Warden's Quarters

Warden's Quarters

Spoiler:

The Warden's Quarters was the highest floor of Hozuki Castle. It gave him a decent view of the other blocks and ensured that he had a key vantage point in the event of an intrusion. The quarters contained a simple living room, dining room, kitchen, several equipment caches and of course a sophisticated war room. The Warden was fully dressed for combat and had a small slug on his shoulder. He was surrounded by monitors powered by Data-based Fuuninjutsu which provided a steady flow of information from nodes hidden throughout the prison. The Warden scanned the screens around him. He took in vast quantities of information in mere moments and changed his strategies as the information changed.

The slightest fluctuations in prison conditions: inmate traffic in Block A, movement in the woods to the north, an errant breeze moving through Block B and then stopping, temperature shifts at random points throughout the prison.

"Something is up" he muttered to himself. He had placed his trusted staff on high alert this past week but had declined to formally raise the alarm. A panic would probably play right into his enemies' hands. He had sent out a few deputies to make contact with shinobi of significant skill and merit. Rather than bringing down a massive army from each of the major and minor villages, he would deal with this surgically. Prisons ran on predictability and control. Wielding a sledgehammer for a jailbreak like this would only create more variables that he could not control. If his opponent was who he suspected, then she would take advantage of the mass confusion and use it against him. No. He could not afford to take a heavy-handed approach to this problem.

The help would be arriving soon, and once it did, he'd put the prison on alert. If the attack was as severe as he expected then he would be forced to call for help from the Grass's military. But he had selected certain units in advance, and he knew he could trust the men who would come to his aid. This was a crisis, but it wasn't the first the prison had faced nor would it be the last.

The Warden took his eyes off the data-feed and turned his attention to a few dossiers and intelligence reports on a large desk in front of him. The prison's network of informants had unearthed a plot to free a certain prisoner of interest. The exact time and date were unknown. Only vague timeframes and descriptions of the major players were given. Fortunately, it was enough for him to plan around.

"I won't let you free her...."

The Warden finished reading his reports and then walked to the center of the room. Soon, his new deputy wardens would arrive via teleportation, and when they did, he'd brief them on the situation. He had been within the Blood Prison's walls for far too long. He needed an outside perspective, and the two men that were being sent to him would serve in that regard.

QUEST: Protect the Blood Prison
STATUS: LIVE

A moment he was standing within Iwagakure's training field and the next moment he was standing in an air-conditioned room surrounding by modern technology. He was in the bowels of a high-security prison. A pair of black combat boots covered both feet leaving no open weakness to his feet. He wears a pair of common synthetic black pants personally having the bottoms wrapped in white bandage wrap to prevent it dragging or getting snagged. On right his thigh is a blue rectangular holster secured and backed by white tape. Gin wears a black single utility belt tightly secured to his waist. It holds one blue holster on his right side as well as two beige carry pouches around the back side of the belt. To his left was a short, studded club. The right of his belt was a Chokuto in a red lacquered scabbard. His torso is covered by a sleeveless black shirt. Under his black shirt he wore a set of titanium mail. It was light and was worn like a T-shirt. It provided a layer of protection which would most likely be needed. Among this he was suited in a set of plated armor. A breastplate, set of arm guards, pauldrons, and faulds dyed red. Over all of this was a thick, black cloak which concealed the majority of what he wore making everything more of a surprise. Covering his face is a simple black mask up to his nose. Gin is a tall, lean male standing at 6'2 and weighing 175 lbs. He has a broad, moderately toned figure. He has a tan skin tone accompanied with rich hazel eyes and medium length brown hair stopping briefly past midway down his neck and shortly past his forehead.

He was fully geared for battle. It was expected a big attack was happening on the prison soon and Konoha were the ones contracted to do the job of securing it. Particularly a prisoner that is associated with Honiko's group. Further details are to come. Gin was guaranteed a partner from Konoha to work with. A powerful ANBU like himself with general reinforcements gave them a solid fighting chance against their enemies. He was quickly thinking of ways to approach various different attack scenarios while he waited for his partner to arrive and the briefing to begin. He was not anxious. Those emotions were long gone. He processed his actions in a cool, collective manner waiting for orders.

