Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

"Your timing is interesting," Cannai mused.

"Oh?"

"Yes. I have a military mission that would be perfect for you. I had in fact been thinking about requiring you to go, but since you are, quote, feeling antsy and wanting to be useful so is there anything I can do on the military side, end quote, I believe I shall indeed send you on this mission."

"Cool," Hazō said with a smile. "What's the mission?"

"A punitive raid against the Leopards. Cross the border, murder twelve of them, urinate on the corpses, and leave them to rot in the sun. Do not kill cubs. Leave one parent alive if you can do so without losing your own people."

The smile fell away. "Oh."

Cannai's jaw dropped slightly open and he panted very slightly in amusement. "You were expecting that I would send you on a lovely trot along the border, looking across rolling vistas in hopes of spotting a stroppy young kitty that you could chase back home with their fuzzy little tail between their legs?"

"I...don't know? I guess I hadn't thought Dog was going across the border."

"This will be the first time. Until now, we have held our borders while the leopards have raided us. We have intercepted many raiders, killed those we could catch and chased the rest off."

"...And? What changed?"

"What changed is that they refuse to take the hint, and they have been stepping up their raids. The leopards have two advantages over dogs: first, they are more powerful fighters on an individual basis. Second, they are vastly better at stealth. They do not come across the border in a massed charge, battle howls leading the way. They began by slinking across in ones or sometimes in twos, hiding in the grass until they find a vulnerable group. They have recently escalated to larger groups, but their tactics remain the same. They kill, they mark, and they leave. They do not respond to diplomatic outreach. I am tired of this."

He looked across the wide grass between where they stood and the border where the nearest leopard might stand. "I am so tired of this," he murmured.

He turned back to Hazō and his voice was firm once more. "I have committed Dog to the defense of Hyena against Pangolin. I cannot afford to have Leopard, in alliance with Pangolin, flanking me on the southeast. More importantly, I am not willing to continue having my people killed.

"A certain amount of raiding can be accepted. It could even be argued to be a good thing—it keeps our skills sharp, and military weakness is a thing that no clan can afford. Unfortunately, they have gone well beyond the acceptable amount of raiding. It is happening along the entire border, multiple times per day in multiple locations, and they are doing more than harassing a few warriors."

"And so we're taking the fight to them," Hazō said.

"No. We are driving Hyōhakken to meet with me so that we may find a way to make peace."

"And if he doesn't want to...?"

"Then Dog will devastate Leopard."

"...Excuse me?"

"They have been raiding across our mutual border and also through the southwestern edge of Hyena. Yesterday, they murdered the Winding River pack to our west—whether by intent or as collateral damage, I neither know nor care. They also killed one hundred and thirteen other dogs across several hundred miles. This is not raiding, this is war. At least, it is about to be unless Hyōhakken is able to see reason."

"And war means...what, extermination?" Long experience with the Pangolin clan made Hazō jump straight to the worst option.

"Not literally. We will not kill cubs and we will try to leave one parent alive from any pairing. Aside from that, we will kill or drive off all potential combatants and claim at least a third of their territory." Canine jaws dropped open, teeth showing. "For a Clan Lord, it is extremely painful to have territory taken. Rather like having part of your body torn away."

"I see." He licked his lips, trying to decide if he should continue. "Okay. Where am I going?"

"You have an objection."

"No sir."

"Hazō."

"I..." He fell silent. "Call it what you want, but what you're talking about is the next best thing to exterminating the Leopard Clan. Leaving aside the moral implications, which I am not, is that even a thing we could do?"

Cannai laughed. "Oh yes. Yes, we could. Hazō, Dog is one of the largest Clans in the world. Leopard is a fraction of a Clan, and they broke off from Feline quite recently. Yes, the average leopard is equally matched to two or perhaps three dogs. I have two or three dogs for every leopard. I have ten dogs for every leopard. If I wanted to empty Leopard and claim every pawspan of it as my own, I could do it. It would cost far more lives than I would wish to sacrifice, but if this raiding were to continue then it would eventually cost even more."

"Wouldn't the other Clans have a major problem with you—with us exterminating the majority of a Clan and claiming their land?"

"Most likely."

"So...would it be a good idea?"

