Mizujimo City

[Izanagi]

He wasn't surprised. Not entirely though the method by which that it happened did throw him for a loop in that moment. He'd expected as much from this man - his convenient technique met with an even more convenient counter-action. Had he...absorbed Hadou? That was a very interesting concept to him and one that had he the time to think on the matter, would have made the silhouette of Izanagi smile a bit at the implications of the possibilities. That is of course if he had the time to register that much of a reaction. The man's attention to detail was very specific - so the moment that the mass glow had started around him he would have worked to react in just that time. No stranger to split second decisions after many incursions with beings that favor the path of the quick and deadly, especially those of the Kingu variation - he had no certain clue what the glow was about...however he did know that glows in this place were not a good thing - a precursor to ruinous things to come and as such he did the quickest course of action that he could without invoking the power of the Takamagahara....which in this case - he wouldnt get as much aide from that junction in the first place anyway. One of the oldest seals that he had upon his body besides that of the one that binded him and Owari together - he'd formulated it during the waring ages in which he had to contest with the likes of Aukou and the Royal Uchiha; the Space/Time Mesh Aura: This seal was Utilized through two seals - one on the back of his right hand and one on the back of the left, marked time and space with several base seals and auxiliary surrounding seals that would respond and activate when chakra was focused to each. From this point the two function in conjunction with one another to distort and phase Izanagi's body out of this physical plain - quite similar to transparency ninjutsu or self-projected Kamui; however the difference with this one was as he was intangible he could still manipulate and project his body normally as he would to fly but when this aura was upon him his presence was not only projected but violently launched. In this case his direction of choice was upwards towards the ceiling - phasing straight through and out to the point that the explosion would not only be clear of him but he would be clear of the laboratory below. Once clear - he would be levitating there above, watching down below where the destruction had occurred while weaving a set of handseals and much unlike the man known as Izanagi...these seals actually were able to be visibly perceived. Certainly in the midst of the explosion with the combination of the Space/time aura (which made his body not only blurry due to the manipulation of the space around him but slightly transparent) he would have lost sight of the shadow - and Izanagi would set a handseal to his chest; unfamiliar to the world of men as it were native to Naraka. He couldnt help during this time wondering though, what must Shikki be...feeling in this moment? The Hadou was not merely some kind of chakra. He'd imagined if they got information from chakra, anything from chakra - then Hadou would be the opposite...for it was the manifestation of raw emotional energy in conjunction with spiritual energies, in this case tapping into his feelings of regret for Sappukei, the anger, the self-loathing for himself for being what got her in such a position. If data, was pure logic - and calculus then emotion in itself must be the opposite...humanity, the lack of logic in favor of feelings, denial of the brain in favor of the heart. Maybe if anything he got from it there would also be some semblance of...empathy for what he had done. But this was purely conjecture at the moment and not only had he no time for it, but it was a fleeting thought at best something that happened in the split second while forming the seals that perhaps -he'd toss out the window once all of this was said and done...perhaps not. By this point, it may not have been visible - but the Jigoku mites had ceased festering on his physical being and come to a conclusive action as to the situation at hand. Their negative yin/yang polarized liquid itself a ferromagnetic fluid - explaining why he was able to resist as much as he was, but now in reaction to the presence of just such precautions in place around him they would begin producing in mass...which meant that this shade - did not have very long. It would seem like nothing would happen at first - however keeping focus on the area that Shikki was in - there would be two things that were essentially off here. One - was that the ground beneath Shikki in about a fifteen foot circumference around him had what looked to be a seam in it...like a dividing nook where it was as if the ground was marked...or rather severed apart. And the next would be that - the Vajra that Izanagi kept with him all the time (one of the two) was there on the floor where Izanagi had been. Was Izanagi focusing on Shikki's position? Or on the Vajra itself? It was hard to tell from so high up being that the man was now about seventy-five yards above surface level however the answer would become clear in the moment as Shikki began to glow. The Vajra would act as if posessed - jumping forward in silence and all the subtlety that such a small ritual tool could - and when it reached a foot in front of Shikki (one of the two pointed ends facing him directly about sternum level) it would burst with life - a bright flash followed by the loud and violent crackling of golden lightning in the form of a blade, directed to pierce straight through Shikki's chest in an attempt to not only impale the man but riddle his body with what seemed to be a living lightning that would pour from the vajra and newly formed blade and envelop his body. This blade and lightning was manifest from the combination of the Hadou and Senjutsu heled within the Vajra, as it was composed of a material comprised of the bones of Willing Sanzou Monks that dedicated their body to the order in the unfortunate time of their death. The bones still held much of the Hadou of Life left within them as well as the Senjutsu and was a great catalyst for gathering such passively. The true purpose of Izanagi's vajra was to act as sword and shield in his time of need, though this was a purpose that had not been revealed to the world since his battle with Kuzuri ages ago. Had he been struck and impaled his body would be consumed by what would look like a small lightning storm restricted to a small rod - his body lit up and superheated at the same time by the powerful lightning that would threaten to char and burn his body to a crisp; unbeknownst to Izanagi at current that the markings on his body were actual living organisms - though it be thought that anything living would like not to be caught in the havoc that this rate of lightning would riddle the body with. Doubtless, motion beyond twitching and seizing had this struck would be an arduous feat on its own - and Izanagi was mainly counting on that to finish this in the case that it struck....otherwise avoiding the true focus of the attack would be a simple matter. The seams around Shikki that had formed were indeed some form of break in the ground...but not through destruction or other machination but through the jutsu that Izanagi had weaved the seals for. The vajra could be controlled and activated through Hadou Control - however his ocular focus upon the location that Shikki was at was to ensure that the target area was set. Directly after the vajra activated - from the ground around the man would rise what appeared to be a rather large maw of teeth...as if some disembodied creature of a sort had been summoned directly underneath him and sent in command to consume the man. This technique was a very old one - one of the first Oni Genbu that Izanagi had learned and had been known to have used upon an ancient Senju warlord known to have been a Cat Sage and summoned a giant scorpion. Last it was seen Izanagi - or rather in those days Kogaijii had used this very technique to consume the scorpion, and re-summon it under his control and thrall as his own as if creating a path through the teeth of the maw being left lodged within the creature. It was this that he had intended to do to Shikki. In short - the blade, as devestating a threat as it was - had been meant to cause massive damage. A rather violent and jarring sentence meant to be punctuated by the utilization of Jaws Of Mikaboshi to not only seal the man's fate...but potentially give Izanagi the ability to recall him afterwards in the case of a potential success; that way perhaps he could get the answers that he sought as well as provide those who were in need of aide from this new threat that seemed to be taking the world by siege with information to combat that crisis at hand. However Izanagi knew that nothing was ever concrete in a situation like this - especially himself. He was primed for whatever could have happened next, hands set open and facing one another ready to enter the Space/Time aura once more if need be - watching for the slightest change to react to. He'd adapt, and do what he could to learn what need be to combat the threat at hand.​