Gin's Stuff:

UAs Used:

Akihiro arrived by teleportation. This was a black op and he was wearing black op clothes. A black cloak covered him from head to feet and beneath it he wore armor. "What a curious technique..." Akihiro thought as he was teleported from Konohagakure no Sato all the way to the Land of Grass. It was the Flying Thunder God technique and while Akihiro had heard about it and talks that it was a Fuuinjutsu, he had never quite seen it in action. It was clearly a very powerful technique if it allowed one to be teleported across entire nations like that. He couldn0t help but wonder what kind of secrets it held...Alas, he wasn't here to learn new jutsu. He was here to protect the Blood Prison from an incoming attack. Konohagakure no Sato had been hired to take care of this job and frankly the Hidden Leaf did not joke around. They had sent some of its best shinobi to take care of business.

And neither Akihiro nor Gin were joking around on this one. Akihiro had fully committed all of his organization's power to this task. Being able to protect the Blood Prison from the attack would tremendously help to raise Mockingbird's reputation not only amongst the hidden villages and minor countries but especially within the criminal underworld. Usually Mockingbird acted more as information brokers than mercenaries but since this was an opportunity to raise the organization's reputation Akihiro didn't hesitate in bringing them along.

They off course hadn't been teleported here through Flying Thunder God but rather Akihiro had sent them ahead the moment he learned about the job, and they had arrived well before him. The young Jonin took a few steps forwards,  tapping himself to make sure he still had every limb after the strange teleportation experience. He was wearing a black cloak which covered the armor beneath it. The hood of the cloak also covered the back of his head and his long hair while his face was covered by a mask. This was, of course, a black Ops mission. So a mask was important. Under the mask, there was a radio headset. On his left and right shoulders, there were two hawks. Both black as night and silent as graveyards. They were rather new but extremely well trained. Despite being regular animals they could follow most of his commands, it had become easy once Akihiro understood the mindset of these animals.

Looking around the Sparrow found himself in a room very well equipped with high tech gadgets. He would have loved to stay there and observe or even study this technology but there was much to do and little time to accomplish it. Instead he took a step forward and signalled one of his ninjas who was by the entrance door waiting for him. He would probably be surprised at how the duo had arrived but his expression was impossible to be read due to the fact that it was hidden under a mask. The subordinate approached Akihiro. "Here. Distribute these through the man and get to your positions immediately. Make sure to stick to the plan. Anything goes wrong, I want to know." he handed him a bag with several items inside it. The man bowed and left. Then Akihiro walked towards the central hologram, finally acknowledging the Warden's presence. "We're here, as discussed." He glanced at one of the room's operators. "Please bring up the prison's plant."

A 3d model of the prison was immediately brought up on the hologram pad.

This was nothing new. Akihiro already knew the layout of the prison and the way it had been built. It was pretty clever, but most of all it was incredibly large. The plan was rather simple for now. He made a hand-seal and another Akihiro showed up right next to him. The clone took the hawks, and held the original's hand in a handshake. A cobra snake travelled through the two of their arms and went from the inside of the original Akihiro's cloak to the inside of the copy's. After that was done the copy left. He had a job to do, but since it was Akihiro's plan there was no need for words this time. He turned his glance to Gin. "We're setting the radio frequency to the usual black op plus 20Hz. You have a radio?" He'd wait for him to answer, but since he did indeed have a radio there shouldn't be a problem.

"Alright so. We have 10 squads of ninjas with us. Most are scouts but we also have a few guard and counter-espionage units. They are all 3 men units. So there's 30 of us. We'll have 3 men guard the prisoner. The rest of them will scout the walls. It's too large of an area to scout with 30 men alone so my two hawks will help from the sky. Additionally, we should note that our radios don't have the reach to cover the distance between each block.

