Dead Meadow (Silenced Heralds)

[An'ei Sekitan]

Name: Silenced Heralds
Rank: "A"
IIC Length: 3 days
Difficulty: Hard
Description: In the southern lands of Kusa no Kuni's countryside a religious cult has been gathering and causing extreme pain and distress on farming communities not sharing their religious views. The leader of this cult is a woman named Kuga Taree and word has leaked she plans on launching a crusade against Aokusa, viewing it as the source of blasphemy of the country. The mayor of Aokusa has sent requests for at least one team of Kusagakure shinobi to intercept and stop the invasion before they progress too much further.
Objective: Stop the revolt by eliminating the religious leader Kuga Taree
Reward: 75,000 Ryo (1 Anbu Dragon Credit)

Dusk. Everything nefarious always happens at dusk and this would be no different. The southern tip of Kusa no Kuni, bordered by the southeastern edge of Ame no Kuni, was relatively cool this time of season. Typically it was still a bit warmer in Autumn, which could only mean it was closing in on winter. The land that stretched out before him was relatively flat as he could see from his perch in the trees that bordered the farming community, his eyes scanning the crops that were due to be harvested any day now. Truth be told, they should have already been harvested, but this cult was proving to be a problem for the whole country. Houkou mentally sighed at this kind of thing. A quick check of his person revealed that he was ready for what was to come, although is kit was light as always with fifteen kunai, the katana Dog Star, the Mask of the Demon Dog, and his cigarettes. Adjusting his fur trim black jacket, he jumped to the floor to land next to Sekizen, the enormous Worg that was his companion and brother. Sahlin and Su joined shortly after.

“Alright. Sahlin and Su, your skills will be most helpful here in the beginning of this investigation,” he would look toward Su first. “I need you to check your information on Kuga Taree. I wanna know the places she likes to frequent, the clothing she wears, what she looks like, and anything else you deem pertinent toward locating her in a timely manner. Then,” he would look at Salihn, “I would like for you to track her down and report back to me on her whereabouts via radio. Keep her in your sights and don’t get caught. Su and I will meet with you then and we will go over the next step of the plan. Get to it, everyone.”

Once Salihn was gone, he would have Su and Sekizen walk with him, thinking about how many S names there were with him and wondering why their team was HSSS, but he would keep that to himself. Instead, he would focus undivided attention to Su as the man briefed his information, all while heading toward the first farm that still had not harvested to begin a stake out. One way or another, they were going to find and kill Kuga tonight.

DJ Loki

[DJ Loki]

Su pulled out a scroll, and then a small brush. With a few quick strokes her had drawn a picture of the target that they were going to be going after. It was an exact copy of the what the woman would look like in great detail. Su Sighed, "This is what she looks like, her hair is a light brown color, and her eyes are jade green. She is usually seen wearing very casual clothing, very unassuming in appearance. But she'll still stand out, she is rather beautiful no? Be weary Salihn, she is a Sensor, a very good one, part of the reason it has been so difficult to nail her down. As far as where she likes to frequent, there's not record of it. She smart, she doesn't go to one place more than than a couple times, problem is... she has body doubles or clones, so it's difficult to tell what places she has actually been to. But she has a heavier presence on the eastern part of this area. We don't know if she's set up there, or she makes just makes her presence more obvious there to throw us off."

After giving the information, he closed the his art scroll and tucked it away. Salihn on the other hand turned to leave, but before she did, Su would comment. "Be careful... she is incredibly crafty. Simply hiding your presences won't be enough to avoid her. But, she has no Doujutsu, that has be observed, so."

"Very well. If she has no Doujutsu my course of action becomes obvious." Salihn turned around and transformed into one of the nocturnal birds. As she transformed her chakra levels plummeted to the levels one would expect of an animal this size. The bird said, "I'll report shortly." as it fluttered off into the distance. Su looked up as Salihn disappeared into the might sky heading towards the eastern part of town. "Well shouldn't take her long. Knowing her... about 2 mins tops." Su then turned his attention back over to Houkou, "Side note, her followers, are all just idiots looking for purpose. Once she's taken down the others might end up killing themselves, none of them have the charisma to take over. Well except for one. Her right hand man, I'd recommend taking him out first before her. He's hard to miss, big blonde dude, carries a huge shield. He's never too far away from her. But the mission only calls for Kuga's head, so I'll leave that decision up to you boss man.

