Side Story: Way of the Dragon - Complete

Ganryu

Your Lovable Jackass GM
Supporter
Roleplay Type(s)
loyalwolf loyalwolf InsaneAsylum InsaneAsylum

"My dearest esteemed Hokage, Gou Uchiha, as you likely know, the Goukatsu annual martial arts tournament is coming up, and as per normal, I would like to request the use of a few of your ninja for it. I am deeply sad to hear about the recent invasion, and as you are likely stretched thin, I would like to encourage your attention with a few spar Ryo as perhaps that might change your mind. Again, the rules of this tournament are ABSOLUTELY NO NINJUTSU, and NO GENJUTSU. So a few taijutsu specialist would be appreciated. We'll dub them honorary members of the Saito clan for this tournament. If I might confess a worry, the other participants have heard of the tragedy of both the Leaf and Mist, and are expected far few covert ninja for this (we all know ninjas participating is an open secret). They'll likely higher other countries, and might break the rules rather than bend them. So, if I might suggest the following as the mission requirement as I'm sure your secretary is overwhelmed:

Mission: Goukatsu Tournament
Rank: C
Squad size: 3, no sensei
Mission parameters:
1) Participate in, and attempt to win the tournament. High performance expect. Pure taijutsu.
2) Investigate other teams, and prevent any cheating in the ring. (Poisons, ninjutsu, genjutsu, etc)
3) Adopt the name 'Saito' for the duration of the tournament.

Reward: Participation: 30,000 Ryo (20,000 to be paid to the Leaf). Upon winning, or placing in the top 4, 300,000 Ryo (150,000 to be paid to the Leaf)
 
Mai read over the mission again and again in her household. There was an odd shock in the house. None of her Aunts and Uncles were talking. Her father and mother simple stood behind her looking proud. Her father finally broke the silence.

"Well, congratulations, Mai, you get to lead your own mission. I knew you'd be able to."

Mai just stood there gauking.

"W-what do I do now?"

"Well, go contact your team obviously. This is your mission. You don't even have a sensei to report to. I know how much you dislike working with them anyways."

"Yukishide!"

"What? It's true. Do the Sanada proud Mai!"

"Don't hurt yourself!"

"Win at all cost!"

"But be careful!"

"But be fearless!"

"Damnit, Yukishide!"

Mai could help but start to laugh at her parents hijinks. Still, why was she chosen as team leader? Was it because it was a taijutsu mission? Mai looked over her teammates profile again.

"Katsumi Nonoba, and Kuren Kinoko? Cool. Hey! My profile's in here too! Hey, it clocks her taijutsu as about as good as mine." So, why am I leader? "And he seems pretty well rounded. cept for stealth and tools. Looks like all three of us suck at those, so we shouldn't get into a ranged fight. Why's the personality section blank? Guess they are still filling out the profiles on people. Guess it makes sense. Well, uh, guess I'll keep it under consideration? I'll go write them both a letter.

Hey guys, this is Mai Sanada. Looks like we all have a mission together coming up. They want us to participate in, and monitor a martial arts tournament in the Goukatsu bay area. Looks pretty cold, bring warm clothes. No ninjutsu or genjutsu, ... or senseis. Should be a fun mission! Hope you can look forward to it. Oh, also, we gotta use a fake last name, Saito, when we get there.

Meet me by the gate tomorrow morning, and we can go over it a bit more, introduce ourselves, and get to know eachother. Don't think I've ever met either of you.

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

The next morning, Mai sat outside the gate. She had a notebook in her lap, a blindfold on, and a heavy clothed item strapped to her back. She sat listening for her teammates to approach, a little bit nervous. What would the two be like? The profiles didn't say anything. 'sides, what would they think of her? Everyone naturally thought of Mai as crazy, so she could guess that, but could they do a mission together? Would they be fun?

Mai chanted under her breath to not forget their names:

"Katsumi, Kuren, Katsumi, Kuren, Katsumi, Kuren.... Don't mess this up, girl!"
 
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Kuren was sitting at his desk going over some scrolls when his grandfather knocked on his door and said: "Boy it appears you have a letter addressed to you." That was all he said before kuren could hear his footsteps, signaling that he was far from his room. Kuren began his trek to the letter and wondered who was reaching out to him. Kuren waited until he was back in his desk before opening the letter and reading its content. He read and reread the letter a few time to make sure he didn’t miss anything. No sensei and this Mai is the leader of the mission. I don’t know if it going to be fun but it seems like it will be interesting. Even with those words, spoken kuren kept his stone cold face neutral. Kuren began packing and make preparations for the morning.

That morning kuren went through his usual routine, which included making food for himself and even packed extra for the two other ninjas. He made sure he had everything he needed and lastly grabbed his tessen before heading out to the gate. Kuren spotted a girl sat by herself at the gate and she appeared to have blindfolded herself. He approached her and made sure to analyze her the best he could. He stopped just a little outside of normal public space and spoke with his typical monotone voice, though there was a hint of curiosity in it. “Good morning, I assume you are one of my teammates for the martial arts tournament mission. I am kuren and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
 
Katsumi Nonoba

Katsumi was on break at the new Hospital’s construction site when someone tossed a letter to her. It landed right in her lap.

“Someone told me to give this to ya kid,” the burly construction worker said.

Katsumi nodded. “O-oh, thanks!” She set her lunch to the side, and delicately opened the letter, sliding out it’s contents. She only read the letter once, before she returned to her meal to finish it real quick.

She then hopped to her feet, to inform the builders that she’d be gone for awhile on a mission. They wished her good luck as she hurried home to pack.

The main things Katsumi packed were medical supplies. If people were going to be fighting, then maybe she could hell heal them after their matches. By the sound of things, she’d be forced to participate as well. Perhaps she could just withdraw from her match instead...

By the time Katsumi arrived at the gate, it appeared that her other two teammates for this mission were already engaged kn conversation. She hesitated for a minute or two, before building up the courage to approach them. The one who she assumed to be Mai, hsd s blindfold on, for some reason. Did she need her eyes healed?

“U-uhm... hello....” Katsumi whispered practically inaudibly.
 
Mai heard both the new teammates approach. Neither were 'loud' people, but they were still loud to her. Seems all three really did suck at stealth. Mai's nervousness faded away as an audience presented itself. As long as she could show off to someone, nothing to fear.

Just have to prove I'm awesome to them, and no one else. Hell, they can't even judge me like the rest of my squad does! Its been a while since the academy, maybe they'll think I grew up?

Mai's meditation like stance blew apart as she lept to her feet, and ripped off her blindfold.

"Well, good to meet'cha! I'm Mai of the Sanada Clan."

And in that moment, Mai remembered... bright light after dark light was blinding. She suddenly flinched at the light, backing up from it.

"Sorry, bit of training there. Anyways, they gave me both ya profiles, look forward to working with ya. Brought jackets, right? Wait... Hey, you're Ashi's teammate, ain't'cha? I still gotta pay her back for that chunnin exams incident. I was trying to be threatening when she crashed into to that desk.
And, hey, you, speak up! I got, like, superhearing, and I could hardly catch that!"


Mai motioned for them to walk, heading towards the gate of the village. It was going to be a looong walk north, probably 3 days even with quicker people. She handed the mission dossier to the two (See the fist post)

"Well, the profiles are mostly stats, why don't you tell me a bit of ya selves? I mean, we don't have no sensei out here, we might as well enjoy the mission. I'm Mai of the Sanada clan, heir to it. We mostly protect and craft the Hokage Monument. I'd say I'm a taijutsu specialist, but think we all gotta have at least a bit there. Um, I'm also a sensor? Not sure what else to say. Maybe I'm not too good at the whole intro thing. I guess annoying my teammates is my hobby? I like throwing a punch? And taking one... So, Kuren, Katsumi, what are you like?"
 
Kuren’s didn’t take his eyes off of Mia and her random outburst as the two-members approached her. His face, having a neutral and bored expression on it. What a strange girl. She is brash and seems to rely on impulse. On top of that she blinded herself because she didn’t think through ripping off the blindfold. Yet she was picked to lead this mission. What am I missing here? Kuren simply nodded his head when Mia formally introduced herself.

Kuren ripped his gaze from Mia and looked at Katsumi. This must be my other teammate. She seemed calmer about this than our leader. Yet, she also seems more reserved and a little shy. Such strange difference between the two. He then began to follow behind Mia, ignoring the mention of Ashi for now.