"It is debatable. Is it better to be seen as weak, unable to protect my own against a constant niggling drain, or to be seen as potentially aggressive towards neighbors who have not yet harmed me?" He cocked his head in the canine version of a shrug. "I would like to believe that clear communication with my new neighbors, plus their awareness of their own strength as compared to that of Leopard, would prevent the spread of hostilities. Still, this is why I wish to speak with Hyōhakken. He risks his people being devastated by Dog. I risk my people being warred upon by multiple enemy clans at once."

He snorted in amusement. "Plus, were I to conquer all of Leopard I would suddenly share a border with Pangolin. I have no desire for close connection to imperialist warmongers who apparently justify their ambitions through religious fervor."

"You could hand off some of the land to Hyena, or Rat," Hazō said.

"True, although I doubt either polity would wish to extend their borders with Pangolin. Regardless, the preferred option is for Hyōhakken to pull back his people. The first step in that is to convince him to speak with me. The second step is to convince him that he should either accept the alliance I previously offered, or at the least close the border between us to raids, as doing otherwise risks the death of most of his clan's military force."

"Would it have to involve killing such a large fraction of them? If having land taken from you is so painful, wouldn't it be sufficient to simply do that?"

"Perhaps, but I am not willing to bet my clan's safety on 'perhaps'. With the threat of the Pangolin on the horizon I cannot afford a second front, which means I need Hyōhakken to stand down. Unfortunately, leopards tend to share a few traits, arrogance among them. It is difficult to convince them to back down and, if we are being completely honest, I do not expect this negotiation to work. I fully expect that Hyōhakken will either increase his raids in response to this push or will come to the meeting only to curse and insult me.

"I will give him ten days to meet with me," Cannai said. "If he will meet and suspend hostilities then I will spend as long as necessary negotiating a peace between us. If he refuses to meet within ten days then Dog will begin the destruction of Leopard. If that campaign begins, it will not stop even if the Leopards attempt to yield. Aside from cubs and some parents, they will either flee the portion of their homeland that I claim or they will die."

"That's...extreme."

"Indeed. It is also practical. I am sending a message, and only incidentally does it go to Hyōhakken. The message is primarily for Pantsā and the rest of the clans east of the mountains; Dog is a peaceful neighbor with no interest in conflict. We are slow to rouse and we will negotiate in good faith if given any opportunity, but if you push us too far then the response will be catastrophic. We make far better allies than rivals, and far better rivals than enemies. It is my hope that if I make this demonstration once then I shall never need to make it again."

"And so I kill twelve of them?"

"You and a troop of dogs, yes. Yesterday they killed six dogs in this area, so we shall kill twelve in response. Repeating what I said before: do not kill cubs. If you encounter a mated pair with cubs then, if at all possible, leave one parent alive." He considered Hazō for a moment before continuing. "I am not perfectly clear on human morality and approaches to warfare, so I shall spell this out and hope you will grant pardon if it is obvious: the highest priority is to preserve your own lives while completing the mission. I expect you to fight intelligently, keeping yourself and your troops alive and able. Ambush your enemies, use deceit, stack the odds in your favor. Do not charge in like an idiot. There is no concept of 'fair' when teeth are reddened, and you should put such notions aside if you hold them. If a fight is too difficult, pull back and find an easier one.

"If for some bizarre reason it is completely impossible to avoid killing a cub, or if you do it by accident, I will understand. I will understand, but I will be ashamed. It will be a stain on the honor of Dog, one that will never wash away, but I do not expect you to prioritize the life of a leopard over that of yourself and your troops."

"Understood."

"Excellent. Mount and I shall take you to your troop. Along the way I shall brief you on Leopard."


"So, what should I expect?" Hazō asked as the team crossed the border, the eight dogs running in a loose cluster with Hazō at the center. "From the leopards, I mean."

"All leopards are cowards!" Cansaku shouted from the left edge of the cluster. The junior dog on the mission, the brown-and-tan Cansaku came up to Hazō's knee but moved with energy and seemed to vibrate even when standing still. Add a green outfit, sprinkle in some homoerotic innuendo, and he would have been a perfect canine model of Rock Lee.

"Shut up, brat!" hissed Cancurunchu, the leader of the troop. "Ignore him," he said to Hazō. "I have no idea how the kid has stayed this naive this long, but somehow he has. The leopards aren't cowards, they just fight differently than us. They tend to be solitary, although it seems like their Boss has been trying to change that lately, forcing them to live in larger groups. More relevantly, he's been forcing them to fight in larger groups. Used to be that they would come across the border alone, or maybe with a mate. Find a dog who was off on their own, kill 'em, retreat. Now we're getting groups of three and four on the regular."

