One of his Favorite Things (Mission, Iro)

Nobunaga glanced to his right, checking to see if he could catch any bandits being lazy. His hood drew tight against the left side of his face as his head turned. Annoyed, he shifted his shoulders to adjust the hood a bit better so that it didn't do that anymore. The sun was particularly cruel today, beating down on the desert's hot sands as if it was the middle of the summer instead of midway through autumn. He was glad he had brought a hood and adequate cover, and worried about Iro with her relatively light choice of attire. She was darker skinned than he was, this was true, so she was better prepared to endure the sun though this could only account for so much.

Earlier the group had stopped for a quick break so the merchants could eat. There were three of them, two being in their late thirties and the third looking to be almost sixty. They were a father and his two sons, talking a bit about what they were planning on doing. The family had come Sunagakure to buy some merchandise to take back to the Land of Rivers and wanted an escort on the way back to Thirsty Scorpion Town. There, they had a personal guard from the Land of Rivers who would escort them the rest of the way back. He did not like to go past Thirsty Scorpion Town for some reason, they didn't tell the Sunagakure chuunin that much.

It would take at least until dusk to reach Thirsty Scorpion Town, meaning that Iro and Nobunaga would likely be there for the night. The desert was not a safe place even for Sunagakure chuunin at night, mostly due to how easy it is to get lost among the sand and rock pillars. He was glad to have brought extra water and a bit of food. Hot days made for thirsty men, and what's a drink without something to wash down?

The sun told him that it was almost one in the afternoon, meaning they had about five more hours until they got to Thirsty Scorpion Town. Thinking about Iro, Nobunaga would do one more check around the area to reassure himself that the area was somewhat secure, he would step to the side and backpedal to Iro at the rear of the train. He was on her left, and when he got to her he would be holding out a small hunk of cheese and a few pieces of salted beef.

"Thought you could use a little snack." His tone made his offer sound more akin to an expected acceptance than a yes or no. Maintaining your energy in the desert was key, especially for any amount of time longer than half a day. The sun burned away calories like a fire burns away a twig. Once she accepted this, he would slip his pack off and retrieve the second canteen of water. He held this out to Iro as well, as he hadn't seen one on her when they left the village. "And a drink, too."

He would leave the canteen with her, slipping the pack back onto his back as it had been before, and allowed her to get a few bites and a drink down before continuing. "I don't remember if I told you or not, so I wanted to tell you while I was thinking about it, but our mission is more than just an escort mission." he paused here on the chance she did know that they were supposed to actively suppress any bandit groups they rank across in addition to protecting the caravan. If she didn't, he would continue. "If we come across any bandits, we're under orders to eliminate any that we come across. This is a secondary order along with guarding any caravans. I thought I'd let you know that we're probably going to have to get our hands a little more than dirty today, should the occasion arise."

The entire time he was talking, he maintained a close eye on their surroundings. Any sudden movements and he would be ready to intercede with the Body Flicker technique, more than able to get back to the front of the caravan. He didn't see anything; not yet, anyways.

The group had come to a halt. It was time for the travelers to take their break. They all looked exhausted, as did the Nobunaga. The sun did a number of the people in her village. A lot of them despised it. Those who did not have family or a reason to stay in the village dreamed of moving away from the horrid desert. Iro had no reason to hate such a powerful sun. She felt it gave the village life. The caustic hues made her feel toasty warm. For others, it wore them down as they tried every avenue to escape its harmful rays. Iro paced to the middle area of the caravan and leaned against one of the wagons. She was not exactly hungry, though a light snack might be well to have. Reaching down into her front pocket she halted as she passed a glance at Nobunaga, who was approaching. He offered dried meats and cheese to her partially wrapped in some parchment. The smell was...robust. He spoke, offering a small canteen as well. Iro was far from vegan, though she steered away from animal product when she could. They were too heavy sometimes, nutritionally, and came with consequences to her health. She wanted to stay clean and lean.

With a polite gesture she rose her hand in front of the food offering. "Thank you, but I brought my own snack." She said with a cheerful grin, continuing to dip her hand in her own front pocket retrieving a small sack roughly the side of a baseball. Pulling a small bit of twine which held it close she spread the sack open with her other hand. Inside was a mixture of pecans and dried dates. She would pinch a small amount of a combination of both and place them past her lips, chewing delightfully as the sweet, fruity nuttiness entertained her taste buds. Silently she would extend her hand offering the bag of mix to Nobunaga with a positive body gesture quietly offering him some of her own food. It was only proper after being given some of his. Whether he accepted some or not she could retreat her goods back, bringing her arm horizontally under her bosom as she rested it against her body. Following her thorough chew she would swallow. "It does appear I did not bring my canteen." She said this while darting her eyes to either side ensuring the merchants were nowhere to be found.

