Chapter 2 : The HEAT of the Sun

It was strange and not part of the local customs indeed, but this morning 3 of the aspirant Genin were asked not to appear on the location of the first round of their graduation exam, instead they were asked to come down to one of the facilities at the edge of the village which was sometimes used for the Chuunin exams when they were held in Sunagakure.
The building was not much different from where the regular exams were held.
There was but one main entrance which they were told to wait at for the HEAT leader Guuzou.
The wait was a challenge on it's own as the building with it's angle towards the sun provided no shade or cover from the bright star in the sky that was causing what was probably the hottest week of the year which even the people of this desert considered to be way too hot.
Chikamatsu no Mukade, Nando Kazuo and Tanimoto Amaya were selected for this occasion.
Little did these three know this was something done every single year by HEAT, the Black Ops of the Black Ops of the hidden village.
For this training 3 suitable candidates among the graduates will be chosen to be put through a different kind of test to determine if they were indeed as qualified as they were thought to be, however the why and how on these proceedings, like with many things concerning HEAT remained largely unknown and obscure to all including their own members.
As the trio would stand there awaiting their trial they would see 3 figures in the distance approaching them, it was Guuzou, the heat leader, Chikamatsu no Souran, Mukade's father and a strange man neither of the three has ever seen.
They had never heard of the man before, nor did any of them remember ever seeing him before in the Village, but the other two seemed to know him. He was still quite young being around 18 to 20.
He had dark brown markings underneath his eyes and perhaps his most apperant feature was the large scroll he carried on his back.
They were still a whole street away but visible and they seemed to take their sweet time walking slowly and talking to one another quietly.
Mukade upon seeing his father would recognize that the man was pissed beyond all recognition as well as frustrated but tried to keep it in, looking down at his own feet as he walked while Guuzou was talking to him with a raised index finger, as if the old man was trying to calm Souran as well as lecture him on something at the same time that the Jounin didn't seem too happy about to say the least.

(Chikamatsu no Mukade, Nando Kazuo and Tanimoto Amaya, please feel free to make your introduction posts here, you can choose to start from this exact moment or describe the wait prior to seeing the 3 men arriving as you please. Do notice that this post is your character's first appearance in the story and you might want to make that count. But you might as well not. I wish you 3 a nice and fun event. Enjoy! )

Today was the day, after so long she was finally going to be given the chance to prove her worth and if all went to plan, she'd be given that headband she had been eyeing for such a long time now. Her training still wasn't done of course, there were so many things that she wanted to learn still, hopefully this would prove to be the beginning of a whole new level of training and power so she could be a true asset to her village like she had always hoped to be.

What she hasn't expected when she had woken up this morning was being given orders to not go and meet with the other hopeful genin, but rather into another facility entirely. It worried her somewhat, why on earth had she been tasked to some random place in the village like that... She hadn't done anything wrong that would warrant this after all.

Regardless, after a hearty breakfast prepared by her mother she was sent off on her way to see what this was all about. Amaya found the journey longer than it actually was, the sun's heat was rather impressive today. Soon enough she was there, standing at the one entrance to the building waiting for something to happen. Two other genin would appear and she would exchange greetings in her usual bright tone and try to strike up a conversation as they waited.

Luckily, it wasn't too long of a wait. Three shinobi approached, one looking particularly angry with something while the oldest looked to be lecturing him. In the meantime Amaya seemed to have taken most of her consideration to the last man, the younger of the three. While the first two had been something of a familiar pair of faces to her, the last was a complete stranger... She didn't dwell on this too long, but made a mental note of it while she waited for them to arrive and explain what was going on.

Today was a very special day for Kazuo. He'd be attempting his genin graduation exam today, but he'd acted no different from yesterday, or the day before that. It was an adult quality to hide one's excitement, something he'd picked up on quickly in hopes that his brothers would stop calling him a little kid. Still, there was no denying he could hardly wait, considering he'd woken up much earlier than usual and did his daily routines in record time. It was a 'long week' at home, so his only company was himself and one older brother.

