Fandom 𝔴𝔥𝔦𝔰𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔦𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓉

[Emmie]

Hello, this thread is closed for myself and ReaperMelia. Thank you for your understanding.
The images in the banner and both of my character faceclaims were AI generated, and the banner itself was made by me. I hope this counts as credit!​

“It’s easy,” A mocking voice rang out, dripping with superiority. “You’re just too lazy to learn it!” Miko Hoshigaki, a young kunoichi who fancied herself the prodigal joy of her clan, poked the timid boy next to her in the temple with a wet finger, droplets that were once a small orb of water she’d been playing with now slowly sliding down the boy’s face.

The white-haired boy, Usui Tano, pouted and wiped it away with his sleeve. The prickling gooseflesh on his arms from humidity of early morning and the ocean mist was uncomfortable enough without her helping. “I’m not lazy, I’ve trained and trained, I just can’t transform my chakra nature to water!” He crossed his arms and looked away in frustration, mentally chiding himself for admitting he hadn't acquired that skill yet to someone who loved any ammunition to tease him with. She'd rub his nose in this one forever, until he learned. Learned not to open his mouth, that is - she'd never let him forget any time she'd obtained a new skill first.

“Becauuuse…. You’re lazy!” The shark grinned and folded her arms behind her head. Behind her smug expression was a girl who’d just learned how to change chakra nature exploding with pride over what surely meant she was already a top-tier jutsu user, worthy of the Hoshigaki name. After a few days of mentoring from her older sister, she’d picked the technique up relatively quickly, and everyone she’d come across for the last several days had received a demonstration of the water ball she could dance along the tips of her fingers whether they consented or not. The self-centered teen couldn't imagine anyone not being interested in seeing the cool trick she'd learned. "You think just because your chakra control is good, you can just slack on everything else!”

He was used to this behavior; if he had to describe her, ‘confidently incorrect’ immediately came to mind. When she was wrong, she was very wrong, and there was no convincing her otherwise without an entire island of evidence to the contrary - and even then, she would cling to some sliver that supported her contrarian argument. ”Yeah, whatever,” Usui muttered dejectedly, knowing he wasn’t getting anywhere. She would never believe his inability wasn’t for lack of trying; he’d spent hours every day practicing, desperately trying to catch up to his more combat-capable peers. If the assignment was patching up simple wounds, he could do wonders, but throwing chakra? Let alone turning it to water? It just seemed impossible.

“I’m glad you agree~” Miko singsonged, thoroughly mistaking his lack of desire to fruitlessly argue for him having no excuses for himself. Naturally, any response he could’ve made would only have proved her correct in some way or another. “But it’s okay, Usui. Not everyone is born talented, or hard-working, or into a prestigious family,” The sharklet spun on her heel after skipping forward a few steps and made a playful peace sign next to her face. “Or super cute!”

The young ninja’s eyes rolled so hard it hurt. Her delusion was as plain as the blue on her face. “Right, Miko, sorry, I keep forgetting you’re the best and most powerful and strongest and most pretty-ful-est kunoichi that ever graced this island.”

“Hehe~ If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were being sarcastic!” Her pace picked up, the compliments, however facetious, putting a spring in her step and leaving him to wonder if she was clueless, in denial, or both. Probably both, really.

Usui’s eyes resumed scanning the trail in front of him, looking for anything out of the ordinary. This mission had him on edge, though he couldn’t place why; these routine patrols happened at least twice a day, and this edge of the island overlooking the northern sea never saw any commotion. The safety of these patrols was exactly why they'd assigned this boring route to two kids who barely knew what a shuriken was. In fact, they were such boring tasks that the pair had long since left their zone and entered another patrol’s territory. It had become routine for them - or, more accurately, Miko - to extend their walks around the island's border for the sake of having something to do. He didn't mind this, however. The view of the sea was beautiful, even when the dense mist that hovered above was at its thickest, and the Hoshigaki girl was as entertaining as she was infuriating.

Statistically, of course, something was bound to be different sooner or later. The blue-skinned girl was humming a carefree little tune and marching along as he spotted what that was.

On full alert, he tensed and pulled a kunai knife from his hip pouch, holding it at the ready in front of him. “Shh!” He urged, a hand on her shoulder to halt her movement. Anger flashed across her face and she shoved him, clearly surprised at how firmly planted he was. Finally, she took the hint and followed his gaze; a short distance from them was a small ring of stones, sticks turned to charcoal, and a half-eaten piece of bread discarded near the bushes. There would be no reason for a villager to camp in this location, and the design of the firepit was… Odd. It appeared as though whoever built it was attempting to keep the flames as small as possible, as though not to be detected. Silencing his movement with delicate heel-toe steps, he crept closer to investigate.

“What the hell, Usui? It’s just a camp,” Miko loudly proclaimed, stomping up to it and kicking one of the tiny round rocks encircling the burnt wood. “Probably a bunch of delinquents brought sake out here last night and hid from their parents. You don’t have to act like every little thing is a big deal,” Besides, this was the dumbest spot ever for an enemy to camp! There was nothing cool here, and the cliff face was sheer, so an escape would be needlessly difficult, and it was the least beneficial position to attack from. Really, what would this fool do without her?! Determined to find more evidence to back up her theory, she began inspecting the area for anything else of note.

 

[ReaperMelia]

"Quiet down and focus! Someone's gonna hear you if you keep chattering," a young girl's voice cut through the air, totally oblivious to how loudly she had just chastised her friend. The kunoichi, Getsurin Hozuki, carefully crept her way along the trail, keeping one hand firmly planted on the sheathed katana she had hastily affixed to the side of her white robe. Her round, blue eyes scanned their surroundings. Like usual, their patrol route was totally empty.

"Ok, ok, I wouldn't want a bird attacking us. We'd be totally dead," her friend, Koharu Mizuse, responded with a wide grin and a chuckle. Her blonde ponytail lazily waved around in the breeze. She carefully knelt down to pick a pink flower from the side of the trail before continuing to stroll alongside Getsurin, decorating her hair with the freshly plucked accessory.

Getsurin glared at her partner. "You really should take this more seriously. One of these days, you'll let your guard down just when an assassin's passing through. You'd better hope I'm there to protect you." She pouted, tired of having to give Koharu the same lecture every time they went out on patrol.

"Oh, please. You know I'm paying attention to everything around us. Including that rock on our path." Koharu gave her friend a cheeky smirk.

"What rock-" Getsurin began to ask, but her foot quickly provided an answer. The kunoichi tripped and fell flat on her face, eliciting more laughter out of her friend. Getsurin hastily got back up on her feet and picked up the blade that had been knocked loose from her robe. She quickly affixed it to her waist again, leaving it barely secure enough to stay in place... unless she ended up falling over again. Her dirt-smeared face only made her glare look even less threatening. "If you saw it, why didn't you warn me?" Of course, she knew the answer. It was the same one her friend always offered when she let Getsurin run headfirst into trouble.

"To prove that you need to be paying more attention. If there was anyone around here, they would've heard you ages ago. You need to calm down and be more observant." Koharu used the sleeve of her pink robe to brush some of the dirt off her friend's face before kneeling down and properly securing Getsurin's sword. She fixed Getsurin's short blue hair before giving her a thumbs-up. "There, now you look all tough and ready for action! Though I'm hoping you brought that sword just to try to scare bandits away. Unless you've been practicing with it in secret, I don't think it'll do you any good in a fight."

"I'll never get good with it if I don't always have it ready. Besides, if you get stuck in a bind, that bubble blower of yours won't do you much good up close-" This time, Getsurin was cut off by her friend stretching an arm in front of her. She glanced at her partner with an arched eyebrow.

"Over there. Two people at a camp." Koharu whispered, gesturing towards the two figures in the distance. She carefully crouched down in the tall grass alongside the trail, her eyes never drifting away from her targets.

Getsurin joined her friend in the grass, her smaller stature making it easy for her to stay hidden. The two slowly crawled through the grass to get a closer look. "Think they're just bandits? Looks like they're trying to cover up their camp. They did a pretty awful job of hiding it in the first place, though." The girl peered out at them, trying to make out any discernable traits. The boisterous voice seemed to be coming from the girl in darker clothes. The second figure, a boy in white, was moving much more carefully, though neither figure seemed to be aware of the Hozuki girl and her companion.

