Private/Closed Naruto AU: Roleplay

[sSoul]

Seiun
Despite Seiun's unusual wording, Baiyan was willing to meet his challenge of a fight. Unfortunately, she had to ask where the training fields were and since he hadn't been in the rain long enough to familiarize himself, he didn't know either. The rogue shinobi gave a light facepalm due to the unfortunate nature of his circumstance before answering Baiyan.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but I don't remember where the training grounds are either," Seiun began with a sheepish look on his face, "I've been travelling so many places that I forgot the layout of my own village." Taking a moment to think, he decided to take the obvious solution.

"We should ask around, can't have the blind leading the blind, now can we?" Seiun joked, almost managing to stifle a chuckle as he delivered the punchline.
Tsuki
Tsuki was relieved when Kiro told her to not worry about intruding on their conversation, as she was aware that inserting yourself where you're not welcome is a poor thing to do when you're trying to cultivate a good first impression. Her eyes widened in shock when the Uchiha mentioned the Damos incident, unaware that the incident was still carried in conversation to this day. Although she wasn't there for the event itself, Hama was more than eager to inform her on what happened. Particularly, she knew about the black liquid that Damos had polluted the village with thanks to watching Hama operate on it. She gave a smile of pride when Hama was mentioned, though she waited for Kiro to respond before piping up herself.

"The black liquid is in the best hands of the village," Tsuki beamed proudly, "I should know as Hama's pupil. I saw her treating the black water and I even picked up a thing or two about it." The excitement was palpable in her voice when it came to praising her mentor, giving one the impression that the icy kunoichi thought very highly of the woman.
Taiyo
"Of course I'd pay you as soon as the money comes," Taiyo responded almost immediately after Madoka had asked her question, "I mean, why did you think I tried to pay you with a check? If I had the money right now, I'd pay you no questions asked, and once I get the money here, I'll pay you in similar fashion." As Madoka stared him down, he could tell that she was looking for certainty and honesty in an answer. Additionally, he thought that there was no reason to delay his response when he already knew what he wanted to say.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"Tch...!"

He snarled at Tomiko, an arm raised to distance himself from her, as well as ready to attack if necessary. He wanted to fight her words, but he couldn't in good conscious. Looking away from her and crossing his arms, not wanting to face her.

"Damnit, if I say I don't know will you cut it out already?"

Zaku half turned his head from her, his resolve holding strong despite seeming not to agree with his own actions on the matter.

"It's what Lord Orochimaru had instructed. I've never questioned him before and I'm not about to start questioning him now. He's got a plan, and I'm going to follow it, even I don't know what it's about I couldn't care any less. ...You got a problem with that, huh?"


.....


"I didn't know you actually went that far in the apprenticeship...to deal with the black water is..." Kai shuddered at the thought. "I hope she knows what she's doing is all, involving you with this."

Shaking his head, he looked back to Kiro having a somewhat determined expression on his face, or was it resolve?

"But that's what I suppose is what we had to resort to in such a situation. Damos brought desperation to a lot of the mist at the time. Chaos. Not exactly an easy time... that late December was almost joyless because of it. Would it be horrible to say that your stay at the leaf was likely better?"


........


"ͤU͗̉ͥ͐̐̂̚n̓̄͊̒̂̚ṅ̊ͮ͂̿ͭeͦc̽ēͦs͆ŝ̋̉ȃ̅̚rỳ͐ͣ̃̉ͬ̚.̽ͤ͆ ̓̔T̍̈̅ͥ̄̾áͯ̉ͮk̄́̔ͩe͂̅̄ͩ̈̎ ͨͯ̿͒͊ͭt̏̇̇ͪ̑͑ȟ̈ͦ̏̍iͯͬ͐ͤ͐ͯͩs͊̎ͯͤ͗͛̎ ͂ͥ̀̉́̆͒r̃͋̎̔̊ͭo̓͛u͑̀tͮ̀̊̂͌e̿͑͆ͪ̍̊. ̋ͦͫ͌ͬ̑D͒͑͂o̽ͩ̑ͫ͐͌́ ̾ͣ̑̍nͩ͒͐ͨͭ͊ŏ̄̏ͥ̽̿t̓̿̓͂͆ ͌ͥdͯ͐̿̈́͂ev̐̌ͫ̈́i͂̈́̇̽̒̆ã̓t̉̇͆ͮ̔͐e.̀ͩ̀̓̀"̅̓̾͋ͫ̆̚

Suddenly, Seiun's vision would light up, a yellow trail of light being seen marked onto the ground, pulsating and leading toward the direction of the training grounds.

"̔ͣD̽̈͐ȏ̆ͬ͌͌̀nͭ'̍ͩ̈͛t ́͆̌ͧ̃ḿ̅̓ͬà̑ͩ̎̋k̍̒ͬeͬ ͬ̐͗͋ͮͯ̃y̆ͣóͩ͌̌ù͑̂͑r̾̋̄̑ͩs̒̔͂ȇͤ̄̄͗̋l̂̎f̃ͮ̍̚ ͊l̏ͭ̇̓̓ͣoȏ̒͒̉̚k̃ͭͣ ͭ̄̂͑̓̈́̍lͯ̄̈́͊ͦ̄͑ik̔́̊͑ͣėͤ̇̏ ͆ͧͯy͒ͮo̐̓̎̅̒ͤuͫͤ͆ ̽ͫḋ̐ͣ̋͌o̾̂͑͌͐͒n͆̚'̀ͧ̔͑̏̌ͥtͮͦ̋̋ͬ̚ ̌̂͆kͩno͊ͯw͑̀͒ͯ̿ͦ̀ w̐ͫ̋haͧ͋͑͗ͭt ̆̈̍ͣyͤͤͩͧ̄ͨ̔ǒ̐̌ͦ̓̏u̅̅͗ͥrͭ ͊̃̂̈́͗dͫ̂ͣô̈́́̆̋̚i͆ͭ̋nͤ̈́g̊̈̐͑ͦ̈̚.͆ ͊ͭͨ͗̌̓ͮOw̒ͯ̌̂ň̉͂̏̃ͫ ͆̌yͩͯ̔̑̅̂̒ouͬ͊̑̅͐rͣ̒ ̓n͐̍aͮ͗͒͂̑t́uͥ͐ͯrͯe̎ͤͫ̈́̉̈̚.̑̊"͐̇͌̍̚

 

[Retro Master]

Kiro looked at the Yuki girl with a bit of intrigue in his eyes when he heard she was a pupil of Hama and was assisting her with the black water. That was certainly not a job for just any ninja. Judging by his reaction, even Kai was openly surprised. If Tsuki was truly able to dabble with the black water that even the Mizukage was so concerned about, then there was more to the girl and her gracefulness than met the eye.

"You must be a pretty skilled shinobi yourself then, Tsuki. I guess you must be participating in the Chūnin exams as well then.”

Complimenting her capability, Kiro also made an inference of his own. Whether or not she confirmed it was up to Tsuki, but it was interesting that he didn’t see her participate during the last exams. Perhaps she had just been honing her abilities. Whatever the case, this just added another interesting person to the list of expected exam participants he had in mind.

Kiro then turned to the Yuki prince, who had questioned if his time imprisoned in the cold cages of the Leaf had been better than the cheerless holidays endured during the aftermath of Damos’ assault. He took a moment to recall that time, perhaps recalling something traumatic that had occurred there. Even if he was remembering something like that, Kiro still retained his usual calm composure before dismissing any concern of the Yuki.

“No. It’s fine. What I endured there isn’t comparable to the repercussions caused by Damos. That late December for me was... how should I put this? Perhaps unexpected, to put it lightly.”

 

[kyuukestu]

Hinagiku

The Village Hidden in Rain was infamous for its—well, rain. The perpetually cloudy, overcast skies no doubt lent themselves to the poor weather that had defined the village's monicker; but, even that wouldn't explain why this village with its precipitous skyscrapers and precipitatious climate, was experiencing precipitate shifts in precipitation.

Eaves and awnings were laden with freshly alighted snow, a touch of brightness within an otherwise dark village. The rainfall that had started hardly an hour ago had varyingly transformed into sleet and the muddy grounds had begun to turn to slush.

The source of this summer snow could be traced back to a peculiar wonderland: a foggy courtyard awash with an unnatural luminescence, where clumps of silver fires scattered their light across suspended droplets. Where hot and cold met the air churned in protest and whipped the fog into eerie, grotesque figures who, comically, smelt of spring violets. The flowery scent would've been pleasant had it not been overpowering to the point of pungency.

This sensory kaleidoscope contained there-in a battle which, to the citizens of the rain, must've seemed a repeat of the atrocities of yesteryear, when foreign conflicts had ravished their land. And they'd be right, for the village could not and would not emerge unscathed from a battle of any greater caliber. They would not be pleased.

This was where Hinagiku drew the line.

"That's quite enough."

The stillness in her expression was only contrasted by the wriggling veins that fed her omniscient vision and the flame-wreathed Guandao that accompanied her. She swung her blade like a scepter, and by her will, the scattered flames assimilated into one: a single, burning fox-tail which she began to store within a paper tag.

Fire was not among the nature-releases the Matriarch possessed, but she was nonetheless an adept fire-tamer. In a way, it was to be expected. Her mastery over home and hearth were things that other clan leaders could only begrudge. She had always wondered why that was; why the Hyuga was the sole clan to exert hegemonic control over their bloodline when, given their impotence, the Uchiha should've had a greater stake in that. From a certain perspective, it made sense. The Uchiha model of success involved riding the coat-tails of their prodigies while their rank and file wasted away, rife with trash, the likes of that dumb-ass Yashiro and those of his ilk. Just the thought of them brought out crassness.

Hina schooled her irritation fearing her sealing would go awry. Slow and steady won the race.

The silver lining to it all was that their age-old rival was too gout-ridden to oppose her vie for primacy. They had never seen the need to push the limits of what could be done and they wallowed in their contentment. But it was unfair to put that fault squarely upon Uchiha shoulders, it was a sentiment Hina held towards much of village leadership. Their passive-reactive politics served only to further undermine the village and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. Even the Nara, noted for their wiles, had been shown up by a precocious little girl. She had transformed their hiden into something uniquely hers, something beyond what they thought possible. What an embarrassment.

In spite of the unfortunate stance she'd taken, there was no shame in admitting Azumi was exceptional. And so too was this girl before her, introduced as Lixue, the Majestic Star—ranked 6th. Her daughter, Sagiso, was ranked 36th. This begged the question: were the Star Maiden's rankings hierarchical? If they were, that meant there were at least five amongst them as strong as, if not stronger than the girl before her. This was not a dismissible force. While she was no older than twenty, her strength rivaled Anko's, and more surprising...it was growing stronger at a terrifying rate. The obvious question was—where did this power come from? The Byakugan provided an answer.

