Brigade Bargaining

The issue with appearing in a clan compound that housed a military division like the nightmare brigade...is they had enemies. Those who remained friendly and avoided suspicion were monitored but otherwise unbothered. But the coming and goings of everyone was monitored as much as plausible for any suspicious activity. They were alert because they had to be. Residents of the compound were also encouraged to report unusual activity quickly. Even if it didn't pan out into anything there was no repercussions for a report that led to nothing. So when someone concealing their face with a large hat began to wander around the clan compound and repeatedly clenched their fists...it wasn't just considered unusual behavior...these were warning signs of someone nervous and angry. Sure it was just a nervous tick for Hanta as he sought employment but he was being monitored within five minutes of being within the clan compound. When he spoke to no one and made a straight line for the Nightmare brigade headquarters this alert bumped up to the next level. The behavior exhibited was highly dangerous. So the street ahead was quietly evacuated and the brigade moved as a trained military unit. This needed to be addressed before an attack could be mounted.

It wouldn't be a quiet movement. They were not interested in remaining as silent observers anymore. As Hanta stepped forward onto the next street a whistle would sound out to get his attention. If he looked around there was about six cloaked figures with blank masks. Three on the rooftops with hands on their hips staring down at him. No weapons visible. Two would move into the road and block it off behind him in the same outfits. One with a large cleaver and the other with a katana on his hip. In front of Hanta however a smaller man with ribbons wrapped around his arms and the end of the ribbon going up into his sleeve would walk forward. All of them wearing cloaks and a mask to hide any visible identifiers of themselves. But any fool would recognize the nightmare brigade. The shorter man in front of Hanta was where the whistle had originated from. They all looked tense but there was an aura of experience around them. It was clear they would each readily kill if provocated. Yet none of them had actually drawn a weapon. The shorter man spoke...his voice distorted by the mask to hide his voice.

"State your business in the compound stranger. This is a dangerous place to dress as you have and concealing your face."

He was slow and careful which was good. Still these men were experienced. None of them would lose their guard in a situation like this. Their eyes were hardened behind the masks each of them wore. But their uniform marked them as nightmare brigade. Of course this created an opening for sneaking in...of course that was just what some whispered. Yet others said the abomination had his ways. That he always knew and none could take his immortality. People had whispered of Jaakuna Sero even at the academy. A monster in the mist who killed Kiris enemies. Some said he wasn't even human but some kind of monster. Of course the Hozuki kids would pick fights over it sometimes. The Kaguya however were discouraged by their elders to defend him. It was widely known by now that some Kaguya elders had ordered his father to dispose of him at birth. And despite leading the clan fairly they feared him. They feared the hate he held for them for over twenty years. Of the power he could turn on them if he chose vengeance against the whole clan. A hammer that never came down on them. Life continuing as normal as possible. Yet Sero had chosen to base himself from the Hozuki instead.

Hands would grip weapons and the smaller man in front would slip a dart into his hand from up his sleeve just in case. It turned out the smaller man used a rope dart of all things for his primary weapon. Still no one charged him or moved for more than to prepare. They were veterans of war. Survivors that knew only to be a soldier. Still the stranger would introduce himself and remove his hat. Revealing scars across his features. The men would hold as the one in front of them would pause a moment. Doing the new arrival the same courtesy of removing his mask. A kiri headband went over the left side of his face down to his lips where it looked like a third of his mouth had been burned shut at some point. He too held the scars of a harsh battle. Still the one named Hanta would voice his desire to join the brigade. The situation would change. There was hesitation now on the face of the man in front of him. Eyes searching the face of Hanta. The men around him shared glances and would relax slightly.

The entire situation had changed with those words. There was a silence now as they seemed less amused or offhandish as Hanta may have expected. The rope dart would go back up the mans sleeve before he would slowly nod. His one eyes watching Hantas as he spoke to him. His words holding the grave message he was sharing with utmost sincerity. "Are you sure genin? Most of us here never rose above that rank or the rank of Chunnin at best. However we served and took lives before he found us. Only one person can recruit you to the brigade. I warn you though....if you wish to meet him....You will likely never be the same. You will feel the urge to flee or fight. You must resist the choice to do either. If you draw a weapon against him....or try and attack him your life is not guaranteed. Do you still wish to join us?"