Leaning in closer she whispered to Nobunaga for his ears only. "I didn't expect them to take this long. If you don't mind..." Iro would accept the second canteen, almost hesitantly as she worked the cap with her thumb allowing her to take a quick swig of the contents. It was water, which was expected. A lot cooler to her down the throat than what others would feel. Still, she was not quite parched. She functioned very well in the desert than most did. "I understand. I will be prepared and keep my eyes peeled for anything suspect. Though...do they expect us to chase down any bandits in further proximity? I feel like that would leave the caravan vulnerable..." Iro questioned out of curiosity and worrisome. She wanted the best outcome from this mission assuming she is responsible for someone else's life. This caused her to overthink some aspects of her mission.

When Iro held out her own food, Nobunaga would smile and do the same thing she had done to decline his offer of food. "No thank you. This will be plenty to tide me over until we get into town." After the two had eaten a bit. Nobunaga shook his head at Iro's inquiry. Despite what he may look like to Iro, he was far from exhausted. Acclimation to the desert was necessary as a shinobi, he just needed more protection than the hot blooded kunoichi did. He had been on quite a few missions that consisted of guarding or assaulting places within the Land of Wind, though the latter was his favorite.

"No. The missions I've been on, orders such as that when on escort missions generally refer to the journey home. Our first priority is to protect this caravan, second is to protect any others on the road, and the third is to actually kill the bandits." Nobunaga's attention shifted to the merchants who had unrolled a large rug for them to sit on. He liked to make sure nothing had happened to them in the short time his attention had been off of them. What was cool water to Iro was lukewarm to Nobunaga, as the desert was not kind to anything within its reach. This was his first real drink since the trip began, so the Wind Demon made sure to get a mouthful of the life preserving liquid.

Nobunaga smiled and gave a satisfied sigh as he screwed the top of his canteen back on. Turning his attention back to Iro, he'd continue their conversation. "I know water isn't your favorite, but Thirsty Scorpion Town has quite a few inns that serve good drinks, despite the name" He chuckled at this, having always thought the name of the town to be amusing what with its inns and markets that were constantly stocked with drinks of some sort. Alcoholic, water, milk, anything and everything. After this chuckle however, he would take on a more serious tone with his following question. "Have you ever done an escort mission, Iro? They typically send out the more physical shinobi to take care of things like that, but I don't take you for one who likes to cut people," he inquired. This question was not meant in any way other than genuine curiosity on the part of Nobunaga. Knowing how experienced your partner was at doing what you were doing always helped people work together. Since the two of them hadn't ever seen the other's skill, knowing their experience could help tremendously.

Iro listened intently to what Nobunaga had to say. Clearly he was more experienced that she was with escort missions and service in general. Iro primarily worked within the walls performing basic messaging, patrol, and guarding tasks. It was uncommon for her to leave the walls to do work in the wilderness. As the man trailed off in thought, Iro could help but tilt her head slightly to the right with curiosity on her face after hearing what he said about her affinity to water, or lack of. Personally she did not mind water. After all, it was essential for her to live. Was he assuming she was an alcoholic? The puzzled Kunoichi wiped her mind of such thoughts, believing it was best to stay silent. Nobunaga was curious of her ability in combat. That was genuinely surprising in her mind. She had never dealt with such a question in her life. Her frame was quite athletic as one could perceive without the need for her to remove her clothes to show the finer details of her body. She was certainly not battle-worn with scars or having a rocky appearance. Perhaps that was the reason why Nobunaga doubted her.

"I have not. I normally work within the village, and the few missions I've completed outside the village were pest elimination. Still, I am quite the capable fighter, mind you!" Iro stated, putting her hands on her hips and making a stance before the Chuunin. Iro's blood was, well, hot. She found Nobunaga's perception of her somewhat insulting as she expressed it through her body language, eye brows furrowed. Who does he think he is to doubt my abilities? Iro expected a response from Nobunaga.

Nobunaga let a small smile grace his lips at Iro's indignation at his question. The stance she chose and the look on her face let him know all he needed to. She appeared to have taken offense where none was intended, something more and more people seemed to be doing lately. Nobunaga meant to explain himself, clearing his throat beforehand. "I don't doubt you can fight. If you couldn't, you wouldn't be a chuunin and probably wouldn't have your bloodline figured out." He paused here to check the surroundings briefly, continuing to explain himself.

