Two a.m. in the morning
An industrial factory located quite far from Kumogakure, a small amount of employees were hard at work
"Geez...how much is left anyway?"
"I've been wondering that myself"
"Don't worry. This should've been the last shipment"
"Agh..."
"Quit bellyaching. You're getting paid overtime for doing this. There are plenty who would kill for your spot considering the shortage of jobs caused by the war"
"I know, I know. It's just...I don't see how logging these...what the hell are these things again?"
"No clue. But Kumogakure must think it's important for them to pay us so well"
"I think they're some sort of containers"
"Containers for what though?"
"Don't know. Don't care. What I do know is that by packing them up, I get payed. And you are slowing us down with questions about a subject you'll probably forget about in the next month or two"
"Yeah man, I wanna go home. Less flappin', more packin'. I'm exhausted"
"Alright, alright. Just curious is all..."
Creak! From upstairs, the sound of a door opening was heard. A man in his mid-twenties exited his office. Black hair, teal eyes, and fair light skin. He wore a casual, blue kimono
"Good job everyone!" (???)
"Tetsuo-buchou!1Suffix signifying respect to one's superior/boss at a workplace"
"Does this mean there are no more shipments left?"
"That's right. I know this month has been hard on all of you. After multiple relocations, just getting to work has become difficult. I wanna thank you all for sticking with me during these tough times" (Tetsuo)
"Meh! Compared to wartime, a month of overtime is nothing!"
"As long as your paying, I'll be working! Hahaha!"
"What he said!"
"Those cases should be the last of them. Transport should be arriving soon to take them" (Tetsuo)
Tetsuo walked down stairs with several envelopes in his hand
"Your pay for month, as well as little extra. You guys can head home now. Don't forget your things in your lockers!" (Tetsuo)
After handing the employees their wage, he returned to his office on the second floor. The others went to the locker room to take off their work clothes
"I'm so freaking lucky to get such a cool boss"
"Only a boss like that could put up with a slacking rookie"
"Hah! He got you there!"
"He did not. There is nothing wrong with my work performance old timer!"
"The fact you can barely keep up with an old timer like me is proof you can do better. Hell, when I was your age I-"
"Huh? F-feathers?"
"What's that? You suddenly-"
"E-eh? Huh..."
"A-ahhhh..."
Before any of them realized it, what appeared to be white feathers started fluttering in the air, caused them to fall asleep
"What's that noise? Feathers? Wait...this is!" (Tetsuo)
Tetsuo, in his office, noticed the phenomenon from outside his window. Quickly understanding what was going on, he immediately ran to back of his office
"This is not good! Have to tell the...village..." (Tetsuo)
Barely able to stay conscious, his last act before passing out was ripping a unique paper on a safe in the back of his office
Suddenly, several ninja in masks entered the facility. The one who seemed to be in charge broke into the office followed by another
"...Damn. He managed to rip the tag"
"Nothing we can do about it. We already knew this wasn't going to be easy. Have the others round up the employees, they'll make good meat shields"
"Got it boss"
Leaving the one in charge to himself, the leader attempted to pry open the safe to no avail
"Sealing jutsu...this one is gonna take some time to break"
Turning around, he left the office and looked down towards the first floor
"Alright guys, there's a seal on the safe so it looks like this is gonna be a hostage situation!" (Leader)
"Haaaa. Damn it"
"We're gonna be here all day..."
"Cut the chatter!"
"We're on borrowed time but we've already planned for this so let's get to work! You guys know what to do!" (Leader)
"Right!"
In the Raikage's office, A was conversing with several Jonin
"How long ago was the attack?" (A)
"The notification from the tag was slower than expected. It's been eight hours since the attack but we know they're still there thanks to local law enforcement. The presence of hostages has also been confirmed"
"Local Law enforcement? Are they ninja?"
"No, freelance security. Like many of the other small towns in the Land of Lightning, but outside of Kumogakure, they're private help hired for protection. The mayor of the town nearby notified us via a messenger bird"
"We suspect this group is one of the many ravagers that have been rampant among the border"
"Another negative result of our lack of personnel after the war"
"If these ravagers are still there...that means they're trying to break into the safe at that facility" (A)
"We've already dispatched teams"
"And how long will it take for them to arrive?"
