Kaze no Kuni Campaign [Private]

Spoiler:

The day was early. Early enough to have the moon still high in the sky with its brother, the sun, resting wearily on the other side of the world or wherever it rested in this realm. The point was that the moon was out and the sun was still gone. It was about 2 in the morning, but for such a time the village gates was a rather festive area. Twenty five in number including Sachio made up the forces that were soon to be deployed as order of the Council. For now they patiently awaited departure time which would be in roughly fifteen minutes. As of now they were just waiting ever silently at the gates as if war was on the brink and marching towards their walls. An occasional gust would sweep the terrain, but known of the shinobi winced at the winds and remained unfazed as if they were statues of stone. Sachio was among this group and sat atop the walls wrapped in his Arm of Destruction, a garment that has become synonymous with his name or anything dealing with him. "Looks like we're finally on a mission together. I've been waiting for a chance to see you in action." Sachio looked over his left shoulder at a Chunin who was in the company of a Jounin standing next to him and looking down at him. They looked around the same age in their teens, but one must have been better than the other given he was a Jounin. This didn't bother Sachio, being at such a late age and being a Chunin. He had already proven he could hold his own and that even as a Chunin he was a force to be considered. "That sounds a bit weird, but okay . . ." His attention turned back out to the desert in front of him and the Chunin stood in awkward silence trying to recover from the situation. "Err, not like that. Just like I've hear-" Sachio put a finger to his lips that were behind the cloth of his bandages. "Shhh, he's about to speak." A man had walked beyond the gates, a highly renown Jounin in the village, he was undoubtably S-Rank in regards to danger level to other villages. No Kekkei Genkai, just a hard ass shinobi who could wipe out a small village in no more than five minutes. Sachio had upmost respect for this man, equivalent to that which he harbored for those of the Council.

"Alright, we depart north bound in roughly five minutes. If you don't know why you're here today, then you should just consider yourself K.I.A. already, regardless you'll be accompanying us towards our objective. Today we become part of Sunagakure history as we join the Kaze no Kuni Campaign as order of the Council. Our objective is to secure a mountainous area that is rich in not only minerals, but clean water. When I say water I mean gallons and gallons and liters and liters, securing this area can change the standing of Sunagakure in regards tot eh Five Great Shinobi Nations. The only problem is that some mongrels from the Village of Mirages and Heat who are closer to the target area have eyes on it to. This could very well mean the introduction of a new great shinobi nation if they were to get their hands on this place. We aren't going there to stop them, but by all means kill any of them you come across while we are there. They will be a threat to us, so there is no harm in killing them. To ensure everyone is hydrated and can endure our travel during the night or cool period of the day, there are canteens of water behind you all on that table. Be sure to not only drink some water from the open barrel, but also grab a canteen in addition to the one you should already have if you possess a brain. Any questions?" The man, Hirodo, scanned the masses of his troops with stone eyes and absorbed the silence that was expected. "Good then lets get a move on, two minutes remaining until we depart, get water and get your ass in gear."

Sachio got up from his spot safely and moved to get water and an additional canteen of water ignoring the presence of the two that were talking to him. "Hey!" The Chunin called out causing Sachio to turn as he lowered his bandages on his mouth to drink water from the barrel. "Lets see who can take out the most enemy shinobi instead." Sachio covered his mouth with his bandages to return them to their previous positioning as he shook his head. As much as he loved violence especially when it was passed, he didn't like the idea. "I'd rather not indulge in childish games like, "Who can kill the most." during such an important mission." When he was finished speaking a strong hand was placed on his shoulder. He could feel their roughness through his bandages. "Mission like these are where legends are made and names are born. Important for the village, but what about your own legacy? Accept the challenge, I'll oversee it as I'm curious as to what you can do. I heard about the altercation between you and Hayashi. If what I heard is true, then this shouldn't be an issue for you at all. And you . . . best of luck, I approve this challenge, but remember the objective of the mission and don't make reckless actions because of it, understand?" Both the Chunin nodded to the words of Hirodo. "I guess I have no choice but to accept now." Sachio extended a bandage wrapped hand to the Chunin. "Best of luck to you." Sachio nodded and with that the company took off northwards to their begin the Kaze no Kuni Campaign.

The company had been traveling for what seemed like forever without making a signal stop. Not that Sachio expected a break to be taken, but then again he did. As he moved atop the sands with the rest of the company he eyed Hirodo who was in front and leading, Sachio being only a few meters away with but one person separating them had a clear view of him. Sachio figured they'd have a break sometime before they reached the general area of the land they would be securing, for who would want to go into a danger zone weary and tired from travel with a bunch of others who felt the same? As they continued, finally the Commanders fist rose up signaling the Company to come to a halt which they gladly did. Some bent over resting their hands on their knees catching their breath others squatted down, some hands interlaced on their heads as they inhaled and exhaled heavily, Sachio just stood and watched. He was short of breath and breathing just like they were, labored and all, but he didn't show it with his body, he felt it was a show of weakness. "Where are my Fuinjutsu Monkeys at?" Sachio looked over to Hirodo and reported along with two others. His duty during this expedition wasn't to focus on combat with those in the Ninjutsu Company, but to act as support and to cover transporting goods and utilities. "We're setting up camp here for the day. We're only an hour and a half off the mountain, so we should be safe from scouts out here. No lights however, we rest in the dark." Sachio and the other two nodded, unravelling their scrolls, Sachio simply using the sealing formula on his bandage wraps. What they unsealed were wears for minimalist camping. A bunch of mats, a few caravan tents for multiple to sleep under and inside of and a bit of rations.