"Get to the important part, boss," Canzappu said. The short-haired ninjutsu specialist was tiny, perhaps six inches at the shoulder and only a few pounds. He had giant ears that seemed too large for his snub-nosed face.

Hazō had been fighting hard not to show how cute he found Canzappu. He had a feeling it would not be appreciated. He had this feeling because upon their first meeting the dog had greeted him with, "I'm Canzappu, long-range ninjutsu specialist, and if you don't take me seriously I'll burn your guts out. Only warning." Hazō had nodded solemnly but had needed to make an extra effort when he was putting Canzappu's combat harness on and it turned out the little dog was ticklish. Watching him dance around, back leg thumping involuntarily at the ground, had nearly broken even the Iron Nerve's ability to keep a straight face.

"What's the important part?" Hazō asked, forcing his face to say sober as he jogged along, rather than grinning at the adorable little piping squeak that was Canzappu's voice.

"They put a heavy emphasis on stealth," Canzappu squeaked. "In combat, at least. They're usually too arrogant to bother when they're just going from A to B. As soon as the fighting starts, they'll disappear and come at you from your blind spot. It's a total pain in the ass." He puffed up his chest. "Fortunately, you've got me along."

"Pttthbt!" Cansaku said, blowing a remarkably good raspberry considering that canine jaws weren't terribly well suited. "You're such a braggart."

"I swear on the soul of the Alpha," Cancurunchu said tiredly, "if you don't keep your voice down, I will end you. How are we supposed to get to grips with the kitties if they know we're coming from six miles away?"

"Oh please," Cansaku said. "Like they won't see us coming with this giant wheatstalk running alongside." He nosed towards Hazō, whose upright build was in fact visible from farther away than the comparatively low-slung dogs.

"...We'll manage," Cancurunchu said, his voice failing to conceal the fact that he clearly felt Cansaku had made a valid point.

"By the same token, I'll see them from farther away too," Hazō said. "Speaking of which. I've got my skywalker seals with me. If you'd like, I can go up a few hundred feet and use a telescope to spot the kitties."

"Nope," Cancurunchu said. "They'd see you too and then we'd either never get close or we'd get jumped by a couple dozen curious kitties all at once. Let's keep it low and take a few at a time, yeah?"

"You're the boss," Hazō said. "Going back to the previous topic for a sec; you said that they tend to attack from stealth. Does that mean melee fights, claws and jaws?"

"Mostly," Cancurunchu said. "Most of them do the shadow thing, then jump out and bite your face off. Some of them use ninjutsu at long range. Mostly to lock you down so they can come in and bite your face off. Still."

Hazō nodded thoughtfully and the conversation petered out.

They had been running for maybe half an hour when they met their first prey.

The meeting was a surprise for both sides. The land had been trending upwards for the last hour, its rocky and sandy nature meaning that there was little undergrowth and most of what was there was low grasses unsuitable for concealment. Hazō and the eight dogs of the raiding troop ("Not a pack," Canfuwumpu had said when Hazō mistakenly used the term. The heavy-jawed bulldog yawned in the middle of the words, then continued, "dogs from two different packs here, we're just working together for this raid because the kitties were"—he yawned again—"raiding on the border between us so we've both got a leg to bite.") had been following a shallow ravine upwards, occasionally ducking up to the skyline to look around before continuing over the next ridge.

Canchō, a six-year-old husky with bright blue eyes, had checked the ridgeline not five minutes ago while the rest of the team waited below. He pronounced it clear and waved the rest of the troop up; no sooner did Hazō crest the ridge then he caught motion below.

"You dimwit!" yorped Canhachi, Canchō's brother. "You said it was clear, so what's that?!" He pointed with his nose.

Dogs are not capable of blushing, but Canchō did the best imitation of which one was capable. "They weren't there, I swear! They must have just come over the ridge!"

"Don't be—" Canhachi started to say, only to cut off with a panicked yorp as the leopards were suddenly on top of them.