Due to that reason, I suggest we focus on protecting and having Block B as the first line of Konohagakure ninja defense. I detailed a plan with my ninjas to make sure we keep radio contact reaching this tower. " he turned his gaze towards the Warden.

"We're going to need all the copies of the keys to Chiheisen's cell."


Used: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu

The Konoha-Nin had arrived. Gin Akiyama was a tall man, imposing and quiet but with an aura of power. The other was a mere boy, but the way he quickly took command of the situation belied an intellect that rivaled or exceeded his own. The Warden did not interrupt as Akihiro began giving instructions to his subordinates. He had allowed the organization to assist with the preparations. It wasn't easy to allow outsiders unfettered access to his prison, but judging from what his informants were hearing, this was beyond anything the Prison had seen before. Desperate times called for desperate measures. The Warden stood next to Gin and Akihiro, and as requested, a model of the prison was brought up. Akihiro asked if The Warden had a radio to which the man replied:

"Yes....but in emergencies, we tend to utilize my slugs for long distance communication. I can create a large number and their range is not as limited as electronic frequencies. I insist you each take one and keep it is a primary or secondary means of communication."

The slug on the man's shoulder would duplicate. In total, three slugs were spawned and two of them would crawl down the lengths of his arms.  The Warden would offer both Gin and Akihiro a slug. If they accepted, it would crawl on their shoulders or wherever was most convenient and comfortable for them. If not, then they'd merely rejoin with the original.  With that out of the way, Akihiro wasted absolutely no time explaining what ihs plan was. He wished to take advantage of the prison's defensive structure. It was quite large which would make policing everything difficult. On this, Akihiro was preaching to the choir. The prison had become a popular place to dump the world's most rotten. It had therefore expanded rapidly to accommodate the new prisoners but the increased sized had created a defensive weakness. He had managed well thus far, but now it was time to test the true impenetrability of the institution. The Warden nodded his assent to the plan. Akihiro was one of the world's foremost strategic experts and based on the dossier he had received about the wunderkind, he was in charge of an elite intelligence agency. This was the outside perspective he had asked for and so he would acquiesce to the Uchiha's plan. Maybe the slugs would change things for the better but whatever Akihiro decided, he'd go along with.

Then came the moment of truth. Akihiro asked for a particularly sensitive object. All copies to the keys to Chiheisen's cell? The man frowned and his body language displayed hostility. He kept the keys in a secret compartment in his quarters. He did not keep them on his person for fear of his own assassination. Yet this boy wanted ALL of his copies. In truth, there were not many copies for him to hand over. He kept a total of two in his possession as he'd rather have a scarcity than a surplus. He stared the Uchiha down and made it clear that the request was unwelcome.

"I do not think that is a good idea Akihiro Uchiha."

He would give Akihiro a chance to explain but his default position on the matter was a resounding hell no.

Akihiro arrived at the same time Gin had, both by the same teleportation technique. He was quick to analyze their location and begin to formulate a plan of action. Gin preferred to be a self-thinker and go as things happened. His mind worked meticulously in devising a plan, but it appeared the boy was already ten steps ahead of him. "Of course I do." He said pulling his hood down and pushing his hair aside to expose the headset he wore. It was a handy tool, especially during these types of operations where communication between allies was vital. They all had a role in protecting the prison and ensuring the full security of it. This meant teamwork was required at its fullest. They were as strong as their weakest link. Gin adjusted his headset to add twenty hertz to their frequency. Gin had his radio preset to Konoha's ANBU setting as it was only time he used it.

The warden interrupted Akihiro as he presented a white and blue slug. It just so happened that they were capable of communication, and at greater capacity than the headset. Gin was curious as to how durable they were. A headset's flaw was its weakness to the elements. Although Gin himself was capable of receiving damage from various technique, fire and lightning tended to fry the electrical components while water simply made it inoperable. These slugs were apart of the contract and specialized in communication it seemed. They had to be durable and have some livability trait to them. He'd accept the slug as his arm went back into his cloak. It'd situate itself on his left shoulder where it could easily communicate with him while being out of the way.