"Hey Kazuo, you know everybody's really eager to get home and see how you do for your graduation exam, but don't fret if you can't get through the tests this year. It's hard enough when you're older and stronger, but you're just a kid, so-" Kazuo rolled his eyes, another imitated trick from others, and cut him off halfway. "Niisan, I am young. Young. I am not a child. There is a difference between the two." Unable to prevent the sudden messing of his hair, Kazuo settled for pouting. "Hah, sure you are! You've definitely got the attitude of one, even if you're sneaky about it." Suppressing the urge to kick or hit something solid, Kazuo moved towards the door, trying to fix his hair. "See you soon, otouto!"

He'd gotten halfway to the spot he was told to go yesterday for graduation when a different, ranking shinobi told him he'd be taking a different route. Curious, but refraining from the 'Why?' that strained against his lips, he listened to his new instructions and made his way to a building nearly out of the city. Only now did he realize the blazing heat today, having expected to be inside already, and he yank/flapped the collar of his shirt, drawing a little air through to cool off.

He blinked, a little surprised. There were other people here, neither of them his age. He'd thought that perhaps he was taking a slightly modified test because of his age, but it seemed the criteria for his 'special arrangement' weren't that simple. Erring on the side of caution, he chose not to start a conversation or reply when one of them started talking to him, introducing herself. It was rude, but he was nervous, not nervous, wary... only a little.

Eventually, their proctors arrived. Two he'd seen before. One he didn't. He'd been shown a picture of the first, older man before, and told to avoid him by his parents multiple times, especially when his most valuable talent revealed itself in the last few years. The second he'd only recognized because he was a person that was recognized around the village, though he'd never bothered to ask why or who the man was. The third was a total mystery, but his heart leapt into his throat when he saw the scroll on the man's back, wondering if perhaps this test would be specially suited for students whose focus was sealing. Before he could open his mouth, however, he put his mental clamp back onto it. It's hard enough to convince my family and sensei that i'm not a child, I need to make a good first impression here, as well.

Chikamatsu no Mukade was surprised to gain the message on where he was sent. He'd assumed to go where all the other prospective Genin had. He didn't know how to feel about the prospect of "special treatment" No matter what the reason was, or more accurately, it was not knowing the reason that made him nervous. He was sure that he wasn't failing the academy. His marks where almost always above average. What else could it be though? ...

He dressed in clothing typical of the desert, cool temperatured and functional, mostly consisting of black pants, and a tan jacket, though he had not yet earn't the right to wear proper Suna Shinobi Gear. The most notable features of his appearance was his large but thin rimmed glasses that often reflected the bright sunlight at certain angles, giving him the appearance of two white circles for eyes. A thin but tall collar that hugged his neck and lower head, obscuring his mouth, and a shape hanging off his back covered in a simple cloth.

Mukade arrived at the designated meeting place, surprised it was so far off. The Puppet ninja greeted the other prospective Gennin's with only a nod before standing to wait with them silent, though his eyes would wonder, looking about the scene as though he was searching for the answer to a subconscious question.

After only a short while the heat was getting to him, the sweat beginning to dampen his forehead. He felt the need to make his hands busy and removed the cloth to uncover his puppet, Koe. He crossed his legs on the ground and begin to inspect all the parts of his puppet, wriggling the joints and opening its compartments to ensure all where functioning correctly. Even though he'd done this both the night before and the morning before coming here, he still felt compelled to always ensure it was right... besides, he was getting bored.


He noticed the other two move and looked up, he followed where their eyes where looking to see the three adults approaching. The youngest he did not recognise, but took note of the scroll. The other two he recognised clearly, one was his father, Chikamatsu no Souran, and Guuzou whom he also recognised and knew as the leader of HEAT, but only because of his father's strongly voiced loyalty to him.

At first Mukade simply regarded the trio with quizzical interest before taking alarm when noticing the greatly angered expression on his father's face. He quickly rose from the ground and returned his puppet to its place on his back beneath the cloth, and stood looking like he was just a few movements away from commencing a salute.