[Coal]

”I see. A good recommendation that I will have to consider,” Houkou began, scratching the pommel of Dog Star with his right index finger absentmindedly, “I hate cults that can hydra when you cut off the head, forming more and more. So instead of looking for her right out, I think it would be easiest to find him, capture him, and interrogate him for information. These people have a main base and we will need to find it if we are to find her, assuming she really is that good at covering her tracks.” Houkou stood before the farm now, his eyes on the door before them, made of a sturdy wood most likely cut from the forest itself. Hardy people. With his right hand, he would knock on the door, awaiting an answer as the sun continued to inch its way to the horizon.

Should an adult answer, Houkou would begin his question, but should it be a child he would send them to get a parent or guardian for him. “Good evening, I’ve been sent to find out what is happening here with the crops. Production is lower and I would like to assist in any way possible. What can you tell me about the reason behind the lack of harvest in these parts? Is it natural or unnatural?” Hopefully Su would play the part of a background muscle or additional investigator, either would be perfect for this situation. Listening to the answer, Houkou would straighten his jacket, never taking his eyes of the person should they be the jittery attack type. Salihn should be back any moment with that information for him hopefully.

[DJ Loki]

"Agreed... hopefully he won't be too close to Kuga. That could complicate things. You getting all this Salihn." Su would say as he pressed his finger on his communicator. A moment later Salihn voice would come through from the other end, "Yeah, I got it. If he is close, and acts as a body guard of sorts, it's a simple thing to separate them. Over." Her voice would fade out as she went back on the hunt. She could feel that she was closing in, it was just a matter of time. Houkou and Su on the other hand found themselves in front of a home, once Houkou knocked a young woman opened the door, partially. It was clear that she was very apprehensive of the two men standing there.

"I-I don't know... I just mind my own business. Now p-please leave." As the woman went to close the door, Su reached out his hand pleadingly, "Mam... please. I assure you we mean you no harm. We're just looking for answers, anything you can tells us will be appreciated, then we'll be on our way." The young woman held the door open slightly, while her eyes darted over to the side of the door. "W-who are you... who sent you to investigate?" Su saw woman's eyes dart, and Houkou being Houkou, he was sure that he caught it as well. Su, brought his fist up to his mouth and let out a slight cough. As if to tell Houkou that he was getting an odd feeling. To let him know that he was ready for him to make a move, if he deemed it necessary.

Houkou would notice that Su, was a very talented actor. Every motion he made was natural, everything he said was sincere. It was very easy to see why he was a fount of knowledge and information. With his skills there were very few who could resist his charms.

[An'ei Sekitan]

Su was good, very good, much better than himself when it came to acting; although Houkou was no slouch in that department. It did not seem like this woman was going to budge, but then she did something that Houkou had not expected, and he knew full well that Su had seen it as well. The subtle darting of the eyes to the size of the door. Someone is behind it…but…is it a target or a non-combatant? Zealot or child? Husband maybe? A signal from Su was all he needed to be assured and Houkou was in action almost immediately. Too quick for protest, his left leg would kick the center right of the door with as much force as his could muster, to effectively kick it from the woman’s hand and snap it back with force to knock anyone or anything behind it off balance. Houkou expected Su to grab the woman so that Houkou could engage in what could be combat, then join him once she was in relative safety.

Quick as the wind in the trees, Houkou was within the boundaries of the home, his blade out, and the Sharingan blazing within his eyes. A quick sweep of the room would tell him all he needed to know [Observation: 125], starting from the right to the left and ending where the woman’s eyes had flickered in a split second. It was time to see who was hiding behind the door and why this woman seemed so skittish. If it was a child, then that child should have known better. If it is anyone else, they will be interrogated and this home would become the base of his operation for the moment.

[DJ Loki]

Su extended his hand out towards the woman, and with his Sharigan Houkou could see chakra strings extend from his fingertips. He quickly reeled the woman in as Houkou kicked in the door. The force of the kick sent the individual that was behind it crashing into wall. "Gah!" The sound was heard and it clearly came from an adult male. When Houkou entered into the home he saw a man sitting there on the ground. He looked up at Houkou, "F*$king heretic! You'll pay for that!" Su heard the man blathering, and with the woman in his arms he mused, "If you take him alive... I can get into his head." Su Said as he leap away with the woman in his arms.

The man on the ground hopped off the ground as he looked into Houkou's eyes. "Accursed Eyes... I will not let leave this place alive!!" The man tried to weave his seal together before Houkou, at the end of he clapped his hands together and sent out a mighty blast of wind that would blow back Houkou, Su and the Women some 75m dealing 45ap of damage.

[An'ei Sekitan]

Everything was slow motion, from the man behind the door falling into the way, to the swift movements of Su to snatch the woman from harm. Houkou’s eyes gazed at the man before him, upon the ground, spewing obscenities from a position of weakness. Wooden walls and a wooden floor, a carpet by the front door, the door itself swinging back a little and stopping about half way to closed. Non-descript, but he would work well enough for what they needed, and he heard Su speaking to him. Alive, huh? Easy enough. Blade already in his left hand, he would flip the blade, the edge facing the ceiling while the tip was pointed down toward the floor at a forty-five degree angle from his left leg.