"Most of the missions I'm assigned on are outside of the village and are typically combat related. Since I've never worked a mission with you, you probably weren't in the same boat. I only wanted to know how experienced you were with missions like this because my life is at stake too," he finished with a casual tone. What he said was true, and he had no intentions of dying today so he would not put anything to chance even if it meant slightly offending his partner.

Sunagakure's Wind Demon tossed the last bit of bread and cheese in his hand into his mouth before standing after explaining the meaning behind his question. The merchants took this as a cue to begin packing up, giving the two shinobi only another minute or so of rest. Nobunaga stretched when he stood and took another drink of water from his canteen before capping it and placing it back where it belonged. While he was doing this, a question popped into his mind that he didn't figure he would have another chance to ask before getting into town. "Out of curiosity, why did you wear so little on today's mission? Most others I know would be fried alive after a couple hours without more protection," he asked, again with only curiosity driving him. This question had been bugging him off and on since Iro had first arrived at the gates of Sunagakure to aid him on this mission. He had figured she knew what she was doing and hadn't questioned her about it right off the bat, but curiosity got the best of him.

Iro settled, believing in Nobunaga's words. He seemed like a sincere guy, so it would be wrong to instigate her misunderstanding. She remained quiet, her passiveness acting as an apology. There was a moment of awkward silence as Nobunaga went to finish the last of his snack, Iro silently gazing at the horizon. It was her job to act as a vanguard in this mission, too. This meant her and Nobunaga had to be on their toes at all times. They were supposed to be the first respondents to any ill-intentions. She folded her arms beneath her breasts while leaning against one of the wagons, one closest to Nobunaga. From the silence Nobunaga spoke to Iro again. She turned her head towards Nobunaga with a somewhat blank expression displaying her curiosity in what he meant, the girl dropping her mouth as her eyes rolled up as if she was searching for the answer in the sky. "Uhh...I am not sure I understand what you mean." Iro said, returning her gaze back to Nobunaga. "Normally I don't wear a flak jacket. I thought it would be for good measure to have additional padding when I'm out in the field."

Though, Iro was not dull to what he suggested. Underneath the flak jacket was her usual top, one he has seen in the past and most likely what he was referring to. Regardless, an explanation was expected. One that gave Nobunaga a taste of her clan. "I am sure you're referring to the top I wear beneath this jacket. The people in my clan do not suffer from the sun's harsh rays. In fact, our core body temperature naturally sits around one-hundred sixteen degrees fahrenheit. This may seem like a simple elevation, but our bodies are honed differently than the average person. We are immune to fire,
thus only the hottest Ninjutsu may damage us." Iro would take his hand and set it against her face. Nobunaga would feel a strongly warm presence despite him only touching her outer face.

"What's hot to you is warm to me. Your hands are surprisingly cool, though I'm sure that's far from your case. And that comes with consequences. I cannot survive in cold environments. Just like you, dropping your body temperature a few degrees below your standard can be life threatening. In my case it is much easier for the cold to influence my core temperature and cause hypothermia." Iro turned her head and continued to gaze at the horizon. It was nice seeing the merchants being ready to move along, though she was quite enjoying her time with Nobunaga. The danger of the wilderness and different setting gave a sense of adventure rather than blabbering at a tavern or lounge.

Nobunaga listened intently to Iro's explanation to his inquiry, though she seemed puzzled by it at first. He was somewhat shocked to feel the heat radiating from Iro's face, knowing by feel that any normal human would have long succumbed to a fever that reached the same temperature. The Fujio were quite formidable it seemed, and if what Iro said about them being immune to all but the strongest katon ninjutsu then that would be especially true. The part about cold effecting her more didn't worry Nobunaga too much. There were very few, if any places within the Land of Wind that are considered "cold". The desert at night was really the only place he could think of, and even then the desert wasn't very cold for a majority of the year. Perhaps further east and north it would be an issue, but he didn't see the Land of Iron or the Land of Water as places they would be any time soon. "You're very... interesting, Iro," he commented as he withdrew his hand and thought a bit about Iro's bloodline.

By this time the caravan would be ready to head out, with another break likely not going to happen until they got to Thirsty Scorpion Town. "Stay sharp," he said with another light smile before returning to his position at point. Once there, the merchants would begin coaxing their camels to begin moving again and Nobunaga would begin heading towards Thirsty Scorpion Town.

Ten minutes or so would pass without anything happening shy of the camels snorting a few times. The younger merchants whispered to themselves back near Iro about their future plans, with the youngest wishing to head into the Land of Fire and his father wanting to head into the Land of Earth. The eldest didn't care, he just wanted to lay down in a bed in a few hours and as such didn't say anything. Nobunaga was quiet as well, keeping an eye on his surroundings while debating back and forth on whether anything was going to happen on this particular mission. Sometimes, you got lucky. Sometimes,  you didn't. Today was going to be the latter, unfortunately. Or fortunately, depending on his mood.

