The soldiers took the bait better than she initially hoped. The clone was dissipated before it could prove to be too useful, only leaving behind a thick fog that would engulf Tsubaki and the samurai that stayed to address her directly. When the enemy soldier reached out to her, she would instead reach out to meet it with her own. "I'm fine enough. But...there's more hiding around here somewhere." This was supposed to be a lie. A ruse that would both keep the group distracted while their leader was challenged directly. And if she played her cards right, she could get the jump on these samurai to wipe out the unit one by one before rejoining the real fight.[break][break]
But it seemed her fibbing turned out to be truthful, her brows rising a bit at the oh so familiar sound of explosive tags detonating. Her bloodied hand immediately reached for her blade as she turned toward the source of the noise. She and the other samurai were still caught up in the fog, making it impossible to see what was happening to the other men."They're still here! That way!" The disguised kunoichi took a half step toward the sound, allowing the other soldier to take the lead. Then, the moment he moved ahead of her she would unsheathe her sword in a single fluid motion the lead into a precise slice aimed at the man's neck. The man seemed distracted enough, so she hoped to get a nice clean cut to sever head from body while still hidden by the fog.
While they may not have had line of sight just yet, the disguised shinobi could hear the sounds of horses making their way through the wooded area. Luckily for her it was virtually impossible to maneuver such creatures through such a local with any degree of stealth. It seemed they had taken the bait, which was definitely a good sign. Now it was time to see how long she could distract these guys to make sure the others had enough time to actually handle the task at hand. Before the enemy would arrive, Tsubaki would carefully lower herself down to the forest floor, making sure to keep the tree between herself and the sound of the horses. Once on the ground she would slump back against the tree, wincing a bit as she brought her hands together to form a number of quick hand seals. A moment later, a rapid stream of water would emerge from her gourd before taking a form identical to the woman's usual appearance.[break][break]
Tsubaki slid her back down along the tree, sitting at it's base as she stared up at the clone. If this was gonna work, she'd have to do her best to set the scene. Tsubaki partially drew her sword with her battered arm, exposing the blade enough for her to run her palm along the sharpened edge. The fresh wound burned with a familiar sting, but wasn't serious enough to slow her down. She then took her bloodied palm and smeared it across her face, smudging it with blood with some grime from the forest floor. Some was dragged across her attire as well, giving her a more bloodied and battered appearance. At the same time, the duplicate would draw her blade and point it at her creator's throat. And with that, the scene was set. Tsubaki stared up at the imitation of herself, doing everything in her power to keep from laughing at how stupid this plan of hers was. But whatever. She wasn't about to just try and tackle this unknown number of samurai in a straight fight, as frustrating as the thought was.[break][break]
Instead she waited for them to approach the scene, hoping that the shock of pink hair would stand out amongst the forest as they made their approach. The scene set before them would look like an interrogation, a shinobi toying with their final prey to see what could be gained from them before taking their life. What would happen next depended entirely on how the investigating party approached the situation.
Yet again, their attacks were fruitless in the face of the creature's might. The kunoichi tightened her grip on her katana, her lone eye searching quickly to try and locate a weak point. She was about ready to say screw it and flee the scene, as it was becoming more and more clear that this fight really wasn't worth it for her. This was just supposed to be a fun little tussle. She wasn't even getting paid for this shit! Luckily for her, it seemed her opponent had seen enough.[break][break]
Brows furrowed as she refused to break her ready stance. Her bandaged arm reached up from its place in her kimono to pull the cloth from her ear, allowing her to properly hear the rhino as it bellowed. At first she had no response, her gaze hardened as she stared the creature down. But after a few beats she couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I knew you were just screwin' with us. You're a sick piece of shit, big guy. But I respect it." With a casual shrug she gave her blade a quick flick before sliding the blade back into its sheath.[break][break]
Her eye scanned across the crowd, a small cluster of both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Though with any luck, none of them would be able to recognize a thing about her. "Guess we're done here." And with that, the rogue kunoichi formed a few quick hand seals before vanishing from sight. And a few moments later, that old bald man who was hanging around before the chaos erupted would be seen walking off into the distance as if he had simply come out from behind a large boulder he had been hiding behind.
