Equally true, but at that point Kiri ceases to be an entity. More likely they're "price" for cooperation will have dropped low enough for another village to pull them into cooperating. Likely Konoha who has few ambitions of expansion and whose demands would be for a general enforced cooperation and favorable trade deals unlike Iwa who would want to eventually cannibalize their economy and resources or Kumo who would harvest their organs as a matter of principle.
I honestly can't remember if the English dub ever used that word and it would be kind of weird if Buddha existed as a concept in-verse, even if Guanyin/Kannon and other Buddhist and Shinto concepts are referenced.
If you can ravage enough supply lines and force your enemies to disperse to defend you can find weak points to being major assaulting elements to create a breach. Kiri needs to remain on the offensive as they can't win a defensive war due to issues with losing access to the supplies on the mainland.
Kiri needs everyone to expect an attack from Kiri forces to potentially come from any direction so that they don't have the forces to actually attack Kiri itself. However long this lasts will be up to how long it takes for someone to either break Kiri's spirit or show them a good enough offer is my guess.
Not sure I would buy this when we are talking about a war with a minimum of four (Konoha, Iwa, Kumo, Kiri, I don't know if Suna got involved) major powers and more minor (but still significant) powers like Ame also involved. Even without Kiri going nuts attacking everywhere, everyone pretty much has to do this anyways, at least as much as they are going to do so anyways.
I think its more likely they are just being opportunistic and trying to take lightly defended areas or accomplish some other goal, or are just crazy/incompletely run.
Not sure I would buy this when we are talking about a war with a minimum of four (Konoha, Iwa, Kumo, Kiri, I don't know if Suna got involved) major powers and more minor (but still significant) powers like Ame also involved. Even without Kiri going nuts attacking everywhere, everyone pretty much has to do this anyways, at least as much as they are going to do so anyways.
I think its more likely they are just being opportunistic and trying to take lightly defended areas or accomplish some other goal, or are just crazy/incompletely run.
Everyone else has to do this to an extent but Kiri has the problem of being both the center of an enormous potential trade system but also desperately needing to keep everyone from seizing critical islands that sustain their supply chain.
Specifically they must maintain control over the island chain they have that is just off the shore from Lightning and Fire country or suddenly suffer an absolutely devastating supply chain issue for their forces on the mainland.
Yeah, Kiri is kind of simultaneously in both the weakest and strongest positions, at least from a flexibility standpoint. They've got the manpower to do hit-and-run attacks along Fire's coastline between Tea and all those tiny nations on the other tip of the peninsula because it just not sustainable or strategically sound to occupy the Land of Lightning's coast since it's taken an even worse beating than the Land of Meadows has in the early months of the war. Kiri's main focus is still Kumo though, and Konoha's is shifting to be Iwa, though the worst of their fighting so far has been against Kumo.
Also a lot of the soldiers fighting in the tiny Konoha/Kiri proxies north of Tea aren't ninja. They're mercenaries and auxiliaries like you only saw in the first arc of the manga in the first mission, which have been referenced a few times. Konoha and Iwa don't make much use of them, outside of occupations, but Kumo and Kiri make more extensive use of them.
And yes, Suna is in the War, it's just, unlike any of the other Great Villages, they only have one enemy to deal with, Iwa. That could always change though, you know how ninja diplomacy is.
Update on the sooner side, just been gummed up with the middle of it, couldn't say why.
I've slapped a map in the latest War Report, and when the situation changes, there will be new ones in subsequent War Reports.
Yeah, Kiri is kind of simultaneously in both the weakest and strongest positions, at least from a flexibility standpoint. They got the manpower to do hit-and-run attacks along Fire's coastline between Tea and all those tiny nations on the other tip of the peninsula because it just not sustainable or strategically sound to occupy the Land of Lightning's coast since it's taken an even worse beating than the Land of Meadows has in the early months of the war. Kiri's main focus is still Kumo though, and Konoha's is shifting to be Iwa, though the worst of their fighting so far has been against Kumo.
Also a lot of the soldiers fighting in the tiny Konoha/Kiri proxies north of Tea aren't ninja. They're mercenaries and auxiliaries like you only saw in the first arc of the manga in the first mission, which have been referenced a few times. Konoha and Iwa don't make much use of them, outside of occupations, but Kumo and Kiri make more extensive use of them.