Once he had the dossier in hand, he no longer spared a glance at the other two ninjas. Instead, he made sure to read through everything and make sure he had taken mental notes on everything. Once he was done, he looked up rather passively and replied to Mia’s question. He decides to just state the same information as Mia. “I am kuren Kinoko. I am the grandson of the current leader, of our clan and looking to take over my clan in the future. Our clan specializes in the growing and refining of natural raw materials used for medical purposes and other things. I am not a Taijutsu specialist, but I am pretty well trained in the use of my Tessen and do train very hard to keep my Taijutsu on par with my other abilities. I should also mention that I was born with a unique kekkie Genkei that is inherited only in my clan but its been a long time since someone had fungal release.” He then pauses to think about the last part of his introduction and if the others looked closely they could see a hint of a smile on his face. “I enjoy spending time out in nature, watching the kids of my clan and I also do enjoy cooking. I also prepared meals for us when we decided to take a rest stop. Overall, I enjoy the quieter moments in life.” In an instant his face return to his natural stoic look.
 
Katsumi Nonoba

“U-uh uhm... I’m Katsumi and I uh...” Katsumi was shaking. It was like the time she met Nagisa and Yuuki all over again, except a lot worse. “... I can heal people...” Katsumi said a little louder than before. Hopefully that was loud enough. Hopefully they didn’t think she was going to be worthless this early in the mission. Was she going to be useless?

Katsumi found herself starting to lag behind, so she picked up her pace to catch up, stumbling and nearly falling in the process. Katsumi was certain they didn’t like her now. It was inevitable.
 
"Great! Well, long trip, lets see if we can't get there in a good pace."

----------

A 'good pace' ended up being four days. For most it, Mai noted Katsumi crying quietly, and Kuren collecting weird mold. Mai was really worried now. Then again, great ninja often were... eccentric, so it was to be expected! At least Kuren cooked a good meal, though, Mai was a bit hesitant at first after watching him literally stop to scrape mold off of a tree. She still wondered in between mouthfuls. Mai herself was at a weird loss what to do while they travelled though. She didn't have near enough hobbies it seemed. Writing in her 'sound journal' eventually became boring, and racing to get there seemed like a bad idea for the team. Damnit....

She did pull out a book or two from her backpack, which seemed much lighter than the other object she carried, the Kabutowari. Mai really didn't want her teammates to think her a nerd, but she also really wanted to be prepared for the mission. She'd taken every book she could find on the Goukatsu Tournament and winners.

------

Finally, the group made their way into town, into the midst of a huge festival beforehand as the entire town celebrated the martial arts tournament coming up. Finding a huge mansion, a man with glasses spotted the group. His glasses gleamed, and an eerie excitement came to his lips. He clapped his hands, and a row of servants appeared.
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"Ah! The Leaf group! Welcome, welcome! I'm Saito Saito, I'm incharge of preparing our clan for this tournament! Let's see what we have here. A little scrawny looking, but makes for a great show! I have no doubt in your ability."

He suddenly disappeared between the three, inspecting them like race horses, full of comments, both compliments and observations.

to Katsumi:
"Cracked Knuckles, you can throw a hell of a punch can't you?"

to Kuren:
"Ooo, Tessen, wise, it is not against the rules, and every advantage helps!"

to Mai:
"Strong calf muscles, fast, aren't you?"
(Mai instantly clenched her fist)

And he was back where he started, his hands to his chin, his glasses gleaming.

"Excellent! I'm glad to have you all! Different styles, none of you obviously using a Kekkei genkai or some other nonsense that could land me in trouble. Let me show you to your rooms! OH! One note that's customary. You must understand, A) all clans do this, and B) We're paying you, so... technically in this tournament, only clan members are allowed in. HOWEVER! I would like to name all of you honorary members of the Saito Clan! Please use this name for the tournament, and come with me! We'll have dinner, and talk about you all!"

And he clapped his hands, servants instantly offering to assist the three with whatever baggage they had, and to lead them to a massive dining room, where Saito Saito sat at the head. A large array of fish from the port was nicely laid out, with sauces likely costing more than the entire mission.

"Well, let's talk business, shall we? I'm hiring you to compete, true, but I have to admit, I'm worried. I think we'll having some difficulty competing this year. The Kaito clan is in some... let's say desperate stakes. They were involved heavily with trade from the Mist, and that's, dried up.... I think they're going to cheat. I want you three to scout out your competition this year. Also, I can't have family members I don't know! Stand up, introduce yourself! What sort of things do you like to wear, favorite food perhaps. I hope you like fish. Things your generous host would love to know if you do well! Also, what questions do you have for me? What questions do you have about the tournament. I like things fast, so shoot."

And true to his word, even while he listened, he began to dig into the food. The feast prepared beforehand meant he had someway of knowing when they'd arrive. And he'd pulled out all the stops for the group of chunnin. The only problem with it might be it being too rich for their tastes, being much stronger than regular foods.
 
The trip wasn’t the most thrilling things kuren had dealt with, but it was better than unexpected trouble. He took this opportunity to study his teammates. They both seemed rather odd, but nothing compared Hotaru and Ashi. They may be a team, but the tournament itself was an individual competition. On the Brightside, kuren was able to collect unique samples of mold he could play around with. One specifically caught his interest but for now he had to focus on this misson.

When they finally reached their destination, kuren couldn’t help but unimpressed by their host. That quickly changes when began to make comments about the ninja. Seems he at least had a sharp eye for reading fighters, but it was still rather surface level in understanding. Either way kuren didn’t react and kept a quiet and dignified look. He followed Mr. Saito as he showed them to the dining room. He ate rather slowly, not enjoying the richness and the almost overbearing flavors. He really didn’t have much to ask so he just informed their host of his interest, clothing and overall information. That’s when one question popped into his head. “How and when will the order of matches be decided?” it was a simple question and really it was simple to plan out his schedule. He also didn’t want to elongate this dinner any longer than it need to be. Either way, as soon as this dinner was over, kuren wanted to have a team meeting to go over their game plan for this tournament. InsaneAsylum InsaneAsylum Ganryu Ganryu
 
Katsumi Nonoba

Finally, they had arrived in the village! Katsumi was happy to be in civilization again, and be done with sleeping on dirt for awhile. Her teammates were a lot more peculiar than her own. One had the habit of collecting moss and fungus, so perhaps he was from that one weird clan she had read about sometime ago! Mai on the other hand was a bit more familiar than the other boy. Katsumi recalled that Mai’s mother was a master medical ninja. Of course she also remembered digging the Sanada’s mother out of the old hosital’s rubble...

Upon reaching the mansion, Katsumi was feeling good, the festival having out her in good spirits simply by walking through it. However, the man Saito was far more eccentric than she had expected. A look of shock and fear overtook Katsumi’s face as he explained everything and demanded that they properly introduced herself. The young medic could feel herself shaking. What would she say about herself? What information did he want? Kuren’s question shook her out of her paranoia for a moment. But before his question could be answered, she began to speak.

“I’m Katsumi and I am a medical ninja and I like ham sandwiches and vanilla ice cream but I dont like fish im s-s-sorry...” Katsumi blurted out, before stuttering and trailing off. She hung her head, the embarassment setting in.
 
Mai Sanada

Mai was unsure of how she felt at the man. She definitely wanted to punch him for commenting on her thighs. How did he even see them under her baggy pants? Then again, that was the part that made her unsure. He could tell their fighting styles at a glance!? Mai didn't know anyone in her clan that good. But looking at Saito, he definitely didn't seem like a fighter himself. His reactions were slow, and he definitely seemed more like a spectator than anything.

Mai cursed under her breath. He'd been doing this longer than all three of them put together had, hadn't he? Damnit, Mai wanted to think no one put in as many hours training as she did, but he was so old. At least 30.

Her frustration gave way to the feast though, and Mai's eyes seemed to sparkle. This was the rich stuff. Even her clan rarely had lobster like this. The sauce was weird though, and Mai wasn't sure how she felt about it. Didn't stop her from ravaging the table. She gorged herself the entire time her teammates and Saito Saito talked. She gave an odd raised eyebrow to Katsumi's dislike of fish before she started to cough from inhaling food down the wrong pipe. It took her a minute to breathe.

----------

Saito

Saito laughed as Katsumi stated she prefered sandwiches, and waved for his servants. They instantly cleared the table infront of Katsumi, and went to the back.

"Of course! How silly, I should have asked for your taste before assuming. Anything you want! Afterall, you are our honored guest for this week! Just make sure to repay me with victories!"

The servants quickly came out with a ham sandwich, and a platter of icecream. Saito leaned in at Kuren's question, his eyes sparkling. He handed him a paper showing pairings.

"See, that's the thing. We have the brackets already set up, you start the day after tomorrow. I'm surprised you got here in that time. Now, don't misunderstand, I despise cheating, but a little bit of preparedness might go a long way. While you are here, you might as well scout out the competition. I am paying you to win. So, hmm, wonder if I can give orders to a bunch of shinobi. I do like to think of you as guests but winning is the goal of the game."

Mai gave him a thumbsup, and Saito laughed.

