Escorting the Diplomat: The Dark Forest

Zen and the rest of the group walks among the dense dark forest after leaving the land of kiri. This land was shrouded in darkness even in the daytime making it necessary for everyone to keep on guard. As they walk Zen looks over at Shin then back to Yamada and the rest of the group behind. As they proceed something seems a bit off. Zen calls back to Katsu.

Katsu?! Have a look around! I don't think we're alone!

Zen speaks in this manner which is loud enough for the group to hear but not too loud to call much more attention. A sort of loud whisper as he slows his pace a bit grabbing the hilt of one of his kunai finally coming to a halt.

Guys, it appears as if we won't be able to avoid battle in this area. Once Katsu finds out how many we're up against we'll have to fight. Shin? You protect Yamada with Yon backing you. Katsu will keep us up to date with the situation of where the enemy may attack from and i'll take the front.

Up until now, the path traveled had been somewhat of a peaceful one. Katsuoru had since placed Kirigakure in the back of his mind, so as not to have it hinder his current missions thoughts. As decided by the team leader, Zenaku Uchiha, he worked to hold up the rear of the formation alongside Yondaime Hitokari. Once in the Dark Forest, located near the Oni village, each of the ninja, along with their current employer, were on edge. With visibility very low, even during the day, this place was perfect for an ambush on those not familiar with their surroundings. Only the highest on the food chain survived here, and even that hierarchy was constantly up for contention.

The current pace of travel was one that most ninja should have been able to handle. The current group was very keen in their respective areas, therefore it would most likely not be a real problem should anything out of the way occur. As the designated scout, currently without the use of his Kekkei Genkai, Katsu's head moved from left to right as though on a swivel. He'd noticed that even Zenaku maintained a sharp eye, proficiently leading everyone past minor wire traps, and also around areas populated with blood hungry creatures. All of a sudden, the groups pace slowed as Zenaku sensed the possibility of them not being "alone". He'd immediately called upon the expertise of the Hyuuga that welcomed his destined assignment. Katsu lowly spoke "Byakugan", and began to thoroughly scan the area. To make up for the blind spot, solely known by only members of the clan, he slowly turned 360 degrees in order to get a full view.

"It seems you were right" Katsu said intuitively, "there seems to be a group in the area tracking movements... 7 of them. That's not all though. There's a group of 5 ninja moving independently. The 7 are 48 meters to our three o'clock, and remain at that distance even as we move. The 5, however, are closing in from our left, roughly our ten o'clock, and only 20 meters off and closing. The approach seems rather reckless.

A smile came across Katsu's face just as soon as he finished his detailed report. This would be his first skirmish, with an enemy, that could possibly end in death. The nature of the Mist Village ninja encouraged such encounters. As a matter of fact, its almost as though they were solely bred to take the lives of other ninja. Though, with the current situation, it was more likely that if possible, such encounters would be avoided. Even so, the Mist Genin was prepared for battle, reaching into the pouch that occupied his right thigh, removing a sole kunai for the moment. As he awaited immediate instructions from Zen, he looked to Shin and Yondaime, just to gauge their reactions to the situation at hand. On quick glance, it would seem as if a battle was more welcome than anything else.

So far the mission was going smoothly, the group had successfully made it to the Dark Forest without incident and Zenaku was proving to be an adequate leader. Despite this Shin felt a sense of unease, in general when things are going too well it means theres something waiting just around the corner to come along and fuck shit up and this time was no different to any other.

When Zenaku stopped abruptly, Shin's hand automatically shot to the hilt of the ninjato strapped to his back and he dropped into a low fighting stance, his feet spread shoulder width apart and knees bent slightly. For several seconds Shin remained in this position waiting for his fellow Mist shinobi to gather the neccesarry information with his Kekkei Genkai. "there seems to be a group in the area tracking our movements... 7 of them. That's not all though. There's a group of 5 ninja moving independently. The 7 are 48 meters to our three o'clock, and remain at that distance even as we move. The 5, however, are closing in from our left, roughly our ten o'clock, and only 20 meters off and closing. The approach seems rather reckless.

Shins breathed a sigh of relief, only 5 shinobi would be a piece of cake for the four of them to take down, but things could become trouble some if the tracking group jumped into the fray. Nevertheless Shin whipped his brand new ninjato from its wooden saya and took up a defensive stance to the left of Yamada. He exchanged brief glances with Katsuoru and Yondaime as he shifted into position before turning and nodding reassuringly to Yamada. "Come and meet deaths embrace" Shin mumbled as he waited for the supposed enemies to arrive.