[attr="class","wassup1dangerfoot"]
[attr="class","wassup1dangertag"] @all
[attr="class","wassup1dangernotes"] Sent clone in to attack head on while she moved to one side and slashes at its legs
A lone snort escaped the kunoichi, not even remotely surprised by the canine masquerading is a human being. She should've known the notion of playing it safe didn't settle well with the reckless hound. That was what she got for trying to be genuine for a second. So this time she just gave Maki a dismissive wave and shook her head. "'Scuse me for not having a proper spread. Didn't realize I was gonna get hit up by some mooching mutt." She shook her head, shifting her weight a bit to make herself comfortable at her spot by the fire. Her single eye followed the familiar shillouete for as long as it could, even narrowing into a squint as it got too far away to manage.[break][break]
It seemed she was alone for the moment. But now that she had a bit of insurance, she could actually relax a bit. How long had it been since she got a chance to just...relax? As much as she usually came off as being laid back, Tsubaki was always ready to draw her blade at a moment's notice. But with this trustworthy pack surrounding her and keeping watch with those keen senses? She felt her eyes starting to get a bit heavy just at the thought. Lips curled into a gentle smile as she fell back into the grass beneath her, letting out a soft sigh as the grass tickled the back of her neck through her thick mess of hair.[break][break]
Her lone eye closed as the gentle flow of the river threatened to lull her to sleep. The fatigue of the past week seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks in that moment, her body practically begging her to just relax and let go for once in her damn life. Her mind started to wander in undesirable directions, prompting a heavy sigh of frustration to be let loose from her chest. "Fuck it." The words were softly muttered to herself as she allowed her shoulders to relax and for the sun to wash over her face. Even the faint misting of water from the river as it rushed against the shore was a welcome sensation. All of these things came together into the most pleasant nap she'd gotten to enjoy in over a year.[break][break]
She'd have to make sure to thank Maki for it next time their paths crossed.
Just as she was about to curse her luck for the slain soldier having used their only flare, the kunoichi would spot their fallen comrade not too far off. She gave her allies a quick nod, lips curling into an pleased grin as they both gave approval to her idea. It was painful to admit that these two outclassed her in raw combat power these days, but at least her experience as a shinobi was still keeping her as sharp as ever. "You guys better not screw this up. My life's in your hands as much as mine is in yours" With that she tossed the jonin duo a wink before sprinting off, moving to quickly scavenge what she could from the fallen horseman's corpse before sprinting off toward the enemy's back lines. She was careful not to move like a shinobi as she made her way back, adopting the more clumsy stride of a desperate civilian who had a blade thrust into their hands. It was an awkward stride, but it was kinda fun to act like a dumbass for a moment.[break][break]
She looked back over her shoulder for a moment, spotting the other horsemen converging on the two warriors. She could only hope that they would be able to handle that without raising too may alarms. Fortunately neither of them seemed like they were one for showy jutsu or the sort. All they had to do was make sure none of those guys could retreat to gather reinforcements. For the moment, all she could do was focus on herself as she scanned the battlefield, searching for the best approach to lure the enemy from their position. She had a few ideas, but only one shot at getting this right.[break][break]
Using a combination of her disguise and the classic technique of 'look like you know where you're going', Tsubaki would start to maneuver herself around the battlefield, aiming to get behind enemy lines. With any luck, she would look far more like a messenger than a deserter. After all, why would someone planning on going AWOL run toward Taiyou's back line instead of seeking freedom away from either side? Should everything go as planned, she would eventually make her way into the forest behind the hill where their target was set up. She was a ways off from them, deeper in the woods where they wouldn't have line of sight on her. Once she was confident there were no one nearby on her, Tsubaki would crouch down to the forest floor and spend a brief moment scouring. It wouldn't be too hard for her to locate a rock and some fallen twigs and leaves. With a bit of arranging, she would position the rock, kindling and signal flare all together. Once it was all set she would take a step back and grip the hilt of her blade. With a deep breath, she would suddenly draw and swing the blade in a single fluid motion, the blade grazing the rock. The friction would cause a number of sparks to flare up, some of which would find their home in the kindling. It was only a matter of moments before the first bits of smoke started to curl off the pile of dead plant life.[break][break]
After spending a moment to nurture the embers and ensure it would grow into a flame, she would reward herself with a nod of satisfaction. The kunoichi then made her way to a tree a short ways off to be out of the smoke's range, leaping up to lurk within its branches. A few moments later, the same popping sound from not too long ago would sound off, the fire having consumed the flare and cause it to go off. A pillar of smoke would start to billow up, reaching over the canopy to be seen at a distance. Now all that was left to do was sit back, hope they take the bait and work on a plan in case this one failed.