Akihiro's strategy was agreed upon by Gin as he shared his details and requests with the warden. Part of him knew he would be adamant when it came to requesting the key to Chiheisen's cell. After all, if the key carried died it would allow anyone to up and grab it from their body. And that would spell true disaster. But Gin was quick to defend Akihiro as the man rejected his offer. "All copies would be unnecessary. Just one will do." Gin said, passing a glance at Akihiro before turning back to the warden. "Konoha has a lot of intelligence on these Shinobi and what they're capable of. It's not enough to secure external threats to Chiheisen's cell. Having access to inside Chiheisen's cell will allow us to fortify it with traps and barriers to further increase the effort required to kidnap her. If we cannot have access to her cell that serves as a major weak point in this whole operation." He spoke logically with little room for fluff. It was true that being unable to have access to what they were trying to protect in the first place was an awful flaw. If any of the attackers found a way to silently infiltrate Chiheisen's cell the prison would be robbed blind amidst the chaos, and they would have no way of knowing Chiheisen's status if they could not enter her cell.

Gin Stuff:

The Warden looked to Gin who chimed in for the first time. He tempered Akihiro's depends and merely asked for one copy. It was still half of the keys that he owned but he decided to relent. He walked off and went to his secret compartment where he stored the keys. He punched in a code and retrieved one of the keys. The second he kept in his Quarters. The compartment was extremely well-hidden so few would even be able to find it, and even then The Warden planned on staying here to coordinate his men once the jailbreak actually occurred. So not only would they have to find the key, they'd need to do so while fighting him. The man placed the key in Gin's hand. The key looked basically like every other old fashioned key in existence.

"Do NOT lose it! DO NOT destroy it!" he warned.

The wanted access to Chiheisein's cell which caused him to go red but he decided to acquiesce to this as well. He knew he would not like this and he had prepared himself mentally for it. He told himself that this was precisely why he had called the best from Konoha. The Warden's mind was entrenched in prison. He could not see the bigger picture and he was stressed from looking at all the other nitty gritty details. They would do things and think of things that he would not or could not.

He sighed and nodded.

"You may enter Chiheisen's cell to fortify it. I will direct my deputies to activate the cylindrical chakra passage into her cell. Do what you must and get out quickly. I want to lock off her cell before anything jumps off, whatever you are planning to do. Do it quickly and for the love of god, do not touch her or provoke her."

The man gave his warning for losing the key or destroying it. His demands irked the ANBU as he found the warden's tone unnecessary. He spoke in fashion as if Gin was irresponsible. But having been a Shinobi for so long he was mostly used to the barking orders of his superiors, though he did not consider the warden a superior. He was a contractor and Gin was simply filling out a job request for Konoha. He held the key in his hand and nodded after his final warning about Chi. Whoever this person is, they certainly make her out to be the big deal. I wonder how much of a threat she really is. He didn't waste any time. The situation was tense as it is with the threat practically at their door. He had to rush to do his set up duties. He'd leave the area in a vanish to locate Chi's cell and perform his necessary prep work.

[Exit]

Akihiro started by frowning at the warden from behind the mask. Who the hell would hire proper shinobi to defend a place and not allow them to do things as they saw fit? More specifically Akihiro didn't like not being completely in charge of that place's defenses. He was used to having the last word regarding the strategic options when defending Konohagakure no Sato and having to argue for his position here somewhat irked him. But then he calmed himself down, taking a deep breath. Obviously the Warden's decisions were also strategical and in the best interest of the prison's defenses. He was doing the best he could with the information and abilities he had. Could Akihiro really ask more than that from him? Were the Jonin in the Warden's shoes he would almost certainly completely refuse the keys to everyone. Luckily Gin seemed to have been able to convince the man to at least give them a key. Akihiro watched carefully as the Warden took one of the keys out from their compartment, immediately memorizing the complex combination code. Now he knew where to find a second key should they need one.

