Fandom Naruto: Last of the Fallen Blossoms

[InsaneAsylum]

Izanami Kutsuki

“You’re much more resistant to the Blight than the rest of us, but it seems even you too will succumb to it eventually,” Izanami’s mother said as she examined a raised red rash on Izanami’s sword hand. The rash stretched up her forearm, stopping just below her elbow. She reached to a table next to her and dipped her hand into a bowl of light green cream. Gently, Izzy’s mother started to spread it along the rash. It was cold, and made her arm tingle. “This will help with the irritation and muscles aches. You can’t ever use too much I like to say…” she trailed off, before starting to wrap a white cloth over Izzy’s hand and arm.

All the while, Izanami stared at the ground in silence from her chair. Her gaze turned to the nearby table, which was covered in various ground up herbs and liquid concoctions that were supposed to slow the progression of the Blight and its numerous symptoms. Then her eyes turned to her mother, who was already covered in numerous bandages of her own all across her body.

“You okay sweetie?” her mother asked, leaning down into her daughter’s view.

Izanami could only shake her head, water welling behind her eyes. In a flash her mother wrapped her up in a hug, placing her hand on the back of Izzy’s head. That was enough for Izzy to start sobbing into her shoulder.

However, the emotional moment was ruined by a wirey old man bursting into the room and yelling, “We’re under attack!” The next moment a rumble shook them off balance. The old man tumbled to the ground.

Izanami and her mother both hopped to action, wiping the tears from their faces and helping the man from the ground. “What’s happening out there?” Izzy’s mom asked the man. Through hysteric breaths he spoke, “E-explosions! The barrier! They’re coming for us! We’re gonna die!”

With a nod Izanami’s mom turned to her. “Looks like we might be getting some visitors really soon. Sweetie… go get ready to fight. We don’t have much time. I’m gonna get our people underground and away from the fighting.”

“What the hell could they want with a bunch of sick people?” Izanami asked aloud. “All we do is guard the…” Izanami froze at the realization. She then turned to hurry off and find her blade, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“One more thing… I love you, Izzy. Don’t forget what you’ve been taught. Once everyone is safe down there I’ll come up to help you, ok?”

Turning on her heel, Izzy leaned in and gave her mom another hug. “I’ll hold them off long enough for reinforcements to come. I promise.”

Her mother nodded. “Just don’t die. If it comes down to it… forget about this samurai stuff and save yourself.”

“Y-yea… I will, mom.”

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

Peeking through a window curtain, Izzy’s eyes briefly peered at the ninja atop her compound before she pulled back and out of sight. She tightened her grip on Sesshu-ki, letting the familiar prickles focus her mind. Despite her focus, the cold grip of fear still coursed through her veins. Koyome wasn’t here to tell her what they were up against. Enkai wasn’t here to save her with a well placed blast either. There was no room for error here.

“Help will come… just keep them out,” Izzy said to herself. She then pictured herself dramatically leaping onto the roof to fight the ninja, but quickly being dogpiled by an army of ninja. A frustrated breath slipped from her lips as she started pacing back and forth.

“Screw it… either someone comes to help or I die fighting.” Izzy was already walking to the doors before she finished speaking. She knew that if she hesitated any longer, her fear may just overtake her. All her life she’d been confident enough to leap into any situation, but now… she wasn’t as invincible as she thought.

With a loud slam, the front doors of the Kutsuki compound’s main building flew open, and out jumped Izanami in her vanguard samurai armor. Her gaze turned upward as she scanned for ninja. As soon as she spotted one, she’d form a handsign.

Body Flicker

Izanami immediately swung at the ninja after flickering directly in front of them.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Team Nadeshiko-Shizunamori


Ganryu

The old man sighed heavily, flinching slightly as the alcohol stung at his wound.

"I went chasing after that fool boy of mine is what happened. I told Sato, I told him! 'Don't go sniffing around the warehouse district' But it wears on a boy that age you know? Having nothing but the clothes on your back when other folk have to rent out special buildings to cram all their stuff in. Him and his fool friends took to loitering around the warehouses hoping for... I don't know something to fall off the back of wagon or something to be unattended long enough for them to steal it. It even worked sometimes," the old man snorted derisively. "He sure as hell didn't by that sack of premium grade rice honestly that's for sure. But I reckon because it worked he got cocky, started going after the warehouses on the East end where the shady folk who don't want to be bothered park their wares. I told him 'Sato them guards up the east end would gut ye as soon as look at ye! But did he lissen nossir," The old man continued bitterly, his accent growing thicker as he became more agitated. "N'ofcourse soon he didn't come home one night I up and hauled my fool ass up there after him to drag him home by his ear. One of them sellswords came up on me like a flash before I even came close to any damn warehouse. I about blinked and all of a sudden he was in front of me wiping me blood offa his sword. Would'a bled out in the gutter like a rat if Ol' Marukechi hadn't come up behind me and dragged me back here. And Sato..." THe old man trailed off and seemed to take notice of his audience's tear streaked face. "Aww hells," he said, suddenly looking guilty. "I'm sure yer sister didn't get caught up in anything like that that though. Girls have more sense isn't that what they say?"

Orikanyo

Seemingly unaware of his audience, a heavyset man wearing a bandana fished out a bag from his pockets and began munching on the berries stored within.

"Mannn thish shucks-"

*munch *munch

"Can't beleef I gotta patrol all the way out here in these stinkin' campsh-"

*munch *munch

"Smells like shit out here, I shud jush find an inn or shomethin' to hang at for a few hours and then bullshit my report, not like anyone readsh the dman things"

Still munching on his berries, the man suddenly pivoted on his heels, shifting his direction of travel towards what appeared to be an entertainment district of sorts with a hazy aura of ribald music, drunken jeers and laughter echoing out from it. Seemingly pleased with his decision, the man continued on with a slight spring in his step.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Koyome Omozukai
In her dark basement Koyome worked feverishly, tweaking and tinkering on an array of vivisected, wooden puppets. It was galling, maddening even, to admit but in the proving ground of live combat Koyome's designs had been proven...wanting. Oh her little toys hadn't been completely ineffective certainly, they just hadn't been perfect and imperfect was not good for Koyome. Fortunately live combat had also gifted Koyome with a treasure trove of ideas on how her puppets might be adjusted, improved and altogether upgraded. In the end, that was what was best about puppets. If they weren't fit for purpose then they could be ripped open and remade in a more suitable image. Humans would kick up such a fuss if you tried to do the same thing.

Koyome paused her work suddenly, taken by a flight of fancy. Izanami was sort of naive, maybe she could be talked into some kind of replacement arm with a superior range of motion to complement her spinning techniques? It would just be the one arm...to start with. Or maybe that Akari girl, she liked to jump a lot right? She could definitely do with some more efficient legs, a digitigrade design, with powerful springs, that could be interesting...

Koyome shook her head, forcing her attention back to the task at hand. Quickly Koyome put the finishing touches on her modifications and reassembled them, surveying her creations with a gleeful (and perhaps slightly manic) grin.

"Ehehehe oh you three are going to be such fun to play with now," she muttered and then was cut off by an involuntary yawn. Perhaps she should have gone to bed already, Koyome... couldn't actually remember when she had last slept. It had been much longer again since Koyome had gone outside too. Nevermind, now that she was done with her work Koyome could enjoy a well deserved rest.

Yawning again Koyome stretched out her arms luxuriously and activated her puppet doppleganger Kurago. Scooping herself up, Koyome had the puppet carry her to her modest bed and place her down. Koyome stretched out, moved her legs into a comfortable position and was asleep almost before her head hit her pillow...



*BOOOOOOOM!! “-Free samples! Come see Natsuko’s Store of Mayhem outside the Cloud! Gwhahaha!-”

"WHAT! THE! FUCK!?" Koyome screeched, her red, dark rimmed eyes instantly opening as she jerked upright. It took Koyome longer than normal to suit up; get into Kurago and storm up to the ground floor, all the while muttering darkly about how she "Can't have shit in Hanamachi-" and was going to "Shove their goddamn explosions back up their ass-" until she finally reached the front door of the house, throwing it open to reveal utter chaos. The city was being invaded.

For a long, loooong moment Koyome seriously considered just going back to bed.The basement was pretty sturdy after all, it might actually be fine even if it got bombed again. Koyome could catch a few more hours of sleep and just wait for all this to blow over...

Suddenly Koyome's byakugan caught a trace of movement and she focused in on a something fluttering in the wind: the scorched, fragmentary remains of a used explosive tag. Koyome sighed wearily.

"I guess I should find Yukari sensei... Maybe if I'm lucky I'll run into this Natsuko bitch and I can inquire about the return policy on these free samples..."

Ganryu KageYuuki

 

[godjacob]

Tokita Hagami​

Chaos and cries in the city streets seemed to just reflect the kind of carnage these Cloud Ninja brought with them. Destruction and people fleeing in a panic as these rogue ninja seemed to delight in tearing the town apart as the civilians just tried to get out of the line of fire. Among the people fleeing in a panic was a father and his young daughter as he held her by the hand and tried to rush through the streets as this pair of chaotic invaders made this task all the more difficult as this stream of lightning shot through the air!

The man crouched down to cover his girl as the electricity passed over them, but struck a nearby building as it was torn to pieces and a section of the wall came down and prepared to crush the duo as he had no time to get them out of there as the little girl clung to her father for safety as he closed his eyes covering her and embraced for the end that was to come.

Slash!

However, that end never came. Before the section of the destroyed building came down a figure dashed onto the scene and with rapid slashes cut it to bits that drifted harmlessly around the father and daughter. The pair soon realized this as they looked on and ahead of them Tokita stood with her blade drawn and a determined expression on her face as she glanced back to the pair with the father in disbelief and the daughter in aww.

"Woah, she's like an iron lady!" The daughter called out overjoyed.

"Hurry and get to safety. Everything will be okay, I promise." Tokita said, a firm resolve and oddly a smile on her face. This seemed to bring a wave of assurance to the pair as the father nodded lifting his girl for a carry. "T-thank you!" He cried out before he began to rush off to the evacuation area with other fleeing members of the Land of Iron. And as the young girl saw their savor fade away one more cry reached Tokita's ears from afar.