To his right at the top of a particularly tall rock column, Nobunaga caught a shadow moving. His head turned and his pace slowed as his hand found the hilt of his katana. The camels snorted their discontent at being slowed as the old man began to slow the caravan to Nobunaga's new pace. He kept his eye on that rock column, not seeing a single other movement on top of it. Had it been his imagination? No, he was absolutely positive that something had moved at the top of that column. After about ten seconds of his reduced pace, the chuunin would finally come to a halt to better examine the suspected column.

Whoosh

The arrow brushed past Nobunaga's left shoulder, the head of the arrow catching the top layer of his clothing and tearing a hole in it before sticking into the sand a few meters past him and quivering briefly. A diversion?! The chuunin immediately did an about face and pushed his sword out with his thumb, shortening the time he'd need for when he actually needed to draw it as his eyes scanned the rock columns to the left of the caravan. Another arrow cast a shadow against the sun and Nobunaga managed to evade it by stepping closer to the lead camel. This second arrow gave him the approximate location of his assailant.

"Iro! Ten o' clock on one of the columns! Hundred meters!" As he shouted this, his eyes found the small blot on top of another rock column that had to be the archer. He was at least 100 meters away, making close range combat impracticable. These bandits appeared to be a cut above the rest, as usually they just come running in a vain attempt at overwhelming the guards with numerical advantage. "There's another one acting as a diversion at three, too!" At this point, an arrow would come from the first rock column he had been eyeing before getting shot at. The shadow on top of this column, roughly 110 meters away but higher up than the assailant on the left, was evidently not just a distraction. This arrow would be headed for the youngest merchant, closest to Iro, intended as a kill shot. They didn't need the merchants alive in order to take their wares. Nobunaga crouched to make himself a smaller target, a plan running through his mind on the fly. He had to take the archer out from a distance, something that wasn't exactly his forte, and needed to figure out a way to do it. Hopefully Iro could take care of the one on the right or had a plan for the two shinobi, as Nobunaga was drawing a bit of a blank as it was now. He needed a moment to come up with something not terrible.

As their social came to an end it was time to keep moving. Nobunaga resumed his position at the front of the convoy as Iro stayed in the back. After all, she was a long-ranged fighter, being heavily invested in Ninjutsu. She had little means to defend herself in close-quarters, which seemed to be the exact opposite of Nobunaga. He was armed to the teeth with a variety of tools, and seemed adept at using them. If she were a bandit she would not risk getting up close with him. But then again, it was not her particular style of fighting. Iro was scanning the area, as well as their flank, for any attempt of stalking. Being in the back it was almost her duty to protect the caboose. She had the greatest field of vision for such a task. Although she was unable to completely perceive what Nobunaga was, the arrow was the greatest eye-opener to their oncoming assault. It had briefly missed Nobunaga as the broadhead sliced his garb being stopped by the sand on the ground. Iro instinctively stopped, holding her hands in the seal of the Tiger. She channeled her Wind and Fire natures together internally before emitting it around her.

Three orbs of fire began to materialize as they were already circling above her head. They did not emit as much heat as one would think of an open source of fire. They were very contained by the presence of the Wind nature, and had the natural speed of Wind as well. What made them excel was their dreadful reaction it had to living targets. Her first target would be the one to her left, the first attacker. In an instant two of the three orbs would fire off at incredible speeds. They would reach their destination in less than a second, the archer having little time to react to an attack he had no idea could cover such a distance in very little time. One of them ripped through his abdomen like a hot iron spike through a marshmallow. Both orbs retreated back to Iro's orbit, the archer falling from his vantage point as he fell towards the ground, an obvious trail of steam tracing his body.

By the time he'd hit the ground, all liquid in his body would have evaporated leaving a blackened, dried corpse. The impact of the fall would cause his right arm to chip off. He was long dead before the impact. The fire orbs were back in Iro's presence before her target landed, the Chuunin quickly jumping between targets. In a second she caught onto the second archer, and his missile. It was dangerously close to the caravan and she was unable to precisely point whether it would be a miss or not. "Get down!" She exclaimed, the young merchant huddling down against the protection the wagon provided. In time, the arrow would zip over the man's head, just barely missing him. Iro would retaliate with the same method of attack she executed against the first archer. This one would suffer the same fate, unable to react properly to her attack. He would fall from the butte in the same manner, becoming mummified by the time he impacted the ground. The scorch orbs would return to her orbit as she frantically scanned the surroundings with her eyes, ready to take on more attackers as they came.