The shorter man would stare into Hantas eyes with his one good eye. The man seemed to be searching for something as he did. Yet he gave no sign as to if he found it or not. Instead he would nod to Hanta before turning and slipping his mask back on without a word at first. He would lift his right hand and with four fingers up and his thumb curled in he would raise it above his head. Rotating it twice before indicating a forward motion. In complete silence the squad would shift. The men behind Hanta falling in to walk to either side of him in a more relaxed manner while the men on the rooftops seemed to step out of sight. They were likely still there but as they moved out another man in a dark cloak and mask, taller than the others, would step out and raise up a flare. Pulling the cord before launching off a blue flare into the sky. The signal sent out people would begin to flood back into the street and go back about their business. None of them able to come back before Hanta would be able to be seen by them. It appeared they were prepared for an attack on the compound. Still the shorter man would speak about the hat.

"You may do as you wish. The commander doesn't care about appearances and since you are being escorted in....he won't need to be concerned with you. I will remind you though...you will likely feel an urge to flee or fight. If you can not resist it...you should flee."

With that they would march in silence. Moving through the compound with eyes and whispers on them. People were curious but the brigade didn't take prisoners...so who could this be? The conclusion was either a messenger from the village or a new recruit. There were many young men who hoped to gain fame within the brigade and were turned away or never wished to speak of having met Sero. Still the group would enter the Nightmare brigade section of the compound. Clearly a retrofitted warehouse into a barracks and mess hall. A large training yard behind it to keep any damage to the clan compound to a minimum. The short man would hold up a fist before opening his hand. The others with them would split off and go about whatever they wished. Either to rest, train or eat. Only Hanta and the shorter man remained. The shorter man would approach a guard before exchanging hushed words. Before the guard would nod towards the training grounds. The short man would pat him on the arm before nodding for Hanta to follow.

They would proceed around the barracks assuming Hanta followed. There men were standing around the training yard. Which would be considered unusual in most cases. Except they were all watching something. There were the training grounds for melee practice which consisted of small rings of dirt or sand for sparring. But beyond those were long lanes with targets through out and a reinforced wall at the end of a hundred meter long lane. Most didn't need longer than that. But the lane they were watching had several barriers placed at the end of it. Along with an interesting target fifty meters in. There was a thirty inch thick three meter tall slab of titanium being unloaded. Soon as it hit the dirt the people would clear out. The people maintaining the barriers did so as far to the side as they could. But all eyes were on one being. A pale man in white robes contrasting the black robes all around him with his face uncovered. Blue air matched cold blue eyes as he seemed to focus on the slab of titanium ahead of him. They would stop twenty meters away from him and it seemed no one was interested in stepping closer than eleven meters.

Sero would focus himself. As he did a warm breeze would begin to pick up and pass through the area. Hotter than it should be on a summer day. Slowly the wind began to pick up the sand around him and swirl in a slow circle. His hands would raise as he began to inhale deeply. No expression on his face as his eyes never left the target. His hands would flash at B rank coordination through hand seals. Rat → Snake → Horse → Snake → Dog. One the last one he would finally exhale. For virtually everyone there save maybe a tracker nin or two with high perception it would happen in an instant. The lane would be torn apart as the titanium was sliced clean through in several places at different angles and sent flying back into the barrier despite its weight in chunks. Several blades of wind had passed clean through it at S+ speed and then slammed into the stacked barriers at the end of the lane. Clearly trying to break through for even further before being stopped around the third barrier. Fading off in power. Sero simply observed with a tilted head at the success of the S rank jutsu Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves. The small man next to Hanta would let out a sigh at the display before speaking to Hanta.

"That would be the commander. If you are up to it...now would be the time to approach him...no one else is likely to."

Trained S rank library jutsu: