Welcome to Gaia! ::

Raine walked through the busy night street slowly, he headed back to Rima's as he was still hungry and they had abandoned their dinners. His scorn eased a little as a few people who had known him, from team four reputation waved to a hero returned. Though still slightly melancholy he stuffed his hands in his pockets and trudged on.


"We're going to eat, I gather." Pi who still has his tiny face extended from Raine's collar said.

"Yeah. I bet it's still warm too. I kinda feel bad for leaving like that after they made our meal and everything." He looked up to the rooftop and for the first time noticed some small figures walking as dark figures across the ledges. "Huh, I wonder what's going on?" The people seemed to be watching the streets, and patrolling the allies and rooftops. "That looks like official business."


Pi lifted his head but could see no such people,"Yeah, sure."

"Mind if we take a quick pit-stop?"


"Meh. Go for it." Pi knew there was no stopping the kid.

The boy took a start at a close building and jumped to a balcony before extending his feet and letting himself grab onto the wall with chakra, sprinting the rest of the difference up the building. A close patrolling figure noticed him and quickly ran over, unaware of who he was in the dark.

"Who are you?" The voice barked meanly, brandishing a kunai. Raine pulled up his hand in a defensive motion, he had forgotten to put his headband on after this time. Quickly he pulled it from his waist and head it up.

"Tekkenseisai Raine. Oto Chunin." He said hurriedly the figure relaxed as he stepped forward. In the glow of the lights below, Raine saw he was also a shinobi.

"Password." The man said, his voice was gruff, and he was significantly taller than Raine.

"Uh... seriously?" Raine stepped back a little, he was clearly under suspicion. "I just returned from out of the country today, I really don't know about any password." He pulled up the headband again to try and emphasize the point that he was a shinobi.

"You're a horrible liar. Returned form out of the country?" The man scoffed, while pulling up his kunai once more. He lifted his hand up to his neck to press his radio, "I need some back-up. I've got some runt, calling himself a shinobi. Possible a henge." He said into the radio before closing the line.

"Whoa, man!" Raine stepped back even further as the man pulled forward. "I'm telling the truth." He begged.

"Sure. If you were, you would have none that all high ranking shinobi are guarding the village tonight. Looking for intruders..." The man threw his kunai, and brandished a massive sword at his side.

Raine didn't have anywhere to go, there was the street below him, but he didn't have any space to move. The Kunai hit his hardened arm and fell to the ground. "Hey, seriously!" Riane cried desperately, he didn't want to fight somebody from oto.

"Disguising as a kid, huh? Well you're wrong, I'll wring your neck no matter what you look like." The shink, of his sword cut the air.

"That's completely unnecessary, Tiberius." A voice said from behind the two, in the midst of battle. The raging shinobi man turned around.

"His story is pathetic, there is no way, this kids not a fake!" The man extended his sword out to lay just under Raine's throat.

"Sure." The voice came from a group of men who had just appeared on the next building. "Than how did he manage deflecting that Kunai. You threw it pretty hard. It hit him didn't it?" Tiberius looked down to his feet and saw the kunai, and then looked up to where it should have been sticking out of the boy. "The only way, he could have done that is if he were really a Tekkenseisai."

Raine was grateful for the incite-fullness of somebody off in the distance.

"Not to mention, he's a chunin on my team, and I saw him earlier today after he returned from Iwa." This comment had more snap to it.

Raine let out a relived smile, "Dash-sensei?" he called into the dark.

"See, he just proved me right." the group of jounin jumped onto the roof top. Dash at it's lead, "So please." He gestured to the sword. Which Tiberius dropped with a scowl.

"You could see how it seemed?" The large gnarly man asked to Dash, trying to explain himself.

Dash laughed,"Yeah, he is a pretty hopeless liar, even when he's telling the truth." The man stepped up to Raine and gave him a smile from behind his shades, extending his hand. "Warm welcome, yeah?"