Nobunaga kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to react to any direct attacks on their small group as Iro came up with something to take care of the bandits from a distance. Three balls of fire that looked to be miniature suns began to hover around her, a result of her kekkei genkai he assumed. He hadn't seen it in action yet, though he was glad she was on his side as she launched two of them at the archers in the distance. From that range he could only see the two fall, not noticing the lack of water in their bodies. He did notice the distinct puff of smoke that came after a shadow clone is damaged and must disappear that came from both bodies, however. His face hardened into one of complete and utter focus and seriousness instead of the look of surprise and sudden alertness from the initial assault. The two archers hadn't really tried to hide themselves and weren't that accurate, making it all too easy. Were they amateurs? Or...

"Get away from the camels!" Urgency marked his tone, and the merchants would respond with a stunned silence followed by a shuffle away from the camels. Why hadn't it occurred to him before?! Nobunaga himself dashed to his right, and not a second too soon. A moment after everybody started moving, the area where they had been standing suddenly dropped out from underneath via what seemed to be the Moving Earth Core technique. Nobunaga planted his foot in such a way that he would slide as he twisted his body to look at the road using only his lower body so his hand could remain on his hilt. It was a true show of grace, indicative of years of training. What he saw was less than ideal, given the circumstances. The two younger merchants had made it out of the drop zone, which extended one meter on every side of the camel train. The eldest had not, and was holding onto the ledge for dear life. Twenty meters below the camels were screaming and snorting, terrified at what was transpiring.

Nobunaga jumped for the eldest merchant, sliding to a halt at the edge of the pit as he dove to reach him before he fell. The old man had started to slip, but Nobunaga managed to snatch his right forearm in his grasp before that could happen. Nobunaga pushed himself to his knees with his left arm, now hunched over the precipice of the sudden cliff. "Walk up," he commanded the old man. He nodded, after which Nobunaga would use his superb natural strength to haul the old man up over the edge with the old man's help. With a less than kind toss, the chuunin got the old man away from the ledge by sending him rolling across the sand before scooting from the edge himself and popping back up into a combat ready pose. His eyes scanned his immediate area, taking a head count. He hoped Iro had managed to get away in time. She should have been able to, being a ninja and all.

Nobunaga felt something smack into the soft flesh immediately above his kidney on his right side, followed by a sharp, continuous pain and the feeling of something wet against his skin. On reaction alone he jumped towards Iro's general location so as to have somebody nearby to cover him while he examined the wound. He looked down as the feeling of pain forced its way to the front of his mind. It was an arrow, and he had gotten lucky. It was close to the edge of his body, with only skin and a small amount of muscle between the haft and the air. In truth, a grazing shot that didn't hit anything vital and would only hurt when he was fighting. What worried him was that even with his flak jacket on, the arrow had managed to pierce his body completely. That meant it was fired from a strong bow, not exactly his favorite thing to fight against. The arrowhead was sticking five inches out of the front of his body, enough to grasp the bloody projectile and snap the head off. This was succeeded by snapping the haft off of the back of the arrow. That would leave something to plug the wound, minor though it may be. He bore the pain silently and with a tightly clenched jaw, though it didn't exactly feel good.

Speaking to Iro, Nobunaga would also keep an eye out for the third archer and kept his wits about him for any earth releaese shenanigans the second assailant from below was capable of. The archer had to be around here somewhere close, but there was no telling where the doton user could be. "I don't see the third archer. Must be using some sort of camouflage," he said to her with a calm tone of voice, though a bit of pain did seep through his otherwise steady baritone. "One above, one below. We need to be careful. You didn't happen to see where the arrow came from, did you?"

Iro was at high guard after the first two enemies fell. It was a rookie mistake to celebrate after defeating the only visible enemies. They would have to do a full sweep of the area before they can assure the problem has been solved. And Iro was right to think that way. Nobunaga called out to evacuate the area around the caravan. She was prepared for such a call. Prepared so much she had a technique planned for the occasion. Forming the clone-specific seal Iro conjured a Shadow Clone of herself as she leaped back away from the wagons. The clone was kneeling tightly in a ball beneath one of the wagons concealed greatly in an assortment of goods and a dark shadow cast down. She had total coverage from anyone observing the wagon in anything but a prone position. She was quick witted to react in such a manner. They still had cargo to protect along with the lives of the merchants. It would be foolish to believe the trap was designed to wipe them all out. These bandits were after the loot. The cargo was their primary target. Killing the merchants would be their own enjoyment, the Shinobi being a pest elimination.

