-December 24th, 4 ANB, Land of Grass/Land of Fire Border, 1:38 AM-
The hollow beneath the massive tree was our defensive point. Asuma was handling the Jonin.
Whole mission was fucked from the start. I put down the wounded Yara in the rear of the hollow, framed by the sturdy roots of the ancient tree. Itachi wasn't much better, nursing a gnarly gash on his side as I got to work on the pair of them as best I could. Biwako's training coming in handy as my hands came aglow with the Miracle Palm technique.
"This was supposed to be in and out…how did we end up fighting Samurai?!" Yara groaned in relief as the technique accelerated her body's natural healing, her stab wound knitting itself together.
"Ronin, not samurai. Little more than bandits. You're lucky this didn't nick your intestine. Would've gone septic." I muttered, letting her lie back as the exhaustion wave hit her. I moved to Itachi, hands still glowing and I watched his sharingan eyes, two tomoe displayed, follow my form.
"If you heal me, I'll be too sapped to help the defense." He speaks through grit teeth.
"You let me worry about that. C'mon, I don't want you bleeding out on me." I got to work.
Hell of a first B-Rank.
-December 20th, 4 ANB, Hidden Leaf Village, 6:00 AM-
Nanako was still on Maternity Leave when we were set for our next Mission, Asuma would be chaperoning us, his last mission before he shipped out to the Capitol to join the Twelve Guardians.
I was worried. We'd been through a year working as Genin, in the main timeline it was in these months that Itachi would get promoted and his second set of teammates would fade into obscurity. Of course, no one died this time around when Tobi came calling for the Daimyo.
Still. Something about this mission had me on edge. Should've known it was gonna be hell because they didn't brief us until the morning of, just said to pack for a week.
Team Nanako stood waiting in the Hokage's office, Grunkle Sarutobi already burning his pipe this early in the morning was a bad sign. Biwako's been getting after him about it more often, so the fact he had already started said enough.
"Team Nanako, good morning. It's likely going to be your last for the next few days." He spoke, and Asuma let out a sigh,
"Rough C-Rank?" He asks, only to earn a shake of the head from the Hokage.
"B-Rank. Elimination." The words immediately wake the three of us up completely, and Asuma is already twitching towards his cigarettes.
"Holy Hell, Jiji." I muttered,
"Hokage-sama…are there not more qualified shinobi for missions of this nature?" Itachi asked, Yara nodding in agreement.
"You three are ANBU saplings, Genin." ah, hello Danzo, ya prick. The aged advisor spoke from behind us, standing in the doorway of the office, flanked by Tora, who expanded.
"Wet work is part of the job, kids. You've been in service for a year at this point. With your pedigree, it's surprising it hasn't happened sooner." The ANBU commander spoke, and the weight of the situation hit the three of us. Asuma takes over the talking.
"Where, who, and why, Pops." He speaks, and Hiruzen lays it down.
"The Daimyo has opened up a contract on the bandit leader Matsuo 'Snake-Eyes' Shirogane, They are wanted for banditry, sixty counts of the murder of peasants, and six counts of the murder of nobility, one of which including the Daimyo's own nephew."
"They didn't give a damn until someone took a crap on their doorstep, huh." I muttered, earning a sigh.
"While Shirogane did already hold a place on the bingo book, holding a bounty of 15,000 Ryo dead or 20,000 Ryo alive, the Daimyo has commissioned us directly to eliminate him at this time. It is not our place to judge, Genin. Especially when promotions are on the line." Oh, that's why they kept us in the dark.
The three Genin of Team Nanako immediately snapped to attention, earning a light scoff from Tora as the Hokage continued.
"Shirogane's haunt is located within the Western fringes of the Land of Fire, near the border of the Land of Grass, somewhere in which the Village Hidden in the Grass is located. Now. Shirogane is not a shinobi. Shirogane is the scion of a Bandit Clan that has plagued the Land of Fire for six generations. Each head of their clan has had their skull placed on a spike on the gates of the Daimyo's palace. It is now Matsuo's turn to take his eternal vigil." Hiruzen spoke, staring the three of us down.
