Far from the west side of the island
On the deck of a ship away from the impending attack were two men in masks. As the ones responsible for sending this small army of raiders, it was paramount the duo observe the situation to ensure their plans went smoothly
They belonged to the mysterious shadow organization, the "Company", bearing the monikers "Arc" & "Balance"
"As always Arc, I'm impressed at how easily it is for you to assemble a fighting force so quickly"
"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit. Most of them are idiots from Ishigakure1Hidden Rock Villageitching for a fight. I just pointed them in the right direction"
"Hey! Don't say that! I helped create that new village after all, insulting them is like insulting all the hard work I put in to making it"
"Right. Right. Sorry, I forgot how sensitive you are"
"Hmph! Is that any way to talk to a brother?"
"Do you mean brother in the sense of comrades? Or in the sense that we're actually brothers?"
Arc chuckled at his remark, wondering if we was being sarcastic due to their circumstances
"Smartass. It may have been a few second difference, but I'm still your older brother"
"Considering we're twins, I don't think it counts. Since ma kicked the bucket and pa is who knows where, there's no way to know for sure"
"Ma beat the ever living shit out of me the most cause I was the elder brother, there's your goddamn proof"
"True, but I was the one who killed the evil bitch hag, sooooo..."
"I recall we did that together as well"
"Tsk! There's no arguing with you Aniki2Big Brother! I'd say we should go find pa to confirm, but that old drunkard is probably dead in a ditch somewhere"
"True. Even if we did, I'm sure-hm!"
Before they could continue, a messenger hawk landed on the shoulder of the elder brother, Balance. Removing a parchment tied to the birds foot, he read the message
"Aniki? What's wrong?"
"My spies have informed me the team from Kumogakure has just arrived on the other side of the island"
"Finally! I was getting tired of waiting, let's put on a good show. I'll signal my agent on the ships. You gonna take off now?"
"I'll head back to Kusagakure3Hidden Grass Villagewhen the barrier's been breached"
"So little faith, relax man. Most of them are just average mercenaries from all over, but a couple of them are quite special if I do say so myself"
"They better not be too powerful, we need the Kumo-nin to actually be capable of putting up a fight for this to work"
"Hey, your spies told us hours ago that Jiton no Toroi4Toroi of the Magnet Styleand the Raikage's younger brother were coming. For big players like those, naturally I had to think out of the box"
"That's-! Ugh! Alright, fine! We need to provide Kumogakure ample time to send reinforcements so there's no point if the fight ends early. Just who are these special guys?"
"One is a young prodigy from Iwagakure5Hidden Stone Villagethat stole Kinjutsu6Forbidden Jutsu. Along with him, there's also a trio of terrorists-for-hire, all Kekkei Genkai7Bloodline Limitbearers straight from Ishigakure who...pfft!"
"What's so funny?"
"This trio has a pair of rowdy twins as well. What are the odds right? Hahaha!"
After Arc signaled his hidden agent, the armada of ships began to move towards the island barrier. Balance was preparing to leave as well when a peculiar question emerged in his head
"You didn't use your own name when you hired these guys right?"
"Come on Aniki, I'm not a f**king amateur, of course not. Always be the middle man, that's how you stay out of trouble. As it turns out, there was someone else who held interest in this island. Or rather, the creatures on it, a client from Amegakure8Hidden Rain Village"
"The Rain? Was it the village leader Hanzo? I know he's in the middle of a civil war right now but-"
"That's what I thought at first, but the conflict in his nation has caused him to become extremely paranoid. So I did a little digging and while I didn't find out the name of the client, I was able to uncover the one who contacted me as per instructed. Heh, you'll never guess who"
"If I'm never gonna be able to guess, then just tell me you condescending jackass. Who?!"
"Orochimaru"
Balance almost tripped when he heard that name. The idea of his little brother dealing with a former partner of their organization, who double crossed them, if such an act was discovered by their peers...it'd lead to serious trouble
"ARE YOU INSANE?! What do you think Sage will do once he finds out you're dealing with that back-stabbing snake?!"
