Find the merchant( B-Rank)

It wouldn’t be long before their team leader gave them orders regarding the bandits. They were to kill all of them, no survivors, no mercy. It was… disheartening to say the least. If this merchant was not taken by force and did indeed just stumble into the bandit camp, did these bandits really even do anything wrong? The doctor seems to suspect the merchant to have killed his wife and then ran off to elude justice for his wrongdoings. He just so happened to find himself hiding out with bandits. We haven’t confirmed that he was kidnapped at all, or even if he is being held against his will. Reconnaissance would be key to finding out for certain, but this all didn’t sit very well with the wolf. Loghain knew that bandits were typically violent, ruthless and deserving of such swift action. Still, he had never taken a life before, at least not while his actions were his own. The beast, though… it had no aversion to wholesale slaughter.
 
Zeref Senju would be the first to speak up, informing the team that anyone not seeking to follow through with their leader’s orders would likely hold back the team and lead to one or more of their deaths. Sebastian knew this to be true, as any hesitation can spell doom in a life or death scenario. Despite this, the man still didn’t have any desire to kill these bandits, and the wolf wasn’t quite under control as of yet so a transformation would be outright dangerous to his teammates. Before the young wolf could say anything, Youta would speak up. He didn’t seem to be against the killing of these bandits either. His team were shinobi, born and bred to be the ultimate soldiers and killers for the Hoshi military. Sebastian was not. He stayed quiet, having nothing to add to the conversation. His objections to killing these men would not stop their deaths, nor would it lead to the mission moving along smoothly. With a shrug the wolf would follow along with their leads.
 
Youta would offer assistance in getting Sebastian to the bandits, his own ocular prowess advanced enough to assist a great deal in scouting. “That could work out well. As Doctor Akabayashi said, keep in mind that our objective is to locate and secure the merchant. I recommend we all do our best to avoid detection until we can get a good idea as to where the man is located.” He would turn to their team leader and ask what may be seen as an odd question. “Do you have anything that has the scent of the merchant on it? I may be able to help pinpoint his location if I can recognize his scent.”

WC: 458
TWC: 1118

Zeref would take his time to express his willingness to kill an opponent the first sign that he had shown thus far he had what being a soldier took. Though this being the first and only thing shown was a tad concerning. Youta would reiterate his doujutsu's abilities if his were anything like the byakugan then scouting would be of no consequence, kid would see right through buildings. However the specifics of this doujutsu were still a mystery to Akabayashi. Loghain informed the Nova he could track with scent, unfortunately he didn't bring anything belonging to the man for the wolf to smell. "No, thats my fault Sebastian I should have  snagged something from his home when I was there. The doujutsu idea seems like our best option for now, Youta. Can you explain the limits of your eyes what they can and cannot see for example?" The man would continue to move waiting for the genin to answer hopefully with as much detail as possible.

As they neared the bandit camp the Nova would come to a halt in the tree line and use hand signals to tell the others to do the same. He would hold up two fingers and point to a crudely made tower with two people inside looking in multiple directions including theirs. If they had spotted the group it wasn't evident. The Nova would look behind him and whisper. "Youta can you tell me if those are the only two around?" He would wait for the genin to confirm or deny before moving on he suspected these two were scouts and had a horn to alert the main camp. "We can use these guys to gain intel or take them out quick. Taking them has great risk, but more reward. Killing them immediately less risk, less reward. By the way our merchant is a rather fat man, green eyes, brown hair balding on top, if you see him let me know."