"Alright, your mission is to scout them out and tell me what you find out about their fighting styles! I can help with advice then. ♪Nooooow then, the fun part!♪ Kuren, you're fight a lady named Setsuka. The Tori clan 'adopted' her for the tournament like I'm doing for you all, so I don't know her actual surname. Katsumi, you're fighting Ryuuga, adopted by the Tagamatsu. Mai, you're fighting Tsubasa, adopted by the Sora clan. Now, my servants haven't gotten too much info on them, other than where they are staying.

Hmm... Let's see... Zhu Li, give me the thing."

Saito held his hand out, and a maid gave him a stack of papers. Saito combed through them at impressive speeds.

"Alright, Setsuka's in the ... oh my. Well, she's in the Peach's Garden Hotel. Well, that's... classy. Uh... good light, I mean luck, good luck. J-just check the bar section. Only problem is your age. Uhh... I'll leave that to you.

Tsubasa's in the upper ends of town, Royal Suites. I hear they're often in the Opera house. Well, you get to get some culture in with your spying, isn't that great? Much classier.

Aaand Ryuuga, he's staying at the Mountain Springs Inn. I hear that place has great hotsprings!

You guys need any cash to get into any of these, feel free to use me at your disposal. The return I get on marketting is great."
 
For a second Kuren side glanced at Katsumi, in slight disbelief. The fact that she let her nerves get the better of her, but also because she acted upon her nerves astounded Kuren. Kuren thought were brought to how his grandfather would react if he ever made an outburst like that. He grimaced at the punishments that would be given for behaving in such a manor. Kuren was lost in thought before his attention was brought back to Saito and his overly enthusiastic excitement. Under his breath kuren repeated his opponent's name “Setsuka”. He made it a point to memorize it and felt slight excitement to test his abilities against someone else. He clenched his hand into a fist around the silverware on the table to keep himself in check.

He listened as Saito continued going down their brackets and the location of their opponents. Kuren made sure to finish his dessert and then excused himself. “Thank you for the information. I am sure I speak for all of us when I say we will do our best to win this tournament for you. Although we will also need a place to train once we gather the information on our opponent. Now if you excuse, I will be heading toward the peach’s garden hotel. Chances our this is a perfect time to examine such a location.”

Kuren excused himself from the table and went to change his attire and his appearance using a transformation jutsu. As he began to make his way toward the poorer district, he couldn’t help but let slight discomfort show on his face. The closer he got to his destination the more run-down things seem to become. Then there were the individuals that seemed to be scattered around in alleyways and on the street. I can't believe I am in such a place. Kuren had never been exposure to such a place and this was all something new to him. Kuren wasn’t ignorant to the improvised and harsher areas, but he was taught to willfully ignore them and focus of the himself and his clan. It was both eye opening and unnerving. Kuren couldn’t shake this odd sense of guilt that was bubbling to the surface.

Once kuren reached the bar he was further to put him on edge. Not only was this his first time in a bar, but the grimy, and unhygienic state of everything, made him not want to touch a single thing. The men left little to be desired. Most of them were loud and had a foul odor to them. The displeasure look on his face was very apparent and seemed to rub the bartender the wrong way. He was asked what he want to drink, in a rude tone. Kuren was about to reply with a rude comment when he notices a woman, who didn’t appear to belong in such a place. She seemed graceful, put together and had a way with men. Everyone man was ogling her and seemed to want her attention. The bartender immediately noticed he was staring and gave a sigh. “Good luck with that one. That is Setsuka” that’s all he could say before he had to go help another patron.

Kuren was caught off guard by his comment and gave him a confused look. Kuren decided to stay within range. Where he could keep an eye on her but trying not to draw too much attention to himself. This woman is who I am expected to battle? What about her made a clan want to adopt her for this tournament? She seems like just an average woman. Yet if she was adapted by a clan I shouldn’t just take her at face value. kuren had more questions than answers about her. He decided he would try and bait the answers out of her or the men at the bar. He spoke within earshot of her to no one in particular. “Is it true that the fighter for the Tori clan is staying here? I want to see if they are worse me betting on them.” Kuren tried to emulate the rowdy tone and language that all the other men were using but it came out a little flat. he waited to see if anyone would answer him or even notice him. if it didn't work he would have to resort to plan B. Ganryu Ganryu
 
Kuren Plays a Game

Setsuka daintily twirled an umbrella as men flocked around her. She held a stack of cards in her hand. She waved them in front of her face with an innocent smirk.

“I mean, I would love it if one of you big strong men could show me a thing or two. It seems like such a fun game.”

As she noticed Kuren comment about looking to bet on someone, she fanned herself with the cards, and jumped off the barstool.

“My, my, are you looking for lil’ ol’ me? I’m with the Tori clan. I’m not sure I’m much of a fight though… M-my family needs the money, and the Tori clan graciously let me fight for the prize money. I hope I can win. I mean, I wouldn’t bet on me per say, but I would love your support.”

She proceeded to press her finger against his nose as cutely as she could.

Kuren narrowed his eye at her, trying to see if she was playing him or not. He snickered at her poking of his nose. “It’s hard to believe that you would just enter into a tournament and not plan on winning. You have to at least think you can compete with the rest of the competitors.”

Kuren was beginning to get annoyed her nonchalant attitude. He quickly remembered, he was supposed to be gathering information. “Before you mention playing card a card game. How about I teach you how to play, Miss Tori.”

Setsuka kept up the puppy dog eyes.

“Would you? That would be great! I’ve always been told that playing is the best way to jump in, would you men be up for joining in too? I won’t spend too much, but I think we can have a fun game.”

Kuren’s patience was wearing thin. This woman was not who he wanted as an opponent but either way kuren had to get something out of her. “So, Miss Tori? How do you expect to win this tournament? And do you know anything about the other competitors?” He really didn’t care about the card game or about the constant flirting. Luckily, Ashi and Hotaru had taught him to be patient and at least play nice. “By the way Miss. Tori, your umbrella.”

Setsuka sighed as she lost another hand and put more money in the pile. She then made direct eye contact watching him carefully.

“Weeell, I’m not sure. I’ve got this umbrella as a bit of a weapon. Maybe sweep them away with it? Want to look at it? It’s got a mean poke.

Competitors, hmm… There’s this guy called Kuren I’m suppose to fight. He sounds strong. I hear a lot of the families are hiring ninjas, I hope he’s not one of them. I mean, would you know if he’s… you know… one of them?”

She handed him the umbrella, then put her hands under the table. The umbrella seemed ordinary, if a little heavy.

As he saw the pile of cash increasing on the table, kuren became a little concerned. Setsuka wasn’t at all phased by losing so much money. “For someone who claims their clan needs money. You sure don’t seem that heartbroken about losing so much of it in a simple card game.” kuren added a hit of curiosity and condescension to his tone.

Kuren then became fascinated by the umbella. She uses a weapon in combat. The same as me. When she began asking question about himself kuren didn’t falter with his response. “From what I heard. This kid named Kuren isn’t anything to worry about. He isn't that skilled in hand to hand combat so I wouldn’t worry about him.” Kuren held the umbrella for as little as possible but tried to memorize every detail about it. He knows it's never wise to hold someone’s else weapon, especially if you know nothing about them.

“I am guessing this is what your going to use to battle in the tournament. Very interesting choice of weapon and it seems heavier than most umbrellas. Carrying this around everyday would build a lot of arm strength.”


“Oh, don’t worry about it, a nice old man helped me win earlier. If I lose that, no worse for wear. It helps calm my nerves.”

She picked her hand back up, before laying it on the table.

“I-is this good?”

The entire table went quiet as Setsuka collected the entire sum. The emotions ranged from rage to sheer awe. Setsuka reached over and went to hug Kuren, squeeing as she went. She then whispered in his ear.

“You see, if I won earlier, they wouldn’t have put as much on the table, and couldn’t have made a killing. Being a shinobi is all about that, isn’t it? Pretend to be weak, then strike when an opponent underestimates you, isn’t that right, Kuren? Or at least one of his teammates. Man, underselling yourself like that, I like you.”

Setsuka pulled away, and put on her puppy dog eyes to the rest.

“That was tons of fun! Thank you, stranger, for teaching me! I can pay for dinner tonight now! Why don’t I pay for yours?”

Setsuka went to kiss Kuren. Her lipstick was a vibrant purple.

Kuren kept up the act for the crowd. “It took you long enough but you finally got the hang of things.” He looked at her and consider causing a fight to see her and action but knows she is much better at manipulating then he was. “I would be happy to accept you offer Miss Tori.”

Kuren was not please by the attempt at a kiss and physical pushed himself out of his seat and as far as possible. He spoke with utter outrage and panic “Don't you dare kiss me! Not only is it unbecoming of a lady, but don’t you dare try to play with me the way you do these other men. I do not find you attractive at all and will not be easily tricked by a lowlife like you.” Kuren began to make his way out of the bar. His cover was blown and he was out of his element.

