Fandom Naruto: Last of the Fallen Blossoms

[KageYuuki]

Izumi Takahashi

Squad Roku​

Izumi's arrows had scarcely left her bow when the charging nin turned his head towards them with a sickening snap. Itto's words had hit home, enraging the shinobi and distracting him entirely from the fleeing refugees. So on one hand, they had accomplished their task. But everything about this man made Izumi's hair stand on end. Was it the pale skin? The strange scars that almost looked like open wounds from here? Maybe it was just the mask hiding his face that set her on edge. She wasn't sure.

The arrows struck his leg, ice rapidly encasing and solidifying the limb. Good, maybe that will buy us some-

With a chuckle, the man shattered the bones in his own leg in a near horrific display. Izumi felt her heart drop and stomach twist at the sight. Even as the mangled limb snapped itself back into position and he continued stalking towards them. It was wrong. All of this was wrong. Izumi's mouth felt dry as her chest tightened, a voice in her mind screaming for her to drop her bow and run. The only thing that kept her from doing so was the crackle of lightning and the bright glow of senbon striking the man's chest. Unlike everything else they'd thrown at him so far, this attack seemed to get the shinobi's attention. The strange lines on his chest began flickering erratically.

Another explosion sent Izumi tumbling back through the snow and ice, slamming her back against a tree. She gasped, struggling to draw air into her lungs. Her ears rang faintly as she struggled to reorient herself. Get up . . . run . . . Vision focusing, the first thing that greeted her was the mangled body of the Mist nin. Already, it was twitching and pulling itself back together.

"Monster." Her voice was a wheezing gasp. Izumi struggled to her feet, swaying slightly as she struggled to get her lungs to cooperate and draw in a full breath once again. "Is he . . . is he even really alive?" She looked at her teammates, "You two alright?"

A burst of flame and Roku appeared, landing a blow on a shinobi she hadn't even noticed hiding in the treetops.

"Tch. Sorry to ask this, but can you lot keep him busy? Just. Just survive! Bah. "Scouting" my ass."

Survive? How did he expect them to fend off and survive against something that could explode and get back up? Though that explosion didn't seem planned. Izumi glanced at Yusuke, did those senbon have something to do with it? Exploding senbon, she'd never heard of anyone in the Chuuseigumi using something like that before. It bought them precious time.

Roku spoke to someone else and Izumi blinked. She hadn't even noticed the other samurai that was there. "One of the refugees? I thought they were all just ninja and some civilians . . " Though ninja could wield katana too she supposed. "W-wait!" The call fell on deaf ears as Tokita lunged and slashed at the Mist nin. "Crap."

Running wasn't an option. As much as that voice in the back her head continued to scream at her to do. Had it not been for the countless hours of practice, she likely wouldn't have been able to fire her bow. The motion was grounding, bringing a brief stillness to her racing thoughts. Izumi nocked and fired another encasing arrow at their attacker. Anything to slow him down in pulling himself back together.

"He might come after Yusuke."


Ganryu Haze- IG42 godjacob

 

[Haze-]

Ōkami Itto
Team Roku​

- A Forest Near Hanamachi. . .​

---

The sound was sickening. The sight was even worse.

He had to stop and take a moment to down the hard swell at his throat, swallow that knot, quiet his heart so that it wouldn’t rattle and punch its way out of his chest— half-thrilled and half-horrified at the uncanny sight of the mist ninja shrugging off every blow Yusuke and Izumi had thrown at him. No, it really wasn’t even that.

Those strikes were landing, right on the spot.

It was almost as if he couldn’t feel them at all. Even as they parted his skin, as they went bone deep, as they broke through— he just kept walking towards Itto. And to this, the pale-haired kid held a crooked smile up at him, lips upturned and eyes narrowed in complete and utter disgust — “He’s like a damn roach…”

“…!” — It happened in a heartbeat, he felt that same chill crawl down his neck. Like frigid hands raking across skin, settling on his spine and tugging— a whisper of death, but he was ready this time around. He turned away from the overwhelming glow coming off the man’s chest, digging his sword deep into the snow.

Even as he tried to root himself to the ground, the explosion still rocked him to his knees, as though someone had taken fistfuls of his hair and tugged. Hard enough to almost wrestle him to the floor, but he fought the gust of hot wind. Wincing, biting down a grunt. His teeth bared as he pressed the forehead on the hilt of his blade.

Once it passed, he let go of the breath he’d been holding onto, a trail that lost itself in the wintry. As pathetic and faint as was right now— he’d never felt this small before, not after Ishii.

Izumi was there behind him, mouthing something. He couldn’t hear her over the sound of his own heart thrumming in his ear. It was unbearable.

It took a moment, everything felt motionless, but as he looked down on the tremors racking his hands and feet, he realized— he was scared.

---

“HUA!!!” — He could see his father’s insufferable hollering float out of his mouth with each swing, hanging onto the tundra. A thin, frost-laden mist ebbing away slowly. The relentless drift of winter’s howl was overarching across the entirety of the forest, as it always was, yet somehow this man always found a way to quiet it out — “Y’gotta shout it like that! That’s Zanshin. Gets ya’ spirit up.”

He swung his sword again, Itto followed — “That’s just dumb, pa’. You’re just tellin’ your opponent when the hits coming.” — Shades of dull white dampened his every word; he’d gotten used to how asphyxiating it felt.

The snow under his feet crunched, biting the contour of his shifting feet. Parallel— angled straight, right foot in-front of the left. He’d taught him that — “Yeah! That’s the point, Itto.” — He hid his sword behind his body, drawing it out for another swing as it snapped forward, aimed at the same tree that’d been taking punishment from his blade ever since Itto had memory to recall it.

“Imagine a swordsman so strong that he announces his every strike.” — He shuffled toward it, then a cut snapped into the marred wood of the tree. Clean split, another beauty mark for it — “Do not confuse strength and bravery with stupidity, son…” — He whistled out a breath between clenched teeth, his red, gentle eyes set on the expanse of wood in front of him.

"Pfft...! But it still pretty dumb, isn't it?"

---

Itto stole a second to learn how to breathe again, to steel his nerves. A full-fanged grin played on his face, scoffing. Fear? Him? — “I’ll show ya’ some Zanshin, old man.”

“Tch—yeah. ‘Course we’re fine. Ain’t that right Yasuke?” — He jeered, pushing up his sword to a shaky stand. He didn’t know if it was the incessant ringing on his ears, or the agony eating at his side from the explosion, but the whole Yasuke and Kasumi gag was starting to lose its charm on him.

His lungs pulled a wheezing breath amidst the snow settling back down from the explosion, a curtain of white flakes coming down. A perfect frame for the steaming hot mess that was the mist nin in front of them, he looked like a mess of red goo clinging to the wiry build of a skeleton. Still, he was somehow trying to get back up after being torn to shreds. Persistent bastard.

Itto heard the crackling of flames above and caught a glimpse of orange tongues erupting and dancing on Roku’s sword — “Haaah!!?? Whaddaya mean survive— you disgusting old hag??” — The boy complained, a vein of anger showing on his temple, waving his sword around with an ever-present consideration of hurling it at his sensei. Now more than ever.

“Huh?” — His focus on Roku was short-lived, immediately breaking off into the new figure jutting out from the bunch. A girl with hair black as night, about his age. Everything about her screamed Samurai — “What are you…?” — Itto could only watch in horror as the new girl began to cut into the lump of reforming flesh, not even a moment of hesitation.

Itto sighed, loosening the shoulders and readying his blade — “Oi, I’ll try ta’ distract him. If he’s getting to any of ya’, he’s getting to ya’ over my cold dead body. Find an opening if ya’ can.” — He threw the words back to Izumi, right before stepping up to stand beside the one other samurai on the front lines.

He gave her a quick once-over — “Don’t know who ya’ are, but yer’ part of ta’ team now. I’ve got yer’ back, hope y’got mine.”— Itto reassured her. He had a stern, serious glimmer in his eye — “An’ please fix yer’ posture. Yer’ makin’ me anxious…” — A look that soon straightened into unapologetic disgust. Her feet were off, her stance was at the wrong angle— even if in the slightest margin. It was annoying him.

“Oi, bootlicker of ta’ Mist, if y’can hear me”— He called out, snarling. Itto angled his sword straight at the ninja, etching a thin line across the charred snow with his feet. An invitation; a challenge — “Me an’ you. Right now.”

“Yer’ still all bite even without yer’ friends to back ya' up…right?”