The man would jump to his feet like a slug to Houkou’s eyes, molasses, nothing to fear and the blade would flick the moment the handseals would begin. Quick as lightning, a single swipe that would catch the man under the shoulder, biting and then slicing through the very bone and sinew that held the limb to the body. Of course, with the man currently performing the handseals, this very attack would easily sever half of his forearm as well, leaving it to flop on the floor with the rest of his limb. Should that be successful, Houkou would slap the flat of his blade across the man’s face with enough force to knock him unconscious hopefully, and then call Su in to hold the man down while Houkou burned the wound closed.

[DJ Loki]

Su watched as Houkou made quick work of the cultist that was behind the door. The laid there on the ground bleeding out on the ground. He let of a scream that was quickly silenced as he was knocked out cold by Houkou's follow up attack. Su the let the woman go and then made his way into the home. He extended his had and sent out chakra strings and used them to take control of the man's limbs. He used these strings to hold the man down as Houkou proceeded to cauterize his wound. The man quickly awoken from his sleep as the the pain of the cauterization caused him to scream out in pain.

Before the cauterization had begone, Su used his free hand to weave handseals, and cast a Zone of Silence. No sound within 20 meters would be able to leave the zone, and no sound would be able to enter. As the man screamed his screaming was a bit over the top. It was clear that he was trying to draw attention to his situation. "Scream all you want Guy... no one will heard you." The woman that was hiding behind Su, came forward and kicked the man in the face, "You Bastards!!! Where are they?!" She shouted at him. Su pulled the woman back, "Clam down Lady... In a minute I'll know everything he's knows." After Houkou was done with him. Su length of wire came from Su's person and wrapped around the man, and bound him tightly.

"You think torture will get you anywhere?! You wont get a damn thing out of me." The Cultist barked at Su. "Oh, you're right... I won't be getting anything from you with torture, that's not my wheel house. Let me tell you a little secrete, Ninja rarely use torture to get information, it's mostly to relieve stress, or to punish." As Su said this the wires began to tighten around the man and grind into his skin. "I'm not a torturer, luckily for you. However, I have much more effective ways... of gathering information." There was a method to all of Su's chattering. He more he talked about the information he was going to pry from the man, the more the sensitive information that he had would rise to the surface.

That made getting what he wanted from him that much easier. Su looked over at Houkou, and smirked, "I'll need about... 12 undisturbed seconds boss." Su said as he looked at the man and placed his hand on the man's forehead, as he did so, he poured his chakra into the man's mind and the target's face seemed to go dumb. Houkou would need to make sure that Su was not disturbed by anything or anyone until he was done, with the Mind Dive Technique. The woman began to creep over to see what exactly he was doing. All this ninja stuff was rather strange to her.

[An'ei Sekitan]

So also a Yamanaka huh? Makes sense. Su explained that he would need twelve uninterrupted seconds, from anyone, and that meant this lady who quite frankly could aslo be a combatant waiting to sneak attack now that her husband was down. Quick as a whip, Houkou has the tip of his blade pointed at her throat before she could even take a step, the Sharingan still blazing within his eyes, eyes that were gazing directly at the woman. “And you’re doing what exactly,” he would ask, glaring at the woman. Human nature and a lack of knowledge would make this easy, as she would eventually look up at his eyes, and then she would sleep. Mind Snare would give Su the time he needed to work without interruption if successful, and after binding the woman on the opposite end of the home after that success, he would begin to investigate the rest of the house; after closing the front door and locking it, of course. He would start with the rooms that were closest, looking in and observing [SP 125] to make sure it was all clear, until he had eventually searched the entire home.

[DJ Loki]

"Geez... I was just trying to-" The woman then collapsed as she fell into a deep slumber as Su continued his work. After just a few moments had passed Su let out a deep breath, and turned around towards Houkou, and saw the woman on the ground. "Huh... that was a bit unnecessary don't you think boss? Kara there is just some chick, who's house they took over. There's a basement, and inside of it is a door that leads to a tunnel system they have created. They have her family, Husband and kid, held up somewhere, to keep her compliant. As far as this guy knows they are still alive."

Su rubbed that back of his head and then continued, "That tunnel system is connected to about 20 safe houses like this." After he finished speaking Salihn chimed in over the radio, "Well that certainly explains quite a bit. The reports of her appearing in two different places at once is drastically overstated then. She enters a building, and is seen leaving another in a different location, This also explains what I have been witnessing." As Salihn spoke Su titled his head to the side, "So you found her then? Since when?"