And yes, Suna is in the War, it's just, unlike any of the other Great Villages, they only have one enemy to deal with, Iwa. That could always change though, you know how ninja diplomacy is.
Update on the sooner side, just been gummed up with the middle of it, couldn't say why.
I've slapped a map in the latest War Report, and when the situation changes, there will be new ones in subsequent War Reports.
Ooooh, Kumo is making some moves on Kiri. I see that little island in the Northern part of the sea change color to Kumo's control giving them an actual mid-way supply depot to the northern borders of Water Country.
I'm curious to what shenanigans it took to seize control of that island.
Kimimaro due to cursed seal boost. Even without it he had a lot going for him due to being way more practices with his bones and kenjutsu, but I think our wind techniques would otherwise carry a no-cursed seal fight it'd just be close.
As Tsubaki is now, and Kimimaro still has the Curse Mark of the Earth? Kimimaro would win. Healthy Kimimaro would be physically stronger, have better regeneration, and have similar to or better stamina than Tsubaki. Maybe this is heresy and I shouldn't bring scaling or tiers or whatever into this, but even sick Kimimaro qualifies for S-rank considering the contemptuous ease he beat like 100 Nine Tails Narutos with.
She could definitely repeat his feat of soloing the Sound Four though, even without openly using her kekkei genkai. She probably beats anyone in Part 1 Oto short of Orochimaru himself, really.
As Tsubaki is now, and Kimimaro still has the Curse Mark of the Earth? Kimimaro would win. Healthy Kimimaro would be physically stronger, have better regeneration, and have similar to or better stamina than Kimimaro. Maybe this is heresy and I shouldn't bring scaling or tiers or whatever into this, but even sick Kimimaro qualifies for S-rank considering the contemptuous ease he beat like 100 Nine Tails Narutos with.
I think his feats against Gaara put him on the low end of S rank without looking at powerscaling from the Naruto clones. What is your typical jonin going to do against a Sand Tsunami but just die?
She could definitely repeat his feat of soloing the Sound Four though, even without openly using her kekkei genkai. She probably beats anyone in Part 1 Oto short of Orochimaru himself, really.
Thats really just sick Kimimaro and maybe Kabuto for impressive characters? I wouldn't even be sure of Tsubaki beating sick Kimimaro, Bracken Dance with the travel through bones is ridiculous. Though being able to consistently beat Kabuto would be noteworthy.
I think his feats against Gaara put him on the low end of S rank without looking at powerscaling from the Naruto clones. What is your typical jonin going to do against a Sand Tsunami but just die?
Thats really just sick Kimimaro and maybe Kabuto for impressive characters? I wouldn't even be sure of Tsubaki beating sick Kimimaro, Bracken Dance with the travel through bones is ridiculous. Though being able to consistently beat Kabuto would be noteworthy.
It doesn't take long to find a small pond and the sticky blood off of your torso before you change into a clean set of clothes you pull from a storage seal. Once you're done, you quickly go over the other scrolls for the other two missions you were assigned. It's unnecessary, but you wanted to confirm that the mission into the Land of Meadows to disrupt Konoha's supply lines would be the first one you headed to.
Meadows' side of the border is completely deserted when you reach it, and the Ame-nin on Storms' side are on high alert, though none of them acknowledge when you pass through. They don't acknowledge any of the ninja that pass through at the same time as you do. There are a couple visible across the flat, swampy border as you cross, though you quickly pull ahead of them given your speed. The actual rendezvous point for the mission is a thick copse near the edge of the swamp that's well-known to Ame-nin who have had to travel north for missions.
There's no fire when you arrive, but several boiler suited jounin are sitting around a low, flat rock playing cards. None have a particularly strong reaction to your arrival, either glancing over their shoulders or not looking at all, though that's explained by the presence of a camouflaged sensor in a dappled boiler suit and a smoked glass cleanroom mask, who gives you a sharp not before turning their attention back to the wintry fog hanging over the damp landscape. More ninja trickle in over the next few hours, completely uncaring of alerting patrolling Kusa-nin, as they've all been pulled back to the few remaining cities still controlled by the Land of Meadows' central government.
