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"Alright… here's the plan," he began, as he motioned toward the bandit crouched beside them. "You'll run out there first, like you've just seen a ghost to get their attention. Make a scene, whatever it may be...just make sure it pulls all eyes on you."
He shifted his hand gesturing to the crumbled outer walls of the fortress. "While they're busy trying to figure out what happened to you, we'll split up. Airi, you and Sugari will circle to the left and scale the back wall. I'll take the right and we'll plant explosive tags at the top and detonate them at once. That'll take care of the tower guards and hopefully scare the rest into scrambling."
He glanced toward the thick black smoke rising from the center of the stronghold. "Once they're disoriented, we use the higher ground and rain down attacks from above. The courtyard'll be a kill zone and we'll pick off what's left."
Kuro turned to face the others. "Sound simple enough?"
Airi gave a quick nod, her fingers twitching near her pouch. Sugari smirked, rolling out his shoulders like he was just waiting for a reason to do something.
But the bandit hesitated. He looked like he was about to speak, but then stopped himself. Then finally he gained enough courage to say something. "Can't someone else do it?"
Kuro met his gaze. "No. You're the only one they won't attack on sight. Seeing you will lower their guard and that's what gives us the advantage." He kept his tone firm, leaving no room left for negotiation.
The bandit turned his gaze to the ground, biting his bottom lip hard enough that it almost drew blood. His throat bobbed as he held back whatever he really wanted to say. After a moment, he muttered through clenched teeth, "F-Fine... fine, I'll do it."
Before Kuro could say anything else, Sugari jumped in from the side. "But why go through all that?" he asked, crossing his arms as he raised a brow. "They're just a bunch of regular civilians with weapons. We could take them on and just rush in and handle it straight."
Kuro dragged a hand down his face with a quiet sigh. "And get ourselves killed," he muttered. He then looked back up. "Listen, I get where you're coming from, but think about it. This boss guy forced entire groups of bandits under him. That doesn't happen unless you've got serious power… or numbers."
He let the silence linger for a second before continuing. "Even if we're stronger, if they outnumber us badly enough, it won't matter. We're not jonin's to remind you...we're just genin's. If it's thirty guys rushing you from all sides, you're not walking out of that in one piece."
Sugari sighed. "Y-Yeah... I guess that makes sense," he said, more to himself than anyone else.
"Alright…" Kuro said, dusting off his hands and glancing around. "Let's move onto the next step."
His eyes scanned the area until they landed on a bush dotted with small, deep red berries tucked between jagged leaves. A slow grin stretched across his face. Without saying a word, he crouched and made his way over, brushing aside the branches and picking a handful of berries. The juice stained his fingers almost instantly.
He stood and walked back over to the bandit, holding the berries out in his open palm.
"Here...Use these to cover yourself."
The bandit blinked at the berries, then at Kuro. "I-Is that really necessary?"
Kuro didn't answer and just stood there with his hand out.
There was a short, uncomfortable silence. Then finally, the bandit groaned under his breath and snatched the berries from Kuro's hand.
Kuro tilted his head slightly. "Once you're done, you better give the performance of your life... or it might be the last one you get."
The man muttered something under his breath but didn't argue. He began rubbing the berries across his clothes, smearing the dark red juice over his arms, chest, and face. It soaked in quick, giving the illusion of dried blood.
When he was covered head to toe, he stood there for a second, breathing in and out through his nose, like he was mentally preparing himself.
Then, without looking back, he sprinted through the brush, crashing through the leaves and branches. His voice rang out seconds later, loud and panicking.
"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
He then turned to the two beside him. "Alright… time to move."
Both Airi and Sugari gave a quick nod, the tension in their shoulders melting into focus.
They then dashed out from behind the bush in one fluid motion. Airi and Sugari veered left, keeping close to the underbrush as they made their way toward the far end of the wall. Meanwhile, Kuro broke off to the right, darting from tree to tree to make it to his side of the wall.
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Kuro weaved through tree to tree, his feet tapping lightly against each branch before launching himself to the next.