 

[Relaxology]

Five days before, Reiwa held no hope. Resigned to spend what little time she had left locked away in a cell. Eventually forgotten by those that had placed her there. Their questions unanswered, her purpose waning with each passing day. It had always been unclear to her what would happen to her the longer she remained silent. Their tactics had changed over time, even to the current day. This was kept in the front of her mind since the previous day. that day when all her hope had no longer been lost and her purpose had been renewed. The day she had seen Hiwa. Heard her calling out to her mother. Unable to respond, unable to touch the girl. Her heart had ached. Deep down to her soul the pain still lingered of her daughter so close yet so far away. Untouchable by her hands.

But not by theirs.

Wrenched away as she fought and clawed with every fiber of her being to get closer to the door she knew she would be unable to open that separated them. Unaware of what was done to her she was only next aware of being in another cell. This one was different, smaller. Not even large enough for the woman to stand. Not even really a room. It seemed more like a natural cave formation in the underground chambers they hadn't thought to bother with aside from a heavy door that barred so much as a view of the outside. In the near pitch black she had found a new set of clothes. Unaware in the dark, they were of Sozo colors though she would never understand why. Regardless of their purpose she donned them all the same, the clothes gifted to her previously ragged and torn from her fight to get to Hiwa.

Four days passed in darkness and silence broken only once a day. Blinded by even the dim lighting that flooded the small space she could do no more than shield her eyes as a tray was unceremoniously dropped into the cell. And the light was gone again. Bread, water. Each day, once a day. Her thoughts had flitted back to the various ways they had tried to pry information from her. Small acts of kindness. Simple chats. She could not shake their apparent favorite, however. Especially not now. With Hiwa somewhere within this place. With her locked away in this rocky hole while the torture chamber she had previously occupied no longer held her presence. Did it hold Hiwa now? Gritting her teeth she considered every mark on her own body. The marred skin that would never fade. The wounds so deep they had not yet healed and perhaps festered with her physical health fleeting each day. She wondered if Hiwa now how such marks upon her.

