Shimiko & Seigi's Wild Adventure Part I

Mission Name: Timeout
Mission Type: Assassination
Mission Rank: B
Mission Goal: Assassinate a Loyalist Rabblerouser
Description: A Loyalist Rabblerouser, code-named Spider Monkey, is conspiring to bomb St. Memori's Cathedral and lead an attack on the Jashinists. He cannot be permitted to succeed for the sake of the peace. Assassinate him and his inner circle.  
Payment: 25,000
Requirements: Jounin+



The location was in the Kabukicho District. They had received an anonymous tip from an informant that there was a milkman living in the ghetto with close ties to the Spider-Monkey. Shimiko and Seigi would find themselves on a rooftop directly across from the Milkman’s apartment. He was a High-Value Target which meant that he’d need to be taken alive. Shimiko recalled Seigi mentioning that in his previous world, he was a Kage. That meant he understood and appreciated the value of intelligence gathering. Before they assassinated the Spider-Monkey, they’d need to gather more information about him. The blonde girl was wearing her red Chinowakagumi Armour as usual and crouched alongside her comrade.

“That’s where the Milkman lives. We don’t want to make too much noise and spoke the neighbors. This area is very pro-Loyalist which means if they find out we’ve taken the Milkman then the Spider-Monkey will be alerted. He’ll go underground and we can’t have that”

Shimiko had done her homework on this building. The structure was old and predated the village itself. This meant that its makeup was rather strange. There had been families that had lived in it since before Kumo's founding at rent stabilized prices. However, there were people who had since moved in and signed new leasers for exhorbitant amounts of money. It was the ideal building for a smuggler, trafficker, or really any well to do criminal. Because many of the building tenants were poor they'd overlook rough looking characters and they when to look the other way when they saw something shady and inappropriate. It was also nice because there were some completely innocent yuppies who lived there as well. Individuals who would not think twice to see expensive furniture being moved in or safes being relocated to different apartments within the same building.

Seigi nodded. “Not to mention a neighborhood full of angry Loyalists doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.” As he spoke, he would kneel, resting his arm on his knee as he overlooked the building. His attire had been replaced for this mission, opting for a more traditional shinobi approach. His normal robes had been replaced with a set of ninja-yoroi. He opted to not use a cowl, however, his eyepatch and a half-mask all he needed. He would pull the cloth up over his mouth and nose.
“I think it’d be best if we split up. One person come in from the roof, the other the ground floor. Once we’re in, I can use my sand to seal the doors so no one else comes in or out. I think for now, it’d be best to wait til it gets a little bit darker. We can watch the entrances until then.” He would take a deep breath and stand up, and look over to Shimiko, forgetting that she was taking point for this mission.

“....If that sounds good to you, I mean.” He would add.

Shimiko listened o Seigi’s plan. It sounded like a smart strategy. She did like that he asked her permission, it showed that he understood and respected her leadership on this mission.“I think that’s a good plan. I’ll talk the roof, you go in through the ground floor. He’s on the 4th floor so we can meet em there. Its getting dark soon so we probably won’t have to wait too long.” The blonde stared at the apartment from across the street and sighed. The sun was already beginning to set and before they knew it would be time to go.

“Did you do missions like these often? Back on your own world I mean"

Shimiko wasn't sure if Seigi would give her a truthful response. He wasn't in his home world anymore but the ANBU Code of Silence was stringent. She wasn't sure how it worked in Seigi's Corps but in Kumo all missions were strictly confidential and unless you had clearance you could not describe them to anyone else in the village, much less someone from another universe. She prepared herself to receive a disappointed non-answer but part of her hoped Seigi would tell her the truth. They had been fairly forthcoming with each other so far and she'd like to see that tradition of trust and respect continued. She kept an eye on the building as she listened to his answer, looking for any signs of guards or mercenaries hanging about. The Milkman was fairly high up in the Spider-Monkey's organization so she was certain there might be a few people milling about. From what she could guess though the Milkman liked to keep a fairly low profile which meant sacrificing guards. It was a trade-off she would be glad that the man made.