They were ridiculously fast, crossing the intervening several dozen yards before Hazō could react. Worse, they had vanished from sight the instant he had noticed them. It was as though shadows rose up from the ground and wrapped around them like cloaks, blending them into their surroundings so well that it was hard to identify even which direction they were in.

The shadows broke for just an instant as a leopard the size of a pony went past Hazō so close he could have reached out and touched it if only his stupid human reflexes could keep up. The cat ignored him in favor of Canrippu, a dog of no particular type who had groused about the harnesses the entire trip until Cancurunchu said what everyone had been thinking: "Shut it!" Canrippu had obeyed...mostly. The griping at least dropped to an ignorable mutter.

"Dog Clan Technique: Strength of the Pack!" Canrippu yelled, panic in the words. A blue aura flickered to life around him and for just an instant Hazō imagined he heard Cannai's voice on the wind, although he could not pick out words. The aura spread outwards with welcoming arms, wrapping itself around the other dogs.

Canrippu dove away from the leopard's attack on chakra-enhanced paws...that weren't fast enough. He managed to twist enough that the teeth missed and he only got hit with a shoulder block, but it was enough to send him skidding across the ground; the road rash from the rocky soil cost him several chunks of fur and left him with seeping scratches.

The cat touched down from its leap and gathered itself to spring, ready to finish its fallen prey—and then it pivoted and vanished into the darkness as Cancurunchu was between them, the strength of the packbond on his lips and its aura blazing brighter around him. The cat's mocking laughter drifted back.

To his left, Hazō caught a brief flicker of motion as another cat appeared at the top of the hill. It allowed its cloak of darkness to fall away just long enough that they could see its gape-jawed mocking smile, and then it was once more shrouded and it had disappeared into the shadows. Presumably to wait for some weakened prey.

"Sun Element: Blinding Aura!" called tiny Canzappu. Light burst forth from the dog, rendering him into a tiny sun come to earth. The effect was to light up the entire area around them, but simultaneously throw the shadows of Hazō and the troop outwards like the long fingers of a giant. The shifting light and darkness caught the cats by surprise, revealing them for just a moment before they shifted into the new areas of darkness, disappearing back into stealth again.

"Dog Clan Technique: Strength of the Pack!" Canzappu cried. More connections sprang forth, binding the dogs together more tightly, their combined power building into something greater than the sum of its parts.

A cat lunged from the darkness to Hazō's left and another from his right. The dogs split, turning to face the threats, but the leopards were only feinting. They vanished back into the darkness before anyone could react.

"Leopard Clan Technique: Fangs from Afar."

The air above them suddenly glowed with yellow mist which collapsed in on itself like a campfire burning out in reverse motion. It condensed into a massive pair of feline jaws, easily the length of Hazō's forearm with fangs the size of his fingers. The massive construct lunged down at Canrippu, snapping at him with sound that Hazō at first feared was the dog's leg breaking.

Amazingly, it was not. Canrippu had seen the construct coming and leaped, chakra empowering canine muscles to let him soar past the attack, low to the ground, muscles rippling as he prepared to leap anew.

He almost made it.

The construct spun in place, faster than anything made of flesh could have done, and lunged forward, teeth slapping together on Canrippu's left rear leg with a bite that should have snipped the limb off. Instead, the blue aura of the packbond solidified, holding the teeth back just enough that Canrippu wriggled free and rolled aside. He was limping and leaving droplets of blood on the ground, but he was still a quadruped so Hazō was calling it a win. Still, Canrippu's chest was heaving as he sucked in great gasps of air, and his aura had diminished to the faintest of flickers, its power expended in the process of protecting him.

"Plant Element: Entangling Vines," came a feline voice.

Chakra boiled up from the earth around Canzappu, solidifying into clutching vines of blasphemous purple and sickly gray-green that squeezed crushingly tight around the tiny dog—

Who casually stepped aside with a dismissve, "Pfft" and continued to scan the darkness for a target.

"Goodbye, foreign meat," came a whisper from the shadows, seeming to come from atop Hazō's shoulder so that he whipped around in surprise and shock. "Soul Element: Crushing Fear."

Ahead, the shadows were pressed back by twin lights that opened, and opened wider. No, not lights. Eyes. Eyes that drank the wan light of the Seventh Path, magnified it, and sent it forth as the yellow of sickness, the promise of rot. The eyes were huge, predator's eyes that whispered of all the things that had kept endless generations of humans awake, huddled around their fires with pointy sticks in hand as they jumped at every tiny noise and waited for death to take them.

