and waited.
"Lure them into the forest he says. Curse you Moji and your dark shadows. I'll handle this my way." Drawing her sword from its sheathe Karui dropped low behind some brush and looked at the approaching infantry. There were: spearmen, lightly armored swordsmen, a few riflemen, all were standard marines from the land of water. It was their leader who caught Karui's eye; a young woman, no older than Karui, with ink black hair, fair skin, and carrying four swords. Her insignia showed she held the rank of captain, but it was red with black trim. She was in the Water Daimyo's Special Forces.
"Now this will be interesting." Karui waited for another moment, but did not hear Kiba coming form behind. Doubtless he would have something planned up the hill, but she had no clue what that would be in his weakened state. "Weak as a puppy, at least he's not a distraction." Tightening her headband, Karui meditated on her sword for a moment, remembered her training and attacked.
Marching in formation, with their spear points high, made it easy to disarm the first two ranks of spearmen.
"Kumo-Ryu Omotegiri" The beheading technique was most certainly a lethal technique, but it served well enough as a way to sever a spear's point from its shaft. Before landing, she went into a spin and grabbed one of the spearmen, rolling as she hit the ground; she used the momentum to throw him up along the ground, tripping half a dozen swordsmen. Throwing her sword in the air, she roundhouse kicked one of the spearmen and grabbed the newly made staff he held. Spinning it in her hands, she guarded against five attacks from the swordsmen before the wood broke. By that point her sword had fallen back down for her to grab it, utilizing the momentum of the fall, and knowing the superiority of her steel, she sliced the swords in half.
By this point a ring of soldiers had formed around her, most of which gave her fearful distance. The Captain stepped into the ring and looked angry at the incompetence of her soldiers. Now with a better look, Karui saw her red eyes, very menacing. More important was the way she carried her swords. Each of a different make and style, she wore one on either hip, one horizontal across the small of her back, and the fourth between her shoulder blades.
Smiling, Karui returned her sword to her scabbard and enjoyed watching the soldiers respond to how she moved, backing off as she approached. The young Captain did not have a single sword drawn either, but Karui got the impression she was quick on the draw, meaning their fight could very easily be over with the first strike.
"Impressive work. You made my men looks like complete fools. I now see why the nations relied on shinobi as their militaries for so long."
"Obviously that didn't mean anything to your Water Daimyo when he built a separate navy. Neither that nor the peace we won in the Third Shinobi War."
"A peace between the villages. This is an internal matter, one you had the bad luck to get drawn up in. Unbuttoning her cuffs, she rolled up her sleeves and undid the top buttons of her uniform. Karui cracked her knuckles and her neck in response, talk was cheap.
"Get her Captain."
"She can't beat Captain Izumi, not in a swordfight."
The first strike was indeed fast, faster than Karui had expected. Turning the first strike to her ribs away, Karui had barely enough time to hold off the second sword's low cut at her knee. Interestingly, Izumi had already returned the first sword to her scabbard and was pulling free the sword on her back. Adjusting her grip, Karui threw up her opponent's sword and blocked the incoming cut before lunging forward. Izumi spun as she returned the sword to her waist, Karui's sword hit against the metal scabbard on her back, spinning from the blow, Karui's sword met Izumi's as she other girl caught her sword from midair and returned it to her other sheathe.
Backing off for a moment, Karui gave Izumi thoughtful distance. "You're decent, but you're no match for me. The Military once held exhibition matches against Kirigakure Nin and I had a fight with Chojuro of the Seven Swordsmen. Beat him in four of seven rounds."
"I'm sure you know some tricks, but you can't win." Breathing deeply, Karui felt her entire body wake up at the energy flowing through her. None of the soldiers would notice, but her chakra filled her with an indescribable awareness and greater sense of her surroundings. Her hands sparked with energy, and the fight was already over.
Izumi swung with her sword, but it was much slower now than it had been. Karui's sword met hers with a lightning charged blade; the metal may as well have been grass the way it yielded to her weapon. Karui's sword cut along Izumi's lower right jaw line, barely breaking the skin, but the shock from the chakra knocked the girl out cold.
To the side, a soldier called out. "The captain is down. Riflemen, fire."
"Raiton: Hirameku." Closing her eyes, Karui let the remaining chakra in her sword burn off. The result was a blinding light that would stun anyone watching it. Jumping up just as the blinded soldiers fired their rifles, Karui made for the top of the hill. Just in time to see what Kiba had done. Running into the forest, she took cover in a tree behind Kiba and waited for the soldiers to come after her.
"This is going to be good." Karui smiled as she put her sword away.