While in midair, he reached into his inventory with a flick of his hand. A soft blue light pulsed in his right hand, flickering between the gaps of his fingers before shaping itself into a dagger.
Then with his left hand, he reached into the pouch strapped to his leg and pulled out three kunai. Each one had an explosive tag coiled around its hilt, sealed carefully earlier that day. He gripped them tightly between his fingers, the paper tags fluttering slightly from the wind.
The trees started to thin and with only one last tree in front of him, Kuro landed on the last branch before he launched himself out of the forest, kicking up dust and leaves behind him. His feet hit the grass clearing before he took off into a full sprint toward the worn down wall.
As he neared it, he pushed off the ground and jumped high with his arms tight at his sides as his momentum carried him toward the structure. His sandals scraped against the stone, but he stuck the landing and immediately started running up the side of the wall, pouring his chakra into the soles of his feet to keep him adhered.
Near the top, he bent his knees and jumped again, soaring briefly through the air before landing on the top of the fortress wall. His knees bent with the impact, absorbing the shock.
His eyes locked onto the guards ahead, but their focus wasn't on him but rather Timiwara.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the three kunai. They cut through the air in a perfect arc—landing in a tight cluster among the unsuspecting bandits. The second they touched down, there was a sharp hiss, followed by a thunderous boom.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The wall lit up with explosions.
Flames and smoke burst into the sky, and the screams that followed were short, cut off by a wave of heat and flying stone. The force of the blast sent chunks of the wall crumbling down, and blood sprayed across the stone.
From the opposite end of the fortress, another line of explosions ripped through the air, just as destructive. Another group of guards were sent flying as fire bloomed across the horizon.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" a voice bellowed from below, echoing out from the chaos.
Kuro then crouched low and turned his head to the left, his eyes narrowing.
Below him stretched a wide open yard. With red torn tents scattered across the clearing, most half-collapsed or patched with whatever cloth could be found. Campfires burned dimly between them, the smell of smoke and stale meat clinging to the air.
From every direction, bandits poured out from the tents, cloaked in the same red worn out outfits, with weapons in hand.
However Kuro didn't wait for them to attack instead from where he stood atop the wall, he hurled several kunai's each one wrapped with explosive tags tight around the hilt. The kunai spun in the air before piercing into the dirt and scattered around the red-worn tents of the enemy camp.
A moment later, the first explosion went off.
BOOM!
It lit the yard in a blinding flash followed by a harsh shockwave that rolled through the encampment.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
One by one, the remaining tags erupted in a chain of fire and smoke, tossing tents into the air and turning bodies into silhouettes before they dropped back to the ground in pieces.
BOOM!
"..AAAHHH—..."
BOOM!
"..AAUGHAHHH—..."
BOOM!
As the screams started, another row of explosions rang out from the opposite end of the courtyard.
'I'm out of explosive tags..' he grunted, before he then launched himself from the edge of the wall, landing hard with a roll before springing forward again into a sprint. His dagger was already in hand, glowing faintly in its crimson hue as he tore through the smoke-filled battlefield.
A bandit emerged from the haze to his right, swinging a scimitar wide. Kuro ducked low, pivoting on his back foot, and slid past him. As he passed, he dragged the blade of his dagger across the man's thigh, then sprang up and drove it into the back of his neck. The man collapsed without a sound.
Another charged from the side. Kuro spun, grabbing the man's arm to redirect his momentum and slammed his knee into the man's gut. As the bandit hunched forward, Kuro jammed the dagger up into his head and twisted until he fell.
"AAAHHH—" A third came screaming in with a spear, jabbing forward. Kuro sidestepped and slapped the spear aside, then leapt and drove both feet into the man's chest. They both crashed to the ground. However Kuro was the first one to get up. He then kicked the spear up into his hands and drove it straight through the man's chest.
Then in front of him two more came running at him.
As he raised he spear to throw it at them, a blur to his left caught his attention.
Sugari slammed into one of the bandits from the side, making the bandit stagger before he then threw an uppercut landing square with his jaw, snapping his back so far back that the man broke his neck.