Setsuka just gave a smirk as he pushed away from the embrace she’d not let go of. She grazed him with a hidden senbon in her fingers, not enough to really damage him, but enough to pierce a simple transformation jutsu.

“Uh-huh. You just don’t like to admit defeat. Really are a cutie though, aren’t you? What are the villages teaching these days? Let’s see. Name’s Kuren, and a leaf headband? I think I can do my homework with that. Aw, and he thinks calling me an ugly bitch will get a rise out of me. Well, he’s right. Thank goodness I can take it all out on him tomorrow! Enjoy, come back whenever!”

Looking around at the angry customers, Setsuka sighed, and rolled her eyes. She held up her umbrella and waited for the first one. It did look like she was going to have to brawl regardless. Some men took being played a little too personally.

Once kuren had his transformation broke, he felt his anxiousness go threw the roof. Not only was he shaken by the fact that the women was about to kiss him but now he didn’t even have the clutch of pretending to be someone else. Once he was close to the door, kuren looked towards the fight breaking out and kept his eyes focused on Setsuka. Kuren made a promise to himself he wouldn’t lose to her. Especially knowing the kind of person she was.

“You lousy bitch!” One of the thugs snapped, all but throwing the table aside as he lunged at Setsuka with a drawn knife.

“Aw, I thought I was a great bitch.”

She poked at him with her umbrella, keeping him at the umbrella’s distance. She smiled at the initial poke, and kept poking him away at the pressure points. Being poked at only seemed to infuriate him further, his movements growing more sloppy. Or perhaps hers were growing more graceful? Finally, he snatched and threw a nearby bottle at her.

Setsuka smiled as it missed, flying to the left of her. She walked up nonchalant, and caressed his chin.

“Aw, does the big guy need a nap?”

She stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips.

“Y-you…” He staggered away a few steps before collapsing to the floor.

Setsuka waved at Kuren, and then walked across the bar to retire to her room.

Kuren snickered at the women’s attitude. Overall he wasn't super impressed with her fighting ability but he knew she wasn't going to be a pushover either. Kuren rushed out of the bar, having his fill of the terrible place for the night.

He made back to his quarter and gave an exhausting sigh. He grabbed some not paper and began writing down every detail about tonight while he still remember. He tucked it away and went to take a warm bath. Still feeling uncomfortable and stressed from tonight's events. He took the time to center his thoughts and decided he would speak to Saito tomorrow. He would also need to train.
 
The walk to the Mountain Springs Inn was extremely short compared to Katsumi’s journey from the Leaf, but her feet were aching anyway. It was a nice looking place, being a large wooden building with a slanted roof and surely two floors. Steam rose from behind the building.

Katsumi opened the front door and stepped inside. Her long brown hair was done in a tight bun, so hopefully no one would recognize her if they saw her again later on. To add on to her disguise, she donned a pair of glasses.

The woman at the front counter smiled at Katsumi when she entered, before welcoming her. “Welcome to the Mountain Springs Inn young lady! Are you here for a relaxing massage, or a soak in the hotsprings?”

Katsumi had to think for a moment. A massage sounded wonderful, but she needed to locate Ryuugo. The best way to do that would be to go to the hotsprings, and just slip away to find him. After that, Katsumi would have to wing it.

“Um, I’d like to go to the hotsprings please,” Katsumi said, before slipping the required amount of coin out of her pocket and dropping it on the counter.

The woman nodded. “Alright, just head through that door. It will lead you to the women’s dressing room, where you can find your towel and store your clothes while you relax!”

Katsumi smiled and replied, “T-thank you!” before heading off.

—————

As Katsumi made for the woman’s dressing room she would notice an exodus of men leaving the men’s side. Most of them were older, looking rather flustered or even panicked.

“That guy is crazy!” One of them muttered, pushing hurriedly past Katsumi in his haste. As the last of the men left a frustrated cry rent the peaceful atmosphere of the bathhouse, echoing out from the men’s side of the hotspring.

“RAAAAAAGHH SOMEBODY FIGHT ME!”

Confused by he crowd of men hurrying away from the men’s dressing room, she heard the battlecry of someone from inside the men’s room! Could it be Ryuuga? Katsumi sure hoped not, but she’d have to check either way.

Looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching her, Katsumi slinked to the men’s dressing room, peering inside. Her face was red, the shame and embarrassment of knowing what she was doing made her shiver.

Inside the dressing room was completely deserted except for a single figure. He was tall and lean, all wiry muscle with spiky black hair, bare chested but wearing loose, black pants and simple slippers. And he was furious.

“COOOOME ONN! FIIIIIGHT ME!” He yelled, casting about the room for somebody and finding no one. “HOW CAN YOU HAVE A DECENT BATH WITHOUT FIGHTING BEFOREHAND HUH?! IT CAN’T BE DONE! THEY GO HAND IN HAND! Tchh,”

The man was still plainly angry but he at least lowered his voice to speak normally, as normally as one can speak to themselves anyway. “My strong opponent sense went off the charts for a second there so I thought there was somebody in here worth challenging, but they all ran away, hmm,” The man looked around the empty dressing room again, actually sniffing at the air like a curious dog as he turned towards the doorway...

Katsumi had been observing the man, nearly crying out in fear as he started yelling again. His appearance matched his voice. Both were loud and intimidating. He looked like a fighter, but was he Ryuugo? However, as the man turned towards the door, Katsumi let out a quiet squeak, and dipped back out of sight. She paused for a moment, her hand held to her mouth, before she started slowly walk back towards the women’s dressing room.

“I guess there’s nothing for it,” The man clearly had no understanding of the phrase ‘inside voice’ and his rambling thoughts carried clearly through to the women’s dressing room. “I’ll just have to work out on my own! 1000 straight punches- No! 2000!”

There was the sound of tearing fabric and then a swathe of black fabric that had been previously the man’s pants sailed merrily out of the dressing room entrance as bounding footsteps echoed out of the bath area.

“ONE! HA!-

“TWO! HA!-

THREE! HA!”

Katsumi halted, the sound of ripping forcing her wince. It sounded like he was practicing some moves. Maybe it would be best to get a peek at some of them before she left. Katsumi crept back to the doorway, and once again peeked in, praying to anything and everything that the man was clothed. Not that she hadn’t seen such things at the hospital, but this was different! She would be peeping! Sweat dripped down Katsumi’s forehead.

“FOUR! HA!-

FIVE! HA!-”
Mercifully, the man was not naked, although he wasn’t far from it. A tightly wound fundoshi ran between his buttocks and around to cover his privates but the rest of his wiry frame was completely exposed.

The boy had set himself up in a deep, martial stance and true to his word he was practicing straight punches. Every punch was precise and strong, with most of his body twisting and pushing to support each blow, but far more notable then that was the eruption of glowing, blue chakra from his elbows, propelling each punch forward at incredible speed. At the full extension of each punch chakra would instead blast out of his fists, pushing that hand back the other way and allowing the other fist to twist and extend forward even faster. Each of the counts that echoed out from the bathhouse was actually a flurry of rapid blows.

Katsumi’s eyebrows rose. The guy used chakra in a very unique way to enhance his punches. She didn’t feel it was as effective as her own punches, but it was terrifying nonetheless! He looked pretty athletic too, so he probably had some good moves up his sleeve. Katsumi’s face turned red, as her gaze darted back upwards.

Katsumi heard footsteps coming from the way she came, no doubt someone was coming to see who was causing trouble in the men’s dressing room. Katsumi quickly turned and started walking away as casually and quietly as possible. Of course, with how red Katsumi’s face was and how stiff she walked, it was impossible for her not to catch the eye of everyone she walked past on her way out the door.

Once outside, Katsumi took a deep breath. “Why do I have to fight the scary guy…” she whined to herself, as she drug her fert back towards the mansion. She wasn’t looking forward to the match in the slightest, and at the same time she wanted to get it over with. The sooner the mission was over, the sooner she could be back at the Leaf where it was relatively safe. Besides, she had to get back to her construction buddies too!
 
Mai scratched head as she approached the hotel. She wondered how Katsumi and Kuren were doing in their investigations. They did all suck collectively at stealth. Mai wasn’t even going to bother to covertly try and follow this Tsubasa. She was suppose to be a clan head, diplomacy was always a great option.

Walking to the front desk of the hotel, she bowed politely before the receptionist.

“Hey, I was supposed to meet with a Tsubasa Sora, but… uh… I kinda forgot the room number. Could you remind me of it?”

“Uh, I’m not supposed to?”

“Please? Sorry, about this…”


The receptionist sighed as he opened the ledgers. Flipping through it, he pointed.

“Room 321. I didn’t tell you.”

Mai nodded and walked up the flight of stairs, and exhaled. Acting was not her forte.