Seigi would chuckle at her question.
“Yeah, sort of.” He would say, thinking back to the missions he could fully remember. It was amazing how much clarity he had now that they had pulled some of his memories back to the surface. “However, never within my own village. But I guess this technically isn’t my village, is it?” He would continue watching the entrances, keeping note of a few men who walked in through the front. They would be an issue later on.
The sun was sinking over the horizon, between the mountains, it’s gentle glow slowly diminishing as the clouds from the mountains helped put it to rest. The lights of Kumogakure lit up slowly, illuminating the dusk.

“Oh, before we go, I’d like to share a technique with you.” Seigi would say. “It’s a fuuinjutsu technique that will allow us to communicate over distance.” He would show her a small seal on his neck, just below his left ear. He would form the ram sign, then use two fingers to gently place the seal on her own neck, assuming she was willing. “It works by imitating your vocal chords and transmitting it through chakra vibrations in the air to the recipient’s ear. The Seal itself will vibrate the cochlea, imitating speech patterns.” Seigi would step away, holding two fingers to his neck.

“Can you hear me now?”

Seigi said he had done operations similar back in Other-Kumogakure. The girl nodded. It was another similarity that he had in common with her brother. They two were identical in not only appearance and name but even their lives traveled the same path. It was long before the sun set. As night set over the area, Seigi said he had a technique for her. Shimiko would allow Seigi to place the seal on her neck and listen as he explained how it worked. She held her own fingers to her neck where the seal had been placed.

“Yes, I can hear you…this is a really useful technique. If its alright with you I’d like to learn it some time”

Now that they had a method of instant communication that could not be listened in on, it was time to head out. Shimiko had noticed the group of men walking in through the front door. She hoped that they were just residents but if not she was prepared to take them out. There couldn’t be any witnesses to what would happen here. The ANBU Captain eyed the rooftop and ensured there wasn’t anyone there. She looked at her subordinate and nodded. Go time.

She leapt over the space between her rooftop and the target’s rooftop. She landed in a blur-like flash. Shimiko’s base level of speed was far faster than the average human was able to keep up with. Shimiko produced a kunai and jammed it into the doorframe. She used a chakra flow to force it open and a heavy amount of densified blood to muffle the sound. The whole process was quick, clean, and above all else quiet.

As Shimiko jumped off the rooftop, Seigi would jump down, unleashing a small amount of sand from his gourd. Pointing to the front light located near the door, sand would quickly jump forward, snuffing the light. Under cover of darkness, Seigi would quickly move across the street, recalling his sand. It would cover Seigi’s left arm completely, sticking to it to rest. The front door was unlocked and Seigi would slip in quietly, closing it behind him. Looking down the dimly lit hallway, he could hear voices in one of the next rooms. Quietly, he would take his left hand index finger, dragging it down the side of the door, sealing it with sand. It would hold against anyone trying to enter, but could easily be broken off with force.

Drawing his katana, he would hug the wall, watching as light appeared on the opposite, as a man left the room laughing.

“Daitaro, you swine, you cheated me again!” He would cackle, losing his balance, and throwing alcohol around as he did, turning to face Seigi. Before he could speak, Seigi point point his hand at the man, sand quickly covering his mouth so he couldn’t be heard. As the door swung close, Seigi would jump forward, kicking the man, causing him to lose his balance, Seigi catching him before he fell so it wouldn’t make a sound. He would quickly wrap his legs around the man’s neck, squeezing until he stopped moving.

Shimiko entered through the rooftop door and slowly descended down the stairs. This mission reminded her of one of her first assasiniation missions as a member of ANBU Black Ops. She was a newly minted Chuunin who was largely untested and was seen as a “legacy” pick by many in the organization. The blodne had more than shown her worth in that mission and in the coming missions. Shimiko was careful not to allow any creaking on the wooden floor steps as she slowly descended. She had made it halfway down the stairs when the maintenance man turned a corner and saw her. He froze as he recognized the pigtails, blood red armour, and numerous armaments surrounding the woman. His eyes widened and he said nothing as Shimiko raised a finger to her lips. The woman’s custom melody arm then fired off a single senshichi needle which hit him in the neck. The puncture knocked  him unconscious but before he could collapse and hit the ground, Shimiko gracefully leapt from her position and appeared behind him in a flicker-like movement. She then eased him to the ground. They’d need to move quickly as she didn’t realy have a place to permanently store his unconscious form. She looked around for a place to stow the body.