The trio would finally pass the street and approach the aspirant Genin when the heat leader would get a sly smile on his face as it would slowly but surely form into a grin as he looked over the Puppet user, Sealing Specialist and the well known Genjutsu wonder of the village.
"Perfect...you guys are exactly what we have been looking for. At least, that remains to be tested. But...if the stories of you three are true that you shall become the greatest asset of this hidden village from your generation.' he nodded pleased and then walked up to the door of the building opening it with his key and letting everyone in.
"Come now, far too hot to be standing outside today." He said.

The unknown Jounin with the darker skin would remain silent and quite, minding his own business but following everyone inside, actually being the first to enter after the door is opened.

Souran would walk up to his son and look down into his eyes despite the sun brightly reflecting back at the Jounin from his glasses.
His eyes looked as if they were washed over with anger and discontent.
"I hope you're ready. Because if you fail this...." He started in such a tone at his son as if he was about to hit him, his anger overfilling him so much at the moment that he couldn't even sufficiently finish his sentence ending it where he did following it up with a loud growl instead to have it take place of the missing words as he balded his fist and made a striking motion towards Mukade but would instantly retract, simply doing so as a form of threat and warning, Souran used to do that more often so Mukade would know there'd be no need to dodge or block, it was merely a way his father communicated.
And although easily given to anger under certain circumstances, his father was a just man with everything taken into account and would never hit Mukade, or anyone else for that matter, without good reasoning behind it. However this type of warning did mean that physical punishment would be implemented should he fail to succeed in the task at hand, whichever it was.
It was one of Souran's parenting and training philosophies, win or get hurt, succeed or get hurt, no pain no gain. According to his father the village was getting weaker and weaker and that there are many strong enemies to consider being fearful of, the village should be protected at all cost and as shinobi he sees it as his duty which he always follows.
"You have been given a great honor to be selected for this special formation and test. Do not disappoint me, got it?" Souran would calm down then and say to his son with a nod of his head, there was still a little bit of anger left in his eyes but it subsided for the most part by now, yet he was as serious about this as ever which was evident from both the look in his eyes as well as the tone in which he spoke, he seemed to ignore the other two academy students for now.

Amaya looked on as the three jounin walked up and greeted them. This was news to her, that she was supposed to be some sort of great asset. Of course she knew of her apparent skill of genjutsu compared to the average shinobi, but she had never figured that it would end up her being chosen for some secretive program... "Excuse me, sir... Might I ask what exactly you're looking for? Why aren't we doing the same test as the others?" they had sort of explained it, but she was looking for something in more detail. If she was allowed of course. Asking questions of the ANBU might be a bad choice, but she was an inquisitive girl and tended to like a good mystery like this one.

The girl followed the others inside, allowing the others to go first. Once inside, she'd give the area a good look around to take the large room in in case this was where they were going to take whatever test they decided to be given. A test that she was rather worried about, if it were some sort of traditional test she was going to at a disadvantage. One of her most major flaws was her lack of ability when it came to things that weren't genjutsu. Knowing that these jounin had much more skill and experience than her made her wonder if she was really as useful as they thought, surely they would know of her innate flaw that she had accepted for her skills.

[Search/Investigate the area]

With that in mind she decided to stand with the others, ignoring the intimidating man who was rather close to striking the older boy. She shouldn't start worrying about this test before it had even been explained for them.

Mukade looked on curiously as they had a partial explanation of what they where there for. It raised many questions the young ninja had, but at least it confirmed that they where there for their high skills, and not failures in the academy. Part of him wondered why his father looked so agitated at, though really he knew he should have been use to it by now.

Already knowing full well who Guuzou was and the generals of what Guuzou did, The back of Mukade's mind flashed a possibility: Could this be... an introduction into HEAT? He thought, We're not THAT good are we? He found himself both flattered and severely nervous at the idea.