"No, that one looks like she's searching around. My guess is they're also on patrol... But who are they?" Koharu's green eyes widened once she had focused enough to notice the girl's blue shark skin. She desperately hoped that her friend hadn't made out that same detail yet, but a quick glance confirmed the worst. Getsurin had leaned forward, her gaze sharpened. She studied the mysterious kunoichi for another moment before springing back up to her feet and marching towards the camp, her left hand at the ready to draw her blade.

"You'd better tell me what a Hoshigaki's doing here before I force an answer out of you myself!" Getsurin bellowed at Miko, standing as tall as she could. Her left hand gripped the hilt of her sword, ready to draw in a moment's notice, while she pointed at Miko with her right hand. Her icy blue eyes remained affixed on the kunoichi, watching for any sudden movements.

"You're gonna get us killed one of these days..." Koharu heaved a sigh and produced a small pipe from her robe. She stuck it in her mouth before picking up her pace as she crawled towards her friend.

 

[Emmie]

Miko had been stubbornly searching the underbrush when the unfamiliar voice rang out. Startled, she sprang to her feet and dusted off her knees with an air of defiance, raising an incredulous eyebrow at the newcomers. “Uhm, patrolling? What does it look like we’re doing?” With a nonchalant demeanor, Miko crossed her arms and leveled a condescending gaze at Getsurin. Her smugness was so thick it was nearly palpable. Meanwhile, Usui sidled closer with his blade still at the ready, prepared to defend his ally if the blue-haired girl attacked them. “Thanks to my brilliant leadership, we're so efficient at our job that we were asked to help out whatever loser slowpokes were on this route to cover ground more quickly,”

“No we wer – oof!” Before Usui could interject, attempting to correct Miko's embellished version of events, he found himself cut off as Miko's fist connected painfully with his gut. His knife clattered to the ground, and he winced in pain, torn between avoiding conflict with the newcomers – potential allies – and the looming threat of being on the receiving end of Miko's wrath. Ugh. He could picture it now. ...She'd pound him into paste and call him 'Juice-sui', and she'd even have the nerve to think it was a funny pun.

“And it’s a good thing we were, too, since we found your little camp you like to drink sake at with your friends and be delinquents and skip out on work!” An accusatory finger was thrust in the other two girls’ directions as she ignored the exasperated (or was it pained?) groan from her partner, who already saw where this fiasco of misunderstanding was headed. Deep down, she knew he was just mad she had been proven right! A dirt-smudged swordsman and a flower-clad pipe smoker? Far too casual to be on official business. Her wild imagination had already painted a picture of the two lounging in the camp, drinking alcohol and passing a pipe, shirking their responsiblities.

“Miko, we don’t have time for this,” He muttered, arms still wrapped around himself and eyes nervously darting between Miko, the other two girls, and the surrounding area. They were encircled by tall grass, hefty boulders, and a few intermittent trees; all of which could be concealing the camp's actual inhabitants. Even if it did turn out as simple as she'd insisted it to be, it warranted a thorough investigation. Anything less would be negligent and put the entire village at risk. Still, Miko's determination to treat this encounter as an excuse for confrontation wouldn't be easy to quell. “There’s something weird here and it could be serious.”

“Delinquency is serious! And we caught the culprits red-handed returning to the scene of the crime!” Her feet slid into a battle stance, shuriken now drawn, and a fierce glare painted across her face that was more comical than intimidating due to her short stature. Her newfound ability to use water release had the teen overflowing with an aura of unwavering confidence and she was convinced she could take on the newcomers, armed with taijutsu skills and a touch of what she considered amazing ninja tool usage. “What do you have to say for yourselves, you lawless ruffians?!”

 

[ReaperMelia]

Getsurin drew her blade and entered her own battle stance, returning Miko's glare with one just as comically defiant. She huffed before answering the kunoichi's question. "I say this is our patrol route, and we've been doing a great job! You must be lying. This is your camp, isn't it?!" The girl kept her eyes on the two ninja in front of her, though she rose her voice to call out to her partner. "Koharu, stop messing around and get ready to fight!"

Her more cautious friend sighed, both out of disappointment for having been spotted and embarrassment at her friend leaping to conclusions. Koharu stood up and removed the pipe from her mouth before trotting over to the three at the camp. She flashed the strangers the biggest, brightest smile she could muster. "I'm so sorry for my friend's behavior. She's just a little too excited and anxious to play hero. Aren't you, Getsurin?" She wrapped an arm around the Hozuki girl and pulled her close before forcing a laugh.

"The hell are you talking about? I'm here to fight, not play!" Getsurin side-eyed her friend and groaned. Even in the presence of bandits, her friend couldn't help but joke around. "Now get off me and back me up! Taking these two down will be easy as long as we work together."

Koharu let go of her friend, giving her a light elbow jab at the side before returning her attention to Miko and Usui. She grinned at the two and gently waved at them with the hand that wasn't holding her pipe. "Look, I can tell you that we really were on patrol, and we're just as clueless about this camp as you two clearly are. Maybe instead of ripping each other apart, we can work together to figure out whose camp this is? Judging by the food that was left behind, I'm guessing our culprits will be back soon, and it'd really suck if they picked us off after you two wore each other out." As she spoke, Koharu carefully glanced over their surroundings, looking for any signs that the four weren't alone. She couldn't notice anything outside of the gentle swaying of grass and leaves in the wind, but the thick mist wouldn't make it hard for any observers to watch them undetected.

"Work together? With them?" Getsurin cocked her head and studied Miko. She had been inspecting the camp earlier. The two ninja seemed just as confused as they were. But were they really on patrol? Getsurin's mind raced through the faces of all the other ninja in the village. She hadn't met these two before... But her eyes lit up as it clicked for her. "Wait, I've heard stories about some loud-mouthed Hoshigaki girl and her quiet partner doing patrols around the village! I bet you two tried to sneak away from your route to goof off and stumbled across this camp, right?" Getsurin's icy glare intensified as she stuck her finger out at Miko again. "And now you're trying to pin it on us to make yourselves look good!"

Koharu gave her friend another light jab. She got the impression that Getsurin's deduction wasn't entirely wrong (a rare occurrence), but the hostility behind the accusations certainly didn't help their situation. "See? Our patrols just happened to intersect. It's nothing serious, Getsurin. Just a big misunderstanding. Right?" Her eyes met Usui's, silently pleading him to do something to get his friend to back off.

 

[Emmie]

“Well clearly what you say is wrong, because we’re here picking up your slack!” Her golden eyes narrowed at the two, the fake laughing and buddy-buddy act rubbing her the wrong way. “You can team up all you want! A strong breeze could knock this one out,” She jabbed a thumb in Usui’s direction. “But it’d take six of each of you to even put a scratch on me!”

Interrupting before the Miko could respond, Usui voiced agreement with the blonde stranger. "She's right, we shouldn't be fighting. C’mon, Miko." His eyes scanned their surroundings, acknowledging the observation about the abandoned food. The unfinished meal raised questions; had the campers hastily fled upon hearing Miko's loud chatter from a distance? "It seems whoever was here left in a hurry, and these two arrived just as we did, right? If they just got here, then-"

"Yeah, Usui, you're right for once! These two obviously hid when they heard us coming, trying to act like this isn't their camp!" She emphatically stomped her foot. "Don't you dare turn this on me! We weren't goofing off, and I am NOT a loudmouth!" The girl shouted, her frustration evident in her repeated angry stomping “We’re just out here being responsible, performing our duties, and you have the nerve to accuse us?!”

"Listen," the quiet ninja muttered swiftly, attempting to diffuse the escalating tension. "You're right; our patrols did happen to intersect. We finished early and were a bit bored, so we kept going." He deftly dodged a whack from his partner, this time taking hold of her wrist to prevent any impulsive moves, whether directed at him or the pair of unfamiliar kunoichi. He felt a bit uneasy having no intel on them when they were apparently at least a little familiar with himself and Miko - not that the Hoshigaki’s temper having a reputation was much of a shock, though. "It's a regular habit of ours, and we've never come across anyone out here before. Certainly not a camp, for that matter."

She made several attempts to shake him off, but his hold on her wrist remained unyielding. "Let! Go!! What's wrong with you? I'm gonna pummel them regardless. I don't care whose camp it is!" Frustrated and undeterred, she hurled the shuriken she had readied toward the other two, but Usui's interference sent them wildly off course. Twisting within his grasp, she executed a sweeping kick at his legs, successfully forcing him to release her. This gave her a perfect opening to send three more shuriken sailing in Getsurin’s direction. Deciding this wasn’t enough, she also physically charged the girl, attempting to deliver a blow while the shuriken provided a visual distraction.