"Nothing. All he cares about is the task being completed, not how I do it. Besides, Orochimaru only interacted with Red, Three, & Mountain, and we all wear masks. There's no need to fear my identity being comprised"
"Orochimaru may not have been an official member, but he was a partner that worked for us over an extended period of time. We did our best to keep him in the dark, but that doesn't mean he knows nothing. Plus, interacting with a traitor is-!"
"I think you've got the wrong idea Aniki, he technically never betrayed us"
"?!"
"As per our initial agreement, he completed his task and left. It was Sister Red's fault for trying to confine him out of her insane lust for scientific breakthrough, that he resorted to such extreme measures to escape"
Orochimaru was more of a captive, than member of the "Company". Fresh off his defection from Konoha, he was desperate for protection, which they provided. Arc knew and took advantage of this, as to not be labeled a traitor for making deals with him
"You and your damn loopholes. One of these days, they're gonna come back to bite you in the ass. And I won't be able to bail you out like always"
"Hey, we're not some cult. All members joined for the pursuit of personal gain, our interests can only align for so long. We're not sticking with these guys forever aniki"
"Obviously...but who is Orochimaru with now?"
"I don't know, probably some new group or nation that's agreed to protect his slithery ass. Long as I get paid, I could care less"
"It always money with you"
"A guy's gotta eat, now it's about time you get a move on. Kusagakure isn't exactly close, and this whole charade will be worthless if you're not where you need to be by the end of the day. Take the boat, a small gift for you"
"You sure the path back is safe?"
"If brother Scorpion is doing his job, Takigakure9Hidden Waterfall Villageshould be too occupied to notice you, the sea routes should be clear. But to be safe, I recommend not sailing to close to the coastline"
Arc jumped off the ship and stood atop the water via his chakra
"Don't stay for too long! Just let Scorpion and Blade do their jobs!"
"I know! Just go already aniki!"
After giving his little brother a warning, Balance set sail and left the area. Arc remained where he was and stared at island, smiling. He was more than eager for the pure chaos set to envelope the island and its inhabitants
"Now then, please do your best to survive for as long as you can...my dear Cloud ninja"
Far from the west side of the island
On the deck of a ship away from the impending attack were two men in masks. As the ones responsible for sending this small army of raiders, it was paramount the duo observe the situation to ensure their plans went smoothly
They belonged to the mysterious shadow organization, the "Company", bearing the monikers "Arc" & "Balance"
"As always Arc, I'm impressed at how easily it is for you to assemble a fighting force so quickly"
"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit. Most of them are idiots from Ishigakure1Hidden Rock Villageitching for a fight. I just pointed them in the right direction"
"Hey! Don't say that! I helped create that new village after all, insulting them is like insulting all the hard work I put in to making it"
"Right. Right. Sorry, I forgot how sensitive you are"
"Hmph! Is that any way to talk to a brother?"
"Do you mean brother in the sense of comrades? Or in the sense that we're actually brothers?"
Arc chuckled at his remark, wondering if we was being sarcastic due to their circumstances
"Smartass. It may have been a few second difference, but I'm still your older brother"
"Considering we're twins, I don't think it counts. Since ma kicked the bucket and pa is who knows where, there's no way to know for sure"
"Ma beat the ever living shit out of me the most cause I was the elder brother, there's your goddamn proof"
"True, but I was the one who killed the evil bitch hag, sooooo..."
"I recall we did that together as well"
"Tsk! There's no arguing with you Aniki2Big Brother! I'd say we should go find pa to confirm, but that old drunkard is probably dead in a ditch somewhere"
"True. Even if we did, I'm sure-hm!"
Before they could continue, a messenger hawk landed on the shoulder of the elder brother, Balance. Removing a parchment tied to the birds foot, he read the message
"Aniki? What's wrong?"
"My spies have informed me the team from Kumogakure has just arrived on the other side of the island"
"Finally! I was getting tired of waiting, let's put on a good show. I'll signal my agent on the ships. You gonna take off now?"