Hazō laughed, brushing the effect aside. It was a good try, certainly, but no one who had been trained by the sadistic genjutsu mistress Gōketsu (née Inoue) Mari would be bothered. Leopards were many things, but subtle was not among them.

"Get fucked, cat," he called back as he brushed a finger across the seal on the underside of his left forearm.

The Chakra Adhesion Triggered Enhanced Activation Relay Seal was a masterwork. Most seals would not activate unless the user threaded their chakra into the seal in a specific and delicate pattern, a pattern that took a full second or two to manage, even for the best-trained ninja. Hazō's invention, on the other hand, could detect and respond to the heavy and unfocused pull of chakra adhesion that every ninja used for wallwalking. Chakra adhesion was quick and dirty, something that required no thought whatsoever. You just reached out and pulled, nothing precise or delicate about it. The seal would detect the brush of chakra adhesion and would activate, triggering a second seal that had previously been paired to it.

When Hazō had shown it to her and explained how the seal worked, Kei had been very much of two minds. On the one hand, it was brilliant and incredibly useful and would give the Gōketsu a much-needed combat advantage against the rest of the world. On the other hand, the acronym was CATEARS.

Hazō pushed amusing memories of his sister aside to focus on the current moment. This particular CATEARS seal was paired to the first in a chain of Multiple Activation Relay Seals that activated Banshee Slayer sound protection on Hazō and all the dogs, then triggered a frankly ridiculous number of Hazō's new Force Claw seals, then fired off a Rocket Boot seal.

The Rocket Boot seal was in a pocket at the center of Hazō's back. Also in the pocket, in front of the seal, was a palm-sized steel plate with a second seal on the outside. When the Rocket Boot activated it blasted the plate out and sent it bouncing to the ground several yards away. It tore a massive hole in his shirt in the process, but that was a problem for future Hazō and his sewing kit to deal with. Probably a shadow clone of future Hazō, actually; Shadow Clones had no problem doing tedious and boring stuff when so ordered.

Back on topic: the ejection of the steel plate was important, because the final thing that the MARS chain did was to trigger the seal on that steel plate: a Banshee Fucker.

The Banshee Fucker seal emitted a sound so loud that it was only barely a sound instead of an explosive shockwave. The first time Hazō had tried it he had set it off in contact with his body; fortunately, Tsunade had been in attendance. She had examined him and then been reassuring and gentle. Which was a really bad sign, actually. If you had a problem with your leg it was much better to have Tsunade say, "Walk it off, you slacker!" instead of "That looks a little uncomfortable. Let me get you some willowbark tea." The former meant that your leg was broken but it was a clean break and you probably wouldn't even have a limp as long as you did your physical therapy. The latter meant that your leg was gangrenous and you should start deciding who you wanted to give your eulogy.

The Banshee Fucker went off and even the protection of the Banshee Slayer sound-muffling seals on Hazō's collar were not sufficient to completely block the effects. He could hear it, very vaguely, but more importantly he could feel it in his chest, great slamming waves that made him feel like he was getting punched at half strength, over and over again.

The cats, lacking hearing protection and possessing a far better sense of hearing to start with, screamed and staggered. Their protective shadows flickered in and out, showing the leopards in freeze-frame images that made them look like a flipbook being turned too slowly, rendering them into disparate images instead of a smooth flow. They staggered drunkenly, screaming and whimpering at the sheer sonic impact.

Cankamu, the heavy-jawed bulldog who somehow managed to keep up with Hazō and the others despite having legs that barely reached the ground, raced forward to where the largest of the leopards stutter-stepped near the top of the ridge. It saw him coming and gathered itself, jaws gaping wide in a feline scream of threat and pain mixed together. It raised a paw, claws the size of Hazō's thumbs suddenly appearing as it slashed at—

Cankamu dropped and slid under the paw smash, barely evading the clashing jaws in the process. He got his jaws into the leopard's front leg and chomped. The cat screamed in pain and jumped back but Cankamu lunged to his feet, coming up under the cat and biting into its underbelly.

Cankamu's jaws would have been dangerous enough were he fighting alone. He wasn't. The strength of his pack surged through him, the blue aura strengthening and speeding him to make his blows more dangerous, to let him slide barely past blows that should have clipped him. Perhaps more importantly, however, Cankamu had a sealmaster on his side.