"You three if you see one of them raise something to their mouths kill them assume they are calling back up. Youta try to see which way they face and keep us hidden by telling us when to move, use hand signals. When we get close Zeref and Loghain try to climb the tower quietly and knock them out I and Youta will stay down here kunai readied in case they spot you." With that he would let Youta take the lead on how they got to the tower.
WC: 414

Zeref didnt really care how his team felt about killing the bandits , he just knew that when it came time they better not hold up the mission by being to stuck in what they belived in , cause Zeref felt like he had enough energy in him to take all the bandits on by himself. Once his team were all done talking they made their way out the village and onward to the bandits locations , not wasting anytime getting there. Upon arrival Zeref would listen to the orders that his sensei was to give out and accepted the task that he was given. He had no problem being one of the first ones in the camp because this is what he has been waiting for this entire time, he been wanting to get blow off some steam and killing these bandits would be the perfect way for him to start feeling bette. He pulled out a kunai from his pouch and looked at his team mate and with keeping a low voice he said, " Loghain ill be taking the one on the right u grab the one on the left", He said. Once loghain would accept his target Zeref would move as close to the wall as possible and wait for his team mate so that they could move in unison. 

WC:220

Youta looks at Akabayashi and says “it allows me to see the chakra or Yuumei of people. It would allow me to see fellow clansmen even in the daylight. Yuumei is not usually visible during the day. But that is about it for now I have been told with more practice it can become more powerful but that is what it does for now.” The team would get to the edge of the base camp and Youta would activate his meigan. All of a sudden his eyes began to give more of a faint reddish glow and he could see all the chakra of his teammates. He then turned towards the tower and said “There are two up top and one passing by the bottom. My guess is they are on patrol.” He would lead them down towards the base of the tower. He would hold up a fist to have them hold. He would wait for the person at the bottom to pass. The bandit would slowly saunter over pass the next corner. He would then give the signal to go and watch his teammates go up the tower and take care of the bandits up top. Then he would lead Akabayashi to the next closest building and tell him. He would whisper to Akabayashi “This building is clear. But that bigger storage building has 6 people in it my bet is that is where the merchant is. One of the 6 is sitting so that is probably him.” Then he would quickly quiet up and try to portray with hand signals. He would portray two men coming around the corner towards the tower. And ask without actually using words what he wants to do.

WC 287

The group now found themselves at the bandit’s camp, its crude structures used as spotter towers clearly being made without craftsmanship in mind. It wouldn’t take a great deal of damage to topple the entire structure, though that wouldn’t prove very useful in this particular mission as it would only waste their element of surprise. The visual prowess of Youta would prove incredibly valuable since he was able to detect the enemies’ numbers and movement with ease. Zeref would make known his preferred target at the top of the tower. Loghain would simply nod, keeping as quiet as he could to help avoid detection. As instructed by his superior, Loghain would follow the Shinkou’s lead as he utilized hand signals to direct the group into position. Assuming everything went smoothly and according to plan, they would get to the bottom without issue. The wolf’s nose did not pick up any scents that suggested that there were more than the three known assailants in the immediate vicinity.
 
Since things were going smoothly up to here, the pair would begin the climb up the ladder, allowing Zeref to make his way up first with Loghain right on his tail. The tower might not have been huge, but it was large enough that there was at least a bit of room to move around once at the top of the ladder. Their ascent was swift and silent, the pair being lucky that the crude ladder didn’t creak under their weight. As Loghain reached the top, assuming that they were not spotted by those in the watchtower, he would quickly make his way to the bandit on the left and wrap his inner arm around the neck of the man, pressing his forearm into the man’s throat to cut off circulation and his other hand wrapped firmly around the mouth to prevent any undesired attempts to alert the others. Circulation would be stopped and the man would fade from consciousness very quickly. If the man decided to resist or attempt to draw a dagger or some other small weapon that could reliably be used from this position Loghain would instead just break the neck of the target. Should the man reach for some other type of weapon that could not be used from this range and position, Loghain would keep on the choke hold to try and take a prisoner. The bandit would likely be able to tell the team where the merchant was, though it was very possible that they could locate the man without this intel. All the while this was occurring he would keep eyes on Zeref to ensure things were going smoothly for his teammate. He figured the eager shinobi could handle himself but it doesn’t hurt to watch one another’s backs.
 
Once their targets were down, Loghain would move over to the top of the ladder and use silent signals to alert the others. He would raise his hand with two fingers and then nod while lowering the fingers. He hoped that the others would understand that it meant they incapacitated the two bandits up here, but Loghain wasn’t entirely accustomed to working with others as a team so he couldn’t be certain.