"Considering the distance from that factory, about two to three hours"
"That long? I thought we relocated most of our factories to alternate locations during the war?" (A)
"Due to several unique circumstances, many of them couldn't be moved"
"I see" (A)
Bam! Suddenly, a man charged inside the office
"Raikage-sama!"
"Hm? What is Dodai" (A)
"I heard about the attack...how long before our ninja get there?" (Dodai)
"What's wrong?" (A)
"Located at the particular facility is a safe holding documents pertaining to 'that' project" (Dodai)
"We're know, our ninja should be there within three hours"
"Three hours?! That's too long, who knows is they've!-" (Dodai)
"I'm aware. All the companies who took our manufacturing requests we're given several documents related to the 'Network'. But each only contained a part of the entire project. So there's nothing to worry about" (A)
"No sir...there is" (Dodai)
"What is it?" (A)
"I just fount out, for reasons I'm still uncertain, several of those documents were relocated from other facilities into that one" (Dodai)
"WHAT?!" (A)
"When I heard about the attack, I immediately checked our shipping logs only to find some of them had changed!" (Dodai)
"Who the hell authorized that?!" (A)
"I don't know, but it wasn't us. Only you and the presidents of the manufacturing factories could have made that decision. It's could've been a slight oversight on their end but..." (Dodai)
"What's with this timing..."
{Could it be...the one's we've been looking for?} (A)
"Raikage-sama...if those plans get out..."
"I know! Damn it! Are there any other teams located near that border area right now?!" (A)
"No. The majority of our ninja have been called back to the village as a sign of demilitarization for the peace treaties with the other nations"
"The only ones left are the guard teams maintaining security, like the Yotsuki Clan. We could dispatch them but..."
"But it means leaving our country vulnerable. And if this is someone's plot...that might be just what they want" (A)
"..." (Dodai)
The room went silent for a minute, A was clearly anxious
"Sir. Have you considered deploying your brother, Killer B-sama? He's at Unraikyō right now"
"Unraikyō is only a few kilometers away from that factory...any average shinobi could get there in less that twenty minutes. But to send B-sama is..."
"Killer B is a precious asset to the village. A Jinchūriki who can control his Tailed Beast is a powerful weapon. One I'm sure our enemies would like to be rid of..." (A)
"To have an attack so close to him...yeah...the chances of it being a trap are also high"
"But we have to do something! If those plans...!"
"Wait" (Dodai)
"Hm?" (A)
"Raikage-sama...Killer B isn't the only shinobi currently at Unraikyō right?" (Dodai)
"Eh?"
"What do you mean?"
"...Ah! That could work! Dodai! Send a dispatch order to 'them' immediately!" (A)
"Yes sir!" (Dodai)
At Unraikyō
"Alright guys, it's time to go"
"Already? I thought we were leaving tomorrow?"
"New orders, we have a mission"
"!"
"To send it to us, seems like something is going down"
"You'll be briefed along the way. Go get your things, I'll be waiting"
"Understood"
"Got it"
"Mhm"
The team captain waited for the others
{I wonder, could this assignment be related to the "Network"?}
After several minutes, the team was ready to depart
"Killer B-sama, on behalf of all of us, I thank you for gracious hospitality"
" Wish I could come, the sword's been sharpened
But I never travel, cause my brother is the warden
Y'all started off weak, but now you some managers
My brother be yellin', bout them damn ravagers
Wild, lonely, beautiful, like a light
Boy I say, you guys are a site
Training with ya here, it's been a blast
But things goin down, ya better hit the gas
WHEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" (Killer B)
"..."
"I'm never gonna get used to that"
"Same"
"Alright you three, let's go"
"Right, later B-sama!"
"Take care! Thanks for all your help!"
"...Try not to cause too much trouble"
With vigor, the team leader led the group away
"Alright! Team Tango is moving out!"
