Chashitsu (Bounty)

[Sanada Yukimura]

In front of a tea house situated just before a path leading through a nearby mountain pass in the Kofu region, seated on top of a cushion laid on top of a wooden bench in the main room, Yukimura was sipping at the cup of tea held in his hands, while waiting for his sweets to arrive. He had been traveling through the country side of Lord Takeda-sama's territory, spending some well-deserved time to himself, when he had come across the tea house, and decided to take a break.

It wasn't before long however, that two tea house customers seated nearby, would talk amongst each other in hushed tones nearby, Yukimura catching bits and pieces of their conversation, but the point got across: they had seen Ii Nagahide pass by and head up the mountain pass path moments before Yukimura had arrived. When the tea master came out with Yukimura's sweets, he would ask if it would not be too much trouble to wrap them up for him to take with him on the go. The tea master thankfully obliging, after wrapping them up in a small bag, Yukimura would hand the empty cup along with some gold coins to the tea master, in exchange for the sweets.

Picking his spear up, which had been leaning up against the wall beside him, tucking the bag of sweets inside his kimino, he would then set out on the mountain pass path, to catch up to Ii.

[Oda Nobunaga]

[OoC: Participants locked. This will be a solo bounty. Stats locked with your next post. Please put them in an OoC note either at the top or bottom of your post. All NPCs from this point out will be run by me. Target is Ii Nagahide, for 450 Yen dead, 650 alive. Stats and equipment will be revealed when the bounty is found. Good luck!]

Upon leaving the tea house, Yukimura would find the pass covered in more snow than usual. Due to this, the people walking it were very few in number. Though, the number of carriages wasn't low. If he counted, there would be about five heading up the pass, and another three heading in the opposite direction.

A single man worked outside the tea house, shoveling the snow off of the pass and making it easier for people to come in, if they so chose. Based on how tired he seemed, he'd been working out there for the last few hours.

[Sanada Yukimura]

The sounds of the snow crunching beneath his boots, Yukimura would use his spear as a walking stick of sorts, to help him traverse the snowy and slippery path. Up ahead, he counted at least five carriages heading up the pass, and another three heading in the opposite direction. As he passed by a worker who was shoveling snow, a thought just hit him, and he would stop and turn to the worker.

"Pardon my interruption, I apologize for taking up some of your time, but would you happen to know if Ii Nagahide took one of those five carriages heading up through the pass, or he went on foot?"

(OOC: Yukimura's Stats

Strength: 16 (19 w/ faction bonus, +2 when attacking)
Dexterity: 16 (19)
Constitution: 16 (19)
Wisdom: 15 (17)
Spirit: 12)

[Oda Nobunaga]

The man's eyes looked up to Yukimura, and he pointed up the path, toward the five carriages. "I'd be careful if I was you," the worker muttered tiredly. "Nagahide... he is... one to be feared, he is." With that, he went back to his shoveling.

If Yukimura took the old man's direction, he would have to make haste to meet up with the carriages, and he had five to check.

[Sanada Yukimura]

"You honor me with your words of caution. Thank you."

Bowing to the old man, Yukimura would then quickly take off soon after, using his spear to help his traction through the snowy path, as he had a lot of ground to cover to catch up with the carriages. If he managed to reach the carriages, he would cup one hand around his mouth, to amplify his voice, as he called out.

"By the order of General Sanada, all carriages must halt immediately and the occupants step out, for an immediate inspection. All who do not comply will be retained!"

Now to see if his bluff would work...

[Oda Nobunaga]

The travelers were all in Takeda territory, and as such, the command of Takeda generals was the law. The carriages all halted and, with time, the people within them would step out onto the path. He would see a large number of small children and the elderly, some of whom were too frail to exit the carriages, and instead seated themselves close to the openings in the carts.

Amidst all those who seemed too weak to have bounties on their heads, a single samurai stepped out from one of the carts in the middle, though he had a hood over his head.

[Sanada Yukimura]

"All travelers please have your documents ready for inspection!"

Striding up to the carriages, as per official protocol, Yukimura would inspect each document and the holder, before moving on. Upon reaching the carriage in the middle, he would stop in front of the man with a hood over his head, his spear held by his side in a ready position of sorts, in case he needed to use it.

"Travel documents please."

[Oda Nobunaga]

The man complied without hesitation. Reaching into a bag on his side, he handed Yukimura a parchment, documentation of eligibility for traveling through Takeda territory. The name on the document read "Sarutobi Shinsuke," and the man did not seem the least bit troubled.

"There a problem, General Sanada?"

A single hand fell to the hilt of one of the blades at his waist.