The mother that was Reiwa wished and prayed nothing of the like would befall the girl. The vengeful Sozo vowed to return each mark she found on the girl when she returned to her.

She wasn't certain how. Uncertain when. All Reiwa knew was that she would escape. She would reach Hiwa. And they would leave together. Whatever they had hoped to accomplish by showing her the child only served to ignite the dying spark with Reiwa. She would never have given them what they wished from her. But she would have accepted her fate nonetheless and allowed herself to slowly fade away in silence for the safety of her family. It had been a grave mistake on their part to share with her that they now held Hiwa as well. She would not accept that fate. She would not roll over and die while they put their dirty hands upon her child. And then the day came.

It had been four days since she had seen Hiwa. The rage in her had done nothing but grow. She considered her plans carefully, though it was difficult to plan much without even knowledge of what lie outside her door. Surely they would tempt her again. They would leave the door open long enough for her eyes to adjust to question her. Yet instead, the clanging of the door being unlocked and swinging on its old hinges did not greet her with questions nor with their meager offering of sustenance. Arms flying to her face, hiding from the light she could not yet bear. These limbs were grabbed, pulled upon and yanked as they dragged her across the rough bottom of the cell and brought her to her knees outside of it. The floor was smooth, cold. Eyes slowly adjusting she was unable to make out what it was made of before she was pulled back up to her feet.

More tugging, half blind eyes doing their best to gather what they could of her surroundings. Her sight was becoming more clear, but her eyes had stopped wandering the moment they spotted that familiar orange. Now split with black, it was unmistakable regardless. Her throat dry, no words having passed her lips in all these days, attempted to call out. Yet there was nothing but silence, her mouth simply forming the one word of the one meaning her life now had. 'Hiwa'.

Shoved from behind she nearly lost her footing, forced to begin walking forward. Blinking hard, opening her eyes wide and accepting in the light she assessed their situation. For whatever reason, these guards were escorting them somewhere. Perhaps to be questioned together. Perhaps they were walking to their deaths. The destination did not matter as once more, they had made the mistake of placing the child in her view. And she was no longer separated. No longer caged. Unable to turn her head due to the barking orders of the man behind her she was uncertain of her condition. But she was walking on her own. She was alive. And for now, it was all that mattered. In the haze she had spotted only large grey blobs, but it had been enough to know. There was a man directly behind her, then Hiwa, then another guard. Two stood before her. It seemed they walked in single file in the cramped underground area.

As her mind spun around the possibilities for her next act one more the world around her opened up the opportunity. Everything about them began to tremble, the rumbling clear as something close yet far enough away to not be of a concern to them that the roof above their heads would collapse in on them. However, it was enough to make their heads swivel, eyeing the direction of whatever the cause was. Feigning a stumble from the confusion. Falling forward into the man who couldn't be bothered to look at the frail woman. He couldn't have noticed with the angle of his head, off to the side and looking upward. Her knee coming up as her hands reached out. In seconds her hands held the grip of his sword. As if a single motion blade was forced from its sheathe and her knee gave her weight to him. Pushing him into the guard before him she had used the momentum to swing her weight back. Sword arcing in the air, hands still on the grip backward and holding the blade facing her way. Landing solidly on two feet she forced the steel back into the man behind her, turning her body as her hands readjusted, pulling the blade off to the side. Using this the man should have followed the force of the blade, pushing his body off to the left side of the hallway.

Rushing to close the short distance she pushed Hiwa against the wall, brandishing the stolen sword against the remaining guards. The look in her eyes was wild, something they would be wholly unfamiliar with after the time she had spent there.

"We are leaving the place. Which one of you dares to think you can stop us?"​

 

[Yozu]

"Man seeks peace, yet at the same time yearning for war… Those are the two realms belonging solely to man. Thinking of peace whilst spilling blood is something that only humans could do. They’re two sides of the same coin… to protect something… another must be sacrificed"

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Azu would have continued her path onward, East. It wouldn't be long before they would reach their destination. Given the small landscape that the Land of Darkness is, the City known as Mizujimo City would soon be in their sight, Yozu had many things at her disposal to help locate fellow Konoha Shinobi/kunoichi. Due to having lived her entire life inside Konoha she is easily able to tell apart Konoha, Civilian and "possible threat",. Possible threat would reveal themselves as any creature or person capable of molding chakra. Yozu Uchiha is a very blunt and prideful woman, she likes to pride herself on her Master of her Wood Release, ironically the Senju Signature technique.