 

[ReaperMelia]

Getsurin scoffed and gave Miko a confident smirk. "It'll take more than shuriken to put me down!" She used her free hand to shove Koharu as far off to the side as she could, trying to keep her out of the shuriken's path. Koharu let out a yelp as she was knocked to the side and onto the ground.

Koharu scowled at her friend as she assessed the situation. Getsurin's attempt at a heroic gesture had knocked her pipe loose from her hand, and while she clawed at the soil to figure out where it had gone, she didn't have time to find it and support her friend. She expected Getsurin to try to deflect or dodge the shuriken, but she hadn't moved at all after pushing Koharu away. Koharu gasped, realizing that she couldn't do anything to stop her friend from trying out the risky strategy she surely had in mind. There's no way she thinks she can pull this off... right?

Luckily for Getsurin, her kekkei genkai would leave her completely uninjured by the shuriken... At least hypothetically. Her skills with Liquefy Jutsu were incredibly shaky, and she'd never used it in combat before, but all she needed was to pull it off for just a second... A difficult task at her skill level, but Getsurin's confidence was only matched by her recklessness. The girl stood her ground and eyed the shuriken hurtling closer and closer. She focused her chakra and felt as her body gently melted into water...

Getsurin gently began twisting her body to the left. The first shuriken passed through her upper torso, leaving ripples along her robe where it passed through. The second passed just as cleanly through her right shoulder. She continued slowly rotating out of harm's way, but the strain of keeping up the technique under pressure became too much. She tensed up, and her body returned to its solid state. While her contortions were enough to guide the third shuriken away from any vital spots, it still glided across her right shoulder. The girl cried out in pain before gritting her teeth and glaring at the Hoshigaki girl. "Told ya that wouldn't be enough!" Free to move as she pleased, the kunoichi gripped her blade and charged at Miko, aiming an unsteady slash at her opponent. Her inexperience and the searing pain in her shoulder made her technique shaky, but even if the slash would only manage to deter Miko, it would give her an opening to take the upper hand.

After finding her pipe, Koharu sprung to her feet. As stunned as she was by Getsurin's somewhat successful technique, she grew more worried now that the kunoichi were in close range while her friend was injured. She began scrambling over to Usui. Her eyes darted between the dueling ninja, the boy whose attempt to settle the situation had been rewarded with an attack from his own partner, and their surroundings. They still seemed to be alone, but the longer the fight dragged out, the more vulnerable they'd be against the threat she knew must be lurking nearby. She hastily extended a hand towards Usui once she reached him, the bubbly tone in her voice now replaced by a shaky whisper. "I've got a plan to get these two to stop fighting, but I'll need your help. Come on, before we end up in even more trouble!"

 

[Emmie]

Miko abruptly halted her charging assault upon realizing Getsurin hadn’t moved out of the shuriken’s path, jumping back to observe. She expected her opponent to adopt a guarded stance to play Tough Guy and take their impact head-on; however, seeing her weapons pass right through the other girl had her reeling with confusion. Only her third shuriken had hit its target, an injury that would hardly impede the other girl’s movements. But why? And why did she look so weird as they passed through? Almost like she was made of…

Suddenly, the revelation struck, and Miko's eyes widened. "You're a Hozuki!" This gave her a slightly better understanding of what she just witnessed, though strategizing wasn’t her strong suit. All she knew was that no one was invincible, and she was, of course, the greatest ninja to ever live.

Having spent a second too long pondering, she barely dodged the blade’s sweeping arch, and the tip grazed across her stomach leaving a small but stinging wound. With a pained groan, she followed through on the dodge, darting away far enough to get her bearings once again. “Well, I got you once, you watery weirdo, so I can do it again!” She launched another barrage of shuriken, three from each hand, towards the Hozuki ninja.

Usui had just gotten to his feet after having them knocked from beneath him by his partner’s assault, and was trying to find a safe opening to somehow grab the girl and subdue her without getting skewered by Getsurin’s blade. Trying to make sure they didn’t kill each other and remain vigilant for hostiles had the timid boy overstimulated and moments away from crumbling to dust amidst the chaos. One day, this girl’s fiery temper was certainly going to be the death of him.

Koharu’s voice snapped him from his concentrated trance, however. She appeared to be the more composed of the two strangers, which inspired some confidence. However, he couldn't shake the concern that she might be more effective at concealing her hostility. "A plan?" His voice barely concealed his nervously suspicious tone, yet he hesitated only briefly before accepting her outstretched hand. If she sounded as uneasy as he felt, perhaps they shared the same concerns. "O-okay. Tell me what to do."

 

[ReaperMelia]

Getsurin was relieved her blade managed to land, even if it was a light graze. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to get in a follow-up attack before her opponent increased the distance between them again. "Don't call me a weirdo, you weirdo! You just got lucky, that's not happening again!" Getsurin boasted, though she knew she was in trouble. Even focusing as hard as she could while making only the slightest movements, she had only managed to keep up her liquid form to avoid two of Miko's first three shuriken. There were now twice as many flying at her, and her earlier attempt put more strain on her body than she expected. Even if she stayed perfectly still and focused all her energy on maintaining her watery form, she wouldn't be able to avoid them all, and she also wouldn't be able to make sure the ones that did hit wouldn't cause any serious damage. A careful side glance confirmed her friend was busy chatting with the enemy, so she wouldn't be getting any help from her so-called attentive partner.

This time, Getsurin leapt to her left, trying to clear as many of the shuriken as she could. One of the shuriken grazed her leg this time, but she managed to avoid the rest. The kunoichi grunted out of pain and aggravation as her feet touched down on the ground, and she immediately shifted her momentum to pounce forward and charge Miko again. As stubborn as she was, even she could tell that she wouldn't get anywhere if her opponent kept her distance. Her katana seemed to only encourage the Hoshigaki to keep her distance, so Getsurin chose to sheathe her blade. "Stop hiding and fight me up close, you coward!" She hoped that targeting her opponent's pride would get her to shift tactics. As she began closing in, she prepared to thrust a palm at her opponent's gut.

Koharu sighed in relief as she took the boy's hand. At least one other person here was sensible. She used her free hand to hold up her bubble pipe before explaining in a hushed tone. "I'm going to use my Soap Bubble Ninjutsu to blow a little bubble that will float between those two. Once it pops, it's going to burst into powder that's going to blind them. Not a lot of powder, just enough to stun them for a second. Once that happens, you and I will move in and grab our partners before they get each other killed. I'm not sure what we'll say to get them to listen to us, but the most important thing right now is just getting them to stop. Sound good?" The kunoichi smiled, trying to calm the boy's nerves and her own, though her quivering lip wasn't doing anything to help her look composed. She hated the idea of blinding them in these circumstances, especially since she got the impression the girls would be their most capable combatants. It would be a risky move if there were any enemies lurking nearby, but it was clear that the two wouldn't stop fighting without some sort of intervention, and this was the safest option she had.

 

[Emmie]

“Ha! The only weird thing about me is how cool I am!” She watched as the stars flew towards the other girl, a smug grin spreading across her face as one of them hit its mark. Not a particularly troublesome wound, but it landed, no watery wizardry stopping their trajectory. One more small victory proving that she could deal damage with a bit of stubborn effort. “So much for luck, huh, weeeeirdo?” Her mocking was cut short by the charging attack accompanied by an infuriating remark from the other girl.

“Coward?! I’ll show you coward!” Rather than dodging, she allowed the thrusted palm to meet its mark, her eyes bulging slightly at the impact. It hurt. A lot. In fact, she’d underestimated her opponent’s strength by a mile. However, committed to her plan, she gripped the girl’s wrist tightly, then attempted to swing a punch directly at Getsurin’s cheek while holding her in place, showing no concern for her own vulnerability in their close-quarters. Fights were won by the daring, right?

Usui gasped softly. “You can do that?” He couldn’t help but bounce a little with excitement, his eyes wide and sparkling. “That sounds so cool!” Finishing out their truce handshake with a firm up-down, he nodded in agreement and looked back at the girls. “They’re getting aggressive, we should hurry. I’ll follow your lead!” With a grin, he darted away and positioned himself behind his teammate, poised to spring into action - and hoping there’d be something left of her to grab, given how reckless her display was becoming.

