Shattered Heavens:.

[Cloudnine]

A strange offer. But it wasn't the first time the girl had been presented with such an option, was it? There were other opportunities to seize these… ill-won titles. Naturally, she shirked from these less than legitimate agreements. But even if she'd retake her old connections, where would she be? She'd still be a turncoat, twice a traitor. Hairy eyeballs and backstabbing galore.

No can do. Her eyes settled on the Raikage, feigning indifference to suppress her anxiety. Moments passed, words exchanged and clicked around the board. The seconds ticked blandly in the eye of the storm before it happened.

She was paralyzed, no doubt about it. Her elbows locked and hung rigid at her sides, mouth hung open in a frozen image of shock. It was fear, dreadful bile. Korin unsteadily eyed the Iwa stranger that stood perfectly alive a second ago. The woman was sinking, slumping into the dirt. It almost looked like… she was falling asleep had it not been for the singed odor lingering in the air. Korin had smelled it time and time again, mostly from her own chakra practices. Her legs moved in cumbersome manner, knowing full well the woman was dead as dead could be. Convincing herself was the hardest. It was her responsibility to keep her allies alive. What use was the girl if she couldn't aid a teammate less than two bounds away?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” she rasped as it finally struck her. She kneeled and tried to patch up the clean cut wound; she tried to… jolt the woman awake with the same element that killed her. Shallow, stupid, dry sobs.

Raz's voice snapped her out of a moping stupor. She looked down at the fallen stranger once more, urging herself to stand. It was time to keep moving. There was no time to stay still. Korin had to… clear her mind of worldly dust. One breath, two breaths. "Raz, Hakkai,” she was at their side.

--

Post: 327

Total:1530

[cntrstrk14]

Click, click, click…

The sound of Syaoran's mind trying to start back up was the cause for his momentary pause. As the attack from Warrusu was stopped by the Raikage with a simple motion of his hand, Syaoran's mind whirled backwards to the present. Maomi was dead, killed where she stood with such ease that it was mere child's play. As the Raikage unleashed a second attack, Syaoran would have no time to make the seals and block it from the distance he was at. Instead, with a flash of clothing and red hair, the vice general of the Iwagakure no Sato armies would jump in front of the blast, taking a direct hit to his lower abdomen. Falling to the ground, he would let out a cry of pain at his self sacrifice to save the old man's life.

As this attack hit, Syaoran would let out a cry of rage, his chakra fluxing to a ridiculous potential as the stone around him would burst into dust and particles as his golden and blue chakra would strike against it. Without a moment's hesitation, Syaoran would flicker and disappear with a deafening crack of speed. Appearing before the Raikage, his Dial Boots flaring like two jet engines, he would have already drawn his cursed blade Hinshi, the deep black edge of the blade swinging towards the Raikage with a powerful first attack.

He was no longer afraid, no longer scared of the consequences. He was filled with a rage for his fallen teacher that could wash away any other emotion he could have felt at this moment. His head was full with his mission, eliminate the Raikage at any cost. At moments like these, the mind would revert to simple rudimentary tasks to keep the body working at its full potential. Breaking down each little movement into the simplest of instructions. Constrict this muscle, slide this foot forward, bring this shoulder muscle around, twist your wrist, flex your bicep. His eyes were still their emerald color, his one eye slightly lighter than the other as he was in the face of his enemy. Hopefully the Raikage would not be able to attack Syaoran in his charge, using the blast from Warrusu's attack as his cover.

Damjaou would look at the vice captain and Syaoran for a moment, and with the decisiveness of a true leader, he would nod and stand, setting down Maomi's body. The man's sacrifice would not be in vain. Calling out to the last standing council member aside himself, a man with deep brown hair and a young face, he would yell a procedure number. The man would nod, and from his position two of him would split and run in opposite directions with a flash of speed. Damjaou would make a clone as well, his clone running off towards another cardinal direction then that other man or himself. Looking down at the vice general, Damjaou quietly thanked him as a medical ninja arrived, first looking at Maomi quickly and then turning to the vice general. They were set off a bit with the loss of two members, but they were still able to move on.

375 Words; 4959 Total

[Eechi-go]

At about the exact nanosecond Raikou had finished his sentence, Syaoran appeared to have practically teleported with the speed he had managed to acquire. Was this moment not created by a blinding rage, the Raikage would have been in serious trouble. However, due to his tutelage of Rakurai, he knew how to avoid such attacks with relative ease. Just as he saw Syaoran approach, the electricity that surrounded him was manipulated into a powerful, invisible, magnetic field. Once Syaoran's blade came close enough to the field, Raikou would lean backwards, twisting his body around. Syaoran would find that his blade would be pushed away from the Raikage due to the negative magnetic forces pressing against the stainless steel blade. This would leave him wide open for an assault.

".:Raiton: Buraindou Eshaku :."

[Lightning Release; Blindside Ballista]

Through the man's twirl, he would use the momentum of his spin to his advantage. His lightning aura would sink completely into his left palm, and once the man caught a glimpse of Syaoran again midway through his strike, he'd force his palm forward at the boy. From his hand, hundreds of arrow-shaped bolts would release forward like shrapnels, able to blitzkrieg the boy at just about every square inch of his back. One would doubt he even had enough time to prepare Hiraishin at the speed this jutsu was released.

"Stone and steel, you're the best match up for me! You walk straight into death's embrace!”

Raz watched as both Hakkai and Korin would approach him, allying themselves with him for this battle. Never could he find a better team, the two of them together with him was enough to empower and inspire him to do amazing things, and amazing things they would do indeed. His aura of chakra twirled around him, seemingly growing now that he knew victory was guaranteed, at least for them. He looked up into the sky for Syaoran, and in his mind, he pleaded for whatever omniscient being that might be watching.

"You better survive dammit…”

He quickly turned his head to his teamates and smiled, nodding to them, as if to accept their partnership for this scuffle.

"Alright, let's finish them quick so we can all go home.”

374 Words

5416 Total

Edited September 7, 2008 by Eechi-go

[cntrstrk14]

As Syaoran was repelled backwards, he would spin away from the Raikage in midair, twisting away as he did. With a burst from the man's hand, a wave of shrapnel would fly towards Syaoran as a counter attack, the small arrows of lightning threatening to tear him from limb to limb. Making a quick seal with his left hand, a second Syaoran would appear directly in front of the real one.

Kakuu Kiryaku no Kage

(Aerial Maneuver of Shadows)

The clone would quickly, and roughly, grab Syaoran by the shoulders and swing him backwards, the hundreds of pieces of lightning flying all around him and slamming into the back of the clone. As the strikes sunk in, the clone would burst with a cloud of smoke and leave only the real one left, unscratched. As the smoke quickly cleared, Syaoran could be seen with a wide grin on his face. His hand was raised in the Raikage's position and he spoke.

"Steel and stone?”, he said, snapping his two fingers as he did.

Alchem Hijutsu; Tanebi

(Secret Alchem Style; Spark)

The next series of actions happened in rapid succession, and the following is how they went; in order.

The air around the Raikage and the entire upper portion of the palace itself save for directly around Syaoran, had been laced with an extremely high concentration of pure oxygen, tying around the area like a delicately spun web. This had been done as Syaoran had charged, using the relatively weak attack of his sword as a cover as he did minute changes to the environment with Alchemy. Knowing that the Raikage would use some means to make his first attack moot, Syaoran had allowed himself to fly backwards from the man as if he had been pushed. The attack had come and with the aid of a shadow clone Syaoran had avoided it. As he snapped, however, Syaoran made the smallest spark of lightning with the chakra between his fingers. The air around the Raikage was quickly lit by the spark, the invisible web of purified oxygen igniting instantly and exploding violently. From below, those who were fighting would see the entire upper portion of the palace and all the surrounding air exploded with a violent eruption the size of the entire palace grounds, only tens of stories in the air. The uppermost portion of the palace would be completely blow apart, sending flaming pieces of stone and wood towards the ground. Whether the Raikage was hit or not would be near impossible to tell, but whether or not he had been he would more than likely not underestimate the Alchem anymore.

As the fire erupted, from four points around the fight a wall of purple flames would arise, flying straight up around the entire grounds and closing off at top. Damjaou and the brown haired man, along with their clones, had set up a technique to keep the high level fighting within the palace grounds. Now no one within would be able to escape, easily at least. It would probably be safer to say that no one within the cube would be able to damage the surrounding cityscape easily. Whether anything was left standing within the cube by the end of it would be another story completely.

547 Words; 5506 Total

[Eechi-go]

The man's hand raised towards the sky as he watched the clone toss Syaoran away from his barrage of lightning. No matter, it was a simple jutsu, nothing that would impact his chakra greatly by any means. HE allowed Syaoran to do ‘whatever' it was he was going to do. The explosion would shake the palace from it's very foundation, surely nothing within it could have survived that form of mocking blow. As the smoke would clear, it would appear as if the Raikage was blown to hundreds of thousands of bits. The world was silent for a few moments, relishing these few seconds of peace.

As the purple barrier arose among the grounds, nothing but the cloaks of the Raikage's guards were moving. Just as the barrier was about to close, a bolt of lightning cascaded from the sky, much quicker then the sound of it could keep up with. In that bolt, the Raikage lived, riding it down to the earth, and with a tremendous impact, it would come down upon Syaroan, with intents of slicing him in half. The lightning had even created a large hole in the very top of the barrier, which seemed to be seared open now. Only a jutsu of powerful levels could obtain a feat like that.

Within the Raikage's hands, seemed to be a lance forged from pure lightning. It cackled at Syaoran, the element almost mocking him. The lance was beautifully designed, the blade long and sharp, seemingly able to cut through just about anything that dare stand in it's way. The ragged cloak that the Raikage wore fluttered in the high winds, holding the weapon in an offensive position.

"It looks like you do have some fight in you. No matter, a mortal like you cannot defeat a gift from a god.”

Edited September 7, 2008 by Eechi-go

[Warr]

A shallow breath came from the lips of Warrusu as he saw that attack he had made towards the Raikage simply be deflected, as if it was child's play. It made his mind click instantly on the level of the power that the Raikage wielded, and made him realize that even with the level of power that Syaoran appeared to carry, he didn't stand a chance. It made perfect sense to him why and how the shinobi countries had fallen to this corrupt criminal against fate who called himself the Raikage.

For a split second, that level of power nearly made the youth's inner fears force him to move into 'flight'. For a split second, however, because the rest of his inner self shoved his emotions in a different path, his anger burning like a fire sparked by lightning on a dry forest. Growing steadily with every second, realizing the Raikage's movements, and watching in silent awe at the attacks Syaoran made in response to the Raikage's actions.

His anger continued to build as the Raikage acted that way to Syaoran, taking it exactly as he would take it if he had been dealt the same actions by the Raikage. The anger burned even brighter, and in an answer to the unspoken challenge by the Raikage, Warrusu's kekkei genkei activated almost the instant his will came to the thought. The whole in the barrier which the Raikage had just created was instantly used for this purpose, the boy tugging the driving rain down, his chakra seeping as he did.

He concentrated on this technique very closely, closing his eyes for a moment in a squint as he forced the water to condense, swirling quicker and quicker until it formed a midair powerspear, flying full force downwards, directly in the direction of the Raikage.

He spoke simply on the matter, his eyes shining with a former of arrogant courage. "Don't treat me like a child.”

His chest heaved as he watched the lance of water fly down, looking at his surroundings soon after he was sure it was on an unstoppable crash course.

A chuckle came directly from one of those hooded figures who had appeared with the Raikage, a chuckle which sounded decidedly feminine, revealed as rightly heard as soon as the robe was dropped away, a sweeping dance like movement the cause. Stark white hair, standing out with horrible brightness against the stormy night, was the most visible feature of the woman at first, her figure lacking curves to the point she seemed almost as if she was not a woman. Eyes the color as any true marking of Otogakure no Sato watched the three clearly, a smile that seemed maliciousness on her face with a level of disturbing clarity.