"GO KICK THEIR BUTTS IRON LADY!"​

Tokita seemed amused but the focus was clear. Last time she stood before such danger she was nervous; her hands shook the very handle of the blade she trusted in combat, and she had to try and overcome the fear and tension much as her foe. However, with her home under attack and these threats as perhaps even more malevolent than before, Tokita oddly seemed to find a greater strength here.

She was determined to push these foes back, and with her fire surging she advanced forward to confront the pair from the Cloud. However, she seemed to not stand alone as Ringo seemed to take a stand as well; bat in hand and an electric coin at the ready though Tokita's own eyes were on the callous slaughter of innocents the pair and the man in specific seemed to dish out without regard. Her eyes seemed to widen as her look shifted from horrified shock to one of pure rage. No, it was not enough that this pair was beaten, she'd have to ensure they'd not walk away with their lives for these crimes!

"Cowardly scum!" Tokita cursed out, and in a burst she charged ahead closing the distance between herself and her bat-wielding "ally" of sorts as she had her blade focused on the woman. She had wanted to deliver a slash to the man but Ringo seemed to focus on them so she decided to cut his partner off before she had a chance to intercept. Tokita's goal here was to simply deliver a clean and rapid slash across the talkative woman's neck in the hope she'd cut her down in one strike!


Ganryu Spoiled Bread

 

[Ganryu]

Akari Tone - Squad Nadeshiko

Akari seemed to focus on the bandages, listening the man's tale out. While nothing showed on her face, her hands trembled as the man cried.

Gulping, she stood, and nodded at the man, a bit flustered at his comment.

I'm sure yer sister didn't get caught up in anything like that that though. Girls have more sense isn't that what they say?

No one had ever accused Akari of having common sense. Or smarts. Or thinking through things. She'd mostly felt stupid her entire life, and the last few months only made that worse. For a moment, the sister comment even confused her, but then she remembered, that was her lie. (Granted, she soooomehow could imagine her brother, Rei, in a dress). It wasn't like she WANTED to cause trouble. She WANTED to do the right thing. She wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. But no one else seemed to want her to. And every one had something to tell her about what she was doing wrong. And with her lack of vocal skills, she could never explain herself.

However, as she looked at the man's face, seeing his tears, she suddenly knew the answer to her earlier question.

Why do you want to be a samurai?

Akari's hand balled into a fist, chakra running down her seals with a familiar burning sensation as her muscles contracted, pushed by chakra. Her fingernails dug into her palm with a sharp pain, then a warm tingle dripping down between her fingers.

"I'll take care of it."

Akari turned, walking back to Nadeshiko, then past her. "Warehouse district." She said... then kept walking. Her face was stoic as normal, but her body continued to tremble. Akari kept walking though. Several of her hunter's instincts kicked in, her path becoming more obscured by broken lines of sight. The man's tears flashed again and again in her mind.

However, as she walked, a more terrifying image replaced it in her head. Her sensei's gentle smiling face from earlier.

"Akari chan do you understand? Stay within sight of me and try not to attract unnecessary attention-"

Akari froze in place, and gulped. She looked almost paralyzed mid-step, then pivoted one foot, and began to walk back to Nadeshiko, staring at the ground absent-mindedly at her sensei's feet. She'd nearly wandered off... again.

"P-permission to s-scout...?"

 

[Ganryu]

Cloud Invasion: Dumb and Dumber, Scary and Scarier
godjacob - Spoiled Bread

A 'ping' echoed as the coin collided with the armored enemy's face, his neck flinging back at the impact. Chakra flickered across his body in a blue flow from his forehead down and across his body. For a moment, he stood completely still, before his labored breathing continued. Slowly, his head lowered back to normal, glaring at Ringo. A small indent was on his forehead, coin still stuck, but he seemed mostly unharmed despite the entire impact.

The woman next to him giggled, putting an end to his intimidating presence. "Pffft! Even these samurai think your fashion's so bad they're giving you donations, Koichi! Bwahahahaha! Why don't you buy a new face with that money? " Her sheathed sword dropped to her side as she cackled with laughter.

The man grunted, repeating his earlier statement. "Shut.the.fuck.up.Asa. WHY are you following me!?"

"Cause I hate you and watching you flail is funn-"

She lost her focus when Tokita suddenly charged at her. The woman's hand passively went to her sheathed sword, and her face turned to the side at the surprise ambush of the fellow swordswoman. The blade neared closer and closer to her neck, no less than an inch, the woman smirked.

Tokita's blade passed right through thin air, the woman gone in an instant. With her gone, the blade strike would continue through, smashing into the armored man, reaching at a padded area between his helmet and pauldrons. Chakra hissed out in a hot, plasma like stream, the area igniting if Tokita stayed too long. A bit of blood would get on her blade, but from a shallow nick, nothing more. The literal pressure from the man's chakra was acting like a force-field.

"DAMNIT ASA! We both know you could have parried that easily!!!"

Around Tokita, killing intent filled the air. Invisibly, it felt like piano wire was wrapping around her neck, tightening, tightening, garrotting her, but only a feeling of. It felt like it was drawing blood, like her head would snap off at any moment, but any fingers exploring it would find nothing. It was the feeling of pure danger itself.

Behind her, a 'tccccccch' of a blade sheathing could be heard, pure menace in the woman's eyes as she slowly sheathed, staring directly at Tokita. Each inch it went back in, the tighter the feeling felt. It seemed odd, though. The woman's position was completely open, yet she didn't seem like she was going to speed up her sheath. Or rather, she couldn't. Each inch seemed heavier than the last.

Temporal Kenjutsu: Thrashing Shark: Inaba Hunter

The man held a hand to his wounded neck, literally melting the padding together to seal his chakra as airtight once more. It seemed he preferred the heat and pressure sealed within during combat, and the tank on his back slowly glowed a white hot as the surrounding air flickered like a mirage.

He reeled back his chains, and slammed them towards Ringo. It seemed he missed by a good three feet, but as the heat dug into the ground, sand turned to glass and shattered, and exploded with the shrapnel of a grenade.

Storm Release: Shuten-dōji's Fang

 

[Orikanyo]

Yoshi Squad Nadeshiko
​

Yoshi was certain... This man looked to be no sort of fellow samurai, nor did he have any form of identifier therefore he must not be a guard... if.. they had guards around here. As such, it was time to perform some rudamentary scouting and see if this fellow lead him to...

Anywhere...

Yoshi didn't fully understand what they were looking for really.

Cloud ninja, sure, but what made a ninja a cloud ninja?

Did he already think about this? he was certain.

All he wanted to do was take a head or two and bring honor to his clan. Why must this be so difficult.

These Cloud ninja should announce themselves plainly and allow themselves to be slain!

Wait, no... Thats not what ninja do... what did his sensei tell him about ninja?

....

Wait...

He must've slept through that class because there was no flashback.

Damn it.

Oh well, there was nothing left for it but to follow that strange fellow who smell of cloud berries.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Team Nadeshiko
"Permission granted," Nadeshiko said, smiling and steepling her fingers in front of her chest with an expression of quiet pride. "...Contingent on you catching up with your squadmate and assisting him with...stalking that fellow?" As she said so Nadeshiko turned her head towards where Yoshi was doggedly following after the heavyset fellow, her expression becoming faintly concerned. Nadeshiko sighed lightly. "Please ensure before you two do anything rash that that is in fact a cloud shinobi," Nadeshiko tucked one hand into the sleeve of her other arm and withdrew a seal tag that she handed to Akari. "Destroy that if you run into trouble you can't handle and I'll be alerted and come assist you, otherwise I'll remain nearby and act as overwatch.

Nadeshiko turned back towards Yoshi and his target and she frowned as she took note of the district he was ambling towards. "Akari while you're in such a disreputable area remember that you are not to drink alcohol," Nadeshiko said, returning to Akari with a stern expression. "And no gambling! And if you observe any licentious behaviour you are to...hmmm that might be impractical, what if?.." Nadeshiko trailed off thoughtfully, evaluating the logistics of sending her students into a red light district without tarnishing their innocence. "Akari how proficient are you at fighting blindfolded?" Nadeshiko asked before waving a hand dismissively. "No,no that would attract too much attention..."

Ganryu

Meanwhile the heavyset man Yoshi was following continued on unhurriedly, entering properly into what was locally known as "The Cherry Wine district" although the region was not particularly known for cherry tree cultivation. The man ambled along for a while, ignoring the entreaties of barkers outside various establishments and also the entreaties of women in short, artfully arranged robes. Eventually he came to a halt outside of a slightly flimsy looking wooden building with a sign that read, in rough hewn script "Sake - Companionship" then below "Prices Cheap"

This was apparently sufficient to the man and he walked up to the door where a stout bouncer with his arms folded over his chest gave him the barest hint of a nod and then stepped aside to let Yoshi's target inside.

Orikanyo

 

[Ganryu]

Everyone hates Clowns- Koyome
AtlannianSpy

Ash and charcoal drifted past Koyome's nose as the crackling paper floated past her. The smell of ozone from a dozen lightning strikes wafted by. Explosions rumbled in the distance, and general sounds of chaos erupted .

As she activated her byakugan, she'd find, devilishly, not 'all' the explosive tags had detonated. Several lodged between buildings. And, as rubble shifted in the distance, a secondary explosion sent chunks of concrete and rebar sailing oddly, majestically into the air. The entire place seemed booby trapped.

Carnival of Chaos: Shifting Rubble

To any other mokunoha, it would be a deadly obstacle course, however, to Koyome alone, it was hardly a threat.

In the distance, she'd also see a familiar as her sensei's tiger limped towards her. The tiger sniffed the air, placing a paw on the ground for a moment, before deciding to go another route towards Koyome, having to tread lightly in the war crime laced area. One shoulder clearly was favored, and there was plenty of blood on Hikari, though... how much was hers and how much wasn't was very much up in the air.

Despite the chaos, her low rumble of a voice of Hikari was as gentle as ever.