 

[ReaperMelia]

Usui's excitement took Koharu by surprise, but she was glad he was on board. And he was right - it looked like the next blow could put either of the brawling kunoichi in a dangerous position. "Let's go!" Koharu put her pipe to her lips and blew into it as she moved into position. A small bubble filled with red powder floated out from the other end. Koharu propelled it as quickly as it could move towards Getsurin and Miko. For the first time in her life, she was glad that her friend was so cocky and boastful; if the girls hadn't spent so much time taunting and arguing with each other, there might not have been enough time to put her plan into action. Koharu planted herself a short distance behind Getsurin and tucked her pipe away. She just had to hope the bubble would make it in time...

Getsurin laughed as her strike hit its mark without any resistance from Miko. "Ha, guess you gave up- huh?!" The tight grip on her wrist momentarily caught her off guard, though it quickly dawned on her that Miko was setting up a decisive blow. The kunoichi huffed, balled her free hand into a fist, and swung it back at Miko's cheek. As long as she could land her punch first, she'd be able to take her foe down... But before it could meet its target, her fist collided with a tiny bubble. Powder erupted from the bubble and sprayed into the girls' faces. Blinded, the young kunoichi growled and used the hand that was intended to deliver a punch to instinctively reach for her eyes.

"Now!" Koharu shouted out to Usui as she rushed towards her friend. She wrapped her arms around Getsurin and yanked her back as hard as she could, hoping that the powder had distracted Miko enough to make her loosen her grip on the girl's wrist. She glanced ahead to make sure her new ally was following through on his part of the plan.

 

[Emmie]

The attempted counterattack took her by surprise, but she was confident she’d be faster - at least, until her vision went white. Her swing missed and grazed the other girl’s hair. Both hands immediately clutched her stinging eyes, her inability to see now more pressing than the unsuccessful attack. “Owww…! Wh-what did you do?!” Still pressing her palms against her eyes, she growled, “Whatever, cheater! I don’t need my eyes to hit you, I’ll just - wuh?”

Seizing the opportunity, Usui swiftly intervened as planned. He scooped Miko up by her legs, hoisting her onto his shoulder, and retreated to a safe distance from the lingering powder and her temporarily incapacitated opponent. Lifting her this way prevented any stray elbows from fighting him off, and holding her legs kept her from kicking; judging by the squirming, and the angry bonk to the top of his head, he’d made the right call. Oh well. A half-hearted punch was a small price to pay to prevent either of the girls receiving mortal wounds.

He could see that his impromptu ally made her move, too, as he gently set the sharklet down against a rock and began assessing her injury. It seemed the reckless play of intentionally taking a hit had made the cut on her stomach more ragged, the edges too rough to be from a non-serrated blade. Immediately he held his hands over it and got to work healing it with his jutsu. his inexperience made the progress slow, but slow progress was better than no progress.

“Are you two alright?” He called, attention divided between healing and pushing Miko back down to prevent her stubborn attempts to get up and start a second skirmish. “Miss, do you have wounds in need of healing?” The white-haired boy was still fearful of an ambush, and every bit of healing he could provide might make the difference in a real battle if one occurred. Assuming they had time, that is.

 

[ReaperMelia]

The blinded Getsurin flailed and struggled to break free of Koharu's grasp as well as she could, but it was no use; Koharu had the girl's arms locked firmly, and even if Getsurin had the energy to slip out of her friend's grasp with her Liquefy Jutsu, the burning sensation in her eyes kept her from focusing her chakra. Of course, she didn't need to see to know this was one of Koharu's tricks. She obviously knew her friend's techniques, and the sight of her scheming with the timid boy made it clear that she had been betrayed. "What are you doing, Koharu?! They attacked us! I would've won if you hadn't interfered!"

Koharu rolled her eyes and got Getsurin a safe distance away from Miko and the powder. "I told you, we have more important things to worry about! You could've gotten yourselves killed over this dumb fight!" She scowled at her friend and looked over at Usui, still using all her strength to keep her friend from breaking free and blindly charging off towards Miko's voice. The kunoichi felt a little more relieved knowing that they had a medical ninja in the group, though she also knew they wouldn't have much time left if they really were being watched. "I'm fine, but my hot-headed friend here's got a gash on her shoulder. Probably not as bad as your friend's injuries, but if we have time-"

"I don't need healing from an enemy, and I don't need a traitor to speak for me!" Getsurin spat in the direction of Usui's voice. As confident as her sneering sounded, her watery eyes and shrill voice made her look a little pathetic in the moment. Under better circumstances, Koharu probably would have chuckled and cracked a joke about how intimidating her friend looked. "And Maki or whatever her name is will need all the healing she can get, 'cause I'm gonna beat her as soon as I'm free!" Getsurin continued flailing and kicking her legs to no avail as her friend peered into the mist enveloping the party.

Koharu let out a gasp as her fears became reality. A short distance from the battleground, three heads poked out from behind a boulder. The figures snickered and left their cover, slowly strolling towards the injured shinobi. One of them brandished a curved sword and curled his lips into a sneer. "Looks like the great ninja we heard coming were just a bunch of trainees. You're a confident bunch of kids, aren't ya? But we're on a whole different level from you." He cackled and tossed his head back to look at his allies. "Whaddaya say, gang? I think we should pick 'em off and see if they've got any valuables!" His cackling continued as he pointed his blade at the ninja, and his friends began laughing with him.

"You're all making a big mistake...! We've got a Hozuki and a Hoshigaki on our side!" Koharu called out towards the trio of bandits, though her shaky voice made her bluff obvious. They didn't have enough time to heal Getsurin and Miko, and even if they were all in perfect condition, these thugs looked like they'd won against plenty of tougher opponents. She began trembling a bit, and Getsurin took advantage of her friend's broken focus to struggle out of her grasp and jump to her feet.

Getsurin's vision hadn't fully recovered yet, but she could see the hazy outlines of the bandits approaching. She drew her own blade and pointed it at the trio. "Koharu's right! I dunno about Maki here, but there's no way you losers can take down a Hozuki!" Unlike her friend, Getsurin was too stubborn to believe they were outmatched. She produced a flask of water from her robe and took a swig, rehydrating for her next fight. She also splashed a little water in her face to clear her vision before snarling at her new opponents.

Koharu grumbled a bit. If things ever seemed like they couldn't get any worse, she could always count on her cocky friend to put them in an even more dangerous situation. The girl lifted her pipe to her lips again and quietly produced three more bubbles before sending them to slowly drift towards the bandits. If they couldn't win head-on, she'd have to make an opening for the four to retreat. She carefully cast a glance at Usui and Miko to see if the Hoshigaki had recovered enough to fight. The girl wasn't sure if she and Getsurin could buy much time for the medical ninja to finish his work, but it seemed like they wouldn't have a choice.

 

[Emmie]

Usui steadied his trembling hands, focusing on the task of healing his impulsive teammate. Koharu and Getsurin’s heated bickering was a troubling hint that their group’s division was growing wider, further punctuated by Miko's angry grunts and a cascade of insults hurled his way as she attempted to wriggle free. He didn't get a chance to acknowledge Koharu's reply to him before her raging partner interrupted, and bit his tongue to hold in a clapback about the fact they weren't enemies at all, they were allied ninja of the same village and should be cooperating. Why didn't these two understand how serious this was?

"Maki?! My name is Miko Hoshigaki! The best ninja that ever lived!" The received insult re-ignited her desire to hop up and fight again, and she sneered at the healer ninja through cloudy, stinging eyes, glinting fangs on full display. However, her posturing failed to impress the boy accustomed to her daily theatrics, further fueling the angry shark's fury. To Miko, his perceived foolish worries about an outsider attacking reinforced her belief that he was the most dumbest partner she could've been stuck with. Who, in their right mind, would bother snooping around this secluded side of the island?

…Well, other than the three menacing ninja that just appeared, anyway.

The healer tensed, his ability to concentrate disrupted by the appearance of the more experienced fighters. Every muscle in his body locked up and became unresponsive, fear rendering him oblivious to his injured teammate pushing past him to confront the trio. The sadistic glimmer in their eyes, the confidence with which their weapons were brandished, the coldness that emanated from them… He hadn’t seen enemies like this before. He hadn’t seen true enemies before, period.

Angry and unable to keep her eyes open for long due to the stinging, the Hoshigaki girl growled. “I said it’s Miko! Mi! Ko! Miko!” Holding up an embarrassingly unthreatening fist in the presumed direction of the other girl, she continued, “And I’m gonna show you up by wiping the floor with these losers!” Too foolish to be afraid, she threw a useless kunai at the enemies, missing them by a wide margin. As her companion knelt frozen on the ground, white-knuckled fingers grasping at the dirt beneath them, Miko placed a kunai between her teeth and brandished two in her hands.