Raine shook his head shaking Dashes hand heartily, "Yeah. It's been great." He laughed, "But I didn't see you today." He said a bit confused.

Tiberious took the chance to glare suspiciously at Raine and lift the tip of his sword a bit.

"You were unconscious at the time." Dash turned more to Tiberius.

"Oh." The boy sunk his head a bit.

"Yeah." Dash finished the conversation for them, and turned back to the reinforcement shinobi, "Let's get back to work people." The shot off without a second word, and Tiberius went back to his post. "Where are Xen and Kimiko? I thought they were with you."

The boy looked back toward the street a bit dishearted, "Over there."

"Well, thanks Mr. Vague. Do you want to go 'over there' and get them so we can get the plan straight?" He stepped away from Raine and leaned over the ledge looking down on the villagers.

"The plan?" Raine was puzzled, he figured these people had something to do with Xen's warning about Kyojin, but it seemed really big for a little warning.

"Yeah, we've got to work out some emergency strategies for the team, to keep everybody organized encase something goes down."

"Well when you put it like that..." Raine turned, "I'll be back in a bit." He rocked back on his heals.

"Oh and Raine-" The boy looked back to catch him before jumping away. "The password, is 'Dash is sexy.'

Raine nearly fell off the building, "Eh-really?"

"Why not." the man laughed to himself, while Raine jumped down to the street once more.

(Eh, discount the first roll I don't know what I'm trying to do)
Tiberious Attack Ranged:50+10
Rain db:22

Kimiko peered about, looking through the sparse crowds that were still on the street. This was one of villages main thoroughfares...it figured that they'd lose Raine in a place like this. She gave a slight sigh. "Hey Maboroshi," she squinted slightly. "Wasn't that Tiberious senpai who just passed over?"

Xenon adjusted his glasses. "Probably. I did inform Lord Kasuke of an impending invasion. I would hope that they would realize that this isn't some kind of joke."

Kimiko actually dawned a humored grin. "Figures they'd send the elite's out just because you had a bad feeling... I suppose they figure that you wouldn't just cry wolf about something like this."

"It could be that..." Xenon noted somewhat evasively. "Or...it could be that Lord Kasuke already had information on it...I doubt that the eyes of the Hidden Sound are blind to something like this. My report may only have been the icing on the preverbial cake. Kyojin's name might have also carried weight...he's not a very welcome name on anyone's list of adversaries."

Kimiko gave a quick nod. "Right." She looked back into the crowd. She didn't really know either way, but two of the people who's opinion she trusted deeply had, it seemed, given their assurances that something bad was about to happen here in Oto. And soon. Her hand grasped unconcious at her side, as though gripping for an invisible sword hilt. "Hm? There he is," Kimiko pointed.

Xenon who had been looking the other way followed her gaze. "Right. And...unless I'm much mistaken, if the other Jounin are out right now, then Taichou should be among them. If he isn't already informed of what we know of the situation, then we need to bring him up to date."

"You mean about Senkyo?"

"Truth be told I don't know if telling them about him would help other than to confirm that the Otobe have returned after all this time. Unless I miss my guess...Senkyo has a rather unnatural affinity for remaining undetected. I would imagine that's why he was selected to be sent in ahead. But yes...he should be the first point we debrief on." the pair headed towards Raine, Kimiko raising her hand to wave.

Both Kimiko and Maboroshi sweat in exasperation as they heard their Sensei's "password". He really would never change. "Argh...Sensei...do you have to be such a...Cassnova?" she crossed her arms shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Can never be too careful." He moved up to all of them, "So I assume you all know what's going on?"

Xenon nodded "Yes Taichou," suddenly all business. "I was, arguably, the one who reported on it, uncertain as I am as to how much Lord Kasuke knew about it before hand. Though I think the real question is how much do you know about it?" Xenon was frowning now. "An enemy spy has already infiltrated the village perimeter...and... I've very little reason to doubt that he was of the Otobe Clan. It seems that their extinction was...exaggerated."