Alas, Iro landed on safe ground. Now she was even more alert. Her eyes furrowed intensely as she sharply scourged the land with her eye, her sharp canines blaring at the side of her mouth from a clenched jaw. Despite her combat focus she was more than attuned to her other senses. She was all ears for any further orders or additional attacks. She caught the elder hanging onto the ledge as Nobunaga hurried to assist. She was prepared for Ninjutsu, arrows, and even a confrontation. Scanning the area she heard a sharp whistle streak by a few meters in front. She caught the sight of an arrow spiking into her comrade, a small flick of blood making its way into the sand as the parched ground generously soaked the liquid. Nobunaga retreated towards Iro as she was puzzled for a brief moment. They had to find some sort of cover for the merchants or they'll be like shooting fish in a barrel. Unfortunately she had little for defensive Ninjutsu. She felt Nobunaga was the same, being rather dependent on close-quarters.

Iro's eyes darted to the side as Nobunaga spoke, though quickly resumed the area. She could tell he was in pain, yet there was little she could do about it. Kaori not being with them was a drawback. Perhaps she could be a solution to all of their current problems. "To the west, but I didn't catch its elevation. How are we going to protect the merchants? They're out in the open." Iro still had her Ninjutsu active, though her flaming orbs had little defensive value. She doubted her ability to use them to intercept oncoming missiles. The only solution she had in mind would be to have them retreat into the pit, though with a potential earth user at hand that would be walking straight into a trap. With her clone in the pit with the camels she could keep tabs on it for now, though the surface as could be their greatest obstacle. If it came down to it, Iro was more than willing to put her life on the line for the merchants. Although she disliked the idea of becoming a pin cushion it was her duty as a Kunoichi to protect and serve her civilians. Even if it meant death.

Iro raised a good question. How would they protect the merchants? Without knowing where the archer was, it was likely that they wouldn't be able to do anything if the attacker decided to fire at them. There was really only one thing Nobunaga could think of doing, though he wasn't entirely sure he liked the idea. "We can't. So we have to give him something better to shoot at," he started while looking around on the off chance he caught where the next arrow came from. "I'll start running west to try and force him to move. Keep your eyes peeled and go for the kill as soon as you can."

Without allowing Iro to approve of the plan, Nobunaga would take off towards the west at his full natural speed. He was quick, purposefully running in a straight line so as to make himself an easier target. His eyes constantly darted from side to side, keeping a good eye on his surroundings. A few seconds after he began to run, he thought he spotted something dark against the blue sky. His body reacted on instinct with the Body Flicker technique, not a single seal performed in order to use the technique. To anybody without sensory, it would be as if Nobunaga had simply increased his speed at will.

It was good that he did that, as not a moment after an arrow whizzed by where he had been a heartbeat before. Nobunaga's head turned towards the approximate area the shot had been fired at, adjusting his angle slightly to make his approach more precise. He hoped he wouldn't need to dodge a second, hoping Iro had managed to get a good enough lock on where the enemy was to do something about it. Mysteriously, the bandit under the ground was refraining from doing anything. As if he had been ordered not to previously. Perhaps things weren't going quite as planned for the raiders, sans the partially successful capture of the caravan.




Used: Body Flicker

Iro nodded confidently, willing to follow through. There was not much else they could do. Nobunaga's plan was perhaps the best they had. Having the merchants take cover in the pit would only wind them up trapped, or worse. With the general direction of the sniper the best they would do is try and rouse him out of his spot. Iro was excellent for long range encounters, her fireballs capable of clearing such a gap in a matter of no time. Her speed was less impressive hence why it was best for Nobunaga to take the lead. She could keep an eye on the horizon, laying down covering fire when needed. In a short moment after he took off his speed increased greatly into a sprint, Iro's eyes catching an arrow land at his once previous location. Her eyes worked quickly, connecting the arrow's angle and location while catching Nobunaga's shift in pursuit. It was like putting two and two together as her eyes narrowed down on the target.

He was well-hidden. Less obvious than the other two. It was clear the other two she creamed were new recruits or lesser tier members to be out in the open like they were. This man took more precaution. The other two were possibly meant to draw their fire away as this man picked them off with precise shots. With no hesitation she directed her fireball flurry in his direction. She send all three of them in a triangle, each spaced approximately one meter apart. It served as a broader attack, and if needed she could redirect them from any corner. In short: the man was toast.

Nobunaga saw Iro's balls of fire launch at one of the pillars, his eyes fixating on the one they were gunning for. His breathing was somewhat labored thanks to the wound in his side causing his stamina to be burned up faster. Every step sent a fresh wave of pain through his body, but it was something he couldn't afford to pay attention to right now. Blood had seeped through the flak jacket and had stained his outer clothing due to his mad dash as human bait.