Despite her impaired vision, Miko recklessly charged forward, her determination obscuring the fact that she was sorely outmatched. The adversary before her, a tall and muscular red-headed man with the cool and collected aura of a seasoned fighter, contrasted sharply with Miko's blind charge. He seemed uninterested in playing along with her, his stance shifting just enough to indicate a readiness to react to her. In her haste, Miko lunged forward, her efforts devoid of strategy or awareness. The swipe she aimed at him was easily sidestepped, the man’s hand easily wrapping around her entire wrist and using her own momentum against her to fling her across the battlefield, one of her knives clanging uselessly to the ground so her hand was free to steady her landing. She repeated the same attempt and earned herself another flinging, this time in the direction of Usui, who reacted only with a loud, frightened whimper instead of attempting to break her fall. Even if he'd thought to, he couldn't. Nausea and terror had overtaken him completely.

“Gaaaah!” This landing was rougher, the kunoichi having been knocked off balance and catching herself on her elbow. Rubbing the dirt off of her fresh new scrape, she shouted, “How do I get this stuff out of my eyes?!” Miko threw her remaining held kunai at her adversary, an attack that was effortlessly deflected by the quiet redhead. Still undaunted by the impossible odds, she declared, “I’d have them all dead already if I could see, damn it!”

 

[ReaperMelia]

Miko's blinded boasting made Getsurin chuckle. "Maybe don't try to act all tough when you can't even see me!" She redirected her attention towards their foes. Her former adversary's blind charge at the red-headed bandit left two open for Getsurin to take on. Not wanting to be one-upped by a member of a rival clan, Getsurin charged right at the sword-wielding bandit who had taunted the four ninja earlier. There was no way she'd let this guy brandish his blade without showing him her own swordsmanship... A mentality Koharu anticipated and feared.

The Hozuki leaped and slashed at the bandit as she closed in, but he parried her attack effortlessly. He followed up with a swift kick to Getsurin's gut, sending her flying back towards her allies. The bandit sneered at Getsurin. "You kids are even dumber than I expected! I thought you'd try running away from us, not towards us!" He laughed hysterically, watching the kunoichi with a murderous glint in his eye. The one bright side was that Getsurin's hasty attack would leave the bandit oblivious to the bubble that was now nearing him... Or at least Koharu hoped that would be the case. It crept closer as the man taunted her friend, and it was finally about to reach its mark... But the bandit stepped back, shielded his face, and popped the bubble at a distance with his sword. Once again, powder burst from the bubble, though it was completely ineffective this time. Once he figured it was safe, he directed his laughter towards Koharu. "Already saw that trick, girl. Not a bad distraction, but it won't work on us."

The kunoichi's throat tightened up as she choked back a desperate sob. Was this how it would end? Dying at the hand of a group of thugs after her friend waltzed right into an obvious trap? No. As reckless as Getsurin was, if she could still have complete confidence in taking these guys down, Koharu could steel her resolve long enough to determine a way out of this situation. First things first, she'd need to calm Usui and get Miko back into fighting shape. She glanced at them, waiting for an opening to make her way towards the two ninja.

Getsurin frantically tried to catch her breath after having it knocked out of her by the attack; seeing the blinded Hoshigaki quickly climb back up to her feet and attack again after her own failed attempt only made Getsurin more eager to get back out into the battle. She charged at the man again, and once again, he parried her strike. This time, instead of kicking her back, he slashed at the girl, leaving a nasty gash across her cheek. The kunoichi screamed and clutched her face, glaring at the man as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I don't care how big and strong you are, no one's gonna beat me! I'm gonna be the strongest Hozuki ever!" The display of bravado was more for her to keep her own confidence from crumbling apart in the face of real danger than to intimidate her opponents. As cocky as she was, she knew that the man could have easily taken her head in that moment if he felt like it. He simply laughed and invited her to try again.

As much as it pained her to see her friend put herself at risk, Koharu took the distraction to hurry over to Usui and Miko. She looked Usui in the eye and spoke in the steadiest voice she could muster. "We can get out of here if we all work together, but I'll need you to be ready to help." She offered the boy a flask of water; she always kept a spare one on hand in case Getsurin tried something stupid and needed to rehydrate. "First, wash the powder out of your friend's eyes. We'll need her to be able to see if we're going to make it out of this alive. And as for you." Koharu turned her attention towards Miko. "Once you can see again, I'll need you to help Getsurin keep them busy. Just don't do anything too reckless, ok? If you get hurt, none of us are going to escape."

As Koharu began to formulate a plan with Usui and Miko, the third bandit, a lankier man wearing a bandana over his black hair and wielding a club, grew impatient and started approaching the three. He raised his club as he slowly made his way towards them, trying to stoke the fear he could see in Usui's eyes.

 

[Emmie]

Usui watched blankly as the kunoichi’s attempts proved fruitless, further fueling her frustration. This entire battle was a lost cause…These men had years - decades, maybe - of experience over his ragtag little group. Their odds of succeeding were slim to none. The men continued to taunt them, the other hot-headed girl launching a worthless attack of her own, getting kicked away like an unwanted dog. Even her partner’s clever bubble jutsu fell short of success, as the bandit group had already observed this ability.

The Hozuki girl’s pained shriek ripped through his body like a forest fire. His breath quickened, shifting into hyperventilation, as reality bore down its fangs; this was where it ended for all four of them. Tears burned the corners of his eyes just as fiercely as fear scorched his muscles, a tunnel closing in on him as he crept closer to either fainting or losing his lunch - only to be brought out of it by a familiar voice and soft, determined eyes staring into his own.

His blank gaze rested on the flask handed to him, his oxygen-starved brain taking a moment to fully process what Koharu had said as his breathing began to slow. “Y-yeah, I… I can do that…!” Though he’d never met her before, her intelligent speech and steady voice was somehow incredibly calming, and he found himself believing in whatever plan she’d cooked up. Looking up to see where Miko was, he saw the third, club-wielding thug approaching them, causing him to scramble back in fear and nearly drop the water bottle he’d been handed. His feet scuffed in the dirt, pushing his body backward as quickly as he could force his stiffened muscles, when suddenly the flask was yanked away.

“Gimme that!” Miko dumped the entire bottle on her face, scrubbing angrily at her eyes to wash out as much of the stinging powder as possible. A fierce grin replaced her scowl, and once again she placed a kunai between her teeth and held one in each hand. That damn watery ninja wasn’t going to show her up! Her clan name was on the line, and if she died and the Hozuki made it, she’d be made a laughing stock and a shame on the family name! But she had shark blood. The fiercest predator, representing her way back to her ancestors. There was no way she could lose here, period.

Miko wasn’t the brightest girl in the world, and her hasty aggression brought her nothing but trouble despite never learning her lesson, but she wasn’t too foolish to underestimate Usui’s importance to the party. As their healer, even if he had very little time to patch them up, he could turn the tide of battle in a pinch. His safety came first. “Snap out of it, you moron!” She shouted around the blade’s handle. “If you die, who’s gonna patch me up after I heroically destroy these guys?!”

With a bit of focus and some sloppy, kunai-addled hand signs, a thin layer of shimmering, chakra-infused water wrapped around her hands and forearms as well as the weapons she held. The jutsu had barely taken effect when she charged the lanky, club-wielding man, aiming to direct his attention away from Usui as she baited a swing from him. As expected, he tried to send her flying with a whack from the club, so she dove between his legs to avoid it. The water surrounding her arms extended outwards, and as she reached her arms to prepare for a roll, the sharp waves sliced at his calves as she passed through. It hadn’t done extensive damage, but it would be enough to slow his movements, and most importantly, he was safely facing away from her partner. She’d make sure he knew he owed her later!

 

[ReaperMelia]

Koharu sighed in relief once Usui seemed to calm down, but the approaching threat only set him back to square one. Luckily, Miko managed to wash the powder out of her own eyes. Three of the four were now ready to act; Koharu just had to figure out how to snap Usui out of it again. "I know this looks bad, but we can do this. It looks like your friend's managed to injure one of them, and if there's one thing I know about Getsurin, nothing's going to get her to back down. We just need to slow them down so we can run... And I've got a trick to do that." It would be difficult, especially since these three knew about her bubble techniques, but they didn't know every trick up her sleeve just yet. If Getsurin and Miko could occupy the bandits, she could maybe slip a bubble in unnoticed. "I'll need you to be ready to move, though. If either one of these two gets too injured, we'll need to grab them and start healing them as soon as we can." She offered him a hand again, hoping he'd settle down at least a little.