Kimiko nodded, her eyes narrowing as she looked to Raine. "That guy from earlier, Senkyo...he was one of them." she looked back to Dash-sensei. "He had purple hair and long black coat with white fur up at the collar," she gestured at her own. "kinda of like mine but closed and lot longer. Lighter too, more for a thin extra layer."

Xenon was actually looking fairly controlled given the situation, but it still looked like he had a slightly pour taste in his mouth. "It's possible that he could be convinced to come quietly...we might be able to learn more about their plans that way...but...it is up to you Taichou. Regardless I recommend his description be spread about." Not that he thought it would help much. He suspected Senkyo specialized in remaining unseen...it would make sense with his extremely vulnerable personality...

(Note: Senkyo would already be known to Dash by this description from Crow's Report of their first encounter, during which, though he didn't tell Xenon, Senkyo murdered 40 enemies and seriously wounded the leader of Shi no Saakasu, a jounin of fair reputation. Crow would have told Kasuke about this, and probably all Jounin at the time as well.

"Say Goodbye?" Kimiko got a slightly troubled look on her face. "You make it sound like..." she fell silent. "Understood Sensei." Her voice had regained all it's strength, her eyes burning with the same old conviction. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" she turned about on a dime and took off, jumping over the roof tops as headed off towards her home in the housing district.

[Kimiko exits to housing district]

Xenon merely stood where he was, fishing in his coat for his radio, and matching it up with the proper frequency as he slipped it into his ear. While in the process of this however, he looked at Dash. "We're a team composed of what is essentially two Jounin, and two Anbu, I saw how Raine was fighting earlier quite plainly, and we're being given guard duty?" One could see in his eyes though, that this was a rhetorical question. Xenon knew, even from that context, even from the moment that Kyojin had warned him so confidently, that this was not the single faceted attack of people who had no clue what they were getting into. This was the revenge of a people scorned...a people scorned who had had decades to plot, prepare, gather their resources, and wait until the moment was right...

Still, Taichou had brought up an interesting point. The Scrolls. If the Otobe were after them, even after all this time, it would be difficult indeed...but... though Xenon had gone over and over the measures Kasuke had shown him in his head when he was younger, they weren't perfect. No... He'd spoken with Medusa over it in detail, and he was sure. He himself was now no stranger to the summoning art, and the fact of the matter was that while he'd once viewed anything without a contract as untouchable...the matter was that, well, they HAD summoned it without one hadn't they...meaning that a contract was merely exclusive rights to summon a creature. Leaving the creature Kasuke had shown him open to a summoning. If they were going to get back the scrolls, it was the only way Xenon could think of short of sending a powerful summon to retrieve them from the other side. True, he didn't know specifically how one would go about forcing a summoning, but he imagined that if the Otobe had waited this long...then they just might.

Not that he could voice his opinion however...he was after all, sworn to secrecy over the whole matter. He reached up and adjusted his glasses. "Taichou...this isn't just a mad dash for The Devil's scrolls," Orochimaru's usual nickname amongst certain circles seemed to have impressed itself the boy. "-they've waited too long, and lost too much when they vanished all those years ago for just that. This is an invasion...if what your intel says is true then these people could have a whole army at their disposal. And while hired blades are hired blades, I...talked with their spy to a great length. The Otobe at least, believe that they are doing the right thing...and that is the most dangerous quality in an enemy I can think of. What I'm saying is..." he looked at Raine. "That it's unlikely we'll be able to hold back or let them live if we want to win...our usual policy of a chance at mercy won't hold up here." the words may very well have hurt him more than he would like to have admitted, but the sign of a bitter taste in his mouth returned, showing it. 'Yes Senkyo...I'm sorry as well...'

He turned away, already more then being prepared, and indeed, having no one to say "goodbye" too. Mokutan would already be miles from the village by now, and would not return until tomorrow evening, while Medusa meanwhile would most likely be finishing up at the apartment, and on her way to her master.

