Fall of the Shinobi

It had been two years after the last shogun's fall and the new 'law' being stated. Most of the known shinobi having gone in to hiding, those that hadn't quickly being tracked down and snuffed out. some had it rough while others, tended to have things a bit more easy. what was known amongst those that remained however, was this shogun had to be taken care of one way or another. a movement was forming that might very well end up in a bloodbath if done wrong.

While most of the shinobi were concentrating on hiding, plotting or gaining information, one in perticular had a very different idea. The man lay on the wooden floor of a temple belonging to a dusty rural settlement, not even worthy of being called a town. the temple itself being rather out of place due to the overall shaggy nature of the town. The temple itself had odd black pillars that surrounded it, as well as a well known fact that most who approached met an untimely unnatural end. Believing the temple to be cursed, none dared stray too near.
The man stretched out on the floorboards, pale patterened yukata fitting loosely about him, dark green hair loosely tied and flung over his shoulder. He lay there with his eyes closed, seemingly either very relaxed, or asleep, that was until that latter was discounted when he spoke in a somewhat bored tone, "Wonder when those guests will arrive"

The seed of the Shogun's fall had been planted the eve of Shinjo Masane's execution. Kento's rage was not one that would be quelled with water, but with blood. The news that the remaining Shinobi were planning an assault on the seat of power in Kyoto was a ruse. There was no open revolt, That was not the way of the Ninja. It was a slow poison, not a blade to the head. Supplies disappearing, nobles being found dead in their beds, children being kidnapped. There was no war, only tactics of fear and provocation.


Kento stood at the first step up towards the temple. The uncomfortable feeling of his energy being drained away only made him angry. He let out a growl before rushing up the stairs, his legs simply a blur beneath him as he climbed upwards at amazing speed. He reached the top of the steps and saw the man in the green kimono laying about. "Enough with the damn spell!" He yelled.

He slowly lifted his head to look at the one who had just rose his steps and smiled slightly, lifting a hand lazily at a wave, "now now. don't want to wake the village. mind you, they are used to screaming." he said casually as he slowly lifted himself in to a sit, slipping his hands in the opposite sleave as he sat with his legs crossed. "Not a spell really. just these are rather unique stones." he said calmly, slight smile still on his lips as he opned his orange-yellow eyes to watch Kento

Kento was about to yell at the man again until he noticed that there was another person there, up on the roof. "Why'd you use the steps Ken? Those are always trapped."
Kento scoffed. "Because Kyo unlike you, most of us keep our feet on the ground."
Kyo shrugged. "If that's how you wanna be then. So uhhhh is this everyone?" He asked the man in the center.

He calmly looked up, "we're just waiting for one more." He said a moment before pausing slightly, getting up and stepping to the side slightly. "Or not. So nice for you to join us Yukan."

"what??!" A woman garbed in red stepped out from the shadows, previously completely unnoticed. "one of these days Truaida.. i'm going to-"
"Choke me with my necklaces? not very effective if you speak your plan aloud."

Kyo laid on the tiles and peered over the edge down at the others, his eyes shifting back and forth between the three.

Kento sighed as he stepped off the stones. "Just four of us? Yeah, this should go without a hitch. So lets hear this plan then. We gonna scale the walls of Minamoto's tower and kill him in a one on one duel? Poison him in his sleep? Have her seduce him and kill him during intercourse? I've heard them all, and each one's more unlikely than the last. So you better have something good. I'm tired of wasting my time with these groups."

"well to be honest." Turaida smiled, "I rather like your idea. but i will say its highly unlikely he'd travel without a trail of followers. the man knows his head is wanted."

Yukan meanwhile slightly narrowed her eyes at Kento but said nothing, stepping to the side a bit to fade in to the shadows quite literally. listening to them within the comfort of the dark

"What do you mean you like my idea?" Kento asked. "You saying we should give up or something?" He asked thinking that because he didn't offer a suggestion that he meant for them to go back into hiding.
Kyo piped up. "Mind reader. Read what you were thinking and boof.... they say it... they're annoying." He said before bashfully pulling his head back so that only his eyes and up could be seen.

Truaida kept his smile, lazily looking up to Kyo, "Correct. though, if you diddn't notice that by now. i'd be pretty worried." He drifted his gaze back down to Kento. "getting him outside of his comfort zone is a good idea, unfermiliar terretory, however, this will make him more alert."