We left the talking to Asuma, who lit his first cigarette.
"Are you certain sending three Genin is the best course of action here, Pops? A pair of chunin would be in and out in three days. A jonin can get this done in six hours." He speaks, Hiruzen shakes his head.
"This is a necessary step in all Shinobi's Lives. ANBU Saplings especially. Team Nanako, you are charged with the elimination of Matsuo Shirogane, you are being granted a week to complete this task. Locate him, kill him, and bring back his head. Dismissed."
With that, Team Nanako left the Hokage Tower, and within the hour we were marching out of the Village.
"Hey, Isshin." Yara called, drawing my attention to her as I adjusted the strap of the rifle on my back.
"Hm?"
"I hope you packed enough ammo. I've got a feeling we're going to need it."
-December 23rd. 4 ANB, Lands of Fire/Grass Border, 11:49 PM-
Itachi used his cheater's eyes to help us track Shirogane. Not that it was hard to find, the locals were all for us hunting the bastard down, didn't matter if it was a Leaf or a Grass nin that did it. Or a Samurai, turns out there had been a few of those passing through, also hunting Snake-Eyes, but with no luck.
Still, with the tips we were provided, we were able to find exactly where Snake Eyes had set up shop.
The compound was built as an operating outpost during some conflict between the Reeds and Fire some sixty years ago or so. It was located right smack on the border of Reeds and Fire, a jurisdictional clusterfuck.
"Can't take him out there, Grass'd claim the body, or worse; claim we're invading when we go in to reclaim it." Asuma spoke as the four of us were perched in a cluster of trees that were firmly on the land of Fire's border.
"What, is this guy sponsored or something?" Yara asked, Asuma shrugged.
"It's a possibility. Can't guarantee it, but you'd have to have an ace in the hole like that to set up shop exactly on a border line like this." Asuma responds, tucking away his binoculars with a huff.
"Freakin Corsairs, makes too much sense." I muttered, state sponsored harassment force. I'm seeing a decent amount of swords, armor and solid wood walls. Well maintained walls. These assholes have funding. Itachi is the next to speak.
"Target located, Balcony, third floor, northwest side."
Snake Eyes is a big fella. As in Sumotori Big, with a Kanabo resting on the balcony railing next to him. He's got a ramshackle set up of heavy armor, it looks like he took a bunch of Horse Plate and rough-forged it to fit his frame.
"...Hey, Asuma…we're what, three hundred yards out?" I asked, bringing down my binoculars, and I can still see Snake Eyes, he's a small rotund dot about the size of my thumbnail.
"...Think you can make that shot?" He asks, and I'm immediately doing the math.
"Wind…negligible, roughly three hundred yards, Hundred and Twenty Grain projectile, flying Two thousand, nine hundred, and twenty five feet per second…my irons are set for a hundred yards…about a foot and a half of drop." I whisper, staring at the bandit king lounging in his little kingdom. I take a deep breath, exhaling through my nose before giving a resolute nod.
"I can do it. It'll blow a hole the size of my fist in his chest, even through that armor. Get me closer and I can put it in his throat." I declared with a nod.
"We'll get you closer. You put him down, I'll get in, get his head, get out. Itachi, Yara, you're on 'cover his ass duty'." Asuma declares,
"When are we not, Sarutobi-san?" Yara quips, before we get to work.
Stealth is the name of the game in this operation, Itachi, Nanako and I each sticking to the trees and embracing the foliage like old friends. Man if great grandpa James could see me now…I'd give him flashbacks to the Pacific.
We manage to get to about a hundred and fifty yards out, the moon is high in the sky, I can see just as well as I could in daylight. We find my perch, a brush covered hill with just enough a view to get a good shot at the balcony. My nerves are going nuts as we watch the bandits continue their everyday operations.
"Are you certain you can get him from here, Isshin?" Itachi whispers, and I nod.
