Unwelcomed Arrival

[Khaos]

((ooc: Just setting up, not counting towards word count yet))

With Rasen's amphibian sitting on the other side, their safety in regards to getting out of the alternate world was a little more assured. Nidori still kept his gaze locked on to the portal, seeing his wave; that was directed at ‘L', returned by Rasen. An eyebrow raised slightly as the thoughts of a male admirer wasn't as ‘appealing' as a female. It wasn't even as though he could have mistaken the gesture to have been aimed at someone else.

In part due to the moment of awkwardness that seemed quite clear on both of the two's faces. In attempt to stay on task, Nidori began to think of the best way to conduct their search; figuring they would do best splitting up, given the time constraints. He felt Rasen would be thinking along the same lines as him, assuming he knew the village well.

I'll head for the Arena; if there are civilians that should be an obvious place to gather, or they're hiding in their homes. I'll pass through the Bazaar on the way also; so I'll check there as well. That leaves the main residential area, the network of streets, the hospital, the academy and Menboku... if we were to travel there I'd suggest we go together. Never have had a good feeling about that place.

The other two could divide the other areas amongst them. Dependant on his findings, Nidori was willing to take on another, possibly the estates as it wasn't too far from the arena and such. As he took a moment of pause, the sound flapping wings sounded off from inside the tower. The acoustics were particularly prominent as the echo lingered for a while.

[Cho Hakkai]

Hakkai was happy that his plan was liked by Raeyn. Who exactly this man was still remained a mystery to Hakkai but alas, he needed to trust this man. Hakkai watched as the other members of the group picked up the wounded and began to carry them. Hakkai nodded at the group as he gestured for the group to start moving.

They began to run towards the Kyoukage tower. Before they could get there they would have to go through the residential district. Hakkai's house would be there. Hakkai hasn't seen his safe little house in over three years. He wondered if it was touched during the battle that seemed so long ago. He still had some pictures there that he wanted to keep and hopefully he won't have to search the world to find them. The pictures he has aren't in the greatest of condition. Oh the memories he had.

Running through the market district Hakkai took note of his surroundings. This seemed to look like the normal Oto. Nothing exactly out of the ordinary other than the fact that it was just silent and no one was around. Where were they? And were did the people they fight go? Why are they attacking the Oto ninja? Something wasn't right about this. Something wasn't right at all.

Hakkai saw the houses coming up. A smile came across his face as they neared their final destination. Brash would help them figure out what the hell is wrong, fend of the evil grey vested people, and then Otogakure no Sato will finally be theirs. Hakkai only wanted two things really. One was to lie in his bed again. People always relax the moment they enter their house because the house is a comfort zone that they are used to relaxing in. The second thing was getting a shirt on. Seriously, Oto is fucking cold without a shirt on. And having sweat and blood on his body didn't make it any less cold.

((334 words.))

((4234 words total.))

84 + 305 = 389

[Cloudnine]

[[Not putting this to the post count either, Korin'll be searching the hospital and academy.]]

The fact that Raz placed a teleport toad in the tower for safe measure wasn't all too reassuring. If she was miles away from the toad or the portal and time were to crumble, no action could be taken to bring her into this dimension again. Her eyes went from the frog to Raz. Lips pursed, she retorted sharply, "no.” Grump, grump, grump- the solidness of the denial failed to make it past her mouth. Possessive, L's freehearted fawning chewed on her cynical nerves to no end. "Why?” the girl seemed to forcefully demand, the question more of a deliberate, sarky statement.

Korin was the last to take the step into the portal. She stared into the invisible gateway apprehensively, and only her shadow cast upon the opposing wall stared back at her. A hand went out to touch the surface, felt it numbing, chilling. Before she could withdraw though, the wind-colored bird shrilly chirped a storm, snagging the gauze around her fingers until Korin gave a startled yelp of pain, and staggered after the bird as it shot through the portal after Raz and Nidori… her burns at its impish mercy. Stepping into the mirror image of Oto II, Korin gazed around, hardly noticing any differences. Immediately, the girl put herself on the lookout to locate Hakkai.