'That chakra...'

Entrenched within the Majestic Star's veins and feeding into her chakra network was a foreign well-spring that was rapidly developing her chakra network. By Hina's estimations, in a month her strength would parallel Kakashi's, in another, it would challenge her own, in three months she would equal the Lady Hokage.

"..."

It was rare that the Matriarch was stunned into silence, but the Majestic Star's near-potential had done just that. Lixue's growth was indubitably driven by that well-spring of power; its dense chakra and potent vitality was the lynchpin. The unique tint of the chakra-spring compared against Lixue's own chakra, its strength, and the way in which it acted upon the girl's body, allowed the Matriarch a few confident inferences: whoever had bequeathed it certainly wasn't long for this world and that person was closely related to Lixue. A bloody price for such rapid growth.

Hinagiku ultimately kept such thoughts to herself, she remained curious and intrigued by the Star Maiden's methods, but her curiosity would not jeopardize her goal. The power she sought was within reach and it would exact a price of its own.

"Shall we?"

 

[Godjacob]

Madoka worked to eye him as he gave his response, and sighed. On one hand operating on what seemed to be a metaphorical pinkie promise as she trusted cold credit over all else, but given the exams were coming up and asking to wait till they were done would defeat the purpose of an upgrade she figured that given Taiyo "technically" was a repeat customer and one ninja of her peers she was a touch more tolerable around she'd be willing to concede to this much. "Very well, though if we are to do this we should find a place where the rain won't be an obstacle." Madoka explained to Taiyo.

---------
Tomiko stood, not scared even as Zaku threatened to strike as she kept strong to her conviction and prepared a defense if need but, but Zaku seemed to diffuse himself as he avoided eye contact while he replied with what she presumed was his excuse for this happening as Tomiko took in his words before she worked a reply of her own.

"I don't think it matters if I have a problem with it or not, I think you need to ask yourself if you have a problem with it or not." Tomiko replied, as she seemed to sense Zaku had lacked the usual unshakeable confidence that had guided every other action she noted in their admittedly brief interactions with each other. Here Zaku seemed to try to convey the same natural confidence, but clear doubt had present in tone and body language.

Seems even Zaku sensed this decision was dubious, but would he admit it to himself is the question.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

Rank 36 — Heavenly Skillful Star | Yan Roulan​

Speed was a function of an action and time: the less time it took to complete an action, the faster that action was said to be. It then followed that reaction was the ability to stretch those precious moments of time, to milk them for all they were worth. Of course, a desperate scramble to react presupposed that one had little time to begin with. When dojutsu came into play, this was often not the case. Foundational to visual prowess was the ability to recognize the harbingers of actions: the movement of muscles and the flow of chakra that betrayed actions well in advance.

The charge building within Kenji's body was one such harbinger; a mass of chakra large enough to draw attention but not so large that the Skillful Star felt any need to defend. It was much like the other lump-sums of chakra he had mined the ground with, minor annoyances at worst. Though nothing could be more annoying than the Kumo-shinobi's slippery insistence on evading a confrontation. So...what if he couldn't?

It was such errant thoughts that occupied Sagisō's mind as their respective jutsu took effect. The electrical impulse that expanded with Kenji as its epicenter crashed into the compression of air that had been released by her fist, distorting as the current dispersed wildly in the rain. It was this wetness that granted the static attack its potency, allowing the current to cling persistently to the coverings of bone, feather, and fur that protected the Sagisō from a more direct current. The result was an electric taze that held the star in place until a moment later when her own attack expanded rapidly into a wave of air pressure that insulated the air even as it ruptured the earth underfoot.

 

[sSoul]

Tsuki
Although she intended to impress Kai and Kiro, it seemed that all she did was unnerve the former. Fortunately the latter was sufficiently impressed, so Tsuki didn't feel too down on herself. In fact, the Uchiha even gave icy kunoichi a compliment, much to her delight. However, she decided address Kiro's praise at a later time. Truthfully, Tsuki was a little flattered over the concern for her well-being that the Yuki Prince had displayed. Still, the icy kunoichi felt the need to alleviate Kai's worries about her safety.

"Hama-sensei did most of the heavy lifting, so my involvement was minimal," Tsuki spoke to Kai in a calm but serious tone in her best attempts at reassuring him, "While I appreciate the concern, I'm sure Hama-sensei knows exactly what she's doing. " Once she felt that she fully addressed Kai's concerns, she now had the freedom to accept Kiro's compliment.

"Thank you, your compliment means a lot to me," She paired her declaration of gratitude with a small, respectful bow before elaborating on Kiro's comment about the exams, "I am participating in the exams. In fact, I've actually made it to the final stage of the exams."

 

[kyuukestu]

Furījia

The heiress swiftly crossed the Shinobi-highway, avoiding all traffic by vaulting over the roofs and off the walls. Her movements were Laodicean, possessing direction but lacking orientation. While her body was very much present, her mind was consummately lost; she was on auto-pilot. Still, it hadn't taken her long to locate her sister who had, predictably, picked a fight. Her sister had attributes she lacked, traits she could see but not grasp. The feeling wasn't unfamiliar; it was the sense of having all the pieces to a puzzle, but not quite seeing the big picture. She was a whisper away from understanding; but she knew, from years of study, that at times being so close made comprehension no less elusive. Fortunately, the girl was a good study. Given time and guidance, even the most esoteric of concepts could be unraveled.

Furījia was quiet as she watched.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
If the "redeemed" rogue was to be honest with himself, he wasn't excited about going around the town and asking for information, at all. Having done that routine already when he was trying to find the High Priest of Pain was painful enough. Fortunately, B.O.S.E.C. had actually come to Seiun's rescue for once, actually providing a route to the training grounds. Of course, Seiun would have to do a bit of acting in order to smoothly transition from either mode.

"Actually, I think I see one that we can use," Seiun spoke calmly, not wanting to pretend like he was too excitable over every little thing, "Follow me." As he walked towards the training ground, the Ame-nin felt the need to set the record straight with a certain artificial intelligence that was bunking in his mind.

Look, I've got no problems with my nature. Hell, this little spar is just an excuse to establish dominance and beat her up. However, my nature as a rogue, a "redeemed" one but a rogue nonetheless makes me untrustworthy in her eyes. Ultimately, if I'm going to be working with her, then it would be in my best interest to make sure that she feels that she can trust me. And in case you're wondering why, allow me to spell it out for you. Imagine if she feels that I can't be trusted and she takes that matter to Azumi. That puts a seed of doubt in her mind and, considering that she knows my history, I wouldn't put it past her to boot me off the team, since she probably cares more about this established group member than the newbie. And once I'm off this squad, I'm no longer "redeemed", and if I ain't "redeemed" then that means my brother will have no qualms killing me where I stand. At that point I would've blown my second chance, and third chances don't exist in this world. So, does that clear things up?

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

I hope your right... Kai thought to himself as Tsuki explained her situation with Hama. However, as the topic swiftly changed to the chunnin exam's final stage, Kai confidently smiled.

"Tsuki and I both made it. We shall certainly make it to the end and beat all those with dirty blood that stand against us. It will be a real spectacle if you wish to see it."


.......


"...Tch..."

Zaku couldn't fight the words directly, because they stood against what he believed in. No, he didn't think this was right. But it wasn't right to question his master either. It was a paradox he wasn't fond of, so it was easier not to think about it.

"...Lord Orochimaru has a plan for everything. He always does. He has faith in me, so I must have faith in him. I don't see the big picture, and quite frankly, neither do you. No offense, but if you did you wouldn't bother staying in your mud hut of a town."

"Hey guuuys?" Kou called from far out his guard post. "You guys done over there?"


........


Yes.ͧ̃ͭ́͗͗̒ ̿̿I͒̋̿́ ̏ͮkn̂̅o̎̚w̋ͮ.ͥ́ ͭ͑I'̎̆̐̔̒̉v͛ͤeͥ̋͊͋ͦ̔͐ ̅̏̿͌r̈̏e͂̈ͯ͌a͛̑͌̄ͦd͊ͫ ̈́̎̊yͪ̌̃̂ͨ̅̈́oͮ̎ŭͬͦ̈́ͦr̃͂͗̿ͧ̒͊ ̇̏̿̍̅̑t́h̃̂̽̒o̍uǧͭ̋ͭͯ̓̽hͤ͊̇ͣ̾̒ͦts͛́̒̓.̔̈́̐ͥ̅ ͪͣ̾ͬĪͪͥ͗͊͒tͥ̓ͣͧ̽̒ d̉̏͗oͨͮͣ͛͋e͊̐̈́̉ͫ͋s̅n͊'̋̀͛̌t ͥͫ̆̔̆̍ͨm̏̅̈ͥat͗̇̐͋̋̑ͥtͭ̃̐ͮ̾ͦe͗̚rͯ͆͒ͦͧͦ,̇̇́̚ ̍̍͋̒t̆heyͬ̑̍ͨ̉'͛v̐̊͂eͮ̀̎ ͨaͩ́̃͆͆cc̿ͣe̎̽̈͛pͧ̈̉ͯt̓̒ẻͦ͐ďͧ̈̀̑̓ ͂ͩ̿̍ḿ̿̑̔͛ȏ̓͗rê ͊̌qͥ̇̃̃̆̋ů̒̌͊̋̅e͊̌̍ͮͮsͤ͑ͫ̓tiͮ̄ͫ̆̎̚oͧ̃ͥ̑̿̈n̆aͣ̆ͪͭͩb̐̌̊̐́̾l͌̉̈̚éͧ̈́ ̈́̇̑̇ͨcͭ̍ͣ͗hͭ͗̿̓ar̿ͪ̌ͦačͯt̍ͮẻͩͥ͐̅̊́rs̑̎̍̆̑͑.̀ͤ ͦ͆̿ͨ̓I̾'͋ve̒̉ͥ ̍̏̊̽c̄͊͌̿͊̌̑al̓̒͗cͫ͗̄ủ͋̽̓͐l̃̐ͩ̈á͒̽̎͋ͬͥt̎͛ě̒̏͑̈d ͮ̊8̅̍9̒̈͊% ̽aͬͦ̌̀ͣ̌͊c͋ͯ̚c̒̊̐̚ẽͭ͒̊ͬ͐pͧt͑̃̾a̾b͐͆lͥ͐ȅ͐̿ ̂͑̔̓̚r͐̅̍a͊̈̐̌n͂̌̈̔̒gͬȅ̿ ̇͒̑̌ͧ͒oͧͨ̌̂ͫ̅f̓͑̓̂͑ ́̓s̈́̋̆uͫc̑̔ͧ̄̋c̑̐̓̌ͭ̚ẻ̓ͨ́͒s̏̈́͐̄ͨ̒s ̏̀uͭ̑̋p̋ͫ̔ö́̍͌̍̃̈́̿n͆̂̔̎͌ ë́ͥfficie̔ͩ͆͐ͫ̓̃nͫͧtͪ̅̂̌͋ͪ ̓͑ͨ̚c̓͐̃͋ͫ͐o̒m̔ͧ̀̅b̿̈́̔atͯ͐̅ͥͮ̂͒ ̔ͣ̿̈͊dͤ͂͂ͮͧ͒iͦ̄̀̈ͮ̈̉sp̀͒ͮͣlͥ̅̃͋͂̌̆āͭ͐̚ẏ̆̉̄.̑̄̄̋ ̄̏̓͂͊̑Yͬoͫ̊͛̒u͒'̇̽ͦͤ̂̚̚l̃̆ͨlͬ ͂͋ͬ͌ͣf̓in̓̃̇d ̋́ͫ́ͨͣ̔if̌̄ͦ̒ ̂̅͐͐y̎̏̓̿o̾͂̓̂ͦ͊͆uͫ̋ͪ ͛͋̐lë́ȁ̅vȇͭ͆ ͥͣṫ̈ͯh͐͂eͥ̂̏ͮ̎̈́͋ t̃͒̈ͫ͒͛̈́h̎̋͂̃̔iͭͦ̄̂̾ͦn͂̈́ͬͥ̃̍͗k̓i͑̊n͂ͣg̎ͩ̄̅̓ͮ̓ ̈̍́tͤo͗̉ ̓m͌̏͒̊̑̎e̔̚,̽̽ ͧ̎̓ͩ̔͊t͑̊̐ͫͨ̓he ̈ͫͨw̄͗͆ͤͬo̍ͫ̓ͩr͌͗ͩ̒ͪ͌ͪrͦͭ̐̀iͤ̔͛ͦ̅ͨéͬsͤ̓ ̑͗̿ͤͫͥ̆dͯͣ͛ͧͪ͗̚is̑a̅̾͗̿p̾ͩ͋̈̒̽̈́p̌e̿̎̅ͭ̈́̈́̾a̿ͩ̈́̽͐r̄ͮ̋ͥ.ͤ̂̔ͪ͊͗̚"