The Force Wall seal used two elements to generate a 4-meter by 4-meter wall of insanely sharp and completely transparent force. The Force Claw seal was Hazō's turn on it; it used only one element and it generated a blade of transparent force four inches long. A blade that was so sharp it could carve sunlight.

Every single one of the dogs had a Force Claw seal attached to a pad on their heads, the blade projecting forward in parallel to their eyeline. They also had a variety of other Force Claw seals at various angles on their backs and sides, but that wasn't relevant at the moment.

The blade sank into the leopard's guts and carved its way back out without slowing down. Blood and bile poured from the wound and the cat gasped as one of its lungs was punctured. It leaped, off-balance and graceless, and vanished into the shadows of a nearby rock. It left a trail of blood behind that would have made it easy to locate had there not been more pressing issues at hand.

"Life Element Technique: Dance of the Butterflies!" Canchō called from behind Hazō.

Chakra swirled forth from the dog, condensing into colorful butterflies that glimmered and gleamed in shades of blue and green and gold. They fluttered and danced, diving into every shadow within a dozen yards of Canchō. Where those shadows contained leopards, the butterflies collected around them, their faint lights outlining the cats and obscuring their vision.

"Soul Element: Chakra's Bite!" Canchō said, continuing his signature one-two punch.

Across the battlefield, every chakra construct began to heat up and throw sparks. The sparks were small to start, painful but not dangerous, but their power increased rapidly. Most importantly, the sparks were bright and 'every chakra construct' included the butterflies that were faintly outlining each of the leopards. The animals were now covered in coruscating sheets of lightning, their chakra-created protective darkness struggling to expand outwards in order to encompass and conceal the betraying pseudo-insects.

Canrippu, eager to get his own back after being slapped around earlier, raced towards the nearest of the now-revealed leopards. The animal was still trying to get its feet under it from the sonic assault of the Banshee Fucker; it was off-balance and foggy, but it was also an experienced warrior. It went to meet Canrippu, jaws wide. It moved with almost all the characteristic speed of its kind, closing the distance faster than Hazō could blink.

At the last instant, Canrippu juked aside. He ran down the length of the animal, so close that their fur almost touched.

Their fur might not have touched, but the five Force Claw seals sticking sideways off of Canrippu's harness sure did.

Canrippu passed the leopard and kept going to a safe distance while his enemy stumbled to its knees, blood leaking from long gashes along its sides. It turned its head, snapping at Canrippu's heels and catching only air.

The Claws are too sharp, Hazō thought. They don't tear the wounds open the way a kunai would.

Dogs were pack animals, accustomed to fighting as a team, and this group knew their business. When Canrippu charged, Canhachi had followed, keeping the larger dog positioned between himself and the leopard so as to remain unseen. When the leopard turned to attack the already-passed Canrippu it left its neck wide open to Canhachi.

Canhachi, a muscular husky with a bright pink splotch on his nose and a cheery attitude when he wasn't mocking his brother, bit down on the leopard's neck and ripped its throat out halfway to the spine. The monster flopped to the ground like dropped meat, blood spraying out in a fountain that instantly drenched its killer.

"Life Element: Eye Spy," Canafuwumpu said with a yawn. White light condensed around the dog's head and was sucked into his eyes, causing them to shine faintly. "Hey, kitties, come nap with me! Dog Clan Technique: Baddies Go Fwump."

A ring of chakra pulsed out of Canafuwumpu, spilling across the battlefield in a lightning flash. Canafuwumpu yawned widely and looked around. Hazō followed his gaze, surprised to see that the leopards' darkness was once more flickering, the leopards once more staggering, except this time their eyes were drooping in exhaustion. The view lasted only an instant, the cats stumbling away from where they stood, struggling to pull their protective darkness back around themselves once more.

"Pangolin Earth Armor," Hazō said, twisting his chakra through the patterns of a jutsu that he had obtained years ago, practiced assiduously for weeks, and then never actually used. Chakra boiled out of him and crystallized, encasing his body in protective chakra-construct stone which promptly started to spark and crackle under the effects of Canchō's still-running Chakra's Bite jutsu. The blue-gray construct flowed and bent with his every motion, slowing him only slightly even as it protected and strengthened him. He shifted, allowing his newly increased mass to pull him forward into a run towards the nearest of the cats even as he slipped on his pangolin-gifted metal gauntlets. Time to show them what a Gōketsu could do!