"I'll be able to…I'll have to be careful, have to shoot between my heartbeats and make sure I don't flinch…but I'll get this done. When I do, all hell's going to break loose though."
"One big-ass 'Bang'." Asuma whispered, his own eyes hidden behind his binoculars. "Our suspicions are confirmed, we've got Ronin mixed in with the Shirogane bandits. They're Corsairs…Our orders stand, just be ready to run, kids."
"Big man's drunk as shit, I count six bottles of Sake on the balcony floor." Yara whispers,
"Don't get complacent, Genin. They may not be shinobi, but these men are killers, all." Asuma counters, before crossing his fingers in a familiar handsign and a clone appears. The two Asumas nod at each other before the clone jumps away. "The clone will infiltrate, when I give the order, take the shot."
The next hour was one of the most tense I've ever felt in my life, my heart was pounding, my hairs were standing on edge…but my hands were steady. I lined up my sights on Snake Eyes, the front post following the junction of neck and chest as he stumbled around the balcony, drunkenly laughing loud enough that we could hear it even from here.
The Bandit King collapses onto a cushioned seat on the edge of the balcony, raising a sake bottle in a depraved toast.
"Take Him."
-BANG!-
Itachi told me later on that he watched the round fly with his Sharingan. He told me that the round punched a hole in Snake-Eyes' solar plexus, that he was able to see through the macabre tunnel that the 6.5 round tore through his flesh.
We didn't have time to celebrate a job well done in the moment.
"MOVE!" Asuma shouted, and the three of us genin scatter, but not unscathed.
Blades of wind chakra tore through our operations area, shuriken and kunai supplementing the invisible blades. A kunai actually tears into my scarf, my gorget underneath stopping the blade from piercing my throat. I see a spurt of blood come from Itachi's side, and there's a Kunai sticking out of Yara's abdomen.
The assailant is a Grass Village Missing Nin, judging by the slice through their headband…and a tough one, judging by how hard Asuma is gritting his teeth.
"Naomori Kawarada…Missing Nin of the Grass Village…Jonin." Asuma growls out, drawing his trench knives and placing himself between us and the Missing Nin.
The missing Nin said nothing, preferring to immediately go on the offensive, Asuma immediately spurred us the hell out of there.
"Get out of here! I'll handle this!" He shouts whilst sending his own wind blades at the Grass Nin, the three of us book it out of there, heading to our egress point, all the while the sounds of angry bandits and Ronin grow louder and louder.
I should've brought more ammunition.
-December 24th, 4 ANB, Land of Grass/Fire Border, 1:50 AM-
Itachi tried to stay functional, but the mystical palm technique works by utilizing the available energy stores of the patient to accelerate their natural healing processes, I handed the two of them each a soldier pill, and moved to guard the opening of the Hollow.
I can still hear the fight between Asuma and Naomori, and I send up a prayer for Asuma's safety. I'm confident in my cousin's abilities, but a bit of divine intervention never hurt anybody. Still, I had my own problems to worry about in the form of a bunch of lantern lights appearing in the brush and the sounds of angry bandits out for blood.
"Fucking shinobi…wasn't that missing nin supposed to keep the boss alive?" I heard one of the Ronin snarl as I tucked myself away amidst the roots of the tree.
"That hole appeared in less than a second, there's nothing they could've done." Another counters, sounding much more nervous. I carefully reloaded the rifle, ready to punch holes once more. My nerves were going again, and I felt the temperature drop. It was different this time…thicker, colder. I could see the breath mist of the bandits in the brush.
"...were we expecting a cold snap tonight, Shiro?" One of them asked, and my sight drifted over to where the voice came from, holding an oil lantern in one hand and an axe in the other,
"It's the middle of winter, there's going to be cold snaps, idiot. Get your kill face on, we have shinobi to hunt!" The speaker is a Ronin, straw hat and katana in hand. They begin to move again, and for a moment I think they'll pass us by.
Fate, it seems, is a petty bastard.
