#twistedfayt

It was an oddly quiet day that day.  Most days were pretty quiet, but for some reason, something felt off about that day to Kaze.  Their camp was pretty out of the way, so he had hardly expected any enemies to happen upon it, but he had at least expected there to a few scouts wandering about that he could spot from his vantage point in the trees above.

Whatever the feeling was, Kaze decided it was best to move to a different spot, to change his view and see if the enemies were hiding in difficulty to view locations.  From one tree to the next, he was extra careful to make sure he made as little sound as possible as he moved.

Upon landing upon the sixth tree, he spotted something unusual - a few leaves were crushed, and further inward, another tree had a shoeprint-shaped mud stain.  Looks like someone had managed to make it into the trees as well, and were making a beeline for their camp.

Not hesitating for a second, Kaze was making his way across the trees as well, flowing from one branch to the next like a gale, in his natural home.  As he made his way along, he spotted a man in garb similar to his own, only with a redder tint to his clothing.  He was facing away from him, but he seemed to be holding position, given how he was kneeling, a blade in hand.  He didn’t recognize the man, so that meant there was only one thing to do now.

With a single slice of his specialized needle, the back of the man’s neck had split open, blood splashing out and falling to the ground below.  Kaze quickly placed the needle away, covering the man’s mouth in case he made a single noise before expiring.  The moment the man was dead, Kaze was investigating the man’s pouch for any idea of who he might be.

His answer came in a shuriken stuffed within - one of Mokushu origin.  This was a Mokushu assault group, then.  Kaze recalled what Saizo had mentioned about them.  They always traveled in groups of three: one leading to scout and strike first, a middle to either back up the leader or retreat as necessary, and finally the one who traveled at the end, to keep an eye out on the other two’s flanks.

Kaze quickly resumed his travel along the trees, keeping an eye on the branches for traces of the Mokushujin.  A few meters further in, he spotted a second man, turning and keeping an eye out for any stragglers.  Kaze only had a second to act before the man could, having the element of surprise, so he leaped as fast as he could, his needle drawn.

The man went down immediately, the needle embedded in his chest, blood flying from the wound, splattering against Kaze’s face.  The man jerked up and down for a second, before falling still.

‘Hmph… that’s two down.  One left to go.’

Kaze stood to move, intent on taking his needle and seeking the next one.  Only then did his right shoulder cry out in pain, blood dripping down his arm.  He looked, noticing the Mokushujin’s knife embedded in his arm.  Looks like the man was a bit faster than he gave him credit for.  He eventually managed to eventually toughen himself through the pain and pick up his needle, though his arm made it clear it was at it’s limit.

Which, of course, meant the third ninja - a master ninja - was immediately in view, drawing forth a weird finned blade. He immediately recognized it a dual katana, a weapon his own would stand no chance against.  And below him was Lady Hinoka, her naginata lying a few meters away from her as she tended to her pegasus.

‘N-no!  Lady Hinoka..!’

Before any words could escape his lips, the ninja was immediately in the air, sword pointed straight at her.  Kaze immediately launched himself from the branch he was on, pushing off of any tree within reach to speed himself towards the enemy.  He drew his needle, moving to intercept while shouting out to get her attention.

“Lady Hinoka!  Move, now!”

He collided with the ninja, swinging his needle to strike.  The man was quick as well, however, instead burying his blade in Kaze’s already-injured arm while avoiding his strike.  The two men toppled to the ground, a small smile crossing Kaze’s lips as he noticed Hinoka was uninjured.

The ninja was quickly on his feet again, and Kaze struggled to steady himself as he stood and faced the man again.  The ninja rushed toward Hinoka, katana in hand.  Kaze quickly moved again, his needle in his uninjured arm as he rushed to defend her.  He was faster this time, managing to swing his needle at just the right angle to strike the man’s arm and throw off his aim, enough so that Hinoka could strike the man with her naginata.  At the same time, the blade swung downward, a splash of red covering the ground around them, and the two ninja collapsed a fair distance away from each other.

The pain was absolutely blinding, but for some reason, Kaze suddenly felt lighter.  His vision was unfocused, but he eventually managed to steady his gaze on Hinoka above him.  She was worried, tears staining her cheeks.  But why was she worried, she was okay?

He glanced to the side, the answer making itself obvious: there was his arm, about three feet away, a trail of blood leading from it to the stump on his shoulder.  Kaze quickly bit his lip, forcing himself to a sitting position with some aid from Hinoka.  Despite her protests, he quickly had a steel shuriken in his hand, ready to move if the man moved.

He was quite lucky to have done so, as the ninja had managed to carefully move himself from his collapsed position into the air, sword drawn.  Kaze gripped his shruiken tightly, shoving Hinoka to the side for her safety and moving to meet the man in the air, their blades swinging at blinding speeds.

The two quickly collapsed back to the ground, a massive pool of blood beginning to form beneath them.  The man was unmoving, Kaze’s shuriken embedded nearly two inches into his skull.  However, Kaze found all his strength gone, the man’s sword going through his chest and into the ground below.

Kaze looked at Hinoka, who quickly rushed to approach him, tears marking her otherwise untouched face.  He coughed, seeing blood pour from his lips, unable to hear anything but the deafening silence around him.  He offered up a pained but gentle smile to Hinoka, unable to muster any words of reassurance, or hear her voice as a comfort.