On the way to the training site, little yellow signs would pop up along the way. Of course these signs were just fabrications B.O.S.E.C. Concocted. They were tips such as a starting fighting pose that would yield higher results, Gahedra's usage, as well as basic tutorials of sweeping moves and the like to combat her possible battle strategies. It was like advanced flash cards.

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

Rank 27 — Heavenly Sword Star | Ruan Ling Lien​

Seiun's taste in jokes was rather poor and Baiyan didn't deign to dignify him with a response. She had been prepared to simply ask someone for directions when the Ame ninja suddenly claimed to have spotted a training field. The about-face was odd, but ultimately just that and so Baiyan quietly followed along until they had reached the training ground.

While Seiun stared idiotically into space, the Sword Star gently drew blood with the blade at her waist and hand seals soon followed. In short order her summon—Iris the hummingbird—had appeared. The curious little avian had taken perch atop Baiyan's head and despite the weather, its chirps were as cheery as a clear spring day.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
Although he was a little put off by B.O.S.E.C. reading his thoughts, he figured that it was irrelevant at the moment considering that the long awaited fight was able to begin properly. Additionally, Seiun noticed that there were a collection of data cards that the artificial intelligence had manifested to guarantee combat efficiency. The "redeemed" rogue was normally opposed to doing things B.O.S.E.C's way since he believed that he didn't need the construct to navigate him through things like conversation. However, combat was the exception to this rule. The last time that Seiun fought someone, he got his ass handed to him in embarrassing fashion. Additionally, although he was able to use the Gahedra efficiently when it came time to escape the Yuki Prison, he was still relatively inexperienced with the chakra weapon. B.O.S.E.C., on the other hand, seemed to know everything about the weapon, so to ignore his suggestions on this front would be a hilariously stupid idea. With that information in mind, Seiun gladly took the starting position that one of B.O.S.E.C's flashcards had laid out. Firstly, he flared the chakra in the palm of his right hand to summon the Gahedra. Then, Seiun planted his left leg, extending it outward as if he was lunging. While his left leg was in a lunge-like position, his right leg was bent at about a 30 degree angle. His left arm was held a 90 degree angle, keeping his forearm parallel to the ground. Meanwhile, his right arm was holding the Gahedra at a downward angle, the weapon itself contorting its feelers to resemble the blade of a sword. Once the "redeemed" rogue took his stance, the Ame-nin studied the fighting techniques that the cards laid out until he felt that he sufficiently understood them. Once he was done with his studying session, he decided to drop his polite pretenses and begin trash talking.

"Try not to get too distracted by that little bird of yours, cuz by the time I'm done with you, you'll be seeing a whole flock of them." A dirty smirk was painted on Seiun's face as he delivered his one liner, indifferent to any possible response from Baiyan.

So, are we going on the offensive, or are we gonna play reactionary?

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"̀̓ͥ9̊ͭ͌͒ͨ5̾ͪ̾̈́̐ͭ%ͩͯ̍̂͊ͮ̾ ͑a͛͆c̈́c͐͑ͣ́u̾͊͒̂͐rͥa̎̑̎́c̈́y̐͐̊ o͐͋̈̐f͆̈́͆ ̎͐ͬ͑͛̍t̎̄̄ͮhͧ̉e̍̿̐̏̈ ͤ̃̄̑sͨͨ̔̄t̋̾a͋ͥ͆ͧ̏r̀́́tͬ͗͒͂̉̔̔ing ̈́ͧ̎̔́ͣͭs̈ͯ̒ta̔ͩ̿ñ͊̒c̊̆͒e.ͪ̌̒̀ A̍c̃̎ͤ͋c̊ͨͣ͛ͯeͯ̽̓̆̓ͧ̏p͒̉̂̊̆t̂̌̅a̐̈́͊ͬbͫ̃̃̌ͨ̿ͧl̅̓̃ͮ̆e͊ͫ̂̈ͫ̅̓.̓"̆͐ͫ̽͛͌

The A.I. Examined the predicament. Baiyan did not seem in the slightest bit worried. Yes. He was certain she was a part of this group. There was no denying it at this point. With that in mind, she most certainly had fought dangerous foes higher caliber that of Seiun's strength. So they should play the power game. Rather strategy.

"ͤ̀̅Tͤ̇̚hȅͦ͑̅́ ͌̑̔l̋ͤ͊̂o͒͊ͨ́̍ͦ̍nͪͤ̉g̽ͩ̍̇er ́̏̓̀̌t̋ͦ̌̈́̀͆hi̐̀̅̏š̉́̌ ͯ͌̔͒͆ͩͫg͋ͨ̐̋̓͂̏oͫͭeͫ̾ͥs͗ͭ̂ͧ̈̊ ͌̿̌̉ͥo͐͒ͧn̔,̋ͩ ͑͗t̔h̅eͧ͛ͧ̓̈ͤ ͐ͣͫͥsͯ̑̇t̎r̐͆onͮ͒ͪ̆ͥg̔ͩ͌͌ͨ̄ė̓ͫr̊́ͬ̀̏̂̉ ̂̀ͧ̈́̀myͤ ͪ͆̽͗pͪͤͩ̃r͌̓̒eͣ͗ͬ̉͑̋̚dͤ͊ͯ͐̊ͬͫi̓͒̉̈́ċ̎͑ṫi͋ͦͫ̐ͩͯͪonsͨ̉̽ͩ̌ͦ͑ ͬb̾̽ͥ̆͌ͬͧe̓̋ͤ̚cͣ̐͐oͧmͦͨͣͨ̂ė̒̇.ͧ̚ ͑ͧ̊́͑ͫR̈̃eͧ͑̊a̒͂͑ͮ́ͮc̋ͭt͆ionͮͭārẙ̐̓̑ ͦ̏̒u̒̄͂̅ͪñ̾ͧ͐t̐iͪ̊ͦ̊́l͊̈́ͩ ͮͧ̈́s̐ͧ͛ḣͫ͌̽ē̅͒ͦͧ͂ ̂̌ͨ̀̈́p̊̓r̂ͣ̾͊͆ͫo͒ͯ̊viͯͯ͛ͫ̿̽dͬͦͬës̉͑ͬ̃̋͛ͧ ͐̇wͭ̌ͣe͆̿̎aͬ͗̊̍̇kṅ́͂́͛́e̐̇̇s̃̊̓̊s̔̀͋ ̌̔̐̄̀tò̿̆ ̎ͨ̌̏ͯ̐̉ȇ̇ͨ̄̚̚x́̀͗̍̋p̆̂̓ͦľ͑̒ͫ͛ͩo̾i̓̏̏ͣt̊ͣ̋̊ͯ̈̋.̈́̇́ͨͭ̃"͆̆͗

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

Rank 27 — Heavenly Sword Star | Ruan Ling Lien​

Since Seiun had decided to stay his hand, Baiyan was more than glad to take the opportunity he'd provided. A string of hand-seals focused her chakra into the already muddy ground, saturating it with the executor of her will. Slowly but surely her lotus field was expanding, its diameter creeping outward...3 meters....5 meters....9 meters...

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Adding this move she used into his databanks, he tried to determine her angle. The best course of action? Experimentation. It wouldn't be wise to allow her to freely set up a possibly dangerous trap.

"ͬ͐͑̈T͒ͣ̐̎ͥͬhͨ͒ͧ̉̎a̓ͫ͑t͒'̋͐sͤ͊ ͣhͭ̔ͦ̎̑͂̎ȏͥͦͫͯͮẃ̈̌͊ͮ ̈̒̋s̆hěͭͤͪ̑̾̊ ̅ẁá̎̍ͥ̍̐̚nͭ̏t̄̌͌s̍ ̉̈́̄ͭ̄ͩt̓ͤ̂o͌̀ͥͮ ͑ͨ͑̎p͒ͪ̍ͫͮ͂l͒͑̅a͗͂̐ͮ̍̋̂y͂ iͦ͒t̉ ͋tͦ̀̄͊h̅e͗̋͌ͨn̈́̄ͤ.͛̌̔ Sͯt̍̋ͦ̈́rͩͩ͆̽̏̎̚iͧͥͨͮͥ̈́̚kͬͪeͤ̑̑ͥ̚ ̈́̂̆ͦ̊̚n͑̽̒ȏ͌͌͐̑͐̚w͑ͯ̿ͪ.̋ Sͩͭͨ̑ẅ͆̉ͩeë́̒̔̔̃pi͌̊ň̈́̒g ̀͐̀b̐̓͆̑l̆̂ͥ̈̎̑ṏ́ͬͣ̄̏̈́w̃ͧ̃ͣ̋ͩ̓ ͩ̈f̑rͯ̓̐ͦͣ̑̓o̅̅m̔ ͊ͬͭ͆̾t͂̄͒̃̈́h̍̔̑͂eͤͩͩͩ̓̋ ̇́̄ͬlef͊̽͗ͬt̿̎ͪ̔.ͨͭͩ̏"́͒

 

[Retro Master]

As evident by her graceful bow, Tsuki was quite respectful. Not that he couldn’t tell already. There weren’t many women, or people in general, Kiro had met that seemed as naturally urbane as her. She really did seem to appreciate his compliment. At least he thought so. However, it could just be due to her upbringing in an esteemed noble clan such as the Yuki that she was being so courteous to him. Tsuki did seem to be genuine, so he’d give her the benefit of the doubt for now.