"I'd give proper greetings, but, time and place. Yukari asked I deliver a message, and you can clearly see we're under attack. "There's a secret hidden underneath Izanami's residence, and I need you and Enkai to report there, as quickly as possible. We can't let it fall to the enemy. Try to find an underground approach, there are a few secret tunnels to the underground that connect to it." I was supposed to take you to one, but... I don't think I have that much more in me, and I trust your Kekkei Genkai if Yukari is anything to go by. There should be one just to the sou-"

Before Hikari could finish the sentence, Koyome could see a blinding large flash of yin chakra in the distance. A large "BANG" followed it, with a comically sized mushroom cloud towering in the distance, accompanied by a mad cackle on the wind. Hikari disappeared in a 'poof'. Either the chakra to summon her was up... or her summoner had just sustained an injury and lost focus. Or worse.

The longer Koyome looked at the explosion, the larger it grew, first far off in the distance, then growing rapidly closer as pillars of fire and walls of earth lifted upwards into the air. The sheer size of it made little sense, but the heat from it felt very real, crackling at her skin, and growing hotter by the minute.

Several people, some civilians, a few samurai, turned and fled from the explosion, only to run headfirst into the landmine field planted around the area, even those whose experience had been making them careful around the unexploded tags before. The fear in each of the fleeing only exacerbated by a strange chakra flowing through their bodies.

Carnival of Chaos: Unending Hunger of the Earth

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Enkai Kaji- Reji can't come to the phone right now.

As Enkai admired his handiwork his attention something on the ground near the fallen cloud ninja buzzed and crackled with a sound like static.

"ji?- Reiji where the fuck are you?" demanded a tinny voice from the ground, where the man's earpiece had fallen at some point during the fight. "Stop fooling around with civvies you sick fuck and get back here. Furuya reckons he's found traces of the tunnels where looking for, the ones that'll let us circumvent the Kutsuki defences and break right into the compound. He's being his usual bitch self about it though and refusing to get closer to verify it unless he has a bigger escort to protect him. I swear to the gods if he wasn't the best sensor in the village by a mile someone would have put us all out of our misery and stabbed him in the back by now, not that its possible to sneak up on the bastard to do it. Any just hurry up and get your ass over here Reiji... Why aren't you answering?"

Phayne

 

[Phayne]

Team Yukari

Enkai Kaji

Mokunoha

Playing games

For a few moments longer, Enkai would simply stare at the deceased cloud ninja ahead of him; the metal spike of the anvil glistening in gore as it protruted from the man's chest; a pool of red and entrail collecting itself upon the floor between the dead man's legs. It had been unintentional, the mokunoha having no way to know what lay on the other side of the buildings wall and while the outcome was not undesired, it wasn't exactly what he was hoping to achieve.

Ideally he would have liked to have rendered the man immobile, to keep him on the brink of life and death, if only to extract information that may have proved useful for their village. Alas, the deed was done and he had no intention of trying to resurrect the deceased. The information he had gained from that old hag would have to suffice for now.

A faint buzz would draw Enkai's attention away from the fallen cloud Ninja, a small circular black device catching his attention to the side of the man; a communication device that he would soon come to realize as he walked closer, the voice on the other end becoming clearer.

Picking up the device and placing it close to his ear, Enkai would listen wide eyed as the exasperated voice on the other end continued to talk. One bit of information in particular had caught Enkai's attention; the mention of the Izanami residence. 'Izanami... what is going on...?' thought Enkai to himself, glancing in the general direction of where the building was. It didn't even cross his mind not to begin moving, the Samurai turning to run towards the destination of his team mates residence; all the while listening in to any communications that did come through the device; restraining the urge to reply to the assailants on the other end.

Lacking the abilities needed to replicate the voice of Reiji, it was better that those on the other end came to realize the man was dead. Perhaps they would wait even longer to act while they found a replacement 'bigger escort'. If they were to learn that Enkai was making his way there, they may just rush whatever operation they were planning to do at the Izanami residence.

Quickening his pace, Enkai would soon be within reach of the compound; eyes peeled for any sign of his team mate, as well as looking out for any cloud Ninja that may attempt to stop him.

As he got closer, he would notice both as his glance turned skyward, the unmistakeable sight of a body flicker catching his attention as his vision narrowed down on a Samurai armor clad warrior presently swinging at one of the invaders.

"Izanami!" thought Enkai, recognizing the maneuver as he leapt forward, disregarding the ground route in favor for running atop the nearby buildings; regardless of what attention that would bring. If he could draw some attention to himself, it would perhaps lessen the chance of Izanami potentially getting outnumbered by the group he had earlier heard over the comm device.


"Sea Dragon's Geyser" mumbled Enkai, aiming the mouth of the Kiseru pipe behind himself intending to increase his pace. As soon as both feet left the roof of the building he was presently on; the rush of steam would burst forth from the pipe, propelling his body forward, effectively skipping an entire building as he landed on the next roof. He would repeat this several times before finally arriving at the street adjacent to the compound; his progress halted as two cloud Ninja stood ahead of him, blocking his route forward.

Initially thinking them to be clones, Enkai would soon begin to notice the subtle differences in their almost identical appearance; such as the one on the left having a red clothed band on her wrist, whilst the one on the right had a pale blue.

"Well well well, looks like we've got a lost little samurai boy" spoke the one on the left,

"Little boy, were you looking for someone to play with?" spoke the one on the right.

"We just love to play games, don't we big sis?" spoke the one on the left

"Oh yes... we just love to play games" the one on the right paused, reaching behind herself as she grabbed several bloodied headbands once belonging to Samurai of the village. "Little sis, how many do you have?" she asked, glancing back at her identical twin.

"mmmm... let's see... " she mumbled, reaching behind herself and grabbing her current stash. "Big sis... I think we are tied..." she said absentmindedly before satchling her set of bloodied headbands away.

"So... I guess that means.." the 'big sis started'
"....that he is the tiebreaker..." finished the little sis; as she took the initiative and threw a Kunai towards Enkai's direction.

"Oi... I didn't say go!" complained the big sis, quickly tossing her own Kunai towards Enkai, before the pair of them simultaneously vanished in a flash; one intending to assail Enkai from the left, while the other from the right.

"Shit!" cursed Enkai, glancing up towards the armoured Samurai that he suspected to be Izanami, before turning his attention back to the immediate threat; a plan forming on the fly as he got to action.

"Substitution Jutsu"

The two assailants would meet Enkai's body in unison; their standard issue cloud ninja blade stabbing the boy's body with lethal intention, unaware as to the trap that Enkai had set for them. A puff of smoke would reveal the mokunoha's body to be nothing more than his Water gourd, droplets of water slipping through the cracks where the blade had penetrated.

"Boil Release: Sea Dragon's Pearl Bomb - Gourd style" - Using the water gourd as a medium instead ofa bubble, Enkai had effectively made the tool a steam bomb. Without warning, the gourd would explode as a torrent of heated steam erupted from within, bathing the two sisters in scalding hot steam; their bodies beginning to cook as the corrosive heat tickled their skin.

"I call this game... hot potato" muttered Enkai, watching at they collapsed to the floor; alive but clearly severely injured as their skin was boiled instantaneously.

He would turn again, looking for Izanami.

InsaneAsylum AtlannianSpy

Code by Serobliss

 

[Ganryu]

A Party with a 32.33% (Repeating of Course) Chance of Success - Izanami

InsaneAsylum

In front of Izanami, a fisherman could be seen, with a straw in his mouth and stubbled beard. Thick clothing wrapped around his body, and a fishing pole extended, the only thing marking him as a ninja being the Cloud Headband. The wire from the pole continued to circle the compound, his eyes focused on any attempting to leave the compound.

However, what he didn't expect was for someone to launch themselves out of the compound. His eyes widened as Izanami barreled towards him, already ontop of him by the time he could respond. He was just an instant too slow, his rod lifting against the blade before it slid past it. Izanami's blade would meet resistance, the air around him turning thick like water to slow down her blade and cut it's power. It was like trying to swing underwater. However, it was still fast enough that a red line ran across his stomach. He stared wide eyed, before stumbling off the roof and crashing below.

The man groaned below.

"You alright there, Ryoshi?" Another nin called, unconcerned from a cherry tree. He had a more traditional black shinobi clothing, and a pair of binoculars. He didn't even both looking at Izanami. On both hands hung a set of Shuko, or climbing claws across both palms, thick enough to stop a blade. He didn't look at Izanami, but his body tensed ever so slightly.

It wasn't only those two, looking around, Izanami could see a literal dozen shinobi perched at various points, though most not even bothering to look at her, they all seemed busy weaving handsigns and pulling out scrolls, a whole scale operation occurring outside of the Kutsuki compound.

'Ryoshi' below called up. "No, I'm not alright! Some crazy child just slashed me! Fast too! Why, if I don't make it home, tell my wife and kids I-"

The binocular'd nin shook his head. "Ryoshi, so many things wrong with you. A) If a child beat you up, you deserved it. B) You don't HAVE a wife or kids; she took them in the divorce and ran, man. C) You'll live, saw your water jutsu up. I am disappointed, however."

He still didn't turn to Izanami. "Hey, kid, saved us some time. You know where your clan's secret is kept? Or at least where some hidden entrances to your underground are? We just want to borrow it. You're kind of stupid, and I like that. Even you can see how aaaabsolutely screwed you are though, right? Furuya here's even a jonin."

A cloud ninja with a blindfold mid handsigns stopped to wave, before continuing, a series of seals digging into the ground. Surprisingly, a barrier of chakra rose up to meet it, sparks flying before his seal formula exploded. The Kutsuki compound seemed oddly impenetrable for the clan's reputation of mostly sick or dead samurai afflicted with Blight.

Across the street, a 'BANG' echoed, and a call came in the radio.

"Taro twins caught in some sort of steam explosion. Definitely out of commission. Reiji stopped responding too."

The binocular man facepalmed. "Fucking Genin... Never wait for orders... We needed their earth release...Bah. And Reiji, he owed me drinks damnit!" His eyes finally glanced at Izanami at the 'wait for orders' comment. "So, girlie, I'm a nice guy, and we're not those assholes in the distraction team blowing everything to hell. Where is your clan secret held? Cause I sure as hell don't think your dinky house could hold such a huge prize, and going underground's going to be the real fight.

