Moving just shy of a hundred shinobi stealthily was a logistical nightmare. Positioning them around an enemy territory in the dead of night with purposefully limited lighting while avoiding the constant risk of detection was a hellish experience.
“This is itchy!” Rikku said in frustration as she pulled on the collar of her undervest.
She was wearing the shinobi gear with the flak jacket and a fully-equipped weapon cache strapped to her in pouch...
2023-12-15 20:10:30 +0000 UTC
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In the building designated as the ‘War Room,’ Toridasu and Shirakumo, along with one of their chunin each sat with Benzou and two of his Hidden Steam chunin. The meeting was to finalize the responsibilities of the teams for the Gojiro gold mines operation. Finding the right people to execute the operation was just as important as planning it.
“These are the recommendations from our side,” Shirakumo said to Benzou, sitting opposite him on the large ...
2023-12-13 11:49:20 +0000 UTC
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Hello, people,
I haven't been doing well for the past two weeks which has affected my writing. Half of it is a stretch of bad health and the other half is not being able to decide how to put together the gold mine operation— I know what to write, but I'm having some trouble deciding how to present it.
By no means should this be considered my normal release speed. This is just two bad things stacking atop each other and causing an amplified problem. I will b...
2023-12-06 10:33:58 +0000 UTC
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Fourteen teams gathered in the town hall of Camp Banana. The building wasn’t meant to handle fifty people, much less the over ninety crammed into that hall. Only a few secured actual chairs, more sat on the floor, but most barely had enough space to stand comfortably. But they had to, as the town hall was the largest building, and it was raining buckets outside.
Takuma stood somewhere in the back, leaning against a pillar. As they had arrived separately, the team...
2023-12-02 22:53:45 +0000 UTC
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Hiruzen and Danzo faced each other on the outskirts of the town. Danzo’s clothes were in tatters, his skin was singed, and his hair was frizzled from the fire. Hiruzen looked down on him, looking ready to strike at the moment’s notice.
“Surrender, Danzo,” Hiruzen said.
Danzo’s body was hunched; his chest heaved as he stared at Hiruzen. He scoffed and stood straighter with a grimace on his face.
“You know better than any...
2023-11-28 20:52:01 +0000 UTC
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As Hiruzen took a step to push off the ground to dart toward Hiruzen, multiple ROOT-nin appeared from within the walls. Unfazed, Hiruzen ignored them all, aware of their presence all along. They had a Hyuga and a sensory-nin; an ambush was nigh impossible.
He was only focused on Danzo, leaving everything else to his ANBU-guard.
Hiruzen raised his bo-staff over his head and swung it down at Danzo, who calmly raised his cane and struck the bo-staff f...
2023-11-23 02:52:22 +0000 UTC
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With Enma, back in his bo-staff form, on his shoulder, Hiruzen led the group through the bunker. There were a few traps that Hiruzen crushed on first notice, but no more ROOT-nin popped up to stop him.
Hiruzen could tell that it was time for him to meet Danzo.
“Don’t forget my words,” he reminded his guard.
They soon reached the core of the large underground bunker, where both the Hyuga and the sensory-nin in the group inform...
2023-11-20 17:46:35 +0000 UTC
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Nearly a month ago…
Scarlett closed the door behind her and winced when she heard the glass vase shatter against the door.
This was not how she thought she would be spending her days after contracting her first Familiar. The dreams of nurturing a supportive and nurturing partnership had shattered when she saw a man of her age dressed in strange clothes standing in the summoning circle.
“He’s still inconsolable?”
Scarlett looked up to see a m...
2023-11-19 00:07:44 +0000 UTC
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Under the cover of night, Hiruzen stood in front of the gratings that blocked off the entrance to the sewer system of a city not far from the Hidden Leaf.
“They have built a base in the sewers?” he asked.
“Yes, Lord Hokage,” answered one of the ANBU-nin beside him.
“I shouldn’t be surprised,” said Hiruzen, gazing into the darkness his eyes couldn’t peer through, “but I assumed he would choose a nicer base for his ...
2023-11-17 20:37:41 +0000 UTC
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Palpable tension was something Anko had long grown used to in her life; she had been part of many a mission where a lot more than a wad of cash was at stake. Worrying about upcoming missions, spending days reviewing the briefs, and thinking if her team for the mission would scheme to secretly get rid of her because of her association with the snake traitor—that was all a regular part of her life.