He then found himself starring up at the intense gaze of his father. He gulped (a motion hidden by his collar) as he simply stared up in careful, listening obedience. Mukade became slightly more worried that they failing of this test or whatever it was would bring with it terrible repercussions. As his farther began his faked punch, Mukade knew full well it would not connect, but twitched slightly in intimidation all the same, blinking his eyes as the fist was moved.

Souran wrote:

"You have been given a great honor to be selected for this special formation and test. Do not disappoint me, got it?"

Mukade gulped at realising the gravity of the situation, and nodded carefully to his father, signalling his understanding non verbally.By this point the others had already been walking through the door way. He gave his father a quick and respectful bow before quickly moving on to follow them inside.

Souran would nod back at Mukade as the boy showed he understood the severity of the situation and the bits of his cheeks visible from under the mask would give away the hint of a smile as the puppet user began to make his way inside.

As the three of them would be led inside and Amaya asked that question of Guuzou but the HEAT leader merely smirked and chuckled as he replied.
"Why? Well, because you aren't the same as the others. Have you thought about that yet?" The door would close as the lights would turn on revealing a large room with smaller doors leading to other rooms, upper floors and the the balconies above, there was a 400 by 400 meter combat area in the center.

Guuzou would step forward, his hands behind his back as he proudly looked at the field.
"Now then, the three of you will be facing Chikamatsu no Souran, right here, you can use whatever attacks or techniques you like, we will even provide you with weapons...your level of performance as a team as well as an individual will decide whether you get a passing grade. In other words...you must impress me."

Souran would look shocked to Guuzou and shake his head as he would walk out to stand in front of the HEAT leader.
"Guuzou-san, you can't be serious about having them fight me? Why not Ranmaru-san,huh?" He protested to which Ranmaru would chuckle without even looking in their direction it seemed as he would mock the Chikamatsu a bit.
"What's the matter? Scared that your son would not dare attack his own father?"

But Souran simply let out a low laughter and a dismissive shrug to that comment.
"No, that is the least of my worries, my son will do his best, if he knows what's good for him...and I just didn't feel like fighting with the aggression still burning inside me after that fight."

The HEAT leader's grin would grow ear to ear hearing this as his eyes sparkled exited with a devious glow. "That is exactly why I changed the original setup to let them fight you." the man would say.

Kazuo flinched when he realized that even with this 'special' test, he'd still be expected to perform the combat test, and against an elite, at that. He had no doubt that all his effort building his body's physical power and speed to the academy's minimum graduation requirements would be worthless now. This isn't for prodigies, he realized, looking at the girl he vaguely recalled seeing in the academy and the exchange between the father and son, This is for outcasts.

Not that he cared. Not really, at least. He'd accepted he was different from the average brat when he was five, after he'd discovered the other children his age could barely write a proper sentence, let alone read a real book. With the little confidence he had in his chances of passing, he approached Guuzou to make his requests. "I need a brush and inkwell, as well as four small, blank sealing tags. I would also like to have some shuriken and a kunai."

With his needs for equipment met, he moved back into the small grouping of other candidates, worried for what may happen should he fail this unusual test.

Amaya eye'd the HEAT leader curiously... "Different..? I see" she pondered on this for a while. The difference between her and the other potential genin surely weren't that great. Though, if she had been chosen for this there must be a reason.For now though, she was content in listening to exactly what they were here to do. It seemed like what she had been told the normal Genin Exam was like, a sparring match against a jounin sensei. Though in this case they would fight as a team to try and impress their judge.

The youngest of them would approach first, requesting the equipment that he might need for the fight to come. It was good to see one of them had confidence in their abilities. She approached not long after "I'd like some chakra-seals please, and some shuriken." she requested with a polite bow. Should she be given her requested items she would move back over to the others and look to them.

"So... we must work together. It'd be best if we told each other our particular talents, yes?" she suggested, it would be useless going into this fight not knowing what the others could do after all.