His eyes finally found his target, a shimmer against the sky that would be all but impossible to detect unless you were specifically looking for it. The shimmer moved in reaction to Iro launching her attack, with the camouflage disappearing entirely. That isn't what alerted Nobunaga though, as the reason for this camouflage disappearing was because he was sinking into the rock pillar via the Hiding Like a Mole technique. This bandit was the one who had the clones on the other two pillars it seemed, having experienced a form of death through those clones at the hands of Iro's technique. He did not wish to repeat that experience a third time, of that Nobunaga was sure.

In response to this attempt at evasion, Nobunaga's right arm came to be almost touching his left shoulder as chakra flowed into his hand. In one quick sweep, a sharp blade of wind nature chakra fired itself in a small crescent towards the rock pillar the bandit was trying to escape through. The Beast Tearing Palm technique sliced through the pillar with ease and Nobunaga willed the technique to further slice the pillar to pieces while making its way gradually up the length of the formation in diagonal cuts to eventually get to the bandit inside. He had launched this technique at fifteen meters from the pillar, and a cry of pain a few seconds after launching his attack let him know he had found his mark.

It was this scream of agony that would trigger something else back by Iro. The second bandit, apparently figuring out that there was going to be no signal for whatever part of their plan had been next, was making his own move. The ground in a ten square meter area around Iro would rend itself from the sand and hard earth underneath before rising quickly into the sky to isolate the kunoichi from aid by Nobunaga. The new pillar of earth rose into the air until it had reached forty meters, enough of a drop that it would certainly kill anybody who attempted it. When this height was reached, Iro would not find any respite. A hand fired out of the ground underneath of where she was located, grasping for her leg to try and pull her under to suffocate her. If that didn't work, the bandit would retreat underground in order to pop out on the southern side of the pillar so as to make his way onto the top in order to surprise Iro with a sudden kunai throw directed at her heart. There was to be no mercy here.

Nobunaga spotted this column of earth rising into the air, but he had to focus on the bandit he had come after. The injured man fell out of one of the chunks of earth, blood trailing him in the air as he fell. He landed on his legs, tucking and rolling though he didn't mange to find his feet immediately after. This was because Nobunaga's jutsu had sliced into his thigh, carving a large chunk of flesh out of the front of his left leg. Blood flowed freely, staining the sand underneath where he was staggering to his feet a muddy red color. The chuunin from Sunagakure stopped once he was five meters from the bandit, hand on his sword hilt. The bandit had lost his bow in the sand in favor of focusing on surviving his fall. All he had on him was a quiver half full of arrows and a couple small arms. Small abrasions and cuts latticed his skin, all due to the rough fall he had been forced to take. "Lay down your arms and I'll make your death as swift as I can," Nobunaga stated bluntly, with no emotion to his words.




Used/Learned: Beast Tearing Palm B rank, C rank cost via UA

Beneath the wagon, Iro's clone scanned the around frantically. I guess it was a fluke after all... Her nerves calmed for a moment, before being disturbed by a deep rumbling. Iro herself observed the perceived target sinking into the earth as Nobunaga neared. She was unsure if he was the earth user, or there was still another enemy to be acquired. Nobunaga, however, was capable of thwarting his escape plan. It was a magnificent display of chakra nature manipulation. Blades of air sliced the stone column eventually striking its mark. Iro's suspicion would be answered as the ground beneath her began shifting. The ground accelerated quickly stopping shortly after raising a certain height. She was isolated on the earthen pillar, the Chuunin maintaining keen awareness of her surrounding. She heard something approach...

Stepping back swiftly she avoided, in good time, a hand springing from the sand. It retracted as quick as it surfaced, Iro making quick use of her time. Emerging from the far end of the extended pillar she would see a figure, one she assumed was Nobunaga before a kunai projectile come from it racing towards Iro. Her poor reaction caused the kunai to plunge into her breast making short work on her flak jacket. Although it helped slow the blade down it was just enough to breech the muscle between her ribs and make contact with her heart. Her face lit up in shock as blood forced its way out of the entry wound, squirting red liquid onto the sand.

The bandit's victory would fall short as Iro vanished in a short cloud of smoke. From his flank the true Iro would be there already delivering a lateral kick against the side of his head. While not being a master or practitioner of martial arts, she withheld what knowledge she had, and could deliver a powerful kick. The location, along with the flank and element of surprise laid the bandit out cold falling face first onto the sand. A small smirk would come across the girl's face taking a bit of guilty pleasure in besting the man in combat. Quickly she remembered Nobunaga's status. He had already suffered moderate injuries. Iro was not too worried about the bandit. After exhausting himself with the fight, he would easily be out for hours. If he survived the desert in the end, he would perhaps be worthy of a second chance. It was not in her nature or belief to execute a defeated opponent. Scaling down the earth pillar she would race towards Nobunaga.