[Sanada Yukimura]

Inspecting the documentation, it was legitimate, but Yukimura had a feeling the family name on the document and the actual family name of the man before him was not the same. If this man truly was part of the Sarutobi clan, then he would know about Sasuke. If not...

"Not at all Sarutobi-san. Tell me, have you visited Sasuke-san lately? How has an honorable samurai as he been?"

[Oda Nobunaga]

The man smiled beneath his hood, slowly ushering the people next to him back into the carriage. His grip around his blade merely tightened, though it would not show. "I have not seen Sasuke in a few weeks," he shrugged, dropping the honorific, and not acknowledging any respect toward the name, just as any would refer to a sibling.

"I would not lump ninja and samurai into the same category, myself. Aside from that, I'm sure you've seen him more recently than I have, and I'm traveling westward across the territory on business. Could you deliver a message to him for me? I'd just like to know he's well."

If the man was a fake, he'd done his research.

[Sanada Yukimura]

"Well met Sarutobi-san. Indeed, Sasuke-san is one of the best ninja's serving me. I will deliver your message... But I am afraid he will not receive it for a few weeks. If you were part of the Sarutobi clan, you would've known I have not seen him recently, in fact, I haven't seen him in a few days. He just left to visit the small village your family resides in, and you should've received word of his arrival not too long ago."

The man may have done his research, but this was one thing he could not have researched. Only one other person aside from Sasuke's family knew he had returned to his home village, and that was Yukimura's father, Masayuki.

"So tell me, are you truly part of the Sarutobi clan, and are you on business, Sarutobi-san?"

[Oda Nobunaga]

The man frowned under his hood. There wasn't even any way the real Shinsuke could know of this, considering he was dead in the ground. Yukimura's arrogance angered him, and he quickly drew his blade, putting it toward the man's neck. He seemed to misunderstand the possibilities of ignorance, even within one's own family, due to the tasks of the army.

"Well, General," he began, cracking his neck. "Sarutobi Shinsuke is dead, and I plan to offer his head, along with yours, to Uesugi Kenshin."

The carriages that were halted quickly proceeded down the path, leaving only Yukimura and Nagahide to do battle.

[OoC: Nagahide discovered!
Str: 20
Dex: 20(24)
Con: 12
Wis: 10
Spr: 5

Weapons:
Steel Katana: This is a very well-made katana, with ridges near the guard for easy ripping. +4 Str

Steel Katana: This is a very well-made katana, with ridges near the guard for easy ripping. +4 Str

Hammer-Fist: Two-hand. These gauntlets are large, covering the forearms. There are ridges and studs at the knuckles to add force to punches, and blades along the forearms for slicing. +6 Str when punching, +4 Str when slicing. -2 Dex

Armor:
Ninja Tabi: These tabi seem to stifle the sound of your footsteps! +4 Dex. Completely silent when moving slowly.]

[Sanada Yukimura]

As the man quickly draw his katana, stuffing the document into his kimino, all it took was a simply turn of his wrist to block the katana from reaching his neck, his eyes narrowing not in anger, but in concentration, as he would hold his spear with both hands.

"The only person whose head will be offered is your own... Ii Nagahide."

As the carriages quickly rolled past the two of them, with a loud roar, Yukimura would attempt to push Ii back, to send him off-balance, before attempting to thrust his spear at his stomach, not to injure him, but force him off-balance even more. If he was successful, from there he'd carefully step after the rogue samurai, going for a simple lunge with his spear at his chest.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Nagahide brought his arm in as his blade was pushed aside, and he slashed in a wide arc, aiming to cut Yukimura's fingers, and hold the spear back with his blade. He was intent on keeping the guy at bay long enough so he could pull out his other sword. From that point, he would rip the blade from its sheathe and slice across Yukimura's waist, just under his stomach.

[Sanada Yukimura]

With a simple turn of both wrists to the right, holding his spear vertically, Yukimura would avoid having his fingers cut off, and would switch the hold of his left hand on the spear from an overhand grip to an underhand grip before aiming to thrust his spear like previously mentioned, but would do so with a rolling motion, his spear flying over the wide arc slash.

If he was successful with the thrust and rolling motion, he would continue to jab with his spear at Nagahide, to keep the pressure up and prevent him from drawing his second katana.

If he was not successful with the thrust and rolling motion and Nagahide drew his second blade, he would spin his spear in a circle in front of him, to use it as a shield of sorts and block Nagahide's second katana from slicing his stomach, and maybe knock it out of his hand from the rapid spinning.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Yukimura would avoid having his fingers cut off, but he was not entirely successful with his maneuver! Nagahide seemed slightly faster than the samurai, and was able to draw his blade, deflecting any strikes Yukimura threw at him! Yukimura was able to avoid the belly slash, however.