She shook her head at the two Oto-nin and the Kusagakuran Kunoichi, waging her index finger, soon after.

"Poor, childish emotion having children. You children really think you have a right to life or freedom? You can't even control yourself as a shinobi-nin truly should. We are after all tools which are used to bring about one in or another, and the sturdier tools are the only ones worth keeping.”

She threw herself forward, landing with that dancer's grace on her petite hands, causing what would likely be an unexpected amount of force to slam into the ground, force which would cause many to fall over, if they didn't have strong legs. Force which was only the beginning, as her hands moved quickly on the ground to make her twirl, before a storm hundreds of rock hard bones shot out from her body, wounds which were there healing almost instantly.

[611 Words; 2876 words total.]

Edited September 7, 2008 by Warr

[Azure]

Static struck the air clean of all inequalities as Syoaran's eyes met the Raikage's. Yatako could sense the tension building; Syaoran, who had his eyes on the Raikage and fought with himself for what appeared like ages, finally confronting the nightmare breathing before him. In no doubt was this an atrocious meeting, but Yatako actually felt like they were prepared; the first time he could say that faithfully in years. Originally, they had stood but as ants to the Raikage's Empire, but now, they were bigger than that. Although a tug still tore at Yatako to grace him that there were plenty of differences betwixt the Alchem and the nameless Raikage; there was still too much to be settled. The Raikage had unquestioningly been aware of the presence of the Alchem for some time, Yatako even wondered if his own identity was known- but the fact of the matter was, this was a consultation that had been anticipated. Syaoran approached with a talk of peace and surrender, to which he was nearly trademarked for as their respectable leader. If the answer was anything but the equivalent of ‘no', the Hyuuga would be rather surprised. As if some chemical reaction had been sparked by those few words, the Raikage's body began to shake abruptly coursing with audible laughter. His voice tripped over the prepositional phrase' in' because of his disbelieve such a question had been sparked.

As a show of humor, the infamous Raikage hat seemed to remove his entire head as it began to exit his apparel. Being called a criminal was in no sense a shock to Yatako, he knew since the day he had rebuked the ways of the Kumogakurean Empire, would he be branded such a title. Some crimes are ludicrously made….and need to be broken, for the good of the people. Darkened, flowing hair was revealed beneath the pale head ware; his hair was pertly, but in certain areas, there were signs of obvious aging. Around his scruffy beard, sideburns and other morsels in his main follicles showed shadowy tints of lightened black; which could be assumed to have been shifting shades for the three years of occupation to his title. While his speech continued, various thoughts came around Yatako's head. A tempt was made, in order to make him and everyone around an elite member of the Ninja Crime investigations Agency and forgive all of his crimes and tainted endeavors. As he showed his self proclaimed grace and patients to the darkled sky he himself harkened; Cho Hakkai had been the first to share his denial; followed by Syaoran and Warrusu. Yatako chuckled at the remark made by the Alchem, as those words were an excellent choice; however the Hyuuga's tongue had not been dipped in the foul language. "I, for one, have to thank you….” Yatako's voice spoke up from his previously quieted position. With an outcry such as that, it would be perpendicular to the mood of the setting; the basis for the logical explanation of the words were strange at that, but soon to follow. "I've thought about everything that I've seen and experienced through the past three years and despite all of the desecration, death and struggle to keep myself sane and optimistic a thanks is in need. Because of you, we have come to existence in this very part in time. Because of you, we have bonded together-all of the nations of the oppressed world and are coming together as one. Because of your actions, beliefs and thoughts; we are the ones who carry on the next generation and will rebuild the world once again. Only this time, it will not be as you described; we will ensure that much. And for what it's worth, you deserve a second gratitude; on the attack three years ago, your orders were clear that no civilians would be harmed. As it were, they were followed greatly.” Yatako said quite upfront, he was honest about it, the Raikage could have desired all to be harmed who opposed him, even the innocent. However given the choice again, he probably would have chosen the option. Something seemed to change inside of him that warped his perception of right and wrong. He became corrupt, the essence in which he preached against.

"I also have to deny the offer. We have a world to restore. And in your own words, we are doing what needs to be done.” A lingering long winded comment made by the Hyuuga, not as short and sweetly as Syoaran's, but that wasn't Yatako's style. But with a snap of the Raikage's fingers, a crack was heard, shattering through the air, seeming to break it apart. Yatako's Byakugan eyes darted to where the sound originated. A hole was carved directly through the heart of Maomi. Upon the cynical act of inhumanity, Yatako could feel a hole envelop inside of his body. The man known as the Raikage was too cruel, toying with them like he acted this was a game. Yatako felt a familiar ring inside of him. When he had come to realize Azumi had been taken from this world, a deeply intoxicating, absorbing feeling came over him. Something similar to the sort washed over his face and he was finally able to place the blame of the death to the face of the Raikage. Turning his head to look to the emperor again, Yatako felt horrible. This was in spite of Syaoran that these actions elapsed. Life was that insignificant to him, feelings were naught to him. What did this man hold dear to him, besides himself? Words would mean nothing in face of him, but Yatako's self control could not contain the emotions inside of him. It was unhealthy. "You don't even know…You have NO idea what this lifetime has been to us. You make it seem so innocent as your intentions for peace? Yet you kill your sport? SHE did NOTHING today against you. She wanted to ensure the protection for your soldiers, our soldiers and all of the citizens and any other form of life that's going to come in to contact with us.” A thought shot over his head; Yatako realized that Syaoran was similar to Yatako, he was and is currently being stripped away of everyone he held dear; anyone he ever knew too. Maomi, Kia; those two had been killed in front of Yatako's eyes, two strong lives in the connection to Syaoran. He had been robbed of them, along with the rest of the Alchem Clan. Yatako never truly understood what had caused them to expire, with only Syaoran and Sanji know to be remaining, but the even had to have been catastrophic.

Yatako could plainly see memories pour over Syoaran's eyes, blinding him from the moment, taking the inceptive; Yatako moved nearer to Syaoran. In his state of incapacitation, Yatako could hold the ground for him; until he woke from his stealing slumber. Yatako knew the comatose like trance the Alchem had slid into, it pained him to see it reflect on to another soul. Searching for the things to say, explanations, reactions; all would seem grey. A sense of dread weighted him down, the Byakugan glared directly in to the Raikage, stubborn of letting himself delve to fear. As Raz and Warrusu raised their offenses to become defenses, lashing out against the man; Yatako however, held in his chakra and instead waited for the next event to stir his awakening. Calling in to the earth below him, he besought the cooperation of the dust and every particle of earth in the vicinity to surround and form if Syaoran would be targeted.

The electricity released by Warrusu was halted and broken in to insignificant pieces of static coming into contact with the Raikage's hand. The out crying Damajou was the target of the next lightning strike; tearing through the atmosphere. Yatako's body cried to wince, he didn't want to face the judgment; were Damajou to die, it would be another strike in the score; despite his call to aid the man, the Hyuuga knew he were more fit to watching over Syaoran. In immediate reaction to the electricity blast; the vice-captain that had entered the parameter with them had leapt in front of the blast. Taking on the weight on the power; he absorbed the energy in to his lower abdomen, causing his life to give way. This sudden strike allowed Syaoran to break his prison; releasing an unorthodox amount of chakra and energy, purely resonating from the incident that almost occurred and the one that had transpired. The archetypal blue and gold chakra Yatako's divine eyes had become accustomed to had returned, as did his friend. The earth in which Yatako willed was reduced to mere dust in his wake. Syoaran's power began to metastasize. Damajou had set in to motion the Iwagakure plan of action, with several council members taking action.

Yatako watched Raz strike forward and cause the four mysterious figures to spring to soundless action. It appeared as they moved on the very fragment of the plane of existence itself. Their presence was foreboding, yet they spoke not; only their presence donning upon their frightful selves. "So the time has come…”

A bellow erupted from the lungs of the Raikage; in the next second, a large concentration of electricity barraged downward on to the Raikage, sending electricity thought him and creating an equally ear breaking melody as his scream. The notes of terror were next followed by the annunciation of his own name and title. The one whom took their world and twisted it to a sick creation of his own will was christened Inabikari Raikou; heir to the city of Dis.

Syaoran was no longer among those of existence, slipping through speed and time itself, he had phased into the context of the Raikage. As soon as it registered in Yatako's mind, he was devoid of concentrating on the two of them; realizing that there were others that needed to be tended to. Namely, the four mysterious figures that followed the Raikage unquestioningly. Despite his heart's tug at him, Yatako would fulfill his promise to the Alchem; he would keep these men away from them. All of them; Resistance and Kumogakurean. The ashen Byakugan eyes awoke from their slumber; allowing his special scope on to the world. Hyuuga Yatako took in a deep breath, his eyes picking up the amassing and striking chakra that came from Warrusu. Calling out to the man; Yatako was not going to let this man intrude on Syaoran; as his trusted second in command- Yatako willed to honor his wish. "Warrusu! Leave him, as long as we are around, Syaoran will not unleash all of his ability. Keep your eyes open for any attacks against you, be weary of his position, but concentrate on these four in front of us.”

Turning his focus on to greater force; Yatako shifted in to the battle, nearing where the four had grouped together near Raz. Scoping out his own target, Yatako knew it was time to separate them; calling to the world below them; the Hyuuga willed for the earth to become upset and agitated once the all of the shinobi had become organized. "Kouta! For old time's sake; I've been waiting to work with you again. Against Syaoran last time, we fared pretty well, but that was a long time ago; a lot has changed. Come on, my friend, you're not one to hesitate!” Yatako yelled with a smirk to the AkaSabre; the Hyuuga did not wait for the Sunagakure shinobi to respond, he would move forward with or without him, however; the Hyuuga preferred working with him and honestly wanted to see what he had learned during his absence.

·::--::·

Haruyuki watched quietly amongst the group, daring not to speak up and cause any distractions from the battlefield. There were, after all, four shinobi with danger imprinted on their very souls. They displayed an aura unparallel to any NCIA shinobi the Hisame boy had ever come in to context with, an odd spice filled the air; an uneasy aura. From the impression of the group, it appeared that they would face these monster as a duet and the numbers on the opposing side remained a quad; meaning simply that they had no desire of increasing their numbers. They had already uncouthly announced themselves superior. The icy eyes scanned the environmental sky, it grumbled with uncertainty and atrocity inside of its core. The whole ordeal spoke ominously to the sixth sense attributed with the open mind transit of Shougo and Haruyuki. Haruyuki saw a familiar setting; Raz and Korin, united and near wedlock; he felt slightly pushed to the side, but welcome all the same.

As the Raikage had summoned forth Syaoran, the mastermind stepped forward in a determined step; approaching the man of interest. Exchanging mere words, Haruyuki contemplated the words flooding both sides of the story. The Hisame thought about the ordeals of the Raikage; in a sense, what he said made perfect sense. In a certain state of mind, but given the context of the situation, it had made another sense completely. At one time, the ideals of the Raikage could have had a swelling performance, but that time had passed. The actions behind the words were altered in to a negative sense. As Haruyuki was offered the position among the elitists of the NCIA, he gently thought back to all of the stories he had heard. The Hisame's eyes then flashed in the direction of Raz, of Korin and everyone else in their group. He did not pay attention to their answers directly, but only towards the sparking memories he held with them or none at all.

What would be the point of anything we had just done if we were to betray our words; betray everyone at home? I would have never met my friends, I would have never been reunited with my parents…Shougo would not be living again if it were not for my actions.

Although he was not totally steady around the forcefulness of the Raikage, Haruyuki made it plainly obvious in his mind that there was no inkling upon his wavelength that the answer would be affirmative. After every crime Haruyuki had committed against this empire, everything he had learned; there were too many defining points to his current lifestyle that he couldn't bring himself to convert.

"I'm afraid it doesn't go well with me either.”