Hiding the man behind the stairs, Seigi proceeded to the second floor, the stairs blocked off due to construction on his side, which meant he would have to cross this floor too. Cursing beneath his breathe, he would hug the wall, but move ever forward. He could hear voices from beyond the doors, some families, some shouting that seemed aggressive. He wondered just how many people were here in the building, and if every occasion would be just as violent as his first, but fortunately, Seigi made it through the hallway without anyone noticing or hearing him, quickly moving to the third floor.

The third floor, oddly enough, was very open, looking very similar to a training area, or a dojo. Luckily, with it being late at night, nobody was in here. He made a note of it and examined the room a bit before making his way across it.

“Stop right there!”

Shimiko spied a closet down the hall. She slung the body over her shoulder and headed to the closet. She slipped the unconscious body inside and gingerly closed the door. It was a bit sloppier than she was used to but then again this wasn’t exactly the most difficult infiltration mission she’d ever done. Shimiko quickly wall-walked her way down to the fourth floor, moving with celerity and silence. She was an expert ANBU and worming her way through this building was child’s play. She remained in the dark shadows, using her superior coordination and wealth of experience to stick to the shadows. The fourth floor had a door at the end. 117. That was the Milk Man’s Door.

“Okay, Seigi I’m in position” She’d whisper.

“What are you doing in this dojo?” The voice would ask. “Turn around slowly.” Seigi would listen to where the voice was coming from, turning slowly as he did. An elderly man sat cross legged in the center of the dojo. He wore a black robe and his eyes were closed, yet he knew Seigi’s location. Seigi knew for a fact that no one had been where he sat just a moment ago. Was this a genjutsu?

“I apologize for invading this space.” Seigi would say, trying to show some respect to the elderly sensei. “I need to go to the 4th floor.” Seigi would reply. The man would chuckle a hearty laugh that would turn into a series of rough coughs before rising up from his seated position.He would place his arms behind his back and slowly walk towards Seigi, observing him. He would walk around him, as if inspecting him, despite his eyes still closed.

“When will you stop searching?” The man would ask him.
“....What?”
“You’re always searching for something, aren’t you, Seigi?”
“Who are you?” Seigi would quickly ask, spinning to face the man. As he did, once again, the dojo was empty and Seigi was left alone once more, until Shimiko’s voice picked up through his seal.

“Right. I’m close. Be there soon.”
Seigi would quickly cross the dojo, to the stairs leading to the 4th floor, silently moving up them. Quickly taking his side by Shimiko, he would simply nod to her, then check his sand once more, ready for whatever happened next. He opted not to tell her about the man on the 3rd floor who knew his name.

While Shimiko waited for her brother from another world, she attuned her senses to the happenings behind the doors of the other apartments. A kid playing in the living room. A couple arguing about infidelity. A middle aged schizophrenic yelling at the wall. So many stories behind each door, but they all had one thing in common. They were Shimiko’s people. They were the people of Kumogakure, and she’d do everything and anything to protect them. Jashin had favored this land. He favored this village. He saw this land as being a safe place to grow and nourish his Church. The organization had long lived in the Mountains of the Lightning Country. They had worshiped in darkness and in secret for many years, waiting for their chance to rise again. Ever since the Necrossiah had left them, each Sacristan and Superior Sacristan had worked towards preparing the world for her return. Shimiko liked to think that she was a large part of that. That meant that it was her sacred duty as the Defender of Faith to protect its inhabitants.

Seigi’s voice came through on the comms. The young man’s voice cutting through the distracting thoughts and bringing her back to the mission. He was coming soon and indeed, he arrived on the fourth floor stairwell. He looked a bit troubled but she guessed that was only him getting used to the tension of being ANBU once more. The blonde pointed at the door at the very end of the hall. That would be their target. They’d need to be very careful.

She shot out a hand and a stream of blood leaked out, the crimson substance swiftly made its way to bottom of the door where it slipped into the locking mechanism. Shmiko closed her eyes and focused. If this was a trap, better to find out now than later. She played with the tumbler mechanism until she had broken the lock. The sound was muffled by the blood covering the sensitive metallic structure. She whispered to Seigi:

“On my count, you’re going to send a wave of sand through that door. Knock it down and then blind, immobilize, and restrain anything on the other side.”

She could do the same with her blood but she wanted Seigi to get some practice with using kekkei genkai. His skill with it was coming along quickly but for what she had in mind, he’d need nothing short of perfection.