Xenon Maboroshi was a person of machinations...and he was not the sort of person who's pride was so cheap he would not consider the possibility of a loss. Kyojin Kotei was, while arguably insane, not a man who spoke idly...nor was he by any means a fool in the ways of war. He'd stated with the utmost confidence that Oto would fall...but even more so, and this slightly irked the young Maboroshi that he'd known him so well, that Xenon would, if push came to shove, abandon a sinking ship if it became clear there was no chance at victory. Indeed he'd already made the necessary preparations. His apartment walls would now lying empty, Mokutan already having flown with the scrolls containing everything he owned.

Even so if only for spite and out of obligation to this place that had fostered him since his mother deat...deception, he was not going to give up just yet. If the Otobe wanted this city they would have to take it...and he was going to fight them with everything he had in him....

For their sake as well.

((Kimiko will arrive in the next post, I think we're basically just stalling for the big show at this point right?))


Xenon gave a slight laugh as he followed after his sensei. 'Mercy...I don't really think I can call it that either...after all...' he held up his hand, watching it as it remained as steady as ever, his heart quiet and at rest. 'I only ever spare people I think deserve it...and kill all those who I must. But it's all by my own will...it always has been.' he narrowed his eyes.

He seemed to waver for a moment, before he spoke aloud
"We each can only do what our wills compel us...no more, and no less. Even the people that are fighting us now, have their own wills, their own hopes, and their own dreams. Yet despite that, in the end Power decides who's hopes and dreams are realized, there's no great hand of right or wrong that dictates the board. Perhaps it's that thought that allows me to kill without remorse... or hate. In the end it is merely everyone's will guiding them as only it can, and all they can do is follow. I suppose Kimiko-san would say I'm just running away from feeling...but I think I would rather be completely pragmatic and open about my selfish motivations in regards to killing, then offer some self deluding justification." he smirked suddenly, adjusting his glasses with a content air. "Yes...in the end their is no justification in murder...no higher power which can condone the taking of another life merely because you perceive them to be "evil", or yourself "superior". So don't ask for justification, do so merely because you want to, or need to, while accepting others will do the same...only then will you have true Justice. It's the closest thing to a true morality that I could ever find. Follow your Self."

He shook his head still smiling. "I've lived my life since that day believing in that ideal...and no one has yet proved me wrong." he seemed preoccupied."The problem only comes along when you have a diseased soul that thrives on murder and the destruction of others happiness. By my own philosophy, they are just as justified as myself...but for some reason..." he gave a short laugh. "That really pisses me off." he actually gave a laugh. "I suppose even a logical mind can only go so far to reign in emotion..." he ran an exasperated hand through his hair. "I suppose that's proof I'm still human."

He resumed his casual smirk, apparently coming out of his monologue."Sorry about that Taichou...I didn't mean to wax philosophical there. I suppose I'm just...a little anxious.After all even someone like myself may not be able to emerge the other side of a war unchanged...perhaps I just needed to remind myself of why I am the way the am...after all...Death is awful, but averting your eyes from it...is even worse. Don't you think?"

Toshi walked out of the Library with a sullen look across his face. Considering he wasn't very intimidating, the people around him looked at him sideways and muttered to one another. He really didn't care. He began to walk towards the Otokage's office to talk to him and ask about a few clan jutsu's. Suddenly he stopped right in front on a rock in the middle of the street. It was the same rock he had kicked not all that long ago. "Who was that man?... I mean truly.... Who is he?" He suppressed an urge to quake and pull in on himself for warmth. The man had an interesting laugh. Toshi smiled and almost laughed himself. That man seemed strong as well. He wonder who would win in a fight between his cousin and that man. Why had that thought come into his head? He shook his head as if to be gone of the thought. He truly wanted to be strong like he told that man. Toshi tried to think of the mans name as he continued to walked aimlessly. Somehow he ended up outside of the newly built Academy. He took it as a sign and entered.

