The nightlife of the city was unusually dark ay as the voy of Land Rovers roared through grassnds of streets. Street mps aric powered signs still worked, but with most businesses closed almost none of them were lit. The ck of other traffic made it feel like they were out in the tryside of Japae the buildings that lihe sides of the passages.

  Apart from the infrequent murmur from Tamotsu, Chiharu’s ride remained ufully quiet for her. All of her gear had been checked ten times in her anticipation. After the tenth time she had been interrupted by Tamotsu, who tried to calm her nerves. ‘We’re almost to the mission start coordinates…’ She turned her eyes towards the door’s window catg a dim refle of her own fabsp; ‘ I do it this time? My test…’

  A home passed by her gaze suddenly ging the image in the window trandfather. His wrierared back at her as though demanding something of her. ‘…grandfather…’ She swallowed painfully trying to hold herself together. The nearby street mp washed its brilliant light over the darkness of the car, momentarily blinding Chiharu. Once she focused back all she could see was herself once more. ‘I’ll show you, Grandfather! You rest easy soon!’

  The vehicle came to a sudden stop shifting everyone forward a little. Behind Chiharu’s Land Rover the others matched position filing io her. She opehe rear door and stepped out into the open night with only the moonlight as her guide. ‘It’s time…’ Chiharu moved forward to the front of the row of vehicles quickly taking in her men that fnked her. “Move out!”

  Chapter 68 – Blood uhe Wicked Moon

  Their starting location was set nearly an hour out from the Higoshi ’s main pound. They could not afford to get too close to the grounds. It was Chiharu’s pn to go in through stealth rather than charging in through the front door. Using the cover of night and the fusiht on by the ate of affairs in the try, she hoped to catch them off guard.

  She figured there would be an increased guard patrolling, but ohrough the patrol the inner pound would have lighter resistanbsp; There were five teams of five men with her all moving through from different positions to keep the defehin ohey recovered from the initial attack.

  The Higoshi was sidered to be strohan the en currently, but that was only due to the number of t orders that they received and pleted. The overall numbers in both s were fairly equal with direct family members held as the elite. So for Chiharu it was less of a numbers game and more of a tactical one.

  She had a small strike force, but they were not ied in wiping out the , but hitting the family itself. Doing so would cause the same effebsp; On her side, she khat she had the burning passion of revenge in her men that would give them the strength to keep fighting on. She khat she could plete the mission so long as the teams were able to make their sedary objectives.

  A half hour into their mission Chiharu came to a stop. “…a forest…this wasn’t on the maps…” She looked over at Tamotsu to read his rea.

  Tamotsu remained quiet for a moment taking in the enviro and calg. “My guess would be that they had the same thing happen that we did at the estate.”

  “Agreed, but this doesn’t ge the mission.” The small microphone unicatiotached at Chiharu’s ned ear sent in notices from the other teams entering the same situation. “tihe mission as directed.” She pulled out her short sword taking two sshes at the rowth of pnts in front of her. As the tanto returo its sheath, Chiharu gave a brief go Tamotsu as a signal to proceed.

  Traversing the forest slowed down their progress a little, but it still put them within Chiharu’s time table for the stage of the mission. The approach to the pound was halted by a low perimeter wall. It was inally decided to climb over it, but with the forest there was a slight ge in the pn. Chiharu and Tamotsu climbed up the tree closest to the wall up to the lowest branch for clearanbsp; ‘Two guards and awo fifty meters ahting as well…’ She nodded over to Tamotsu giving him a sharp signal with her arm.

  Tamotsu moved, ag as aension of Chiharu's body dropping down behind the two guards. He jerked his hands back revealing two bloodied kunai. The kunai disappeared bato his belt as the bodies of the guards colpsed to the ground. He already moved the bodies out of sight when Chiharu nded, holding in the dark shadows until the wo guards approached.

  Chiharu pulled two kunai preparing to throw them once her targets were close enough to ihality. Her fingers slid a little and flexed around the handle as the seds ticked away for her. She tried to keep herself from sweating due to nerves, but it proved difficult to stay calm. ‘Another sed and…’ Chiharu slowly raised up her arms as she prepared. Eaent pushed her closer to her test.