“Ugh, hate being polite? Why can’t people just trust me and I trust them. Ugh.”


Looking at the room, she tapped her chin, then faded to black. She reappeared on a rooftop next door, and climbed down.

“Guess gotta freakin’ do it again in a few hours. The hell am I going to do til then? Guess I could walk around town? Training actually seems like a pretty bad idea at the moment. What else do people even do for fun? Wish Yukari was here, but they can pretend I’m not a ninja, buuuut, guess not with her white eyes. "


--- 3 hours later ----


Mai once again approached the hotel receptionist, and was glad to see a different one. The current receptionist had his legs up on the desk and was flipping through a comic book while blowing gum. Mai took a deep breath and tried acting timid again, gagging on it almost.

“So, uh… I lost my roomkey.”


“Room?”

“321.”


Taking a deep sigh, the man rummaged through the draw on his left barely glancing at it, before throwing a set of keys at Mai.

“Don’t lose’em. 200 Ryo.”

Mai bowed politely and dropped a bag of coins on the table. She then went upstairs, and gagged as she went.

“Never… again…”


Finding the room, she put in the spare key and turned it. Inside she flinched from the smell. It smelt like birds… Everything in the room had something to do with birds.

“I’m seeing a theme. Huh. Another dragon for a tiger to eat I guess.”


What looked like plague doctor masks were on the drawers along with some nasty sharp gauntlets Mai knew wouldn’t be allowed in the fight itself. Greaves also were on the floor with pointy metal shoes. Books also lined the shelves. Before Mai could have half a chance to look at them, she heard crows squawking. Mai looked to see a small swarm lunging at her. Mai faded to black and reappeared on the other side of the room. They still chased after her.

“Oh come on!”


Punching them was probably a bad idea… dead birds a stealth mission did not make. Mai dived through the door, and slammed the door. It cracked and the sound reverberated across the area. A cleaning man looked up from cutting a shrubbery on the ground floor.

“Yeah, last cleaning lady did that too. Crazy birdman lives there. Scares the hell out of me. Info broker?”

Mai scratched her chin. Info broker? Why the hell not? She faded to black, and reappeared by the man. He looked a bit surprised.

“Sorry, I’m new at this. Yeah. Trying to find a bit of info to sell on that guy Tsubasa. Guess my covers already blown. You guys used to this?”


“Oh yeah. We mostly just look the other way, afterall, who’d want to hear of the rampant cheating in the Gouketsu tournament. We just want to enjoy good fights. I’m sure every hotel has people trying to check out the rooms.”

Mai contained internal screaming. SHIT! My Dossier’s in my room. I hid it… but what if they are searching it right now!?

“Well… cool. Thought I’d be in more trouble.”


“The plants don’t care. Well, on with ya before you are.”

Mai faded to black as she body flickered as fast as she could towards Saito’s house. She met Saito Saito at the front.

“You look ragged? Everything alright.”

“Realized I left the dossier in my room… Really worried about someone nabbing it. Think Imma keep it with me.”


Saito nodded and stuck his bottom lip out. He snapped his finger and a maid came to attention.

“Zhu Li, find the dossier in Ms. Mai’s room, and put it in my safe.”

“Uh.. thank you. Hey, Li, -”


“Ms. Zhu.”

“Ms. Zhu… could you make sure it’s closed when you find it? If its open… we got a problem.”


Mai sat down in a chair, and offered a small prayer that she didn’t mess up already. She heard a commotion of the maids near the rooms, and had a small heart attack. Eventually the head maid returned.

“Ms. Mai, we could not find your folder. In addition, all three rooms have been broken into, though nothing seems to be missing.”

Mai groaned, and sprawled out against the chair. Crap, she was messing up already.... Her first mission as team leader....

“Ms. Mai, if I may, where did you store it?”

“In my jerky bag.”


“...”

Mai could swear she saw a look of horror on her face. Zhu Li waved one of the maids in the distance. She called back a second later.

“Found it! Also… someone get me soap… it was at the bottom.”

Mai let out a deep gasp and nearly cried. The invaders hadn’t found it. Saito Saito lit up a pipe, and grunted unlike his normal demeanor.

“Seems everyone’s desperate this year. Now I feel like an idiot. Protecting my own manor is MY job! Grr… Did you find anything? Any advantages against Tsubasa?”

Mai shook her head, and Saito puffed more furiously. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in Mai’s head.

“Buuuut, I did find something useful! Apparently there are alot of info brokers throughout the city. This was probably one of them… Hey, Saito, is there a blindfold laying around here?”

“What sort of man do you take me for!?” The pipe drooped.

“No, no, Imma go spread false information. Pretend I’m a Hyuga. Use a blindfold to hide my eyes and raise suspicion.”


“Haven’t had a Hyuga here in 15 years. We decided Gentle fist was too close to ninjutsu. And Kekkei Genkai were unfair. Besides, how would you fight without your eyes?”

“Exactly! If people draw attention to that, I can just punch them off the stage. And, pfft, fighting blind is easy.”

The pipe dropped out of Saito’s mouth, and was replaced with a grin.

“Well, what are you waiting for!? Zhu Li, do the thing! Get this girl a blindfold! Also, clean that tobacco up!”


The head maid curtsied, and left for the store, another came to clean the floor and restock the pipe.

“So, where are the other clans in the city. I can sell the info to them. Hehe… how much should I charge? How much would you pay?”

“Well, that all depends on your audience. Let’s start talking clans! The Tori clan is the worst off, I’m surprised they can even afford to participate, but because of that, they are desperate! Charge’em high! We’ll come back to them. Now for the rest…”

It took Mai three hours to hear Saito out… her head was spinning. Shaking her head, she used transformation jutsu, and headed to the various clans.
 
Mai sat around the living room in a chair that was far too comfortable. She wanted one. Then again, remembered Saito's budget.... maybe not ask. Not until she was clan head at least. Saito sat with his hands folded and his chin on it. His face was an odd combination of excitement and seriousness.

"So, what'cha guys find? I'm so excited to start planning! A year is too long to wait for such a spectacular tournament!"

His maid approached with paperwork.

"Not now, Zhu Li! We can figure out advertisement after this meeting. I expect to make a KILLING this year! Oh, if we could catch a cheater, it would be even better! Nothing rakes in dough better than the triumphant underdog. Lecture me later. Alright, Ms. Mai, let's start with you, what have you done today?"

"Well... I didn't find too much about Tsubasa. He has a bird obsession though. Bird mask, bird gauntlets, bird greaves, bird birds... Since I couldn't get anything out of him, I tried spreading some false information. Everyone in town thinks I'm a Hyuga. I can copy Yukari well enough that I can start off at least. Oh.... uh guys, someone broke into our rooms by the way. They didn't get the mission dossier though. I hid it in my jerky. Might want to make sure all your stuff is there. They didn't take Kabutowari, so I don't think they were thieves."


Mai sighed.

"Still annoyed I didn't get anything though... I suck at stealth."
 
Looked directly at Saito when Mia mentions someone broke into their room. “Seems as if you have to tighten up security. We should have anticipated that we wouldn’t be the only ones to try and get information on our opponents.” From that point kuren began telling Saito about what had happened at the bar. “The women I am facing uses an umbrella as a weapon. So, we are both weapon users, but I am not sure if she knows I use tessen yet. I saw her fight a little and she aims for specific points on the body. Other than that, she seemed to be really good at manipulating and lying. She tries to use her natural feminine appearance to take advantage of others. I also believe she might use poisons.” Kuren then goes on to describe her physical appearance and her personality. “I must admit, I am not happy that I am facing this woman in my match. Chances are she isn’t the best at close range, but her umbrella will be a problem.” Ganryu Ganryu InsaneAsylum InsaneAsylum
 
“U-uh well... Ryuugo was making his punches stronger snd faster with chakra... he was pretty athletic looking too. H-he was really scary...” Katsumi admitted, looking down at her feet. Mai and Kuren no doubt gathered way better information sbout their opponents, and were prepared. All she knew was that his ounches were going to hurt more. In the bck of Katsumi’s mind, she knew it wouldn’t be too much of a problem if she could land at least one hit, but that’d never happen anyway...

“I really don’t like having to fight p-people...”
 
Saito listened carefully, and pulled out his pipe, thinking.

"Hmm. Interesting. Tori clan being desperate, and hired a cheater at all cost. High risk, high reward. Gets my blood boiling. Problem is proving it... If only we had a sample or a way to prove. Any clue how she was able to poison? If its a weapon, breaking it might be an option. Or if you can't do that, disarm'er. "

A ring of smoke rose.

"And Ryuugo, hmm... Stronger, faster. Sounds direct. Grapple'em! Normally I'd advise against it with your frame, but I know better than to assume with ninja. Your knuckles tell your story. Or you could just hit harder than them can. Whatever you want."