Guuzou would listen to the two kids making their demands and chuckle closing his eyes with a happy yet somewhat sinister smile.
"My my, demanding aren't we?" He let out a little laugh before he continued.
"But fine. Have it as you wish in double." He would say and then snap his fingers.
Only 3 seconds later and ANBU of Suna would appear next to Guuzou , seemingly out of nowhere.
The ANBU would walk up to Amaya and Kazuo handing them some equipment. All the equipment was placed in a hip pouch for each of them to have someplace to carry it.

[Kazuo receives = 10 x small sealing tags, 2 vials of ink , 1 small brush, 20 x shuriken, kunai pack 10 x kunai. Hip Pouch.]
[Amaya receives = 20 x chakra seals, 20 x shuriken, kunai pack 10 x kunai. Hip Pouch.]

The HEAT leader would peer open his eyes a little again and sideway glance to Mukade.
"Would the Chikamatsu also like to make some requests prior to this battle? Or are you well prepared as it is?" He let out a little chuckle and turned to face Mukade once he was done speaking opening his eyes completely now, his hands back behind his back again.

The instant he received his needed things, Kazuo settled himself on the floor, back turned to the rest of the group. It felt good to have the brush back in his hand, working on his seals. The last few weeks had been pure hell, as he'd had to train his body up to par for graduation instead of write new seals or read new books. It took all of his discipline to not sound like his eldest brother. 'But these books are boooooring! C'mon, Kazuo, let's spar instead!'

He suppressed the urge to shiver, and continued writing his Mayoke Kekkai, with a flare on this symbol, and a fine line connecting those two...

He would also divert just enough attention from his writing to build his meager chakra reserves a little. He remembered the first time he used this seal, especially the part where he nearly passed out from exhaustion doing it. His face reddened a bit, I will not embarrass myself like that in front of my proctors. Not after all the effort I put into maturity thus far.

Mukade stood still for a short while, simply trying to comprehend the situation... He'd have to fight his father? This turn of events was unexpected and really, quite frightening. Almost everything he did in the direction of combat or ninjutsu was done purely to please his farther. To live up to those high standards were his greatest driving force. As though giving his thoughts and hesitations answer his father spoke:

Souran wrote:

"No, that is the least of my worries, my son will do his best, if he knows what's good for him..."

Mukade bit his lip, but nodded slowly, more to himself then anyone else. Alright, he thought, I need to do this... and I need to do this right! They say anything goes... He's no different to the instructors in the academy... only his opinion is far more accentual.

He slowly reached his arm up and with a flick of his thumb, index finger, and middle finger thin barely noticeable lines of chakra appeared, connecting them to the puppet hidden under the cloth on his back. He moved his fingers in complex motions which brought forth a voice from where the puppet rested, "Please, several kunai, and ninja wire, thank you... and perhaps some explosive notes?" The voice given was lifeless, robotic, and quite inhuman, with a mixture of squeaks and clicks as though being moved with mechanisms and rubber. Clearly not a words made by any human vocal cords.

Mukade thought on, He'd be fighting his father, would he be ready for this? perhaps he should have requested more?

He then however looked over to where his father watched them prepare. He saw the hidden aggression in Souran's eyes, and took a breath, No... I am ready... I hope these other two are. He gazed down to the youngest of them. A boy who immediately began to draw after receiving his sealing tags. Perhaps this person was a practitioner of Fuuinjutsu... but being so young... he must be talented to have already left the academy. He noted the girl had also requested sealing tags, though seemed not quite as instantly eager with them, instead making what was probably a very good request. It was not denied, and logic would likely show it fine.

Moving his fingers to initiate the mechanical voice, "I... I am Mukade, of the Chikamatsu. I specialise in my clan's secret arts; puppetry. though I do know the basic skills of general ninja of our level... and you?"

Amaya looked to the young boy and his tags, writing over them with some odd symbols that she hadn't the knowledge to understand. Though she felt it was quite rude that he was so busy with those tags that he couldn't at least acknowledge her. She rolled her eyes and looked to the other boy and those chakra strings that he was using to speak.. Interesting, a puppet user? She had seen some around the academy and their strings were a tell-take sign really.