Two a.m. in the morning
An industrial factory located quite far from Kumogakure, a small amount of employees were hard at work
"Geez...how much is left anyway?"
"I've been wondering that myself"
"Don't worry. This should've been the last shipment"
"Agh..."
"Quit bellyaching. You're getting paid overtime for doing this. There are plenty who would kill for your spot considering the shortage of jobs caused by the war"
"I know, I know. It's just...I don't see how logging these...what the hell are these things again?"
"No clue. But Kumogakure must think it's important for them to pay us so well"
"I think they're some sort of containers"
"Containers for what though?"
"Don't know. Don't care. What I do know is that by packing them up, I get payed. And you are slowing us down with questions about a subject you'll probably forget about in the next month or two"
"Yeah man, I wanna go home. Less flappin', more packin'. I'm exhausted"
"Alright, alright. Just curious is all..."
Creak! From upstairs, the sound of a door opening was heard. A man in his mid-twenties exited his office. Black hair, teal eyes, and fair light skin. He wore a casual, blue kimono
"Good job everyone!" (???)
"Tetsuo-buchou!1Suffix signifying respect to one's superior/boss at a workplace"
"Does this mean there are no more shipments left?"
"That's right. I know this month has been hard on all of you. After multiple relocations, just getting to work has become difficult. I wanna thank you all for sticking with me during these tough times" (Tetsuo)
"Meh! Compared to wartime, a month of overtime is nothing!"
"As long as your paying, I'll be working! Hahaha!"
"What he said!"
"Those cases should be the last of them. Transport should be arriving soon to take them" (Tetsuo)
Tetsuo walked down stairs with several envelopes in his hand
"Your pay for month, as well as little extra. You guys can head home now. Don't forget your things in your lockers!" (Tetsuo)
After handing the employees their wage, he returned to his office on the second floor. The others went to the locker room to take off their work clothes
"I'm so freaking lucky to get such a cool boss"
"Only a boss like that could put up with a slacking rookie"
"Hah! He got you there!"
"He did not. There is nothing wrong with my work performance old timer!"
"The fact you can barely keep up with an old timer like me is proof you can do better. Hell, when I was your age I-"
"Huh? F-feathers?"
"What's that? You suddenly-"
"E-eh? Huh..."
"A-ahhhh..."
Before any of them realized it, what appeared to be white feathers started fluttering in the air, caused them to fall asleep
"What's that noise? Feathers? Wait...this is!" (Tetsuo)
Tetsuo, in his office, noticed the phenomenon from outside his window. Quickly understanding what was going on, he immediately ran to back of his office
"This is not good! Have to tell the...village..." (Tetsuo)
Barely able to stay conscious, his last act before passing out was ripping a unique paper on a safe in the back of his office
Suddenly, several ninja in masks entered the facility. The one who seemed to be in charge broke into the office followed by another
"...Damn. He managed to rip the tag"
"Nothing we can do about it. We already knew this wasn't going to be easy. Have the others round up the employees, they'll make good meat shields"
"Got it boss"
Leaving the one in charge to himself, the leader attempted to pry open the safe to no avail
"Sealing jutsu...this one is gonna take some time to break"
Turning around, he left the office and looked down towards the first floor
"Alright guys, there's a seal on the safe so it looks like this is gonna be a hostage situation!" (Leader)
"Haaaa. Damn it"
"We're gonna be here all day..."
"Cut the chatter!"
"We're on borrowed time but we've already planned for this so let's get to work! You guys know what to do!" (Leader)
"Right!"
In the Raikage's office, A was conversing with several Jonin
"How long ago was the attack?" (A)
"The notification from the tag was slower than expected. It's been eight hours since the attack but we know they're still there thanks to local law enforcement. The presence of hostages has also been confirmed"
"Local Law enforcement? Are they ninja?"
"No, freelance security. Like many of the other small towns in the Land of Lightning, but outside of Kumogakure, they're private help hired for protection. The mayor of the town nearby notified us via a messenger bird"
"We suspect this group is one of the many ravagers that have been rampant among the border"
"Another negative result of our lack of personnel after the war"
"If these ravagers are still there...that means they're trying to break into the safe at that facility" (A)
"We've already dispatched teams"
"And how long will it take for them to arrive?"