Haruyuki said simply, watching helplessly before the magnitude of the situation had hit him. The Raikage had already selected a target within the group and killed a member of the Iwagakure resistance that had appeared before them earlier. Feeling deep sorrow for the wiping away of life, no matter how painless had irked him. He knew full well what it was like to lose someone dear as she was to Syaoran; Haruyuki had killed in his lifetime- stained with blood, but he had always killed with a purpose. Never for intimidation. The atrocities had mounted; soon the tension would give way to the floodgates of war.

The Raikage displayed various elements of raw power; what appeared to be pure show Haruyuki questioned if it had been a jutsu to unlock certain abilities he was able to hone and use with such a large bolt of lightning. Revealing his own name as the blood of several recent corpses were drawn on his face. Haruyuki marveled at the query; would the apparition like faces of all those deceased by his hands fill the entire upset sky? He appeared to kill with ecstasy, only to watch how the wisped death took a toll on the people in association with that soul. For a singular second, Haruyuki's heart stopped beating; Shougo was in danger. If this maniacal monstrosity killed for joy, Shougo could be targeted. Even though Haruyuki was insignificant in comparison to Syaoran; the chance was still in existence. Any strip of fear surrounding Haruyuki soon turned in to a toned, focused fuel of energy, determined to play his part and not allow such events to occur. After the accepted gift of his brother's rebirth, it would be unethical were he to allow such a grand gift of a second life being snatched away from someone quite like his dear brother. The Hisame's chakra wrapped around him in defense to the imminent action; dipping the temperature around him down. The cool, damp ground that was sprinkled with the synthetic raindrops was frosted over slightly; resulting from an absentminded effect of his blood.

The shinobi that were opposing the four wonders had found teammates, Syaoran had branched of from the group and took hold his position on the Raikage; the Hyuuga had taken the latecomer, Kouta and Raz, Korin and Hakkai had neared each other. The Hisame's focus dropped to the left out soul, resulting from his earlier premonitions and thoughts, his voice called out to the Umikoi, who was called out from the Hyuuga. He looked upon the Umikoi as a comrade, an equal; the past disruptions had subsided. Today was a different day.

"Warrusu, our abilities feed off each other, what do you say?”

[9o5 words]

[26o7 total]

·::--::·

His ears agreed with his brain, shouting that everyone had paired up in to a group. The plans were set; any more wasted time would add to the probability of failure pinned to their survival and succession rate. Yatako was certain that there was only a tip of the scales that needed to be instituted to usher the apocalyptical force that would be strewn upon the land. If we are in battle with them, we have more control than we would at a standstill. They're unpredictable as they are, we have to learn a greater deal about them. I'm not letting this world fall away as we sit here. "Everyone! Be Ready!"Yatako's mind processed, as he flipped his hand; the kanji upon his Shouri-te shimmering, bearing the seal that was necessary for his creation. The ground beneath the four figures shook violently stalagmite grew in the inscribed circle amounting betwixt the tetra hooded anomalies. The sign would separate the four from where they stood- the stalagmite birthed four smaller slices of earth, impaling the air in which the four were currently standing.

[2147 words]

[5179 total]

[Cho Hakkai]

The laugh of a woman… Something Hakkai hadn't heard in the longest time. It was calming to his ear but alas the calming sensation soon went away. The laugh was more of a sarcastic tone from what Hakkai could hear. Such a disappointment. For once laughter could be heard. The sound of a chuckle, of slight happiness. Truly there is no sound like it especially when it is for real and for true.

Truth… yet another thing this war has seen very little of. Hakkai opened his eyes. The emerald lit up with the dull light that came from the foggy moonlight. As he stared up he would see one of the four hooded figures move. Hakkai assumed this one was the one that had laughed.

Hakkai's eyes widened as he saw the hair. White like snow. Easily stained with the blood of enemies and yet it never is. The elegant movement as if every single muscle in the body moved to the same tune, as if water flowed through their body and with each changed position, the flow would make it seem as if it was planned, even if it was not. Skin as pale as bone but bone stronger than steel.

The bullets that escaped her body allowed Hakkai realize that what he thought was right. There was no doubt anymore. This woman was a member of the Kaguya clan, a clan which has a couple of members close to his heart. Fighting a woman from the clan of a man who Hakkai could have very well considered his brother was going to be a challenge.

No, Hakkai could not look at her in that sense. Just being a Kaguya clan member meant nothing. She was one of the most important members of the NCIA and more importantly she was in Hakkai's way of getting the village hidden in the sound back to the later Kyoukage.

Hakkai listened to what she had to say to the trio of ninja fighting against her. She used the ninjas are tools and nothing more speech. But, Hakkai didn't think this and disagreed with it more.

Zoom. Swish. Fsssssss.

The sounds Hakkai heard as the bones whizzed through the air, piercing the wind being aerodynamic and all. Hakkai closed his eyes as he took his right hand and placed it on the hilt of his sword, his left on the cover. In a swift motion Hakkai unsheathed his sword and knocked each of the bullets. A loud cracking sound was made as Hakkai hit each of the bullets aimed at him, which were small in number. Hakkai assumed this was more of a preemptive attack.

As Hakkai stopped hitting the bullets, he stood up straight with his sword in his right hand and his left arm as his side. His sword was grimly looking. Not a single scratch or crack had been made on the sword from the bone bullets.

The sword was an off white in color with a dark yellow spot every here and there. There was cracks in the sword, but not from battle. It seemed as if the sword was melted together. A red tint came off of the sword something that was both from the sword and from battles. The tint was eerie and the material of the sword was unnatural. What is it?

A sword made of bones.

Kaguya bones to be exact. A material stronger than steel and can do twice the damage. A weapon that easily can be used against a Kaguya attack and can go against it on par.

Clenching the black handle Hakkai looked at the woman. With a smile on his face and a light tone in his voice, Hakkai said, "There is only one tool here and that person just extracted several bones from her body.”

2750 words

[Cloudnine]

The girl eyed the woman evenly. Aiko's blood rushed and calmed her jittery heart. It was the Wukong desire to fight without sacrificing cold calculations. Adrenaline came in even, timed bursts. Her hands no longer shook in reaction, but rather embraced the power in a sure warmth. Rain couldn't touch her nerves. There was no lashing cold, no sense of gross wetness as her hair fell sleek to the elements.

She smelled the faint scent of death, bloodshed. Static fumes lingered in the air, clashing with the damp musk of the muddy earth. It made her head spin, senses swirl. Korin's eyes fell on the white haired woman again as she leapt forwards. As if repelled by a magnet, the Kusa nin leaned backwards, leaving the confines of earth and returning to the spellbound walk of air she created.

And luck was with her. The ground trembled, tossing the two fresh corpses without rest. Korin stood placidly inches above the chaos, eyes focused not on the woman's next action but on her teammates' responses. Worry always consumes her.

Flashes of ivory white seared her vision, blunt edges battering across her thighs. Attention snapping away from Raz and Hakkai, Korin found herself caught beneath a hailstorm of… bones. Hands moved quickly. Sand instantly snaked across her form, plastering her in a solid defensive. The bones would hit her, but they would leave nothing but black and blue bruises. She held her arms out in front of her face until the barrage ended.

Children, did she call them? Korin couldn't disagree.

"So we are just children fighting wars. That's what all wars are made of.” All the glory of full grown men dying in wars- just a noble propaganda to drag youth with clean minds into the battlefield of strife. Once the war begins and the children look around, they won't see men, just kiddish eyes with ideals in the front lines. But even if we are just children armed with a purpose, let us fight.

Post: 333

Total: 1883

[Eechi-go]

The guardian who approached them had a strangely beautiful feminine voice, which was unexpected to Raz. For whatever reason, he was sure the Raikage guarded himself with only males, if only because he assumed he had some kind of complex or whatnot. The woman's appearance caused a small flashback within the boy's mind, he could have sworn he had seen someone similar in appearance when he was just a genin in the resistance.

The boy had not a second to respond before his body was shaken under the intense fissure that seemed to form under the woman. He began to stumble backwards, but with a quick manipulation of wind, he managed to get a nice push forward to avoid falling. Though this would be pleasant for that second, it wouldn't help him avoid the incoming bone bullets that sped towards his face.

The boy gripped the dual necks of his guitar as he began feeling a bombardment of bone batter his body. With all his might, he tore the guitar in half, the meld ceasing, transforming the two guitars back into their original forms. Once the two had regained their old, lesser weight, the boy began swinging wildly and quickly at the bone bullets, deflecting them in random directions, some of them even melting on contact with rebirth. He was bloodied up at this point, his cheek having the mount apparent wound out of the lot, but his t-shirt had obvious signs of wear and tear. Once the barrage ceased, the boy kneeled down, his guitars in each hand, steaming from the intense work out they had just gotten.

"Children…? Children are the generation of the future. They're the ones who will be entrusted with the world once our elders are long gone. Our parents, our teachers, our Kage's…they all gave everything they had to protect the children of their countries. We are that generation ; the one they have fought so hard to protect. We will break through you all, we will show you our path through force! And through this battle, we will ensure the safety and growth of our next generation.”

The boy smirked slightly, tossing both of his guitars into the air, the wind gracing them, keeping them twirling in mid-air, as if they were caught in a tornado. The boy threw his arm backwards, clenching his hand into a fist, before compressing the air around it. Quickly, his hand snapped back, tossing that seemed to be a deathly sharp bolt of wind across the air, directly towards the woman's eyes, in an attempt to blind her.

".:Hisui Fuusha; Reppuu Aoi :."

[Jade Pinwheel Type; Gale of Green]

528 Words

5944 Total

[Warr]

The now silkily mobile blues of the seventh man to bear the name 'Umikoi Warrusu' looked through the corner of his eyes at his Hisame friend, and words which were simple and steadfast came through the youth's mouth. Words tempered out of steel, unwavering as the sea.

"As much as that may be true, I can't allow it, Haruyuki.” His head bobbed slightly forward, pausing. "Too many friends have died working together with me. I can't let you fight with me, because if we die, as opposed to only me dying, then our village will lose two sons, instead of one. I can't allow it, because Kiri needs a protector.”

His eyes locked onto the trio of guards which were left, not bothering to watch the battle between the sons of Oto, the Kaguya Guardian of the Raikage, and Korin, and likewise ignoring the battle between Syaoran and the Raikage. He eyed the three, simply waiting for them to move. Three enemies, four combatants. He noticed in the corner of his eyes the Hyuuga and the Suna-nin known as Kouta whom had come along, and his heart trembled.

He would fail in his task to protect those younger than him, and bring light to his village in the future if things stood as they were. Even if he fought one of the guards one on one, Haruyuki might not survive a fight with one of them, one on one.

A sigh escaped his lips, as audible as can be. "Actually, after counting our opponents, I've figured something out. You have to fight alongside me, Haruyuki. Because fighting together, there's no way that they'd be able to take us.”

The Umikoi's body began to seep chakra, and he called out clearly to the guards.

"Are you guys to afraid to move, or is one of you going to step forward and fight we Sons of the Mist? If you don't move quickly, you might have a problem on your hands, because I'm definitely not opposed to taking potshots at your beloved thunder shadow.

The gauntlet was thrown down, though even if those words had held any weight they would not have made a sound capable of being heard over the melodic laughter of the vision of the Kaguya clan which stood before the Sons of Oto, no longer on her hands, having moved in a gymnast's roll back to her feet.

The dance continued, the Kaguya twirling from her spot she had stopped at, just around the same time when Raz's technique had shot forth. She winked at him as she stopped for a second from her twirl, spinning in a much wider movement, and throwing her arm forward as she came to the end of that twirl, a hunk of bone spurting from her as she did, one which was long and more like a lance than anything which would come from a human's body. Twirling once more, picking up the lance with her opposing hand in the middle of her twirl, and swinging it at the Oto-nin, Cho giggling towards him as she did.

"You're cute, but sweetie, mine is bigger.”

The fact that she had ignored the comments made her fluidity seem all the more true, she was like the wind, constantly floating somewhere else.