I hear you have a tailed beast, and its rotting corpse is tainting your clan's very blood. You look pretty lively for a bed ridden Kutsuki though. Adopted? Guess they have to pad numbers somehow."

The fisherman on the ground, bleeding out and desperately holding his stomach in, and the binocular man were the only two paying any head to Izanami, the rest concentrating on getting into the compound, prowling around it, looking for secret passages underneath. It seemed like they expected fierce resistance, and no one dared enter until their jutsu and probes were complete. The one advantage the Kutsuki had it seemed was the enemy thought them vastly better defended than the truth. And that Izanami was more or less being completely ignored with the information of one of the Cloud's primary goals.

 

[Ganryu]

Akari Tone - Squad Nadeshiko

Akari let out a breath of relief at getting permission to scout. Wait, had she just gotten PERMISSION to get into trouble? Her brow furrowed. Had she communicated everything? Well... she'd said it was warehouse district, was there anything else? Akari seemed to space out before realizing there was a tag in front of her face. Crap, crap, crap! She jumped, shaking her head, trying to pay attention. She tried to reach for her fidget spinner to focus, then realized that she'd broke it when yelling at Niko earlier. Frustrated, she bit her lip.

It was the little things that calmed her down when things were chaotic. Simple routines that said everything would be fine. Things that could ground her.

Thankfully, her spacing out seemed to help for once, as Nadeshiko was going on a rant of no alcohol, no gambling, no licentious behaviour... what did lice behavior have to do with anything? She wasn't going to drink; she haaated her father for it, and Akari could hardly put two words together; how was she supposed to gamble!?

The blindfold question caught Akari. Was she supposed to be training in one? She gave a quiet 'eep' at it, thinking she'd been training adequately hard before this. Blindfold, the first thing she'd try later.

Wait, where was Yoshi?!

She snatched the overwatch tag, and scrambled after Yoshi, trying her best to both rush and be slow at the same time.

Running after him, Akari found herself going too fast, and flailed with her arms out trying to stop. She bumped into the bouncer with enough force to potentially send him through the wall as she continued to try to stop. "Sorry!" She turned to Yoshi, still in the civilian garb of a simple green kimono, and ran up to whisper in his ear. ". We allowed in there? If this doesn't work, need to go to warehouse district."

 

[godjacob]

Tokita Hagami (Cloud Invasion)​

Tokita's eyes seemed to widen in a bit of understandable surprise, as her blade had made contact...but not with the intended target. The woman whose neck she tried to slice clean through seemed to vanish in an instant, swapping herself with her partner whose more armored form only allowed her a grazing cut along the skin as Tokita frowned in frustration. The fact his armor seemed to heat up which along with the pure dread of killing intent in the air was enough to cause her to jump back quickly as she raised her blade in a guard while she tried to settle her heartrate. Tokita's eyes shifted from the armored foe who seemed locked with Ringo and given she'd be fighting a losing battle in a 2 vs. 1 trusted Ringo to handle this matter as she traced her eyes to look for the woman who seemed to appear in a location behind her; calm, collected and slowly revealing her blade from its sheath.

"Is this that Substation trick the ninja like to do? Maybe, but it seems different..." Tokita said, knowing that art well enough on her travels but something in her gut seemed to suggest this was different. Her attitude and composure even as she slowly worked to remove the blade was equal parts confusing and concerning. She could easily beat her to the punch to cut her, but this seemed too deliberate. Tokita seemed to feel a bead of sweat roll down her cheek as something seemed off, and rather than charge blindly up close chakra seemed to coat her arm and blade as she adopted a unique stance and decided to see what her foe was made up from a presumed safer distance.

"Flash!"​

Without a hand sign needed Tokita unleased a a chakra crescent slash towards her foe that flew through the air at a rapid pace; her target seemed to be the woman's wrist as her goal seemed to be to either disarm her from the blade before she could draw it or even better cut the hand off entirely to do more crippling damage. But beyond those hopes her more pressing strategy was to observe how her foe reacted from afar, get a sense of her techniques as the more knowledge she had Tokita figured the better she'd be able to handle what surprises this one could dish out.

Ganryu

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Koyome Omozukai- Not my circus, not my monkeys
Koyome clicked her tongue in frustration at the people fleeing blindly into the traps laid out before them. Really hadn't any of these idiots ever seen a genjutsu before? Well... the civilians probably hadn't, but the samurai obviously should have noticed that massive spike of yin chakra...Then again most people couldn't see that kind of thing. Fine perhaps she was being unreasonable, it was still annoying though!

Koyome briefly considered leaving the stragglers to their fate, interfering here would be a hassle and she had orders to attend to, fairly important ones it seemed like. Yes Koyome very nearly considered leaving things as they were, but one of her most deeply held convictions reared up from within Koyome's heart and forced her hand.

Spite.

This was the bitch that bombed Koyome's house, so that meant she didn't get to have fun killing anyone today, Koyome decided, lifting her arms and spreading her fingers like the puppeteer that she was. Threads of chakra and a bird like puppet shout out ahead of the fleeing samurai and civilians. Suddenly traps began springing ahead of their victims, explosions triggering early and precarious arrangements of rubble collapsing on top of nobody. With careful timing, Koyome attempted to generally herd people towards a safe passage she was clearing through the field of traps. It was a bit like herding cats, but it turned out herding cats was relatively achievable with sufficient quantities of explosive tags. That was good to know.

While Koyome carried on orchestrating her little evacuation she remained on guard for any sign of the instigator of all this, the shinobi could very well take exception to her interference and double back to argue the point. Koyome should probably try and avoid her and focus on linking up with her team but, to reiterate, this was the bitch who bombed her house.

Ganryu

 

[Orikanyo]

Yoshi
Squad Nadeshiko.



He didn't flinch when Akari came hurtling down like a missile, this was important as to flinch would be to admit weakness even for a moment, he was a samurai, he could not be weak. However there was the issue that he did not fully notice it was Akari until she spoke.

He decided to also ignore this because that would be weakness.

And having Akari have anything over him would be dishonorable.

And annoying like when he lost a game to her and she didn't let him live it down for a week.

"Hmm..." Yoshi thought about her words for a moment... Thought about the man... then decided on doing the simplest thing. "We break his nose and take the information from him before taking his head for his treachery and dishonorable nature." he nodded with certainty before strutting his way into the bar, looking like he was well on his way to kill the man already....

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Ringo Nakano
Location: Street

Ringo's raised one of her eyebrow as she witnessed the man took her coin toss head on, heh. This particular pattern reminds her of something... She tried to focus on recalling her memories but she instinctively jumped away from the direction the man was swinging his chain. Even after she created some distance some of the sharpnels it created was still travel enough distance to stuck her. The pain from the flying debris jolted her memory as to why this seemed familiar.

"Oh, DAMNN! You are one of those regenerating zombie guys!" Ringo was pissed about this revelation of her. The last zombie guy killed a mother with his explosion, and now she's taking care of the baby. She won't let the same thing happens again. Last time she run away because of circumstance, this time she would fight. Ever since that day she had developed a dozen or so scenario on how to torture someone who just refuses to die, and she will gladly use it on this guy. It just she needs to blow him up first.

"Hey, Tokii. This is the wagon incident all over again." She yelled to her teammates, they're both involved in that incident. Once she slice the ninja bitch she should help her cutting the zombie, it would be a good bonding moment. Probably.

"Now, time for you to turn into pieces, zombie guy. I know some dogs that will appreciate extra snacks." Ringo put both of her hands into her pocket and pulled out eight round small objects from it, one was clamped between each of her fingers. With a quick movement she flicked all of them forward. Each balls hit different surfaces at first, yet all of them bounced right towards the man's position, charging at him from eight different directions as the next impact would trigger a chain of eight explosions.

Ganryu godjacob

 

[Ganryu]

Cloud Invasion: Dumb and Dumber, Scary and Scarier
godjacob godjacob - Spoiled Bread Spoiled Bread


As the arc of chakra flew at the woman, she suddenly shifted her half sheathed blade to the side to block the incoming block. As chakra smashed into it, sparks flew through the area, the heavy blow causing the woman to slide back several inches, her feet digging into the ground.

The moment she was forced out of her resheathing stance, however, a sudden 'snap' could be felt. All the tension that had been tightening around Tokita, like wire, was gone in an instant. It seemed like the technique could not be complete unless she took that stance exactly. It seemed like the same reason she didn't just dodge the strike with the same speed from earlier.

"Tch. Interupted my lil jutsu. Has long name, but I call it, 'Temporal Kenjutsu: Thrashing Shark: Inaba Hunter'. Makes this a bit annoying. Time/space ninjutsu is soooo tricky too, let alone turning it to a kenjutsu. I connect two points and fold time/space, and when I sheath my sword, it instantly connects them in a single slash. Granted... if I can sheath it. Kind of broke my concentration there. Good on you.

Real tricky too, but no one ever praises Asa for her hard work. Pffft, all you samurai are the same with your basic techs. Learn something flashy! Show me something cool! What's your name? I'm going to kill you in the most flashy way possible."

Asa seemed to like the sound of her own voice, but also seemed to be recovering after blocking the chakra slash. Chakra again began to warp around her blade, the blade seeming to flicker in and out of existence, she began to crouch, her feet digging into the ground, before releasing in a sudden body flicker to try and rocket towards Tokita.

Temporal Kenjutsu: Visions Edge (Blade passes through objects, but can no longer block)

It seemed like Asa was much more of a close range fighter herself and didn't have any true long range techs. She could teleport, but the longer she moved, the longer it took to sheath her blade, and it seemed taxing.

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

The sturdy heavily armored man rubbed his neck as Ringo freaked out. "The hell do you mean zombie? I'm wearing armor you idiot. And it can tank a lot. I keep it so pressurized that coin barely hurt. Sure, my chiropractor's going to bitch at me, but... your mortician will be angrier."