(Exit to Academy)

Raine returned to the building top, his cloak flowing behind him as with his mind. The boy's eyes lingered on his hand that he clenched strongly feeling his muscles pulse into hardness. Could she really mean that? Could his Mom really believe such things?

His thoughts were broken as he walked upon his teammates, Dash standing in wait his glasses casting a stark contrast to the cool midnight darkness. "I'm good." Raine spoke gently to the others.

Dash pulled up his hand to his radio, "Team 4, ready to go." The tiny microphone responded with a click, and a voice filled every ear that shared the same frequency.

"Gotcha, Dash. Team 2 and 3 are up as well. Everyone else is working in a buddy system or groups of three. "

Dash leaned forward on the edge of the building. "We're in for a long night guys." He breathed silently with relief, freedom from dreams. "Kimi, I'm digging the quatrosword look by-the-way. " He joked without looked back to them.

A few ninja passed on a close by rooftop, and their footsteps filled the night.




Raine lifted weary eyes with determination, he strode back and forth to keep the tiredness away. All night and not a sound. He slapped his face quickly shook his head with the splash of string. "Ah." All night he had been contemplating what his mom had said and the thoughts festered in his mind. The corruption of an idea that had always been his foundation. Believe in the Tekkenseisai like nothing else. To be strong and die with honor. His hand worked it's way to his head as he smoothed his hair back.

On an adjacent building Dash stood still at watch, his eyes on the alley below. They had been working their way around a few different blocks all night. Though deathly still, the man's mind ran quickly with thoughts beyond his control. They moved quickly and sporadically, with the hint of madness that had become his custom at nights. With a sigh he attempted to clear his thought, only focusing on the streets as a warm glow grew in the skies. They had made it, and maybe it was true that this was all a hoax. He pulled up his head to find each of his youngsters and made a mental note.

The radio at his neck gave a tiny hiss and a small click that was followed by only silence.

Dash leaned his head down to work the little machine around on his neck, before pulling his hand up to click the transmitting button. There was no tell-tale fuzz of static. "Hmm...." Quickly Dash turned and jumped, landing at Kimiko's side. "Kimiko." His voice was hoarse having used it for the first time. "Is your radio working?"

The darkness of the night was quiet. So silent, so still, that to the untrained eye it might seem nigh impossible for such a serene setting to conceal anything but harmony beneath it's surface. For the first time, Kyojin thought he understood why this was called the village hidden in the sound. Here, in the quiet rice fields and even the dark labyrinthine passages beneath, there was an almost melodious tune to it's beauty. A orchestral score of nature, and repose...

Yet even the most elegant of performances must come to an end... and the time had come for Otogakure's curtain call. And the next piece for this stage's roster...the next number to put play...? A magnificent forte, an ingenious ballad... a dark, powerful, and glories song...of War.

"Begin the attack."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" The battle cries sounded as the armies charged, the men still hidden in the tunnels biding their time below, waiting for their moment to strike. As the thousands of voices split the air in an enchanting concerto of rage and bloodlust, Kyojin really did have to admit one thing.

He really did love his job.

"Chi chi chi..." The rogue ninja walked at the calm stroll as the hordes under the Otobe banner surged forth around him, he himself in no particular hurry. He didn't want to rush this immense pleasure, didn't want to cheapen this enrapturing moment. He was now standing at the for front of history... he was taking part in a battle that would undoubtedly go down in history. It was a even more marvelously, a battle of meaning. An exiled people returning with revenge in their hearts, a weakened and still struggling village upheaved by a shadow from the past they'd so longed to forget... it was a clashing of hopes, ideals, and dreams that made him tingle with excitement... yes. Yes, this was a moment he would never forget...

The day that Otogakure fell... no...it probably wouldn't be worded like that... he smirked. The day that the Hidden sound...was liberated. He fell into a series of low chuckling...