Ganryu KageYuuki IG42 godjacob

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Hibari Yozora / Squad Nadeshiko
Location: Yasaji Bridge

Her senbons strike true and hit one of the bandit, he then barked orders for the others so he might be the leader of the bandits, or at least the leader of this ambush squad. The bandits were clearly lacking in coordination as they surround the mukunohas but they made it up with their numbers. As Shaoko roared his challenge and Akari started jumping above the enemies (something which still puzzled Hibari), the girl took a step back and turned around to face the bandits coming from their rear. She could think of several ways to handle this, like bombing their faces or cutting their necks... but she wanted to capture them so they can get more informations, Nadeshiko sensei mentioned something about the bandits shouldn't know about the collapsed bridge so these ruffians might be related to something bigger.

Sheathing her sword, she put her right hand on the handle and the left on the scabbard before pouring her chakra into it. She could feel the sword getting warmer as pressure builds up inside it. She heard Koga let out a few croaks and Hibari replied with a nod.

"I know what I will do. Please protect Mr. Kannabi, give me a signal if he's in danger." The crow bobbed his head upside down before moving on top of the bridgemaker's conical costume.

Hibari took a relaxed stance as she stands her ground. Her hands were extended in front of her and her eyes glared at the charging bandits in a challenging manner. Briefly she remembers the first time she witnessed this jutsu and how it blows her away, literally. She waited until the bandits were mere feet away from her, her instinct screamed at her to jump away but she waited. Just a bit more. She saw the bandits started jerking their hands backward, preparing to swing their weapons. There it is, the shift in their center of gravity.

Iaijutsu - Pressure Burst

A loud popping sound could be heard as her thumb pushed her sword slightly out of the scabbard, and then followed by a deafening boom that blast everything around Hibari away. Hibari herself must grit her teeth as the shockwave also rattled her body but she could see the shockwave threw all the charging bandits several feet away from her. She then pelted the bandits with more senbons while they're still struggling on the ground. One on each limbs. A few of the unfortunate ones might have landed on the caltrops though.

AtlannianSpy Ganryu Orikanyo

 

[IG42]

Team AobaAoba Urashima
Blinking in surprise Aoba gave his impromptu student a longer more appraising look as Kaizo explained himself and let the Mokunoha down. "Oh I see. I am honoured Lord Taisho, thank you for placing such faith in me." In contrast to his obsequiousness internally his mind was going a mile a minute on how to balance the new duty with his existing responsibilities, while he had requested the job he had already readjusted his schedule after not being assigned a squad and now he had to redo it all over again.

Watching the Taisho do something with Yanma and then begin bleeding out of his closed eyes Aoba almost spoke up to offer assistance but he was clearly not overly concerned with the side effects of whatever jutsu he just used. Sure I can juggle a dozen children at once so what's a few more? With practiced ease he kept any sign of the momentary bitter thought from showing and once Kaizo had left without managing to injure himself too badly Aoba turned his full attention on the boy.

"So Yanma, we'll have to save lengthy introductions until later." Turning back to the door he paused for half a second then thought better of navigating past his other charges and instead body flickered them both over to an unassuming wall around the side of the compound then firmly led Yanma to phase through the wall with him into a storeroom packed with various weapons and ninja uniforms in the Kiri fashion. "Gear up fast as you can, if you can't find something you need say so but you'll likely need to do without anything exotic." Turning his back he stared at the unused door. "I expect the Taisho left you with about as many details as he gave me." He said using the limited time available to address the dearth of basic information. "I'm Aoba, head of the Urashima clan. What's your clan or family name Yanma?"

Ganryu ZackStop

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Izanami Kutsuki
“Wha-what’s happening!?” Izanami asked in shock. She drew her odachi and stepped forward. The sight of her sensei sprinting at her was unnerving, but something told her it wasn’t really her sensei. It hadn’t been long since they had left her to fight. There was no way she’d betray them, and she couldn’t have been defeated so soon… right? Izanami thought to herself, as she swung her blade downwards at one of the approaching phantoms. The blade cut through cleanly, almost too cleanly. She couldn’t tell if they had even attempted to dodge it.

Nonetheless, this was her first battle, and she wasn’t going to go easy on them just because they were incapable.

One of the other samurai phantoms had closed the distance now, and Izanami responded by deftly side stepping its charge with a graceful twirl before swinging at the phantom’s back just as it passed by.

“There’s no way these are real people. They fight like zombies!”

Izanami exclaimed. Although that was the extent of her confidence. All she knew was that there was no way a Yukari-sensei would move like this, nor would any self respecting samurai. She glanced towards the kneeling samurai, remembering that this all started once they found the body.

Ignoring the rest of the phantoms and her allies, Izanami dashed towards it, holding her blade ready. Her vision tunneled in on the flowering body.

KageYuuki AtlannianSpy Phayne

 

[Ganryu]

Squad Roku && Tokita
Haze- KageYuuki godjacob IG42

-------------------------------------

As Tokita suddenly rushed the reforming Hogai the Zombie man, he cocked his head. Half, from his body reforming and his neck popping at that time, and half an earnest curiosity that she still wasn't scared of him.

"D-do you not see how fruitless it is!?"

He held out his hands, awaiting the slash without hesitation, light starting to flicker in his chest, but still burnt out from the last blast, lightning chakra having interacted poorly with explosion release, and Hogai had not yet restored the chakra.

As Tokita's slash cut true, the man seemed to actually wince, stumbling back as it cut through his sternum, and nearly through him, near to the spine, the surprise factor of the chakra enhanced blade suddenly making him snap his attention fully on the girl. Another cut claimed his entire arm, only for the the zombie to grab it, attaching it back in place, but all of a sudden, his posture changed. No longer slumping, waiting merely for blows to come. There seemed an urgency to his movements.

At the next blow he tried to leap out the way, his fist in a counter attack, but as the blade passed over his head, an audible 'snap' echoed, like threads snapping and the zombie held in place for a second, unable to attack. At the next strike, he swiped his hand out to bat away the strike, only for his open palm to receive an arrow, pinning it to the tree behind him before encasing it in ice. He readied a punch, about to lunge forward to try and tackle Tokita, but suddenly, Itto's taunt took his focus, failing before he could make it. This time, her blade cleaved all the way through his chest, forming an 'X' with the other cut, and part of his upper torso started to fall over.

Another slash, and another started reducing his limbs, one by one, Hogai twitching again and again, reaching out for his body parts.

All of a sudden, his mask cracked. It dulled from ceramic white to dull earth, bits crumbling away, falling to the ground, and revealing under it, a man with a hole straight through his forehead.

The body parts stopped moving, the limit of the regeneration reached.

Wind blew in the valley, only interupted by sword strikes and explosions in the distance, Roku seen dancing against two enemy nin in the distance, a flurry of sword blows fending off explosively launched yo-yos. Occasionally, his sword let out a glimmer, and the yo-yo's passed straight through him as he turned to flame, before clotheling the invisible ninja, only the 'Guh!' from him revealing his location. Small cuts grew over Roku, and he even lost his hat with a curse.

Another breeze blew. A voice cracked around them suddenly.

"YOU BREAK MY FAVORITE TOY!" Suddenly, one of the corpses sat straight up, earth starting to gather around their face in a new mask, turning ceramic white.

"YOU INSULT MY PRECIOUS WAIF- I mean MIZUKAGE!" Another Corpse sat up, their voice exactly the same as the first as another mask began to form.

"And you!" Another corpse sat up, pointing at Itto. "You might just be a kid, but you're the biggest dick I've ever met! One on one? I refuse-"

"-I'm done playing around."

"Sure, I can't pull this many bodies back together."

"But I don't have to worry about taking them home with me."

"EVERYONE GETS A HUG!"

"Mist Stolen Technique:-"

"-Corpse Puppetry:-"

"-Fireworks Festival."

All around then, 10 corpses began to rise, masks forming on each, and each slamming their thumbs into their chests, and beginning to glow. Under them, snow suddenly sizzled, turning to steam under the sudden heat, a shimmer leaving only the glowing lights of their chest as the puppets began to spread out, trying to encircle the group. The only bright side is they seemed much more uncoordinated than the first puppet he had been using.

 

[godjacob]

Tokita Hagami​

Tokita had nerves on high alert as her eyes seemed bugged wide. This was the kind of daunting challenge most Samurai would've taken pride in, but she understood this was a foe beyond her level. Yet, it had been too late to turn back. Her feet moved almost on instinct and despite cries of some of these ninja to move back, she advanced on with her powered chakra katana as she just entered full fight or flight mode: It was kill or be killed, and she seemed to choose to fight.