He continued to tap his pipe, growing faster and faster, and turned to Mai.

"And if you have no clue how your opponent works, bait'im. See what he has. Be patient. If you throw your hand too quick, you lose. Not sure the whole trying to be a Hyuga schtick would work, but if you think it'll work, try it."

Tapping his pipe faster and faster, ash started to spill out.

"I haven't been this excited for a long time! Well, let's get to work practicing. "

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

The first day of the tournament, the roar of the crowd could be heard from the distance. Despite Goukatsu Bay being a rather small port town, the tournament had drawn people from all the surrounding countries. Outside, snow gently fell, and it gave a surreal feeling to the entire scene. Inside the stadium, a large marble stage was set up in a square, with a walkway from all four directions headed up to it. An announcer box was set up, and a referee was ready to go.

The stadium itself was curiously organized into banners. Each of the 8 major clans in the city had a section of the stands sponsored. Saito Saito could be seen with his army of servants, and family, and many others cheering from the Saito section. He wore a large foam finger with his own name on it, whistling as loud as he could as all the participants would march onto the stage.

The referee took a while to silence the crowd well enough to explain the rules.

"Welcome to the 185th annual Goukatsu Bay Martial Arts Tournament! Its nice warm weather this time, last year was a blizzard for those of you who remember it. Now rules. Each clan can have its members participate for glory, for honor, and for 30 million Ryo!

Now the rules are simple. Absolutely no ninjutsu, genjutsu, outside interference, poisons, bladed weapons, or heavy weapons are to be allowed. Most of you should have had your weapons inspected if you are using them. Now, for those of you proud enough to use your fist, don't worry about it!

Now, don't kill or maim your opponents, that is unsportsmanlike. Do, however, make them submit, knock them out, or throw them out the ring! I can also call a match that seems onesided. Alright, lets give it up to our first match! Kuren Saito vs Setsuka Tori!"
 
“And next fight, we have Mai Saito vs Tsubasa Sora! This is a fight for the ages! Don’t miss a single moment.”

Mai braced herself, her palms out, as she approached her opponent. She was wearing a blindfold, but she had looked before the fight, her opponent was weird. Still, hopefully she could fake him out by making him think she was a Hyuga.

Before her, well, not that she could see anyways, was a tall young man, lean and thinly framed, his clothing seemed made of blackened leather topped off with a rather excessive cape made of feathers. Atop his head lay a bird skull shaped mask, all in all, he seemed like one of those try hard costume wearing people who want to be extra dark and scary.

“Alright, combatants, get ready, get set, go!”

Mai held herself as elegantly as she could… which admittedly wasn’t her forte. She was copying how Yukari moved in her spars, it was a weird style. Bagua mixed with Dim Mak from what Mai understood. She could do Bagua, the movement, but she couldn’t do Dim Mak, the touch attacks. Mostly because she didn’t have either the dojutsu or medical knowledge to do it. Still… she hoped it would make her opponent cautious the possibility that Mai was a Hyuga.

The man stood where he was as well, the match started and his opponent was standing still as the grave already. It mattered little, for he began with stretching his arms out, unfurling the feathered cape behind like as if a breeze had taken it, his hands outstretched and flat.

He his head slightly and peered with a blue eye towards Mai.

“...Come.”

“Now that’s how you do presentation!”


Mai shuffled towards him, then moved suddenly, her wrist moving in a circular pattern, trying to knock Tsubasa’s arms away. Her furious scrubbing motions moved trying to leave his face open for a wrist strike.

“Why do you wear the eye covering?” the man asked as he suddenly leaned backwards and with a kick fast as lightning planted his bare foot into her stomach, his left hand braced upon the ground as the other
still held it’s open palm.

“Perhaps.. You are like me?” he retracted his foot, planted it upon the ground and utilized the movement's momentum to rise up and swing a round house kick towards Mai’s head with movements that seemed to replicate Leaf whirlwind.

Mai finally knew what being a bird felt like as the foot was planted firmly in her stomach sending her flying. She was so worried about the hands she’d forgotten about the feet. Her opponent asking about her blindfold only made her feel more embarrassed. With a grunt, Mai ripped off the blindfold.

“You know what? Screw this. It was supposed to be a constant guess of what my style was, try and catch you off guard, and end it quick. That ain’t me. I know one style: How to hit.”


Mai responded with a roundhouse of her own, matching her opponents kick, and flinching slightly as their legs crossed. The kick from earlier to her gut also wasn’t gentle. Still, this was much more fun than faking some fighting style. Time was starting to slow down. Mai sent another kick at her opponent, a front kick to her opponent’s chest.

“To trick the trickster a clever ploy.” the man did not visibly waver under her assault, the intercepting strikes were like a duelist’s parry. Two intersecting blades, a show of skill before one would strike again!

He spun once more placing his opened palm upon the leg coming forwards and used it to continue his upwards momentum. He sailed over her and landed with nary a sound as he thrusted forwards with a straight punch towards her back.

“Quickly now..” he softly whispered, curious about his odd opponent.

Mai watched as her opponent disappeared above her head, and crouched down. As he punched, she kicked upwards in a bicycle kick, backflipping over the punch, and landing her palms on Tsubasa’s arm. Mai’s legs fell towards Tsubasa’s face as she tried to hold his arm.

Quickly going limp the man went low and rolled his arm in the grip, utilizing his flexibility to avoid the strike narrowly. “You have such power… and cunning.” he rose once more and dragged his arm towards him bringing about a retributive head butt aimed at her forehead.

...Which kinda looked like a peck in a way.

“Me? Cunning?”


Mai was surprised enough time sped up again, and a grunt happened as she took a headbutt directly, dropping off her opponent. Mai had enough sense at least to steady herself against the ground, and jump away. She could feel blood on her head.

“Indeed, you fight with strength, but yet not like an average brute. One need not be intelligent to do battle, but those who survive rely on their wits, as well as their strength. Even birds of prey utilize this.” he opened his palms once more and unfurled his cape, as if letting off the stress that as accumulated in the brief skirmish.

“Now then, are you ready?”

Mai rubbed the blood from her forehead and cracked her neck.

“Yeah… Guess I can’t always screw around. Probably what makes it so I’ve never actually won friendly duel. But I don’t plan on losing here!”

Mai took a deep breath, and time slowed down again. Mai wanted that feeling of speed again. To go fast… faster… faster. Mai faded to black, appearing in front of him with an uppercut.

“Enguarde!” the blue eye flashed beneath the mask, with a flurry of motion the man sidestepped the strike, just barely enough that it missed him, but sent the mask flying up into the air with great force. But the movement did not end there, as in retaliation he sent a heavy strike right into the base of her arm pit, a strike that would certainly mess with the arm should it land.

The other hand lay open still, ready to strike as well!

Mai responded with a sweep of her arm at his face, not bothering to block, instead trying to exchange blows. Everything around her was becoming more focused, yet Mai was relying less on thought and more on instinct. She had to hit, hit, and hit harder! Go fast, faster, faster! Mai would flinch at the blow, but instead of backing away, she walked forward to the source of the pain, Tsubasa.

Tsubasa was struck back with the weight of the blow, a hand clutched his face, but he did not stop there, the blue eye glaring towards Mai, the other eye remained covered with an eye patch. “Clever. It is not often I feel this much pain… Now then.”

Without another word he rushed forwards and, with almost a blink of an eye, he seemed to vanished, reappearing upon Mai’s left with a raised leg ready to strike at her knee. “Neat trick, mind if I partake?”

Mai watched every step, a little taken aback at her own tech. She couldn’t move her right arm too much anymore, yet, for some reason, at the moment, that didn’t matter to her. She felt so good in the fight, who cared? Mai turned to black, but instead of reappearing farther away, she came closer, trying dive into the man with a shoulder tackle, her feet off the ground in the dive. She was starting to laugh madly.

“Can’t stop. This is fun!”


Like the slipper opponent he was he moved away from the strike, creating some distance between him and his opponent.

“Quite so,but I dare say.. Our battle ends soon…” the man unfurled his cape once more, taking in a deep breath as he stared down his opponent.

Mai’s ragged breathing increased as she ended up on the other side of the arena, nearly ringing herself out, she turned to her opponent, and with a shaking tone, addressed him.

“It can’t be over. This is just where things get fun! I’m just getting serious! DON’T CALL IT OVER YET!”


Mai faded to black.

And so did Tsubasa.

The rest of the fight became an almost impossible to trace blur of movement, in various points of the fight the two could be seen with Mai with the upperhand, another with Tsubasa having it, several pieces of the arena were all but destroyed by strikes none could place and several people in the crowd found themselves ducking for cover from the shrapnel of many a strike.