In total, there are around forty Ame-nin gathered around the small grove at the edge of the swamp in Meadows. The vast majority are chunin, mostly clad in the typical boiler suits and gas masks, while all but two of the others at least wear oilskins under their flak jackets. You suppose you stick out as part of the group, but you won't be moving as a group, so that doesn't really matter, especially because your kimono is a dull mauve that won't stick out against the dead grasses or overcast sky you'll be fighting over. If the hit-and-run raiding you're about to conduct could be called fighting.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Oi, girly," it takes you a second to realize that the grizzled jounin who's (unofficially) taken field command is talking to you. He's a big guy, with about 50 cm on you in terms of height, and you can make out wrinkles and scars on his face even under his rebreather.
It takes some effort to not point to yourself when you ask for clarification, "me? Yes?"
"Registration number and name," you'd heard him and another jounin, younger and shorter than him, but considerably heavier, going around requesting the same of the gathered chunin. You notice the sensor staring at both you and the older jounin from the edge of the thickest undergrowth.
"R5-151," you blandly reply, somewhat automatically, "Tsubaki." You don't give him your last name, you never do, "I'm a jounin."
He seems mildly surprised by that, not fully taken aback. "I see," the rebreather covers the sound of his scoff, if he did scoff. You figure that he did. "Stick with that group then," he gestures to a cluster of chunin who are just gearing up to move out, "they could use—" he glances back to his wide companion, "a field commander. A ranking shinobi to command them."
The emphasis he put on 'ranking shinobi' makes your eyes narrow a millimeter. "Fine," you say as flatly as possible, not spitting the word out or contradicting him. You don't want there to be any problems so early in the mission, so early in the deployment.
Maybe you'll get to work on your leadership skills. Though you're unsure if that's worth not getting to work with more jounin you don't know before the next deployment.
~~~~~~~~~~
At first, it seems like picking off Konoha's scouts is mind-numbingly easy, as the chunin rapidly peel off from the formation only to rejoin it after dispatching their respective targets. It's only after you actually see one do you realize what the (only semi-competent) sensor has gotten wrong. It's easy to see why she would make the mistake she did, as the decoy is very convincing. The problem is with its movement, which only someone with a very keen eye for taijutsu and muscle movement would be able to catch.
About ten minutes after resolving the issue with the unconscious and dead Kusa-nin that were somehow being puppeteered by Konoha's forces, your little group of chunin spots a real group of Konoha-nin moving southwest, towards the Land of Storms.
There are a lot more trees in this part of the country, though the ground is still marshy in the spring and fall, right now it's just pitted and treacherous, so both your team and the squad from Konoha are moving through the trees.
It's a shame that your sensor was good enough to pick them up before they detected you, but not good enough to feel that something was off about one of them. Namely, one of them is a Hyuga. Which isn't necessarily a problem, but it does mean that, when you finally achieve visual contact with your targets, the pair of heavily breathing Konoha-nin with huge scrolls on their backs have been squirreled away behind the nine other chunin present. You assume they're all chunin, at least, from the way they react to making contact with an enemy team, but it's not impossible that there's a jounin among them, blending in as best they can.
You have six chunin on your impromptu squad, the sensor, who's also fallen to the rear of your formation, included.
[] Send the chunin after the scroll-bearers, after all, the mission is to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in southeastern Meadows, and those big scrolls are absolutely full of supplies destined for its invasion of the Land of Storms. That you'll get to fight all of the enemy chunin at once is just a bonus, maybe that will present something of a challenge.
[] Five and a half or six against nine isn't the best odds, but these Konoha chunin are merely guards for a supply run, and your team is made up of Ame-nin who were specifically chosen because they'd be able to handle a situation like this. That's what you've gathered, at least. Really you're just going to ensure that the mission objective is fulfilled, if the team starts to struggle then you'll help them. It would reflect poorly if a bunch of chunin died on your watch after all.
[] Split the team. You'll hang back and hold off the Konoha-nin with two combatants and the sensor, while the other three chunin go after the supply runners. You'll really just be there to provide support and keep the pressure of your team members, you didn't want to be stuck with a bunch of chunin, but if you have to be, you'll at least get to see what they can do.