“That’s pretty impressive as well.”

Kiro told the Yuki kunoichi honestly after hearing she’d made it to the final round of the exams. Making it to the final stage on her first attempt was a commendable achievement. There were only eight examinees who made it to the final exam last time after all. Truth to be told, he didn’t exactly know if it was the same format as this time. Kai hadn’t made it this far last time either, so now Kiro would get the chance to watch him fight this time around. Judging by his proclamation, it seemed the Yuki Prince was confident in their chances of making it to the end as well. Kiro could only wonder who their opponents were.

“So, do you both know who you’ll be fighting yet?”

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
Scoffing at Baiyan's insistence on charging an attack, Seiun charged her and did the sweeping blow that B.O.S.E.C had instructed to do. Though the ground had become muddier the closer he got, the "redeemed" rogue was completely indifferent to this fact as he slashed the Gahedra at Baiyan's side, hoping to throw her off balance so her jutsu would be interrupted.
Tsuki
The icy kunoichi gave a gleeful grin in response to Kiro's praise of her exploits. Since she was often overlooked or shunned in her childhood, Tsuki rarely got any praise. Even when she was praised, it was primarily when she got an academy question correct before anyone else could answer, leading to a few jealous peers calling her a teacher's pet. Although it was obvious that these insults were made out of spite, that didn't prevent the lonely Yuki-nin from internalizing that criticism, since she rarely got any positive reinforcement that wasn't from the very teacher that was claimed to play favorites. Eventually, the icy kunoichi found herself often downplaying her accomplishments, though she hardly paid much attention to that fact. With the high praise that Kai set by claiming both of them would make it to the finals to win the exams, this scenario was no different.

"I wouldn't say that, Kai." Tsuki interjected, her tone noticeably less upbeat than it was up to this point, "Of course, you'll probably have no problems with the combat, but..." She cut herself off, unable to finish her train of thought. Sure, she could manage a level of emotional vulnerability with Kai, but she felt...uncomfortable expositing her insecurities in front of Kiro, since they had just met. If Kiro was absent, then Tsuki would've gone into greater detail with her feelings.

I...just got lucky. I mean, the first exams being a test of wits was no lucky feat, but finding a fire shinobi to capture in the middle of a swamp? That's nothing short of sublime circumstance. The only reason I passed to this phase was that I was put in a favorable position. I won't be so fortunate in these upcoming finals. I could be matched up with anyone and the arena is likely to be neutral ground as to avoid providing anyone with a substantial advantage. But, ignoring all of that, the biggest thing that separates me from my competitors is experience. They've all had years training for this moment, where they could finally prove to their nations that they are worthy of the Chunin rank. Me? I've barely had a year at best. I mean, I'm even using pills to compensate for my normally lackluster performance. I've been lucky before, but this is where it runs out...

Realizing that she was losing herself in thought, Tsuki decided to finish her statement by addressing Kiro's second question.

"But...I don't even know who I'll be fighting against. I don't want to jump to conclusions based on incomplete information." As she responded, she tried her hardest to sound natural, attempting to transition her somber tone into a calm tone.
Taiyo
Taiyo breathed a sigh of relief when Madoka agreed to a set of terms to get the upgrade process going. However, before they could talk business proper, it appeared that they needed a change of scenery. Although the FBS master was unbothered by the constant downpour, it seemed that Madoka thought differently. The fiery shinobi scanned the area for a short period of time to locate a good, accessible avenue to discuss casually. Fortunately, by virtue of being in the town square, it didn't take him very long to find a good spot.

"We could go to that restaurant," Taiyo casually suggested, pointing to a seafood joint nearby, "I'm a little hungry anyway, and I doubt anyone would bat an eye if they saw two shinobi going to get something to eat, if you're concerned about that sort of thing."

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

Rank 27 — Heavenly Sword Star | Ruan Ling Lien​

The Sword Star was still are her opponent approached; all-too-reckless as he marched into her Lotus Field. However, his recklessness could very well be a rouse as Baiyan had not missed the flared contortions of chakra that formed his blade. This immediately set her on edge; the blade could likely change shape and clearly, he seemed to have some remote means of manifesting the weapon.

With these considerations, Baiyan took action. Ultimately, the best defense against such a tricky opponent was to seize the initiative, forcing them to play defensively and shutting down opportunities to utilize their varied attacks. It was a bit of a gamble but luckily, Seiun's chosen assault had put her in a good position to accomplish just that. She widened her stance as he approached and lowered her body closer to the ground. Her earthen chakra hardened her sword and scabbard, which she stabbed into the mud with her left hand and braced by solidifying the earth at its base. Her scabbard had been rooted at an angle and ideally, Seiun's sword would slide as it collided, dispersing much of the force from the blow in a direction that wasn't directed towards her body. Most importantly, this angle aimed the hilt of her blade towards the incoming Seiun.

Her actions up until then had been small and minute but as Seiun's sword made to collide against her scabbard, she would burst into motion. She galvanized her wind-chakra, causing her sword to shoot from her scabbard hilt-first; simultaneously, her free right hand reached the grip for one of her short-swords and putting her speed-drawing sword-style into practice, she released a blistering slash towards Seiun's undefended flank. With shrill screes, Iris had also darted off the Star Maiden's head, and by coating itself with its wind-chakra, the little hummingbird had transformed into a razor-sharp, and highly mobile awl that pierced towards Seiun.

All-in-All the Sword Star had responded with a three-pronged counter-attack, primarily aimed at forcing the Ame nin into retreat.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"̔̃ͪ̑̇ͭI͌̀͂͛nͬ̒͌͋̑͐̇t͑̓̅̊̈́́er̍̔e̍̎st̐͋ͣ̎ͤiͧ͌nͫ̔gͥͬͭ̒̇.̈́̈́ͯ̄̚ ̋Ẅ́͊̑ͯͧ̅e͊̇ͨ̄͋͑ ͯ͋ͯͩ̄ͧ̉d̊̀̍͆eͧͤ̊ͫ̇͗ͯal͑̊ ͨ̂̋͒ŵ͒̓͑͋͛ȉ̅̈t̅̆ͮͧ̑hͩ ͦ̇̐͊̔̇̑a̒ͧ ̉c̽̽̑̂̀h́͋ͩ̓ͯa̋̍̿̽̀rͮ͊̉́̎̀l̇̔̍a̍̔ͦ̒͌̃tͯ̓äͥ̃ͦ̍n"͑

Suddenly, as the attack had begun to fall through due to Baiyan's slippery nature, the south end of the handle began to open up, revealing a whole new set of strands. They fluttered about, rushing into action seemingly on their own accord. Some of the strands aimed to take care of the flank swiped, aiming to to wrap around the blade as it came like wrapping a present. The other strands would focus on eliminating the bird, no, owl's attack by creating a rough tube of the ribbons.

E̓̀͐̌̔̈ľ͑ͧͨe̎͛cͭͩ̚̚tri̓̓̚c̎̈́̔̿ͫͫͧi̓̽̉̓̄ͩt́͌̿̂̌͆y͗͛ ͦ̈́̎̂̃̊o͊́n͒̇ ͩ͐͌ý̐̃̊̋͌ͤo͂́͑̊̉ȕ̄ͪ̀̌ͥ͐rͧ̂ ̒̓ͭ͑̃c͌oͩͤ̋͌mͪ͂̈́m̀͋͑aͧ̅̿ͫnͮ̋̽ͣd̎,͗ͩ ̀̇͊͒ͮ̚M̈ͥͧaͬͪ̊̌ͦͨ̈ṡte͛ͮ́̾̋̊͌r̆̉̈́. ͮ̒And̾͗͂ͨͣͭ d͂̒o̓ ͨͨ̑͗̍͋r̔̽̀̃ͤ̀eͧͧ̆̐̑͋̌c̈͌ă̓͐l̈̏͋lͪ ̅͋͒̈̓ͮyͫͭ͋ͬo͗͗ͩu ̑c͌͑̅ͬ͐͒aͣͫ̎̊̀͂̓n̓ͪ͐ͨ ̍r̍ͭ̾̒̉eͬ̓̈sͨ̽͋̊̚h̑aͨ͆ͥ̈́ͩ̍ͪpeͮ ͧ͑̎͐̐ͤ̽y̐̓̏̈̄̓ỏ̍̂̓ur̀̽̒ͣ͑ ̐̒͋b͑͋͗͆la͊̏̌ͬ̔̀d̄̚eͣ̊ ͋in̋ͩͭͨͬt̀o̓̓ͫ ͋̊̌ͫa̐n̋̃ͭ̅̑͆y̏̎̐t̂̇͊͊͆hin̓ĝ ̊̾͗â͂̑̏̓́t ͯ̎̐ͮͪ̚aͫͬ͗͊́̚n̍ͩ͊ͬ̚ý́ ̓t͋ͣ̿̆̈́̐ͨi͑ͦ͋̓ͮ̐̀m̐̉̀ͯ̂̆eͪ.̈́͒"ͣ̎

 

[DarkHydraT]

"Alright, it's been about an hour." Iwao said as he looked at the sky, squinting his eyes as the sun beamed down on the ground. "You stay here, I'll go get the children, see if they need help."

"Look at you, being all thoughtful."

"Har har har, you're just mad that I forgot to buy the eggs yesterday. Next time, I'll write the shopping list."

"You? With that chicken scratch you call handwriting? Okay, hotshot. Deal." Kasumi chuckled as her husband mockingly shook his head.

"Nyeh nyeh nyeh, shut up you. I'm outta here, peace!" Iwao leapt up onto the roof of the nearest building as Kasumi waved at him.

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

"Believe me, I'm doing just dandy without knowing what's in your literature. Just trust me on that." Taji deadpanned as she let her fingers roll through the fur of Aisha's wolves. In the meantime, she was observing the fight. It was just a spar, but it would give her valuable information on the skillset of the girl and how well Kenji could handle his newfound power. That and it was just fun to watch the fight, in spite of the weather and the delay of lunch.