"Considering the distance from that factory, about two to three hours"
"That long? I thought we relocated most of our factories to alternate locations during the war?" (A)
"Due to several unique circumstances, many of them couldn't be moved"
"I see" (A)
Bam! Suddenly, a man charged inside the office
"Raikage-sama!"
"Hm? What is Dodai" (A)
"I heard about the attack...how long before our ninja get there?" (Dodai)
"What's wrong?" (A)
"Located at the particular facility is a safe holding documents pertaining to 'that' project" (Dodai)
"We're know, our ninja should be there within three hours"
"Three hours?! That's too long, who knows is they've!-" (Dodai)
"I'm aware. All the companies who took our manufacturing requests we're given several documents related to the 'Network'. But each only contained a part of the entire project. So there's nothing to worry about" (A)
"No sir...there is" (Dodai)
"What is it?" (A)
"I just fount out, for reasons I'm still uncertain, several of those documents were relocated from other facilities into that one" (Dodai)
"WHAT?!" (A)
"When I heard about the attack, I immediately checked our shipping logs only to find some of them had changed!" (Dodai)
"Who the hell authorized that?!" (A)
"I don't know, but it wasn't us. Only you and the presidents of the manufacturing factories could have made that decision. It's could've been a slight oversight on their end but..." (Dodai)
"What's with this timing..."
{Could it be...the one's we've been looking for?} (A)
"Raikage-sama...if those plans get out..."
"I know! Damn it! Are there any other teams located near that border area right now?!" (A)
"No. The majority of our ninja have been called back to the village as a sign of demilitarization for the peace treaties with the other nations"
"The only ones left are the guard teams maintaining security, like the Yotsuki Clan. We could dispatch them but..."
"But it means leaving our country vulnerable. And if this is someone's plot...that might be just what they want" (A)
"..." (Dodai)
The room went silent for a minute, A was clearly anxious
"Sir. Have you considered deploying your brother, Killer B-sama? He's at Unraikyō right now"
"Unraikyō is only a few kilometers away from that factory...any average shinobi could get there in less that twenty minutes. But to send B-sama is..."
"Killer B is a precious asset to the village. A Jinchūriki who can control his Tailed Beast is a powerful weapon. One I'm sure our enemies would like to be rid of..." (A)
"To have an attack so close to him...yeah...the chances of it being a trap are also high"
"But we have to do something! If those plans...!"
"Wait" (Dodai)
"Hm?" (A)
"Raikage-sama...Killer B isn't the only shinobi currently at Unraikyō right?" (Dodai)
"Eh?"
"What do you mean?"
"...Ah! That could work! Dodai! Send a dispatch order to 'them' immediately!" (A)
"Yes sir!" (Dodai)
At Unraikyō
"Alright guys, it's time to go"
"Already? I thought we were leaving tomorrow?"
"New orders, we have a mission"
"!"
"To send it to us, seems like something is going down"
"You'll be briefed along the way. Go get your things, I'll be waiting"
"Understood"
"Got it"
"Mhm"
The team captain waited for the others
{I wonder, could this assignment be related to the "Network"?}
After several minutes, the team was ready to depart
"Killer B-sama, on behalf of all of us, I thank you for gracious hospitality"
" Wish I could come, the sword's been sharpened
But I never travel, cause my brother is the warden
Y'all started off weak, but now you some managers
My brother be yellin', bout them damn ravagers
Wild, lonely, beautiful, like a light
Boy I say, you guys are a site
Training with ya here, it's been a blast
But things goin down, ya better hit the gas
WHEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" (Killer B)
"..."
"I'm never gonna get used to that"
"Same"
"Alright you three, let's go"
"Right, later B-sama!"
"Take care! Thanks for all your help!"
"...Try not to cause too much trouble"
With vigor, the team leader led the group away
"Alright! Team Tango is moving out!"