"Very well, have it your way then. We shall go set up the defenses at the cell and position our squads." Akihiro examined the slug he had received from the man. It seemed to be a very docile animal, despite not speaking. But the young Sparrow wasn't entirely sure of how to use the slug for communication. He carefully picked up the slug and put it away in one of his cloak's larger pockets. It felt a bit awkward, but no more awkward than carrying around a deadly and venomous cobra. Plus the slug would be much safer there than on his shoulder, considering the protective capabilities of his cloak. "We're off for now." Akihiro took a small piece of paper from yet another cloak pocket and used a pen from one of the desks. He sribbled something on it and left the paper on the desk. "The Mockingbird squads don't have slugs, I'm afraid. But they're the best scouts money can hire. Stay on that frequency to keep in touch with them while we're gone. Anything goes wrong, they'll likely be the first to know." After saying this, the Sparrow rushed after Gin.

[EXIT]

Aki Stuff:

185CP
-10 for Kage Bunshin
175 / 2 = 87,5 for Aki and 87,5 for bunshin.

Akihiro was angry that the Warden had refused his request but he'd simply have to deal with that. The Warden tended to the feeds and giving his men instructions. He told them to stay out of Konoha and Mockingbird's way. The Warden's heart skipped a beat as they gained access to Chiheisen's cell. They placed seals all around the place which worried him but he did not object. This was all completely necessary. He had been within the walls of the prison and he was used to following a certain protocol and doing things a certain way. When the prison disappeared however he nearly had a heart attack. His first instinct was to sound the alarm and go down there immediately but one of his correctional officers arrived just in time time to tell him what he rationally already knew. That this was merely a security precaution in the form of complex genjutsu. Any intruders would not be able to find Chiheisen's cell as a result of the cloaking technique. The Warden logically knew this to be the case before he heard it, yet years of paranoia had left him on edge. He felt as though at any moment he might be betrayed. He didn't want to believe that he could have a mole in his prison but the more he thought about it, the more likely it became. After all, he had his own network of informants that had served him well for years. Had he been arrogant to beleive that his own institution was immune to subterfuge?

We're dealing with an enemy from an entirely different world...the old rules don't apply anymore...

"Tell Akihiro and Gin to finish up and get out of there. I'm closing the passage. The cell will remain suspended in the air but any intruders will have to reach it from the ground floor."

There was a chill in the air, and then, the data went haywire. The information feed trickled in with a variety of abnormalities and errors. The protector of the Blood Prison scrolled through it all and realized that the moment of truth had arrived. No sooner had he surmised the severity of the situation would he realize that the skyline was bleeding. Tears in reality had opened and from them spilled weather effects that were not of this world. Two, Twenty, Eighty.... The Warden's hands were up in the air and outstretched before he could even count them all. However, the second the number of individual storm clouds reached a critical mass, they all unleashed a single thunderbolt. He was just a few milliseconds too late in calming the weather. The sound of the triumphant blasts rocked the prison. The walls still stood but the Warden already knew that their purpose had not been destruction. The man's lips pursed in and then opened in shock when he recalled the data he had just read. None of it had made sense unless.....

A series of attacks and effects struck Wall A. A deafening cry could be heard from all around the prison as a massive army revealed itself. This was something entirely beyond the imagination of him or his predecessors. A coordinated and epic assault on the very integrity of the Blood Prison. They had been hiding in their very midst and had only just been given the order by Merryweather to strike. The level of organization and cooperation necessary to confound their defection systems was unheard of among criminals. The masses of trash truly believed that freeing Chiheisen was a possibility. The Prison had for years leveraged spies and its reputation to deter attack. When his informants told him that something big was being planned to free Chiheisen, he never suspected that it would be an omnidirectional and open attack of this proportion. The situation was truly the sum of all fears. It would be the greatest threat to the prison's existence in history and it was all on him to stop it.