But now she found herself leading a team on a mission where a lot m...
2023-11-15 19:06:04 +0000 UTC
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In the early morning, with dew still fresh on leaves and mist lingering in the air, Takuma stood in the small farm field that had been overtaken by weeds from the lack of care. Slowly and deliberately, he practiced his hook kick. But his body moved on its own as his mind was elsewhere.
Yesterday, he had received Maruboshi’s letter and had found the earth-shattering news.
The Uchiha Clan had accused Shimura Danzo of Bloodline Theft.
2023-11-14 15:51:56 +0000 UTC
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“I can die?”
That sounded needlessly ominous to Takuma, but the surprise lasted only a few seconds. There were a hundred different things that could kill him, and there were plenty of shinobi who knew how to mask their chakra.
“How so?” he asked.
“Are you aware of chakra exhaustion?” asked Daiki.
“When a shinobi uses up all of their chakra… which leads to death. Does that have something to do with t...
2023-11-12 18:25:52 +0000 UTC
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Dear Teacher,
I hope this letter finds you in good health.
My journey to Camp Banana went smoothly bar one incident that showed me the true ugliness of the war. I was so wrapped up in the thoughts of danger I would face and the accomplishments I might achieve that I shamefully forgot the pain and suffering that war causes to people, the true victims, who want no part of it.
Perhaps for the first time,...
2023-11-09 15:01:22 +0000 UTC
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For some reason, Takuma always thought that a gold mine would be a deep cave that was being excavated for its precious natural resource. The reason was his ignorance. What lay in front of him was a ginormous pit that spanned wide and deep with dozens upon dozens of mines with a complex system of rails connecting them.
“How many years did it take to dig this pit?” he uttered in astonishment.
“Not long, I presume. Shinobi use chakra and explosi...
2023-11-06 19:51:53 +0000 UTC
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I was having trouble with the planning for The Outsider's Resolve, so I did the two things I do when I find myself staring at a blank screen for an extended period of time— Read and Write
(Yes, I write when I can't write, bite me)
I started reading some easy to digest web fiction to freshen up my mind. I ended up in the Otome Game/Novel genre for a while and then I ended up seeing a clip from the [Familiar of Zero] on YT— s...
2023-11-05 10:29:29 +0000 UTC
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Anko asked the team to stop a kilometer away from the first scout hideout.
“Why did we stop?” asked Iori.
“It’s a concealed post. They have a clear view of their target location, but that goes the other way around as well— we have to ensure it’s safe to approach the post and we aren’t compromising their cover and location.” Anko turned to Takuma. “Send a message to them.”
Takuma nodded. He set his backpack on th...
2023-11-04 13:56:09 +0000 UTC
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Takuma checked his gear for the nth time before sighing as he leaned against the large earthen wall constructed from ninjutsu surrounding the village.
“It’s assuming to see you this way, Takuma. I didn’t take you to expect for you to be the type who gets nervous before a mission,” said Daiki, standing beside Takuma. He was similarly outfitted in combat-ready gear.
Of course, he was nervous. He was in an unfamiliar location, accompanying a t...
2023-11-01 16:04:16 +0000 UTC
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First of all,
HAPPY HALLOWEEN [It's already October 31 in my part of the world.]
Get your spook on, lol.
Hello dear people,
So, for the weekly three chapter set, I haven't completed a single one. I took my usual two days after the third chapter and then something happened which made my leave my house for two additional days– long days and tiring travel– as such, I wasn't able to write or plan or think what I would write this ...
2023-10-30 21:00:17 +0000 UTC
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Iori was in the best condition she had in a while. She had woken up completely awake without a hint of fatigue, and the delightful shower she had taken afterward had freshened her up like a spring flower. Even the rain, which brought along the miserable humidity, couldn’t bring her mood down.
“Kameko! Rikku! We are going to be late if we don’t leave now!” Iori shouted from the kitchen as she removed the large stock pot filled to the brim with boiling water ...
2023-10-26 08:58:16 +0000 UTC
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Rikku frowned as the boy in front of her stepped in close. It was a stupid move, and she punished him by punching him in the shoulder. Surprisingly, Takuma didn’t seem to be affected and kicked her knee.
She quickly caught herself before she could go off-balance and dug a punch into his side. She saw the flinch on his face, which meant he did feel it, but once again, he shrugged it off and attacked her with a closed fist. She raised her arm to block but felt a sh...