His mechanical voice didn't seem to sway the girl all too much, it was odd but not odd enough that she would be creeped out by it. "Genjutsu, my name is Tanimoto, Amaya..." she nodded. Her explanation wasn't exactly that impressive, but mostly because she hadn't demonstrated it in a practical sense as of yet. She then looked over to the youngest of then, drawing away at his tags. "Excuse me? I was wondering what exactly it is you do.." she expected a response this time.

Kazuo stiffened against the eerie voice of the puppet, pausing in his work to cast a wary glance his way. When what he said turned out normal enough, he'd ignored it, and gone back to his work. It was important that he finish his seals before they ran out of time.

Another voice, much closer than Mukade's, made itself known to him. It seemed his partners wanted to know what his skills were. How could I forget about that? It's critical that all of us work together to fight this man to impress the proctor, and I can definitely showcase my skills better if he's not totally focused on me. The decision rumbled around in his head for a few more moments before he realized he still hadn't said anything, nor had he continued writing. Grumbling to himself, he set back to working. "Kazuo. Kekkai ninjutsu. Fuuinjutsu," He paused, wondering if his meager skills in the last area would warrant any note. "Suiton ninjutsu." Still grumbling about the time lost spent thinking about such things, he set back to his delicate work.

Soon the ANBU would return with a similair package that included the things Mukade had requested with a bit of extra amounts of it.
[Hip Pouch, in which the equipment was stored, explosive notes x 5, kunai x 10, ninja wire packs x 2.]

He would set the hip pouch next to Mukade before he would Shunshin himself away again disappearing from the field of battle.

Souran would be standing on the opposite side of the room, patiently yet impatiently waiting as his eyes were burning with the desire for battle. He would reach towards his back where he had 3 scrolls set up and would take the middle one and toss it open activating the summoning seal on it as 5 Scorpion looking puppets about the size of a small human child would appear, giant scorpion puppets of a sandy and golden color. The technique that Souran dubbed "Yellow Secret."
He would attack strings to his puppets and play around a little with their legs making them wiggle around a bit in a creepy insect-like way. In fact only 3 of the puppets looked like scorpions with tails and everything 2 of them would remind one more of a scarab having piners at the front rather than small pincers and a large stinger tail like the other 3.
He too was begining to warm up.

Amaya checked the pouch's contents, a little after the fact but still, she wanted to make sure she had what she needed. After all, her chances of making a good impression were hinged on those little seals. Not so much on the weapons, those were merely a distraction rather than her true form of offence. She then looked down to the boy and his drawing. Though she couldn't really call it that, he wasn't just randomly scribbling on the sealing tags, those were practised and refined movements that she couldn't exactly decipher.

"Well, it looks like he's getting a little impatient.. huh?" the girl looked over to the man, his puppets dancing around on the end of those strings. They were technically out-numbered and most certainly out-gunned. They really had their work cut out for them. "It seems like you're going to have to act as our offence, Mukade-kun. I can only assume that Kazuo-kun is about as skilled at hand to hand combat as I am." she eye'd the puppet on the boy's back, it would be their only real chance at taking the offensive, the other's would have to step back and act as support and distraction. At least that's what she figured. "Unless either of you have any other plans.." she shrugged, deciding that now was a good time to gather her chakra and prepare.

Finished... With the creation of the tags complete, Kazuo began attaching them to various points on his body, trying, as futile as he knew it was, to keep the placements relatively hidden from Souran. In the end, two tags would be placed and activated just under his chest, hidden in his yukata. Two more tags would be hidden in his left sleeve halfway to his elbow, again under his yukata, and one final tag would be placed discreetly beneath the back of his neck as he turned to face his impromptu team.

"Here." In his hands, held carefully so as not to get the sticky parts on his fingers, were five more of the same seals he'd placed on himself, each one perfectly identical to the last. "These prevent attacks... Very high chakra consumption, emergencies. only." Finally, he equipped the hip pouch for kunai and shuriken, completing his preparations.