So she slashed, slashed and slashed again!​

Each blow was with purpose, targeting vital areas and limbs, as she knew that the only chance to counter his healing factor was to reduce it to bits so he had nothing to reform from. Her initial strikes landed and seemed to do damage, though as it attempted to counter strike, she widened and prepared a defense. Only for the others to strike, stopping his momentum or pinning him in place. Which opened up more strikes as she continued her volley of slashes before long it seemed to go down and the foe seemed unable to stand.

Tokita took a moment, her katana in hand, as she eyed her target in case it played possum. Before she'd even had a chance at relief, suddenly the other "puppets" had sprung back to life as her eyes widened.

"Is this a devil!?" Tokita cursed as she hoped back by this group of ninja who seemed to be her allies. Several of these copies seemed to stand as their chests had began to glow while they tried to encircle them and seemingly tried to wrap them up.

"I sense the glowing might be ominous." Tokita said to this group, as she glanced at a tree above one that moved to her and quickly hoped up and over it, landing on one branch and using a swift strike to cut a thicker one down as her aim had been to try and pin it to the ground under its weight. All the while she tried to get distance as she sensed something troublesome coming as their chests seemed to shine.


Ganryu KageYuuki IG42 Haze-

 

[ZackStop]

Yanma Doromizu​

All Yanma wanted to do right now was go back to bed. Instead he was kidnapped and sent here to this eccentric mansion with an equally eccentric man. The boy listened to the adults speak and gathered that Aoba was meant to be a sensei, but for one reason or another did not make the cut. Now, things have changed, which put Yanma in a very unfortunate spot, but he wasn't going to tell the leader no.

He agreed with everything that was being said, outside of having to be awake, and entered the mansion. Leaving the Taisho behind and following Aoba, he tried to let his eyes wander which proved especially difficult with all the children staring at him. Were they Ninja- Samurai, as well? Perhaps not, otherwise Aoba's schedule would have never had to be altered. Surely any number of them could pass as his mokunoha, a trio to be taken under his wing. It begged the question now that Yanma was to take on that role... "Who are my squad mates exactly? Do I have squad mates?" He asked as they entered the storeroom.

Now that they were here, Yanma gleamed around at all the equipment, including a drab uniform he was expected to wear. Not exactly his style. The Camo-patterned clothing only reminded him of his harsh childhood but not enough to get to him. He listened to Aoba speak as Yanma grabbed a stripe textured long-sleeve and let it rest on his hand before yawning. He was still not fully awake.

He looked back at Aoba with a tired look, eyelids half closed. "I thought we were skipping introductions." He said in response to the adults question of clan name. "Doromizu, we were nothing special, at least I don't think so." He turned to pick up one of the neatly laid out pouches for storing tools of all sorts, as well as the slender kunai holder, lifting it up to eye level to investigate it. "I was an orphan anyway. I didn't know my family."

He took a few seconds to really look at everything, keeping his mission in mind. Once he formed a good idea of what he needed, Yanma changed and began packing kunai, shuriken, and tags into their respective pouches. He ended up with the long-sleeve and some black pants that nearly reached his ankles. Wrapping up feet and legs with gauze then buttoning a pair of sandals over them, Yanma stood and looked over at Aoba. "Guess I'm ready." He took a basic tanto and hooked it onto his lower back.He walked out of the room, but knowing it will be cold like every other day, the boy begrudgingly turned back around to grab a snow camo scarf. "Ready." He let out one more yawn.

Ganryu IG42

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Team Nadeshiko



The combination of caltrops and percussive force proved hellaciously effective against the bandits, who were unarmoured and not especially coordinated. Most of the ruffians were blown backwards or to the ground, landing heavily on the sharpened metal implements. Many who stood their ground and tried to press on found their cheap, straw sandals just as vulnerable to the spikes and soon the air was thick with cursing and cries of pain. Few of the bandits had been completely disabled but ttheir charge had been effectively blunted.

The leader, who had hung back outside the range of Akari's spread of caltrops snarled furiously but as Shaoko called out in challenge his expression became calculating and he sneered.

"Feh, Fine then! We'll settle this like men! One on one! We'll see if the vaunted honor of the samurai is worth a damn" The leader swept an arm to the side dramatically. "Stand back lads and watch me crush this whelp myself!" he roared, as a hazy shroud of steam like chakra overtook his club. The chakra shroud extended the length and width of the club, but it seemed unrefined and unstable, the shroud shifting and warping over time, flickering in and out of existence. It probably wasn't as powerful or reliable as a proper technique but the random and unpredictable nature might still make it dangerous.

With another roar the bandit leader swung his shrouded club across the ground in front of him, clearing a path through the caltrop field and then he charged at Shaoko, eating up the distance between them with surprising speed considering his bulk. Meanwhile the other bandits groaned and crawled or limped away from the field of the duel, although some of them wore sinister, calculating expressions as they licked their wounds.

Orikanyo Ganryu Spoiled Bread

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Koyome Omozukai
Team Yukari


Koyome hissed in frustration. She was supposed to be the puppeteer now, the master of her fate and yet here they were all dancing to someone else's tune. Unacceptable. The plant zombies launched their assault and Koyome hopped backwards, letting Enkai and Izanami take the frontline as she drew a handful of senbon to support them with. Senbon would not be effective against these opponents however, Koyome could already tell, so she hesitated. There had to be some kind of genjutsu in play here, the Hyuuga clan's training was pretty rudimentary in that area, just like anything else they looked down upon as not being worth their time but KOyome was vaguely aware that some genjutsu were carried on scents and she had been suspecting something like that might be in play ever since Fumio had mentioned the perfume and now with her allies' chakra systems in disarray and infected with something foreign it was more or less certain. Fumio's looked okay though.. Too suspicious, it was so obviously suspicious that Koyome almost wondered if it was some sadistic double bluff with a distant manipulator trying to set him up as a patsy. If that was the case they could tie him to HIkari with wire string and carry him back unconscious, for now the equation needed to be simplified.

Koyome cocked her hand back as if to throw her senbon then, without warning, whirled to slam her palm into the side of Fumio's head with all the strength her artificial body could muster, aiming for a knock out blow to the temples that would leave the injured samurai alive but unconscious.

Phayne InsaneAsylum

 

[Ganryu]

Akari Tone - Squad Nadeshiko

Another 'boing' heralded Akari returning to Mr. Kannabi, starting to pant. Akari had been using alot of double jumps, and her legs muscles were tired from the movement, and her chakra points were absolutely burning. Each time she jumped, her chakra 'traced' the ground below her, holding the image briefly behind it, before for a moment flashing the image to as hard as terrain, letting her double jump, a technique that was both flashy, and draining.

Around her the men seemed to be hesitant to approach with their leader accepting the duel with Shaoko. What was Akari supposed to do? She knew if she just shot them, she'd hesitate again. She took a deep breath, the crisp cold air filling her nostrils, the exhale causing a puff of air to become visible around her. What to do...?

Spoiler

"Dad... couldn't you just shoot the deer?"

Behind her, a hand rested on her shoulder, and a smile. "Where'd the point in that be? Come on, Akari, we need the meat for back home. Can you make the shot?"

A young Akari pulled back on the bow, trembling as she aimed. Her arm shook, the arrow barely rested on her thumb. And she yelped as it fired, completely missing the game, and a 'twang' echoing in the woods. The deer looked up and spotted them, before panicking and bounding off. Akari's father just shook his head.

"It's alright. I asked if you could make the shot, not if you should."

Akari stared at the ground.

"So, what should you have done?"

"Ask you to help...?"

"Hahahaha! Nope! What should YOU have done."

Akari sat down on a tree stump, not having an answer.

"If you can't make the shot, don't! It'll scare off the deer. Sometimes, the best thing you can do it nothing, and hope it comes a little closer in range where you're confident."

Nothing. She should do nothing. She didn't HAVE to do anything to the non attacking bandits. Her chakra would run out if she tried. Akari just stowed her bow and sat down, eyes glancing to and fro on the bandits, before sitting on her knees.

Slowly, she pulled out a small piece of wood, one gradually taking shape of a vague human. Eventually the figure would be Izumi. Already the bottom of the platform for it was formed, and the outlines of an ugly bow in an action stance.

Taking another deep breath, she slowly took her knife to it, peeling back more of the wood to reveal the figure inside. This piece of wood had been particularly tough, the grains of it difficult to work with, and a few nicks in it from misjudging it, but nothing unsalvagable, in fact, once Akari had figured them out, they helped her shift the pose slightly to be easier to work with. Each piece of wood was unique, and the figure whittled out of it was by no means her creation alone, but a request to the wood and her knife, and answered in kind, sometimes better than others.