As Nidori voiced his plan, the girl considered any benefits she brought to this group. Nothing much, since she's pretty much lost in this city. "I think you should take the streets and estates, Raz… I won't be able to find my way back. The hospital and academy shouldn't be too hard to find, right? I can search those.” Really now, was it hard to miss landmark buildings? A shift of her hands and she was in the air, a haze of black feathers. Crow Korin hovered for a moment, circling Raz's bird creation and remembering how to fly in this form again. She appeared to be failing horribly, flapping twice as hard to keep her avian self from plowing into the ground face first. The girl had long used another jutsu for airborne travel, but the spectacle of a human running across the air may test the sanity of those in Oto II, who must share Korin's current fidgety nature under such an uncertain situation. Yes, a bird was much less invasive when it comes to scouring from the skies.

[Eechi-go]

"Cause you're getting all grumpy over her.”

He said, breaking his wave, still chuckling under his breath slightly. He knew it was mean to tease her like this, but he found it adorable. He gave her quick peck on the cheek, thinking it might make her a little less stressed over the whole ordeal. His attention was then turned to Nidori, whom decided to search the arena and bazaar. Raz agreed; it'd be a good place to start.

Korin had also brought up an interesting point; she had no idea where she was going in Oto. Navigating the streets and households was a rather difficult task to ask of the girl, one Raz was far more accustomed to; being a little street rat in his younger days. He was actually rather happy he didn't need to venture back to the academy. Far too many memories reside in it's hollowed halls, and it was the last place he needed to return to so soon.

"Right, go ahead. The hospital isn't too far away, you can't miss it. Good luck!”

He sent the bird to follow her, just incase she got -too- lost, it could point her in the right direction. He nodded to Nidori, as he began to make his way down the streets of Oto. His pace was rather brisk, as he needed to find as many survivors as possibly before Oto II closed to the real world for eternity. He had doubts as to how many people he could teleport before he ran out of chakra in attempts to stabilize the toad.

He followed the roads, his eyes scanning the areas for any sign of life. Nothing, it seemed, but that would make sense. He doubted many people would go running into the streets if they knew a war was brewing outside their doors. Alas, Raz couldn't even find enemy soldiers in which he assumed would be attempting to take over the second Oto. He could only assume they had no idea they were in another dimension entirely.

The boy stopped dead in his tracks, as he unconsciously came upon the old VAK ruins, or what was left anyway. For whatever reason, even LESS of Vak remained then before. How could that be? As he slowly approached where the few semblance of ruins could be found, he quickly recalled the duel between him and his darker half. He quickly shoved the thought out of his head; he had no time to play games. He kneeled by the ruins, and placed his hand against some of the burned ruins, grasping it softly, recalling the last two years, taking this moment to see just how far he had come this day.

450 Words

[cntrstrk14]

As Hakkai arrived in the residential district, he would hear the deft hum of some type of engine. Repetative, and constant it would beat over and over almost as if it was a slow heart beat. Unfortunately, the sound was so dull and faded that it was near impossible to tell its direction given the echo of the area. If the village had not been completely silent otherwise the sound would probably have never been heard or even worth mentioning.

Raeyn would stop for a moment, looking towards Hakkai and the others to assure they were traveling along well.

ooc: It is another (1d3 * 200) words to get to the Kyoukage's tower from here. For a sense of time, Cho is in the residential district as the rest of you are leaving the tower. The additional time is accounted for on how well the injured are transported. A roll of a 3 means one was probably dropped, lol.

-----

The streets are completely bare, not a sound can be heard, not even the rustling of the wind despite the fast movements of the clouds overhead. The ruins of the VAK had seen more battles since they were evacuated, and it seemed they had been closed off with tall fencing to keep them from the eye of the normal street passer. For some reason the NCIA had kept the building as close to the original as possible, whatever that meant.

[Eechi-go]

The crimson haired shin obi grasped the ashes in his hand, gazing upon it's blackened particles. He thought of how they could have come from. Perhaps these ashes weren't ruins, rather, what remained of his old comrades. The thought was enough to make his stomach churn, his mouth agape slightly, as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"What is it?”

"Oi, you're awake?”

"It's been a couple hours, that's all I need.”

"It's the old Oto rebellion hideout. It was ambushed about a year or two ago. It's what lead me to you, remember? Anyway, I'm thinking of doing something special for this place. I'm fairly certain once Oto's rebuilt, everyone's going to want to turn it into a memorial. I just need to think of a way to contribute.”