WC: 534

Good thing Youta was with him, otherwise the third bandit on the ground would have gone unnoticed. Each direction Youta gave was accepted by the team, something the Terumi was watching for, they respected their team member enough to follow his direction with ease the two making it to the tower. With the person on the ground the Nova's attention was split he had to watch the tower guards  and the ground for their returning ally. For some unknown reason both ninja decided to use the ladder, Akabayashi had assumed they would use the tree climbing technique to have a better fighting position. The ladder could be knocked down, but it would be hard to hack off a portion of the tower and if they somehow managed, one jump and they were stuck to a new surface. He would have to add that in his after action review.

As they climbed Youta had Akabayashi move from the trees and toward the side of a building. He would inform him of the location of everyone in the camp and then using his hands indicate there were people approaching. With Loghain and Zeref having already given the signal the bandits were down, they were clear to take these ones out as well. They more they handle now the less they had to deal with later. Akabayashi would take out two kunai and hand one to Youta. Hiding behind a tree and staying still he would stab one in the neck as he passed only gurgling noises could be heard as blood filled the man's wind pipe. He would leave the other to Youta who hopefully stood opposite of him behind some cover. It seemed that this patrol was rather used to not seeing anyone and grew accustom to only talking and not paying attention during them. 

After the two on the ground were dealt with he climb the tower using the ladder now that the bandits were down. When he reached the top he stopped and did not get off the ladder onto the platform. "That one is still breathing." He would say with a nod while still gripping the ladder. "We know the position of the merchant he is in the big building surrounded by five others. Kill that one and throw the bodies off the tower." Akabayashi assumed Loghain was the one who hadn't killed the bandit as he stood nearest and Zeref's zeal at the opportunity to kill was disturbing, no way would he be the one to keep someone alive. He would watch to make sure it was Loghain that killed the bandit.

Once everyone was on the ground he would explain the next part of what needed to be done. "We still have five in the building. I want to draw their attention." He would pick up the horn the bandits would have used to call for backup. "I don't know how many people are scouting  and where they are. We could bring some here by using the horn." He would make two shadow clones appear with a seal and they would begin putting on the uniforms of two of the men. They would then climb the ladder and stand at the top. "If they don't see their guards on the tower it'll freak them out. Youta and Loghain transform into the ground patrol and tell the people inside you saw someone approach from a different direction than the tower when you are far enough kill them. Me and Zeref will get our merchant I will surround the building with my Lazurus Pit and make it impossible for them to harm the merchant." His clones wouldn't need the horn if Loghain and Youta drew enough of them away.
WC: 619

After getting the go ahead to take out the bandits Zeref wasted no time in making his way towards them , he would use the latter to climb up to the two men with his team mate right behind him. As he made his way towards his target he couldnt help but be slightly conflicted on weather or not he should kill him or use the guy for information the would likely make the mission go alot smoother and safer , but even with all that it was hard for him to not want to kill these men. They did nothing but cause problems for people who were trying to live a normal life , they stole and killed without any remorse for the people they hurt so to Zeref killing them would make the world a little bit better. "I hope their family can one day understand why these men were taken from them, If only they hadnt been my target maybe they would of made it home tonight", He thought to himself. Even with all reason to kill these men he couldnt help but be surprised his blood lust had calm down and he actually wanted too keep one of them alive. 

As he got to the top of the ladder he had finally made up his mind on weather or not he wanted to kill his target , unfornetly for this man his time in the world of the living was over. Zeref had decided not to give into his weaker side and execute his target without hesitation , so once he got behind his target he would have a use both arms and twisting his targets head and breaking his neck. He honestly wanted a more bloody ending but thought it would be best not to make such a mess before they could find their target. He would hate for someone to find the blood and cause a scene. Once both his and loghain targets were taken care of the duo headed back down to the ground and recived info on where the target was and how many men were around him. To Zeref it really didnt matter who was there he was beyond confident that they could take out the rest of the men in no time and still make it home before it got to late, he wasent in the mood be out here all day and if it ment killing a few more pople to speed up the mission than he was fine with that.