As they continued to walk onward into the dense forest. Yozu would seem to know exactly where to go, this was due to with each step she took seeds would release from her finger tips. The seeds would then grow roots that would connect with the surrounding trees, shrubs, mushrooms, anything that was available to reach and the seeds would relay the surroundings, almost as if she was taking knowledge from the trees themselves, absolute knowledge. For this case, the City's direction.


They city now within sight of the two. The moment the City presented itself, Yozu Uchiha would have knelt down and placed a seedling deep into the ground. The seedling would spread its roots to flowers, more trees, anything with vines/roots. This would be Yozu's sensory technique, her all-seeing-eye. With her right eye closed, it would appear that she was looking through the bases of flowers, trees branches/leafs/fruit in an attempt to search out the VIPs

Yozu would have changed her methods of sensing, rather than sensing for Konoha signatures, she would attempt to sense out the Sozo chakra, as that would be an easier direction to go with. However, there was one piece of land within Mizujimo City that was inaccessible even to Yozu's wood release. There was to theories behind this.

Theory 1; a Chakra blocker, designed to stop scouting

Theory 2; an underground section of the city physically blocking the roots from reaching further/inside

Yozu turned her head to Keiwa and spoke, her voice was plain, simple and straight to the point.

"I may have found us a lead. My sensing technique prevents me from entering the Northan Quadrant of Mizujimo City, it could be a blocker, or something used to contain our VIPS. I'd like to investigate this area. It could hold our VIPS or it could be a bust."

With that, Yozu Uchiha would have placed a seedling down into the ground again, next to the one that had sprouted outward, this one was a spring trap clone. it would be a clone of Yozu Uchiha should any creature with a mass amount of chakra approach the location or attempt to disrupt the seedling.

Azu would begin to walk toward Mizujimo City's centre in order to search out this underground blockage.

 

[Kami Shia]

Keiwa continued to follow Yozu in disguise, as they progressed he began to notice she was dropping seedlings which grew out of the ground into small plants. He wondered what she was planning, despite whatever technique she was using the chakra used was miniscule and barely sensible. However he wondered if someone would actually follow the random trail of flowers. He assumed she was trying to expand her sensory range. While Azu(Yozu) used her long range sensory techniques Hashito(Keiwa) would focus on the area surrounding them making sure no one would approach undetected. He knew he wouldn’t be able to do this mission alone; Keiwa was thankful he was able to come along. Having a chance to redeem himself from the chunin exams and save Rei Rei and Hiwa, the young Sozo was determined to succeed in this mission.

Keiwa’s was pleased to hear that Yozu possibly found a lead “Something is better nothing we should get moving before someone spots us.” The young man responded calmly just before Yozu created a clone of actual self. “Hmph” the young man was impressed by the style of clone she used, he figured she created an undisguised clone of herself to act as a decoy, the young man would continue to follow Yozu it was obvious she had better tracking skills.​

 

[Yozu]

"Man seeks peace, yet at the same time yearning for war… Those are the two realms belonging solely to man. Thinking of peace whilst spilling blood is something that only humans could do. They’re two sides of the same coin… to protect something… another must be sacrificed"

Their destination was set, they was to head to the Northan quadrant of Mizujimo City, their aim was to find the entrance to this underground lab, make contact with the VIPs and return them home. it was simple and yet so far nothing posed a threat to their mission. Yozu had effectively "hijacked" the plant base substances and trees by connecting her seedling to the roots of every tree, every piece of grass and flower, in theory she could close her eyes and she would see what they see/sense. Nature becoming a true ally to Yozu Uchiha in her Azu form, the blistering cold winds causing no reaction ontop of Yozu's lips or face. Given her the nature of the shinobi, her very own body heat seemed to surpass an adverage human being. This could be due to her affinity with Fire Release a natural burning fire inside of Yozu also keeping her internally warm from this blistering cold winds

Assuming that Keiwa would be following her from behind, she would have reached the Northan Quadrant of Mizujimo City in mere seconds. Her body looking like it isn't moving, but that is just her blinding speeds, disappearing from rooftop to rooftop, this was one of Yozu's mode of transportations within hostile territory. It's a simple technique that revolves around projectile force, it allowed her to maintain the illusion of her being perfectly still, yet moving, having trained with many felines in her lifetime, the Neko Clan, call this technique the "Cat Leap", making no noise, using the muscles in the soles of ones feet to force themselves in the direction they wish to go. Much like a Cat itself, Yozu Uchiha had gained many things from her time training with the Neko Clan. A varies of cat like features and tendancies came with this, rituals, clan initiations all something Yozu took part in to bringing the Neko Clan closer to the Uchiha clan. This in turn heightened all of Yozu's other senses, her smell, even further enhanced sight, hearing and sense of touch. Yozu did keep her speed to that of atleast Chuunin level speed for Keiwa to keep her within his sights, this allowed her a moment to scout out the location where her seedlings where unable to reach.