"I'll head back to Kusagakure3Hidden Grass Villagewhen the barrier's been breached"
"So little faith, relax man. Most of them are just average mercenaries from all over, but a couple of them are quite special if I do say so myself"
"They better not be too powerful, we need the Kumo-nin to actually be capable of putting up a fight for this to work"
"Hey, your spies told us hours ago that Jiton no Toroi4Toroi of the Magnet Styleand the Raikage's younger brother were coming. For big players like those, naturally I had to think out of the box"
"That's-! Ugh! Alright, fine! We need to provide Kumogakure ample time to send reinforcements so there's no point if the fight ends early. Just who are these special guys?"
"One is a young prodigy from Iwagakure5Hidden Stone Villagethat stole Kinjutsu6Forbidden Jutsu. Along with him, there's also a trio of terrorists-for-hire, all Kekkei Genkai7Bloodline Limitbearers straight from Ishigakure who...pfft!"
"What's so funny?"
"This trio has a pair of rowdy twins as well. What are the odds right? Hahaha!"
After Arc signaled his hidden agent, the armada of ships began to move towards the island barrier. Balance was preparing to leave as well when a peculiar question emerged in his head
"You didn't use your own name when you hired these guys right?"
"Come on Aniki, I'm not a f**king amateur, of course not. Always be the middle man, that's how you stay out of trouble. As it turns out, there was someone else who held interest in this island. Or rather, the creatures on it, a client from Amegakure8Hidden Rain Village"
"The Rain? Was it the village leader Hanzo? I know he's in the middle of a civil war right now but-"
"That's what I thought at first, but the conflict in his nation has caused him to become extremely paranoid. So I did a little digging and while I didn't find out the name of the client, I was able to uncover the one who contacted me as per instructed. Heh, you'll never guess who"
"If I'm never gonna be able to guess, then just tell me you condescending jackass. Who?!"
"Orochimaru"
Balance almost tripped when he heard that name. The idea of his little brother dealing with a former partner of their organization, who double crossed them, if such an act was discovered by their peers...it'd lead to serious trouble
"ARE YOU INSANE?! What do you think Sage will do once he finds out you're dealing with that back-stabbing snake?!"
"Nothing. All he cares about is the task being completed, not how I do it. Besides, Orochimaru only interacted with Red, Three, & Mountain, and we all wear masks. There's no need to fear my identity being comprised"
"Orochimaru may not have been an official member, but he was a partner that worked for us over an extended period of time. We did our best to keep him in the dark, but that doesn't mean he knows nothing. Plus, interacting with a traitor is-!"
"I think you've got the wrong idea Aniki, he technically never betrayed us"
"?!"
"As per our initial agreement, he completed his task and left. It was Sister Red's fault for trying to confine him out of her insane lust for scientific breakthrough, that he resorted to such extreme measures to escape"
Orochimaru was more of a captive, than member of the "Company". Fresh off his defection from Konoha, he was desperate for protection, which they provided. Arc knew and took advantage of this, as to not be labeled a traitor for making deals with him
"You and your damn loopholes. One of these days, they're gonna come back to bite you in the ass. And I won't be able to bail you out like always"
"Hey, we're not some cult. All members joined for the pursuit of personal gain, our interests can only align for so long. We're not sticking with these guys forever aniki"
"Obviously...but who is Orochimaru with now?"
"I don't know, probably some new group or nation that's agreed to protect his slithery ass. Long as I get paid, I could care less"
"It always money with you"
"A guy's gotta eat, now it's about time you get a move on. Kusagakure isn't exactly close, and this whole charade will be worthless if you're not where you need to be by the end of the day. Take the boat, a small gift for you"
"You sure the path back is safe?"
"If brother Scorpion is doing his job, Takigakure9Hidden Waterfall Villageshould be too occupied to notice you, the sea routes should be clear. But to be safe, I recommend not sailing to close to the coastline"
Arc jumped off the ship and stood atop the water via his chakra
"Don't stay for too long! Just let Scorpion and Blade do their jobs!"
"I know! Just go already aniki!"
After giving his little brother a warning, Balance set sail and left the area. Arc remained where he was and stared at island, smiling. He was more than eager for the pure chaos set to envelope the island and its inhabitants
"Now then, please do your best to survive for as long as you can...my dear Cloud ninja"