Once the info on the the target was given , their sensei stared barking out orders to everyone. Normally Zeref would of rather just rushed in and killed everyone he could help but like the fact that his sensei gave him the job of going in with him, it would give Zeref an opportunity to finish getting the blood lust he had out of him. He would look at his sensei , "Im ready when you are, ill follow your lead", He said.  It brought a slight distaste to his mouth to say he would follow someone else but it couldnt be help, he was weaker than his sensei after all.

Youta would take the kunai from his teacher.  He would breath in and sneak behind the guards for kill him.  He would slide the blade against his throat and kill him.  This did not bother Youta as much as he thought.  He dragged the body back behind the shed that him and his teacher were hiding behind. He knew that this would come back to him later but that was a problem for then.  He had to finish this mission and get this done.  Akabayashi told him to change into the patrols armor so he took the armor and disguised himself as one of the ground patrol and waited for people to approach him with Sabastian.  He would wait for him with the kunai and run in to the main tent yelling “Shinobi from the village are attacking from the south we could use some reinforcements!”  The leader looked at the 2 guards in the front and said “I did not hear a horn from the towers why did you not blow the horn?” Youta would look to Loghain to answers and wait to see how many troops the leader would send.  

WC 192

Zeref quickly broke the neck of his target, killing the bandit. It wasn’t long before Akabayashi approached. Their commanding officer would explain that the living bandit wasn’t needed since they already knew where the merchant was located. It was… unfortunate… Loghain looked at his commanding officer, taking a deep breath before shifting his gaze over to the unconscious man. Was it right to take this man’s life? He was helpless, unable to defend himself in any capacity. This man posed little threat to them, some simple bindings could ensure that he didn’t add to the defense force should he miraculously regain consciousness. Still…. Orders were orders. Shinobi were, at their core, soldiers and killers. It was easier to think of killing a man in self-defense. In life or death combat, only one can live… but this…
 
Realizing that he might have hesitated for just a second, he would understand that they still had a mission to complete. A powerful grab of the man’s skull would occur, lifting the motionless body into the wolf’s grasp. In a quick, powerful motion he would twist the bandit’s neck far past the breaking point. An unpleasant crunching sound was relatively quiet in reality, but it echoes in the mind of Loghain. Killing this man got them no closer to their goals… but what is done is done. Finishing what was asked of him, he tossed the bodies off of the tower. Once they were at the bottom the wolf would quickly hide the bodies behind some thick shrubbery making it just out of sight enough to help avoid detection. Then with a quick focus, he would do as commanded and transform into the bandit he just killed.
 
It was Youta and himself sent to draw out extra soldiers away from the merchant. Loghain would follow the young Shinkou’s lead. When asked by what looked like their leader, Loghain would speak up. “Well, I was taking a piss when I saw an attack on one of our patrols. I don’t believe they spotted me, but I figured if I blew the horn it would warn them of our attack. This way we still hold the element of surprise. Lure them into a position of our choosing and then a secondary squad flanks.” Loghain would look to the merchant, noting that he was still alive and uninjured, “You think we will make money off of a merchant, what do you think that village will pay for some of its ninja back?” The wolf had hoped that the thought of more money would help persuade the man. If there was any common trait amongst thieves and bandits -hell even most people- it was greed.
 
The leader would laugh, “Yeah, but how are we to defeat and capture trained shinobi?” This would cause Loghain to smile, “That is why we didn’t blow the horn. If they know there is a fight, we are in a far worse position.” The leader would nod, reluctantly agreeing that they simply weren’t likely to win a fair fight. He would motion for two of the five to go with the pair, leaving three bandits and the merchant. It wasn’t as much at the wolf had hoped, but it should be enough to help lighten the load for the rescue team.
 