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
Inwardly cursing as the once immobile Star Maiden had made several quick motions at once. If this were a normal sword, then Baiyan would've had Seiun in a precarious situation, but the Gahedra was no normal sword. Moments before the Gahedra made contact with the scabbard, the blade of the Gahedra broke off into two groups of feelers. The first set of feelers grasped the scabbard tightly while the other clutched onto the blade of the sword, preventing the hilt from striking Seiun's chest. The set that held onto the sword carelessly tossed it aside, appropriate treatment for the inferior weapon. Meanwhile, the feelers that were grasping the scabbard were charged with electricity, causing the once sturdy sheathing to crumble. All that was left to do was take care of the annoying avian, in which Seiun had only one word to use for that matter.

Fire.

All it took was a simple command from Seiun to fire a electrical bolt that would turn noble bird of prey into roadkill dinner in the event that it connected. Now that all aspects of Baiyan's counterattack were addressed, the "redeemed" rogue could finally go on the offensive. Without further hesitation, he directed feelers to grab Baiyan's arms and legs, aiming to immobilize and eventually electrocute her.

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

Rank 27 — Heavenly Sword Star | Ruan Ling Lien​

The Sword Star was momentarily taken back when her opponent chose to instead meet all of her attacks head-on. She could ‘see’ vividly the chakra-tentacles as they branched off grabbing hold of her sword and scabbard, even intercepting her Iaia strike and Iris who hummed between them. The boy’s ability to split his chakra and attention was clearly exceptional, but in doing so he’d still made an oversight. When he had stopped her quick-draw, he had grabbed the blade instead of her arm or wrist

Decisively, the virago released her grip on the short sword and transitioned into a knife-like chop. It was impressive that he could intercept her quick-draw; the style hailed from the Land of Iron, where samurai were fabled to strike so quickly they could interrupt hand-seals. While Baiyan was not at this level, the speed of her strikes could not be underestimated. Intercepting that strike, among all the others, from what was essentially point-blank was a feat of reaction and finesse that few could match. However, even if he were faster than he currently was, he would still be too slow to make a follow-up against her knife-hand chop.

He had committed greatly to his attack, which was respectable, but this gamble would not end in his favor. Her wind-chakra flowed into her arm, extending its range into a now-lethal blade a hair’s breadth away from spilling his blood and organs onto the muddy ground.

Baiyan was quiet, letting their position speak for itself. Even with his feelers now redirected towards her limbs, she would be able to kill him before any of them reached.

Slightly above their heads, Iris had been struck by the bolt of lightning, the jolt dampened by the hummingbird’s cloak of insulating wind-chakra, and the many, many, different ways in which Seiun had chosen to split his chakra.

 

[Godjacob]

As Kenji managed to gain distance it appeared his hope to possibly stun her with his static charge but it seemed that Kyuu's new move packed a bit of punch to it, as a shockwave surrounded the immediate radius around her and expanded to an explosive wave of air pressure that Kenji managed to be outside the range of. Kenji took note of this as he seemed to let out an audible whistle in response while his grin grew.

"Gotta say like the form. Got a name for it yet?"

Kenji of course had not expected an answer, and even as he asked this he already had began hand signs for his next offensive as soon he gathered electricity into his right hand. In specific, he seemed to gather energy by his nails which soon began to shoot out and formed what almost seemed to be some electric claws of sorts. The air seemed to crackle with the electricity against the rain and within the next moment, Kenji charged.

He aimed to circle the side and seemingly seemed to go for a slash; though as he approached about halfway between himself and his opponent, he flung his index finger out and one of those" nails" seemed to have shot out like a electric projectile as it raised towards Sagiso and aimed to strike her in the side.

All the while he seemed to dig his other nails in the mud, around one of the spots he had traced earlier with his electric touch...

-----​

Naturally all eyes had been on the match, Sakura had been silent through the exchange as so far both seemed to be just avoiding disaster of these low-scale exchanges. Far as she was concerned, warming and "feeling" each other at best as both Sky and Luna barked in support of Kenji while Aisha stroked their manes.

"Seems our training fields are being put to decent use."

Sakura's gaze turned, as did Aisha's, to a new voice as Azumi of all people arrived though her gaze was on the spar and more specific one of the few she called friend out of her land in Sagiso. Seemed she and that Kumo guy during the multi-nation skirmish in the Leaf were duking it out which if the previous encounter had been anything to go by should finish up shortly.

Though who knows, maybe the Kumo nin would show something of worth this time. But she'd wait to see as she seemed to disregard the other spectators.

----------
Tomiko was as honest as can be, she was as open as one could be. The path of a ninja, the path of deception was always at odds with who she was at her core. But if there was one thing Tomiko knew well it was when one was lying, even if it was to themselves as she sighed at Zaku's answer before she replied.

"Be right there Kou, doing great!" Tomiko called out to Kou as she turned to walk back there, but not before she passed a look to Zaku as she had one last thing to say.

"Insult me all you want, insult my people. I can take it, and you'll find the people of Iwa have a backbone your words could not even so much as rattle. But always remember whose neck is really at stake here and see if that "faith" alone is comfort as an answer. Your lord isn't here, but you are...and if you do care for the kid it should be your duty to ensure an empty promise is not the only safeguard he has." Tomiko said with an emphatic whisper before she walked to meet up with Kou as she presumed Zaku would follow.

---------
Madoka seemed to find the terms acceptable, it would keep them out of the rain and allow them to possible get a meal at once. So it had been far from the worst location to suggest and with her hands in her pockets she had given just a light nod to show she seemed to agree enough with it blank expression and all.

"Sure. I suppose you will lead the way?" Madoka asked Taiyo given he had made the suggestion.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"Incomplete information? Tsuki, they are all Xenos after all, and that's all you need to know." Kai affirmed. "As a ninja, you'll be asked to kill those you haven't met, at that's how life is. This is child's play, because at least we have been given a warning in advanced compared to the chaos of an ambush."

Kai needed to drill the realities of the world in her head. Just as the sound invasion displayed, Xenos were reckless, bloodthirsty creatures that could attack at any sight or sound. And they must be prepared for that.



.......



Zaku took a second to process this as Tomiko went up ahead. It would be oh so easy to kill her and be done with it. One well placed air wave to the square of the back. That's how he was taught to solve all his problems. A display of force. Now though, he realized no ammount of cruelties and brutalizations could change facts: she was right.

It was her who he relied on to ferry Kou back from Dosu, not Orochimaru, and through the dumb luck of finding Sakura that Kou hadn't met a bitter end against the jinchuriki. His master protects and is gracious and loving...but he can't protect 24/7. ...Is that not why he had been built and Taylored? To be Orochimaru's weapon and will? Gripping his hand closed, he walked back to Kou and Tomiko, some force in his step.

"Hey."

Zaku spoke with a commanding voice toward her. Kou turned around to him as well to hear what the fuss was all about.

"You were right." He said with a snicker before closing his eyes. "I AM hungry. Lunch is on me. Come on, unless you got a weak ass stomach."

"Yay! Grub time!"

Kou wouldn't know that there was a double meaning behind Zaku's words. Giving a single double take back at Tomiko, Zaku gave a scoff before leading the way.

 

[Retro Master]

Tsuki seemed a bit unsure of herself, but Kiro couldn’t really blame her since he didn’t really know her exact circumstances. Though Kiro remained silent for a moment, he agreed with the Yuki Prince completely. At least when it came to his view of a ninja. There was no mercy on the battlefield. Not every village had Leaf shinobi who would let their enemies step on them if it meant securing even a sliver of peace. Killing was part of the life as a shinobi and it always will be. There was no end in sight. The chūnin exams were supposed to act as a reality check for those who wanted to play ninja and avoid the death that came with it. That is why killing was usually allowed. Those who couldn’t stomach the act of killing should just take up whatever occupation held by the average civilian that shinobi were killing themselves off in droves for. He understood why it had to be like this, but being controlled by those damn monkeys weaklings was annoying. As pathetic as it was, at least going back to where they belong besides their fellow civilians was one way to free themselves from the never ending cycle.

Mentally, Kiro paused those thoughts there as they had gone quite a bit off course from the original topic. That topic being Tsuki’s concern. The gentleness of her voice couldn’t hide the noticeable change in tonality after she openly disagreed with Kai. Though she still finished speaking with a rather calm tone, that brief pause left some room for interpretation. Her point was valid. It would be even more so if it followed the first part of her statement smoothly. The reason Kai had no trouble with combat was like the Yuki Prince himself said. It didn’t matter who the opponent was.

“Honestly, you should be fine, Tsuki. You seem to be pretty talented and it can’t be a fluke you got this far. At least from my experience...”

He briefly remembered that a Hyūga and a certain Uchiha failed the first exam last time. Those were two members of the most esteemed clans in the ninja world. They were also both failures and an example that it wasn’t possible to coast through the exams with just luck.

“Just focus on yourself and your strengths first. Don’t think too much about your opponent. Both of you are in the same position and have the same chances of winning. You can know your opponent, but if you’re not sure about your own abilities, then your chances of winning are as good as zero.”

Kiro attempted to reassure Tsuki and spoke with a tiny bit of bluntness near the end. It was nothing too harsh, of course. Just reiterating some common knowledge to let the girl know to focus on herself rather than waste time over a concern that couldn’t be resolved until next week. Knowing the enemy was only a small part of a battle. Most of the time, shinobi don’t even get that opportunity. When it came to fighting an unknown opponent, the only thing one can rely on is themself. A moment’s hesitation could lead to death. Usually, there would be no second chances after that. That was why power and knowledge were so important in this world. Like who wouldn’t want to give themself the best chance to win or survive?

Kiro would most certainly be sharpening his skills instead of here chilling with the Yuki duo, if he had failed the last time. Even worse, the boy would not have been able to munch on the sweets he currently had in his hands. As soon as Kiro took the pink ball off a stick of dango with his mouth, he was delighted by the delicacy. It was slightly sweetened, but Kiro could also taste some red shisho, which gave it a more astringent flavor. What made it so great was the springy, not too soft, not too firm texture that made every single bite just so wonderful.

‘This is actually delicious.’

 

[sSoul]

Seiun
The rogue shinobi soon realized his error in simply grabbing his opponent's weapon instead of the opponent herself, as she was able to corner him further, eventually culminating with Baiyan having a knife hovering around Seiun's neck. The Ame-nin had enough street smarts to recognize the situation that he was in due to being in a similar position many times while living as a freelance rogue. He figured that any sort of movement would prompt the virago to slit his throat, ending the fight and potentially, his life. Therefore, he remained motionless for a moment, allowing himself to calculate the best course of action to take. Finally, he came up with an idea. He thought back to what B.O.S.E.C said about the tendrils of the Gahedra being a part of himself, which led the rogue shinobi to consider the possibility of performing hand-seals with them. With as much subtlety as he could muster, he manipulated the ribbons that had once been used to fire at the Nadeshiko's pet bird to perform a set of hand-seals as quickly as they could muster. Due to the tendrils being controlled by thought alone, they were able to finish the hand-seals much quicker than Seiun would normally, allowing him extra time to pull of his trump card of a jutsu.