It didn't take Yozu long to notice.. a small.. yet strange occurrence within the Land of Darkness's Mizujimo City.. the Lights where still on. People where 'cheering' Something was off and Yozu would find the cause of this.. maybe this has something to do with the attack on Konoha she just witnessed.

Yozu was now on the rooftop of a building that hovers right above this un-registered area.. in actuality the sub lab would be right in the ground beneath her..

Now.. Yozu Uchiha had one of two options..

Option one: Blast her way down and in at the risk of it being the wrong location.

Option two; attempt to find the way inside.

Yozu didn't speak a word, her mind was analysing every situation, every outcome, every pro, every con. She would take a deep breath, the cold air exhaling from her mouth as she took the moment to creep down, not making a single sound, even the very snow beneath her feet not squelching behind her weight, thanks to her light footed Cat technique, she would place her finger down in the snow and wiggle her finger around, she would with the flick of her wrist, release a wooden ivy from her finger tip, it carried the same width as her finger and to which she would attempt to burrow down, if the Ivy could breach the sublab, perhaps she could learn something even if it was only the fact something is underneath her. This Ivy would burrow down without making a noise. Its outer skin coated with a layer of Yozu Uchiha's chakra that allowed it to breach thin sheets of metal, should she find resistance in higher thicker metal she would only apply more chakra to break through it.

During this. Yozu would have her right eye closed the entire time, thanks to her mapping out the entire of Mizujimo City, the trees would be able to notify her if she is to expect company, way before it even would arrive.. Should the Ivy breach into a sublab, the Ivy would release a continuous pulsating charge of Lightning, the charge of lightning itself would prove harmless to the men and woman under. However would cause all electronics to scramble. In an attempt to cause commotion down under.

She would turn to Keiwa assuming he would be standing next to her, following, she had whispered to him.

"Keiwa, remember we are in hostile territory.. if you are met with hostility and I'm not around, run for my Seedling that I placed on that hill top. It will activate once it senses your chakra and will defend you. I have no idea what could happen here.. but, I know this will be hard for you, given your beliefs as a Sozo. You may need to kill, should you be met with aggression. Should we find the VIPs. I will be the distraction, I'll leave an opening for you to search for cell blocks. Now I can't promise all of them are going to come to me. So be prepared. "

Yozu Uchiha pulled out a scroll from within her shinobi pouch, it contained a formula designed by Ketsugo Uzumaki, capable of dispelling Seals that'd bind someone to a location, keep them silent, stop them from moving and remove any tracking devices.

The Breach was about to begin.

 

[Relaxology]

Though only seconds had passed, those that surrounded her seemed frozen and had not yet reacted to her killing of the one guard. The one she had shoved still splayed on the ground, body atop the one she had pushed him into. Perhaps frozen with shock by the sudden life she had suddenly shown after so much time spent as a blank slate. Their inaction was perfect. She had no intention to kill them all. The child pressed against her back was all she sought to gain and with their current situation she could perhaps get them out of the area without harm to another one of the guards. It was only a healer's instinct. Simply soldiers on the the wrong end of her sword. Not the most ethical of people yet even so. Most did not see themselves as evil or as the bad person; they simply did what they believed was right, even if sometimes it made them question their true mission. No. As long as they sat in their stupor, they had no more to fear from the woman.

Like a flash the sudden burst of a recognized chakra filled her senses. Though she could not quite place who it belonged to, it was certainly an Uchiha. It was somewhat surprising yet even still, she knew this person from some sort of brief contact if she could recognize their chakra. Perhaps a patient or someone she had met in the village. The village....

How long had she been gone now that they had just sent people after her? Or worse yet...how many had been sent that had fallen before reaching thus far? Clenching her fists she tried to calm herself, focusing on the signature and attempting to hone in on its location. It didn't seem quite strong enough to be coming from the person themselves but a marker or something of that nature. If that was the case, regardless, it was the only direction she had to go off of to get out of the maze of underground system. Before they could come to their senses and react, Reiwa planned to be well gone and away from the guards around them. Grabbing hold of Hiwa's hand she began to pull her along.