Once again, seeing Miko rush back into the fray got Getsurin to steel her resolve. Sure, maybe her new rival was the first one to get a hit in on these guys, but Getsurin was going to be the one to do the most damage. She paused for a moment to think her options through. Her head-on approach had failed twice now, and it was pretty clear that she'd end up in much worse shape if she threw caution to the wind and tried charging at the bandit a third time. In terms of swordsmanship, she was totally outmatched. She didn't stand a chance against this guy in an even match... So it was a good thing that she had the Hozuki clan's special technique at her disposal. Sure, her command over it was shaky, but she had no other choice. She'd just need to wait for the right moment...

Getsurin slowly pulled her hand off her cheek, now steadying her blade with both hands. She focused on calming her breathing as she kept her eyes locked tight on the bandit with a sword. Just as she seemed to get a good rhythm, she heard a noise coming from her left. She spun around in time to see the burly redhead starting to make a move on Koharu and Usui. "You're gonna have to get through me before you can take them on!" Getsurin made a mad dash for the bandit, readying her blade. Just like with Miko, the man sidestepped the attack. He followed up by aiming a sweeping kick at Getsurin's ankle. The girl gave a cocky smirk as she slowed down and focused her chakra. Instead of catching on her ankle, his foot slipped unceremoniously through her watery flesh. While the bandit quickly pieced together what had happened, the trick gave Getsurin just enough time to slash at his leg before he could get completely out of the way. It was far from the cleanest cut since she had to also focus on retaining her liquid form, but it meant two of these bandits were at least slowed down. They'd just need to figure out how to get close enough to the leader to get a clean hit in on him.

"Don't tell me you guys got outsmarted by a couple runts!" The lead bandit sneered at his companions. Even if these two were from some of the strongest clans in their region, his partners' performance was utterly embarrassing. He directed his focus towards Miko, deciding to go ahead and shatter her confidence next. He lunged at the kunoichi, preparing to stab at her.

 

[Emmie]

The intense pounding of his heart rumbling in his ears made it difficult, but Usui listened to her words carefully, attempting to steel himself to act. The men had been staved off for now, both of the other girls providing distractions to keep himself and Koharu safe, giving him brief respite from fear-induced nausea. Still, the powerful aura that emanated from them was beyond his capability to handle. He pried his fingers from the dirt long enough to take the offered hand, eyes determined but shaky voice betraying his uncertainty. “I’ll… Do my best.”

Miko had whirled around to face the broad club-wielder after passing beneath him, the gash she'd left hardly debilitating and not a lot to be proud of. She was anyway, though. It was small, but it was no paper cut, and it would force him rethink his movement. The weak water jutsu she’d wrapped around her arms and weapons dissipated with a splat on the ground beneath, earning a frustrated sneer from the blue-skinned kunoichi. Both her and her opponents’ attention was soon diverted by Getsurin’s successful attack, however, and despite her distaste for the girl, she let out a small cheer of “Yeah!” after watching the bandit’s blade harmlessly glide right through and yet another of their adversaries taking a hit.

Her celebration was short-lived; swift, purposeful footsteps approached, and now her opponent was a blade-wielder. Glinting steel rushing toward her caught her off guard, and with a wobbly lean, she attempted to dodge, deflecting the harshest part of the hit with one of her wielded kunai. Still, it was only a partial deflection, and the tip of his weapon had torn through her arm before her reaction. A more skilled ninja would have dodged in the opposite direction to avoid the attack completely, but she only realized this in hindsight; no matter, a bit of blood wouldn’t slow her down! …Even if it really, really hurt.

Gritting her teeth, Miko sought to counterattack by hurling a kunai at him and charging in while it distracted him. However, the simplicity of the deception was easily seen through, and the man effortlessly parried the tool and sidestepped her attempted punch. Outmaneuvered once again, Miko felt the force of her momentum carrying her past him.

Exploiting the opening, he lunged for another attack, slashing at her back with a sweeping motion. Miko narrowly avoided the strike by diving to the ground, but the ungraceful impact sent shockwaves through the injury on her stomach, drawing a cry of pain as she desperately attempted to scramble to her feet. Before she regained her balance, his boot planted itself firmly between her shoulder blades, forcefully driving her face-first back into the dirt. He rested his blade on his shoulder triumphantly, digging in his heel. “See, boys? Was that so hard?” Despite the pain and momentary setback, Miko's determination continued to burn. She growled, refusing to let him break her spirit, refusing to let the gritty soil clinging to her wounds distract her from escaping. With a surge of resilience, she summoned every ounce of strength to push against his weight, gaining just enough leeway to make another move; recently, she'd learned the effectiveness of not being able to see. Miko's hand shot out, scooping a handful of dirt from the ground. With a sudden toss, she flung it backwards towards where she thought his face was, hoping it would either stagger him backwards so she could roll out of the way, or at least give someone else an opportunity to attack... If it even hit its mark, anyway.

 

[ReaperMelia]

The bandit could have dodged Miko's attempt to blind him... if he hadn't been busy gloating to his companions. The clump of dirt went straight into his eyes, staggering him. He lifted his foot off Miko as he stumbled around a bit, clawing at his eyes. He cursed as he tried his best to compose himself, but the attack had freed Miko and left an opening.

Getsurin couldn't help but laugh at the sight of their threatening adversary scrambling around and screaming in frustration. "Nice move!" She caught herself shortly after the compliment. "I mean... for a bratty Hoshigaki, anyway." She huffed a bit as she spat out the second sentence, a little embarrassed by the thought of seeming so chummy with someone from her rival clan. With the sword bandit now blinded, Getsurin had a perfect opening. With a toothy smirk, she charged at him, sword drawn. "This is for slicing up my face, jerk!" She stabbed at him, but her outburst ended up backfiring. Even if the bandit couldn't see, it wasn't tough to hear the young kunoichi's scream to determine her general location. Getsurin lunged for the bandit's chest, but he had enough time and focus to move to the side, causing her blade to slice along his hip.

The bandit bellowed out in pain, doubly frustrated by falling for a cheap trick a second time. Even though he had avoided a potentially lethal attack, his pride was now just as wounded as his body. He glared at the girls with red, puffy eyes, tears streaking down his face. "Get those two, you idiots!" he roared at his companions as he shakily drew his sword. As scratchy as his eyes still were, he refused to let these two runts make a fool out of him anymore. He'd let his friends do the heavy lifting and pick the brats off when their guards were down.

The club-wielder and the burly bandit both charged at Getsurin and Miko, both having a slight limp in their strides thanks to the girls' prior attacks. Getsurin glanced down at her new rival as their enemies approached. "You'd better get up soon if you want to have anyone left to fight, Maki!" As tough as Getsurin was trying to sound, she couldn't deny that she was really wanting some backup. She might be overly confident, but even she knew she couldn't take these two on at the same time.

Koharu sighed in relief as the two kunoichi managed to team up on the lead bandit. With his rage now directed at Getsurin and Miko, Koharu was free to set up her own move. She looked over at Usui and let him in on the plan, keeping her voice lowered just in case the bandits could overhear. "I've got one other bubble technique I can use to slow them down. Hopefully, Getsurin and Miko can keep them all distracted. I'm going to send these three bubbles towards the bandits' feet, and once they pop, they'll release slime that will trap those guys in place. Once they all fall for my trap, we need to grab the other two and get out of here. We'll find cover so you can heal them. Got it?" Even though she asked, she knew that she didn't really have time to wait for a response. She prepared her pipe and lifted it to her lips, blowing into it to make three more bubbles. She kept these ones floating lower to the ground. They slowly began to drift towards the bandits' feet... Koharu's heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest with how violently it was thumping, but she had to stay composed. Not only because her plan would buy them an opportunity to escape, but because it seemed that her ability to look composed affected Usui's composure as well. If she slipped, he might not be ready to escape. But she didn't have time to think about that; she just focused on making sure her bubbles were in the right place.

 

[Emmie]

Usui watched as the tide of battle began to shift, the sword-user with a nasty gash and Miko freed from the enemy's attempt to pin her. It had appeared the bandit’s advantage meant certain death for his partner, but somehow everything worked itself out - and as a bonus, the girls were being more positive toward each other. Shifting his stance to an active crouch so he was ready to spring, he watched Koharu’s explained plan begin to hatch. Her shining little bubbles wafted slowly along her chakra currents, almost invisible against the world behind them. He felt admiration for the blonde girl’s incredible jutsu, but alongside this, a sense of helplessness settled within him, recognizing his inability to contribute to his teammates' efforts. He had to do better. He had to become stronger. Most importantly, he had to make sure they got out of this alive. Usui just hoped he had it in him.