He snapped the whip menacingly, the air warping around him as he displaced it, and the small sonic boom flickered out the heat mirages. He began to step forward menacingly, the ground sizzling with each step as sand turned to glass and cracked. As she pulled out the small objects, he continued. As she threw the bombs, his chain whip cracked in front of him, however, it met only empty air. A small 'huh' escaped his lips as they instead of going towards him bounced off of objects in a net of chaos. Despite several swats, he only manages to nail two of the eight, before six slammed into him, a series of several booms rocking the area and throwing up a dust cloud.

Smoke rose, before a hissing echoed. As it settle, the man was down on one knee, grunting from the impact. But he stepped back up, his slow walk towards Ringo continuing.

"Don't you have anything better? Careful, you'll end up as food yourself if you don't step it up. Though... not surprised you know the local dogs, mutt. You aren't a samurai from how you fight, are you? Land of Iron your master this week? What about next week, one with better scraps?"

The man swung his glowing whip once more, but rather than aiming at Ringo, he flung it in an arc above her, at the two story building behind her. A violent hiss echoed as wood flash exploded, and stone began to turn to lava in a straight line following the arc of the whip. The building groaned, then began to collapse towards Ringo.

And his slow walk never stopped, the temperature around Ringo burning hotter and hotter as he approached. The air sizzled and danced in the mirage. The ground cracked and shook. Each breath her took in his pressurized suit hissed. Kohhhhh-Pehhhhhh... Kohhhhh-Pehhhhhh....Kohhhhh-Pehhhhhh...[/I]

 

[InsaneAsylum]

Izanami Kutsuki
“You really want to know where it is?” Izanami asked, her fist tightening around her blade. Her lips parted, as her teeth began bare through. Her brows wrinkled as a furious expressions spread across her face. Her eyes flickered between the ninja fisherman and the one with the crazy looking claws. Neither were opponents she felt confident fighting, but at this point, Izanami saw no other way.

The sheer lack of interest they had in her infuriated the Izzy. To be ignored by the very ninja sieging your home… that wasn’t an embarrassment she wanted to live with.

“You ninja are just as dumb as we thought… you don’t even know what you’re looking for when it’s staring you right in the face!” Izanami began, her voice raising.

“I am the last samurai of my clan! I am the only one in my entire family who isn’t too sick to fight! If you want something from our clan, then you’ll have to go through me. If you have a problem with my family… then you have a problem with me.”

With that said, the lying samurai turned Sesshu-ki to her free arm, hesitating for a brief moment before cutting deep into the back of her forearm for its entire length. Izanami let out several pained grunts as blood began to spill from the wound and flow down the angled roof.

Her gaze returned to the invaders, as she formed a handsign.

“This is the last time any of you will set foot in my home again!”

Faerie Dust

A pinkish red mist spewed from the wounds, creating a small cloud in the air where she stood. Then, with heavy armored footsteps, Izanami began angrily walking towards the duo, holding her blade out to the side.

Ganryu

 

[godjacob]

Tokita Hagami (Cloud Invasion)​

Well she didn't get to slice her hand off, but she seemed to disrupt whatever technique her opponent had up her sleeve which seemed to require her to sheath her blade a precise way to get off whatever it was. Tokita had figured out that much and that it was more than just a basic substitution herself, though her opponent seemed to oh so helpfully connect the dots for her as this "Temporal Kenjutsu" as she now had a clear visual of how her technique seemed to operate.

This one certainly is chatty...

Regardless Tokita watched as her opponent seemed to make a move, though it appeared that distance was not her ally, and given she could only connect between two points Tokita decided to strike back with a bit of footwork. Her weapon held out as a subtle glow of chakra shinned in her body amid her opponent's words and preparation as she had an intense look in her eye.

Waterdrop Dance!
​

In an instant her body seemed to shift and pivot almost on impulse as she moved with a speedy grace she shot out of the path her foe warped through not a moment after she dashed to where Asa had appeared and aimed to swing her blade coated in chakra right where her wrist is.

"You want flashy? You want "cool", well let's first see if you can handle the "basic" art of the samurai first." Tokita said with a fire in her eyes as she attacked. If her opponent needed time even a moment to sheath her blade, then her answer was to strike aggressive and in succession to give her no time to breath; slashing at her again and again and again where in a perfect world cut some of those little fingers off her for good measure. But more than anything keep her sheath from being completed at all costs.

This woman may use Kenjutsu, but Tokita aimed to show what the difference between a ninja swordswoman and a real samurai was!


Ganryu

 

[Ganryu]

InsaneAsylum
Whatever reaction Izanami might have expected from the nin from her outburst, the one she got was likely outside of expectations. Everyone dropped what they were doing. The blindfolded nin working on seals stopped midhandsign. The one on the ground stopped whining about the minor slash. The one with binoculars put them down to stare. The other tasks of communicating and setting up defenses stopped. All around Izanami, focus went from barely acknowledging she existed to complete and utter devotion, respect, and almost a bit of fear.

Either she had said completely the wrong thing, or completely the right thing. Either way, she'd gotten their attention. They started to give her a wide berth.


As she began her fairy dust, several of the nin started to falter a bit with their step, the tree walking tech to keep them upright strengthening enough to leave an impact on the roof to hold them in place.


The one with the binocular's raised a walkie talkie.

"TARGET FOUND! We have an idiot kid claiming to be what we want at the Kutsuki compound. All forces to focus on capture. A child with white hair and a large blade. We believe they are not hiding the corpse of the fox underneath the clan premises as led to believe, but, instead, are using it as some sort of jinchuuriki. Attempting capture now, all forces to retreat!"

The ninja continued to treat Izanami with an unusual amount of respect, a tenshion in the air as they circled her, the blindfold and binocular man being the foremost to actually challenge here.

The blindfold moved first with a sudden frenzy of handsigns, while the binocular ninja slammed his clawed Shuko together, suddenly blinding sparks shining in a burst of light that grew brighter and brighter as genjutsu took over to make it vision impairing.

Lightning Release: Lightning Illusion Flash of Lightning Pillar

As the blindfold's handsigns would finish, a scroll began to fly around Izanami, seal after seal beginning to encircle her as well, as it spiralled around, beginning to form a dome about 20 feet in radius. Each time a word was written, gravity seemed to increased inside the dome. Each letter, another amplification of gravity.

"Divine Sake: Shuten-Doji Feller"

The two weren't trying to fight Izanami, they were trying to seal her away! And they weren't even being fair in their challenge! The ninja around her were making their own handsigns, a dome of lightning beginning to eclipse the compound, forming a wired net. However, several underground passages would lead up to the compound, and enough force may have broken a section.






===================
godjacob

A crazed smile came Tokita's slash came, Asa's jutsu having changed with her flickering blade. Instead of blade's colliding, her blade seemed to slip straight THROUGH Tokita's, a game of chicken starting between the two, Asa leaning into her strike with apparently no intention of pulling back.

Until, static came from her earpiece.

"TARGET FOUND! "

A 'TCH' came from Asa, who, flinched at the reaper at the last second. She put her weight into her her legs, to fall back instead.

There WAS no time to avoid Tokita though, the sound of steel on flesh echoing as the sword caught the woman straight on the collar bone and down her biceps with her flickering blade making it past the target.

Blood splattered down on the ground as Asa jumped back, again and again.

We have an idiot kid claiming to be what we want at the Kutsuki compound. All forces to focus on capture. A child with white hair and a large blade. We believe they are not hiding the corpse of the fox underneath the clan premises as led to believe, but, instead, are using it as some sort of jinchuuriki. Attempting capture now, all forces to retreat!

"Lucky little fledgling. I wanted to play a real game, but I have work elsewhere to do and not the time to play!"

Despite her words, she was bleeding pretty severely from her cut arm, barely holding her blade in her left as her flickering blade solidified and she continued to skip back. "Next time. Next time come and play with me. My name is Asa Matsubara. What is yours little samurai? I'm going to remember it."

She seemed to like to talk, even with urgent orders to retreat. Still, any movement whatsoever from Tokita made her flinch and hop back. No bite to her bark. It seemed the order to regather WAS important after all!

=========================================
AtlannianSpy
Koyome's quick movements of her chakra threads pulled those out of harm's way, and triggered any unexploded tag, and moved rubble just enough to prevent the casualties, several fleeing people almost bumping into her. However, a samurai who had been saved seemed to notice, and bowed on the ground before her.

"Gratitude to thee. I am of truths not yet adept at the trickery and subterfuge of the accursed ninja. To thee be praised!"

He got back up and just as quickly continued running, but drew his blade with a sense of purpose... and certainly not language skills. In the distance, the lack of death caused the giant bird to pause. However, next to Koyome, a radio set from a fallen ninja went off, giving off the entire gameplan.

"TARGET FOUND! We have an idiot kid claiming to be what we want at the Kutsuki compound. All forces to focus on capture. A child with white hair and a large blade. We believe they are not hiding the corpse of the fox underneath the clan premises as led to believe, but, instead, are using it as some sort of jinchuuriki. Attempting capture now, all forces to retreat!"

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

(OOC: Anyone Gan has missed)

Broken sets from fallen ninja still relayed the order:

"TARGET FOUND! We have an idiot kid claiming to be what we want at the Kutsuki compound. All forces to focus on capture. A child with white hair and a large blade. We believe they are not hiding the corpse of the fox underneath the clan premises as led to believe, but, instead, are using it as some sort of jinchuuriki. Attempting capture now, all forces to retreat!"

The Cloud was gathering on Izanami's compound, and were trying to seal her away! For some reason, they thought she was a jinchuuriki!

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Ringo

Location: Street

Ganryu​

---

"Tch," Ringo quickly performed a handseal as the building behind her started crumbling from the cloud ninja's attack. An earthen platform arise from the ground beneath her and with a light stomp the platform blasted itself forward, carrying Ringo on it. The platform didn't stop as it hit the ground, instead slides across the ground as if it was a skate board.

"The hell with your aim, tin can? can't hit anything smaller than a house?" Standing straight on her moving platform, Ringo set her gaze straight at the armored man, circling him without ever getting closer. She was rather frustrated at the fact that she couldn't just punch the guy in the face because of this dumb hot aura. Her vision darted towards the device on his back. Ringo herself was a tinkerer so she's sure that thing was an important part of his tool.