"Final Discharge..." After the brief whisper, an expanse of paralyzing electricity was shot as a omnidirectional shockwave from Seiun's body to about 2 meters ahead of him. Unlike the discharge he used against Kai, this blast used less chakra, which would inevitably lead to less paralysis time, but the time was long enough to allow Seiun to create some distance between the combatants. He knew that the stun time wouldn't last forever, so he had to think fast. Moving behind the blind warrior, he twisted the tendrils into a sharp blade and went to stab Baiyan in the back. Ideally, he was aiming to cripple the spine, but really making her feel pain in any capacity would be enough to satisfy Seiun.

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

Rank 27 — Heavenly Sword Star | Ruan Ling Lien​

The silence that hung between them even at this junction—where the odds were stacked impossibly against him—told Baiyan a lot about Seiun. He was bold, unflinching, and dauntless or—he was suicidal. Either would explain his determination.

The sword star heaved a sigh beneath her breath. While Seiun pondered over his next move, Baiyan already knew hers. She formed a single hand-seal—the lighten rock weight technique. In an instant, her technique took effect; not on Seiun, but on the muddy field beneath them that was already filled with her chakra. More than twenty feet of surrounding mud was under her control and their deadlock was smack-dab in the middle of it.

Although Seiun was probably already ankle deep in mud, Baiyan would take no chances. Lightened by her technique, the mud would be able to rush to her aid at unprecedented speed. That kind of speed was exactly what she needed as Seiun settled on a battle plan and began weaving hand-seals.

The Ame-nin immediately put his wits on display by creatively using his weapon to weave his hand seals; but, perhaps under the situational duress, he had forgotten that she was blind and there was no real need to attempt 'subtlety' with his hand seals. She wouldn't have seen them anyway...had he done them normally. Rather it was in his attempt to be subtle that he had given himself away. As a sensory ninja, Baiyan was more keenly attuned to the chakra tentacles he had created with his weapon than any movements he made with his body; and, as a result, she had not missed the start of his hand seals. His attempt to do even these as subtly as possible only served to give Baiyan precious moments. Nonetheless, he was still quite fast. No matter how fast these handseals were, however, they couldn't be faster than a jutsu she'd completed long ago—namely her lotus field.

His intentions were clever, but she was simply the wrong opponent.

As Seiun began to weave, Baiyan leapt backward and the mud beneath them simultaneously rushed to create a wall between the two. This wall was oddly shaped and nearly cylindrical. With its increased speed, the wall was erected just in time to protect the Sword star from the full brunt of Seiun's lightning release technique. The stunning wave of electricity still found its way to the star, stalling her movements but Seiun would find his window of opportunity had already closed. Darkness fell over the Ame-ninja. With the earthen pillar as the center-piece—a muddy pistil—massive lotus petals had formed around the duo, completely enclosing them in successive petal-shaped layers.

The earth lotus blossomed in reverse, layers and layers of petals tightening, encapsulating. The process was swift due to the mud's light weight and Seiun's final discharge would find its power exhausted on the lotus' innermost petals as it closed. Even though lightning was strong against earth release, it wasn't as if the boy could neutralize all the earth in her lotus field—it had covered a more than 20 foot diameter even before he rushed into its center, and was nearly five times the area he had released his discharge into—he would sooner run out of Chakra.

Although it appeared Baiyan had trapped herself inside her own creation with Seiun, this was not the case. The earthen petals sluiced over her figure like water, leaving Seiun by his lonesome—it was her own jutsu after all. Fortunately, Seiun had only aimed to paralyze her body and not her Chakra, which allowed the jutsu to complete without issue.

As bodily function returned to her, Baiyan weaved another hand seal—added-rock weight jutsu. The increased weight immediately took effect on the earth lotus. With no more use for speed, the lotus had been transformed into a dense, super-heavy liquid prison. The technique's effects would extend to Seiun who would inevitably be in contact with the lotus and, by proxy, Baiyan's Chakra.

As the lotus continued to close, Baiyan would 'swim' outside. After which, she would take a seat and wait for Seiun to dig himself out. Even with lightning release, it would take him quite some time given he'd have to move through 10 feet of super-heavy mud in either direction and his body and Chakra would be greatly slowed by the effects of her jutsu. His current task was akin to swimming through concrete while chained to an anchor—needless to say, progress would be incomparibly slow and difficult.

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
The fiery shinobi gave a simple nod as a response to Madoka's question before strolling over to the seafood restaurant that he had pointed out earlier. Once inside, Taiyo began to absorb the details of his surroundings. There was a good collection of people inside the establishment, with waiters and waitresses scurrying throughout the eatery making sure that everyone got their meal. He also noticed that there was a small bar elevated above the tables, with a bartender serving drinks and the patrons sharing drunken stories and laughter. Above all else, he noticed that the place reeked of a fishy smell. Then again, its not like the FBS master was anticipating the smell of roses when he went inside of the seafood restaurant. After taking a quick look, Taiyo approached the desk assistant to secure a table for him and Madoka.

"Hey, can I get a table for two?" The fiery shinobi asked politely, noticing that the desk attendant seemed a little stressed judging by his tired look.

"Wait here." The attendants voice was uninterested yet slightly hostile as he left to check if there was an available table, leaving Taiyo to wait to catch up.
Tsuki
The icy kunoichi gave a dissatisfied sigh at hearing Kai's response, mildly irritated that the Yuki Prince had managed to completely miss the mark in regards to her insecurities. Regardless, she respected Kai enough to dignify his worldview with a response.

"Battles aren't won by purity of blood alone," Tsuki made sure that her tone didn't betray her intentions, keeping her voice low and calm, "It's not that I need to know their life stories before fighting them. That part is irrelevant. No, the only important thing about another a Xeno in combat is their technique and fighting style. The only combat encounter that I've come out of successfully was against a Fire Style user in a swamp, giving me an advantage in both nature release and environment. I'm not guaranteed such an advantage against every opponent in the finals. My relative inexperience compared to the rest of my peers is an insurmountable disadvantage, what I've done for six months has been my opponents job for at least a year, if not more." After delivering her response, she had time to absorb Kiro's advice. Ironically enough, he had succeeded where Kai had failed in addressing her insecurities. Though the icy kunoichi knew that Kai's advice came from a good place in his heart, she also recognized that Xenophobia was not the solution to her problems. Her minor exhaustion from her response to the Yuki Prince meant that she only responded to Kiro with a sincere smile.
Seiun
Though Seiun had managed to escape Baiyan's hold at knifepoint, that escape was temporary as his attempt to stab Baiyan only led him getting ankle deep in mud. Though in reality, ankle deep was an understatement. More accurately, he was near entirely submerged in the brown sludge, with time to escape running thin. To prevent mud from getting in his eyes, Seiun kept his eyes closed as tightly as possible.

So this is what that bitch sees 24/7...depressing.

Other shinobi would panic or resign themselves to their fate at this point, but the "redeemed" rogue wasn't an ordinary shinobi. Thinking quickly, Seiun gathered most of the tendrils of the Gahedra ahead of him, keeping 2 pairs dangling behind him. As for the the rest, the ribbons began to twist together until they formed a drill spiral, hardening once they combined. The lead tendrils spun as fast as Seiun's mind could imagine, eventually boring a hole in the mud. Once the hole was bored, the drill collapsed into its normal tentacled form to pull Seiun out of the mud pit and onto the surface. Once the "redeemed" rogue emerged from the mud hole, he wiped his face clean of the mud, only to discover that his outfit was suitably dirtied by the mud. Irritated by this fact, Seiun retracted the compliment that he would've given Baiyan for her prowess, instead he opted to grab some kunai from one of his mini bags that lay on his waist. Once he grasped them, he threw a total of 4 kunai at Baiyan, one for each gap in the hand, with paper bombs attatched to the blade of each kunai. The Ame-nin recognized that he only had to dig himself out of the mud hole last time because he got up close to his opponent, so he decided to take the opposite approach, taking many steps back to create as much distance between them as he felt comfortable with. Eventually, he stopped at a distance where the ground wasn't muddy and wet, or rather, as muddy and wet as the ground affected by Baiyan's jutsu.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"You underestimate yourself."

Kai nodded his head at what Tsuki had said. Sure she had inexperience, one that he had doubted for the longest time he had met her. It was only recently did he see hidden potential.

"On first glance? Your nothing more than some girl that's green behind the ears. At least, to your enemy." Kai clenched his fist. "But I have seen you in action, and I trust my aunt...even if she can be eccentric at times. You are a Yuki. Even though you cannot appreciate the bloodline, you must at least respect your teacher and the faith she has put in you."

She was naive. He remember when he was like that, and to and extent Kiro too. But Kiro did not hesitate in killing in the finals to go further, and neither would either of them.

 

[kyuukestu]

Baiyan

Rank 36 — Heavenly Sword Star | Ruan Ling Lien​

Between the patter of raindrops came a soft warble and Baiyan immediately perked up, weaving a succession of hand seals. Her palms pressed to the ground and the earth rose between herself and Seiun, a mud wall obstructing the ninja tools before they could reach her. The paper bombs demolished the mud wall upon their explosion and Baiyan took the opportunity created by the explosive smokescreen to vanish beneath the earth.

Sagisō

Rank 36 — Heavenly Skillful Star | Yan Roulan​

The Skillful Star passed silent judgment on Kenji's claw technique. She smirked as she danced to the side. His technique was strikingly similar to her Lion Stance Variation of the Gentle Fist; great minds thought alike.

Sagisō deactivated her Byakugan, removing that strain on her chakra supply. She had remembered the locations of Kenji's little chakra mines—she truly wondered if he believed he could hide them from her—and made a B-line for a new section of the field. Since Kenji's refused to engage her when she took the offensive, she would simply appease him. Her assault phase was over and he'd need to pick up the slack.

 

[Godjacob]

As expected Sagiso managed to dodge the claw, but his smile showed he was far from detoured as he managed to scoop up the electricity one one of the places he traced earlier to reform his electric claw he had just released as it seemed Sagiso worked to conserve chakra and entice Kenji to engage her.

Kenji eagerly accepted it.

Kenji moved to follow Sagiso, though he kept to the outer rim of the new area she advanced in close to one of his electric trail, as he launched two electric claws her way. However, much like a pitcher he worked to curve these claws as they gained speed on a 360 rotation and sped towards Sagiso's thighs as his goal seemed to be the chop the base of his foe.