"I'd rather face his bodyguards than his army."Kento said defiantly.
"He travels with his army. Keeps his best soldiers with him at all times." Kyo piped up again. "Five hundred troops, hand selected by him and his top generals. And he's not like the old generals who rode ahead of their armies. He stays in the middle. Surrounded at all times. You wanna get to him you need to go through his army one way or another."
"THEN WE RAISE AN ARMY OF OUR OWN!" Kento yelled in anger. "I will not allow the murder of my sensei go unpunished."

Truaida raised his hand a little, waving it calmly. "Now now no need to raise voice all too much. doubt anyone here is deaf. No?" He said as he casually glanced about before looking back to him, "no. no one here's deaf. and," He moves his hands forward to meet at a silent clap, "every one of us here wants him dead, so that's a plus." He glanced to the side some, "I realise im stating the obvious here, yes. that's the point. i'm trying to annoy you." he said with his usual calm tone, head directed at the shadows

"Why?" Kyo asked as Kento seethed at the man.

"because its entertaining." He added quite simply before turning about, folding his arms behind him, starting to walk back towards the hall leading in to the temple. "How about we move inside hmn?"

Kento growled before following him inside. Angry at the man for possibly wasting his time.
Kyo hopped off the roof and started to follow but turned and looked where Yukan had been. "You coming too?"

Truida moved his one hand out from his other sleave and raised it some, moving his index finger from side to side. "Don't you worry Kento. This won't be a waste" he said before folding his arm back in to his other sleave behind him.

"mmmmaybe." came a whisper right next to Kyo's ear. Yukan quite literally having phazed in to existance out from the shadows behind him

"Would you stop that?" Kento said through his teeth. Getting very quickly tired of the mind reading act.

With a loud yelp Kyo literately jumped away and landed on his back. He looked up at her and frowned. "You and the mind reader are kinda creepy ya know that?"

Yukan grined broadly, a noticeable shine in her eye as she burst out laughing, "oh man you should have seen your face hahaah" she chuckled a while longer before offering her hand to help him up

Truaida glanced behind him at the yelp and laugh, "and so she starts her antics already." he said before looking back forward, "can't really help it you see. if anything, your thoughts are more imposing themselves on me. why do you think i live in this nullzone" He smiles to himself, leading him through.

"Then you should find a way to control it then." Snapped Kento. He didn't like the idea of having to guard his thoughts around allies.


Kyo stared up at her a moment then let out a small chuckle. "I can imagine." He said taking her hand and standing up. "Name's Kyo, infiltrator and information gatherer at your service." He said taking a small bow.

"i have my ways. but that's in an emergancy." He waved his hand casually again, "If anything, you can trust me, and its not like what you're thinking i havn't heard a thousand times before. if you have doubts, why not just ask Kyo."

"Yukan. stealth and weaponry's my game" she grinned a bit before making her way past him, walking towards where the others had made off to

Kento scoffed. "Trusting people's what got us into this mess."



Kyo smirked. "Well ya got the stealth down pat that's for sure." He said as he followed her in.

"if you weren't at least curious or willing to temporarily trust with caution, you wouldn't be here." He leads them in to a main room, moving to sit down on a set of small steps taht lead up to a secondary platform with a chair and odd statues carved from the stones, them not seeming to give any effect however. "after all, if this was a ruse just to kill you all. would have been done already"

"Scaring people's a hobby. really" she said as she walked in to the room where the others were

"Thanks for the warning." Kyo said, taking a mental note to keep an eye on her.
When they entered the center room he clapped his hands together. "Soooooo what's the plan?"

Truaida leant back on the steps, resting his arm over his knee. "Why don't you tell me. after all, you're the expert hmn?"

Yukan wandered in to the room, folding her arms some, "if you're not going to lead this thing, then why call??"

Truaida closed his eyes with a smile. "What i did was call people capable of the task. and now its up to you to use your specialties. after all, what use is it, to have people at your disposal, then only use your own ideas. if anyone, Kento is the most determined to see him dead and so should lead, with the obvious advisory role. Anger tends to make one. hasty"

"Is that a good idea?" Kyo began to say but was cut off by Kento.
"We whittle away the peoples respect for him. Attack caravans, blackmail nobles, kidnap, the works. But not those that support him absolutely. We target those that fought against him. All while under the guise of Minamoto's agents. Make the people turn against him."
"Is that a good idea?" Kyo finally asked with an even more concerned look on his face.

"would turn people against him yeah, but wouldn't it ultimately weaken the resistance?" Yukan folded her hands behind her head as she watched the grouping. "And even so. if the people turn against him, he has his army, could start to pressure the people. Martial law and so on. he'll know its a ruse, will probably start fighting against it"