Performing another quick hand seal, Ringo waited the moment she was behind the armored man before she jumped off her platform. She shot another coin towards the armored man, creating noise akin to hundreds of paper being torn at the same time as it burns the air around it through sheer velocity. This time though, Ringo wasn't aiming at the armored man himself, she aimed at the device behind his back instead.​

 

[AtlannianSpy]

"Yes, yes," Koyome said dismissively, waving away the samurai's praise with one hand. "Try not to go and die and waste all my hard work hmm?" Koyome said sweetly, watching the man draw his blade again and charge off in what, to Koyome's eye, seemed like a completely random direction. Koyome watched him go and sighed tiredly. "Well that was a waste of time then. Could this day get any-"

"TARGET FOUND! We have an idiot kid claiming to be what we want at the Kutsuki compound. All forces to focus on capture. A child with white hair and a large blade. We believe they are not hiding the corpse of the fox underneath the clan premises as led to believe, but, instead, are using it as some sort of jinchuuriki. Attempting capture now, all forces to retreat!"

Koyome went still. Inside her puppet shell, hidden away from sight one flawless byakugan twitched involuntarily as apoplectic rage temporarily overwhelmed her.

"IZANAMI!" Koyome screeched "YOU BETTER HOPE THOSE CLOUD SHINOBI KILL YOU BEFORE I GET THERE OR I'M GONNA PUT YOUR DUMBASS IN THE GROUND MYSELF!"

With that vow Koyome took to the rooftops with a body flicker, abandoning any pretence of stealth or efficiency in favour of pure speed as she dashed towards the Kutsuki compund. There wasn't time to come up with an elaborate or elegant plan, there would be too many Shinobi on the scene with too many different abilities to account for anyway. Instead Koyome simply covered the ground as quickly as possible to try and take up a rooftop position overlooking the enemy shinobi surrounding her idiot teammate. When Koyome had a good angle she would simply let loose with everything she had. Senbon, explosive tags, kunai; she would send Chunori overhead to strafe them with its new payload of explosive tipped senbon and Kakegoe would dive recklessly into melee range to sow as much chaos as possible. There was one, impossibly thin, silver lining to Izanami's stunt and that was that it would be a very target rich environment. Koyome probably wouldn't be able to miss even if she tried.

Ganryu InsaneAsylum

 

[Orikanyo]

Some time ago...


Izanami and Yoshi present...

A Petrifying Experience
​

Spoiler: The story

Iha’s Thymely Ramen Bowl’s Mega Soup day challenge had been passed in flyers around the neighborhood for weeks. It was said whoever could manage to down the most bowls that day would get not only reimbursed for all orders that day, but would receive a trophy and a month’s worth of free meals for them and their family, and their name on the side of the establishment.


Some people had looked forward to it as a challenge. Other’s just wanted free food, and still other’s didn’t know the challenge was going on, but big crowd’s meant something was going on.


However, what awaited any passer by wasn’t an eating contest, but instead, several Chūseigumi trying to ward off residents, with caution tape around the establishment. The roof was caved in, and several outside stalls destroyed.


The owner, Iha himself, was at the crime scene, but seemed a bit… stiff. The Chūseigumi almost seemed to ignore him as he held out a hand in horror… unmoving at anything that had happened around.


Yoshi stood still upon the street… He had been there.. Just the day before… He laid his honor on the line in that challenge, and went home wanting. Underestimated it before, having eaten breakfast that day… He was defeated once, and went home in shame… And thoroughly stuffed it with a considerable amount of ramen.

But seeing this devastation…

An honorable culinary artistry broken in, he couldn’t help but feel great disappointment… he shall not regain his honor, and those lost can never be regained… With a solemn look, he bowed towards the destroyed building, eyes closed in silent prayer.


Upon standing back up, he gazed to the man in the middle of the street, Iha… yes the owner… Why was he… Ah.. Shock… it must be…

“I give my deepest condolences, the food was beyond perfect…” he gave a white lie, in truth he’d rate it a 7/10. A true 10/10 is a mythical thing, and one that he would love nothing more than to have one day…


“Whaaa?”


Nearby, a voice elicited a surprised sound as Izanami bounced over to the crime scene. She had to nudge some people in the crowd out of the way to get a good look, but her eyes were already glancing over the details of the scene. First she noticed that the building itself seemed to have caved in. Did a meteor fall on the place or something? It didn’t explain the nearby stalls being torn up, nor did it really explain the lack of any space rocks scattered about. What Izanami almost disregarded however, was the owner of the store standing stiff as stone.


“Heyo, is that guy ok?” She asked aloud, pointing at Iha. Izzy didn’t have any real emotional ties to the place. Her aunt could whip up a mean ramen so she never had to go far to get a good meal. However, by the disparaged looks of the crowd, she could tell this place had to have been top tier.


"Oh no, he's dead." Came the voice of an unhelpful Chūseigumi flipping through notes and such as he chewed on a pencap, approaching Izanami and Yoshi from behind. "Petrified by nature chakra, and rest of his patrons viciously assaulted. The claw marks weren't human either. Didn't match any beast we could identify either.


Only one patron is unaccounted for among the bodies. You two are Mokunoha, right? Help an old officer out. Would you know a Rika Shiba by chance? {Yoshi, neighbor, go ahead, make shit up. Izanami can also know crap by coincidence to get her moving, more noodle incidents the better} She's been unaccounted for and was last seen headed towards this..." He looked at the 'Iha’s Thymely Ramen Bowl' sign half hanging off the side of it's pole, dangling dangerously in the wind. "... fine establishment. Alright, I feel bad for the guy, but place was honestly a 7.8/10. Too watery.


Either way, you guys could help us track down missing person, would be greeeeeat…"


"Rika Shiba…. Yes I know her. Due to our proximity we walked to and from school. Not particularly together. She followed at a distance, typically hiding from sight the whole way." Staring, always stareing, and breathing heavily too. Poor girl and her breathing issues, he wondered if the whole family had such a thing but it seemed not. A aspiring artist as well, for he had stumbled upon her notebook one day, it seemed he drew Yoshi quite abit. Though he seemed to not be the only thing she drew, many people… Lots of dead things.


Had a habit of sneaking up on people, quiet as a mouse… He had returned to his footlocker once after class to find her before hers, lighting candles around a picture of a popular girl he spoke to during class.


Perhaps she bore this secret love thing he heard about? It must be hard, being unable to admit one's love…


“He’s… dead?” Izanami repeated aloud, staring at the petrified man. Nature chakra wasn’t something Izanami had much of an understanding of. Apparently nature itself had chakra, and some people could harness it. How did that turn people to stone though? Izanami had no clue.


She also had no clue what Rika Shiba’s deal was. “I don’t think me and her have ever spoken before. I think I tried to talk to her once and she growled at me or something… That was years ago though, I’m sure she’s not actually some crazy monster or something! Now way she could do… this.”


The officer pulled out a cigar, fumbling around his robes for a lighter. Unable to find it, he shrugged, and did a few handsigns, the tip of his finger alight. He took a puff before returning to his notepad… only discover him actually pointing a cigar at it. Pulling out a flaming pen from his lips, he shrugged again, and tossed it in a nearby trashcan.


“Can’t say we have a good profile on her. But I do know she’s unaccounted for. Maybe she’s just a witness, maybe you two get to save her from something from whatever did do this. We have a few leads, and trying out a new genjutsu unit on hypnotizing people to recount to us what happened. I’ll go ahead and tell Taisho to put in a mission for it, and get you two paid too. Need more hands on this damn force ever since the Yuguru scandal.”



Next to Yoshi’s house, an apartment complex stood in neatly lined order. One door had scratch marks across it, the door hinge left open. All across the single bedroom apartment, scratches littered the walls. They were far stranger than any animal marks, too thin to be a bear, too long to be a human. A broken sink mirror shattered across the floor, and across the back of the wall wrote the words, in the same claw marks: “Noguchi’s Grotto♥”.


Noguchi’s cave system was found a little to the east, just below the frozen tundra, known to be warm all year round, but few went to it other than training due to the strange disappearances, and monstrosities roaming around.


“Hmm, concerning…” Said Yoshi, hearing about her disappearance, but he was holding out hope this could be rationally explained.


“Hmm… Increasing concerning…” Said Yoshi, seeing the door to his neighbor’s home scratched and the walls ripped.


“...Very concerning…” said the young man who had reached the highest level of concern he has had for roughly a month. “She could have hurt herself on this glass mirror, quite unsafe.” said the young man as he brushed aside mirror shards on the floor. Though the words on the wall were a rather big lead, given the one who could have taken her could have broken in, scratched up the walls and taken the poor girl captive after leaving where they were going on the wall.


“Hmm… Perhaps she herself caused the scratches, during a fight, I remember long ago, her own locker had such scratch marks and a dent from when she tore it open. Somebody changed her lock combination, apparently.” Yoshi nodded, he too had been pressed to tear open his own locker from time to time. It was alot of trouble fumbling with locks.


It was at this moment, he actually noticed Izanami was with him.


He would never admit he didn’t notice her awhile ago.


“Hmm…” Izanami stood next to Yoshi, mimicking his sounds and movements. “Mighty concerning living next to such a scene! Let’s hope the girl isn’t the culprit! Then you’ll have been living next to a beast!” Izanami teased with a grin.


She looked over the words carved into the wall where the mirror had once been. “Noguchi’s Grotto? Why would a monster care about some rundown training yard? There’s even a little heart carved there! Look, you see?” Izanami enthusiastically gestured towards the message.


The travel to Noguchi’s Grotto turned out to be fairly unremarkable, the tundra of the Land of Iron as pervasive as ever. However, what marked it was the steam rising from the ground in a small valley, forming a mirage in the distance. Small footprints dotted the snow leading down into the valley. Bridges of rocks ran over the vents, leading to cave system after cave system below, an underground volcanic spring connecting them all. More concerning was the stone body parts that littered the path down, much like the scene at Iha’s Thymely Ramen Bowl.


A fully intact bear, petrified, stood frozen mid roar at the entrance of one of the drops below. Claw marks marked the decent, though, written in the marks across the bear’s head bore the words ‘♥Teddy♥♥♥’. The bear… seemed rather hard from petrification to be a teddy bear.