It had been so obvious yet she had refused to see.

Hiwa had done nothing. Said nothing. She had considered that Hiwa's surprise was greater than her own, leaving her speechless. Maybe they had done something to her that had left her unresponsive. Reiwa should had known better. Nothing they could have done to her would have left her daughter as such a hollow shell. Especially not in the presence of her mother after all this time. She had not wanted to see these simple facts and had allowed this...fake, not only life, but her protection. Hand recoiling from the clone's in disgust she could only stare at the familiar face. Almost perfect. Her chakra signature. Her face. Everything about her matched but one simple fact stood out; the fake lacked fingernails. they had not been forcibly removed. Reiwa knew all too well how this felt. The creature simply lacked any at all, "born" without them.

The rage born in that moment was almost too much to process. As if every cell in her body had lit up at once she felt the adrenaline that made people capable of even the most tremendous feats imaginable. The rage that swelled within her focused on the false child before her. Wanting nothing more than to take it out. To leave its corpse to rot with the man she had struck down to protect it. Sword lashing out she struck first for the man who had stumbled onto his backside, unresponsive to the situation unfolding before him. Moments before Reiwa had not longer been a threat to anyone in the area. This simple fact was no longer a truth. Blade simply digging into his throat she pulled away, a scream of anguish leaving her as the man behind her began to drown in his own blood from her simple strike.

Sword nothing but a bright flash in their eyes, the two before her were struck down just as quickly. A rapid and deep cut to each of their throats, leaving them unable to speak. Leaving them unable to do anything but suffer. Nothing more than Reiwa was capable of now. Bright eyes turning to the clone behind her she breathed deeply, raising her blade once more before dropping down to the floor. Crouched down she screamed into her hands. So close. So close and it wasn't enough.

As much as she wanted to end the abomination she could still think clearly enough to know its worth. Such a perfect clone. It would be connected to Hiwa enough to locate her. She needed it alive. Gritting her teeth she grabbed its hand once more, leading it toward the chakra signature she had picked up. The faces of those she had seen since her arrival flashed through her mind. Sympathy for their ideals no longer resided within her. They deserved a painful death and nothing more, and the next to approach her would meet the same fate as the unfortunate soul she had left to bleed out in the hallway behind her. Looking around her she found the sensation was stronger. This was the correct way. Closing her eyes in focus she concentrated on the exact location, closer than before, as her own chakra began to fill the space around her.

"I will find Hiwa, even if it kills me."​

 

[Kami Shia]

Keeping up with the Goddess Uchiha as they raced across the rooftops Keiwa would notice Yozu’s movements allowed her to move swiftly without wasting any chakra. Keiwa was having fun pushing himself, he was taking this very moment in as another training lesson. The young shinobi loved to use his shinobi skills to do parkour in his free time, running across rooftops was a norm for him. The young shinobi focused on the task at hand and the two would eventually come to a stop on a rooftop. Kei listened closely as Yozu whispered to him, he prepared himself quickly for whatever the Uchiha had in mind. At this time Keiwa didn’t know what to expect from Yozu but he figured she knew what she was doing.

Keiwa nodded his head yes confirming he comprehended what was said. However even though he was a Sozo, Keiwa was different. He became a shinobi knowing what he was getting into, the young Sozo had already accepted the fact that he might have to take the life of another shinobi for the sake of his own; Keiwa was not willing to be too naive to risk his own life. Yozu pulled out a scroll which had yet to be used. The young man wondered what its usage would be.​

 

[Kami]

Exploring enemy territory undoubtedly came along with expected, yet unprecedented dangers and scenarios, especially pertaining to infiltration and data collection. Even the slightest mistake could lead to a series of downward spiraling life threatening events. One misstep could result in failure for an entire mission. Every decision mattered, and every action had an equal effect in return. For starters, the lands where the infiltrating shinobi and kunoichi had originated from, had a relatively established history with this particular area. Not only had they managing a successful kidnapping of multiple citizens from Land of Fire, but also the ability of remaining elusive to the country as a whole served just to show how evasive, well hidden, and protected the individuals in this part of the world were. This however, was to certainly be expected in an area steeped in black market deals, connections, and crime. Wildly entering without a definite plan, no leads, and lack of proper concealment would certainly be asking for issues - and issues would certainly arrive.