She would do, nothing.

 

[KageYuuki]

Squad Yukari

Stunned from Enkai's strike, the shinobi made no attempt to recover from being slammed into the tree even as scalding steam enveloped it. In the cold air, the steam briefly became a smokescreen of sorts, hiding Enkai's attacker from view. But no counterattack came, no rush of jutsu of flying shuriken. The body slid to the melted snow, red petals covering it instead of blistering burns. A twitch and the red faded, the flowers becoming a multitude of colors once more as the zombified shinobi slowly stood once more and resumed approaching Enkai.

Fumio had grown silent and somber as the flower covered bodies shuffled into view. The wounded samurai had drawn his wakizashi, but hadn't made any movements to attack or channel jutsu through the already chakra infused blade. "Yet they attack us instead of the city," he mused. "Could the technique have a limited range? Why did he wait so long to use his allies as puppets?"

Izanami's blade cleaved through her attackers with no resistance. Crimson petals sprayed from the wounds and the attackers collapsed to the ground in heaps. Like with Enkai's opponent, they began to clamber back to their feet. Roots erupted from the wounds to knit them back closed and even pull the severed head back on. The zombies gave chase as she spun towards the initial body they'd stumbled across. A metallic clang sounded as she'd swing her blade, feeling more like she'd struck another weapon instead of the multitude of flowers covering the body.

Slowly, the flower scent began to lessen. With no more fresh perfume to fuel the technique, the pain of the needles in Sesshu-ki's grip would bring with it a moment of clarity. The body before her was no longer arranged in a beautifully macabre display of flowers, instead laying as it would have fallen in battle. Scorched armor, deep slashes, and embedded kunai. It looked no different from the bodies they had seen earlier. One of the kunai, the one she had struck, had a brightly colored tag on it.

Another perfumed breath, and the illusion from before briefly flickered back into place.

As Koyome swung suddenly, Fumio ducked under the incoming blow. "Is that the answer to my question? Or are we just attacking the man you were sent to rescue?" He let out a tired sigh.

Hikari let out a pained roar as he sprang off of her back. Fumio's wakizashi had disappeared. Scarlet bloomed across Hikari's white fur around an embedded kunai. The summon's legs buckled momentarily before she managed to straighten back up.

There were no puffs of smoke, no transformations falling off. Blood continued to drip from Fumio's wounds, and he still swayed slightly. It seemed his wounds weren't an illusion. "This is your first mission, isn't it? That's a shame." He tapped his wrists, small bags appearing in puffs of smoke. The pouches ruptured, releasing a multitude of brightly colored flowers. He formed a strange handsign. "I'm not really one for combat, so why don't we make this quick? I won't kill you."

Secret Technique: Burial of Petals

The small blossoms grew and spun around him for a moment before flying towards the four of them. While not particularly fast, the flowers would cling to anything they touched until they were encased in flowers. He coughed and flinched, handsign wavering briefly. The flowers also hesitated in their approach.


AtlannianSpy Phayne InsaneAsylum

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Koyome Omozukai
Team Yukari
"You're right, you won't kill us," Koyome hissed, her eyes blazing with cold fury as she hopped backwards to make some space after her failed strike. As expected her taijutsu alone was insufficient here, how mortifying. Koyome cursed herself for hesitating, she should have acted sooner, before Fumio realized the game was up, she'd been naïve to wait for absolute proof against the threat of an older, more experienced shinobi.

As clouds of petals threatened to engulf her Koyome realized she was best positioned to defend herself and her teammates, who were still engaged with the zombies from before. Koyome's hand crossed over her body to dive for her explosive tags, chakra threads extending from her fingertips to snag several of the volatile slips faster than she would have been able to manage with direct touch alone. With a subtle twist of her wrist Koyome flicked the tags forwards on the end of her threads, sending them forwards in a spreading fan so that when they detonated the evenly spaced explosions formed an extremely temporary barrier against the ingress of the petals.

The explosive tags left behind a cloud of thick, acrid smoke that Koyome could see through just fine with her byakugan active and she exploited that to follow up: activating her puppet bird chunori and sending it forwards through the smoke to tear into Fumio's eyes with its sharpened, metal beak. Chunori alone was certain not to prove lethal, but it should hopefully buy enough time for the others to get into position.

KageYuuki InsaneAsylum Phayne

 

[Orikanyo]

Shaoko Hojo
Squad Nadeshiko


Ah so it was finally time to battle one on one.... And it was with a greasy damn fool with a club and thought that Shaoko didn't think his boys would rush in the moment they had a chance... but they wouldn't, no sir... he was a trained soldier... and that club couldn't really bypass his armor too much so best he do this right either way.

"Squad! Watch the others! if I catch you slacking I will tell Ms. Nadeshiko!" Shaoko exclaims out to the others before planting his spear in the ground and, with a big heave, leaps high into the air! Polevaulting above the heads of all present, he spun his spear once before plunging it downwards upon the incoming foe...

...

What...?

Theres suppoused to be more? two flashbacks and stories about how he trained this technique for years and got it right only last minute so this would be his first time utilizing it correctly? no of course not he trained hard so he could do it flawlessly beforehand. Why would he not perfect it before a battle? that'd be silly! he needs to perform this type of thing correctly!

And who has time for flashbacks?!

Not him no sir!

Goodness, to think of the past and of irrelevant things during battle when each moment is crucial.

What was this, a T.V show?

 

[Phayne]

Team Yukari

Enkai Kaji

Mokunoha

Beautiful Demise! Zombie Ambush!

"What's going on?!" questioned Enkai through gritted teeth; his hands tightening around his Kiseru pipe as both eyes were transfixed upon the figure of the man he had just sent flying. Confused yet functioning thanks to the adrenaline coursing through his veigns, Enkai could only question what his eyes were undoubtedly seeing; the figure of the shinobi seemingly unchanged and unaffected by the assault he had just endured. Surely, the heat of the steam would have left some visible scarring upon the man, seared flesh at the very least... yet the man showed no sign of being struck... nor cooked alive. Something wasn't right... surely he didn't mess up the jutsu?


Wiping the sweat off his brow with his free hand, Enkai would consciously begin to take a few step backs; eyes fixed upon his enemy as he studied the foe for some form of weakness, or some form of hint as to how he had seemingly come out unscathed. Focusing on his own personal fight, the continuous beads of sweat upon his forehead had began to meander down his face; droplets trickling their way down the tip of his nose; their damp touch threatening to detract his gaze away from the enemy before him.

Something was definitely off about the foe slowly approaching him; the way he moved... and its method of combat. It seemed too simple... there was no urgency behind its movements; rather... they seemed basic... almost robotic even.

Seeing as the enemy was not immediately launching an attack, Enkai would take this opportunity to strike once more. Taking a step forward and closing the distance, Enkai now with both hands firmly gripped around his pipe would gradually begin to raise it above his head; waiting for the opportune moment to strike. The moment coming shortly as his eyes focused upon his victim with renewed vigour.

"Boil Release: Dragon Geyser" growled Enkai, chakra fuelling the strike as a torrent of hot steam bellowed forth from the open bowl. Like a steam train departing the station, a loud whistle would echo around them, the rapid release of pressure propelling the weapon forward and adding to the momentum of the strike as he swung the weapon downwards; the rounded base clobbering the top of the zombies' head and causing it to bend forward from the impact. Wasting no time and offering the zombie no time to react, Enkai would twist the pipes bowl ever so slightly at an angle; the open mouth of the bowl now facing the bent over enemy. "... and again.." mumbled Enkai; a second torrent of steam once again bellowing forth; the chime of the whistle sharper as the steam was focused towards the face of the foe. Unlike just before, rather than being used as a means of enhancing the momentum of the strike... the pressure of the steam being released was instead being used to steam cook the zombie's face. The sheer intensity from the pressure and heat radiating from the jutsu would cause the snow around the pair to melt.

"Come back from that you b......!" shouted Enkai, though he would pause and quickly turn towards the direction of Hikari, the loud pained roar of the tigress reverberating around the forest as blood began to stain her fur; though it was the sight of the Kunai and weapons pointed towards Fumio that had summoned the final puzzle piece. His assumptions based on the actions of his team mates prior had come to fruition.

Fumio really was an imposter.