  The images of the guards being struck by her pyed through her mind quickly. Feeling the blood from the bde dripping down crawled against her skin lighting up eaerve to heighten its senses. Knowing that it would be her first spun in her mind endlessly. It slowly began to tie down her muscles. She strained against her unscious will to keep moving. ‘Got to—‘ A dark blur flew by her vision in an instant and the two guards were down.

  Tamotsu turned bad pulled away the guards. The way had been opened for them into the main grounds. It en terrain, but they would only be exposed for a short time. Night easily covered their approach to one of the wings of the mansion. Tamotsu leaned against the wall of the building slowly ing into sight of an open window. He barely tilted his head over to look inside. ‘Only one.’ His hand raised up signaling his findings back to Chiharu as she closed.

  Chiharu passed by him going for the sliding door. She kept her shadow out of sight of the paneled door and pced a hand against it. Tamotsu returo her side opposed to the door reading her body for the moment to strike. The door was hardly pulled back when Tamotsu sprung into a. He sprihrough the opening and dug his bde into the back of the man, dropping him quietly to the ground. Chiharu walked inside, closing the door behind her. “Status.”

  “Team Two entry successful…proceeding to third objective…”

  The other teams reported in quickly after with the same results. Everyone had made it ihe pound and began their individual objectives without any problems. “Mission is still on track…” She looked over to Tamotsu, already finished hiding the body. “Surprise is still with us, Tamotsu. Let’s start!”

  “Yes, Lady Chiharu…”

  She stalked over to the door for the interior pressing her ear cheg for any noise. It remaiill long enough that Chiharu was satisfied and slid the door open quietly. Her head fell into the hall enough to give her sight through the mansion. The hall stretched oy for several rooms with no furniture. Only a few hanging picture scrolls decorated the well lit passage. Chiharu pulled bato the room and checked her watch briefly. ‘It should be time shortly…cameras should be going down…’ She checked on Tamotsu in her spare moments before returning to the door entering the hallway.

  Tamotsu followed at her side, passing through the hall mentally going through the yout of the mansion in his head. They soon reached an obvious choke point in the wing of the mansion. As such it was expected that there would be several guards. It would be where they would be forced to fight and lose their surprise. The minutes would determihe success of the rest of the mission. ‘…Lady Chiharu…’

  An interse in the hall brought Chiharu to her pnned location. She removed a small mirror from her gear pad stretched her arm out to the edge of the er. ‘Fuards, about what I calcuted…’ Being interiuards they were dressed in regur business suits. The unaware would easily mistake them for just being staff rather tharained bodyguards. Chiharu o herself in reassurance.

  Chiharu shifted her weight as she judged her path ahead of her. She pulled back, tightening the muscles in her legs into a spring taking her around the er and towards the guard post. “Die cowards!” Her tanto drew out from its sheath at the small of her babsp; Its bde shined from the overhead lights in the hall glowing with a thirst for blood.

  The attention that she gained pulled in all fuards. They formed a wall across the gap closing it from her and reag into their suits. Tamotsu watched from the er and immediately reized what happened and sprinted out for Chiharu. “Lady Chiharu, look out!”

  A split sed was all she had to react to seeing the guards going funs. She threw herself against the wall in the moment that they opened fire with pistols. “Don’t you have any pride? Using a gun!” Chiharu’s eyes burned fiercely as she tauhem.

  It didn't ge her situation as they fixed their aim for her. She was able to read them well enough to roll down to the ground just before they opened fire. “You’re too slow…” Chiharu leapt forward after the hail of bullets ceased a few seds after her dodge. The sword's bde rippled in the shining light as she sped towards the guards quickly gaining a lo her.

  The men were ready to fire with Chiharu still too far away and almost no time to dodge anymore. Tamotsu charged forward trying to cover the distan the wake of Chiharu’s recklessness. It quickly became clear to him however that he wasn’t going to be able to make it time. There were no more optio.

  Several steps away from guards, Chiharu stood up and came to a stop smirking. The men in front of her all colpsed to the ground trailing only small bits of blood. “The path is clear now. Good job, Team Four!” She returhe sword bato its home.