The masked woman nodded along with her commander as she described her plan, making a mental note while staring out at the battlefield before them. They definitely had their work cut out for them here, but she was confident that with this bunch of folks they’d be able to pull it off. Even with the youngest and least experienced shinobi here taking the lead. Luckily it seemed like she had a good head on her shoulders, even if her tone didn’t really fit the dire situation before them. ”Not a huge fan of playin’ second fiddle. But I guess I can leave the big guy to you two.Consider your asses covered.” Even if her face was hidden, the grin that spread across her face was audible in her voice.[break][break]
But they didn’t have much time for plans, as the sound of a samurai’s battlecry caught her ear. Her left hand reached across to grip the hilt of her blade, ready to strike at anyone who dared approach their position. As she turned toward the source, she found her view quickly become clouded by a thick smoke. She held what breath remained in her lungs as she quickly pushed out of the smoke, her eye quickly settling on their attacker. But before she had a chance, the two jonin were already pouncing the poor soldier with enough force to destroy a soldier with three times his mettle. Maybe these injuries had slowed her down more than she realized…[break][break]
While her body may have been hobbled, her mind was still sharp. She darted forward after the other two, her single eye taking a moment to examine the man’s armor as best she could. She would do her best to get as many details right as possible, but at the end of the day the silhouette was what really mattered. The kunoichi’s hand slid into the loose material of her attire, joining her permanently banaged limb to form a few quick handseals before becoming engulfed in a puff of smoke. A moment later, the masked woman was adorned in the man’s uniform and wore an unfamiliar face that was not her own. It wasn’t like anyone kept track of each and every rank and file soldier’s identity, right? ”I’ve been watching these guys for a long while now. I might be able to raise a false alarm and draw some of his men off the hill.I just need to see if this guy has any more flares…”
Teeth clenched, the corners of her lips peeled back and curled into a pleased grin as the rhino shell crumbled before them. "Heeeey. Nice trick, big guy!" The charging clone was crushed byt the debris, the liquid replica's kamikaze frontal assault leaving little room for escape. So, the rhino wasn't quite as big as they originally thought. And he was a dad! Sure, ok. None of that really mattered to her at this point. This rhino was still talking, so she still had work to do. Without hesitation, the rogue shinobi charged forward, only to be met with a wave of energy and debris. One last burst of energy before the grand finale, huh? Challenge accepted.[break][break]
Her blade was held in a defensive position as she pushed in with the rest of the other shinobi, single eye flicking to the others to watch their movements to see where they were headed. It didn't take long for her to recognize the movements of the inuzuka trio, each of them moving in tandem with their hounds for a coordinated assault. That brief glimpse was all she needed to see. She held her blade in a defensive position as she pushed forward, aiming to slash through and parry any loose rocks that came her way. Anything that seemed like it wouldn't cause serious damage was avoided to the best of her ability, reserving the blade for any serious threats. Should she manage to get in close, she would swiftly reposition, moving around to stand behind the beast. There weren't many angles available without getting in the way of the hounds, but she wasn't about to just sit back and watch.[break][break]
"It's over, fat ass!"Her blade moved swiftly, aiming to slash at the back of the rhino's hind legs while the rest engaged in their frontal assault. It didn't matter if the creature was obliterated, killed or simply impaired enough to no longer be a threat. So long as they could claim a win over this cocky thing she really didn't care too much.