------​

"Now now Taji no need to harp on the man in the middle of the spar. Wait till he is done to kick shame him." Aisha mused with a foxy grin as Luna and Sky seemed to as always appreciate the petting as Sakura had focused on the action itself. Kenji had been doing better than before, though both seemed to be in the more cautious frame of mind.

Azumi herself had watched with interest, even if she had not regarded the people next to her to this point, she was more interested to see what skills Sagiso had sharpened since their meeting in Konoha. Course, that had not stopped Sky from taking notice of the Ame ninja as she moved to sniff her which only got Azumi to glance down with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, down...boy..."

Yeah, that will show the wolf...

----------
Madoka followed Taiyo towards what seemed to be a seafood restaurant, (Placeholder), as it seemed Taiyo worked on settling the arrangements while Madoka remained blank faced the entire time. The place was nice enough, and she figured sea food would be common in land of perpetual rain though she had not been used to eating out with someone outside of family or her team.

Still, it was what it was and as Taiyo worked to get a table Madoka prepared for the discussion that was to come, least she got a meal out of it so she considered it a bonus.

----------
As Tomiko walked back to Kou, Zaku soon joined them. She had fully expected to hear a snark or some dismissive comment at her, instead he seemed to suggest lunch of all things which had caught the Iwa Genin off guard. Maybe he had taken her words into account which she could not help but let out a small smile at.

"Well I am glad you seem so charitable Zaku, I think I should be going now don't want to intrude..." Tomiko mused as she figured that she had made her point even as some food sounded tempting and prepared to walk away.

-----​

Nearby the presumed "Otokage", a woman sat with a Cloud headband on as from an outsider's view she had been minding her own business, but in truth she had kept a close eye on the kid even when other "guards" seemed a touch lax. While she had come to this village to observe her daughter, it seemed that the Raikage put her on an assignment to shadow and guard him.

Some sort of "deal" made least for the exam period, the green eyed woman had little care for the details, and much as she questioned the intent she was tasked to do a job and with Kumogakure now having a vested interest she'd ensure nothing went wrong.

After all, the Eternal Thunder had never let her lord down, and she intended not to begin today.​

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

Rank 36 — Heavenly Skillful Star | Yan Roulan​

Sagisō met Kenji's pitch with a jump. She would've easily eclipsed the tree-tops had they been fighting in a forested area, but needless to say it was more than enough to evade Kenji's pitch.

"You'll never hit me from that far away," she taunted.

His choice to stay within the vicinity of his electric trail seemed to be a ploy to conserve on chakra. The lightning nature transformation was more costly than wind and his cards so far seemed to play around that. Precision strikes that didn't consume much chakra and passive techniques to turn movement into lightning-based attacks. The latter was an interesting technique; she'd seen a glimpse of it forming earlier and a few more demonstrations wouldn't hurt.

While she taunted his reserved offensive, Sagisō's was analyzing his abilities . He'd revealed the ability to stored his lightning-natured chakra within the environment itself, inside the ground and perhaps in other ways. She was yet unsure if this ability was intrinsic to his lightning release or specifically this lightning claw technique. Either way, she suspected it wouldn't matter if abilities missed. They would probably sink into the environment for later re-use. She would remember to note down the location it landed at later and check for residual chakra.

Whether Kenji possessed these hypothetical abilities remained to be seen, it wouldn't change the fact that she'd subsume the concept into her fighting styler. Combat really was the best for inspiration~

Her lips curved into a self-satisfied smirk.

She reached into her seal-spaces and found something that would occupy the Kumo-nin.

'Deep Crimson Dance Performance: First Step!'

She threw her ninja-tools in wide and erratic arcs, made even more erratic as they collided in mid-air and showered down on Kenji's location.

 

[sSoul]

Taiyo
As Taiyo was busy whistling to himself to idly pass the time, the employee from before came to notify him that his table was ready. Fortunately, Madoka had come in around the time the table was prepared, sparing the fiery shinobi any awkwardness when he walked to the table that was prepared for him. Once he was sat down, Taiyo grabbed the menu in front of his seat and began scanning the list for any appealing items.

Should I just order an appetizer or do I get a whole meal..?

I'd go the former. We're here to talk, not eat. Besides, if we get really hungry, we can always order more food at a later time.

Alright, works for me...
Tsuki
Tsuki was surprised by Kai's response, especially within the context of his previous attempt. She had expected him to double down on his stance, trying to reaffirm that being a Yuki was all that she needed to win battles. Instead, the icy kunoichi was told to have faith in her teachings and more importantly, herself. As a result of finally hearing what she needed to hear from both people, Tsuki felt that she could finally show her appreciation to her peers.

"Thanks, you two..." Although her voice was low and her bow small, the appreciation in her tone was palpable. After giving her thanks, the icy kunoichi turned to leave and make preparations for the exam finals. However, before she could take a step, she remembered her original reason for reaching out to Kai, making a quick pivot to face the Yuki prince once again.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Compared to her previous statement, she practically shouted aloud. She recognized this error by covering her mouth for a bit before brushing a bit of her hair to the side out of embarrassment, "Kai, I think I saw another Yuki in this village. She was fighting alongside a bunch of women her age, and she was considerably pale."
Seiun
After a while, it seemed that Seiun's attack had successfully hit his target, causing him to adopt a smirk on his face. However, this smirk soon faded at the realization that his opponent was nowhere to be seen. I, n a bid of desperation, the Ame-nin turned to his mental benefactor for support.

B.O.S.E.C., can you identify Baiyan's location?

While he asked his question, he took a defensive stance with a slight bend in his knees, ready to jump in the event that his opponent shot up from the ground for an attack.

 

[Retro Master]

'Wait. She's been a ninja for only six months?!'

Kiro mentally questioned after he heard her describe her experience, or rather inexperience to Kai. If this was true, then Tsuki must really be a prodigy. Her progress seemed quite impressive and this just made Kiro much more interested in watching her upcoming battle. After that reveal, the girl seemed to ready to leave and she soon turned around only to suddenly turn back. It would appear she had forgotten to tell Kai something. Apparently, she had seen another Yuki in the village that she did not know. From what she described, the woman was pale and was around a group of women. That last piece of information gave Kiro a possible idea of who she might be referring to. It wouldn't be far-fetched to say that he might've seen a woman who matched this description only a short while ago. He had seen a woman that fit the vague description at the Summit and she so happened to have white hair as well. Kiro glanced at the Yuki Prince briefly, interested to see what his reaction to this surprising revelation might be before meeting the eyes of Tsuki once more.

"Becoming a ninja only six months ago and making it this far is still pretty impressive, Tsuki. I look forward to watching your matches. Anyways, I think I know who you might be talking about, but did you see her use any techniques similar to a Yuki? Like Ice Release maybe?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"̔͂ͬ̐̔̃ͫ͊Âͧͨ̈̽ͧ̚f̍̾ͯ͛̌̽̂r̃̐̂ͧ̂aͮi͌d̈́͐ͫ̔ͩ͆̚ ̋͌̓ͩ͛͛̿̌ĕ͋̄͊̎̾ͣvͧ̀eͯͫ̿ͤͭͬn͐ͫ͋͑ ͫ̍ͣ̃̽̆̉m͊̎͋̈̆̒yͨͧͨ̉̊́́ͭ ͒́ͪk̿̅ͭͬ̚ń̓ȍͭ̎͐wͯ̎̑l̑̌̐eͫ̌ͩḋ͂̓ͦ͒͑g̏ͥe͗ͯ ͂́͒̄hͥ͛̈́aͧ͛͗̀ͯͩͣͭ̚s̎̍͛ ̍ͭ͗ͬb͗ͨ̐̈̃̚ǒ̌ͬ͂ͥ͂̑ͪű̎͛ͤṅ̒͗̓̌̋̂d̈́a͂̃́͐ͣͤrͤ͂i̾̓eͨ͋̄̐͋́śͯ̎̽͑ͥ.̈́ ̒ͪ͋̊̚N̈ͮͩỏͨtͪ̂ ͗̉ǻ̅ ͒͌̓̈̐cͮ̅͂̎ͥ̍̅͌l͌ͯͦ͆̀̏uͭ̌͑́ͧẻ̉̃.̅ͭ̊̑̌ͯ̀"̓͗̂̊̅̑̋

B.O.S.E.C. Attempted to triangulate some type of positioning through vibrations, but it's databanks were heavily limited in references toward this specific instance. A flaw they would need to buff out at a later date.

"T̂ͥͭͤ͋̽͗h͂͋o͐̒̾̇ͭu͑̂ͤ̓̄gh̋ͬ ̄͒Iͥ̉̈́͒͗̉̚ ͥ̒ͮs͌ͣ̑u̚g̑̿g̎͑̓̿ê̄ͣͬͧs͊͊̈̅̓ͭẗ́͊̉ ̉ͣ̅̂̎͒w̚e ̈̓gͬ͒ͯ̉ͩ̆e̿ͬ̿̋̀ͯͤt͐ͧ͒̊̂̋ ͋́ͧͤ͛ͭoͨ͗͑̎ͧͨf̐͋̈̇͐̚f̾̍ͯ̆̚̚ ͆thͧ̇̾̇e͛̊ͭ͌̈́ ̈́g͌̍̎͛r̚oǔ̍̇ͩn̒̓͛̎́d̾ͨ.ͥͯ̎ͨ̏̈̋"ͣ̾́͊̐̂

that's when four strands of Gahedra moved on their own, weaving into each other to make two different legs. They touched the ground and would then lift Seiun up if he allowed them, making sure Baiyan didn't try to directly stab beneath him or grasp him unaware.


......


Kai nodded up and down, pressed with the positive response from Tsuki. She's come a long way from the crying sad sack I once knew. While she can be a bit sensitive, she is going to be a find ninja one day. He was about to turn to Kiro when Tsuki said as rather interesting piece of intel. Then she had his full attention.

"What? Your saying another? How unusual..."

"I think I know who you might be talking about, but did you see her use any techniques similar to a Yuki? Like Ice Release maybe?"

Kai cocked a brow at this. "You know her too? Around a group of women? ...I can't explain it, but I feel a rather familiar unsettling feeling boiling beneath my skin..."


......


When Tomiko politely turned down this gesture, Kou ran to her, grabbing her hand. He gave her puppy dog eyes, pleading with her to come with them.

"But we barley got to speak! I want to know what you been up to! C'mooooon..."

"Heh, don't want to disappoint the kid, do we?"

Zaku had a smile, but was counteracted by a hand that was held up seeming to make audible charge up sounds for an attack. It looked like he wasn't gonna take no for an answer here.