Unfortunately there would be no time for Enkai to reach Koyome and assist as a burst of petals began to rush towards them; Enkai slow to react as he felt the strain of using his jutsu in quick succession. "Koyome! Izanami!" he found himself shouting, as he watched the flurry of petals close in on the pair; the feeling of helplessness gripping him tightly as he found his movements momentarily sluggish from fatigue.

Several bright flashes and the sounds of explosions would cause Enkai to freeze in his tracks; one armed raised to cover his face as the resulting shockwave sent a combination of acrid smoke and steam flying in each and every direction. Despite this, Enkai would continue to push himself forwards, towards the direction he had last seen his team mates.

"Guys... are you guys...!" he paushed coughing as he inhaled some of the smoke. "... Are you alright?!... I can't see... you.." he continued to sputter, as he took one step after another to close in on their last known position.


KageYuuki InsaneAsylum AtlannianSpy

Code by Serobliss

 

[IG42]

Yusuke SatomiSquad Roku
Yusuke had only expected his attack to slow down the enemy at best leaving him entirely unprepared for the massive explosion, instead he had taken it upon himself to step slightly in front of his teammates in anticipation of needing to block a ranged attack as their opponent closed in. Knocked clean off his feet he picked himself up more painfully than before he stared at the new crater and the furious...human-like thing reassembling itself nearby. "How did..? Did I do that?" Shock senbon weren't meant to do much than irritate or distract certainly not make an explosion that should have gibbed the man at the epicentre and it didn't look like a tag or any more conventional explosive had been set off.

Still regaining his balance he looked on as other attacks failed to elicit the same violent reaction. "Something about the lightning element perhaps?" Drawing his second sword he eyed the circle of apoplectic masked figures as they approached glowing ominously. "Izumi, Itto...other person." He spoke quickly in a tone hopefully low enough for the enemy not to hear over their ranting. "I believe the lightning from my attack is what set off the first explosion, if we can break out of the encirclement and get a little distance I can detonate one of them again and hopefully destroy or at least stop the others. If we do that I can shield us from the worst of the explosion....probably."

Ganryu KageYuuki Haze- godjacob

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Izanami Kutsuki

Izanami staggered back as her blade made contact with something hard. Her body had been expecting to cleave through plant material, yet instead her blade was repelled. But for a second, the illusion dropped, and Izanami was able to see what was really going on. The praying statue covered in flowers was in truth just another corpse. The only thing sticking out was a tag attached to one of the kunai. Perhaps that was the source of the illusion, Izanami thought to herself. She knew ninja were capable of illusions, but she didn't know they could do it like this.

Gritting her teeth, Izanami glanced over her shoulder. The phantom pursuers were closing in quick, and before Izanami knew it they were upon her again just as the illusion began to set in once again. One swung at her head, which Izanami ducked under and swung her blade at their torso. Once again, there was no resistance as the phantom temporarily dissipated. Izanami used that opportunity to continue her swing's momentum and spin, swinging her blade around her body to slash down the second phantom running at her. Still spinning, she turned, dropping lower to the ground to slash at the statue that had returned. However, this time Izanami aimed to strike at the tag attached kunai. She couldn't see where it was, so she relied on her memory of its location. Not only that, but she also fully intended on swinging through any other kunai blocking her swing.

Suddenly, a round of explosions caught the young samurai's attention. She quickly turned around just as the smoke cloud overtook her vision. Then, Enkai's voice calling out. "Enkai! I'm here!" She hurried over to Enkai's voice. "What the hell just happened? Where'd Koyome go?" She asked, placing a bloody hand on Enkai's shoulder just before she ran into him. She couldn't see much of anything in the smoke, but she held Sesshu-ki in her right hand, resting over her shoulder to hold its weight.

Phayne KageYuuki AtlannianSpy

 

[KageYuuki]

Izumi Takahashi

Squad Roku​

Izumi swallowed past the dry lump that was forming in her throat. The acrid smell of smoke and charred flesh flooded her nostrils and sat on her tongue. Run. Her mind still screamed. You're outmatched. He'll kill you. Run. She tightened her grip on her bow, feeling the familiar chill of ice against her fingers. We just need to buy a little time. Let the refugees escape. That's all we-- Her breath hitched.

“Oi, I’ll try ta’ distract him. If he’s getting to any of ya’, he’s getting to ya’ over my cold dead body. Find an opening if ya’ can.”

She blinked at the rough voice calling back at her. There was still a faint, unsteady shake in Itto's sword as he stood up straight once again. Likely scared as she was and still determined to put himself in harm's way and defend his teammates. Izumi felt a warm spark of admiration push against the wild panic. They'd just met and Itto was willing to risk his life, what kind of teammate would she be if she just turned tail and fled? What kind of samurai? Izumi gave a short nod. "Right. I've got your back." Her voice was still rough and breathy, ribs aching from the blast. She pulled the string taut on the bow, feeling it bite into her skin. Yusuke seemed just as in shock about the earlier explosion as she had been. "I think you did." Izumi glanced at him past the snow still drifting in the air. "Can you do it again?"

At first, Tokita's blade only seemed as effective as their other attacks. Sure, it carved into flesh, leaving bloodless wounds that unnerved Izumi. But he continued to pull himself together and ignore the first few hits. But suddenly, something changed. Hogai straightened, watching the incoming weapon more intently. He was being pushed back. Izumi's arrow whistled through the air, weaving past Itto and pinning Hogai's hand against the tree before he could smack the newcomer's blade away.

Again and again, Tokita slashed away at the shinobi. Until his mask suddenly fell away and the body stopped pulling itself together. Izumi let out a shaky breath, a small cloud forming in front of her mouth. "We actually..." There was a sense of twisted relief that draped over her. On one hand, they had actually done it, they managed to bring down that seemingly immortal attacker. But on the other, that was the face of a man long dead. Was that really the shinobi? She wasn't sure, even as silence settled around them and her shoulders began to relax.

Hogai's voice shattered the peace, surrounding them. One by one, the bodies in the snow began to stand and form the same masks their first attacker had. "No way," she whispered, eyes widening at the sight. The same fear from before came crashing back through her system. It felt like sheer luck they have managed to bring down just one and now ten were slowly getting to their feet. Even Hogai's own mention that he couldn't repair that many bodies didn't serve to inspire any confidence in their situation. In the distance, smothered in the static of fear, a spark of anger smoldered. The dead should be allowed to rest, not turned into puppets to be blasted apart and discarded.

"I . . . I might be able to get us an opening. Or at least slow them down." For a brief moment, she considered using a different technique. It was still rough and unfinished, but the power would be enough to clear the way for the three of them. But it was a gamble, and they really didn't have time for a gamble like that. Not when the arrows from before had at least been slowing him down.

So she fired her bow, again and again, aiming to pepper the ones closest to the branch Tokita had dropped in as many encasing arrows as she could. Even as her chakra supply burned at the constant drain, she kept firing. If she could completely stop just a couple of them, they could escape and Yusuke could hopefully bring an end to their attack. Despite the cold, her hands felt like they were on fire.

Izumi fired again.


Ganryu IG42 godjacob Haze-

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Hibari Yozora / Squad Nadeshiko
Location: Yasaji Bridge

The screams of the bandits as they fell onto the caltrops were like music to Hibari's ears, absolutely delightful, the sounds of justice being served right. People should not steal from each other!! A faint smile dawned on her face as she prepared to tie the bandits with some wires but unfortunately the bandit leader's sudden declaration interrupted her. Right now of all time he suddenly wants to do a one on one duel against Shaoko. That's just blatantly taking advantage of the offer considering their situation. On one side she wished Shaoko would just cancel the duel and hit the bandit in the face, but on the other side she wanted to see a proper samurai's duel.

Ah, wait. She should focus on the mission. Hibari pinched her own cheeks to keep her thought on track. While Shaoko was doing his duel, she must make sure none of the bandits ran away. Ruffling through the inner pockets of her jacket, Hibari pulled out a white sheet with a bit of glitters sprinkled on it.

Cloak of Invisibility: Snow

Creating a cloak to blend in in a snowy situation like this was relatively easy and can be used almost everywhere outside. While other people's attention was drawn by the duel she used the opportunity to don her cloak and sneaked away. Koga noticed Hibari's shenanigan as she creeps away from the battlefield as a walking white lump. If he's a human he would probably do a facepalm right away. Hibari did tends to be overconfident in her stealthing ability so whenever that happens Koga would usually try his best to keep her from real danger, this time was no different as he had no choice but to try helping her in whatever she's trying to do. The crow let out a short croak to let Mr. kannabi know that he would be leaving before he soared into the sky, following Hibari from a few distance away.