[attr="class","wassup1dangerfoot"]
[attr="class","wassup1dangertag"] @all
[attr="class","wassup1dangernotes"] Sent clone in to attack head on while she moved to one side and slashes at its legs
Hard to imagine a girl like her being faced with any sort of oppression. With how light and bubbly she was it would be easy to assume that this was an innocent little babe that had never seen a single trial in all her years. Though maybe that was why she was like this, all smiles and rainbows in the face of all the surrounding pressures. Different people coped with those things in different ways, and at least this one seemed healthy so long as she had a good way to vent any pent up hostility. And from this brief little interaction it was pretty safe to say she found that with the Taiyou Empire. So they at least had that much in common. "True enough, kid. True enough." Living a cushy life of lies rather than a hard life of truth didn't sound appealing to her, that was for certain.[break][break]
Her eye followed the sword as it was sheathed, a sign both of trust and that the lesson was over. Which was fine. Even a brief example like that was enough for the experienced eye of a seasoned swordswoman to pick up what she needed to. While more examples would be nice, she had to settle for rehearsing what she had seen herself and building that muscle memory over time. That chakra shaping though...that was going to be her first project. The potential for that was racing through her mind, the limitless potential applications and combinations. She could see so many reasons why it would be the samurai's technique of choice. Now all she had to do was combine it with her knowledge and skills as a shinobi to make it something far more deadly than they could imagine.[break][break]
With the sword put away, Tsubaki was comfortable enough to close the gap between them the rest of the way. Which was perfect, because that pouting response was too adorable to let slide. She let out an amused chuckle as a hand reached out to pat the young samurai on the head. "That's real sweet. But I'm afraid my Jigen-Ryu days are behind me. It's a two handed style, after all. But uh..." She spends a moment in thought, glancing around the otherwise empty forest. Her eye drifts down to the cleanly cut leaves resting on the floor, a gentle hum slipping past her lips.[break][break]
"...Tell ya what. I'm curious to see you in action up close and personal. If you can talk to Mai and see about making sure I'm teamed up with you and nobody from the Mist? I'll come along." It seemed like something of a tall order, but she had to admit it would be nice to work with a proper team instead of whatever rag-tag group she may manage to round up herself. "I'll even follow your lead, no questions asked. So long as you don't go all mad with power on me. I didn't dedicate thirty years of my life to this shit just to have some kid lording their rank over me." She leaned forward, lips pulling back into a playful smile that matched her light yet somewhat gruff tone of voice. "Who knows? Maybe we'll learn more from each other than expected?" This is where she'd probably wink, but that was always tough with just one eye.
The idea of samurai being honorable protectors sounded completely foreign to the rogue kunoichi. All she could picture when she said that were the hordes of undead puppets they forced to fight beyond their time. The utter disrespect for the lives they lived, even forcing them to turn against their own comrades. It was disgusting to think about, even for one as indifferent to the notions of honor as herself. There were certain lines you just didn't cross. Or maybe she was just getting soft at her old age. Whatever the case, she would have to give the Sound samurai the benefit of the doubt on this, simply shrugging her shoulders as she attempted to defender her family's honor.[break][break]
As usual, the girl's sword hand was always kept in Tsubaki's field of view. So when her grip tightened so intensely, it became more clear just how deep these feelings of hers ran. Samurai or no, it was good to know that there was at least one person in Oto that held a hatred this deep. She'd have to keep this girls name and face in mind over the coming days. Something told the older shinobi that she might be interested in a little guerilla warfare down the line. The girl definitely had more fire burning in her soul than first impressions suggested. "Easy there, girlie. You'll get your chance to do just that, I've got no doubt. My advice to you is to save that anger for the battlefield. Cuz lemme tell ya, righteous anger is a helluva motivator." Her lips pulled back into a knowing grin, revealing a peek at her jagged sharklike teeth.[break][break]
It wasn't much of a surprise that there wasn't anyone interested in learning the techniques of their enemies. Personally, she would wanna know absolutely everything about her enemies to know the best ways to counter their techniques. Or just humiliate them by doing what they do only better. Whatever the case she would give Yousei a nod of understanding. "I imagine it's especially bad in Otogakure. Lots of Konoha refugees over there with ties back to the land Taiyou took from them. I wouldn't be surprised if you and your family caught a lot of shit just for the way you carried your katanas. Gotta admit, it takes some serious balls to openly practice those techniques." She paid little mind to the way the girl fluctuated between a sweet little fairy and a pacing tiger in a cage. If anything, the one eyed swordswoman found it somewhat charming.[break][break]
