[COMPLETED] Walking with Lions [MISSION]

A piercing and deafening shriek jolted Jena's body awake, the varying battle shouts of men slapping her to her senses. A boom exploded nearby, and as soon as she could recognise the threatening flicker or orange and red and the spine-chilling vibration of two blades, she knew something had gone terribly wrong. She speedily hoisted her body up with legs and arms, studying the view in full detail. Aggressive flames ate the borders of the clearing, menacingly keeping the rogue Shinobi tightly secured. The members of the Hare Society were desperately attempting to disperse the fire by whatever means they could use, while others protected the remaining ones or glared about. That was when an arrow of jagged, electrifying blue striked the clearing, wounding the exposed limbs of the men and sending then a couple of feet back. The girl traced the source of the abrupt lightning, and boy was she shocked then.

On the branch of an intact tree, slyly disguising themselves with the dark, landed a pair of Konohagakure ninja, their white hair peculiar yet similar, although flipped sideways on the other to demonstrate the difference. Their gleeful red eyes beamed in contempt, a victorious smile stretching their lips. They nodded to one another, and bounced off to perform combinations of Katon and Raiton Jutsus that overpowered that of the Hare's. No joke, they were going to be a severe problem. Luckily she was yet distanced from the attack, until she aimed two shuriken to one of the descending Leaf Jounin. The albino guy showed no response when the metal weapon sliced the skin of his arms, not even minding as Jena's wire brought them back to dig into his spine. Once he stepped on the dirt floor, the male simply reached for the shurikens, relaxed as he tossed them to the ground and focused on her. Right then, his brother appeared behind the first, arching an eyebrow at the situation. "Well well, if it isn't Jena Hoshikuzu!" The hurt one exclaimed, crossing his arms as he judged her. "What lovely surprise~."
"Hah, you're the troublesome girl that caused the fire that night, no?" The other one shook his head as he spoke. "I wonder if they've yet to put a bounty for you..."
"Aren't we trailing off enough already?" The female Missing-Nin commented, buying time for the group to reunite and calm the blazes. "I mean, weren't we into the whole 'hey I'll kill you first' thing?"
"Of course, how rude," laughed one of the twins. "So, shall we?"

She would've liked to tell how hard it was to battle twins. Really, when she rushed to attack one of them, the other would launch a strong technique, and Jena needed to block that, so that meant that the first brother could use that moment and backfire her. It was useless trying to damage any of the two, heavily relying on the previous strategy tu debilitate her. Mostly, she had to go forth with a kunai at hand or with a simple physical move, lacking the time to prepare a stronger Jutsu. They, instead, had the proper experience to deliver consecutive, powerful moves that easily engraved the word 'agony' on her brain. She never fully trained to oppose a pair of rivals before, so that must have been the reason she was being defeated quite quickly. She prayed that these fiery and electrifying techniques would halt already, visibly noticing the bruises and cuts and burns on her frail skin, the cloak having been removed at the start of the travelling.

The magenta-eyed girl thought they were about to stick a sword up her throat, until one of the white-haired ninja prodded the other. "Wait, we're caught in the bait," he murmured, pointing at one of the farthest ends of the clearing, where the Hare Society had managed to extinguish the flames and held possession of the Ame Vase secured in the wooden crate. They were so close to running away, to her dismay, and if only she would've kept them entertained with her pain a bit longer, perhaps then they could've escaped the disaster. Fucking great. "We've been fooled by this runt. Come on, let's get the Ame Vase," he continued, the two Konoha-Nins hurrying to the men. By some miracle they anticipated this, and so the Missings performed hand seals or retrieved sturdy-looking weapons. The twins and the small assemble engaged in a fierce brawl, the red-eyed devils vanishing with mastery and reappearing to clash moves with moves. Up to now they could not touch the pricey crate with the vase inside, so that could mean they still had a chance.

Yet, her hopes shattered instantly. One of the brothers had opened a path to the traditional wheeled furniture, having brushed the men away with a sweep of a lasso-like fire. He calmly stepped to the latched, tiny door, his fingers barely touching the lock that separated him with the treasure. "Oh, no you won't!" Jena gritted her teeth, standing straight and summoning pressure from her Fuuton chakra to the palm of her right hand. She paced briskly to the enemy man, and raised her hand as she yelled, "Konoyarou!" Colliding her hand with his cheek, the slap's painful noise echoed throughout the night. The wisps of wind blowing his face signified that the Jutsu worked, and he stayed frozen still, eyes shut and squeezed. Yeah, that should've hurt you imbecile. The other twin was perched on the branch of a slightly crispy tree, frowning as if the hit had even reached him. Indeed, having your face slapped with pure wind tense pressure does cause a stingy and aching effect, and it was perfect to distract him.

"That... actually hurt," the Leaf Shinobi admitted, stroking the red cheek as he faced her. "You got some nerves to do that." When he finished the sentence, the female shrugged and positioned herself to hold her arm back, grinning as she did so. "Fuuton: Kami Oroshi!" And with that, her hand lunged forward, a strong gust of gale pushing the male body away from the crate, trapped within the force of the vortex. He resisted the Jutsu pretty well, his sandals digging into the soil as he stopped the dragging. He patiently awaited until the violent breeze ceased, and stared at his rival. She still heard the grunts and sharp scratching of fighting behind her, but ignored it for the sake of her life. The Jounin in front snickered, readying a Katon sphere on the palm of his hand. To that, Jena concluded that her Fuuton abilities were useless, and so unsheathed Yuugure. Then, he released the fire ball with tremendous speed, reaching her right shoulder as she ran to a side, gaining up to him.