Cancurunchu was faster, flashing past him to slam into the leopard Hazō had been heading for. The dog-team leader's massive jaws bit and tore, the Force Claw on his head gouging out slabs of meat, his weight smashing into the leopard and sending it flying into a nearby rock. It hit with a pained yelp, bounced, and rolled back to its feet.

That was enough for the leopards. As one, they turned and fled for their lives, running like a demon army was nipping at their tails. Their darkness melted away as they ran, either because they were too distracted to maintain it or because they needed the chakra for greater speed.

"Oh no you don't," Canzappu muttered. "Sun Element: Focus Blast."

The world went dark for an instant as all the light in the region collapsed into a beam that lanced through one of the fleeing leopards. It went in just behind the leopard's hip, burned through a rib, came out through the side of the belly, and converted a handspan of short grass and sandy dirt into glass and ash. Fortunately for the victim, the beam somehow managed not to be fatal. The leopard collapsed, pitch-poled helplessly, came back to its feet, and ran on three legs into the distance.

"Let 'em go," Cancurunchu said. "We got two and that lot will notify the rest. Some of them will run but some will come looking for us. Saves us the hunting."

"Didn't you say before that you didn't want dozens of them jumping us?" Hazō asked.

"Ssshh," Canfuwumpu said, yawning yet again. "Don't argue with him or he might change his mind and make us run after them. Wake me up when they get here." He turned in a circle three times, lay down, and put his tail over his eyes. Within moments he was asleep and snoring little doggy snores.

Cancurunchu sighed. "He's right," he groused. "We should catch them. Split up, two teams, let's go. Summoner, you're with me."


Just so that it's clear to everyone:

• Cannai very much wants to avoid war
• The only reason he is considering war is because:
  • Cannai is allied with Hyena to help defend them against imperialist Pangolin, who have already shown their willingness to commit cultural and/or literal genocide. It is more than reasonable to believe that if Pangolin takes over Hyena then they will continue on to attack Dog.
  • Leopard is allied with Pangolin and is attacking Dog's flank while Dog is busy in Hyena
  • Leopard has shown their willingness to wipe out entire packs instead of confining themselves to primary combatants. Neither Cannai nor Hazō know if it was an intentional wipe or collateral damage from a battle, so they don't know if the Leopards are actually going scorched-earth or maintaining some level of decency.
• If there is a war, Cannai is hoping that making a statement by devastating Leopard will prevent the need for future bloodshed against Pangolin and/or their allies, much the way (NB: fraught real-world comparison coming) America (supposedly, and yes there is debate) thought that using nuclear bombs on Japan would ultimately save lives by ending the war sooner
• If there is a war then Cannai will not kill cubs, will try to leave at least one parent of every litter alive, and will happily let combatant-aged Leopards abandon their homeland instead of being killed, as either outcome will make a sufficient demonstration of his willingness to go hard
• He is actively doing everything he can to prevent the need for war
• If an option comes along to achieve peace or secure an equivalent degree of safety for his people then he will take it

This is intended to be a morally complicated situation that gives Hazō multiple courses of action. Not even Cannai is claiming that what Cannai is doing is morally right.

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Author's Note: After Cancurunchu said 'let them go' it turned out that the two leopards with Severe wounds weren't making particularly good time, so the team captured them. You killed two leopards, captured (and will soon execute) two, and two got away. Cancurunchu was angry and battle-jazzed at the end there and there's a good chance that he will change his mind on the 'let them come' position pretty soon.

XP AWARD: 16 This update covered 4 days.

Brevity XP: 4

"GM had fun" XP: 1

• Cannai rules, so 1 for that
• It was fun to write punching again but holy god that was exhausting. There's so much more to keep track of than there used to be and 15 combatants is a lot

It is now about 4pm.

Vote time! What to do now?

Note: I'm going to be at a games day on Sunday, so my current plan is to post an interlude. I'll leave voting open until next Wednesday. If either @Paperclipped or @Velorien are excited about writing for Sunday then I can edit this to close voting Saturday as usual, but I doubt very much that will happen as both of them are super busy.

Voting ends on Wednesday, Jun 19, 2024 at 7:00 AM .