And then there was the whole mess of the war effort. Tsubaki's shoulders drooped a bit, smile fading as her brows rose curiously. "A good person? Me? You really are an adorable thing, aren't ya?" If the jonin hadn't been wielding a sword she would've probably gotten closer just to pinch her sweet little cheek. "But that aint gonna work for me. I plan on fighting the samurai my own way. Like only a shinobi without a village holding them back can. Besides, pretty sure there'll be a lot of folks joinin' up who would be real distracted by the temptation to stab me in the back. So regardless of what Mai thinks, I really oughta keep my distance."
Alright, a deal had been struck. Tsubaki got more comfortable as this became less of a lesson and more of a mutual arrangement to share knowledge. The former mist shinobi was never an excessively prideful one, but it really felt strange to be getting lessons from someone so young in swordsmanship of all things. This was her realm of expertise and had been for decades. That made this into a very humbling experience, forcing her to swallow what bit of pride she had left and learn whatever she could. This was one of the advantages to her 'freedom', right? May as well take full advantage of it.[break][break]
And she had to admit, this next demonstration was the most impressive yet. What she had seen so far were mostly just examples of fine swordsmanship, something that she was sure she could imitate with just a bit of practice. But this chakra shaping stuff was definitely something new for her. Even if it would take her a bit to get the hang of it, it would help to keep in mind that this was the sort of thing these samurai would be using against her in the future."Very awesome. Even against shinobi, being able to attack faster than someone could manage to perform their handseals...I can see how the Empire managed to take down Konoha all those years ago." Her hand came to rest on her hip as she eyed the gash in the tree. No doubt in her mind that such a maneuver could easily kill a man.[break][break]
Her eye turned back to the ruby haired swordswoman with a sharp snort of amusement. "If there's one thing samurai and shinobi have in common, it's a desire to kill their enemies as quickly and efficiently as possible. We just have different means of going about that. But there's a lot more than a 'cultural barrier' between us and them, if you ask me." After everything that happened, surely this war had become highly personal for a variety of reasons. Even now, it felt strange to think that there was a proper samurai on the same side as her. "Oto's pretty lucky to have your family's knowledge, though. Your folks happen to run a dojo by any chance?"
Her head tilted a bit as the Inuzuka stood up, letting out a soft sigh as she realized that soon she'd be alone again. No big deal, obviously. She had gotten used to the long stretches of solitude that came with this walk of life she found herself on. "Well if you happen to spot any of said armored creeps, lop their heads off for me." There were bound to be some scouts trying to slip behind enemy lines before the main force makes their move, which made it all the more important to keep on the watch and make sure these woods were clear. The less intel the enemy had, the better their odds.[break][break]
That frown really didn't suit Maki's face too well, did it? It felt like usually when something upset her she was more prone to snarl and growl like an angry dog than express any form of sadness or displeasure. So seeing her frown over the one eyed kunoichi's current state didn't quite set right. Not to mention that glimmer of genuine concern that tinted her features for a moment. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. While you guys are fighting on the front lines, I'll be slipping around back to see about distracting and cutting off any reinforcements. Maybe see if I can find a way to disrupt their flow of communication or something." As much as she loved the thrill of fighting on the front lines, she was unfortunately limited to the more sneaky stuff for now. Not exactly her specialty, but she should do fine if she's careful.[break][break]
Which was why she couldn't help but roll her eye a bit as Makoto told her that some dogs would be left behind to act as guards. Something that the other must have noticed, as before she even had a chance to protest the notion was smacked down. Tsubaki didn't have a choice, those dogs were sticking around. "...Fine. They can stay. But make sure they know I'm not gonna be able to fish up enough to feed all of em." She remained seated as she tossed the rest of her own fish into her mouth, chomping down on the bones in her usual fashion. It was hard enough to keep herself fed. But those greedy mutts of hers would've been a nightmare.[break][break]
The samurai hunter's shoulders relaxed a bit as she stared up at the familiar face, lips curling into a softer, fonder smile than usual. As frustrating as her little offering was, it was still nice to see another example of how deep her concerns went. "...Thanks, Maki. It was nice to catch up. You stay safe out there, alright? I'm not gonna be around to save your ass this time, so you better be as careful as a rabid mutt like you can be."