The first issue that had been made, had been the failure to properly conceal not only one, but both presences of the invading individuals. Not only that, but the continuous usage of ninjutsu leaving a trail, which would ironically be used to pinpoint and track the two despite the kunoichi herself doing it for her own benefit. They stood out plain as day, despite the winter kissed and snow bitten area seeming desolate and barren, it had been anything but unsupervised. Even if they had however, completely concealed their presence and altered their appearance, they would certainly still remain in plain sight. This, in accord with the low sitting rooftops in the area, only made the two stand out like a sore thumb, yet to them however, it would certainly appear the area had been unoccupied thus far to begin with. Concealed throughout the brunt of the snow, amidst the burning abrasive sheering cold gales that ravaged the area, had been a multitude of spherical reflective surfaces scattered about. The natural metallic reflective nature of them blended seamlessly amidst the white wonderland.

Meanwhile quite a bit of a ways away, a slim man of a notable stature clothed in an all black blazer over a white turtle neck reclined in an oversized chair which seemed to soundlessly hover in place. His legs kicked up on a blank holographic like board, with his head laid back and his silken slicked back purple hair giving in to gravity, reaching towards the ground as he relaxed with both of his eyes closed. Despite his eyes being closed, an ominous blue hued glow seemed to seep from under his eyelids. His thoughts speaking for where his mouth failed to.

"Quite an eventful day I see...I could use a bit of entertainment anyways..."​

A rather cynical smile spreading across the lower portion of his unnaturally expressive visage as he cast his gaze upon a childlike figure devoid of all definition in the light, and possibly a major individual of interest.

~Back to the location of the two invading shinobi from Land of fire~​

Using the prowess of her kekkei genkai, the woman would certainly find herself breaching into the thickened walls of the iron metallic room she had came into contact with by means of her burrowing tendrils. In fact, the walls had caved and split with relative ease, almost too easy in fact to say it's composition should have been far more sturdy and resilient. Not a sound made in response the the attempted prying, purposeful. It could certainly be an testament attributing to the woman's power and skill in the utilization of her craft, and had she had been using this tendril to achieve a form of visual clearance and communication, she certainly would find what appeared to be a laboratory full of rather shady individuals gathered around an elongated rectangular table. Yet, from the lighting itself the only thing that could be clearly seen in the dimly lit environment was a total of six hooded men. Their conversation rather hazy and choppy, and their silhouetted appearance seeming to waver and sway every now and then merging into the darker areas of the room.

"Land of-. Captiv-. Next Chamber."​

Exactly what was going on, and would the kunoichi and her aid be able to decipher the occurrences? Was this possibly the biggest hint they had received thus far? And if so, how would the two proceed.

~Reiwa's Location~
​

In the woman's rage and uncapped fury, she had managed to slay quite a notable number of men before the area fell silent. Or so one would have thought, if listened to intently, the footsteps of distant soldiers could be heard proceeding calmly down the hall, and with them, a childlike figure with metallic neon skin in shades of blue and pink.

 

[Yozu]

"Man seeks peace, yet at the same time yearning for war… Those are the two realms belonging solely to man. Thinking of peace whilst spilling blood is something that only humans could do. They’re two sides of the same coin… to protect something… another must be sacrificed"

With the tendril of wood breaching the underground compound, the Uchiha was able to pinpoint two things, a reflective chakra that could be identified as Reiwa and Hiwa, their VIPS where located here.. but where in the underground compound would they be. Yozu's wooden vines that she used to locate this place would now be ready for its siege. Yozu Uchiha stood up and at the moment she did. The very ground beneath her feet began to shake violently and tremble. What could be going on?

The Roots and vines Yozu used to even find this place had fully matured in the short time she was hear, feeding off the life force of other plants and the very moisture in the air and ground to further grow, with the flick of Yozu's thumb, the very wooden tendrils began to tear out the ground, causing the ground to tear and rip from the power of her roots, the roots themselves held the strength and power to rip though anything given the time they had to prepare and grow, the very wooden roots tore open the ground, almost what could be seem like she was splitting the earth itself, however. this was the pure power of Yozu Uchiha's Wood Release. The Wood began to tunnel its way forward, coming out of the ground and going back in, leaving behind a rippling effect in the ground between her wood and the very earth. The Wooden Roots would slam themselves into the entire metallic frame of the sub lab, of course, this meant the entire of Mizujimo City's plants, roots and forests would all be fixated on puncturing the very sub lab that they had identified. Of course given the fact the roots had grown outward without any chakra input, the only chakra required for this attack would be the manipulation. That is where her clone came into play, the clone she planted earlier right next to the very seed that had now grown into a single manchineel tree, the very clone underground acting as the hive mind for Yozu's attack on the sub lab.