Mai panted harder and harder, her heart was about to explode, she felt like she was about to die...of fun! Her opponent all of a sudden was matching her speed instead of redirecting her anymore. Mai had never had a fight like this before. She flew at him with all the speed she had, and struck at him, only to have her blow blocked, and the two were already passed eachother before they could react again. Turning around, Mai flew at him again. And again, and again. Mai tried getting creative, and tried heel dropping him during one such exchange. He slipped through her attack, and she shattered a tile beneath her. A few more passes left craters. Mai’s crazed laughter could be heard from the crowd all around.

“I’ve never had this much fun! Forget the tourney, all that matters is this! ANOTHER! ANOTHER!”


Mai launched herself one more time at her opponent, watching each movement. Her heartbeat seemed to take forever. She suddenly stomped on the ground, planting her foot violently onto the stage, and leaving herself open to a strike.

Solid Ground

She bet everything on one last strike, decking forward with all the movement turning into a single haymaker.

“Try this!”


Tsubasa could barely withstand the forced behind their movements, the speed was almost impossible to comprehend but his instincts kept him from failure each and every step. The speed, the immense speed, it was amazing!

With the world ticking by at a unbelievably slow pace he readied his final strike, leaping up into the air he dive bombed Mai with a lightning fast downward thrusting kick!

“Begone!”

Mai’s halfcrazed smile met him as he dived, and she planted herself firmly, taking the hit, and slightly sliding back, before delivering an almighty punch into the man’s gut, her fist embedding itself into his stomach, before sending him blasting off the stage. Mai was sure she felt a kidney. Still, Mai laughed, and laughed and laughed, all the way to the ground. Why was everything black?

“And the winner is…. MAI SAITO!!!” the announcer rung out as Tsubasa landed out of the ring, thankfully upon a pile of other fighters as several birds came over to carry him off for medical attention, and possibly check if his kidney was destroyed. Several medics came to the field for Mai as well, as she’d accumulated many injuries as well, even though she’d tanked most of them throughout the fight. A cracked rib and a little internal bleeding wasn’t a bad days work.

The announcer continued.

“Alright, what an incredible fight! That concludes the current fight. The next one will commence shortly… after we clear the arena. Katsumi Saito vs Ryuga Tagamatsu."
 
“And now for our first match ladies and gentleman, Kuren Saito versus Setsuka Tori! Two weapons users to boot! Which will come out on top? The lady with a parasol, or the mysterious boy with a tessen? While unusual, I can’t wait to see the results!”

Setsuka smirked as she entered the stage, giving a graceful curtsy before spinning her umbrella behind her.

“Oh my, I hope you’re not too rough. I am just a lady. I’ll try to give this my best, though I’m not sure how well I’ll do. I’m hoping you do your best as well, boy.”

She blew a kiss to Kuren, her eyes mischievous.

“So, do you want to start?”

Kuren took a ready stance and drew out his tessen. He was dress in a green gi and it seemed rather loose on him. “ I can tell you one thing. You are not a lady by any means and i will not go easy on a dishonorable fighter.”

“Not that you will be much of a challenge because i have seen you in battle already and you have yet to see me. So why dont you make this easy on us and just forfeit.” his eyes were cold and trying his hardest to read her expression.

Setsuka’s eyes flashed in annoyance. However, she quickly hid it in an act, and acted betrayed.

“N-not ladylike? H-how could you? And seen me fight? H-have you been following me? Uh, I really don’t want to involve the police. W-well, here I go.”

Setsuka quickly looked at the crowd which were now booing Kuren. She rearranged a ring on her left hand, just to be sure, then she slowly shuffled towards Kuren. She feinted a thrust at Kuren’s chest with her umbrella, before pulling it back and stabbing at his thigh.

Kuren ignored the crowd and knew he really didn’t need them to be on his side just yet. As she thrust at his chest, he brought his tessen down to block but quickly he realized she was going for his thigh.

He shifted his feet to the left to create a new angle for the umbrella just in case she actually hit. He then brought down his left arm with his tessen in hand to knock at the umbrella with full force.

At the umbrella being knocked away, Setsuka stepped back to give herself space.

“So, how do you plan on getting past it? I mean, being a famous martial artist who’s seen all my moves it must be easy. Who are you again?”
Setsuka thrust again at Kuren, aiming at his left hand.

Kuren pulled both hands in to his chest and does a circle step to move out the way. He then goes to strike Setsuka hand with his right tessen and has his left tessen ready to block when the time comes.

“I have patience. When the time comes I’ll outlast you and then everyone will see how unimpressive you are. After all, you're really not that special as a fighter or a woman.”

Setsuka simply aimed a strike under Kuren’s thrust, having the longer reach. Her hand would probably get hit, but so would Kuren’s armpit.

Kuren immediately dropped his tessen and used his hand to catch the umbrella. His felt th force of the umbrella but try to keep a grip on the umbrella. He circled and pull the umbrella trying to pull the girl balance and aim a knee for her gut.

Setsuka was taken aback by the sudden taking of her umbrella, seemed the boy had half a brain. She, however, was not a woman to be take completely by surprise. She moved to block his knee with her other hand. She couldn’t stop the blow in the least, but why would she want to? The ring was wooden, and ovular facing her palm, a perfect tool for a kunoichi aiming for a pressure point. In this case, the perfect object to dig into Kuren’s knee cap as he hit her. The more force he put into the strike, the worse his knee would be.

Still, a hit was a hit, and Setsuka cried out as she was hit, and jumped back from the blow, disoriented from the strike.

Kuren felt the pain in his knee as he made impact with her gut. He pushed himself back as best his could and kneeled down to take pressure off his knee. He used the umbrella as a crutch and held himself up.

“What did you do to my knee?” Kuren was upset that he fallen for the bait. He hobbled his way over, making a effort to look as crippled as possible.

Once he was in striking distance, he dropped down to his knee and pushed himself forward into a leg shot and wrapped his arms around her leg and tried to knock her into the ground.

Still stunned, Setsuka couldn’t move out the way. It wasn’t til she was on the ground she’d regained herself. Grunting, she slapped the ring over and over again against Kuren’s back to get him to let go, particularly the shoulders. The wooden ring would easily dig into the flesh, and disjoint areas it hit.

“Trying to grab hold of a lady’s dress? You fiend! I’m a lady damnit!”

Setsuka was now hurting from the front and the back from the knee and the throw.

Kuren felt his shoulder blade pop out when Setsuka hit him as he was attacking her. Kuren was going to let the bone set so he quickly popped his shoulder back into place but let out a sight yell.

Kuren went for a simple punch to Setsuka’s face.

Setsuka rolled to the side as Kuren punched, quickly grabbing her umbrella at halfway down, and stabbing it at her aggressor above her, aiming at Kuren’s thigh again. There wasn’t much force behind it, but didn’t seem to stop her any.

“Didn’t you know a lady’s face is a gift of the gods!?”

“If that's the case your face must be a curse from demons.” Kuren laced his voice with a mocking tone. Kuren used the tessen in his hand and opened the metal fan open and placed the fan in front of his thigh to block the attack. With his other hand his latched onto her wrist and tried to force her arm to lockout. His thumbs forcing pressure on her wrist in an awkward position.

Seeing her opponent bend over to grab her wrist, and the other arm occupied, Setsuka got a mischievous smile on her face. She laid back, and curled up her legs in front of her chest, then sprung upwards with full force of her body against her back, kicking upwards with both feet… straight into Kuren’s family jewels.

“Oh honey, you’re not one to talk in any regard. I’ll just go ahead and make sure there aren’t any more like you.”

Kuren let out a high pitch whine and instantly reached for his groin. Kuren rolled away from setsuka and took a minute to catch his breath. At this point in time kuren wanted to use ninjutsu but had to refrain. He looked towards the women and gave a nasty snarl. He kept a gaze on her and waited to see what she would do next.

Setsuka slowly stood up, panting as well. She hurt. This little pest was still struggling. If she could just get one little hit in. One proper hit. Still, the last strike was SATISFYING.

“Well, now I’ve seen what you can do, so why dont you make this easy on us and just forfeit?” She repeated back to him.

Kuren smirked a bit, “No way, you seem to be putting up a fight.” Kuren moved as quickly has he could to get into close range with her. And with one tessen and an open palm he struck her in her ear to throw off her equalibrum. He then brought his hands down and took hold of her finger and her wrist. Once he was sure he had restrained her arm he pushed his head froward in a headbutt.

Setsuka simply poked at him, aiming a thrust at his chest, and jumped back, not letting him in close range.

Kuren opened his fan to block the attack.with his other hand he reached over to grab the umbrella again and pull it out of her hand.

Setsuka pulled hard against it, making sure he had a good grip on it without letting go, before kicking downward at his good knee, trying to cause it to hyperextend. Having a bad one would make dodging difficult.