Seigi would nod to Shimiko as she laid out the plan. The dense sand around Seigi’s arm was packed incredibly tight, but he would need more. Opening the second gourd on his side, it would mock the ther gourd, both combining together now to form a flowing cloak behind Seigi. Quiety, Seigi would stand in front of the door, moving his right leg back and drawing his right arm back. Inhaling, the exhaling sharply, he would wait for Shimiko’s count. Once she gave him the go ahead, he would push his right arm forward, the sand quickly blasting into the door, breaking it off it’s hinges. With his other arm, he would follow up, just behind the other wave, meaning he didn’t have to wait for the sand he used against the door to gather. A blast of sand would barrel forward, into the apartment, and into anyone that was unfortunate enough to be in the small apartment.

Shimiko lifted her hand and prepared the count.

Three. Three digits were held up.

For the Lightning Country and its center of strength and stability: Kumogakure. For the Office of the Raikage, and the thousands of shinobi that had toiled to protect Kumo since they could learn to walk. Shimiko's family had helped found this village and she'd die protecting it.

Two. Two digits.

For Lord Jashin, the Necrossiah, and their most holy Church. Its Lady Superior, its Sacristans, Apostles, Saints, Acolytes, and Faithful Laity. By executing this mission, Shimiko was saving them from destruction at the hands of a suspected domestic terrorist.

One. Only her pointed remainder.

For her family, Yui and Yua, Miyu, Nariko-sensei, and Seigi (Vik too I guess). The family that she would kill and die for a thousand times over. They were her source of power and strength. They were the reason that she trained until her bones ached. Their safety was paramount and by

Go!

Seigi’s sand burst through the door and enveloped anyone or anything in the area. A muffled cry could be heard on the other side and as soon as he was through the door, Shimiko would follow in a flash. The kunoichi rocketed through the door but acrobatically somersaulted to the ceiling. She counted at least three individuals. Each of them were buried in the sand but one of them she had caught making handseals moments before he was swamped. The girl clung to the ceiling and pointed to a glowing mount in the corner of the room.

Fire Release!

"Seigi! On your six! Smother him! "

The others were totally incapacitated either because they had been caught by surprise or because they were shinobi and had no means to fight back. Shimiko made handsigns of her own, fully prepared to back up the baby ANBU if his sand was insufficient.

The attack was a success. A wave of sand collided with everything inside, breaking chairs, incapacitating two of the targets, but before the third could go down, he began to form handsigns. Seigi would beat him on the draw, however, the ANBU already in checkmate. Extending his arm towards the man who was already covered in his sand, the sand would wrap around his arms, pulling them apart from each other, then quickly consuming close to his entire body, applying intense pressure. It wasn’t enough to seriously injure him, but it was enough to know that if the man fucked with him in a way he didn’t like, he wouldn’t hesitate to paint the room red. A slight rage consumed Seigi for a moment as the man had threatened to burn the building down to the ground with everyone inside. He would squeeze tighter.

The man screamed as his arms were yanked apart and forced into an uncomfortable position. If he continued resisting, he’d lose it all. Shimiko watched the scene play out from her vantage point on the ceiling. Almost everything in the room was covered with sand but from what she could tell there had been milk bottles lying around the place. She leapt down and landed on her feet before snatching a bottle from the fridge. She dusted the sand off and sniffed its contents. Shimiko’s senses were superhuman and as an ANBU who had gotten her start in internal affiars it was her business to know all the major contraband that was trafficked into the city. They had blindfolded her and told her to distinguish between various liquids via nothing but smell. Shimiko didn’t need to taste the contents to know what it was, the smell was clear even though it was diluted by dairy product.


“This is opium” she declared.

The Milkman was funneling opium into the city but she had a feeling that the his boss, the Spider-Monkey, wasn’t just some drug dealer.