[] Write-in (have some sort of plan)
Voting closes at !
A/N: Not much to say about this one, honestly. There was going to be some action, but giving Tsubaki a choice here felt more appropriate, which now that I think about it seems to be a trend with the new mission/campaign format. Hmm. Either way, just remember that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Hope everyone had a good St. Patrick's Day, if you celebrate that, and either way, I hope you're having a good March so far.
[X] Send the chunin after the scroll-bearers, after all, the mission is to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in southeastern Meadows, and those big scrolls are absolutely full of supplies destined for its invasion of the Land of Storms. That you'll get to fight all of the enemy chunin at once is just a bonus, maybe that will present something of a challenge.
[X] Send the chunin after the scroll-bearers, after all, the mission is to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in southeastern Meadows, and those big scrolls are absolutely full of supplies destined for its invasion of the Land of Storms. That you'll get to fight all of the enemy chunin at once is just a bonus, maybe that will present something of a challenge.
Let Tsubaki Alpha Strike for maximum murder blitz, then the Chunin can pick apart whoever splits off while she mops up.
Hmmm. Tsubaki is certainly skilled enough to keep the Escorts occupied at leaat long enough for her team to handle the Scroll-bearers.
Assuming neither of the latter are secretly special jonin or better.
But, if there is a Jonin among the escorts, Tsubaki won't be able to prevent them from splitting off and wreckingbher team.
[X] Send the chunin after the scroll-bearers, after all, the mission is to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in southeastern Meadows, and those big scrolls are absolutely full of supplies destined for its invasion of the Land of Storms. That you'll get to fight all of the enemy chunin at once is just a bonus, maybe that will present something of a challenge.
[X] Send the chunin after the scroll-bearers, after all, the mission is to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in southeastern Meadows, and those big scrolls are absolutely full of supplies destined for its invasion of the Land of Storms. That you'll get to fight all of the enemy chunin at once is just a bonus, maybe that will present something of a challenge.
[X] Send the chunin after the scroll-bearers, after all, the mission is to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in southeastern Meadows, and those big scrolls are absolutely full of supplies destined for its invasion of the Land of Storms. That you'll get to fight all of the enemy chunin at once is just a bonus, maybe that will present something of a challenge.
[X] Send the chunin after the scroll-bearers, after all, the mission is to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in southeastern Meadows, and those big scrolls are absolutely full of supplies destined for its invasion of the Land of Storms. That you'll get to fight all of the enemy chunin at once is just a bonus, maybe that will present something of a challenge.
[X] Split the team. You'll hang back and hold off the Konoha-nin with two combatants and the sensor, while the other three chunin go after the supply runners. You'll really just be there to provide support and keep the pressure of your team members, you didn't want to be stuck with a bunch of chunin, but if you have to be,
[X] Send the chunin after the scroll-bearers, after all, the mission is to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in southeastern Meadows, and those big scrolls are absolutely full of supplies destined for its invasion of the Land of Storms. That you'll get to fight all of the enemy chunin at once is just a bonus, maybe that will present something of a challenge.
[x] Split the team. You'll hang back and hold off the Konoha-nin with two combatants and the sensor, while the other three chunin go after the supply runners. You'll really just be there to provide support and keep the pressure of your team members, you didn't want to be stuck with a bunch of chunin, but if you have to be, you'll at least get to see what they can do.
changed my mind. Really don't want to exert ourselves unecessarily. Might as well use this as a way to learn leadership too.
[x] Split the team. You'll hang back and hold off the Konoha-nin with two combatants and the sensor, while the other three chunin go after the supply runners. You'll really just be there to provide support and keep the pressure of your team members, you didn't want to be stuck with a bunch of chunin, but if you have to be, you'll at least get to see what they can do.
Sensor: "That guy has no idea how much she outclass him."
Am I right?
[X] Send the chunin after the scroll-bearers, after all, the mission is to disrupt Konoha's supply lines in southeastern Meadows, and those big scrolls are absolutely full of supplies destined for its invasion of the Land of Storms. That you'll get to fight all of the enemy chunin at once is just a bonus, maybe that will present something of a challenge.