 

[Godjacob]

"Never is a strong word, my dear Sagiso~"

Kenji himself had of course used the chance to scoop up some of the electricity he had laid at the ground earlier and indeed had formed new claws to make up for those he had tossed as Sagiso naturally avoided it. Naturally it seemed Sagiso had picked up on his strategy, or least what appeared to be his strategy as she responded by moving high and unleashing what seemed to be a Bukijutsu art as she unleashed a volley of weapons that seemed to try and hit every spot within the general are and in particular his spot.

So, a performance is what she wants huh? Well....I am game to tango~

Kenji quickly draw from his pouch as he fired several kunai and shiruken at the volley. Really he had no way to answer with as many weapons as Sagiso did, but that had not been his aim. Merely he wanted to knock a cluster of them out of the way to open a pocket, a pocket from which he wound jump through as he allowed the other weapons to pass through.

With Sagiso in midair, he fired a pair of claws from his hand as the electricity crackled while they sailed with speed aiming to strike Sagiso, and as Kenji had began to drift down he seemed to reach for that familiar chain on his person...

---------
"Uh w-well uh I suppose...." Tomiko answered back, a bit taken aback by Kou's insistence as really while she enjoyed his company the last thing she needed was quality time with Zaku.

Though it seemed in this case it was less an invitation and really a pressured compliance.

"...alright, what place did you guys find?" Tomiko asked the pair with a small smile least for Kou's sake. Course, eyes of Kumo's interest were on them but so long as nobody tried anything on the kid they would not need to act as the older woman kept reasonable distance and masked her presence from the trio masterfully.

----------
Madoka of course followed Taiyo inside as the two were shown a table, and once a menu was passed out she thanked the worker before her eyes scanned upon it. In truth Madoka figured she was gonna have a modest meal, she was hungry but not starving and she'd rather not commit to a more expensive item unless she found she had been in love with the food.

Course, she also considered this a business meal, and glanced Taiyo's way.

"So, what is it you require of me, specifically." Madoka asked, to reiterate his request and all he asked of her.

 

[kyuukestu]

Sagisō

Rank 36 — Heavenly Skillful Star | Yan Roulan​

"Hmmm," her eyes narrowed into smiling crescents. "Nope, never."

'Gentle Fist: Light Step'

Sagisō struck out with an open palm, and the air compressed under the weight of her blow; the blowback allowed her to spin out of the way of Kenji's attack. With that same spinning motion she led into her next assault.

'Crimson Dance Performance Second Step!'

Her follow-up attacks were even more numerous than the first. The second step lacked the extreme precision of the first-step but compensated with overwhelming numbers. This flurry of shuriken had been imbued with her wind-natured chakra, adding an additional edge to the assault.

Baiyan

Rank 36 — Heavenly Sword Star | Ruan Ling Lien​

While Seiun focused on his opponent hidden beneath the ground, his opponent in the air had taken him from above. A fusillade of inch-long wind-blades had been fired from Iris' rapidly beating wings; so small that they were virtually invisible, but no less deadly.

The humming bird flittered around, mocking the Ame-nin with its agility. With its small size and dexterous flight it would harass the boy from a safe distance.

 

[sSoul]

Tsuki
Admittedly, Tsuki was a little amused that Kai and Kiro had the same question about the girl she had seen. Even though it was a reasonable question to ask since the Yuki clan's claim to fame was their frosty abilities, the fact that both of her peers had the same question caused her to snicker a bit.

"Yeah, I saw her using ice release," After she had finished her bout of restrained laughter, the icy kunoichi answered the burning question about the chilling ability. She felt guilty about not thanking Kiro for his compliment, but she knew that the conclusion to this mystery was more immediately important.

"Did my description of her appearance and abilities match those of the person you were referring to?" She turned to the Yuki prince with her question. Tsuki had another question in mind, but she figured that it could wait until Kai had answered her first.
Seiun
As Seiun ascended thanks to the tendrils, he felt the blades of wind careening towards him. Although a few managed to cut his face, he gathered a few tendrils from the Gahedra to form a shield blocking the rest of the blades. As he felt his cheek bleed, the "redeemed" rogue began to feel enraged. However, the rage he felt upon being cut was nothing compared to the aggravation that was caused by the Iris's mockery. Already feeling less than fond for the bird, this was the breaking point for Seiun. Now that blood was introduced into the equation, he made it his mission that his opponent would bleed more than him.

B.O.S.E.C., I want you to hurt that pesky chicken in any way, shape, or form that you can manage. Its a very maneuverable bird, but I'm sure you can catch it. However, feel free to disengage if it proves to be too trivial of a pursuit. By the way, don't use any electric chakra, its a wind summon so it's resistant. As for me, I'll get that cowardly bitch.

"I never took you for the type of girl to let her pets fight her battles," Seiun spat at Baiyan, hoping that she would hear his remark, "What a disappointment..."
Taiyo
Cracking a small smile at Madoka's insistence to getting straight to business, Taiyo quickly thought of everything that he wanted out of his new pair of arms. Once he had all the essentials, he was able to answer the puppeteer's question in full.

"Alright, so here's what I was thinking. First and most importantly, I need a revamp to the chakra shield. Instead of one large shield that I can't move around with, I was thinking of two smaller shields, one on each arm. They'd be activated from small compartment either on the wrist or slightly lower than it. Second, I was thinking of flamethrowers built into the arms where I could expel the fire from my palms. That way, even if I'm low on chakra, I can still bring some heat into the battle. Third, and I don't know if I mentioned this, but I was thinking of some kind of arm jets that could be used to boost the speed of my punches. Last but not least, I was thinking of a compartment that stores retractable claw-like blades. Preferably, these blades would be serrated so I could cut things easier, and they'd be able to heat up to further its cutting efficiency." Once he finished his lengthy description, the FBS master let out a few snickers before finally laughing in earnest.

"Ha, sorry about that," Taiyo cleared his throat and regained his composure before explaining himself to Madoka, "I just realized that I probably sound ridiculous explaining all this to you, like I'm some kid asking their parent for a toy while describing all of its features. Anyways, can you manage all of that?"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"I don't know what person you refer too, but the description of their cohorts remind me of a rather...depraved society." Adjusting himself and clearing his throat, the Yuki continued. "But if it's ice release...that spells trouble. Means they had to have stolen this ability. It's abhorrent, an outrage! I'm sure the rest of the clan would like to share a word about this!"

Kai, however caught himself. The only other Yuki here was his father, and they weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment. Growling at this, he slammed his fist in the table in frustration.

"Wretched Xenos..."


......


"̔ͩ̍ͫ͌N͗ͧͨ̑̑͌̌ͨo͒ͨ͗̇̚t̎ ̆͂̒̒ͦͧ̌aͫ̆̏̄͂̿̽̈́n̾͒ ̑̊̍i̐̃̚d̈́́̈́e̒̀̌͛̑̍aͯ̓̌͌̓ͬ̓ͫl̈́ͦ͑́̍ ͫ͛͊̃͒͂s̈́t͂ͤ̒̆ŕ̉âͯ͛̄t̅̍͑ͫͩ̂e̓͊̊ͬ̌̿ͬ͊gͪͣ̃̑́yͣ͌͒̈́,̆͒̿ ͭ̈b̉̃û̋̂̒t̿͗ͮ ̈ͩ̇ͮ͐́̑I̍̊̓ ̓́ͪŵ͂̐͂̎̄̃ͯiͧ͂lͭ́̒̑͒̅̈́lͣ͊ͪ ͋͐̓̍ͨa̾tͯͥt̒ͮ̀̈ͩͤ̒̚eͭ̋̾̚mͧ̃̆̂pͨ͊̂͗̿͆̎̚tͥͫͭ̐ ̀ͮ̎š̈́̀͐̎̌̓̇ͨö͐̈̽͌̐̓̋̐ ̏̄̇͗a͒͆̇nͧ̔̈̑yͥ̿ͫ̊̒̊̂̚ẅ́̾̈̆̓̓̅åͮͨ̏̂̌ͨ̃ÿ́̄̂̒̈́.̍̊ͭͧ̈̊͌"ͥ͒́̇͂̅ͧ

The bird was hardly a threat. Combining four back tendrils to create a thick, long strand of tether, it extended out like a tail from the back of Gahedra, before flipping up, a noticeable curve to it's actions. It flowed through the material like an energy when-

*WHATACK!*

It made a piercing whip sound, as the whip combined with a sudden flare of chakra combined. This would happen right at the bird. Weather the whip actually landed was of no consequence, as the weapon used chakra pulse would no doubt catch it by surprise, aiming to down the bird to the ground.



.....


"'Ell if I know, do I look like a rained out Pansy?" Zaku responded without looking back, putting a sassy hand up in the air. "We'll find something, don't worry your little muddy head."

"Oh! I wonder if they have katsudon here!" Kou pipped up.

"Who's knows kid? For all I know they just eat rain water and angst."

 

[Godjacob]

Woosh!
​

Having anticipated that the Hyuga would find a way to avoid or block the electric claws even in what seemed as precarious a position as she had been in, Kenji already had a follow up prepared. As Sagiso spun out, Kenji already launched his chain which sparked with the electric pulse he fed it as the aim was to wrap around her ankles and yank her down to him; while at the same time, the electricity pulsed through and would send a shocking current through her system.

To deal with the weapons, Kenji adopted similar tactic as before; with a free hand he launched kunai and Shiruken to answer hers, not enough to beat her impressive volley, but enough to open a hole which he used to slip through.

---------
Tomiko of course sighed, seemed like Zaku had been moving without a plan, which had not been a foreign element to him as Tomiko sadly discovered but hey a little exploration couldn't hurt she supposed as she merely shrugged in defeat before she walked with them.

"Well, this is a big place so I am sure we'll find a place to eat sooner rather than later." Tomiko said, though whether she tried to assure them or herself was another matter.

----------
Cracking a small smile at Madoka's insistence to getting straight to business, Taiyo quickly thought of everything that he wanted out of his new pair of arms. Once he had all the essentials, he was able to answer the puppeteer's question in full.

Seemed least Taiyo was quick to get to the point, and had been detailed which Madoka worked to pull out what seemed to be a notebook she had on her scroll as she began to jot down each request in detail. So he wanted an upgrade to the chakra shield, opting for superior maneuverability over the standard defense of the larger shield. Next a flamethrower, a tricky subject given the wooden nature of his arms but none the less she had jot it down all the same, then he wanted some claws for presumed melee options and lastly he seemed to want some boosts that would speed up his punches, like installed jets which she jotted down.

Course, this all seemed....like much to ask, and in this Taiyo had been self aware as Madoka kept her deadpan gaze as once she had made all the notes she looked him in the eye.

"Well, asking me to make jets and flamethrowers off a wooden source could have...natural risks, I am sure I need not educate you upon. Is this everything you ask of me, in an ideal world?" Madoka asked for clarification.