“The dilution seems very advanced which means he’s a top-tier chemist. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that he’s also helping the Spider-Monkey build the bomb they plan to use against the Church”

Shimiko walked over to Seigi. “Let’s see if we can’t make him talk…”

It was interrogation time. Shimiko had been taught by one of the best interrogators in Kumo history. She knew all of the tricks to making someone talk. There were roughly three levels of interrogation. Technically, four but her own style collapsed two of them. The first level was that of a civilian someone who did not have any serious training or endurance, usually you could just threaten them and they'd spill the beans. The next level was a non-shinobi criminal someone who broke the law and had probably been in battles but was not at a superhuman level. Shimiko tended to collapse this level with the third: Non-ANBU Shinobi. Shinobi had could endure significant pain both psychological and mental. Some were resistant to Genjutsu and many had a fanatical devotion to their respective causes. She collapsed criminals and Non-ANBU Shinobi mainly as a way to punish criminals and get them to talk faster and louder. Then of course, there were ninja like herself ANBU shinobi. These ninja not only had superhuman endurance they knew all of the standard methods of torture and information extraction. They knew not only how to endure torture but how to inflict it. When it came to interrogating those types, you had better be prepared to kill them.

Fortunately, that wouldn't be necessary here.

Opium? This made Seigi want to grip the man tighter, but he needed to save some tension room for the interrogation. As Shimiko took to his side, Seigi would continue to hold the man in place, slowly walking towards him. Sand would begin to creep over the man’s face, beginning to intrude towards his mouth.

“You’re going to tell us everything we need to know, without hesitation. Every time you do…” With his hand outstretched, he would fold his left index finger. The sand would mimic, bending the man’s index finger backwards, snapping it. He wasn’t going to give this guy an inch.
“Got it?” He would ask, making sure they were all on even terms.
“First, are there any more people we need to worry about coming through that door?” Seigi would ask, meaning the door they had come through. He didn’t want a fight to break out in the middle of their questioning.

The Milkman gave Seigi a smug look but that quickly shattered when the junior ANBU broke his finger. The man howled in pain and nodded his head in understanding. He looked for his friends but couldn’t find them. They were buried in sand and totally incapacitated. He was on his own with this one. When Seigi asked his first question he shook his head.

“No its just me and the two others…..I swear! There isn’t suppose to be anyone here for….”

He was about to keep talking but then the Milkman shut up. He realized he had been about to volunteer information that could jeopardize their whole operation. It was as if he had been injected with a sudden burst of courage . He gave Shimiko and defiant look and shouted:

“Fuck you and your Church! Especially you! You dumb blonde bimbo. I don’t know what kind of black magic your using but this isn’t Seigi, he’d be turning over in his grave if he saw what you were doing to this country.”

His words stung but she wasn’t about to let him show how much. Shimiko furrowed her brow and looked at Seigi.

“Are you gonna let him talk to your little sister like that?"

Without words, Seigi would let the man finish his speech, and then bend his left middle finger. The man’s left elbow would snap backwards, in the opposite direction.

“Don’t waste my fucking time.” Seigi said, getting in the man’s face. “You have over two dozen more things for me to snap before it comes to your neck.” Seigi would tell him before gently stepping back away from him.
“Where’s your boss? What’s his name?” Seigi would ask, getting straight to the meat of things. He didn’t care much for anything else, although the opium was a big concern of his. He would begin to apply more pressure.
“Give me a name and I can promise you that you’ll make it out of this alive, but if you don’t cooperate with me right now, then I can’t promise anything after that. Do you understand me?”

The man screamed once more. Louder this time. He was convulsing in pain and crying. Shimiko grinned. She did enjoy the countenance of pain, especially when it was inflicted on those with the audacity to blaspheme the living god Jashin. Seigi wasn’t having any of the man’s little games and when he threatened to break more, the man’s fighting spirit evaporated just as suddenly as it had come on.

“THE SPIDER-MONKEY! THAT’S ALL I KNOW HIM BY! I SWEAR!!”

Shimiko shook her head. She was lying. He could hear it in his voice.

If Seigi broke another bone, the man would break figuratively and literally.

“Okay! Okay! Okay! Matsumano! Its Matsu! I deliver shipments to him at the warehouse at the end of Shinjeku Street please man just stop! PLEASE” he was practically bawling.

Shimiko sighed. She was glad that she didn’t need to get involved. It wouldn’t be good if Seigi saw that side of her.

And just like that, the interrogation was over. They got a name and location, Mastumano at the Warehouse off of Shinjeku. Seigi wasn’t finished, however.

“Good, you’re learning.” Seigi would say, releasing the grip of the sand slightly, but not completely yet. “But we’re not finished here. When’s the next shipment due? Is Matsu at this warehouse now?” Seigi would ask, his tone lighter now that the man was cooperating with them. Seigi would be sure to make the sand loose enough for him to breathe, at least. He didn’t want to break the man, but he needed as much information as he could going in here. He’d hate to show up and the place be empty because they just weren’t in for work today.

