Ransom of Tricks [solo mission]

In the usually peaceful countryside, a crowd of Konoha shinobi had a lavish hotel surrounded. The place had been in a complete lockdown for several hours now. Nobody got in or out. Inside, an equally dangerous gang of criminals aided by few missing nin patrolled the building tirelessly. Among them, a skilled sensor swept the building every few minutes, keeping count of all the souls present. So far, the takeover had been bloodless and they wanted to keep it that way. Dead hostages were worthless after all. The guests had been gathered to the lobby where it was easy to keep an eye on everyone. However, that setup made someone else’s job far easier as well...

Sneaking in had been the tricky part... thanks to the painfully small attic window... but now Hara Kin was free to roam around while the criminals were none the wiser. She was watching the lobby from a nice, shady corner and plotted her approach. There were around twenty of them plus the leader, a big guy barking orders like a dog gone mad. All the hostages, ten by her quick count, were bound and gagged in the center. Simple, so very simple. A devilish smile played on the Kitsune’s lips. The only ransom these guys would get was the ransom of tricks. Time to go.

A quick set of hand seals dragged the targets into a genjutsu. Silky mist oozed in from the doors and between the floorboards, bringing the gift of serenity. One by one, the enemies collapsed into blissful sleep. Hara dropped down and approached the hostages, careful not to step into a trap. With a swish of a kunai and a zap of raiton, the first hostage was free and awake. However, instead of a thank you, the fellow aimed a panic point right behind her. The trickster just barely ducked beneath a heavy sword swing that sunk into the nearby pillar. Apparently the leader of the group was as sneaky as her, merely pretending to sleep.

Goodbye simple... And hello fun~

While the gang leader was busy kicking his snoozing men out of the illusion, Hara bit her thumb and swept a streak of red on the floor. She immediately was engulfed in a column of smoke. When the cloud dissipated, there were two tricksters, accompanied by a huge, white fox. And they didn’t waste time. "Bind them while I free the hostages." The albino fox nodded and her paws blurred. Suddenly, all enemies who met her gaze were paralyzed, as if caught by invisible chains. All except one... Before the clones could get anywhere near the hostages, the leader overpowered the genjutsu bind. Either he was too skilled to fall for illusions or too thick-headed to get affected...

There was no time to ponder further. Both tricksters dashed at the man, zig-zagging in an attempt to throw him off. Only one got past him, while the other narrowly avoided a dangerous stab. However, this worked in her favor. She didn’t give the man time to go after the copy and instead went on the offensive. Her limbs crackled with electricity and she lunged for a quick hit. He avoided it, pretty nimbly for someone so big, but the shocking assault to buy time continued regardless. While the enemies were bound and the leader busy, the shadow clone continued freeing the hostages. One after another, ropes were cut and people shoved to sprint for the exit.

Once the last civilian was free, the gang leader glanced around and twitched. Hara could’ve sworn she heard something snap... Suddenly and with utter disregard for injury, the big man bashed right through her electric offensive. The impact resulted in a weak puff of smoke as the shadow clone was instantly destroyed. Boiling on the spot, he turned around a lot faster than expected and unceremoniously stabbed the stunned trickster. The sword pierced her heart and... poof. Another wisp of smoke was blown away. Just a second clone. The real one had gotten away. Still, without a bodyguard, Usobi was quickly forced to release the bind and soon she got driven into a corner by the approaching gang.

Just as the first assailant was about to reach the huge fox, something appeared from the shadows with a dynamic jump kick. The man was thrown into his allies and they tumbled back like over-sized bowling pins. "Not so fast~" What started as cursing and threats got muffled into quizzical mumbling when they saw her features closely. There were weird patterns all over her face, the strangest being all the violet around her eyes. Had she seriously escaped just to put on some make-up?

Hara gleefully savored the mixed reactions and nodded to her summon. "Mhmhmh~ Thanks for keeping them busy. You can retreat now." However, the white fox had a different idea. She gestured at the enemies, then at Hara, did a little smacking motion and sat down. While the criminals went through a collective head tilt, the Kitsune just rolled her eyes. "...Fine you can stay and watch." How she had understood that was yet another mystery among many.

It was no surprise that at this point the criminals felt just a little... ridiculed. Between the cheap tricks and the odd antics, anyone could’ve gotten frustrated. In unison, they demanded the weird woman stopped screwing around. For a moment, Hara even seemed to consider it. "Hmmmmmmm... No." When the men charged, the Fox Sage responded with a dashing flurry of dangerous swipes. She ducked and weaved between the attacks, rewarding each and every miss with a claw to where it hurt. No arm, leg, face or groin was safe from the mischievous Sage. The enemies collapsed in droves to the merciless slashes. Perhaps they should’ve counted themselves lucky that she only aimed to humiliate.

The group’s leader was the only one quick enough to dodge back. Hara’s swipes came just a little short and even if she had reached him, the sturdy sword would’ve blocked her claws. Or that’s what the trickster allowed him to think. Smug as ever, he spun the blade in his hands and rushed forward. However, the violent advance was suddenly interrupted by sharp pain. He glanced down and the sheer surprise shoved him backwards, when a collection of bleeding wounds opened on his arms. The blade clattered to the ground with a pained scream, followed by stuttering disbelief. He couldn’t comprehend when and how she had landed the hits.

And as far as the trickster was concerned, he didn’t need to know.

Before the wounded leader could recover, he was slammed back first into the wall. The Kitsune pinned him down effortlessly with her invisible claws. Oh how the tables had turned. Sadly, she didn’t get a chance to toy with him further as her would-be back-up stormed in to capture the criminals. They had heard the screams, but the sight caught them off-guard. Dozens of dangerous targets were down for the count, all riddled with strange wounds. Meanwhile, Hara stepped back and pulled the hood further over her head, hiding the Sage marks underneath the shadows. It would all remain as her little secret for now...

When people started asking questions, the trickster and her summon were already gone without a trace.

_{Jutsu used:
Nehan Shōja no Jutsu
Raiton: "Ohayo!" Sheishin
Kuchiyose no Jutsu
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu
Genjutsu Shibari
Raiton: Den’atsu Ken
Sage Mode
Kitsune Kenpo}