  Tamotsu caught up to them a few moments ter looking down at Chiharu ready to scold her. She gave him a gre in an instant that halted his iion dead. Team Four headed on to its destination leaving the two of them alone once again. “Lady Chiharu, you’re being reckless!”

  “I ’t let you do everything, Tamotsu. How else will I be able to get real experience if my life isn’t on the line?”

  “Your life is too important to be throwing it away, Lady Chiharu!”

  “That’s enough, Tamotsu. We press on!” Chiharu turned away from him and focused ahead of her, sprinting forward expeg him to follow her. The yout of the mansiohem he tral se where all of the wings liogether. It was a main pathway and expected to be heavily trafficked by guards. They slipped back outside into the grounds as they he main blobsp; There were no guards in their way allowing them to return to the other wing unnoticed with their target nearly in sight.

  Security in the new wing was light and nearly ent. It made Chiharu ed, but she pressed on to the chambers of the Head of the Higoshi bsp; The winding hall they followed ended in a widened antechamber like space, but it was too small to be sidered a room. However, uhe rest of the wing it was guarded by four men.

  Chiharu lifted herself back against the wall fag Tamotsu. “This is the pd there’s fuards to deal with. It should be easy dealing with them and then our target.”

  “Be careful, Lady Chiharu.”

  “It’s all part of the pn. Nothing has deviated yet from my schedule.” Chiharu stepped out into the hall immediately drawing the guards’ attention towards her. They prepared to move out, but hesitated with the lights suddenly turned off. It cast the entire hall into a pitch bck curtain. Her short sword came out glowing faintly as it picked up the slight bit of light that mao exist. It gave it a white appearah a menag aura. Tamotsu joined her about to move out when a message came across their earpiece.

  “Team One utack!” Chiharu narrowed her eyes expeg it to have happeually. “What the hell?! How is that possible?! Team One un—“ The line was dead interrupting the broadcast. She took a gnce over to Tamotsu not seeing him, but feeling his body’s presenearby.

  “Team Five utabsp; Hey, what are they using?! Retreat n—“ Her eyes widened in shock at hearing another one of her team going down.

  “Team Thr—“

  All of the teams cut off abruptly. Sweat began to build up along the side of her face trying to uand how her pn fell apart so suddenly. ‘What’s going on? I don’t uand what’s happening to my men!’ Chiharu staggered ba the dark, suddenly feeling as though the walls were surrounding her. It was all closing in on her and crumbling away with no footing.

  Emergency lights flickered on renewing sight for everyone in the hall. However, there was a middle aged man standing behind the guards staring out towards Chiharu. He narrowed his eyes reading the situation and trying to learruders’ identity. Both Chiharu and Tamotsu’s faces were covered up with only their eyes visible leaving them in safe anonymity. “Having some trouble little girl?” the man sneered.

  Chiharu held her tongue as she tried to sort out the new development. The presence of the head of the family so close it made her job a lot easier. She didn't hesitate in ung a kunai from her belt towards the face of the man. It looked like she was going to make it when it suddenly dropped in mid-air. ‘What happened? There was nothing for it to hit!’

  “fused, child?” The man signaled one of his guards to step forward looking ready to attabsp; “The world you knew is no lohe same. The rules have ged!”

  “What are you bbbering about?”

  “You’ll uand in a moment, child!”

  The guard stood in front of the middle aged man and several steps from the rest of the guards. He raised his hand up to his suit and pulled at it sharply tearing the fabribsp; An insta was all removed and the man stood in bck cloth, traditional ninja garb. The man csped his hands together before smming his right palm into the floor. Blue light shone around the man’s body as it was succeeded by thin sparks.

  Chiharu took a step baot certain what was happening. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was something impossible. Her mi back to the radio broadcasts from her team. ‘Is this what they were talking about?! What nightmare have I walked into?’ She lifted up her tanto in reflex, uain how she was going to defend against whatever the man had in store.

  The light pulled away from the body of the man funneled into the arm and down into the floor. Sparks bounced from his fingers spreading rapidly out into the panels. Soon the walls were engulfed in sparks that turo electricity. Lightning jumped from the gathered spot charging at a deadly speed towards an unprepared Chiharu, her eyes widening in shock.