[551 Words]

[3427 Words Total]

[Eechi-go]

".:Hariton; Kagami Shiirudo:."

[Glass Release; Mirror Shield]

A small fissure cracked the crust of the earth in the general direction of the Raikage. As if satan himself wished to have a say in this battle, a large sheet of glass erupted from the fissure, taking the devastating impact of the incoming spear that Warrusu had formed. Upon impact, the mirror-like barrier shattered into dozens upon dozens of razor-sharp glass shrapnel, which blasted in just about every direction, very liable to hit Warrusu and Haruyuki. The lance, however, was stopped dead in it's tracks by the barrier.

"Hold your tongue, ‘Son of Kiri', or you'll find your reflection rather disfigured after this battle.”

A rather fierce, yet charming voice appeared from one of the hooded figures. Stepping for, the ninja tugged back their blackened hood, revealing beautiful, flowing olive-tinted locks of hair that flowed in the wind. Her eyes opened, a delicate pale blue that glittered in the moonlight, showing the reflections of the two boys within. Her lips were tiny and in a pouty position, as she glared at the two, which looked a bit cute for some reason.

"Ever consider the harm you put on people when you lash out wildly like that? Here, I'll show you!”

The girls placed her hands together within her sleeves, and with a large manipulation of chakra, she cried out.

".:Hariton; Riferekushon:."

[Glass Release; Reflection]

Beams of light shot out of the glass shards that lay across the battlefield, and that instant, dozens upon dozens of miniature water-spears leapt out from their glass prison, lashing out in all directions at the two boys. Truly, there was little escaping such an unpredictable jutsu.

Retracting his arm quickly, Raz wasn't surprised his attack hadn't hit her. It was a chuunin-ranked jutsu, so it's speed and power wasn't as powerful as it could have been. It was more or less to gauge his opponent's speed. She seemed very quick, dexterous, which he knew would give them issues later on. The woman's quick backlash at Hakkai worried him, he wasn't quite sure he'd be able to block such a large weapon with only his sword.

"This will be tough...best to disable her quickly in that case."

".:Heijin no Aeolus:."

[blade of Aeolus]

Summoning a burst of air to his hand, the boy gripped it tightly, compressing it, before thrusting his hand towards the ground, a blade of wind blistering forward. It refracted against the ground, blasting up towards the lance. If all went as planned, the hyper-compressed air would pierce through the lance, weakening it's impact, if not slicing it entirely in half.

438 Words

6382 Total

Edited September 12, 2008 by Eechi-go

[Warr]

Even as the shattering of the huge glass portal the Umikoi youth realized what was going to happen. He could feel it, instinctively, and from experience. Not only would the mirror stop the power lance, it would likely shatter. If anything during his battle with Haruyuki stuck in his mind, it was that things like the technique which had just been utilized by a figure he could not pin down the source of -though he obviously assumed originated from one of the guards-, were quite deadly to those who didn't step back.

So even as his lance hit the mirror from above, the Umikoi youth threw himself backwards into a somersault, landing in a roll and rolling until he was about ten feet from where he had been. His eyes were closed for a moment, and he felt water moving closer even as the jutsu ended, a few pieces of glass landing in his right arm. He knelt, watching the robed figure stride forth, and hearing those words, not even feeling the need to respond to her. Response would show weakness, and he did not need to validate a thing to her.

He arrogant, slightly insulting words only stroke the fire inside of him, and he watched the figure come closer, saw those features of her's. Features of a girl who would be better kept shopping than trying to give a lecture on the path of the shinobi-nin. It gave the fire within him only more fuel, and her attitude did not bring any sort of fear. She was not a weak child, he could tell, but she was not some sort of huge monster of death, even with her working with the Raikage. She was no monster, and he was no little kid. He had grown mentally in his time as a ninja, and he simply watched her with a proud smile.

He knew a technique was coming, he could tell from her words that one was coming. Her hands shot together in that robe of her's, and even as she moved, he responded, his leg's ready to spring even as those words finished and those dozens and dozens of water spears shot out. He did not run, he did not hide. He jumped towards his Hisame comrade, and threw his body weight into the boy, hoping to send him tumbling to the ground and out of the way. Even as the spears came, Warrusu used his body as a shield.

And he did not waver. Of the dozen or so glass duplicates of the water spear, not a single one had hurt him to a point he would give up, or even flinch. Blood dripped from one of his shoulders, from just below his jugular, and from a few places in his legs and his right arm. He simply shook his head at the girl.

"I know what happens when I lash out wildly, and there was nothing wild about that attack. Like I told the Lightning Crackhead, I'm not a child. In attacking him, there was going to come one of three outcomes. The first, he was hit by it. The second, he was not hit by it but he moved to deflect it, thus leaving him open from an attack from Syaoran, and the third, the outcome that did come...” Warrusu chuckled. "One of you villains decide to step forward and fight, making sure you can't jump in to defend him and making sure you can't attack Syaoran.”

In a deliberate move, the Umikoi yanked the piece of glass which was almost piercing his right knee. Blood gushing out for a moment, before the bleeding there stopped.

"The word Shinobi-nin means someone whom endures. If I have to make attacks to draw you guys out, and endure the pain which comes from it, then take you out, one by one if I have to. I won't die, not today. I'm too close to what I became a ninja for.”

His sentence was barely finished before he threw a hand sign together, using Mizushin to channel the water from a few nearby puddles into Harou Bushin. He rolled his wounded shoulder, making blood come out even more.

"But if you want to play seriously, we can play. Don't say I didn't warn you, though.”

The blade of wind did indeed slam into the Kaguya girl's blade, but it did not shatter it. The blade simply had a whole in it, but it's direction had been changed, and it was now knocked out off the direction of hitting the Oto-nin, Cho Hakkai.

The crazed gymanast threw herself backwards into a somersault, landing atop the lance of bone, which slammed into the cement with the same force her original attack had, digging through the stone and giving her a perch, as well as sending a tremor and air pressure all around the landing spot, and towards the divine wind of Oto.

She giggled, putting her left hand up to her mouth as she did.

"So cute! Someone thinks he's Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha!” Her voice was all but bursting with girlish laughter.

[860 Words]

[4287 Words Total]

[Cho Hakkai]

This opponent knew what she was doing. She was a master at the Kaguya art of bones. Hakkai wasn't used to a person this familiar with the Kaguya bloodline. Her water like motions made Hakkai almost in awe if it were not the fact that if he were distracted too much he would surely die. And like Hakkai promised himself and the Kyoukage, he wasn't going to die. Not here and not today at least.

Her laughter was amusing. Even though it was like that of a maniac, she was having fun in this fight. Hakkai for a split second looked at his position in the battle. He was taking this battle way a lot more seriously even though his face didn't show it. Well, Hakkai does have more to loose if he dies her than the Kaguya does.

Everything he had…

Everything he will have…

Everything he might loose…

Hakkai watched as she jumped into the air. In one spinning motion, the Kaguya was able to produce a full bone like lance from her arm alone that size put Hakkai's sword to shame. With a swing of her lance she was able to deflect Raz's wind attack. Raz was a specialist in the element of Wind and yet she was able to destroy his attack as if it were nothing. Hakkai couldn't believe it, but alas he had to.

Before he knew it she was on the ground and attacking Hakkai. Saying a smart ass line about their weapons she attempted to jab Hakkai with her mammoth of a lance. Hakkai raised his sword to defend himself from the incoming attack and said, "It's not the size, it's how you use it.”

But before he could finish his comeback, Raz had intercepted the attack. The wind attack had hit her weapon but it didn't do much damage, if not any. This woman was obviously well trained in fighting with weapons. She turned away from Hakkai and looked at Raz to make fun of him and his likeness to Uzumaki Naruto. Hakkai jumped to dodge the sound wave and make a quick handseal. In his hand a patch of dirt which he threw onto the ground before hitting the ground.

After landing Hakkai seemed to no longer have his sword in his hand as he ran up towards the girl and jumped up into the air saying, "Never turn your back to the one you are fighting.” As these words were said, Hakkai jumped and spun around. In a swooping motion, Hakkai's outside leg came full force aimed at the Kaguya's chest.

(3182)

Edited September 12, 2008 by Cho Hakkai

[Azure]

• • •

At lengths, Warrusu's denial for partnership were understandable, his logic also had a tinge of flaw at the first glance. Proposing he would battle on his own was with great courage and for trusting in Haruyuki as a protector of Kirigakure no Sato. However, the chances of surviving this battle without so much as fighting were slim to begin with. Although guardianship did not turn him away, he would never accept the terms of letting the Umikoi fight alone, with this barbaric force confronting them. But once sigh ran from his lungs, he admitted the numbers would unfold in a positive way; pairing the two. Haruyuki quickly glanced at his ally; noting the changes between them since the last time the pair had worked together. The Hisame made his way quickly to become the one in the closest proximity to Warrusu, but at a safe distance that if one were attacked, the other would not be in the direct line of fire. Scoping the battlefield, Haruyuki spied the four figures begin to move in to a responsive step, in accordance to the lifting earth.

"History hasn't branded the Mist with soft skinned warriors; so much of the past dies hard.”

The epidermal layer of the earth broke and shook; a large fist of glass spurted from the layer of Gaia. The power spear slammed in to the glass sheet, shattering the glass and removing the velocity of the spear. The glass flung as residue, exploding in several direction of the compass rose. A raising barrier held the spear in place; the power had been deflected in to the air born glass shards. Raining down upon them, Haruyuki saw the familiar fragmented light as he has known to display. With the familiarities, he was able to predict and avoid confusion from the fractioning light. Twisting his body and raising his sleeves, the glass shards only brushed by his family tunic, the Hisame remained without fatal wounds, but pricks of glass brushed against the hairs of his arms. His coat was covered in glass dust, but that did not avert his attention to the mixed tonic that of a voice creeping across the field. Her blackened hood fell distant; glorifying her olive locks and her reflective eyes.

Haruyuki's icy eyes stared into them. They seemed entrancing, awkwardly- this girl had an unknown force about her that hypnotized him. The Hisame knew very well that becoming distracted over this little feat could very well mean death. In with dealing with these guardians of the Raikage, there was little that could be said about their weakness. Their faces were as familiar to the earth as was the Raikage's. However given her age, she appeared to have been enlisted early. Her glare beamed an odd complexity of emotions. A malignant sundry, mixed with whim. She shouted words back at the two; throwing a lop of chakra in their direction based off of the Water Spears crafted by Warrusu. The glass shards reflected the light and attributes of miniature water spears, diving through the air at the shinobi.

·:: Suiton Suijinheki ::·

(Water Type; Water Barrier Wall)

Haruyuki formed together a swallow of hand seals, quickly resulting in the utilization of his blood. From the synthetic rain poured upon the land, it was measly simplistic to draw forth the water necessary to erect a barrier around him and unconsciously dropped the temperature within the barrier, allowing for crystallized formations of ice to form. Pumping hydration from within his body, he overexerted the water barrier, causing the water to collapse around him. From inside of the water barrier laid a handful of long needle shaped ice shards. The moonlit sky refracted light from the ice needles, providing a mystifying ambiance of light around the field.

He was preparing for the duration of the battle to ensue. He was aware of Warrusu's summon of clones to the filed; Haruyuki on the other hand simply wished to see where the first steps would take them. He realized that the approach could be a dim one; that of misfortune. But instead of charging in to battle, he would conserve his chakra, carefully plotting steps ahead. As water dripped from his hair, it formed in to an ice droplet, morphing in to another needle.

"Mirrors are tricky things; they can easily fool unless you are trained against them. However, there is one fact. In the cold, glass tends to crack.”

Haruyuki shaped his words warningly. Although his mirrors were of the lice element; they were similar in aspect to glass mirrors without the hindrance of bending to the chill. This would be an interesting field of battle; two Sons of the Mist and one Shining Daughter. With water feeding its usage off two manipulators and a battle of reflecting mirrors; one would have to have extreme concentration to tell what is truth or illusion.

