Chapter 40: 40 This seems familiar…

Today is the day we truly embody what it means to be the fire nation.

Which is to say, today is the start of our country destroying mission.

Two hundred ANBU leave Konoha, heading north.

Funnily enough we did actually come across some enemy infiltrators, but one squad never stood a chance against all of us, it was actually kind of funny the way their sensor just gave up and sat down to drink before we even showed up.

The march doesn't take too long, we could have made it in a day, but we decided to make camp and make the final stretch when everyone is well rested.

Which is why we're in camp right now, as me and Mantis introduce Liar's Dice to a bunch of other ANBU.

There's no limit to the number of players one game can have after all, and it's not like it's complicated, you just guess dice numbers.

Though, once Raven joined in, we started gambling too, and thanks to my experience with the game I managed to make back the money I lost yesterday as well as a tidy profit.

Oh, and if it wasn't clear already, everyone is cheating.

I mean, we are shinobi.

That's part of why the game's so popular, not only is it a game of bluff, but everyone can cheat.

Of course, you must consider, is it really cheating, if you don't get caught?

In one of our games, every single dice rolled was a six at the end, which was pretty funny, since the odds of that is some insane number that wouldn't even show up on a calculator.

Still, eventually night falls and morning comes.

Today is the first day of the fall of the Land of the sky.

We start the day by finishing the remaining distance, until we can actually see the giant floating fortress, and I gotta say, it looks bigger than I was expecting.

We all know the plan, so there is no need for rallying cries or pointless words, silently, Vulture, Hawk and Roc all use their summoning techniques, making a large number of very large birds appear around us.

By the by, it's rather uncreative to call these guys by their summoning animals, don't you think?

Me and Mantis split from our squad to join the other infiltrators on the biggest Hawk, which was very big, since it could fit all twenty of us lying atop it, though we were rather huddled together. As in we were lying in one big pile, while all of us used henge to look like the birds' feathers, there are also a few birds that don't have anyone riding them, so that they don't get suspicious of this one being empty.

The birds took off for the island in the sky, our hawk staying in the shadows of the biggest roc, and before we even got halfway, we were beset upon by a bunch of flying shinobi, with their weird jetpacks.

Those flying with the Vultures engaged first, managing to take out a few of the skypians with lightning and fire jutsu, a few of our own were also taken out by high speed kunai.

Isn't that basically just a gun? Or a crossbow or something?

Whatever, it doesn't matter, ariel combat isn't our specialty, so following the plan, we push through, the roc's leading the charge, as the largest among us, and we touch down on the sky city with only a small number of casualties.

I say 'touch down' but what I mean is we crashed in and through many buildings as we all landed, we are here to destroy the place, I don't think property damage should be a big concern of ours.

Me and the other infiltrators split of and run away, around the edges of the city, meanwhile the others start throwing Jutsu everywhere, causing as much destruction as they can, and effectively gathering attention.

That done, my group stops running around the perimeter and instead heads for the centre of this place, since that is obviously where the power source is going to be.

Looking at these guys' technology, I wonder if someone else reincarnated? Maybe the energy source is nuclear?

[P.s author here, no one else reincarnated dw]

Whatever the case, it doesn't matter. The sound of the fighting is picking up, and at this point it seems that their entire military is attacking our distraction, which is perfect because we've just reached the main building.

Only as we're sneaking in, I spot something that no one else notices.

A security camera.

Shit, and I can't just say, 'hey that's a camera' can I?

Oh well, I will just have to deal with it, thankfully we don't seem to be in the cameras line of sight right now, and the plan is for us to split into ten groups of two, to fasten our search.

So rather than looking for the energy source, I take Mantis and start looking for a security room, it might even have a map that will tell me where the power source is too, so win win really.

Thankfully this place is really modern, so I found a simple map on the wall, it didn't have anything I needed on it, like security rooms or the energy source, all it really showed was a cafeteria some lounges and offices, just normal stuff.

However, it's not about what it showed me, it's about what it didn't show me.

A long corridor with only a supply closet and nothing else? Sure, sure.

I head to the corridor in question with Mantis, and as I had predicted, I see a door that wasn't on the map.

Signalling to Mantis, we approach the door, and quietly open it just a crack.

Inside I see the blue light of monitor screens and am glad that I've found the right place.

Moving inside, we see the guard that is supposed to be watching the cameras is fast asleep and a phone like tablet thing is ringing of to the side.

Mantis is staring fixatedly on the screens, understandably, he's probably never seen something like this before and is currently realising the implications of it all.

I am not so inactive, I don't want anybody sent here to investigate, which means our sleepy friend here needs to answer his not a phone and give the all clear.

So, I get Mantis to come behind the guard, then put his still sleeping form in a Genjutsu that will show him that everything is fine, then I wake him up.

The guy jolts upright, before blinking groggily for a moment, assessing the cameras, before finally noticing the ringing, he yawns and taps the tablet thing a few times before tiredly talking out loud.

"What's up? Something happen?"

There is an explosion from the other end, before the shouting voice of a man breaks through the din.

"DID SOMETHING HAPPEN!!! DAMNIT TANAKA WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!! Now tell me!! IS! ANYONE! IN! THE! PALACE!"

The guy sits straight and breaks into a cold sweat at his superiors angry words and rechacks the cameras.

"N-NO SIR!! The Palace is empty, Sir!"

It's not, in fact I can see all of my teammates running around right now.