A sudden ROAR echoed up partly muffled from deeper in the cave.


“She is not a beast, she is my neighbor.” Yoshitsune rattled off without a second thought. “Perhaps the heart was left by the creature that took her and killed the ramen fellow.” he had completely forgotten the man’s name at this point, actually he was trying to remember his neighbor’s name as well.


…Tika…?

Mika…?

Rick?


But once upon location… he was certain…


“Indeed, my neighbor had been stolen by a monster. By the looks it appears this monster is capable of turning things to stone… My only hopes, is that this monster has not eaten it’s captive…


Young lady.” he, as well, had forgotten who izanami is. “If you desire to return, I shall not fault you, nor call you a coward. But this is best left to Samurai such as I.”


Izanami stared at him for a moment, slightly dumbfounded. “If anyone here is a samurai it’s me!” She replied angrily. Moments ago, she had been lost in thought. The broken stone statues scattered around were triggering something in her memories, but she couldn’t quite remember. However she hoped that bear statue wasn’t an omen for some giant bear monster. Last time she was in a cave… Izanami didn’t even want to recall it. Now, she was in disbelief. With a light bump, Izanami stepped past Yoshi.


“I’ll lead the way. Stay behind me so I can protect you, ok?” Izanami said with a smug grin. “My name’s Izanami by the way, not young lady!” With that said, she strolled further in.


“...So you are not a young lady… That is a feminine name for a male, but I digress…” it wasn’t his place to judge, he was simply here to conduct his impromptu rescue mission.


Yoshi followed suit, sword drawn with a clatter upon the sheath.


A ragged breathing could be heard, distant in the cave from the two, echoing through the stone. “Haaah…. Haaaah…haaah…”


The corridor in front of them seemed to glow, a green river running across the bottom of it all the way across the passage way. It glowed ominously, lighting the entire passage way. More petrified animals and animal parts scattered across it, and writings covered across the wall, the same handwriting as before.


L♥ve - L♥ve - L♥ve - L♥ve - L♥ve - L♥ve - L♥ve


“Hmm… must be mineral water of some sort… Mother has similar green liquids in her workspace, i saw her use it on a plant once and it started growing to ridiculous proportions before it exploded.” He was hesitant to ever explore his mother’s work, the last time he did she used him to test some strange injection, at least thats what he remembered before he fainted.


Every man has his weakness, needles were his, the fact some ninja used senbon made him bristle with the shivers… Horrible things…


“It is perhaps best we avoid that water.


I do wonder, what manner of creature is able to turn beasts to stone…


…And has a penchant for the word love.”


Izzy knelt next to the water, gazing into it. Her gaze then turned to the pieces of animal statues scattered down the river.


“I dunno if these are minerals…” she replied. The water seemed familiar in some way, but she couldn’t quite place it. “Let’s try not to touch it. It’s creeping me out that nothing else is living near this glowy water.”



Voices echoed in the distance.


“Rika Shiba, you are suspected of murder in district 1- W-what the hell is that!?”


“LOOOOVE!” The voice was not of a young girl, but raspy and masculine, sounding like the throat was literally tearing mid scream. Only after it did the voice of a small girl sound.


“Wait, no, stop! Get away from me! I can’t be near people!!!!”


A horrendous scream shook the caverns where Yoshi and Izanami stood, cracks forming in the ceiling, and water splashing up and down. The sound of shattering tile echoed… and skipping across the water like a rock, a petrified hand made it to Izanami and Yoshi’s feet.


“...That is rather concerning.” Yoshi stood in place, staring at the hand for a moment. “...Perhaps somebody with a specialized skill set should have been gathered before our entry…” though, in truth, the person with a specialized skill set likely just died.


“...Rika? Are you in there?” Yoshi called out, eyes flitting about the area ahead.

“We’ve come to help.” he called out, moving forwards with concern and only concern on his face, no fear allowed to cross his face despite the… Clinging within his heart… that was merely hunger.


Izzy snatched the stone hand off the ground before hurrying after Yoshi. “Oh dang this is one of those haunted caves!” Izzy exclaimed. A light twitching in her jaw indicated her fear however, despite the brave face. She drew Sesshu-ki in her free hand, holding the lengthy blade out before her, ready to swing.


"S-someone else is there!? G-go away!!!" The voice screamed, the voice reverberating down the small passageway. As they went forward, the stream of water continued to glow green, giving the same color to everything around it, bathing the area in the light.


Stepping into it would begin to equally petrify shoes or material that touched it, and a bit splash... probably wasn't a good idea. But the stream was shallow enough that they could find dry spots to leap from, or the walls. Still, even the humidity seemed dangerous, as the air seemed to clot around them. Small bits of stone dripped from the ends of their hair, and sweat would fall with a small 'clink' like a small stone. Sesshu-ki grew heavier in Izanami's hands. Despite that, a strange energy pulsed that would energize Izanami in particular at the same time.


Deeper in, the scratch marks began to litter the walls, ones that matched the Ramen stand from earlier, in a similar pattern... and a few rocks with cracks on it that followed a pattern where the stone hand had flown, a few other stone statue bits just as visible.


Finally, another person came into view. Dressed in poorer garb, a small girl with a single bun could be seen floating in the air, desperately trying to dive into the water, but unable to touch terra firma. She stopped as she saw the two.


"Yoshi...?" She asked. It was, in fact, Rika. She looked like hell, dark bags under her eyes, hair barely put together, blood across her clothes, with small stone fragments. But, despite the violence that had plagued her since yesterday, not a single scratch could be seen on her body.



“Ah, Rika, you are alive.” Yoshi spoke up, though he was cautious to move ahead… Or… One would say he was, if he didn’t stride into the room with the audacity of a drunkard who was certain they were god’s gift to women.


“Lets hurry and return, whatever creature captured you, we shall subdue it if it dares try and take you again.”


“H-hurry and grab her!” Izzy said a short distance behind Yoshi. Izanami took nervous deep breaths, desperately trying not to freak out. The stone hand slipped from her grasp, letting out a light crack as it hit the ground, eliciting a quiet squeak from her. Her now free hand joined the other to hold Sesshu-ki. Her eyes were darting around the cave, looking for some monstrous creature to leap out at any moment.


Despite the near paralyzing fear Izzy felt and the seeming weakness of her arms, she had never felt better than this in her life. But as she was putting together the clues left behind in this tunnel, she was beginning to think the feeling wasn’t a good thing.


Wide eyes shook in fear as she turned slowly gazed at Yoshi.


"N-no! You don't understand! Don't save me! He already has me!"


First to Izzy, a shimmer in the air could be seen, a vague, if impossibly bulky humanoid form started to take hold around Rika, a giant paw holding her from trying to dunk herself IN the water. A deep breath loudly inhaled, before screaming at an ear splitting volume.


"PROTECT RIIIIIIIIIIIIIKAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"


Stone around them exploded as cracks spiderwebbed out, the apparent ghost flickering into existence.


Half human, half petrified tiger, the ugly mutant looked like the failed results of sage training, but stepped forward with a splash of water, still holding the girl to 'protect her'.


"Made... promise. Protect. Rika. PROTECT! L♥VE!"


"Nobu, you're KILLING people!!! Please stop! I know you promised to protect your squad before the Mist ambush, but please, please stop!" Tearfully she turned to Yoshi. "Do you really think you can stop him haunting me?! I can't even die with him around... A drunk guy threw a glass at me at Iha's, and ever since then... "


“....” Hrmm… it must be.. Some form of familiar or summoned creature… Or.. She just said something about a mist ambush…


“Understood, cease attempts to slay yourself, I shall destroy the creature… Izanami, please aide me in this battle.” he didn’t exactly wait for an answer, and he rushed on in, utilizing one of his Iaido techniques.


{Dancing Blade Risk}

Which while sounds fancy it really is just a drawing slash with a sword, why is this even a technique? The writer is confused and couldn’t care less.


Sesshu-ki rattled in Izanami’s hands as she looked upon the monster before her. Panic prevented her from seeing anything more than that, and froze her in place. Was it unhonorable to run?


The beast turned it’s head with a confused growl as Yoshi all but disappeared, before ‘KRRCK!’ echoed, stone plating over it’s fur exploding outward as a shallow cut traced across his stomach, Yoshi now behind him with the drawn blade.


Nobu roared as it turned wildly to see Yoshi, and grabbed a sharp shard of stone out the air from his attack, using it like a knife, trying to smash it down into the boy.


Despite the short range, Izanami could feel strange chakra emanating from it, spreading much further than the attack itself.


The beast only had one arm free to attack, the other still carrying Rika who was struggling, keeping her away from the water, though his swaying body was rag dolling the unfortunate hauntee around


“Protect… Riiiiiiika!”


“Yes I am attempting to! Unhand the poor girl immediately!” The samurai rose up his blade, the shitty, terrible, absolutely horrendous, rusty, chipped, tetanus stick called a sword; was enveloped by the young man’s own chakra, extending the blade and giving it a sharpened edge.


Samurai Sabre Technique


The young man swung at the attacking arm, meeting offense with offense, not letting the creature force him on the back foot.


Izzy dashed forward swinging Sesshu-ki at the attacking arm as well. She could tell there was something extra behind the monster’s strike, and she didn’t want Yoshi being caught off guard by it. The needles in her blade's hilt poked into her hand, pulling Blight spores from her blood and pouring them into the blade. If her blade could cut the beast at all, he’d have a surprise in a couple moments.


Regardless, Izzy’s eyes were wide with panic. “His attacks spread around some weird kind of Chakra, be careful!”


As the shard and Yoshi’s blade met, a show of sparks exploded out, running and outlining the two invisible chakra blades past the blades themselves. Yoshi’s solid made blade, and the beast’s fantastical spread of blades wildly shooting out of the stone shard in almost a fractal pattern.


Yoshi’s blade won the encounter, biting through and shattering the stone shard, and digging into the tiger’s stone skin, flinging it aside into the air.


It gave Izanami a perfect weakspot, a quick stab entering through the wound. Strange growth started to spread across it, bubbling up with visible ‘cracks’ bursting the rock. A moment later, they bursted out with mushroom growths spreading across the creatures skin, leaving the arm heavy and useless, the armor plating now broken.