A young Waterfall native that had known nothing but suffering and hard-work.

This would be his legacy. He would either rise to the challenge and fend off the attack, or he would falter and the work of generations would be lost. It was his burden to bear.

Tenma stood up straight and banished all emotion from his face. He had grown weak. He had demonstrated a lack of control over his own emotions. He had come to this prison with the agenda of ensuring it ran with harmony and precision. He was a disciplinarian. A tyrant. A menace to those who had tormented society. Yet over the past few months, he had become institutionalized. He had turned the prison into a paragon of security and order, but it made him overly protective, emotional, and blind. He despised those characteristics and now in the face of this crisis, he returned to his natural self. He saw nothing but the goal in front of him. All other feelings of doubt and worry were set aside. His emotions were set aside. The Warden tapped the slug on his shoulder and called out in an authoritative voice.

"Correctional Officers and Deputy Wardens! The prison is under X-Class Assault. Initiate the Shin Bet Protocol! I will remain in my Quarters and coordinate the defense of the prison. Do not be deterred or weakened by their numbers, skill, or leadership. Hozuki Castle has trained you for this moment! Before this fight is over, half of these dogs will be in chains and the other half dead!"

The Warden then set to the meticulous task of organizing the defense of his prison. He needed to see the forest for the trees. He switched his feed's operating system to "Battle Mode". The displays were altered as was the nature of the information shown. He used his slug to give out complex battle commands. The Shin Bet Protocol was designed for this kind of jail-break but as the prison had grown in size, sophistication, and reputation it was not practiced as often as the others. He would need to trust his men to remember the formations, strategies, and tactics that were key to the Protocol's successful implementation. He would administrate and coordinate with his lieutenants, giving out orders and managing the crisis like a general. There were many factors to consider and many places to protect, but like a skillful surgeon working on a dying patient, Tenma needed to focus his energies on the most critical areas.

He would trust the Konoha-Nin to keep themselves busy and do what they did best. If he was the general then they were the special forces on the ground. They would be the key to his success or failure.

Godspeed Konoha....

"That girl is Nozomi Himitsu." Akihiro stated as he calmly entered the quarters. The Warden had the technology to see plenty of images at the same time and that meant plenty of information. While Akihiro was a good ninja, what he really excelled at was making decisions based on the information he had at his availability. And in the Warden's quarters, he had access to a lot of it. Right now on the screen, Gin could be seen battling Nozomi. "Wielder of a bijuu, she is a powerhouse who managed to claim the title of best shinobi in the world in the last tournament hosted by Kumogakure no Sato." Sharing information was also important. Akihiro had seen a lot during the tournament and in the event that the Warden was forced to fight alongside them, it was important that he knew what they were up against.

"That one," he pointed at another tv screen where Raijin could be seen flying above the wall. "Is Bayushi Sojima. He was defeated in the first round of the tournament but has increased considerably in power since then. His Nature chakra jutsu are incredibly troublesome and a real pain to fight against. There's one last interesting target but I haven't really been able to identify who it is."

Akihiro made a single seal and created a Kage Bunshin. It knew what it had to do. They were not guaranteed to win and were having difficulty stopping the attackers. But the attackers weren't exactly having an easy life against the defenders either. Perhaps there was a chance, albeit a small one, that they were willing to...negotiate. The Kage Bunshin left immediately, running at full speed. Meanwhile, Akihiro kept talking with the Warden.

"We'll try our very best to stop them, but you must realize there's a real chance that the castle might be breached... What will you do then?"

OOC:

154CP/ 2 = 77 CP for Aki and the clone.