"Alright here's the stuff, get to work setting up. No one eats until after we're set up am I understood?" The comapny gave a yes sir in unison and they all went to work with Hirodo supervising. They were set up in about ten minutes and afterwards everyone was busy eating and drinking water. Sachio having eaten his portion of rations he could spare for the day quickly, he approached Hirodo. "Are we in need of any scouts on our perimeter?" The man was in a tent sitting in a wooden chair simply thinking. "I sent out a small mixed branch, they should be back soon, but I could spare another, just to be sure. Grab me four others. None in the Fuinjutsu department. Give me three ninjutsu and one Bukijutsu, at least one Jounin." Sachio nodded and went off to fulfill his orders.

Returning in a mere three minutes, Hirodo over looked the members of the 2nd Squad Division and sent them off towards the direction of the first division. They moved through the area fairly fast since they weren't to comfortable yet for their rest was brief but still rejuvenating. No halt in their movements, it wasn't long before the area began to become rocky rather than sandy and in no time they were in a whole new biome. Earth and rocks everywhere, so they now proceeded with caution having slowed their movements from a run to a walk. "We should have come across them by now." Sachio said in a low voice and someone else replied agreeing. "We should move to an area that's not so out in the open." And with that they moved to a cliff side, where they soon found traces of a battle. "A kunai . . ." Sachio picked it up and inspected the handle. The blade itself was shaped different from standard Sunagakure kunai blades and that gave away the enemy presence. "Cover me while I try to sense out some bodies of chakra." His four teammates did so and in no time he could feel the presence of seventeen more bodies of chakra. Five of which being Sunagakure nin, given they were alive. If not there were a bunch of enemies a foot, but they were notably split into groups. "There are seventeen bodies of chakra out here, split into three groups. One group of seven, and two groups of five. One of these groups of five is out band of scouts hopefully. The group of seven is a short deal to the east, while the other groups of five are northeast." With that the group of Chunin looked to the Jounin of the group for instruction. "We'll approach the group tot he east with caution. Be careful and on the look out for traps. We aren't familiar with the area and this is a high point of interest."

Moving out to the east, in about five minutes the group of Sunagakure ninja had a group of seven Mirage Ninja in their sights. "Sachio and Bato, go left and wait for our attack to flank them." With his partner, Sachio proceeded around a crag to a hidden spot off their enemies sides lying in wait. The initiation of battle was made with a massive wall of flames that proceeded towards the foes nearly scorching them all to a crisp. It was met with a blockade of water when it got nearly upon them however and then the water overpowered the wall of flames. "Wait a bit longer." Sachio said as he watched the two groups close in on each other. "Now." With that Bato sank into the earth to approach, while Sachio stayed in his hidden position and summoned a golem out of the earth from behind the foes. Gripping one man in one hand the golem slammed him into the ground a multitude of time until he was surely dead and blocked a wave of three kunai with the other arm. Detonation occurring, the golem lost it's arm and it recoiled back, before tossing the corpse at the enemies. Moving towards them while still part of the earth, it's arrival upon them was in synch with Bato's surfacing who assassinated a Jounin from the Mirage forces with ease. His skill with a katana was something to behold and all he needed was stealth based jutsu to get him in range to begin going to work. Once in range, he would never give his foes chance to use jutsu that needed handseals as he put unrelenting pressure on them. With the assistance from the other nin in the scouting group, the demise of this enemy scout brigade was easily foreseeable. Two Sachio noted in his head, keeping track of his kill count, when the battle ended and they started towards the second group of chakra bodies. This group was composed of Heat ninja, who were dealt with with the same swiftness the Mirage Ninja faced. Sachio played a supportive role and blocked for Bato during this bout letting him attack with ease not having to worry about defense. "Hey!" A familiar voice shouted from many meters away. It was Hirodo and with him was the rest of the company. Sachio had a weary feeling about it, but he'd let the Jounin in his scouting band take the head. "And you are?" The Jounin said, apparently not trusting it either. "Easy, Commander Hirodo of the Kaze no Kuni Campaign as of order of the Council. We departed the village gates at nearly 2 a.m. and set up camp roughly 5 miles back south. Satisfied?" The Jounin nodded and Sachio felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Any luck finding the other scout detachment?" "No, though a group of five ninja are held up in a cave beyond this clearing. We were on our way to check it out, having just dealt with these guys." The Jounin motioned to the dead bodies of the Ninja from the Heat Village and Hirodo nodded. "We came across a few of them ourselves. Seems this place has more of them than the Council assumed. No casualties or injuries are there?" The Jounin shook his head. "No sir." "Alright then, lets move on to the cave. While we do so, mapmakers get your supplies ready. We might as well map out these caves while we're in em. See if we can find some of this damn water and minerals we're here for."