A soft snort escaped the one eyed shinobi as the 'samurai' revealed they hadn't seen Jigen-Ryu in person before. Which made sense, considering the girl's age. She was most certainly skilled and had remarkable talent to be so capable at such a young age, but there was no doubt a lack of experience here. One could only hope that wasn't the only reason she was able to maintain his air of innocence and joy. Too many times had she seen these bright eyed and bushy tailed sorts get beaten down by the harsh world around them. But maybe this one would be different.[break][break]
"Tell ya what. You've been pretty helpful to me here. Maybe sometime I'll return the favor and teach you about Jigen-Ryu. A shinobi can never have too many tricks, right?" It would've been kinda tough when she couldn't offer up any demonstrations or anything, but she would just have to figure all that stuff out when the time came. For now, she was content to sit back and soak up all these lessons. It would definitely serve as a primer for when she inevitably clashed against the samurai herself. By building up a foundation of knowledge, it would be much easier to analyze and adapt their techniques for her own personal use.[break][break]
And so she watched carefully, nodding slowly as she could see the chakra starting to form. "Right. Shape control is an important part of all ninjutsu. But...you don't even need to use hand seals for this, do you? Just...manipulating pure chakra." Her words mumbled more to herself than to her instructor as she quietly made note of all this. Not having to form hand seals to perform these techniques would be a real lifesaver considering her current situation. She was no stranger to treating her blade as an extension of her body. But to use that same line of thought to simply extend your chakra into the weapon, to shape it as naturally as one moves their own body. It all made perfect sense.[break][break]
The rogue shinobi took a step closer to get a better look, willingly entering striking range despite her previous caution. Her guard was far from being dropped, but at least she could be confident that this girl wasn't planning on turning violent any time soon. "Oh, I've already got some ideas for this..." Her own smile grew as she brought her gaze to meet the red heads. While the sound jonin's smile was that of an innocent lamb, Tsubaki's was more akin to hungry crocodile as she contemplated the various applications of such techniques. "Let's see what you've got, kid.
A quick glance was shot toward the beefy bear of a man as he approached, a soft snort escaping her as she shook her head. Seemed that dog boy didn't really feel like talking. Though from the brief bit of insight gained here, it seemed safe to say that smear on the ground used to be one of theirs. Damn shame, really. Though a kid like that shouldn't have been here in the first place, so she couldn't feel too bad for them. At least she died on her own instead of making a foolish mistake that would drag others down with her. And so she simply shrugged the interaction off as she finished tying the bandage to help stop the bleeding. It seemed like she had enough success that she didn't have to worry about the guy keeling over.[break][break]
Just in time for the rhino to come bursting from the smoke and for every shinobi in the area to immediately launch themselves at the beast. And she was no different. Her clone took a bit of a tumble from getting knocked off, but was fortunately spared from any significant impact, managing to catch itself as it was forced off and maintain it's shape. At this point, both the real deal and the clone charged forward along with the rest of the assault, each with their blades drawn and their eye focused on separate targets. Though their two pronged assault was quickly shifted as one of the chunnin attempted to shift its trajectory. Which, if everything worked out, would be to her benefit.[break][break]
The water clone would charge forward, letting out a hearty shout as she positioned herself to meet the rhino's charge head on. The blade was poised and ready to slip past the beast's horn and drive a blade straight between its eyes. While the decoy got in the creature's face, the woman herself would slip to one side, aiming to combine their opposing momentum into a single powerful strike to one of it's front legs. There were few things as satisfying as hitting a bit target with the old impromptu high low combo.