With each tendril that grew, it spew out from its very tip a manchineel wooden Clone of Yozu Uchiha, with the wooden tendrils puncturing the underground surfaces with ease after several punctures into the very compound itself, once the roots had breached, they would attempt to connect themselves to different surfaces inside of the sub lab, each tendril producing a Yozu Uchiha Clone, with each tendril that punctured the underground Lab, Yozu had aimed one where she had located the chakra of Reiwa, Hiwa ... and an unidentified chakra source? having breached the sub lab, Yozu had it aimed to cut off the chakra source from the two VIPs, at the same time blocking Reiwa from pushing forward, yet at the same time guiding her in the direction that would lead her closer to Yozu and Keiwa, from what Yozu could tell with her sensory she had found the main labs hub, at the very same time the tendrils began their siege, the very wooden tendril Yozu had placed from her finger would began to corrode the metal around them, using the liquid from the same manchineel liquid enhanced by Yozu's very own toxic chakra, began to burn through the metal like cotton candy in water.

Yozu had turned to Keiwa and spoke.

"Keiwa, I'm going to go inside, look for Reiwa and Hiwa, you need to do the same, copy? if you find them head toward one of my Clones. They will guide you and the VIP to safety."

with that, the very ground beneath Yozu began to crumble and she jumped down the same hole made by the acidic wood that burned the hole. Having landed directly in the sublab, the very sublab was shaking violently, Yozu Uchiha's finger tips began to grow with three wooden senbon, to which she threw toward the shady individuals, while pushing forward herself, her own three tomoe sharingan activated should they have turned to her, they would be under the gaze of her Sharingan and subjected to her own will, should they have not been punctured in the skull by her wooden senbons, as mere grunts they would have been disposed off easily with the pure might behind Yozu's wooden senbon.

With the original now inside, the wooden clones began to pour out of the tendrils, one by one. Having produced a total of 6 clones, for now. The Clones began to head off in each corridor, each direction, each turning of the lab, in hopes to find Reiwa quicker and more effectivly. While her Clones where off searching, she sent off a coded message to Ketsugo Uzumaki. The messaged reads as followed

"The Land of Darkness holds light, electricity and joy in their hearts. Once the VIPs are secured and home, I'm going to have a Clone investigate further into why everything here still functions despite everything that has happened"

With that, Yozu made sure that a singular Clone follow Keiwa from behind and watch over him during this assault.

The wooden tendrils held a unique substance to them as this wood is from the manchineel tree, their wood extremely durable and "bleed" acidic compounds capable of slowly burning human flesh to the bone, it also used that same acidic compound to rapidly grow itself and regenerate should it be cut/destroyed at the roots

The Siege is underway of the Sub lab is underway.

 

[Kami Shia]

Keiwa nodded his head yes confirming he comprehended what was said. However even though he was a Sozo, Keiwa was different. He became a shinobi knowing what he was getting into, the young Sozo had already accepted the fact that he might have to take the life of another shinobi for the sake of his own; Keiwa was not willing to be too naive to risk his own life. Yozu pulled out a scroll which had yet to be used. The young man wondered what its usage would be.

Feeling the ground quake beneath his feet as hole was plunged into the ground below, Yozu had created an entrance for them to go find their ViPs. “Hmph” the young man let out a sound he reached for his hand back like he was grabbing for a weapon. A small smoke like cloud would burst around the young man as the bag on his back turned into a Three Bladed Shuriken.

“Copy”

Keiwa confirmed that he was following orders closely and carefully. As they descended into the hidden lab, Kei noticed multiple chakra signatures disappear quickly; he would chase down those multiple disappearances. Channeling chakra through the souls of his feet changing its nature to wind, Keiwa swiftly glided through the halls, hunting down two surviving chakra signatures, he could sense Sozo chakra easily. Keeping his guard up he noticed two men heading in the same direction, however his wind skate also allowed his movement to be muffled so he'd launch a stealthy attack. Leaping upward with a silent wind step and forming the tiger seal, Keiwa quickly channeled and carefully monitored his chakra as he threw a right left combo as two Abundant Flame Fist projected from his fist. Clearing the way temporarily if the fire fist connected, the young man would proceed to the vip.