Meanwhile the girl took a roundabout way across the field to keep herself hidden until she got a good position behind some snow-covered bushes. From this spot she should be able block any bandits from fleeing if she needs to, she might also able to overhear their conversation if they talk loud enough.

AtlannianSpy Ganryu Orikanyo

 

[IG42]

Team AobaAoba Urashima
Standing stiffly to keep himself from fidgeting impatiently as Yanma suited up behind him Aoba tilted his head slightly towards the boy and chuckled at his chatter. "You got the Taishou's exclusive express pass into Team Aoba, population us." Humming to himself for a moment for pulled out a notepad and scribbled a few extra items onto a grocery list. "Multitasking now makes free time later or just keeps everything from collapsing at the first wobble and I did say lengthy introductions, it just helps to know if you were snatched away from your dragon animal partner or might have a wasting disease tied to an inherited kekkei genkai." Dorimizu. He turned the unassuming name over in his mind a few times. No exotic techniques then unless his birth family had a bloodline with unusual physical traits.

Turning around at the word 'ready' Aoba gave his one and only student a quick once over and nodded. "Good, let's move." Guiding the way back outside he took off running towards the battlefield sparing only a few glances back to adjust his pace so Yanma could keep up without exhausting himself.

Rushing in Aoba spotted a cluster of Mokunoha being menaced by a circle of glowing bodies. "Oh....it's that simp." Recalling the infamous undead from his former homeland he picked up the pace leaving Yanma behind he leaped in front and clasped his hands together. "Coral Release: Ryujin's Battlements!" Coral burst outward from under his feet forming a wall that raised him several metres high and encircled the beleaguered students, orifices formed along the barrier's exterior shooting out barbed tipped tentacles that impaled each of the walking bombs and launched them through the air towards likely hiding spots nearby. "Clear out Hogai, the Mizukage isn't here to be impressed and not even these are enough bombs to get her attention."

Ganryu KageYuuki Haze- godjacob ZackStop

 

[KageYuuki]

Squad Yuukari

Izanami's sword struck true, cleaving through the damaged tag and flinging the kunai it had been attached to. With nothing left to fuel the illusion, it faded in its entirety for the trio of Mokunoha. No longer was the body in a peaceful display of flowers, showing instead the results of a quick and brutal fight. But perhaps more importantly, they were no longer being pursued by seemingly immortal attackers. It all fell away in a show of withering petals. Or blew away in the case of Enkai's zombified opponent.

Unfortunately for the trio, the victory was short lived. One threat was tackled only for another to take its place in the form of an incoming storm of petals. Seemingly drawn to chakra, they'd cling to anything they made contact with. The petals themselves weren't dangerous, it was the sheer quantity that threatened to encase and restrain the team. Koyome's explosive barrier proved effective at stopping the encroaching wave. A large portion of the fragile petals were burned up in the tags' blast. What survived the fiery blast was instead blown away, giving Chunori more than sufficient opening to land its attack. Fumio being able to see them wasn't needed for the jutsu to continue its pursuit. What was necessary, however, was that he maintained the strange handsign. Something the sudden loss of an eye caused him to drop. The shinobi staggered back with a pained gasp, blood seeping between fingers as he pressed a hand to the wound.

As Enkai stumbled through the smoke for his team, warm fur brushed against him. "This way," Hikari rumbled, guiding him over to Izanami. The smoke was beginning to fade, making it easier for him to see his teammates and the summon. "You must take care not to burn through so much of your chakra so quickly, young one." Blue flames flickered on the end of Hikari's forked tail as it swayed. The flames didn't burn as she brought them over the Mokunoha's chest, tracing a pattern. It felt like a warm embrace enveloping Enkai as some of his energy returned.

Secret Technique: Maneki Neko's Blessing

A pained flinch broke the tigress' focus. "Sorry I can't do more than this..."

InsaneAsylum AtlannianSpy Phayne

 

[Ganryu]

Far Away

A sharp exhale disturbed the peace of the small shrine like room, the sound going from long held breath to an inhuman whistle as steam sizzled. A sudden CRACK echoed as the red oak wall splintered down the center from the heat stress before slowly beginning to reconstruct itself.

All across the shrine, pink clouds of steam whirled and danced in a veil, billowing whimsically from a large altar in the center. In the center, barely visibly through the clouds, sat a woman with black hair and fairly open black kimino. A single flower managed to survive tied to her hair, slightly frayed due to the heat, and the entire source could be seen as she sucked slowly on a wooden pipe, the inhale heard around the room, and the sharp exhale only making more torrents of steam as she exhaled, her eyes fluttering upwards as she half sat on one elbow, half laid down.

All around her, guards stood, wearing protective gear, and ventilator masks, a frigid chakra around them warping the air, yet still sweat dripped down their faces.

Finally, a voice broke the sounds of torrent and steam, ethereal and floaty, it was soft and barely seemed cognizant.

"I take it the three idiots are still playing in the Land of Iron, Keiji?"

One of the guards jumped at the voice, nearly falling over. He quickly stood at attention. "Yes, Lord Mizukage. Assuming 'idiots' means Hogai's team."

"I hope they haven't gone too far in. Hogai always did try to impress me in the worst way possible. There is something about that Land I just don't like, you know?"

"Well, they are supposed to eliminate the traitors who tried to eliminate the Daimyo 2 days ago..."

"Pity they failed." She sighed, grabbing more pink powder, and filling up her pipe once more.

"We haven't gotten word back from Hogai's team, they very well might have. Also, forgive my insolence, Lord Mizukage, but, aren't you going a bit excessive on the old Joy Plant there?"

"It wasn't Hogai's team I was referring to. Pity the rebels are so incompenent they could do nothing against a fat ruler and his unruly crotch spawn... It wasn't hard, I gave them every opportunity with the lack of guard that day... And, Keiji, today is a very stressful day, I find it... helps me to think. I have very... important business today, it's not like most days..."

"Lady Mizukage, that's treasonous!" The guard gulped as he seemed to reach for his pouch.

"So it is..." Suddenly the entire room filled with so much chakra that every one of the guards was sent sprawling to their knees as a high pitched scream of steam was more felt than heard, the whirls of smoke condensing to the shape of a shinigami, before disappating on another breath. She took another sigh as the killing intent disappeared. "It's not as if we can do anything while the daimyo's secret is still under wraps. I just thought it might make the world a little more... interesting if he died. Think of it as a joke. Nothing more. Why are you laying down? Your job is to guard me, Keiji. Get back up."

The man practically snapped to attention, a small whimper heard. Several other of the guards tried as well, but others were unmoving on the ground. Another barely standing managed to stumble towards a downed one. "Madam Mizukage, it seems your steam release overpowered the suit, I think Taiko has OD'd. Permission to remove him?"

A long pause persisted.

"Madam? Mizukage?" He sighed, then yelled. "ISUZU!"

The Mizukage startled on her pillow, sitting fully up at her name. "Oh, yeah, go ahead. Has my letter arrived yet?"

The guard shook his head, before picking up the body, beginning to drag it away. Keiji, her top advisor answered. "It arrived this morning. I believe it's on your elbow, Lord Mizukage."

She looked down, surprised to see it, peeling it off. "Oh, yes. This is very important. Let me guess Jiǎo-1-8, promotes. I will respond Jiǎo takes 4-7, promoting. I see the Raikage is predictable today... Go send it off"

Keiji grounded his teeth. "You've gotten high all day for a single move in a SHOGI match!?"

Another glance threatened the mist to swirl into another reaper, but the Mizukage let it go. "Shogi is important, as it tells me how the Raikage thinks. He likes to threaten and threaten, build up to a big attack, but is always too impatient... Such movement will surely leave him weak to attacks. If he makes a dumb enough mistake, the only thing stopping the Leaf marching on him will be us. And those grain deals look oh so in our favor. Especially with a few stolen techniques..."

"If he's supposed to be weak to the Leaf, why does he keep attacking the Land of Iron!?"

The Mizukage stared at her pipe, before finally putting it down, having made her move. "Same reason I do. They terrify us. They've only recently gotten ninjutsu, yet they downed a tailed beast when it attacked them."

"So? Four tails attacked us just two decades ago. Every village has to deal with jinchuuriki running loose."

"Do you know which tailed beast attacked them, Keiji? I do so adore your input... "

"No?"

"And don't you think that's weird that we don't talk about it? Why on earth would that not be the FIRST thing we talk about?"

"I, er... is it one of ours?"

"Nope, the Land of Water has always been full of... collectors. I would never lose such interesting sources of jutsu. Think about how strong the Leaf is. And yet... they've not been to terribly helpful, have they?"