[8o4 words]

[3411 total]

[Kouta]

The rain was…wet. It annoyed him, his clothes soaking through and through by the falsified water. They clung to him now, his brown leathers looking dark, nearly black since they were covered in moisture. Still, his belt, Benihime’s coiled form, shone red, casting an eerie glow over Kouta’s upper body, as if he were covered in blood already. The rain could not touch that blade, evaporating before it ever got close. The chakra that connected each bladed segment was strong, red-hot to the touch, wet harmless to Kouta, who crafted it. He could feel Benihime gearing up for war. So long had it been since she had seen battle, and Kouta had not used her to her fullest since he first received her. It was time, and he made his intent known as the Raikage spoke ill of their plans, with his degrading, lengthy speeches about how misguided their intentions had to be in order to bring up some wild notions and such inevitable struggles against his mighty forces.

”You know, I DO have to thank you, oh Great Shadow of Thunder. Because of you, and the deaths of my closest friends, I have come to understand better than anyone I know exactly what a tool of death I am. I have been so perfectly groomed in Suna’s unyielding deserts to destroy, to wear down, and to eliminate like the rasping winds any and every obstacle before me.” Kouta’s words seemed to kick off a reaction, which he, of course, produce. He always was a bit too flamboyant. Winds began to kick up around him, swirling the unreal water in the small nexus he created. ”I am armed with two swords from the gods of death themselves, whose powers strengthen my arsenal, and whose immense ferocity guides my every swing. Inside me lay three age-old personalities, each more powerful than my own. I was poised from an early age to be a killing machine. The only thing that stood in my way was my damned morality!”Kouta yelled, laughing, almost as if crazy.

He could still remember the hunter-nin complex, Gishou finally taking control and ripping the still beating heart from his enemy. It was then he had prepared for battle, make no mistake, but only in mind, not in soul. Now he was ready in full, and the event only strengthened him, not made him afraid of his inherent power. ”And you can be most certain…you’ve taken that from me. I have, at great personal worry, killed only thirteen of your NCIA scum, only three of them done with my knowledge. I’ve saved every ounce of anger and every hateful thought for today. Without checks or balances, the entire wellspring of my emotion will come to boil, so fierce that this rain will evaporate before it can touch me. For Mamimi, my mother, for Tabuto, Gornok, and all of those you killed in their prime! A thousand deaths will echo in your head and in my heart before my hand stills, over what used to be your corpse, and anyone who stands in my way! So take your ‘deals,’ your threats, and your god-given purpose, and TAKE IT ALL TO HELL! For the people you’ve hurt, killed, and driven to madness, I hope you die a slow and painful death, you ego-centric, precocious Son of a Bitch!” Kouta yelled, finally releasing his torrents of anger, his speech punctuated by the explosion of force around his body, the Initial Gate breaking free of his body. He could hold that one indefinitely, so it was of no worry to him to open it so early. His speech, like always, was overly dramatic, since he had a thing for having the proper flair when making a final address. Now his chakra and the swirling winds were present in the air, his chakra sending out the vibes of his disgust, which, almost immediately, were sucked back into the boy, no longer wild, but very calm and collected. The rain continued to fall down, bouncing off of his clothes and wetting them further. Kouta, however, exuded some sort of odd force, that complete confidence of one who knew he was far superior.

”I agree, Yakato. It has been far too long since we last did anything together. Shame all our activities are in battle, no? Don’t worry, though. I’ll do a couple new tricks you’ve yet to see, just to please you. For these bastards, however, please, let’s kill them quickly. I want the Raikage, not his meat shields.” Kouta said, gripping Benihime’s hilt and yanking sharply. A distinct clinking sound could be heard, and the blade slid out into its bladed position, Kouta’s makeshift belt gone.

In a sudden movement, Kouta raced forth to the nearest available guard. He got until he was within a fet of the ninja, and then his legs flexed, the speed afforded by the Initial Gate bursting into view as he nearly vanished from sight, appearing behind the guard, high in the air, Benihime held high. ”Nake, Benihime! Fill your cry with the Vengeance of a Thousand Tortured Souls!” He yelled, and the red chakra enveloped Benihime entirely, the sword bathed in a bright red glow.

|::| Nake |::|

(Cry Out)

Kouta swung the sword, and the blade arced down at the guard. The chakra amassed in the blade would explode, forming a blood red blade that would do the damage, slicing into the enemy like an incredibly high-powered version of Kouta's sword itself. The blade was crescent in shape, although its edge, as opposed to be a pure red, had a silver gleam. Most barrier jutsu would crumble beneath Benihime’s call, filled with Vengeance as it was. Either he would dodge it, or the cost to block the strike would be great indeed. Kouta betted on the second option, and merely hoped that Yakato and his Byakugan was ready to fence in the enemy when that time came…

[946 Words]

[2,256 Words Total For Kouta]

Edited September 13, 2008 by Kouta

[Cloudnine]

The girl tensed. Even at her caliber, movements were still hard to read. Maybe it was just her. Raz and Hakkai were both moving, matching blows with this… white haired demon speeding. If only she stayed still, Korin lamented. Her jutsu were slow. Taijutsu was too quick and precise to counter when she constantly relied on the art of refining her chakra.

Her hands slowly came together on their own accord. Korin was still watching, relieved that this cackling Kaguya wasn't… overpowering. Strength in numbers, wasn't it? Might as well get a few pecks in, she pondered, keeping her distance. If the girl managed to find herself caught in that lance's reach [especially if her defenses were down], it'd take more than one lifetime to race out of it. It was best to stay away, plant a few figurative thorns in her side, and flee if this enemy advanced. Touch and go, hide and seek. Hell, she was the best at running.

The sand armor weighed her arms down. Levitating with the additional mass would be costly in the long run. But for now, both jutsu would have to remain active until the three of them were able to gain a strong upper hand. The rain was making the sand feel like lead. It left a slick and grimy feeling over her skin every time she moved.

Now.

Just as the woman lunged towards Raz, Korin focused her chakra and quickly netted it over the air. Sound could be ‘unheard' whooshing, vacuumed away. The girl dragged it, let the captured sound build and build before she released it like a sling. A jagged, howling halo of pressure could be seen imploding towards the Kaguya who stood at its center. Should all the mechanics function correctly and all conclusions go the way Korin wished they would, the girl could use this heavy disturbance to gain a lot of ground in terms of genjutsu lethality.

324

22o7

[Eechi-go]

The woman looked over her opponents, gazing slightly into their eyes. Both blue, though in various different shades between them. She listened quietly to the two speak, respectfully, which was an odd twist for one in the NCIA. She was very much like a princess, which carried over to her basic nature. As they finished, she bowed gracefully, hiking the cloak up slightly.

"Your will is strong, I am thankful for that. I wouldn't wish for our battle to take place any other way. Please understand I hold you all in the highest regard.”

The raised her arm to the blackened heavens, tugging the sleeve of her cloak down. As it would slowly cascade, the two would notice a strange anomaly; her arms was completely composed of glass. The moon seemed to pierce the transparent, crystalline arm, with the potential to blind the two. A cute smile stretched across her lips as she acknowledged Haruyuki's last words.

"Wonderful, more of an advantage for me!”

And with that, she reared her arm back, and with all her might, smashed it against the surrounding walls of the palace. The arm broke into hundreds of pieces, twirling through the air, reflecting light off of each separate piece. Suddenly, chakra began to over take the shards, forging them into shuriken, which were redirected at the two, flying at high speeds, slicing through the air like a buzz saw. She didn't aim as many at Warrusu's clone, believing it wouldn't be nearly as much of a threat.

The guard that Kouta had assaulted stood still, he didn't even bother to move in order to watch the attack be placed upon him. With all his might, Kouta would come into contact with the man's skin. However, the blade did not slice through the man, rather, the blade came to an uncomfortable stop, a ‘twang' sound immerged from the man's arm, as if he had just struck another blade. Finally budging, the man tilted his head toward Kouta, glowing orange eyes staring through the cover of his cloak.

"Heh…that almost tickled…”

The man swiftly swung his arm at the blade, in order to swat it away, or atleast break contact with it. He didn't move very quickly, but the weight behind his movements were devastating. Quickly, he pointed the sleeve of his cloak towards Kouta's face, the ominous darkness calling to the boy. Suddenly, what seemed to be a katana flew through the sleeve, directly towards boy's face. Before the boy would get a chance to move, the metal along the sides of the blade began to bubble, before two blades immerged from it, bending around, and shooting straight in the direction of the original blade. This would create something similar to a claw and a sai mixed together, in order to keep the boy from jumping to the sides.

If Yatako kept his byakugan opened, he would notice that a drastic amount of the man's chakra was pouring out to the surface of his skin, creating a thick layer around him. He would also notice that the assault on Kouta seemed to sprout directly from the layer itself, rather then an actual blade.

"Dammit!”

Raz cursed to himself, watching his attack fail once more. He wasn't really worried, after all, his tenketsu worked overtime a majority of a day, and so, it wasn't as if he were losing a grand amount of chakra. As the tremor of air came towards him, the boy smirked. This was all too easy. He took in a deep breath, inhaling in the tremor, hiding it within his lungs as his chakra began to condense it heavily. Raz had used this method several times before, and thus, he managed to figure out how to do it and speak at the same time. The woman's taunt only inspired him more, which would become fatal for her in the end.

"Uzumaki Naruto? I suppose it would take his creativity to defeat someone a nimble as you, wouldn't it?”

He smirked, his eyes flashing over to Hakkai once his attack would cease. This woman was a Kaguya, so there was a very good chance she had the hearing ability of Hakkai and himself. So, in order to communicate with Hakkai, he'd have to distract the woman. He quickly began to twist the chakra within his tenketsu around his right forearm and wrist. The air swirled and compressed wildly, until it formed a ‘drill' made completely from air. As it twirled, a sound like a chainsaw could be heard, piercing the ears of all around it for a few moments, now was his chance.

"Hakkai, as soon as I attack, use one of your most powerful projectile lightning jutsu. Trust me on this.”

As he whispered that, he extended his free hand into the air, rebirth dropping from the sky and landing perfectly into his palm. He gripped the next of his guitar tightly, tossing it onto his guitar strap, before sliding his newly-freed hand towards his drill-arm. He held the arm steady, before charging the woman. He had to sacrifice a bit of speed to make the bridge over, due to how awkward the jutsu was to hold, but he refused to let that stop him. He leapt into the air, aiming the drill down towards her chest. He didn't expect the jutsu to succeed, but he did prepare himself, as the drill would soon pierce the earth, weather he impaled her or not.

"Take this!!”

".:Fuuton; Doriru Bureka:."

[Wind Release; Drill Breaker]

1013 Words

7395 Total

Edited September 14, 2008 by Eechi-go

[Warr]

It was a quirk of fate that had made those classic words of the warrior arts which Hakkai had spouted so inappropriate. He was fighting a Kaguya, and a powerful one at that, yet he said such a thing. A Kaguya, who could use any part of their body as a weapon, or as many forgot, as a shield. The girl did not even change her positioning as the Oto-nin threw himself at her with that kick. He had to jump, which slowed him, and he also had to deal with the nimble speed she had. In any more particular enemy, his kick if noticed would cause one to assume that the Kaguya girl would jump backwards off of the bone lance.

Instead, she simply stood there. Her kekkei genkei activated, and her sternum expanded, grew and moved over her own breasts and chest at a quick speed. A steel hard plate of bone armor, protecting herself, and not moving from her perch. The Oto-nin, from his attack method and aim, would hit her 'breast plate', and be sent backwards towards the ground. The Kaguya girl of course, fell too, but she landed with a level of grace which would not likely be matched by Hakkai. The entire situation had brought the girl off balance and away from her place, so Korin's sling of chakra simply slammed into the top of the Bone lance, making it all the more jagged.

The Kaguya woman giggled, hopping up and down on one foot. "This is fun, you're nice children!” And without further ado, she spun around in a two hundred degree spin, firing out bones from her ribs and right arm as she did. It was only moments before they returned, her healing was so quick.