"Shortly after I left... but I was also looking for the second in command. Now that you have reported this information, I can say with certainty I have located the targets, and I know what I must to to keep a constant track on them." Silence was heard from Salihns end for a few moments and then she continued. "Hmm she is indeed quite skilled at concealing her presences, and detecting others, she almost caught whiff of me... impressive. To the point, they are both currently in a home on the north-western part of town. The home has a red roof, blue paint job... rather tacky honestly. Rose bushes out front. I can feel the male moving towards those the north, but I am not seeing him, he must be using the tunnel system. The main target is still held up in the same home, it doesn't look like she is making plans to move anytime soon. There are several others in the home with her. However, they are nothing a fresh out of the academy genin couldn't handle."

Su then commented, "There may be a large group of civilians held up somewhere, you think you can track them down. They are being held captive."

"It's a simple request, if that's what needs to be done." Salihn responded making it clear that if that was want Houkou needed of her then she would do so. Their jobs were to scout and provide all the information that Houkou would need to make the best possible decisions. What he did with that information was up to him. "So what's it going to be boss? I can infiltrate as this guy, I have all his memories and mannerisms stored in my head, will be an easy thing. How are we handling this."

[An'ei Sekitan]

”Perhaps it was a bit far, however, naturally curious people like this woman, while harmless, do enjoy touching what they are not supposed to. You wished not to be interrupted and I made sure that you would not be without having to harm this woman in any way. Plus, can’t have her knowing where we went.” Houkou would look at the woman who was still out in the other room, snoring away happily, and made sure to wipe her memory of him knocking her out. It would not do to have some civilian with loose lips telling others and Uchiha with white hair was here, but he could live with just a basic description of them. Additionally, with her knocked out like this, there is no way of her knowing where they went, so it would be impossible for her to alert others, should she be captured again. It was the soundest decision. He would continue to listen to Su’s brief.

Salihn would finally chime in shortly into the brief and the two of them would begin to communicate amongst each other, formulating the frame work of a plan that had already begun to develop in Houkou’s mind, although it would not be easy with just the three of them. It was going to have to be a swift attack to minimize chance of detection. Guess it was that time. With his left hand, he would sheathe his blade, then take the mask from upon his hip and place it upon his face, pressing the button that would transform it into a complete helmet. The Three-tomoe Sharingan was still blazing in his eyes.

“Okay,” Houkou began, pressing the radio button and looking at Su to address them both, “this is the plan. Salihn, I want you to track the captives for Su and then give him a description of their prison if possible. Do it very quickly. Su, assume his identity as you suggested as well, then make your way to that prison. Dispatch any resistance you find within and free those captives. Salihn, once you describe the location or at least the general direction and area to Su, I need you to report to me the whereabouts of the Second in Command. I will be tracking him and will neutralize him before we pincer the leader. Make sure to keep me informed only if she starts to move.” Before they left, Houkou would release his comms button, speaking only to Su.

“Can you draw me a quick map of the tunnels so that I don’t get lost? Then you infiltrate before me. I will wait three minutes, then I’ll go in the tunnels after you, this will give you time to get passed any guards before I potentially cause any ruckus should they discover me. Do not compromise your disguise under any circumstances until those prisoners are freed.”

[DJ Loki]

As Houkou was giving out commands the two of the Anbu were already making his preparations as Houkous gave out his orders. Salihn immediately went on the move to in search of the hostages. It didn't take her long to find them, if there was a large enough grouping of people it would make it rather obvious where they were. By the time Houkou had finished giving out his orders Salihn had found the the most likely place where they where going to be. She began to give the location of the house that held the The captives, and as she was giving out the location Su was finishing up the map that Houkou asked him to make. He quickly finished the map and then marked the Locations of where all the targets where at the moment. Salihn confirmed the location of the second in command and the the captives, and relaid that the main target was still in her same position.

After handing over the map, Su turned around and headed towards the basement door that lead to the tunneling system, somewhere along the way, Houkou would notice that Su's mannerisms began to change. His walk the way he breathed, down to little subtle tick that the man he was intimating had. He cracked his knuckles and then then opened the door. He turned to face Houkou and he was wearing the man face, and clothing from before, and spoke in perfect cadence that matched, and somehow managed to replicate the man's sent. Su was clearly far more than meets the eye, this must have been the work of a blood-limit of some kind. "This shouldn't take long boss."

"I will keep an eye on the first target and alert you of any changes in behavior I can observe." Salihn, spoke again over the radio as she was once again on the move getting closer the the targets Location.