Loghain would lead the men to where he had ‘seen the attackers’ telling them that the enemies had to be close by since there were no dead bodies spotted in this direction in the camp. Once they were far enough out that it wasn’t likely they would be spotted Loghain would nod to Youta, letting him know that he was ready. If Youta gave a returned signal, the wolf would slow down, acting like he was scanning the area while the others moved forwards. His nose confirmed that there were no other enemy scouts in the immediate area, so this was as good a time as any to strike. He would kick the back of the closest bandit’s leg, grab the man’s mouth to prevent screaming and snap the man’s neck. He wouldn’t let out enough of a sound to alert the others who were none the wiser they were now down a man. The wolf would silently lay the body down and look to see what Youta had done. If they still had any targets to take down, they were no longer outnumbered and so a kunai would be drawn and if needed thrown into the back of the head of a remaining target. Assuming that Youta was also successful in taking out one or more of the bandits, their task was completed.
 
Now how were they supposed to alert the others? Perhaps they already have?


WC: 785

With the bandits on the ground and in the tower dead all that remained was the ones inside. When Youta and Sebastian dragged some of them off. He would approach the building from the rear along with Zeref. He would then make various seals and a hot spring would form encompassing the building. "What the fuck?" One of the men would yell as the Nova made another set of seals and then aim a single finger at the building. From the finger shot a red ray of destruction that would annihilate the top half of the men's bodies and the sitting merchant's if he hadn't been under the protection of the Lazarus Pit. With the building now gone all that remained was a terrified merchant and bloody corpses which seemed to bleed into the hot spring but seemed to be removed as it did not change the color of the water. "Merchant guy, we came to save you. Zeref could you untie our friend here?"

While Zeref did that the Nova would use his chakra enhanced strength and clones to assemble all of the bodies to the pit he had just created. A clone would come approach Youta and Loghain and inform them to meet at the hot spring. With everyone there the half destroyed bodies would sprout torso's and a head and the once dead people would be alive and breathing again. This took a noticeable drain of energy on the Nova, but he would keep them from moving with his display of power. 

"See Thomas, I don't like having to come out here to get information. I want the whereabouts of that missing ninja who passed through here and don't tell me I just destroyed it otherwise your second life goes away too." None of the revived bandits moved, except for the one known as Thomas who raised his hands. "Na, no, its still safe its in another building." Akabayashi would address his students. "The merchant being kidnapped was a fortuitous event kill two birds with one stone. Thomas here is about to bring me some information on a missing ninja that he refused to give up the other day. You see he thought I wouldn't follow through on a promise of murdering him and his bandits if he didn't provide what I asked. Well Thomas and bandits do my threats seem idle or would you say they are pretty well meaning?" No response was given until the Nova pulled out a senbon and threw it into the legs of one of the men, who dropped to a knee. "No, no, we believe you. I'll go get the information for you." Thomas would say before scurrying off and retrieving the documents on the missing ninja. 

"Bandits, remain here as always and keep out others. That's why you have been allowed to remain so long. When you make deals with wanted ninja of the village and kidnap poor innocent merchants it really pisses me off." The men would just stand not saying a word and the Terumi would open the document and look inside. "Well we have the merchant and the location of our wanted man. Lets head back to the village." He would then begin walking in the direction of Hoshi along with the merchant who was smiling as if he'd gotten away with something. Akabayashi planned to return him to the village under the assumption he was unaware that he had killed his wife and her lover and spring it on him at the last moment. A chicken is easier to kill when it doesn't know you plan to cut off its head after all. He would collect his weapons before leaving the area.

When the group arrived at the gates he would quickly slap a paralysis seal on the merchant and give him to the guards to toss in a cell. "Mission complete team. I want to do a quick assessment of how things went both good and bad. Along with address any questions any of you might have. We will start with the good. Following Youta, sometimes its hard for people in the same position to take direction from others in that same position. You all did well following directions. Zeref and Youta, neither of you hesitated to kill your enemy. Now the not bad but odd things I saw. When you guys climbed the tower you used the ladder, if they had spotted you and kicked it down it wouldn't go well. Instead use the surface walking technique to scale it, much harder for them to push you off. Loghain, I know killing is tough but mercy isn't something you want to give against a real opponent. Killing gets easier with each life taken and a big part of today was knocking out that first kill. I now leave the floor open for questions if you have any." 
WC: 813
TWC: 2661