"Heeheee!” An insane giggle with no sound other than that rang out over the call of battle, the girl throwing her chest forward in a way that with any other girl would only likely be used for seduction. She let her breast plate of bone be hit by the drill breaker, a few bits of it shattering as she did, one or two going into her chest, and the girl simply pulling them out and licking the biggest fragment, tasting her own blood.

The battle raged on throughout the palace grounds, and even as the woman of glass revealed that aspect of herself, there was no shock on the face of Umikoi Warrusu za Shichi. The was not even a stark realization at the way she spoke. There was another truth that both she and Haruyuki never bothered to realize. A truth which was something anyone whom had ever taken a shower and forgotten to open a window when they did.

Mirrors might crack under the influence of cold, but they -always- misted over and lost visibility with steam. This truth whirled around in the mind of the Umikoi fisher-nin, and he soon came up with a plan. He might not have been a classical strategist as was true with his Hisame friend, but he was something which was in the end far more dangerous.

He was extremely creative, and it was from this creativity, mixed with the strategic knowledge he had accumulated, that brought to him a plan. He did not even cringe at the glass which had shattered and re-accumulated into a shuriken of glass. He simply smiled as it came, whispering to his clones a simple command.

"One, you go into an intercept course. Two, you move into position.” His mind had already issued the orders, and he spoke those words as a slightly more complicated 'Now!' The first advanced clone he had made moved into position, and it jumped directly into the path of the Glass Shuriken which was aimed at Warrusu, the glass bringing the advanced bushin into swift oblivion, and revealing at the same time exactly what -kind- of clone it was. The revelation was with a tidal wave of wind and water, smashing towards the woman of glass.

It would fall short, of course, but that was the plan. That wave of wind and water, an artificial tidal wave, crashed into her solely as a distraction. Even as it moved, the other advanced clone which the Kirigakuran Jounin from the Umikoi Clan had made ran forward, stopping only feet from her, and moving at first almost as if to attack. It channeled water chakra onto it's hand, and moved almost as if it was going to slash at the Glass woman, but at a last moment, stabbed into it's own chest.

A blast of super heated water, steam as if made by a master, flew forward directly into the direction of the glass woman, and in that movement of distraction, Warrusu had taken his own part of the plan into action. Though he knew very well it was a threat like no other to come this close to the Glass woman, he stood next to her anyways, channeling chakra into a nearby puddle, and pulling it up, swirling it around him and moving quicker and quicker, channeling fire chakra into the spear with every moment. One and half seconds into the technique's forming, it was set off, the technique finishing, and seeming like it was a simple technique just like what had been used before on the Raikage. It flew forward towards her at immense speeds.

If the glass woman used her foolish glass shield on this, she would get a big surprise, because even though it would see to the basic vision that it was just another power spear or power lance, it was something far more 'heated'. It was the opposing element to Ice, and would inevitably blind her, if not break through her mirror without the chance of reflection.

The woman would start getting steamy towards Warrusu and Haruyuki with every movement of this dance.

[985 Words]

[5272 Words Total]

[cntrstrk14]

Syaoran's eyes lay on the area where the Raikage had just been. To the rest of the world it appeared as if the man had just been one shot, blown to pieces by some rapidly ignited oxygen. There was something amiss, there was no way it would be so easy. Syaoran had been anticipating this fight for months, the dread rising in his stomach as it approached. The attack he had just unleashed was indeed strong, but his last opponent could have taken it and survived, there was no way that the man above him could be so easily slain. His mind turned, his eyes flickered back and forth, waiting for an attack from any direction. Remembering the words of Hikado almost a year ago now, standing in the deserted stone wastelands of the Country of Earth. Syaoran's primary element was fire, and the training for it was to become as fickle as a flame. Allowing his chakra to flow out from him, Syaoran would create an area of chakra outside of his body in all directions. Invisible to the eye, he would focus on it as he looked around. A flash of light and the distinct touch of the chakra would alert Syaoran to the attack. There was no sound, nothing else to go by, and by pure instinct of training, Syaoran's boots would ignite with a blast of chakra to send him to his right. A searing heat would pass by him, ripping away the cloth on his shoulder and if not for the metal arm guard on his left forearm, his skin would have as well. The dodge was close, but it was a success as the bolt of lightning landed wish a crash away from Syaoran, rolling over and skidding to a stop on what was left of the upper most tower of the palace. The following sound was thunderous, before Syaoran could even come to a hault, the air was struck with a blinding thunder, the only kind you could get when you are directly next to such a fierce strike. Dust flew into the air from the impact, Syaoran's ears rung for a few moments as they readjusted after the blast. Holding the black blade of Hinshi, he could feel its bloodlust weighing at him, a very thin veil of black mist starting to rise as it thirsted to take revenge on the miniscule burning to its master's arm and shoulder. Syaoran's mind was focusing on the impact, and his thoughts had been true. With a glance upwards he would see that the attack had indeed cleaved directly through the barrier that had been constructed above them, but at what cost? As the barrier would slowly close in on itself again, Syaoran wondered just what kind of attack had he just barely gotten out of the way of. The Raikage now stood in front of him, for the first time in what looked to be an offensive stance. So finally the man was getting serious.

"It looks like you do have some fight in you. No matter, a mortal like you cannot defeat a gift from a god.”

Syaoran's mind, though it had been ignited by the event that had taken his teacher's life, was surprisingly calm. His experience in battle over the years had taken over, his fears subsided and balanced by the rage and sorrow from the loss of his teacher. With all of these feelings within him though, as a shinobi they had no effect on him. The lance in the man's hand was glowing, as if it was made of a pure bolt of lightning plucked from the sky. Syaoran was reminded of the ancient god of the sky, Zeus, and for a moment he considered if maybe he was actually fighting the ancient god here. He also suddenly wondered if the Raikage had any connection to the great bull summons. Flipping out four kunai with his free hand, Syaoran would flip his wrist and release all four of them towards his opponent. As the flew he would raise his hand to his shoulder and swiftly release one of the steel rods from his armor there. The Chinese symbol of the monkey carved in red on the top. With a quick throw downward he would spike it into the ground right behind him and then move forward in one fluid motion to follow the flurry of kunai. Pulling the blackened blade of Hinshi behind him, Syaoran would slide across the ground and swing the blade forward in a wide horizontal arc underneath the kunai.

"Kaze no Bankai!”

(Wind Type: Bankai)

As he swung, a large arc of chakra would fly forward as well, aimed towards the legs of the Raikage. If the kunai did not find their mark, the arc would at least blast away the man's footing, or damage his legs. The main purpose of this opening attack was not only to try and disable the man, but to take away his good footing. Without a solid stance, Syaoran hoped that he would not be able to use the full potential of the large lance that he held. There would be no easy victory here, but if he could start off well, he was hoping to build momentum on the older man.

883 Words; 6389 Total

[Cho Hakkai]

Hakkai smiled as he hit the chest of the woman. He being flung backwards was all in his strategy. In fact, he didn't even think that his attack would hit. You see, the strength of his kick was much weaker than what he could have been able to do simply because he wasn't as powerful as he usually was. Now the question of why is he not as strong as he was several minutes ago comes up.

You see the thing that attacked the fluid dancer of the Kaguya Clan was simply a clone. An Earth Clone at that. You see Hakkai had sent chakra into a piece of dirt and when it hit the ground, it had molded into the shape of Hakkai. Seeing as how the Kaguya was distracted she wouldn't have noticed the being created away from her.

The clone was sent back and hit the ground several times. Once. Twice. Thrice. At the moment the clone hit the ground for the fourth time, the clone blew up in a cloud of smoke and in its place was a pile of dust.

The Kaguya dancer healed herself in a weird fashion by taking bones in and out of her body. Laughing, she was able to see the wind attack come from in front of her. Hakkai however, was behind (and loving it) and smiled as Raz told him to send his most powerful lightning attack. Hakkai said, "Of course.”

Hakkai's hands began to develop electricity. Sparks flew out from his finger tips as he became a human conductor. His body tingled. A rush became vivid in his mind and soul as he became energetic. Small waves of electricity came off of his body and would make anyone near him have the hair on their body stand up. His breathing stayed calm and collected but his heart however, was racing faster than the speed of light on crack.

Such a joy out of creating a lightning justu was unusual to Hakkai. Maybe it was the thrill of a fight. Maybe, he was drunk. However, the thrill was nonetheless there. Adrenaline pumped through his blood. A smile came across his face.

The lightning in his hands began to take on a physical form. Hakkai combined his hands together as a massive lightning bolt formed. Hakkai took this massive, new formed lightning bolt in his right hand. His muscles bulged as he held the power in his hand. His arm trickled with both sensations of pain and numbness. This thunderbolt was more powerful than his previous times simply because it was a combination of the three smaller ones. He even added more and more chakra with his training in the chi-gong ways.

Hakkai threw his right arm back as he kept his grasp on the mighty element. A deep breath came in and out from his mouth. He pointed his index and middle finger at the Kaguya woman and smiled.

He knew the idea Raz was working on and this idea would go off really well. In a split second, Hakkai threw the lightning bolt and had it travel as a speed quicker than the eye could see. As he threw it, he uttered the words,

"Kongou Zeus”

Thunderbolts Of Zeus

541

[Eechi-go]

The Raikage hadn't even blinked as Syaoran flung his kunai at him. It was quite apparent why once they had reached a suitable distance; the magnetic aura he continued to shield himself it caused the kunai to stop dead short, then be flung into the air due to the polar push. The kunai stabbed into the ground, making a very dense sound. He watched as Syaoran performed his jutsu, aiming it at the man's ankles, a bit of an amused expression on his face.

"Oh, how classic.”

He chirped, timing his dodge just right as the young man came down on his legs with the arc of chakra. He tossed his legs backwards, as if he were to revert into a handstand position. This slit the very tips of his shin obi sandals open, but did nothing more then that. While in midair, his hands pointed directly are the ground, chakra swirling into his limbs. The earth seemed to rumble beneath them, as if he were attempting some form of Doton technique.

This was however, not the case. All of a sudden, gargantuan metal pipe pierced through the earth from the catacombs, sending large hunks of earth in all directions. The pipe bent to the Raikage's will, pointing down directly at Syaoran. Ontop of the pipe, the Raikage stood, his hands flat against the magnetized steel. A huge amount of pressure sent gallons upon gallons of sewer water directly at Syaoran. If only to make matters worse, the Raikage stood up, and cast bolt of lightning from his spear into the blistering sewer water, using it's conduction to harm Syaoran even further, and give it a more likely chance to harm him.

The Raikage still had yet to take this seriously.

The young woman had received no hinderance from the incoming maelstrom of water that came her way. She simply anchored her feet into the ground, and took the strike. This seemingly cleaned her body off more, allowing her to glisten in the moonlight. The smirked playfully as the clone approached her, before gasping in surprise as it stabbed itself.

"Wh-what in the world-!?”

She cried out, the steam fogging up her body, completely blinding her to the world. She cried out, falling against the nearby wall, which, with luck, allowed her to narrowly avoid the incoming spear, though it wasn't intentional. The spear pierced a hole in the palace wall, the heat steaming the woman's body up further. Curses, she hadn't expected that. Not every often did ninja utilize steam techniques. She was desperate now, and having little options, she called back the shards of her arm. Retracting back from the earth that they lay upon, they moved at a slower pace, therefore, harmless to Warrusu and Haruyuki. The glass reformed into an arm, which she raised to the sky, the moonlight piercing through it, and distorting into the eyes of the young men.

"I-I'm not finished yet…”

".:Hariton; Harikyuu:."

[Glass Release; Crystal Ball]

She muttered, and suddenly, they'd find themselves trapped within a genjutsu as she desperately struggled to clear her body of the steam. They'd lose themselves in a fantasy, but a rather unique one, as a matter of fact. They'd envision their futures, much like a magic ball would allow. Of course, their fate was death, so the genjutsu was likely to sugar coat their fates.