Kuren glanced down at his feet and noticed that Setsuka was going to kick him. Kuren knew he didn't have much room to dodge. He decided his best defence would be to attack. Trying to out speed Setsuka’s attack, kuren jump up and aimed for her ribs. It seemed Kuren was performing a jumping knee strike.

Setsuka responded the exact same way as the last time Kuren tried to knee her, only this time she managed to see him coming. Setsuka dropped her umbrella and slapped at his knee as hard as she could. One bum knee was usable. Two bum knees, and an hurt shoulder was going to be tough. Sure Setsuka hurt, and her world was spinning, but at least her limbs were usable. She’d trade a broken rib for 3 out of the 4 limbs of her opponent not working.

Kuren felt the sting of his good knee and knew that he was down another limb. Kuren knew that in a standing match he was currently no match for them. Kuren decided to use the force from the jump and attack to push setsuka to the ground. Kuren tries to plant all his weight on her broken ribs. With his one good arm he restrained the arm with the ring in an arm lock. With his bum shoulder he planted his forearm on the throat.

Kuren was beginning to feel deep-seated emotions bubbling to the surface. “I can’t use my limbs to hold myself up but don't think that they still can’t cause damage.”

Setsuka cried from the pain as she was toppled to the ground. Reaching out to the side, she grabbed hold of the umbrella halfway down, and moved to thrust it at Kuren’s side. She was choking for breath.

Kuren feels the pain from the stabbing of the umbrella and instinctively lightens the pressure on her ribs.

At the press of the umbrella, he would feel a prick as inside the head, a needle shot out and retracted extremely quickly. It was coated in a toxin that would mess with one’s sense of equilibrium.

Kuren felt an odd sensation and felt his body’s sense of balance being thrown off.
Kuren was beginning to see red. “After everything you still continue to cheat and think you can keep up with me.” kuren put more pressure on her throat and kept it going until he was sure that she was out cold. Kuren rolled over on to his back and let out a yell. He stumbled up and got his arm raised. He stumble and off balance as he made his way out of the ring. Once he was out of the ring, he made a point to find a trashcan to through up from the effect the toxin was having on his body. He then went to find his teammates and host. Ganryu Ganryu
 
Katsumi Nonoba vs Ryuuga Tagamatsu

The Heart of a Fighter


Finally, the stage had been repaired from the prior match, and the injured combatants had been safely transported to safer location. The announcer spoke up, preparing to start the next match.

“Alright ladies and gentleman, I hope you’re ready, because the next match is about to begin! Please welcome our two combatants, Katsumi Saito, and Ryuuga Tagamatsu!”

The crowd let out a booming roar. The excitement brought from the last match left the crowd wanting more. They wanted to see another amazing fight!

“First, let’s welcome Katsumi to the stage! She looks nervous, so let’s cheer her up!” the announcer yelled out as Katsumi trudded onto the stage with shaky legs. She gazed up at the crowd surrounding her, and she felt something suddenly building up in her stomach. She quickly ran to the edge of the stage and vomited over the side of the stage.

“Oh, well, um… Let’s put our hands together for Ryuuga!”

“Heh he, the old ‘vomit over the side of the ring to get inside your enemy’s head tactic eh? Pretty clever, I can see I’m going to have to go all out here. But a strategy like that won’t be enough to stop RYUUGA! TAGAMATSU! OF THE EIGHT LIMBS EXPLODING PALM! HYAAARRRRRGGH!”

Ryuuga struck a pugilistic pose and and the bell rang in the background heralding the start of the match. Without warning blasts of light blue chakra erupted from Ryuuga’s heels and he rocketed forwards, closing the gap between them in an instant.

“EIGHT LIMBS RECIPROCATING BARRAGE” Hyuuga yelled, unleashing a barrage of punches boosted by chakra erupting from his elbows in the same manner Katsumi had witnessed at the hotsprings. Only this time each punch was finished off with an explosion of chakra from his knuckles that forced the fist back, allowing him to swing and convert the energy into his next punch from the other hand, creating a seamless and furious combination.

Katsumi squealed, and quickly brought her arms up in front of her to try and defend herself from the chakra boosted barrage. It didn’t work well, and she could feel the punches crashing into her ribs, stomach and side. The punches really hurt! She wouldn’t be able to fight back at this rate and would fall of the stage. She planted her feet, and disappeared.

Having body flickered around Ryuuga and to the other side of the stage was quite the trade-off. She rubbed some blood from her lip, and wiped the wetness from her eyes before getting back into her fighting position.

Ryuuga ceased his barrage and turned on his heels, boosting himself in the opposite direction to close in on Katsumi “No worthy opponent can hide from RYUUGA TAGAMATSU!” he roared as he moved. “TAGAMATSU TATSUMAKI KICK!” as he moved into range Ryuuga’s back leg lifted and spun into a chakra propelled roundhouse kick aimed at Katsumi’s ribs.

Katsumi was ready for Ryuuga’s speed this time, but she still quivered as he sped towards her. She had been preparing for more punches, but the fact that he yelled out his moves let her anticipate what he was doing before his leg even started rising. She ducked under the kick and scampered back to the middle of the stage, nearly falling on her face. She didn’t seem too tired or worn down despite the initial besting she took when the match began. The crowd was getting tired of Katsumi running away, and started booing. A few angry spectators even threw their food and drinks towards the stage!

“TATSUMAKI KICK!” Ryuuga spun and launched another spinning kick, his foot colliding with several incoming pieces of debris from the audience. “Nobody interferes in the fights of RYUUGA! TAGAMATSU!” Ryuuga yelled, his wiry form was already covered in a thin sheen of sweat and he was grinning madly. “If you can’t shut your traps and watch then you don’t even deserve to be in those seats!”

With the audience seemingly cowed into silence Ryuuga turned back to Katsumi, inhaling a breath with slow hiss. This time there was no warning, Ryuuga lunged forwards with mad combination of kicks and punches, using his chakra propelled speed to link them together seamlessly despite the odd angles and stances they came from.

Despite Ryuuga’s sudden charge, Katsumi was ready. Katsumi once again brought her now bruised arms up to block as much as she could, she wrapped her arm around an incoming kick. She planted her feet, and with the help of her chakra, tried to slam her opponent into the ground on the opposite side of her! Katsumi couldn’t help but let out a high pitched grunt as she strained.

“YYYEEEEAH NOW WE’RE IN IT!” Ryuuga screamed excitedly as his upper body flew threw the air, just as he was about to slam into the ground he got his arms in front of him and released another burst of chakra as he hit the ground to counteract the force of the impact. From the loud smack Ryuuga made as he hit the ground he still took considerable damage, but he was still in the fight. Immediately Ryuuga wrapped his free leg around the other side of Katsumi’s torso and attempted to roll forwards onto his back, flinging Katsumi overhead in much the same way she had to him. Ryuuga didn’t have Katsumi’s strength, he was hoping to use his speed and her momentum to surprise her rather than overpower her.

In complete shock, Katsumi found herself being smashed headfirst into the ground. She lay still for a moment trying to understand how he had so easily continue fighting after being slammed! Everyone she had used to chakra strength on in the past had all been incapacitated in the first hit!

This guy was insane!

Katsumi struggled to her feet finding it hard to regain her breath and balance, but she brought her arms back in her fighting stance anyway.

Ryuuga scrambled to his feet as well, assuming a fighting stance that was slouched and unsteady compared to his earlier form. Like Katsumi his breathing was ragged and a trickle of blood ran down his temple but his manic grin remained undiminished.

“Heh, this is the way to do it,” Ryuuga said, wiping away the blood with the back of of his hand. “I’m gonna put everything I have into one, final attack to settle things one way or the other,”

Ryuuga paused and inhaled deeply. “TAGAMATSU! TATSUMAKI! KICK!” he roared, rocketing forward one last time with chakra boosted spinning kick.

“You shouldn’t have told me that…” Katsumi muttered, bringing her right fist back, as chakra flowed into it. The young ninja had no intention of holding back.

As Ryuugo flew forward, Katsumi put her all into a chakra enhanced punch straight into his oncoming leg.

Leg met fist in a clash of chakra, but Katsumi’s strength won out and Ryuuga was sent flying out of the ring, colliding with the front of the stands with an almighty crash. A hesitant silence fell over the crowd and then the announcer hastily piped up.

“L-Ladies and Gentlemen! The Winner is Katsumi Saito! What an explosive finish I can’t believe this is only the first round!”

With that the audience broke into applause, sporadic at first but growing in intensity until it was readily apparent the match had won over Katsumi’s detractors in the crowd. Slowly, Katsumi brought her hands above her head, and surprisingly, smiled.

“I did it!” she yelled, before remembering everyone's eyes were on her. She quickly brought her hands down, and gave the crowd a nervous wave as her usual shyness returned.

For the first time, Katsumi had won with her own strength.

InsaneAsylum InsaneAsylum
 

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