The white-haired Shinobi made no move whatsoever to block the golden katana, allowing it to wound the chest with a big slash. He fell to his knees, an arm held up to restrain the blood oozing out. "Heh, you've been so caught up with me you've forgotten one very special thing..." He struggled to say, a smile still on his face. With a forceful nudge of his forehead, he signalled some distance away, to where a pair of figures were close to each other. Straining her sight, her eyes widened as she recognised the coppery hair and the emerald irises, contrasted by the other's albino palette and scarlet eyes. Once one of the twins knew the Missing was spectating the distant fight, a low kick to the Hare member unbalanced his stepping, granting a mortal opportunity for the foe. And he took it.
An arm gripped the boy's neck, holding him in place as the Konoha-Nin reached to what seemed to be the grip of a katana. She wanted to rush forward to save him, but the point of a kunai pierced her calves, not permitting any movement from her. And so, she witnessed as the silver blade was introduced into the meat, piercing the waist with ferocious strength. "Nobunaga!" She shouted, watching as the Konoha ninja mercilessly continued to dig the sword within Nobunaga's abdomen.

The silent body of the redhead collapsed on the ground, growling in pain while blood seeped out and staining the dirt below him. The black-haired girl gaped in drenched misery, seeing that she could not aid him beforehand. These... bastards...! She pulled her leg away from the kunai's deadly edge, her feet swinging back to kick the albino Jounin's face. He squirmed in pain, receiving more blows from her injured feet. Then, angrily turning to him, she valiantly grasped Yuugure with both hands and brought it down with all the power she could muster on his exposed neck. He gave a few choking sounds, before hushing to dead-silence. Now taking out the messy golden blade, Jena spun to the only remaining one, glaring like a wolf scouting its prey. The enemy ninja wasn't fazed at the elimination of his brother, and stood steady and ready for whatever move she would try.

Jena gave no warning as she clasped her hands together in multiple seals. Her left hand was raised in the air, gloved removed and showcasing the Meiton symbol. Part of the chakra from the Konoha-Nin flowed to the lower diamond, swirling energetically in the upper one, which now gleamed a strong red. She concentrated her will on nearby shadows, the chakra absorbed being lent to them. At that second, the lifeless thing began to bubble, taking on a more liquid-like shape. It swished and slapped, standing up to a more humanoid figure as it yet bubbled and dripped. Later on, it stepped around, staring at the red-eyed man. "Is this some sort of joke?" He chuckled, trying to cross his arms meanwhile. That wasn't really the best thing to do, since the physical movement triggered the Jutsu. "Meiton: Yuurei," she whispered, activating the Genjutsu. Without any previous signal, the obscure, human-shaped blob exploded, sending image waves to his mind. They weren't really any sort of nice images, and you could tell by the look of his face he wasn't enjoying it.

He fell to his knees, clutching his head in desperate trembling. The gruesome and gory pictures were plastered on his brain, possibly scarring him at a deep level. No one would like to see how a corpse turns into a bloody mess of contents in playback, no? That was the last thing he would see, and she reassured herself it would be that way. Lunging a kick to his chest, she managed to make him fall backwards, and the shiny sheath of Yuugure was the only visible thing then. She pushed, sending it within the depths of his chest. She stayed like that, panting. They were done for, it was over. She stood, glancing back at the united Hare Society. They had been gazing at the magnificent battle, held back by Daisuke's firm commands. Hold on, his left arm is... missing. He was suffering a grand blood loss, yet he did not mind that much. She left them and put her sight on the fallen Nobunaga, accompanied by two ninja that were inspecting him and closely evaluating the damage done to him.

---

Dusk reigned. A chilly breeze swept Hi no Kuni, brushing the multiple figures trudging beat through the terrain. They were nearly there, having escaped the devil twin's hell and finally arriving at the Great Country's borders. The traditionally-styled, wooden cart rolled on as it always did, a few burns or scratches adorning the somewhat refined material. Along limped several men, one of which wasn't a male but a girl, her skin scratched, bruised and crispy burnt. Her magenta eyes did not depart the dirt floor, and with each step the screaming agony vibrated in her bones. She was terribly glad she was done with those idiotic Leaf Shinobi, better still that they were close to finishing this all. Daisuke walked still so glorious in the front, the left side of his torso heavily bandaged and lacking an arm. His left hand had been raised, calling to the others to stop motion. He directed himself to the girl, nodding in appreciation. "Your mission here is complete," he bellowed, however much he could. "The Hare Society is forever grateful for your help, and we are glad you dispatched the twins from Konohagakure before they placed their filthy hands on the vase."
Yet Jena didn't answer, and simply nodded weakly in mourning response. Daisuke understood, and placed his one hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Nobunaga shall recover," Daisuke assured. "Although the wound is considered fatal, we will do all in our power to heal him. After all, he risked his life defending you."
D-Defending her...?

She wanted to continue the talk, yet the Hare had to move on to complete their job. Her task was done, and the Ame Vase was secured. Even then, she spotted at the front of the Missing-Nin ranks, two burly, hurt men carrying a wooden bunk, the blood-stained body of a young boy resting peacefully...
And it broke her from the inside.