As Raz's doriru bureka pierced through the Kaguya's breast piece, several shards of bone exploded out towards him, shrapneling him, slicing through his cheek and shoulder. Of course, he wouldn't let this stop him; he couldn't. The drill pierced the earth, drilling a hole underground as quickly as the blades spun. He could -feel- Hakkai begin to stir his chakra within his body. It was time.

With all his might, he pushed the drill forwards, further, further, further, as far as he thought was necessary to avoid killing himself in this attack. Constantly looking over his shoulder to ensure the girl hadn't followed him down into the hole. That would ruin his plans, and that couldn't happen. The sound of Hakkai's assault being launched peeked Raz's intrest, it was now or never.

With all of his might, he thrusted the drill up into the ceiling of the hole he had dug, piercing straight through to the surface. Due to the positioning, it caused him to spin upwards, and once he had reached the surface, he forced the air around him to stop him. He was in midair behind the woman now, and the lightning bolt was nearing her closer and closer. The drill dissipated into air; he was on his own now. With all of the compression on the tremor of air that remained in his lungs, this attack would devastate the area.

"Now-!!”

".:Fuuton; Atsugai:."

[Wind Release; Wind Pressure]

An enormous bullet of wind blasted towards the Kaguya, yet it's true target was the lightning bolt that Hakkai had cast earlier. As his body began to fall, he was dead set on ensuring this would bring her to her knees once and for all. He ripped his guitar off it's strap, bring it forcefully into a playing position, before manipulating the largest amount of sound chakra he had ever created, and used the guitar as a medium, strumming as hard as he could.

".:Ageru:."

[Amplify]

At the exact moment the lightning and wind could meet, the amplification of the sound would take place. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. A gargantuan sonic boom had erupted, point-blank to the white-maned Kaguya girl. The sheer energy was enough to rupture a human, rendering them to pieces. The inevitable had happened; the sons of Oto showed the world exactly why they were named just that.

920 Words

8315 Total

Edited September 16, 2008 by Eechi-go

[Kouta]

[Well, looks like I'm flying solo till Azzy can post again...]

Kouta's target didn't even flinch. A cloaked arm was tossed up and caught the brunt of the chakra, which hit and then washed off of the arm like a light smack. Kouta had expected his foe to move, but if he was fighting an opponent with a defensive style, then he would have a bit more challenging encounter. ”Don't worry. The blade was weak. We haven't bulked up at all, nor have I gotten angry yet. My cries will grow louder. Still, I'd advise you not to show Zangetsu just yet. We'll use him when the time is right. Trust me.” His elder blade cautioned, and Kouta had to agree, nodding slowly before trying to think up what to do, his body slowly descending due to the wind he had pulled around himself. The ninja he fought had to be defensive, either wearing some sort of armor, or using a kekkei genkai to the same degree, since even with Benihime thoroughly calm, that attack would've cleaved deep into flesh, if not severing the arm that blocked it.

This posed a slight problem to his plan of quick and utter victory, so Kouta turned, hoping to see Yakato springing into action to take advantage of the man's pre-occupation with Kouta, but it seemed his attack, being so sudden, had left the other ninja stuck still prepping for the assault. ”Wake up, Yakato! Put that eye to good use and find me a weak spot!” He called, before hearing a sound rather like a sword being unsheathed. He turned back just in time to see the sword fired from the depths of the robe, which were all black to Kouta, no features defined within. Still, he was more interested at the blade leaping up at him, splitting into a trident-like position, attempting to fence him in. ”Oh no ya don't!” Kouta yelled, and he flung his arms, spinning as fast as he could in midair, causing him to fall a bit faster, but picking up the wind around him like a cocoon. He had to wait until the winds were strong enough, and then blow them out at the weapon, either snapping it or knocking it off course. At once the winds shot out in about three different directions, and the blade was jerked up and to the left. The center and right blades missed him, but the left blade, dragged sideways by the makeshift wind barricade, bit into his shoulder, drawing blood that was bright red, and a gasp from Kouta.

The younger ninja touched ground facing the man, a hand on his shoulder. ”That was stupid.” Zangetsu's voice echoed as he landed. ”You have better ways of protecting yourself than makeshift tactics. I could have stopped that attack cold. Don't get hurt needlessly.” He chastened, sounding a bit annoyed. The attack could've been poisoned, or could have turned into a fatal accident. It was a risky thing to do.

”Relax, Zangetsu.” Kouta said under his breath. ”It was on purpose.” He said, smirking. He gripped Benihime's handle, and stared at his foe as a drop of blood left his shoulder, hitting the sword's blade, which soaked up the blood like fuel, the chakra between its segments flaring brightly. Kouta spoke a bit louder now, sure his foe could hear him. ”He dares touch me, Benihime! Show him your discontent! Cry Again! Spread Your Call to the Heavens!” Kouta yelled, dragging Benihime along the ground, cutting a gouge in the dirt as the blade flared up with the familiar red chakra he had just released.

|::| Nake |::|

As he stopped the swing forward, the red, crescent-shaped blade of chakra emerged, cutting a path in the dirt. It didn't carry the silver gleam this time, but the chakra would be a brighter, more vibrant red, as if the blood was being absorbed into it. Any enemy would find the single blade hard enough to defend, and it would be stronger than the first attack, Benihime feeding off the pain her master had received and dealing it back at their foe, but then the blade followed its second command. To spread to the heavens, the blade did just that. Instantly, it split into a total of three blades, the two newer strikes circling wide, so that each blade could ram home from a new angle. Kouta was eager to see if his opponent would bear the brunt of these strike, or if he'd move. He was still just probing his capabilities…

”Clever, but still stupid. Try to avoid being hit until we know what it is he can do. I'm sure Yakato can tell us shortly.” Zangetsu said, seeing the plan. Kouta wanted Benihime to feel his pain, to increase the strength of her Cry. That way he could see just what kind of defensive power his enemy had, and possibly score a more direct hit. The spread was a nice touch, giving him even more damage to test the defensive power of his enemy. The boy had learned a bit about fighting in the short time Zangetsu had met him. He was being clever, but was it enough? These opponents have had years to prepare for fights like this in their 20 years or more they have been in this career. Kouta had only been a ninja for five or six years…

[891 Words]

[3,147 Words Total for Kouta]

[Warr]

There are some very distinct facts within the world. Facts which are unchangeable, and one of these facts are only inhumanly powerful men and women could withstand the primal forces of the world. The elements, in their raw form, are all but unstoppable, only withstand able through an adamantine will. It was because of this fact that this guardian of the Raikage was struck down now.

Her dancing movements had held her approximately at a eighty-five degree angle from the blast of lightning brought forth from one half of sound. Her instincts and the heavy amount of training she had been given in the art of war over her years demanded she step to the side, and she did as her teachings had taught her. She stepped to the side, hurling her own bones out with immense speed, they rooting as a shield against the lightning.

It was her own arrogance, the legendary arrogance of the Kaguya clan, whom were immensely harder to kill than other clans, that had not made her create a clone or call in one of her allies for help. It was for that reason she had not noticed the other half of sound as he moved in unison with his brother. It was a folly brought on by arrogance, as all folly is.

So her defenses were not mounted when the wind and lightning hit as one, amplified by the guitar utilizing jutsu of Kinsen Rasen. The piercing sonic boom ruptured her eardrums in mere milliseconds, and tore her skin off of her like the husk off of corn. Every inch of her body was voided of skin, and of that cloak which she wore. Her muscles even had moved from their proper place.

Even over the haphazard defensive boundary she had created to counter what she assumed to be Cho Hakkai's simple bolt of lightning could not protect that son of Oto from the rain of blood which spurted from her body at that moment. The corpse which had once been the daughter of the Kaguya clan whom records would give the name of as, Shirayuri, now lay sprawled on the ground, scraps of bloodied robes all around it.

A victory seemed to have been granted on these phoenixes of Otogakure, but they were fighting something which was not on the scale of a normal human. Kaguya Shirayuri, the woman who had left the forces of the Kirigakuran Hunter-nin, and her position within Dekashumaku, to leave her country in protection of her distant relatives, the Otogakuran branch of the Kaguya. This woman, who despite failing, did not give up.

A woman who had fought hard and long to find someone who would aid her cause, and who eventually found it in the man who had since the invasion of the shinobi world been known as the Raikage. This woman's force of will was stronger than admantine. A woman who brought her clan's to a chance that they might flower, like herself, into beautiful lilies.

And like the flower she bore the name of, Shirayuri was intimately wrapped up with death. Moment's passed, and those bones that white lily of the Kaguya clan had utilized to defend herself fell to the ground, like the titans which the Sons of Otogakure had just fell.

Torn eyes stared up at the night sky, and at the moon, the people of the country of Water's favored kami. It was as if time had stood still for this dead, torn, body. As if the kami themselves were mourning.

But the duo from Oto were not the only phoenixes within the general area. A ghostly, bloody, gurgle of a laugh rang out, like the music of drums. Drums, the instrument of war and of life, the instrument of movement.

Kaguya Shirayuri, former Hunter-nin of the shinobi village of Kirigakure no Sato, arose, mirroring her clan's dramatic revival from near death. This woman was barely what one would call one, a being of muscle and blood, not an inch of skin covering her, and blood flying out like rain as she came back to her feet.

And then it was undone. Where a corpse had once stood, a beautiful melody likened in the mirror image of the moon stood. A woman, a pure and white as any lily, stood there in her full beauty, watching these boys through the curtain of bone that still lay lopsided in front of her. Her skin had all grown into the place it had once been, and the pale woman looked as if she was indeed some sort of ghostly figure of beauty.

Not a strip of clothing lay upon the woman, and her full dancer like physique could be seen, every inch of her physical being visible, and her long mane of white hair even longer than it had been before. No word came from this woman, as she stood there like a ghost, at least for the moment. She took these children in, looking at them with every fiber of her being.

Her eyes were elsewhere, her lips forming into a slight smile as she watched these children, as if remembering some far off day.

"And so it's decided, Hakkai of the Cho; Razen of the Namikaze.” He words rang out like music, this woman was a different person from whom she was before, her voice as alien as an angel's song within the middle of a infidel's massacring. "Sons of Oto, attempting to snuff out life in such a way. It makes me get reminded of Keito-chan. She had such potential, before she decided to side with that silly thing they call tradition instead of progress.”

She chuckled that ghostly, wind like laugh once again. "She died because she resisted the possibility of a new life, because she resisted the winds of change, fought against our storm. Sort of like how you eight are foolishly doing, in the end. I warned her and the other members of my clan that it was coming, and to turn against their compatriots, but they didn't listen.” She burst into a laugh which was uncontrolled, her milky bosom bouncing with every note. Her eyes were closed for that moment, but they opened with nothing but the deathly calm of the reaper come to reap what it had sown and let grow uncontrollably.

She threw her dainty fingers together, before bursting into a quick movement, stepping once, twice, three times, more hopping than stepping, and in the end, her arm shot out something much different than a lance. A monstrous sized scythe fell towards the ground, caught in her next movement, and swinging directly at the sons of Oto, as wide as their bodies and then some, and moving with a speed which made the wind itself move aside.

- - - -

The march of war beat on, and this was something which the child born with a slightly altered version of the words 'mad mischief' understood all to well. Even as his heart beat on with a quicker beat than the sound of machine gun fire against steel, his plan came into action. The distraction of his Harou Bushin slammed into the woman of glass, and even the force of his attack did not harm her. His clone of steam did exactly as the plan had been, and with the combination of it's attack and his own, he had brought the woman from her previous position. A more naive person might assume that the brilliant and unexpected combination which the torch of the hidden mist would have taken his enemy out without a doubt.

Warrusu was not what one might call naïve, in that sense. He saw this simply as a step in the battle plan, and did not assume someone of the caliber of the Raikage's guards would fall without an effort which was matched by few in history. It was his hope that her techniques of glass would be hampered into submission, so that he could finish her off in a more conventional way, or preferably, simply knock her out of the fight.