After processing the success of her attack, Miko swiftly rolled to her feet, ready with a retort to Getsurin's teasing. “Like you could take ‘em down! You just landed a lucky hit because of my brilliance,” she boasted, abruptly stopping at the sight of the sword-wielder. Despite the pain, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. “Lookit him, he’s crying! Big baby! Little dirt in your eyes makin’ you all saaaad?” With an exaggerated crying face and mimicking rubbing at her eyes - ironically still slightly puffy from her encounter with Koharu's bubbles - she chuckled again before shifting her weight into a readied stance and stepped closer to Getsurin.

"I'm taking on the chunky guy," she declared, her voice low, a departure from her usual energetic delivery. A hand poked into her side pouch, only to emerge empty. Intensely focusing, she once again conjured her chakra into sharp blades of water from her forearms, now depleted of ninja tools and limited to using only her bare fists for battle. It took every drop of her concentration to extend her water chakra into blades without kunai to use as a foundation. "Your sword’ll do better parrying the club guy," the sharklet couldn't help but add, "If you can even swing that thing straight, anyway!”

These were the last words she had a chance to speak before the two were upon them, and true to her plan, she stepped up as the burly ninja approached to throw a gorilla fist-like punch at her. Forming an X with her hands, she deflected the blow, attempting a counter punch aimed at his face that he easily avoided. She then attempted to feign a low blow, followed by a kick to the side of his knee that staggered him a moment long enough for her to land a palm-up punch to his stomach. What she didn’t plan for, however, was his lack of reaction. It was as though she’d never struck him at all. Recovering quickly, she moved to try and slice him with one of her chakra fins, She then foolishly directed a slice at the significantly-taller opponent, prompting him to duck beneath the swing. Seizing the opportunity, he grabbed onto her ankle, effortlessly swinging her off her feet and leaving her suspended in the air.

 

[ReaperMelia]

"You're the one who almost got pulverized," Getsurin muttered beneath her breath in response to Miko's tease. She almost added a comment about how Miko wasn't looking too tough herself, but she bit her tongue. She had to focus, and admittedly, she was trying hard to not laugh at the sword-wielding bandit's pathetic display. The girl was a little startled by the tone shift in Miko's voice, but the following taunt riled her back up. "I could swing it at you just fine earlier!" Getsurin prepared her blade, choosing to take a more defensive stance. The club-wielder charged at her, swinging his club at her side once he drew close. Following Miko's advice, Getsurin parried it with her sword, barely managing to get it into position on time. She followed up with a clumsy swipe at the man's chest; once again, she was too slow to do any serious damage before he began to leap back, but the tip of her blade still managed to tear through the bandit's flesh. He groaned in pain and charged at her again, this time holding the club above his head in a two-handed grip.

Getsurin snickered. "Way too predictable!" She swung her sword upwards to parry as the bandit smashed the club down at her head; while his trajectory was obvious, Getsurin hadn't quite prepared herself for the force of the blow. While her blade had knocked the club's trajectory away from her head, the bandit's swing crashed down on Getsurin's left shoulder. The kunoichi let out a pained scream as her sword slipped from her grasp. The bandit was already winding up another swing, this one aimed at her head again. Getsurin took a shaky breath, steeled her resolve, and leaped back just in time to dodge the attack. The club whipped through the air less than an inch from her face. The girl tried to raise her arms into a defensive stance, but pain shot through her left arm with the slightest movement. She yelped again as any semblance of confidence drained from her face. The bandit poised himself to lunge forward at the girl, and there was no way she'd be ready for another blow. Her eyes widened and her breath grew shakier, but before the bandit could take his first step, a tiny bubble popped at his feet. Sludge burst out of the bubble, gluing his feet to the ground. "The hell is this?!"

Meanwhile, with Miko now held upside-down in his grasp, the burly bandit gave the kunoichi a twisted grin. He planned to give her a swift kick to the face to put her out of commission, but before he could lift his foot, another bubble popped at his feet, encasing them both in sticky slime. He grunted in confusion and looked down to see what had caused the issue, his attention momentarily slipping away from Miko.

While two of the bandits were caught off guard by the distraction, the third bubble still hadn't reached the sword-wielding leader. The advance warning gave him time to jump back and blindly swing his sword at where his feet once were. His blade caught the bubble, and while it was now coated in sludge, the man was free to close in on the kids. He gave Koharu an icy glare. "You might have gotten those idiots, but there's no way I'm falling for some kid's trick!" He began taking shaky steps towards the girl; the other two kunoichi would be easy to pick off at this point, and the medical ninja wouldn't be tough to handle on his own. He needed to target Koharu before she could make use of any other tricks she was hiding.

Koharu was glad she managed to trap two of them, but the angered leader who was stomping towards her managed to sink any sense of victory she felt. Thankfully, he was wounded, but they'd need to get moving now if they were going to get out of this alive. "Usui, if you have any ranged weapons, throw them at the guy holding Miko! Once she's free, all four of us are going to run!" Whether Usui freed the Hoshigaki or she managed to break free herself didn't matter; they'd need to do everything they could to get in position to retreat. "Getsurin, Miko, we're getting out of here!" As stubborn as her friend was, she knew that Getsurin was in no position to argue or fight back. She just had to hope Miko would agree to the plan.

 

[Emmie]

As Miko found herself dangling helplessly in the air, her heart raced with a mix of frustration and panic; she’d thoroughly underestimated the strength of this guy! She kicked and writhed, struggling against his grip, but the awkward angle made it impossible to exert enough force. Momentarily distracted by the skirmish between their leader and Getsurin, the burly man shifted his focus, and, curious, the Hoshigaki teen followed his gaze and saw the other girl take a hard hit. As the club-wielder forced her into dropping her weapon, he lost interest and refocused his attention on Miko. His foot poised to strike and Miko instinctively raised her hands to block, but Koharu's jutsu intervened and firmly anchored him in place.

“Right!” The medical ninja agreed, pulling a few tools out and throwing a star at his partner’s captor. The man fiercely tugged against the substance to no avail, and Usui's shuriken found its mark, further disorienting the man and causing him to release his grip, sending Miko tumbling headfirst to the ground with a resounding thud. Wincing at the impact, Usui couldn't help but feel a pang of relief that Miko, although bruised, was alive. However, his relief was short-lived as he watched the swordsman advance, intentions clear; his bloodthirsty eyes were locked onto Koharu. Usui's muscles tensed with fear. He feigned readiness with a kunai, though his hands’ violent tremors betrayed the terror behind the brave facade he’d attempted to put on.

Though battered, the stubborn kunoichi wasted no time scrambling to her feet, quickly noting the man closing in on Usui and the bubble-user. She’d heard the command for retreat, but this guy wouldn’t just let them casually walk away like they were leaving a house party. Her wounds throbbed, her head pounded, but she was determined: no one would die here today, not even these dumb delinquents!

Scanning the battlefield, she briefly took stock of the factors at play. Instinct took over, and she sprinted over to the Hozuki girl, snatching up the girl's discarded blade and handing it back to her. “You can still hold it, right?” She inquisitively gestured to the girl’s injured shoulder. Not waiting for an answer, however, she continued, “We gotta slow him down before we can escape, so I’m gonna distract him, aim for his legs if you can!” With that, she charged at the man, letting out a battle cry to direct his gaze and focus towards herself. She pretended to prepare for an attack, but her true intention was to dart past and reunite with Usui and Koharu, leaving an opportunity for Getsurin to slow him. Admitting to herself that this plan was risky, especially considering her inability to conceal her intentions from foes, she hoped that if they executed it successfully, it might provide them with enough time to make their escape.

Maybe.

 

[ReaperMelia]

While Usui's successful attack was a relief, Koharu's resolve was finally starting to become shaky at the sight of the swordsman's murderous glare. The girl carefully took a step back, gripping her pipe tightly enough for her knuckles to turn white. It obviously wouldn't do her much good at close range, but it was all she had right now, and her instincts were starting to take over as her mind began to draw a blank.