Airi dropped down moments later, as she spun mid-air, launching a set of senbon into the neck and chest of the other bandit. Before the bandit could even cry out, she closed the gap and finished him off with a dagger jab to the throat.
Kuro yanked his dagger from the back of a downed bandit, flicking the blood from the blade. His eyes scanned the castle field as dozens of bodies laid still in the dirt, while tents were on fire, causing an even thicker smoke to climb higher into the sky.
He made his way over to Sugari and Airi, who were already regrouping near the center of the yard. "Good job," he said, sliding the dagger back into his pouch. "Now we just have to find the boss."
Sugari frowned, nudging one of the bodies with his foot. "Are you sure one of these guys isn't the boss?"
Kuro opened his mouth to respond, but Airi cut him off with a loud smack to the back of Sugari's head.
"Why would the boss be wearing red like the rest of them?" she snapped. "And if you were paying attention, you would know that this boss guy has puppets with him."
Sugari rubbed his head with a pout. "You didn't have to hit me... I was just asking."
"Then ask better questions next time," Airi muttered.
Kuro smiled moving his lips to speak before a chill crawled down his spine. The hairs on his arm stood up and his instincts screamed at him.
Then coming from behind Airi and Sugari, beyond the haze of fire and smoke, something massive flew forward a large puppet-like figure, it had eight long limbs bent at an awkward angle. One of its arms extended forward, the palm splitting open as a jagged blade snapped out, cutting through the air as it came down at Airi's neck.
Kuro didn't think as his legs moved before his mind could catch up.
"MOVE!"
Airi's breath hitched in her throat as her head turned slightly, catching the glint of metal in the corner of her eye. Time seemed to crawl, her voice barely pushing out a confused breath. "Hu—"
In the blink of an eye, the massive blade came inches from touching her neck.
Kuro lunged forward moving faster than she could register. Using both of his arms he pushed both Airi and Sugari, shoving them aside with just enough force to knock them out of harm's reach. He then brought up his dagger as he slid forward and raised it to meet the descending blade.
CLANG!
The impact sent a shockwave down Kuro's arm, and the ground beneath his feet cracked like a spider web. His teeth clenched together as his legs strained against the weight behind the swing. Sparks flew from the collision point as Kuro pushed forward, sliding his blade along the edge of the massive weapon until he was close enough. With a sudden burst of force, he lifted his leg and drove it straight into the puppet's chest.
The thing flew backward a few feet before hovering to a halt, its long arms twitching as if recalibrating.
It hovered a few inches off the ground, its robe billowing from the force of the wind. The cloak it wore looked torn at the ends, stained and weathered with age. But it wasn't the cloak that caught Kuro's attention, it was the skin beneath. Or rather, the lack of it. It had thin metallic arms extended from its sides, etched with intricate black lines that twisted in patterns like veins, forming tattoo-like designs across its entire body.
Its head was covered by a mask, a long and featureless except for two slanted slits where eyes should be. From those slits glowed a pair of piercing red eyes that didn't blink.
Kuro let out a low breath, taking a step back, as he raised his dagger.
Sugari landed beside him, his eyes wide as he held a mace in his hand.
"What the fuck is that?!" Sugari yelled, his eyes bouncing between the puppet and Kuro.
Airi stepped up beside Kuro, brushing the dirt off her shirt as if a giant blade hadn't nearly taken her head off. She gave Kuro a quick glance, before shifting her eyes back to the strange figure in front of them.
"Obviously a puppet, dumbass," she muttered, raising her twin daggers and leveling them at her chest.
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[ QUEST STARTED]
"Blood To be Spilled..." Quest has started.
Type: Urgent
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-QUEST INFO-
There are nearby enemies that intend to KILL the "PLAYER" Kill the foe and ensure your safety.
OBJECTIVE:
➤ Boss Of The Blood Ripper Gang
[0 / 1]
CAUTION: FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE QUEST WILL RESULT IN A YOUR HEART STOPPING OR WORSE.
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Kuro's eyes squinted the second the pop-up flickered in front of him. The corners of his brows pulled in, and a quiet groan echoed in his head.
'Ah, shit… here we go again.'
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