"You don't mean-"

"How sad... they only had one."

"The fox!? The Land of Iron downed the damned FOX!?"

"Hmmm... but that's yesterdays news. I want to see what Taiko does about it."

"Taiko's dead ma'am. You literally just killed him." Spoke up from the hallway to the shrine, the occasional grunt following it.

"Not him. The Raikage, Taiko. More than one person has the same name in the world. He is aggressive, and open to counterattack, but I never said he was stupid. I've lost several games to him. Not as many as he has to me, but... not everyone can be as talented as me.

Why... some of my spies think he's going to hit the Land of Iron quite hard... if only he can get his Jinchuuriki back... Harder than I think anyone has hit them yet if he does what I suspect. I hope it hits some of our defectors. I only love defectors that come to us... Now, I'm quite curious what the Land of Iron will do to respond. Taiko's had such a good life."

From the door opening, a "I'll be sure to tell his family!" came before it slammed shut.

The Mizukage chuckled. "And that's why I like... which of my personal guard is that?"

"Yugoro, ma'am."

"Ah, yes. See to it he gets a raise, Keiji."

"Yes ma'am. Though, if you can't tell us apart, how do you know we're not spies?"

The Mizukage let out a chuckle. "That's easy. You're not dead."

 

[Phayne]

Team Yukari

Enkai Kaji

Mokunoha

Beautiful Demise! Zombie Ambush!

The sound of Izanami's voice would cause Enkai to turn towards her direction; his vision still obscured by the smoke of the explosion and his ears faintly ringing from being unprepared for the explosion itself. Staggering towards where he had heard Izanami; the faint brushing of fur pressed against his side, the rumbling voice of the tigress summon drawing his attention downwards towards the feline, hand grasping her fur for guidance as she led him towards where Izanami was.

"I.. I don't know" replied Enkai to her question as he felt Izanami press against his shoulder; a damp wetness beginning to seep into his attire. Her question was one that he shared; the answer unknown to him as he was just as much in the dark as she was. He had seen Koyome briefly, prior to the flash of the explosion... he had yet to hear or see her after the blast. "I.. she... she looked closer to the blast... you.. you don't think she..?" stammered Enkai, glancing down towards Izanami. "Are you ok... are you hurt anywhere?" he asked, glancing her over for any injuries yet failing to see the bloody print on his shoulder just yet.

As the smoke began to dissipate, he would vaguely begin to see the silhouette of a figure ahead of them, roughly in the direction of where he had last seen Koyome's visage. Tempted to rush towards her with Izanami, the voice of Hikari would give him cause to pause; the blue haired Mokunoha glancing back down towards her yet soon drawn to the blue glow that pulsed behind her; the blue flames licking away at the tips of her tail as she brought them towards him. Enkai would unconsciously take a step back, unsure as to what was occurring; though as the tails got closer to him; the warm embrace and soothing intentions of the tigress became clear.

A calm wave would coat the boy entirely as a surge of energy began to flow through him, his chest pulsing while his heart beat slowed to a neutral pace; no longer on overdrive thanks to the rush of adrenaline. A soothing calmness was quickly erasing the tensed feeling that he had been enduring since the turn of events. Feeling his body relaxed and lighter, the ability to think rationally became far more simpler.

With the smoke fading even more, the sight of the wounded Fumio became all the more clear; the shinobi hunched over and with a hand pressed against his face as blood seeped through his fingertips; the avian puppet of Koyome visible nearby implying the current situation of Koyome was not as bad as he had feared. Had she been unconscious or severely wounded, he'd have doubted the puppet would remain functional.

"You have done more than enough, Hikari-San" replied Enkai, offering the tigress a faint smile. With energy once more coursing through his body, Enkai still clasping at his weapon would begin to funnel chakra through it, though rather than holding it ahead of himself much like he would have done so with a Katana, the pipe itself had been twirled around completely. With his hand now grasping the bowl and his index finger hovering over an unseen trigger; the boy would point his weapon forward; the mouthpiece pointing ahead of himself towards the direction of the wounded Fumio.

Steadying his breathing as best he could, the boy would begin to take aim; his left eye shut tightly as he stared towards the wounded man ahead of himself, right eye straining as he focused on the barely moving target; the nozzle of his weapon quivering ever so slightly from both the strain on his body as well as the lack of practice with the Jutsu he was preparing. Unpractised with the technique, he wouldn't have dared attempted to use this particular Jutsu had their opponent found themselves in a better condition, yet given the accumulating injuries and his lack of mobility Enkai could think of no better opportunity than to try put into practice a jutsu he had only dared practice in privacy.

"Izanami-san" spoke Enkai, his tone almost lacking in emotion. "I know you distrust Shinobi... and after this... It's hard to question your view." he continued, glancing down to where he had earlier felt the wet dampness on his shoulder; a red blood print visible from where Izanami had placed her hand, fuelling his current state as he remained unaware as to the true cause for the blood. "... but.. a quick death... is too good for him..." he paused, inhaling deeply. "I can't bring myself to kill him.... just yet" he whispered, more to himself.

A smile unbecoming of the gentle one he had offered Hikari earlier would begin to creep upon Enkai's face, a sadistic excitement teasing the edges of his smile as he glared forward ahead of himself; the man he had earlier thought to be an ally proving to be little more than an enemy that needed to be punished. Especially since he dared to use the visage of the deceased samurai.. as well as that of their Sensei. His punishment needn't be swift... just painful.

With his breath steadied and his aim true to the mark, a quick darting and faint movement of his outstretched arm would signal the intent behind the attack. "Dragon Bullet" spoke Enkai, his tone laxed yet carrying a degree of cold and unforgiving malice. The faint shift in his stature had drastically altered the trajectory of the shot, the aim no longer focused towards the heart, but rather towards the abdomen were most of the organs were roughly located. The goal was to inflict lingering pain, without killing him. Perhaps their Sensei needed him alive for questioning, or the higher ups did. Neither were the driving reason for the change in trajectory.

A soft bang would echo from the nozzle of Enkai's makeshift gun, contrails of steam billowing outward amidst the remnants of smoke that still lingered within the area. If Fumio remained rooted, he'd feel the heated water projectile fizz through his body; his abdomen the target. Nozzle pointed upward, Enkai would blow away the smoke contrails, before sheathing the weapon against his side.

"That should stop him from trying anything... and if he does... you can have a turn..." he added, implying something untoward.

KageYuuki InsaneAsylum AtlannianSpy

Code by Serobliss

 

[Haze-]

Ōkami Itto
Team Roku
(& Team Aoba)​

- A Forest Near Hanamachi. . .​

---

Itto was as ready as he could be, given the odds.

His palms found the rough edges his sword, tightened on it, flicking snow off the ground once he’d built up enough psyche to bring the blade up to his shoulder. Heartstrings tensed; he felt them wrangled up from the ends of his wrists and all the way to his chest; a tingling sensation, something evened out a loose squeeze as his breath hitched, chest heaving.

The world went with his heartbeat, picking up tempo, settling down to a freeze once he’d focused on what was in front of him— feet shifting on the snow, trying to hold the right posture with his sword up high and confident. A crossing glint in his eye as he struggled to tell himself that he wasn’t afraid; or rather, that he couldn’t be afraid anymore.

It took another deep breath to really drone in on it, hush those nasty thoughts that arose as he looked at the smoking pile of red in front of him. Once he did, a smirk kicked on his face.

“Nah…” — He chuckled — “That bastard Ishii’s way stronger than this weirdo…”

He’d been sharpening his claws and licking his fangs white ever since his uncle had him on the snow like a crumpled leaf, shriveling up— pathetic and weak. He wasn’t supposed to be a defenseless cub anymore; he was a wolf. At least today he’d learn if he really was one or not.

Itto kept a focused glare on the twitchy corpse, a look that quickly vanished into a stomach-churning sense of confusion and disgust. He watched as Hogai’s blank mask crumbled to dust; the mangled body loosened up like a puppet on air-strings. The boy quirked a brow at it, still at the ready.

“Like a leftover mannequin. That’s not his real body, then…” — He threw a quick glance at the trees; if he could lose control over his ‘puppets’ that easily, then maybe he had to keep himself close enough to control them properly — “That’s just dumb, Itto…” — Then again, what would a humble samurai know about the ins-and-outs of Ninjutsu.

For all he knew— and for all he cared, really— the guy might’ve been controlling these corpses from across the seas.