Tenma's eyes continued to scan the feed as he issued commands in a calm and controlled voice. The assault had been nothing short of historic. The criminals overran Block A and had broken into Block B where the vast majority of them were stalled. The Konoha-Nin, as well as their Mockingbird affiliates, proved to be his ace in the hole. Akihiro's men (and women!) had devastated the enemy ranks, and many of the criminals were fleeing back into Block A. He had called for Grass's Special Forces to send all available units to his location. He had an additional set of shinobi from surrounding Minor Nations ready to help as well. The ninja were on standby for the moment, but he guessed he would soon need them. If Merryweather had gathered up the world's strongest international criminals to help her attack the prison, she'd make sure she placed her Nuke-Nin strategically so as to avoid them being trapped inside. This meant that not only would the perimeter of the prison be blocked off by her signature weather manipulation abilities, but they'd also be guarded by S-Class Nuke-Nin.  The Warden watched carefully as Gin Akiyama began to engage a blonde woman. Akihiro identified her as Nozomi Himitsu, Winner of the Shinobi World Tournament. The name rang a bell, but he couldn't say that he was intimately familiar with her. He read the news only in so far as to stay up to date on the latest threats and this Nozomi was a newcomer with a lot of pizzaz but little in the way of substantive feats.

Akihiro proceeded to point out two terrorists who were even less relevant than Nozomi. The Warden did not budge and only murmured the occasional order into his slug. It would appear to the Uchiha that the man had changed since they had last met. Any trace of emotion or apprehension had been banished. He was now a cold, calculating, machine. He had almost forgotten himself in the lead-up to this moment but now that it was here, his true nature had revealed itself.

The Warden did not even flinch when Gin threatened to kill Chiheisen should they break into the castle itself. It was a powerful threat but it was not something he could allow. Chiheisen represented hundreds of millions of ryo in research value. The prison's financial backers were heavily invested in finding out why Chiheisen was so strong and how her abilities worked. Alien activity on Earth had increased recently and there was a silent arms race to obtain information and resources from these other-worldly visitors. They would not stand for an unnecessary execution, and the Warden was determined to abide by his agreement with them. They had provided significant sums of money in exchange for the right to conduct experiments. They had given him dossiers and white papers that would provide the foundation for research that could only strengthen the prison's defenses. If the castle walls were breached, he'd help fight off the attackers, but such a breach in of itself would not be sufficient to initiate the Cerberus Protocol.

Akihiro was clearly concerned about the worst case scenario given his question. He knew that this army contained some powerful elements, and that meant he needed to plan for the very real possibility that the castle's defenses would not hold. The Warden could understand his concern and he spoke to the Uchiha with the same frankness he showed to his Deputy Wardens:

"If the castle is breached, then I will attend to the situation myself. Make no mistake Akihiro, I am by far the strongest shinobi defending this prison and I am confident in my abilities. They will beg for internment but shall receive nothing except an unmarked grave."

He didn't say this to be a coldsteel edgelord. He meant it. This prison was his life's work. The modern Blood Prison was the paragon of security and justice. For years, many a lord had boasted of its impregnability. Today would shake their faith. He could not stop that. He could, however, prevent a complete collapse of trust. Block C contained the most valuable and dangerous prisoners. If he could repel a breach from the castle then the prison would still stand, and over time it would rebuild. It would learn from this attack and become even more secure. Hell, the patrons and benefactors would pour more money into the prison knowing that it could withstand such an assault without losing its most valuable convicts. It was the future he was working towards, and it was a future that he'd readily kill for. The criminal scum would receive no mercy and he would use the full extent of his power to put them down.

"I will keep a clone here to coordinate the defense of the prison, but even at half my chakra level, I should be able to beat back the invaders. Even this...jinchurkki...does not concern me."

She'd be a tough fight, but she was still in Block A. Not only that, but Gin was also giving her a run for her money. By the time she reached him, she'd be tired and he had the means to put her down quick and fast. She wouldn't even have the opportunity to make the most out of her demonic abilities.

"That being said, I admire your talent for strategy and contingency planning. I share your mindset and that is why I have drafted the Cerberus Protocol. The Protocol holds that if a Block C prisoner escapes their cell, lethal force is permitted to subdue them. However, Prisoner #454233 is one of the most valuable inmates in this prison. I will not permit her to be killed just because you and your's failed to do your jobs properly. If the castle is breached then I will fight, but you will not harm Chiheisen. Do you understand me?"