Despite her assailant now being frozen in place, Getsurin's panic hadn't faded enough for her to be able to focus on the battle. It took Miko's assistance for Getsurin to take notice of her shallow breaths and trembling hands. Her fingers gently clasped the hilt of her katana as Miko offered it back to her. Still frazzled, she did her best to listen to the Hoshigaki's question. "I... I can, yeah." Holding it was really all she could do with her dominant hand, but focusing on that thought at least helped her start focusing on getting out safely again. Getsurin worked on steadying her breath as Miko went over the plan. Before she could respond, the kunoichi darted away, leaving Getsurin to figure out how she'd follow up. She carefully took her sword in her right hand; not ideal, but she'd at least be able to swing it now. The girl gave Miko a moment to run ahead before sprinting after her, readying her blade.

The sword-wielding bandit halted as he heard Miko bellow out from behind him. He turned and raised his sword. "I'm done playing games, brat! I'll cut you down before you can even realize what a big mistake you made!" He let out a roar of his own and prepared to slash... But was a little stunned by the girl's decision to simply run right past him. "What the hell is wrong with you dumb kids?!" He shouted as he turned back to face the girl, now completely unaware of the Hozuki rushing at him from behind. Getsurin lunged at the man and swung at his left leg; despite her shaky grip, she still managed to carve a deep gash along his hamstring. He let out a shrill cry of pain and gripped his leg as Getsurin took the opening to slip past him.

"Let's go, now!" Getsurin called out to the others as she began catching up to them. The adrenaline rush of finally slowing that jerk bandit down had restored Getsurin's focus and confidence. She couldn't believe that obnoxious Hoshigaki was the one to help her out, but she conceded that she owed the girl a "Thank you" at the very least.

Koharu took a deep breath; for once, the two kunoichi managed to work together, and it seemed like that move just saved their lives. "Right! Miko, Usui, let's go!" The girl whirled around and began running, trusting the others to stay right behind her. Whether it was out of relief for the shifting tide of the battle or remaining panic from the danger she was in just a moment ago, Koharu had begun to believe they were finally out of danger. That being said, behind the four trainees, the swordsman was keeping one hand applied to his wound while the other clawed at his leg, trying to find its way to his weapon pouch. He couldn't chase after the young ninja right now, but he could at least hurl some shuriken at them and try to take them down while they fled.

 

[Emmie]

Miko couldn't suppress a chuckle as their opponent fell for her feigned charge, only realizing his mistake once she was safely beside the other pair. The man's cry of pain confirmed her success, and Miko couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction as their plan unfolded seamlessly. "Nice!" she cheered, her grin widening despite her ragged breathing. Pushing against the wound on her stomach, she watched as Getsurin approached, then turned to sprint off with the others as her rival caught up with them.

Their escape was abruptly halted by a sharp sting on Usui's shoulder. With a cry of surprise, he stumbled, a shuriken embedded in his flesh. The enemy swordman’s last-ditch effort to attack from a distance had succeeded, his fumbling hand finding his pouch in time to react to their retreat. Before Usui could regain his footing, the man seized the opportunity to target the legs of the already-wounded and distracted shark kunoichi, who’d stopped to steady Usui and free the weapon from his wound. He was certain the others wouldn't abandon her, and it was time to turn these dumb kids’ tactics of aiming for the legs against them.

She noticed the second volley of projectiles too late, assuming that the healer was once again their intended target. Shoving Usui out of harm's way, she felt a shuriken slice into her thigh, forcing her down to one knee. "Not fair!" Miko taunted, though her trembling hands betrayed her growing fear. "That's our strategy, get your own!" Exhausted and wounded, she waved to Usui and the others, urging them to keep fleeing. With no time for healing and her current condition, she knew she couldn't outrun the bandit, even with his injuries, nor could she outmaneuver the next batch of weapons he was preparing to throw.

"Water Style," a commanding voice rang out. "Shark Bomb!" Chakra-infused water sharks descended on the shinobi swordsman, tearing into him as he retreated from the group. With a rush of wind, a tall, blue-skinned kunoichi suddenly appeared between the teens and the bandit, deftly forming hand signs in preparation for another jutsu.

“Mizu!” Miko gasped, instantly recognizing the newcomer. It was clear they were related; even from behind, the woman resembled an older version of Miko herself. The biggest difference was the calm confidence Mizu stood with, as opposed to the smug defiance her younger sister carried in her strides.

“This isn’t your patrol region, Miko,” Her tone carried accusation, subtly questioning why they were so far off course. Glancing at Miko and Usui, she added, “And orders were to not engage hostiles.” Her gaze lingered on the other pair, recognition flickering in her eyes. The bubble-user was unfamiliar, but the Hozuki clan's rival was not, at least in appearance.

She readied another wave of sharks, but with a string of choice curse words, the sword wielder hastily limped away in retreat, calling to his partners to hurry up and free themselves from the sticky goop. Clearly, none of them were getting very far. With a satisfied 'hmph', she turned to fully face the group. "So... Someone want to explain why this - Her thumb pointed over her shoulder at the messy camp. - wasn't immediately reported?" As her younger sister began to speak up, she raised a finger. "Someone who isn't already spinning a tale?"

Usui swallowed hard, feeling a mix of relief and apprehension at Mizu's arrival. The older Hoshigaki had always intimidated him, her expression now a blend of anger and concern that left him stumbling over his words. "M-maybe we should... get back to the v-village? To let them know what happened, a-and have them collect these guys?"

"Those goons? If four kids could slow them down, they're hardly a threat even if they could escape," she retorted, her arms crossing impatiently. "So right now, healing," she continued, glaring down at Usui before gesturing towards Miko, whose wounded stomach he promptly attended to. "And explaining." Her gaze now fell on the two strangers, eyebrow raised and fingers lightly tapping on her arm.

 

[ReaperMelia]

A pained cry from her new teammate immediately made Koharu recall that they weren't out of danger just yet; thankfully, the shuriken didn't cause any critical damage, but the kunoichi was hit with a wave of guilt as she saw Usui's new wound. Before she could do anything to help, Miko took a hit, and it looked like she was ready to give her life to save the others. Koharu couldn't help but feel that she had failed the team; after all, she was the one who came up with the plan to slow down the thugs and run past them. She hadn't considered the possibility of the trio having any ranged weapons, and now an ally would lose her life over Koharu's mistake. She reached a hand out to Miko to try to find some way to help, but before she could even shout the girl's name, the appearance of another ninja drew her attention.

Ordinarily, Getsurin would have grimaced at the appearance of a second Hoshigaki kunoichi, especially since this one was clearly related to the girl's new rival. However, between the lingering pain in her shoulder and the dire situation the four trainees found themselves in, she was grateful for the rescue regardless of their clan relations. Mizu managed to scare off the bandits with ease, giving the group time to recover... after they explained what happened. Getsurin realized that they had simply gotten themselves into a completely new type of trouble given their rescuer's clear anger. Her eyes drifted down to her feet as she began to open her mouth, but Koharu cut her off before she could get any words out.

"I'm so sorry." Koharu bowed respectfully, though she was really just trying to hide the tears threatening to start running down her cheeks. "My partner and I were on our patrol and discovered the camp, and when we went to investigate, we found these two there. Before we could return to the village to report, those bandits emerged and attacked us." She could have mentioned that Getsurin and Miko wasted time with their little duel, but she felt she had caused enough harm. She was prepared to take full responsibility for the situation, but before she could do so, it was Getsurin's turn to speak up.

"It was my fault. I... I saw Miko and thought she was an enemy. I tried to confront her, and that just led to us fighting. Those guys showed up after Koharu and Usui got us to stop. We tried to make an opening to run away as soon as we could." The kunoichi spoke with one hand clutching her injured shoulder and her eyes still averted. She knew that if she hadn't been so stubborn, the four likely could have gotten away before the bandits decided to step in. She refused to let her friend take the blame and punishment for her own actions, and as much as Miko annoyed her, she also didn't want her and Usui to pay for her own mistakes. "If you're going to be mad at anyone, please, be mad at me." She finally lifted her gaze to meet Mizu's; much like Koharu, tears were welling up in the young kunoichi's eyes, but there was still a tiny spark of determination in the look she gave the older ninja.

Koharu stretched an arm out to try to get Getsurin to stop, but she knew that her friend would be just as stubborn as usual if she tried to argue. Instead, the girl sighed and shuffled over to Miko and Usui. "Hey... I'm really sorry. I should have known they would have some other trick they'd use when our backs were all turned. My plan wasn't thorough enough." Her voice wavered as a few tears betrayed her attempts to look calm. With the situation now settled, the crushing weight of knowing that she'd just experienced her first real battle and almost gotten her allies killed was becoming unbearable. An apology wouldn't make up for her mistake, but it was all she could offer in the moment.