That fleeting moment of concentration he held only lasted for so long, he snapped his sword at the direction of the disembodied voice, turning to look in bewilderment as more and more corpses began to be roused from their eternal sleeps. Bound by strings, puppets the lot of them— Itto clicked his tongue and turned away from their empty gazes.

He couldn’t bear disrespect for the dead. That’s why he’d snapped up at his uncle in the first place.

That’s why he was on this path to power in the first place, to honor the memory of his father.

"This guy's got some damn nerve..."

One corpse sat up near him, pointing at accusatory finger at him — “And you!” — He snarled at the white mask, mouthing a cheeky — “Me?” — as he thumbed the center of his chest, addressing the man behind the puppet show with clear snide.

"You might just be a kid, but you're the biggest dick I've ever met!”

“Tch—HA!” — He cackled — "Go cry to yer’ Mizukage ‘bout it, dumbass.”

It was when the thumbs thudded hollow on dead ribcages and the snow sizzled and went hazy that he tensed back into a proper stance, shoulders going stiff with surprise.

"I sense the glowing might be ominous." — Itto almost keeled over and died from Tokita’s comment. He chuckled, trying to mask the grimace that threatened to overtake his face — “Yer’ very perceptive.”

The unsteady shambling of the corpses drew near, focus hardened Itto’s face into a stone mask, his posture lowered, a set of fingers dug into the snow while the other twirled the sword to a back-handed grip— he looked like an animal, ready to pounce. Itto turned to his teammates once Yusuke’s voice rattled him out of focus — “Lightnin’, huh…?”

風 Fūton: Seijitsu Kaze-ken 風
(Wind Release: Faithful Wind Blade)
​

He pulled in a breath, wind whistled through clenched teeth; howled as it gathered and swirled on the edge of his sword — “Then we’re countin’ on ya’, Yusuke.” — Itto sighed, a sense of tire made his brow heavy, even if the slightest hint of a smile began to tug at the corners of his mouth.

That quiet ‘Probably’ Yusuke had let out at the end didn’t fill him with much hope, but it sure as hell felt reassuring to have people he could rely on for once.

Once the first ice arrow sang out of Izumi’s bow, Itto rushed along with it. He twined his hand around the snow, twisting the whole weight of his body like a breakdancer and arching a long sword swing with the motion. Wind blade after wind blade, grazing the ground and tracing sharp lines on it.

One after the other, he kept going until he felt the drain on his chakra reserves. But even then, Itto still kept gathering wind and hurling it at the white-masks.

“Tch!” — He looked at the vortex of empty space dancing around his sword, whirling uselessly to a frail breeze — “Damnit…” — He was starting to run himself out of chakra. Itto raised his sword up high and grinded his teeth together, splinters running along the wooden sword as he gripped it with all his might.

He rushed one of the corpses, sword over his head. But before he could even get a step into the snow — “Gwah—!” — He faceplanted directly into the wall of coral, falling flat on his ass.

The wind whistled away, Itto hissed and groaned, moving a weary hand through the red bump on his forehead — “Ta’ hell was that!?” — He barked, his free hand struggling to find his sword buried in the blankets of snow.

“Agh…” — Itto grumbled, rapping a fist and banging it hollow on the bizarre coral formation that surrounded them. Eyes moving up to the silhouette of the man standing a top a much similar clump of coral. He was the one behind this, then — “He’s not with them…” — No, they would’ve been minced meat by now if this jutsu was meant to trap them.

“He’s on our side?” — Itto raised a brow, snarling. There was the urge to hurl his sword at someone again, this time stronger than ever.

“Hmrrnn…” — He would hold off on it for now, begrudgingly.

“Yo, Izumi,” — He called out — “Y’know these things, don’tcha? Who’s that even s’posed ta’ be?”

Ganryu KageYuuki IG42 godjacob ZackStop

 

[Ganryu]

Squad Roku && Squad Aoba
IG42 KageYuuki godjacob Haze- ZackStop

The slew of corpses rushed towards the group, one after another, like some apocalyptic zombie plague. They were not the shambling dead of myth, but sprinted full speed, leaping over brush, parkouring off of low hanging branches, and blitzing forward in a loose group.

As Tokita's branch crashed towards them, a few of them stopped, trying to pull back out of the way, even as more and more encasing ice added to it's weight, making it larger and larger before it crushed the forerunner, shattering it's body in an impression rupture of ice, a small white cloud of dust coming out.

9

Others behind the unfortunate marathon runner leapt over it, one by one, the light in the chest of the crushed member refracted through the branches like a fun house mirror, though with little fun about it. The fuze crackled and glowed, then, with a bang, exploded, sending shrapnel of ice everywhere, shards of ice ripping through the zombies, though the injuries meant nothing to the majority of them, holes being little more than decorations. Two zombies that had been straight ontop of the branch, however, were reduced to mince meat.

7

Closer they got to the ground, hands reaching out as the corpses screamed angrily. Clearly, Hogai could talk through them, but was in such a rage himself, he might have been reduced to the intelligence of the undead. A slash of wind cut through them, an arm flying off. It didn't stop them.

Then a leg reduced one to crawling.

A strike severed one's chest, an explosion rocking. Then another arm, then another bang as Itto went wild with wind release slashes.

4 (.5?)

The final zombies made it to the group hands, one's zombie's hand reaching out for Izumi's face as two others tried to tackle towards Itto and Tokita, the final crossing his arms in the center, before suddenly, the efforts were cut off as a wall of coral suddenly cut off the zombies before they could make contact with any of the Mokunoha. Several sounds of tentacles piercing flesh could be heard before the bodies were thrown back into the tree tops, another cluster of explosions blasting several hiding spots.

0
From them, a smoldering figure fell out, catching himself at the end as he landed on his feet. Thick, greasy hair fell both sides of his face, bandages wrapped across his nose, and tracing down to his clothing. A broken straight jacket, and manic, narrow eyes as Hogai himself was revealed.

"SIMP?! SIMP?! IS IT SIMPING TO LOVE PERFECTION!?" He held his hands out, blue chakra pulsing strong enough to be visible as several pebbles lifted into the air, crackling, before Aoba's secondary comment seemed to catch hold, much like the barbs into his zombies had gotten hold. The pebbles started to drop out the air, one by one, crackling before popping like firecrackers as he seemed to lose as energy, his shoulders slumping, a groan pewtering out his lungs. "You... you're right. She needs more bombs, and there's not enough material here to make even one good one. Guys! GUYS! We're leaving!"

He slammed his palm on the ground, another explosion rupturing, this one followed by a body flicker as he retreated.

================

Several moments later, from the tree line, Roku began to stumble out. His hat was in tatters, hardly more than a frame attached to his head, and cuts running down his body. From the splatter, not all of the blood across his clothing was his, however. Either way he had seen better days. He nodded at Aoba. "Hey! Aoba! How's it going, buddy? Reckon I ain't been on enough missions with you, always did make things look easy. Thanks fer saving the kids. And look at that, Kaizo give you some kiddies to teach too?"

Roku walked over, leaning down to find Yanma, and ruffled his hair. "One helluva sensei there." The Haganenoha then stood back up, and and pointed towards Tokita with his thumb. "That one's worth teachin' too. Kinda crazy swordsmanship like Nadeshiko is with a pole looks like. Comes to sheer force, I sure as hell ain't a good sensei. Mind taking her on? My squad's full, and, well, think they've just had one helluva a first day. Glad ya'll are alright."

Roku turned to his squad motioning in for Izumi, Itto, and Yusuke. "Yeah, I say this with all the professional courtesy I can muster, fuck scouting rest of the route, I'm going to the hotsprings, bar, and docs. In that order. Pretty roughed up and all that. Ya'll ain't looking too purdy neither. But, what I could see when I wasn't fending off them Mist loonies:

Itto, pretty good taunts and nin kenjutsu. But think you need to work on calming down, son. It's not about how strong a hit it is, it's about making just one really count. That one traveler had pretty good ones, hit her up.

Izumi, uh.... 'ice job', there? Pretty well placed shots. That said, you need to work on not bein' so scared, take a page out of Itto's book.

Yusuke, we'll work on decisive action with'chu. That said, covered ya teammates well. That's most important thing.

That said, ya'll did amazing. Like, seriously. Three of you fended off a jonin from the Mist. That ain't nothin' to sneeze at. Think once we're all patched up, we ought celebrate. I got feeling I plum lucked out on squads."

Roku turned one last time to Aoba, and nodded simply to him. "Thanks 'gain, Aoba. Really did just save my ass there."

With that, Roku started to stumble back towards Hanamachi.