"Nobu-san!" Her cry could be heard as she landed on the ground next to him. The merchants they were to be escorting trotted their way behind her, naturally trying to stay close to their body guards after what had just happened. "Are you okay? You're bleeding!" Iro held her hands together, fingers intertwined and against her chest as she leaned over to examine the injury he had sustained. Her gritted her pearly white teeth at the sight of the leaking puncture in his side. She could not imagine how someone could be standing after such an injury. She looked up at the man's face, despite suffering an injury, he was stoic and handsome as ever toughing through the pain.

[Tech: Substitution technique E-rank]

The bandit looked at Nobunaga, a look of surprise mixed with terror written on his face. "No, please, there's no need to be that harsh ab-" he began before his words were cut short by Nobunaga quickly drawing his blade and making as if to execute him on the spot by beheading him. The swordsman halted his blade a few inches from the bandit's throat, very obviously making a point. The sudden movement angered his wound, a fresh wave of pain cycling through his body. He continued his serious look, unwilling to show weakness even in the face of a defeated opponent.

"My mission is to kill any bandits we come across. Do you understand that?" The bandit, now thoroughly scared for his life, nodded hesitantly. Nobunaga held the blade at his throat for a few more seconds, the sound of the bandit's breathing the only noise around the pair. "Today is your lucky day. Killing you wouldn't be worth my time, but you cannot escape without punishment. Hold out whichever hand you like the least," he said calmly. The bandit blinked but did not move otherwise, apparently in shock. "If you don't choose, then I will," he warned as he brought his sword down to his side. The bandit took a couple more seconds, assessing his options, before reluctantly holding out his left hand. A quick slash, and the deed was carried out. The man's screaming filled the air as Nobunaga wiped his blade on his traveling cloak. After, he would turn to face the caravan and his true mission.

Nobunaga began walking back to Iro, seeing that she had been successful in repelling the bandit still around where the merchant's livelihood was and was making her way towards him. He was constantly on guard for another attack, his blade still drawn and in his right hand. When the two shinobi met, about seven or eight meters from the bandit who was in the throes of pure agony. She pointed out that he was bleeding, a fact he was well aware of. "I noticed," he replied somewhat dourly. "But I've had much worse than this before. I assume you managed to stay healthy with your... predicament," he said in response to her exclamation and pointing at the column of earth with his free hand. He would keep walking, expecting Iro to walk with him back to the caravan. There was something he needed to do before they could get rolling on the remainder of their mission. "Is the other attacker dead?"

Nobunaga seemed rather nonchalant about his current condition. She was no medical expert, but she knew better than to leave open wounds unattended. The dryness of the desert at least made the conditions ideal for natural healing to occur. Not having to worry about damp, musky environments where bacteria loves to thrive was a minor relief to the problem. At the very least the wound would stop bleeding on its own. Nobunaga seemed fairly durable, and she believed him when he stated having worse injuries in his past. His numerous scars spoke of that before he even mentioned it. She was unsure how it felt to get stabbed like that, but odds are it took some guts to "suck it up." "I had no issue. The cargo is secure, although stuck in the pit. The merchants are in good health, as am I." She nodded to herself as she gave information regarding herself and their objective in a matter-of-fact tone. What she wasn't prepared for was his mentioning of the life status of one of the bandits.

"Well...he's unconscious." Iro generally did not have a problem killing as she did not hesitate to mummify the two initial attackers at the start of the combat. She was capable of delivering death. Her record would suggest she was perhaps one of the more "unforgiving" opponents to encounter, though that would easily be due to her clan's ability. Scorch was like the desert of Sunagakure. Very unforgiving as it essentially speeds up the process of desert wandering in the most unpleasant fashion. "It is against my religion and personal moral to kill a helpless opponent.
His band is eliminated. The path he followed has come to an end." Iro passed a glance to the unconscious bandit laying face down in the hot sand. She wondered if it was truly necessary to execute every last one of them. Certainly, Iro believed a second chance was in order. With his allies downed and maimed there was little future in crime they had left.

"More importantly, how are we going to get the wagon out of the ditch?" Of course, after shortly saying this, a genius idea sparked through the girl's mind.

Iro was quick to finish the mission. With Nobunaga at her side they escorted the party to their destination. With that settled Iro traveled back to Sungakure. They would submit their mission that way and get paid. All is well.


[Exit]

A green egg with pink zigzags appears in Iro's inventory.

A red egg with blue zigzags appears in Nobunaga's inventory.