The glass witch had however another trick or two up that sleeve of her robe's. Taiin betrayed the sons of Mizu no Kuni, at least for the moment. The light of the moon changed the world around them, for a moment the colored world was lacking of darkness, naught but white light.

Then, it began. The night was still there, but it seemed off. Like he had suddenly missed something. The forces which he and the others had fought so hard to defeat lay on the stones of the roof of the emperor's palace. Blood covered the heir-prince of the Umikoi clan, and he strode from the scene, gathering the forces whom came from his homeland as he left, and the youth rode the waves back to his homeland.

Things passed in times of peace, it seemed to the youth. The entire operation took only hours, and he was nearly home by the time the sun rose. The shades of gray had disappeared, the world once returning to the vibrant colors he had always known them to be. Though something felt wrong to him, a smile glowed upon his face as he saw his homeland, and his hometown.

Even as they entered the village hidden in the mists, the people were waiting there, cheering. Everyone whom had taken the chance of attacking Nigiyakashufu and neutralizing the biggest threat to the country of water from the NCIA in the same action were greeted with lauds and applause, given honor and titles.

Life was all that Warrusu had hoped for in his younger years, everything his will had mirrored. His family was protected, and given honor. His grandfather was viewed as a hero to the entire country, and his friends whom had went missing all assembled for the celebration of the heroes' homecoming. His arms were able to wrap around Kaysu, his first fully realized love, and hold her in the security of his arms, before returning to his clan's estates, and seeing everyone whom he had not been able to see in the four long months which he had allowed himself to be a tool of the village hidden in the mist's interests.

Life was like a dream, and even though at one point as time rolled on, the heir-prince of the Umikoi pinched himself, things continued to move on. This was real, not some sort of warped dream. His inner self continued to feel out of place, but time moved on. Warrusu found a woman whom he loved, and he spent most of his time fishing, or training hopeful shinobi-nin. He grew older, and enjoyed life as he had always wanted the freedom to, acting only in a few cases as the defending spear for his clan and village.

As it continued, the boy's inner self felt more at ease, unable to accept anything but the feelings of happiness which were instilled in him with every day, with every kiss from his love, from every laugh of the children of the village. His two levels of beings began to actualize, becoming one in their acceptance of the world around them.

The world continued to roll on, and in no time it was spring, marked clearly by the rains which came around that time. Water permeated from every place in the world at this time, and the Umikoi youth marked his twentieth birthday, happily, with his love and his clan. It was a time of solemn enjoyment, a calm in the waters of time.

The tides would begin to shift on the hour of midnight on that, the twentieth day of birth of Umikoi Warrusu za Shichi. As the full moon stood guard over the clan of the Dragonturtle, a storm rolled in. A chakra infused storm, one which would make the Umikoi fisher-prince run to its source, feeling an eerie similarity between it and the very storm which had engulfed all of the living beings during the invasion of Nigiyakashufu's latter phase, the battle between the Raikage and his guardians.

At the source, the Umikoi youth found a young woman who's body's organs had been ruptured as if from the inside, a woman with skin as pale as snow and eyes which were as as blue as ice, even faded as they were in this, her death. Blood was sprayed below his feet, clear kanji which read 'Blood will spill from the clan of chilly rain until they are no more. This is but a simple example of what the mobility of water will commit.'

A scream came from a block or two away, heading towards the edge of the village hidden in the mist's fishing district and the Mizukage's Pavillion. Without a word, the young man would follow the sound of the scream, running, leaping, and throwing himself forward with all of his might, until after a minute of running, he landed at the scene, seeing a common woman staring a a figure whom had been hit with thousands of needles of ice, it seemed from the wounds on it, a figure which seemed both familiar to him and not at all.

A figure which had hair which was the same tint as his, and which was longer, around to the figure's shoulders. A figure which had eyes which in their dull light seemed to be the same color as his own. A figure who's breath was ceased, a figure whom the fisher-prince realized the identity of after a few moment's of staring in bleak confusion.

The figure whom he had identified as his cousin 'Umikoi Kaijin', since the days of the revolution against Kumogakure no Sato. A figure who's true identity now lay sprawled across the cliff face adjacent to the entrance of the Mizukage's pavilion. Words, sprawled in blood, the kanji wild and erratic, yet cold and precisely placed. Words which read clearly something the child did not expect at all.

"Before you lies the body of Umikoi Kaijin, the man who hid his identity as the last remnant before his descendants of the Umikaze Clan. A man who hid his identity in fear that people might fear the power of Umikoi Warrusu za Ichi, the man who let himself be known as Umikaze Kaijin and whom served this country as it's seventh Mizukage. His corpse and death is a declaration of holy war against those whom would hide their true selves to the rest of the village hidden in the mist. Our cold hands will eliminate you water demons who survived the last attempt to exterminate you by the village. This time, there will be no survivors.”

The Umikoi heir-prince's eyes widened at this, soon met by a few of his relatives, who noticed the scene and then motioned for him to follow them. Without a word, the body followed, the inner Warrusu feeling a pain which he did not understand, and a gruesome fear of what was to come. Time moved by quickly, though not quick enough.

He next saw something he feared ever seeing, every member of his clan gathering up weapons and dressing for war. At the same time the attack on Umikoi Warrusu za Ichi had occurred, an entire class of Umikoi children had been slaughtered at the hands of the Hisame during a field trip. The signs were there everywhere, and the clan of chilly rain had committed unspeakable evil upon the children of the clan whom they had killed.

Like a crashing wave, another clan war, like so many other storms crashing upon the isles of Mizu no Kuni, broke out. The ice of the Hisame fought against the waters of the Umikoi, both clans fighting with an immense hatred to one another, and both continuing without quarter. Genocide fell on the land like rain from the sky.

The mist of the country was bloody as the battles rolled on, the outer Warrusu fighting like a beast, destroying any who came in his path, and giving no quarter. Blood sprayed from the very veins of his opponents as his weapon, the boy's inner light being happily coated with the blood of innocence, darkening until the night around him was naught but the blackness of nothingness.

His brother and cousins pleaded for the boy to calm his actions, so that the chance of a peace might be brokered. The soft hands of his lover clasped his arm, begging him not to leave. But he would not listen to the soft words of that woman, even. He had been turned into a raging ocean, and the only way to solve his storm was to decimate the shoreline that had offended him, the Hisame.

With a band of zealous followers of himself, the Umikoi youth fought without halting, for days. He snuffed out encampments of the Hisame and prepared to snuff out their estates once again. Their minor holdings had already been hit by the storming sea which was Warrusu, but he could not help but feel manipulated on the inside. Things which he had sworn to never do, things such as slaughtering children and innocent men and women were committed in droves as he moved on, the inner Warrusu feeling a dreadful feeling of having his own life's strings being manipulated by someone else. With every hour of this war, a dreadful shadow hovered in the darkness, whispering hate to both sides.

The shadow laughted as she pulled her puppet's strings, and laughed as she manipulated his emotions to the point he could not stop himself from slaughtering his own friends. Kaguya Kumiko, Zandoran Ko, and a number of his cousins lay lifeless upon the moist ground of the country of water, their only infraction trying to halt his assault on the main Hisame compound and to talk some sense into him.

His body moved on, his spirit raging with hatred at his own actions. Like watching through a warped mirror, he saw the Umikoi slaughter Hisame after Hisame in the compound, even fighting his student and comrade Hisame Haruyuki into death, even though Haruyuki plead for peace, and for Warrusu to calm himself and his turbulent sea.

The Hisame now lay bleeding on the ground before the fisher-prince's boot, which rolled him over with an evil expression disgracing his face. The boy looked on at the dead Hisame clan, their destroyed castle, and simply expressed arrogance, smiling into a nearby puddle of water.

Then the voice tickled his ear, a voice like a drop of water and like the full ferocity of the ocean's waves, all at once. Even as blood dripped down his face, and the inner Warrusu saw a monster which was hiding in his place, flowing locks of blue black hair wrapped around him, silken hands like the waters he so loved touching his neck, and a whisper of promised power and his destiny. "You shall bring glory to my name, as you have so far, Warrrrruuu-chan, yes you will. You will act as my hand in this world, a plaything to do my wishes. This you will, and you will claim your rightful title, child of the crashing waves. You will become the Juniidaime Mizukage, Warru-dear. You like that name, don't you? Juniidaime Mizukage, Umikoi Warrusu za Shichi?”

The inner Warrusu's body lurched, feeling this absolute inhuman being touch against his physical body, this spirit of something he so primal and inhuman he felt like throwing up. For the first time in what seemed like years, the child of mad mischief finally shone forward. Words forced themselves past the physical prison that was the outer body of himself.

"This is not me, this is not real. You are a demoness in the flesh, the darker workings which live within us all, and which inhabits the primal spirit of my village.” His words paused, his strength not enough to force it all through. "I am not this monster you have crafted. I would not do this. I am Umikoi Warrusu za Shichi, the son of Umikoi Warrusu za Roku, and grandson of Umikoi Warrusu za Yon. I will not submit to such evil, and I will not let anyone, even if it's me, commit such sins. I will not allow it, I will... I will... I will defeat you, just like I will... I will defeat the Raikage.”

His mind had finally wrapped around what this was, and his mental body elbowed this creature, whatever it was. The glimpse of a possible future was over, and the son of the lineage of Umikoi Warrusu za Yon glared at the witch of glass which had shown him what he had seen. For a moment, his anger from before showed clearly and distinctly within his eyes. For a moment and no longer, as the young man's will quelled the fire of hatred from before, the thing which had made him want to kill this woman and the Raikage before.

His grandfather had taught him since his beginnings of ninja training that true ninja do not fight to kill, they fight to defend, and endure the days so that they may see their loved ones prosper. It was inhumane to take such a right to someone who had obviously trained so hard to become a shinobi-nin.

So even as the boy stood there, laden with his own blood, his body did not move. His mind considering her. The waters around him from the rain moved upwards as the boy formed a hand seal, those azure maelstrom filled eyes of his looking intently upon the glass using guardian of the Raikage. Without war, there could not be piece, and without passion, there could not be love, or compassion. He chuckled momentarily, his kekkei genkei forming the last of his three bushin, and he mentally ordered them to close the distance between themselves and the woman. The forward two, one on the left and one on the right, channeled chakra and began to utilize what was obviously a dragon's breath spear, from the steaming water flowing from up on the ground, and spinning around them. They closed within feet of the woman, letting off both spears at the same time, aiming at her arms. Without a moment of pause even for a word, the two bushin dissipated into blasts of steam, a pair of kunai flying forward just as the third bushin rushed forward, only to be jump kicked by its creator right in the forehead. The bushin, a harou bushin, dissipated from the force and sent it's master flying forward with a blast of water, the fisher-prince of Kirigakure no Sato landing only inches from where the woman had previously been. His breath came out, heated and his hands came together in a hand seal, his chakra pores pouring out both fire and water chakra, instantly creating a mist of steam which imitated the legendary technique which had been used by so many shinobi-nin of Kirigakure no Sato.

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The water came from the ground, gushing a huge amount of sewage towards the younger boy. Of course he had though that it would be some sort of earth technique, the fact that the man had bent the plumbing from the very building itself had been a surprise. With a wall of water coming towards him, Syaoran would keep his forward momentum and make a few hand seals.

"Renkinjutsushi Yori”

(Alchem Type: Alchemist's Twist)

With a wave of his hand, the wall of water would burst into light flames, quickly washing over Syaoran in a moment and seeming to have little effect on him. Jumping up a few feet, Syaoran would keep the momentum from a moment before, and with a quick few seals he would burst through the flames on the Raikage's side and over the piped with four clones of himself, each one a mixture of white and purple in color, as if they were made out of some kind of stone. The four clones would charge forward to try and grapple the Raikage while Syaoran used his dial boots to fly above head, watching the attack.

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