“Shimiko, you got any questions?” Seigi would ask, almost sarcastically.

“Next Shipment is due in a week’s time…” he mumbled in a defeated tone. “Matsu won’t be there until then. He’s secretive….I-I, that’s all I know man, you gotta beleive me…”

Shimiko looked at the broken drug dealer. Seigi asked her if she had any questions and she said:

“Just one” She lifted up a bottle of “milk” and held it up so that the opium trafficker could see it. “There’s at least 1 liter of opium in this bottle of so-called milk….that’s 30 overdoses. 30 dead bodies. All of them citizens whose only crime is falling prey to the scourge of addiction. You have the audicity to attack my Church while you peddle this filth. My only question is...do you want to die here painlessly or back in your cell where you’ll be strangled brutally?”

It was cold blooded to murdered a captured victim. It was possible that he could supply ANBU with lots of information concerning opium trafficking. It would be unbeleiveably short sighted for Shimiko to end him right here and right now. Yet he had insulted her deity and mocked her Church. What choice did she have?

The man began blubbering begging her for forgiveness, begging Jashin, saying that he was sorry and that he’d turn his life around.

If he was lucky then Seigi would ask for clemency, if not then his life would likely be forfeit.

Seigi would step forward, interjecting between her and the man.

“I made him a promise. He gets to keep his life for now.” He would say, hoping he wouldn’t have to try and stop her. Truth be told, he couldn’t, and he couldn’t stop her from tracking him down later, but for the moment, he didn’t want to spill blood that didn’t need a purpose. “He’ll have to live with those deaths on his heart for the rest of his life. And every cold winter, when his hands and elbows ache, he’ll be reminded of the ghosts that visited him and broke him.”

Seigi would let all the sand retract back towards him and his twin gourds, eyeing the destruction he had caused momentarily.

“Let’s take them in.”

Shimiko let Seigi come between her and the man who at this point had wet himself. She looked at Seigi and could see that he meant what he said. He was powerless to stop her but sometimes pure brute force wasn’t all that mattered. Mercy had its role in the job of an ANBU and she decided that now would be a good time to exercise it. She sighed but didn’t break eye contact with the man. Her Ketsryugan continuing to pierce him as she stared him down.

“He better beg Jashin for forgiveness. The night is dark and full of terrors….”

She commented as she turned away from him. She would not harm him. Not now, not ever. She’d let fate deal with him. She was confident that Seigi’s words were true. This man’s comeuppance would be his in due time.

Shimiko began to tie them men up in wire. An ANBU extraction squad met them on the roof and they’d take away and towards ANBU Headquarters. It was time to plan their final assualt.

ONE WEEK LATER

Back at ANBU HQ, Seigi gathered in the main hub. A week had passed since Spider Monkey had let slip about their target’s warehouse, and Seigi had used the week to hone his skills and practice. He didn’t know how much fighting he would have to do today, but he was ready for anything at this point. He would stand by the door, leaning against the wall, waiting for Shimiko. He hadn’t really talked to many of the other ANBU, most giving him an awkward or terrified glance as he came by. He thought he was pretty used to isolation, but this was a whole new level he hadn’t experienced before. He didn’t care much either way. If anything he preferred it. Shimiko was much more in tune with her emotions than he was, and tended to show them more than he did. He supposed that’s just what happened when you become jaded.

Shimiko walked through the door wearing her signature Chinowakagumi Armour. The location was at the end of Shinjeku Street. It wouldn’t be terribly hard to surrounding with ANBU but Shimiko wanted to do this herself, or rather just her and Seigi. They could call back. She had stressed to her lieutenants that when the signal was given, she fully expected them to arrive ON TIME. Shimiko approached the table with the warehouse floor plan laid out and she beckoned over Seigi.

She pointed to the various entry points. They had a record of the designs on file but it was likely that the Spider Monkey had changed them since then.


“Okay so there are entry points here, here, and here. I think they will either try to tunnel the shipments or move them by animals but then again they could also be using Ninjutsu. Its hard to say how the supplies are coming in and out.”

Shimiko stared at the map as she tried to formulate a strategy.