"Good! Then it seems we do have all of these Konoha dogs cornered. However, if that changes, you will press the main alarm immediately!"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

With that the other guy hangs up and Tanaka slumps into his seat before sitting straight and staring into the cameras with such an intensity that it actually takes him a moment to notice the kunai sticking through his neck.

He dies before he can even process that he's dying.

Quickly looking through the cameras and around the room, I don't bother looking at the tablet, I don't know if the password changes nor what would happen if I got it wrong, I find what I'm looking for, directions to a secret elevator.

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I also just had a thought, this palace seems to be pretty much empty, but it does have a P.A system.

Even better, the P.A system can be used in specific areas.

It takes a moment to understand their system, but it's clearly designed to be easy to use, so I activate the P.A where each of my teammates are to give them a message.

"this is butterfly reporting, the way to the energy source is in the northern corridor labelled 2B, I will be there in a minute."

My message sent and received, though I did see a few of the guys jump at the sudden voice, I grab a key card on the way out and leave the room with Mantis, who clearly wants to ask me some questions but refrains, and head to the corridor.

A small wait later and we are all gathered here, so I open the 'storage room' and lead everyone inside before closing the door and swiping the card across the inside handle of the door.

After I do so, the room begins changing, the cleaning supplies all leave through the walls that then smooth out and once the room is a clean box, I feel it start descending, using this time, I explain everything me and Mantis have 'learned', including some things that we haven't actually learned, which makes Mantis stare at me, but he doesn't call me out on my knowledge.

The ride is silent, I half expected elevator music to be honest, but that probably would have been pretty awkward. Thankfully at least, the elevator is fairly large, so we don't have to stand shoulder to shoulder.

It doesn't take long for the doors to open again, though, from the opposite side, so we all had to turn around.

Leaving the elevator, we are beholden to a massive, expansive room with all of the walls covered in intricate seals that I couldn't even begin to decipher beyond the fact that they are sealing seals.

Why did they have to call Fuinjutsu seals when some of them actually seal?

Well, the point is that all of this it to seal something.

Right in the middle of the room is a gigantic cocoon, also covered in seals. Well, I guess we've found the power source.

Since it is clearly too big to steal, we all understand what to do, and set about placing explosive seals all over the place, only as we are doing so, one of us is suddenly stabbed in the back by his partner.

What.

Everyone breaks apart to stand with those they trust as we all glance uneasily between us, most of our focus on Puma, who just killed Lynx.

"puma, what are you doing."

Puma doesn't respond to Raven, he just keeps staring at Lynx and muttering to himself.

I'm trying to figure out what's going on, when the cocoon suddenly grows tentacle arms and reaches for the closest ANBU with an impressive speed.

On the bright side, I think as Magpie gets ripped in half, at least he was by himself so only two of us are dead and one is traitor.

????????????????????????????, ????'???? ???????????????? ????????'???? ???????????????? ????????????????????????.

Wait, what?

Puma is laughing now, and I see some of the others shaking their heads.

???? ???????????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ????????????, ???????????????? ???? ???????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????? ????????????????????????.

What power? Tentacle arms? I've seen enough anime to know where that would take me, I don't want to change genre thank you very much.

???????????????????????? ???????????? ???????? ????????????????????????????, ???????? ???????????? ???????? ????????????????????????.

Ok then, I'm definitely not thinking these thoughts, why would I give a shit how someone else dies? Why would I want power not my own?

At least the situation is clearer now, so I speak up to the others.

"the energy source is clearly sapient and malevolent to some degree and is likely possessing or corrupting puma somehow! Ignore any malicious thoughts that aren't your own! we need to destroy it!"

I start throwing copious amounts of explosive tags around the room and at the cocoon once I finish talking, happily noticing that Mantis doesn't hesitate to follow my example from beside me, and the others quickly follow too, but that's when puma breaks out of his muttering and joins the hands in trying to kill us all.

???????????? ????????????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????????????.

Mine to command but not ????????????????, not ????????. I refuse power that isn't my own, so go fuck yourself. 'Sides, I don't even know what you are.

???? ???????? ???????????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ????????????'???? ????????????????????.

I wasn't too worried about Puma, since he isn't a captain so he shouldn't be too strong, only for dark looking chakra to start leaking out of his body and forming into even more hands that catch another of us off guard, letting Puma rip him to pieces.

That is some power right there.

???????????????? ???????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ????????????????????.

I ignore the idiot in the room and shout to the others.

"get back to the entrance!"

???????????????? ????????????????, ???? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ????????????????!

Everyone does as I said, unfortunately that included Puma and the tentacle hands. I feel a slight pressure in my head, but it's easy to ignore.

????-?????????????????

What's wrong? performance issues?

Everyone makes it, including Puma, who then starts to fight the others in the elevator and thanks to the lack of space it's difficult for them to hold him down.

????????????????????????????????????????!! ???????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ???????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????? ???????????????? ?????????????????????!?!

Because there is nothing in my heart.

Damn this guy is cringy and he's making me cringy, is this his corruption, I wonder?

Shaking my head, I ignore everything else as I walk backwards into the elevator, still facing the arms as I press the button to make the elevator go up, and right before the doors close, with the hands within arms reach, the doors close as I whisper my parting words.

"art is an explosion."

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A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

sorry not sorry for the cliff-hanger

I'm sorry but I just don't know how to build ambience, I had a plan for this chap but i dont feel like i did it as well as I was hoping.

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