The arm fell uselessly to the side, and the creature roared, stepping back, panic in his eyes.


“Made… promise… can’t…. STOOOOOOOOOOOP!”


“Shiba, please!”


The creature threw Riku in the air, before throwing stone shards to pin her clothing to the roof, giving it access to its other arm. Gnashing its teeth, it turned to Izzy, anger in its eyes. So far, seeing as Yoshi had been talking the entire time, it had been ignoring her.


It barreled towards her, trying to tackle her to the ground with its body weight, and lunge in for a bite at her neck and shoulder.


Izzy squealed as she was tackled to the ground, the impact forcing out another pained cry as she held Sesshu-ki between the monster’s mouth and herself. With strained sounds her blade was slowly forced downwards until teeth began to break skin.


The echoes of splashing water reverberated as Izzy was pushed into the ankle deep pool, the cornered and injured beast bearing into her, its fangs inching closer and closer to her. Wherever the water touched, and at the tip of her wound, saturation began to fade from her body, stone consuming her. Her hair in the puddle stiffened, her clothing losing it’s sheen, her dark skin paling.


As the stone wrapped around her, surges of energy banged across every inch of her, strange pangs hitting every part of her body, feeling like she would explode. Danger, and power, dancing across her body. Whenever she moved, it scattered in an instant, but as she was locked in place by the brute, it built across her body, accelerating the petrification.


Yoshi would see just another statue, just like the rest of Shiba’s victims.


“...Izanobu…” Yoshi spoke, looking upon the scene before him… The stones were people.. But he had been expecting the creature capable of it…


Hmm… What should hr say to her family… He suppoused this was a consideration for when the battle was over. Same with mourning Izinaba, she would be missed, he just wished she had actually done something in this battle.


Rushing up with the beast’s back turned he was cut along the waist, aiming to try and shatter the monster’s ability to move but cutting it’s spine.


“Your sacrifice shall be remembered.”


Stone plates burst from the monster, sending it sprawling into the pool, raking at the air as it squealed, trying to right itself. Sadly, the tough plating had prevented the strike on the tiger from severing much, though from the impact, it had dealt damage.


Shiba rose, growling once more. “One… threat… left…! Go… all out.” At this point, a slash had taken the armor across his stomach, and now back, and his left hand hung useless to the side, split down the wrists and covered in mushrooms, the fur having wilted next to it.


He held one clawed hand out, chakra leaking out of the claws enough to become visible. Roaring he slashed forward, visible arcs rippling out at Yoshi.


RUPTURING SLASH!


Shiba panted, clearly winded in the fight.


A moment within a breath, Yoshi remembers his father’s words… Words the people of his clan had lived by for a century.


“BREAK THE FUCKER!”


The words rung in his ears and he shuffled into his iaido stance once more, bringing the blade to satisfying… If grating due to the horrible battered edge, chik.


Before with an explosive strike skywards towards into incoming wrist that held the strike.


{Iaido}


A horrifying grating sound shook the cavern, sparks lighting up in a shower as physical blade met chakra construct. The strike wound send Yoshi inching back, his sandals slightly petrifying in the shallow pool as he was pushed back, the stone floor spider-webbed with cracks from the pressure.


-Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-


A ‘chip’ dug into the chakra blades as he pushed and pushed with his strike. However, no matter how strong the attack, his blade proved truly the one unbreakable force within all of the Land of Iron.


-Tchhh-


The crack widened, before all four blades shattered like glass in the air, Yoshi finishing his slash in an arc of red sparks and broken chakra pieces. A stunned monstrous half stone half tiger ghost stared open mouthed.


“Strongest… sage attack had…. How possible?!”


Gnashing teeth, Shiba began to walk towards Yoshi, stepping past the statue of Izanami on the ground.


The shocked expression of Izanami’s statue began to crack, as a small yellow mushroom sprouted from its face. Slowly, more and more mushrooms broke through the stone, until the crack of stone became audible.


After several more moments Izanami rose from the ground, rock still crumbling from her skin as the mushrooms on her body began to spread to the ground around her. She reached out, grabbing Sesshu-ki once more. Instead of questioning what had just happened to her, she focused on the nature chakra coursing through her. Her muscles twitched painfully, as if begging Izanami to fight.


Winged Prance


With a sudden spinning leap, Izanami slashed at Shiba’s face. As soon as she landed she focused chakra into her feet and began to spin, rapidly accelerating until she was all but a blur. The next moment she was spinning circles around Shiba like a spinning top, slicing at him from every angle before sliding to a stop several feet away. Each cut left behind spores that waited to begin their explosive growth once the blade flurry had ended.


Slowly, Izanami lowered her blade before letting out a ragged cough. She sank to her knees, only staying upright due to Sesshu-ki being firmly planted in the ground. “So this is the power that corrupted you…” she hissed at Shiba.


Shiba paused at the cracking sound, a gutteral growl rumbling in his throat, and his eyes furrowing. “Hrrr….?”


Above, Rika let out a surprised gasped. “She’s a sage?! Even Shiba struggled using natural energy in life?!”


The monster turned, just in time for a glint of steel to flash across his face, a large spore filled cutting sprouting across his cheek. He tried to paw the blade out the way, but in another flash, Izanami was gone. Confused, he scanned left to right, for a sudden buzzsaw to slash against his side, a flurry of sparks as petrified stone flung off his body.


“Wha-” Each time he turned, another ‘SCHINK!’ echoed, and another plate of armor flew off. While Izanami didn’t have the strength of Yoshi, the sheer speed and sharpness of the cuts was shattering through his armor, one plate at a time. He growled and flailed wildly, the cuts becoming deeper and deeper as mushrooms sprouted across his body. Catching Izanami was like catching smoke! Only each time he missed, a slash ran down his body. And each cut ran deeper than the last!


He howled as he sunk to one knee. “IMPOSSIBLE! CAN’T FALL!!! MY PROMISE!”


“In death… You aim to keep your promise. To protect Rika, however, in your rampage you have killed innocent people, and more over, threatened your charge with danger.


It is time for you to relinquish your duty.” Once more, Yoshi sheathed his blade, but this time he stood in a serene neutral stance, hand laid upon the handle of his sword as one might without thought as they walked the streets. “On this day I relieve you of your duty, and accept it as my own, until at least Rika’s apartment can be rebuilt…” his words were calm and centered… Even though he really didn’t know what Izanobu was doing to him, really if she had such a technique as turning to stone and unleashing a barrage like this she should have done so sooner.


…Though really what was that stone statue form about?


Ah yes, the battle.


[Unbreakable Blade Technique: Stoneshatter]


With a sudden lunge forwards, Yoshi turned his body perpendicular to his target, drawing his blade in an arc from from one side of his body, meeting with both hands in the middle and bringing the sword that was mostly a rusty iron bar down with earth shattering strength, chakra fulminating at the blade and arms to not create a sharpened blade but a sheer unrelenting mass of force down upon the target.


“I CURSE YOOOOOU!!!”

A vicious howl reverbed around the small chamber, splashing water high in the air, cracking stone, and causing a wind to blow through. But with Izanami’s wounds and mushrooms, the beast could no longer move. Even heavier than it’s scream was the crash of steel on flesh, half cutting, half brute forcing through the beast in a cleave that smashed through it, an equal cut on the wall behind him jagged smashed into the wall more than cleanly severing stone.


Shiba stone with wide eyes as blood poured from his open chest, the natural energy seeping from his body, and the stone tiger dissipating as a much more normal boy, the same age as Izanami and Yoshi. However, his form seemed unnatural, his skin paperlike, with cracks running down it, and black sclera in his eyes. Also, a giant gaping wound through his chest. Shiba collapsed to the ground, his limbs fading to shredded paper, and then ash, and then… nothing. He strained to look up at Yoshi, the light leaving his eyes as that black mist started to withdraw.


“You’d… better… keep your promise.” His fading hand, nothing more than a stub, reached out to Yoshi, before bursting down to the elbow, then eating up to the shoulder. A smile creeping up his lips. “I wish you were in my squad…”


His head slumped to the side as the shoulder disappeared, his gaze on Izanami, eyes up and down. “A sage without marks… I’m jeal…ous…”


In a puff, the last of the undead Shiba unravelled to the wind.


“....Hmm…” a gruff harumph, the sliding of steel(is it really at this point anymore?) Into sheathe as the young man stood straight once more, his eyes upon Izanami for a moment, as if absently checking if she was in fact the woman and if she was alive. Then he remembered somebody.


He looked upwards now, to his neighbor.


“A good hiding place, are you able to get down?” He asked while walking underneath, as of to catch the young lady. “We should leave, its dinner time.”

 

[godjacob]

Tokita Hagami (Cloud Invasion)​

Tokita had no such context behind what this woman was being fed in her earpiece or what her agenda was, and frankly the young samurai cared even less as her only goal was to dispose of this villainous invader and thus far she seemed to finally get a leg up on her opponent. Her relentless strikes worked well to disrupt her timing and her shift in focus between this battle and whatever conversation she had in her head opened up a chance to open up her opponent!

Blood seemed to drip on the ground as she managed to cut deeply into her arm, not a fatal shot but the damage seemed significant.

Tokita was not one to show much expression, but it almost brought a smile to her to see her foe so casually confident and cocky in the pain she dished out to innocents to be on the backfoot here. But Tokita was not one to fall to getting ahead of herself, as she still needed to finish her off and so long as she kept the timing off on her sheath she figured she had the advantage even as her foe created some slight separation between them.

And yet she kept being chatty, as it seemed this Asa girl was on the retreat. Whether it was because the damage to her arm was too sever to continue or combined with other factors, all Tokita knew is she couldn't let her escape and given the surge of chakra and this almost explosive aura in the air from her partner she sensed she had a small window to work with. She needed to finish her and flee the spot quickly as Chakra subtly began to channel up her blade as she spoke and already had an idea on the mind as she swung her sword when she asked for a name and unleashed a flash of pure chakra that swung for her neck! Flash!

"Tokita Hagami. Not that it will matter, as your story ends here!"


Ganryu