Proceeding witht he rest of the company, Sachio was soon approached by the Chunin from before. "So how many did you get?" Sachio silently held up two fingers and the Chunin grunted. "Shit, well that's only one more than me so I can still catch up." With that the ninja ran on ahead and Sachio found himself chuckling in satisfaction. Upon reaching the mouth of the cave, Hirodo halted the company. "In case of the cave splitting, I'll make groups now." He explained that since their numbers were so little they would only be split in three groups which made since to Sachio and he found himself paired with that Chunin. "This is where the challenge really matters." Sachio ignored him and watched as Hirodo continued splitting the shinobi into their groups and soon enough they were on the move again. So Shinobi lighted the cave as they traversed through it and soon enough they came across the first scout group. Three of which were injured, one pretty badly, but they had to continue on anyways. When the first split came, Hirodo sent on branch off in one direction and continued on with the group now composed of two map makers. Then the next split came and Sachio was separated from Hirodo and with his group of eight other shinobi. They continued on for about ten minutes before a rumble shook the cave. It wasn't natural it was an explosion. This was assessed because echoes of yells and shouts from tunnels behind the group came rushing in. "Shit, they probably got ambushed, we're going to need to be careful." "Too late for careful." The voice came from further up ahead in the darkness were light was void and the Suna Nin hadn't reached yet. After they spoke, suddenly the cave was illuminated and ninja clothed in deep red were visible form nearly all angles including behind. "Oh shit, when did they get behind us?" Sachio hadn't noticed them either, but it was too late now. Surrounded by Heat Ninja, the company would have to either fight or surrender and Sachio knew Hirodo wouldn't approve of them surrendering. Becoming Prisoners of War would mean they would become forgotten for Hirodo wouldn't go out of his way to retrieve ninja who had surrendered. "This is where names are born I guess." With that the Sand Ninja sprang into offense and attack in unison towards all fronts. Sachio made a clone to assist with the offense as well as summoning an Earth Golem. He felt numbers would help to make this feeling of being overwhelmed fade away and it did. Additional clones form Sunagakure Ninja were made to help combat the enemy numbers and in due time the battle seemed fair. With his ninjutsu to help him, not much of a physical fighter Sachio downed many of the heat ninja while sustaining very minor injuries. Only one decent gash had gotten him in the arm, but even that wasn't too bad as he could still lift he arm to make handseals. Foe after foe falling, soon enough the room was cleared and littered with bodies, three of which being Sand Ninja. One was the Chunin who had challenged Sachio. Walking over to the body, Sachio crouched down to inspect it, but the Chunin was still alive. "How many did you get?" His voice was weak, it was apparent he was going to die. "This is why I think challenges like this are foolish. You pushed yourself too hard and now you're paying for it." Sachio'd tone held no sympathy for him, it was more of a scolding tone. "I think this is a fitting fate for someone who acts as if life is a game." The Chunin chuckled, probably in a daze being on the verge of death and Sachio scanned the rest of the survivors. None were injured badly and they could all probably fight a bit more if they needed to. With the map maker dead though, Sachio was sure someone had retrieved the map or what was finished rather. Using this map to find their way back, they saw the numbers in the other groups had diminished as well, it seemed every branch had faced an ambush. "Are there enemy survivors?" Each ninja had said no and Hirodo sighed in weak relief. "I guess that's one good thing. Any tunnels reach a dead end." The group that neither Hirodo or Sachio was in apparently had and Hirodo had the company proceed to the dead end with them leading. Once there Hirodo had the bodies cleared and the Sunagakure numbers counted. Only fifteen left. "Sachio, take two others and secure the entrance. Rig it to kill anybody who leaves or enters I don't care how just do it." Sachio didn't even have to ask, immediately two ninja hopped up sensing the anger in Hirodo's voice and got to it.

It was simple Fuinjutsu trap, that once it sensed chakra would lead to a chain of explosions from a string of explosive tags. It'd only trigger once a fair ways inside the cave mouth and it would work to not only trap the enemy in, but bury them alive and kill them with the explosion as well. A triple threat. Reporting back, Sachio saw that the camp was already set up and wounds were being tended to, while Hirodo was with a writing out on a piece of parchment. Probably a mission report saying they needed reinforcements or things were going to shit. Either way, Sachio knew he needed some rest and he would do so when it was his turn. For now he had watch duty. When his shift was over and he slept and awoke he saw that he was among the last group who was granted the time to rest. It was probably only three hours later, but nonetheless Sachio felt ready to go. "Hydrate and get ready to move out, we're going back to Sunagakure." Sachio was shocked to hear it, but at the same time he wasn't surprised. This area was too close to both the Village Hidden in Heat and the Village Hidden in Mirages. They could get reinforcements in roughly two hours while it would take roughly half a day from Sunagakure reinforcements to arrive. On top of that, nearly half their company had died in action. It was a lost cause and any further time spent here hoping to accomplish something would just dig them further in a hole. "At least we have these caves mapped out, lets move." With that Hirodo lead what was left the Kaze no Kuni Campaign Unit back to Sunagakure.

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