(I think this is where I can make chakra?)
1 action: -2 me/pe, +8 chakra

The HEAT leader would snap his fingers as cloth would fly from his sleeve forming itself like a living snake and coiling up into something that resembled a chair underneath him as he would sit down ontop of it. It seemed enough force or pressure was placed on the cloth with chakra that it could easily take the man's weight as he sat on it.
He would clap his hands and smile amused.
"Now then, I believe we're all ready and growing impatient. Souran-kun....try not to kill any of them please. But do not go easy on them either. It IS a matter of national security you know." He nodded with a slick smirk on his face as he narrowed his eyes and played with his thin mustache coiling it between his index-finger and thumb much like he made the cloth from his sleeve coil up for sturdiness.
Ranmaru would be standing at his right side, motionless and emotionless, hands behind his back. He didn't even seem to be observing his surroundings. Like he wasn't even there, aside from the fact that he physically was, obviously. Unless that was some kind of clone.

Souran would grin.
'Alright....I am getting impatient indeed. How about your brats choose one of the 5 primary elements first...and then we can get this party started. The masked man chuckled and then his fingers would intensify their movement a little on the strings of the puppets as the scorpion-like tools would jump and form a line in front of him. One puppet would shoot out a small stream of fire, the next would shoot a small stream of water, the third would have an electrical current buzzing between the two pincers on his front, the fourth would blow a wind current towards the trio which was a hard breeze, making their hairs wave back and forth as the 5th would just stand there and wobble a bit, however that is when they would notice the coloring of it's skin was of a slightly darker shade than the other puppets. Clearly these were all just slight moves to exhibit the possibilities of his puppets. 5 puppets, 5 elements, and knowing he was a Jounin from the Chikamatsu, Mukade at the very least would know, there was far more than that to each puppet. In fact he knew his father had the puppets made so that they would have various combination moves with one another that exceeded the power of simple elements. His puppets were capable of creating full-fledged sealing barriers and trap formations. The more of them he would utilize at once, the worse they'd be off.

"Well...which one should I start with?" He smirked a bit amused at his son.

Mukade nodded respectfully to the shinobi who brought him his equipment. he quickly picked the pack up and meticulously searched it, carefully checking each item individually. As he did that he watched his father activate each of his five puppets. he gulped slightly recognising them. He already had an idea what they where capable of, and though there where FAR many more possible worse toys he could have brought out, these ones where still nasty.

He listened to Amaya and sighed... He really had to work with these two didn't he? He attached the pack to his belt and reached back to bring out Koe. He held his puppet, the size of a toddler, by the back of its neck and held it out in front of him. He released it from his grip, though rather then fall, it slowly lowered down a few inches before appearing to hover in the air. At the right angles The light might have caught the subtle blue lines of Mukade's chakra strings keeping the puppet aflot.

He nodded to Amaya, and with a few movements of his fingers the puppet spoke; "This sounds accurate." He moved Koe to hover in front of him, attempting to hide from Souran's view that he was pulling out a Kunai and Ninja wire pack and handing it to his puppat, who held them behind its back before hovering to the right. "Both of you...Try and separate those puppets, they function in a huge variety of tag team combinations, together they are more dangerous then the sum of their parts."

He carefully took the sticky seal in his hand as it was handed to him from Kazou, "What... what do you mean? what does this do?"

His attention was then taken however by his father. who was sizing them up, becoming slowly more blood thirsty and demonstrating the elements for each of his puppets. Mukade tried to hid his cringe as his eyes met Souran's... This was not a fight he wanted to do, but he certainly didn't want to face any possible wrath for if he didn't.

He slowly bent his knees and prepared a pose ready to enter combat. he motioned his left hand to be ready to grab a kunai, and his other to the right causing Koe to steady flout. He gave the question some consideration before wiggling his finger. Koe spoke out in the same monotonous tone it always did, "... Fire"

Continue play in the combat thread please.

Combat Thread Mukade,Amaya,Kazuo vs Souran