"Hey, check that out. There's a cave in the roots of that tree."
-BANG!-
The fight is on, and I punch a hole in three people with that shot, quickly transitioning from rifle to revolver in one hand, the other fanned with shuriken.
"The boss was offed by a kid?!"
"Doesn't matter if the kid's dead! GET HIM!"
I bounced from tree to tree, hurling shuriken into their ranks. Just buy time, Isshin, a few minutes and the Soldier Pills will kick in, just hold on and your team will pick up the slack.
I let loose with shots from my revolver, filling the air with acrid smoke and ash, I hear bandits coughing, wheezing, and the dying moans of those who were unfortunate enough to not die instantly.
Unfortunately, arrows start flooding the canopy, and I'm forced to go to ground. The fight intensifies, I can hardly turn around a tree without finding a bandit or a Ronin ready for blood, my remaining shots go quickly, and I'm using Substitution so much to avoid arrows and sword swipes that my reserves are fading fast.
I rolled out of the way of an axe and countered with a swift drawing of the Bowie, thrusting the heavy blade into the soft meat of the bandit's thigh, tearing it out through his kneecap.
A massive example of a Ronin in heavy armor armed with an Odachi forces his way through the ranks, and I can barely transition to my shotgun in time, and made the mistake of blasting both barrels of double ought buck into the Ronin's chest.
"FUCK! HE KILLED TENZEN!"
"SOMEONE GUT THAT BASTARD!"
I Kawarimi back into the trees, the smoke obscuring me enough that they lost track of me, but they were inching towards the Hollow, and that could not be allowed to come to pass.
I was nervous until I saw the flurry of shuriken followed by a fireball burst its way out of the Hollow, with Itachi and Yara rushing out into the fight. They darted around between assailants, itachi utilizing more and more fire jutsu until the area was filled with burning trees and smoke.
Yara was putting in the work with her bukijutsu, flinging kunai and shuriken with deadly precision in every direction, until her pouch ran dry and she was being rushed down by a pair of bandits with spears.
"YARA, CATCH!" I shouted, drawing my second revolver and flinging it towards her, time seemed to slow as I watched the loaded gun spin through the air, I saw arrows sail closer than I was comfortable with, a spear was flung at it, but it met it's destination successfully, the outstretched hand of Nara Yara.
-CLK-BANG! CLK-BANG!-
The two bandits fell, and the fight went on.
There were too many. Too fucking many. I decided to call my friend on the other side.
I shoved my hand into my shirt to grasp at the bell that would summon Shion, or so I thought.
The Bell had shifted, and in my fingers was no longer a bell, but a whistle, glinting in the night and cold as death. No time to think, I brought it to my lips and blew.
-FWEEEEEEEEEEET-
The temperature plummeted, an unnatural mist filled the forest, the baleful tone of the whistle echoing, no repeating.
More whistles, then I hear it.
"OVER THE TOP, LADS!"
That's the only warning, before the stampede hits.
"What the FUCK?!" The main Ronin, Shiro I think his name was, was the only one able to react before a batallion of spectral soldiers bulldoze through the bandits' ranks.
"Don't fall for it, it's a tri-GLK" The brave one's attempt to reassure his friends was cut off by a bayonet to the throat that was wrenched out with prejudice.
I watch, unable to look away as the ronin and bandits are reduced to the victims of vengeful spirits, bayonets, clubs, rifles and pistols. I can hear the staccato of walking fire 30-06 in the distance.
In front of me, a ghostly visage coalesces, Nana Shion, leaning on her staff with a grin on her face, and then a second.
The man is tall, corn fed, body developed from long hours of farm work and draped in the uniform of the US 2nd Marine Division. He gives a smirk and tips his wide brimmed helm at me.
"...You're family is scary, Isshin." I hear Asuma appear to my right, a head on his hip and the corpse of the Grass shinobi hoisted over his shoulder. It looks like it was riddled with machine-gun fire.
"...I think that's an understatement, Asuma."