[attr="class","wassup1dangerfoot"]
[attr="class","wassup1dangertag"] @all
[attr="class","wassup1dangernotes"] Sent clone in to attack head on while she moved to one side and slashes at its legs
This wasn't the plan. She wasn't supposed to be working with a bunch of proper shinobi for this whole mess. She was supposed to be acting on her own, taking advantage of this moment to try and hinder the Empire's operations and potentially cause some chaos in their back lines. But when that red haired kid suggested that she register as a merc, it was hard to say no to the opportunity. Obviously she had considered it before but...Whatever. Now wasn't the time to be considering the past or any of that nonsense. Her lone eye was set toward the future; As well as that heavily armored samurai sitting so proudly atop of his noble steed while his men ravaged the village.[break][break]
The nukenin stood casually among the group, though there was a certain tension in her shoulders. All it took was one slip up and she could suddenly find her allies turn to enemies. It was always hard to tell how individuals felt about rogue ninja, especially considering one of them was a man she was quite familiar with from her old rival village. And yet there she stood, casually leaning against his broad shoulder as they took in the battlefield. Luckily for her, very few outside of the Mist were aware of her condition. Who would ever assume this crippled wanderer was Tsubaki Mizuno?[break][break]
Still, she had to be careful. Her usually wild hair had been tamed into a tight bun on the back of her head, something she hadn't been convinced to do in quite some time. Her face was covered by a generic oni mask she picked up from one of the local stalls, obscuring her features and all too recognizable facial tattoos. She maintained her usual loose style of clothing, allowing her to keep her bandaged right arm tucked away in her clothing. The front remained open, revealing her bound chest that both preserved her modesty and further disguised her shillouete. Hopefully this would be enough to keep from drawing too much attention.[break][break]
The mask would also hide her jagged teeth as he lips pulled back into a grin as the rest of the crew spoke. They really had a weird little crew gathered up here, didn't they? "Easy there, big man. I know this probably aint your style, but we can't just go chargin' in there." Her left arm came to rest on the sizable gourd of water hanging from her waist as she gave him a shrug. A quick glance was shot to the puddle of a man as well, her mind already cooking up the variety of ways he could be used. Hozuki were such a weird bunch. And finally her attention fell to their fearless leader, who was extra adorable as she did her best to remain calm and take leadership over a group containing two far more experienced shinobi. Still, she had confident that the kid knew what she was doing. "What's the plan, boss?"
”Oh you’re adorable.” Her hand reached out to pinch his cheek, giving it a bit of a tug if she managed to secure a grip on the younger shinobi. Suddenly the young man went from a blunt yet smooth talking creep to an innocent little boy that didn’t even understand basic expressions. She gave him an amused grin as she shook her head at him and leaned back against the tree to make herself more comfortable. A guppy is a type of fish. Real cute, tiny little things. Kinda like you.” Her hand remained reached out toward him, this time moving to brush a thumb along Mongke’s cheek.[break][break]
And then another voice caught her ear. Her brows rose as a soft chuckle escaped her lips. Her lone eye shifted toward the source, watching the direction from the corner of her eye. She wasn’t about to start searching for the source just yet, instead giving them a chance to fully reveal themselves. ”Though it seems like you’r enot the only little guppy I’ve hooked today.” Her hand comes back to rest in her lap as she pushed out a heavy sigh. So much for getting some alone time to relax after a day of hard work. ”I’m afraid I’m all out of bottles to chuck, stranger. So I suggest you show yourself before we’re forced to flush you out in a less friendly manner.”