Nagahide spun both of his swords in front of him in figure eights and charged at Yukimura, using the blades to parry any thrusts or slashes of the spear. Once he was close enough, he would kick at the samurai's stomach, and launch both of the blades into his shoulders.

[Sanada Yukimura]

Quickly gripping his spear in both hands after avoiding the slice to his stomach, as Nagahide spun both his swords in figure eights in front of him and charged towards him, instead of trying to attack, Yukimura would slam the blunt end of his spear into the ground and using his spear as support, would jump up and towards Nagahide as he launched a kick to his stomach once close enough, Yukimura's body turning sideways, to try and not only avoid the kick and the blades launched at his shoulders, but also launch a one-two kick combo (9:26 to 9:30) to Nagahide's chest and hopefully knock him down.

If he was successful, once he landed on both feet, Yukimura would yank his spear out of the ground and try to thrust it towards Nagahide's stomach once the man began to climb to his feet.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Nagahide fell to the floor from Yukimura's strikes. As he attempted to come back to his feet and Yukimura tried to impale his stomach, however, both of the bounty's blades would catch the spear and push it to the side, burying it into the snow next to his stomach instead. From there, he would push off the ground and send two powerful kicks into the man's stomach to knock him back and put some good distance between the two, and separate Yukimura from his spear.

He would hold both blades tightly, waiting for the samurai to make his move, instead of attacking first.

[Sanada Yukimura]

As his spear was caught by the rogue samurai's blades and pushed to the side, burying it in the snow beside Nagahide's stomach instead, as Nagahide sent two kicks to Yukimura's stomach, Yukimura would release his grip on his spear and cup his right hand front of his stomach, his left hand holding onto the back of his hand, to try and catch Nagahide's feet in the palm of his hand as the man kicked.

If he was successful, though he was knocked back, he was not sent flying, but it also left him without a spear. As the rogue samurai waited for Yukimura to make a move, he would crouch down low, appearing as if he was going to dash for his spear, only to quickly scoop up a handful of snow and throw it at Nagahide's face, to not only distract him, but also temporarily blind him as he dove over his spear and try to grab it while somersaulting into a standing position, hopefully his spear in hand, and try to whirl around to smack Nagahide's head with the blunt end of his spear.

[Oda Nobunaga]

The ball of snow sailed toward Nagahide's face and it struck him on his cheek. He cursed, stumbling back just a little, though he was not stunned long enough for Yukimura to make it to his weapon. Nagahide's foot would slam into the handle of the spear, sending it flying back, and Yukimura would end up rolling toward nothing but Nagahide's extended foot, which was now sailing toward his face.

[Sanada Yukimura]

As Nagahide's foot came sailing for Yukimura's face as he rolled, his spear kicked further away, he would bring his hands up in front of him and try to grab hold of Nagahide's foot and twist it, to drag Nagahide with him as he somersaulted, and while still holding onto his foot, would try to swing Nagahide into the side of the cliff wall, letting go at the apex of the arc.

[Oda Nobunaga]

Nagahide would swing his swords downward as Yukimura grabbed his foot. If he intended to continue his attack, he would have two large, deep gashes running up his back, and the bleeding would be immense. Nagahide would fall, though, slamming into the wall as Yukimura would hope. He dropped one of his blades from the force, but would quickly retake it in his hand and charge at the weaponless samurai.

[Sanada Yukimura]

Yukimura would try to lean his body to the side as much as possible to avoid the blades slashing his back completely, but nonetheless, he would still end up taking the slashes, leaving gashes in his back. He would fight through the pain though, and as Nagahide charged towards him, pushing off of his back foot, Yukimura would charge towards Nagahide, before easing into a slide, the snow stinging his back, making him grit his teeth in pain, but he would try to grab onto Nagahide's ankle with both hands as he slid between his legs, dragging the rogue samurai along with him before attempt to throw him back towards the cliff wall a second time, hopefully knocking him out.

[Oda Nobunaga]

As Yukimura hit the ground and began sliding, Nagahide would lower his blades. They would drag through the snow, blades themselves facing Yukimura. If he did not opt for a different attack method, he would find the fine steel blades cleaving through his body and ending his life.

[Sanada Yukimura]

His eyes widening as he saw Nagahide hold his blades in front of him as he charged, Yukimura would have to think on the fly, and sticking his right hand out behind him into the snow as he slid, as he was sliding on his left side, it would seem like he was trying to slow his slide down... Until he would fling another snowball at Nagahide's face, the throw also serving to quickly adjust the angle of his slide, so he would hopefully slide past Nagahide on his right side.

He would try to grab Nagahide's right ankle with both hands as he flew past, and hopefully drag him behind him before flinging him into the cliff wall.