At this juncture, it would be wise for Akihiro to say "Yes". In either event, Tenma would make a handseal and create a shadow clone. Gin could have been bluffing with his words. It was a sensible and very "ANBU" thing to do. However, the men in Chiheisen's cell were not his own, and though he had contracted to bring Akihiro and Gin here, Mockingbird was not necessarily loyal to him. It was possible they were acting under Konoha's orders and he could not allow Chiheisen to fall prey to the Leaf village's own agenda. The clone would go grab the spare key and take off to Chiheisen's cell to ensure that guards placed within did not act contrary to the best interests of the Blood Prison.

"Lethal force will only be used against her if and only if her containment cell is breached and she is freed from her bounds. At which point Cerberus Protocol goes into effect and you may use deadly force at your discretion. The Protocol is a narrow tool to be used in dire circumstances, not a crutch for incompetency."

The words were fiery hot but they were delivered with such cold dispassion that it was hard to tell if the Warden truly meant what he was saying. He did not seek to insult the Uchiha, but he wanted to be very honest and upfront with the lad. If Konoha failed to keep these prisoners from violating the integrity of the castle, he'd view it as a sign of weakness and incompetence. He expected nothing except the very best from himself and his wardens. He hoped that Akihiro shared his taste for excellence and perfection.

He watched as one prisoner broke into Block C. Bayushi... The Nature Clan was clearly a potent bloodline limit. The boy had fought his way through three successive rings of defense. Tenma tensed and he sprouted a pair of antennae from his forehead. He began to gather Sen-chakra using the Gastropod Technique and the small bulbs at the end of the antennae began to glow ominously.

"..."

Akihiro (or his clone) confronted Bayushi before he could pull off the tags and breach the barrier that Mockingbird had created. Tenma watched as Akihiro spoke to Raijin. The Uchiha was feeding Bayushi a similar version of the story that Gin told. He expected that the leader of the intelligence outfit would lie to Bayushi in order to get the boy to lower his guard. The odds were stacked against the Missing Ninja from Kumogakure, and in such times criminals tended to look for shortcuts. It was basic criminal psychology and he had ruthlessly exploited that tendency as Warden. Nevertheless, on the off-chance that Akihiro was serious, he was primed to attack both the interloper and the would-be traitor.

Fortunately, such a thing was not necessary. Tenma's suspicions had proven to be correct and Bayushi had let down his guard long enough for Akihiro to attack. The two were now engaged in battle. It was a bit closer to the castle than he would have liked, but, so long as Bayushi was kept from entering the building, he would take it as a small victory in the larger war.

He didn't say anything but if Akihiro was as good a spy as he held himself out to be, he would pick up that Tenma was quite impressed with the lad. Akihiro wasn't anything the world hadn't seen before, but he operated at a level far beyond most, at an age that made him a true rarity. If the Blood Prison survived this, they'd need allies like him in the future.

Gathering Sen-chakra.

Exit Clone

The Warden had just gotten done speaking to Nozomi. Gin had failed to stop her and she was marching on the Command Castle. It was time for Tenma to join the fight. He would not let her breach the castle walls and he decided it was best to meet her in Block C. The man was already clothed in his generic battle armour, but before he went to face her on the field he'd need to arm up. He grabbed thirty-five kunai, each branded with the Flying Thunder God Seal and stored them in various compartments on his person. He also kept a three in this room, and five in other locations around the prison in case he needed to teleport further away to safety. He had been slowing gathering Sen-chakra in preparation for the fight and he had yet to activate his Yin Seal. The man turned to Akihiro and spoke coldly and without emotion:

"Stay here and observe. I trust you know how to coordinate a solid defense. The criminals have thinned in number but this battle will decide the fate of the Prison. I need you to ensure that when it's all over this institution still stands."

After he gathered his kunai, Tenma would leave his Quarters.