2023-10-23 08:23:48 +0000 UTC
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Early in the morning, Takuma roused from sleep without the help of an alarm. His biological clock was fine-tuned because of the routine he had followed for years without change. Even his new surroundings, the unfamiliar bed, and the weather could do nothing to disrupt his sleep—but he reckoned that his deep sleep was mainly due to Anko’s rigorous training; he had fallen asleep the moment he had hit the pillow top.
Takuma slept in nothing but his underwear. He g...
2023-10-23 08:18:49 +0000 UTC
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Takuma wheezed as he ran around the farm with the weighted vest, ankle and wrist weights that were more like demons trying to pull him into hell than training aids. A burning and painful amount of lactic acid had built up in his muscles, and after a mere two hours of running with the weights on his body, he was finding it hard to lift his legs and swing his arms. He could sprint for a good chunk of the day, but the weights had slashed all of that to a less than two hours.
2023-10-20 04:08:54 +0000 UTC
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Lunchtime soon arrived, and Takuma lined up at the Mess with a tray to get his food. As he was waiting in the line, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked back to see the towering figure of Daiki standing behind him with a tray that looked tiny in his large hands.
“I enjoyed the fight in the morning,” smiled Daiki.
“I’m glad you did,” Takuma replied as the line moved up.
“I was thoroughly impressed by how you combated...
2023-10-19 04:35:21 +0000 UTC
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When Kameko opened her eyes on a bed in the medical house, she found Takuma sitting at her bedside, reading a scroll. He looked up from his scroll at her.
“You’re awake and fairly quickly at that. How are you feeling?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes, showing her displeasure. “What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you to wake up so we can have a chat.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you.”
...
2023-10-18 03:15:52 +0000 UTC
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“He has got a foul mouth on him,” said Toridasu.
Shirakumo frowned. “There shouldn’t be a need to insult her and her clan… It’s unsightly.”
“I like it,” Anko smiled. “A shinobi needs to maintain calm during battle. He riled her up, and she is clearly falling for it… But I don’t know if it was wise to do it to Kameko.”
Toridasu glanced at Anko and then at Kameko. “A Taketori, is she?”
...
2023-10-14 17:11:11 +0000 UTC
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Kameko clutched her sword tighter as she stared at Takuma gazing at her with unblinking eyes.
What the hell? This wasn’t the Takuma she remembered. The person she remembered always had a reluctant face during spars in the academy and acted overly cautious to his detriment during the basic training. So why did it seem like he was a whole other person altogether?
“Both of you ready?” Anko stepped forward.
Kameko releas...
2023-10-13 02:47:58 +0000 UTC
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Taketori Kameko was his academy classmate, and the last time he had seen her was in the Genin Corp basic training when they were placed under the same chunin instructor but were assigned to different teams. They had gone separate ways, and Takuma didn’t keep track of the classmates he barely interacted with during his year at Shinobi Academy.
Years had passed, but Kameko hadn’t changed much. Her black hair was still styled in a straight-sharp A-line bob cut. He...
2023-10-10 21:41:04 +0000 UTC
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Takuma no longer needed to gather energy as he was now wide awake.
Having Orochimaru’s student as his team leader was not something Takuma had imagined or dreamt of happening. However, surprising was it—he didn’t find the situation to be something he needed to remedy to be on guard on. From what he remembered, Orochimaru had abandoned Anko, and they hadn’t crossed paths until the Chunin Exams.
“You know I read your file, but you truly are...
2023-10-07 18:19:29 +0000 UTC
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As much as he found the great outdoors to be full of life, there was no joy in the last leg of his journey. Not sleeping for two days was not something Takuma couldn’t bear, but with the travel and the refugee camp incident, his brain felt like a searing mess, and his muscles felt like lead had been pumped into them.
The beauty of the countryside didn’t mesmerize him; the heaviness of his boots caked with mud didn’t irritate him. Nothing mattered as he ran across the fo...
2023-10-06 02:10:46 +0000 UTC
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Four genin were in charge of managing the camp with more than four hundred people. Three of them were Hidden Steam shinobi, while the fourth shinobi was a Hidden Leaf shinobi helping out until Hidden Steam could replace him with one of their own. The four shinobi had hired people from the camp itself to manage the sheer number of people.
Yeri was a Hidden Steam shinobi managing the camp. She was one of the two shinobi present on the camp during the incursion, the s...
2023-10-04 14:33:29 +0000 UTC
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