"Indeed, it's a worthwhile cause.”

"Agreed…I'll work on it. Anyway, I can't waste too much time here, I have to see if anyone else is alive.”

The boy grasped the ashes in his hand, lifting the pile up to the sky. With a tiny bit of chakra, he created a gentle gust that yanked the ashes gracefully from his hand, and scattered them in the wind. The blackened particles swirled above him, dancing a graceful dance, before disappearing into the great beyond. With that, he held onto a moment's peace, and quickly dashed towards the residential area of Oto.

Not much further off the road, Raz would reach his destination. Once more, the living areas of Oto seemed barren, as if no one ever lived there it all. It was so strange to him that he hadn't seen a single person yet. Oto wasn't known for it's population count, but it was a close-knit village none-the-less. He went from house to house like a silly school boy trying to sell candy for a fundraiser. No one ever came to the door. He was nearing the end of the district, which meant he was not too much further from the Kyoukage tower, as well as his old ruin of a house.

He did whatever he could to avoid the house as best he could, since it would only bring a wave of depression over him. He thought of how disappointed his father and mother would be at him for losing the house in the war. The roof had caved in, and the whole front of the house had looked as if a car had plowed straight into it. Various floorboards jet out like traps all over the place, which gave him an overall sense of dread. He attempted to walk straight by it, since no one was around anyway, and he didn't want to deal with a fake replica of the place.

452 Words ; Streets and Residential Areas ; Complete

[Khaos]

Watching as Korin took the form of a raven, Nidori couldn't have felt any more confused after their previous encounter with the same type of bird. Given that Rasen was more familiar with her and it didn't seem to have caused any alarm as far as his reaction was concerned; the silvery haired oto nin chose not to mention it either. He'd obviously not know the extent to their abilities though it was coincidental that she happened to take that form in particular.

((ooc: and start))

With the districts assigned, the three could split, each taking two areas each. He took off, so to speak; leaving the confines of the tower and launching himself to the nearest rooftop. He was as quick as ever, though not activating the Kyousoukyoku. It had, in the past, put too much strain on his body and so it wouldn't be practical if he was to run into anything troublesome.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Nidori came to find his thoughts drifting, he started to reminisce over the village he once knew. Though he was no native of Oto, he'd taken on the village namesake into his repertoire of jutsu and taken it to a level most other sound shinobi hadn't. He'd need to develop more techniques as soon as he could, once things were sorted out. His thoughts only seemed to rile him up, invigorating him in his search. It wasn't long before Nidori came to the easily recognisable market district; even with the village in the state it was, there was no questioning his whereabouts. He expected that Oto II would have been a more preserved state of the village, some hope of seeing his home all in one piece. He could only get so upset by that hope not being realised. It was not unlike the world they had just exited; though some scars the buildings bore seemed more ‘fresh'. Many of the stalls were completely demolished. Several buildings were in tatters, crumbling still as Nidori passed them. He could only sigh as he jumped from the roof of a general store, landing quietly on the ground. He didn't want to attract any unwanted attention so he'd need to keep the scan of the area unobtrusive. Quickening his pace, he looked through shop windows; a couple surprisingly were completely intact. He felt confident that all he'd inspected so far was clear of any civilians or hostiles.

It wasn't a second after settling on the barrenness (?) of the area that he heard a noise; a sort of shuffling. As he slowed in his stride nearing the arena that neighboured the market, listening out for any signs of movement. He channelled a portion of chakra to his ears, amplifying his hearing ever so slightly. It was no longer a shuffle he heard, but a single voice, whispering, repeating itself over and over:

Please go away, please go away, please go away...

Looking around, he could only see the few market stalls he hadn't checked, and a few building whose roofs had caved in, virtually burying them within themselves.

He followed the sound, as he neared it sound more desperate, more filled with fear. If it wasn't for his acute hearing, he probably would have given the remaining stalls a quick inspection and been on his way. He circled the stall the sound originated from. There he saw a man, clinging to the frame of the stall for dear life; his eyes closed tight and a small knife clutched in his right hand. He couldn't be sure if he was armed to defend himself or otherwise, it seemed that he treasured the small stall; it was hanging off itself but nevertheless, he stood by it. While weary, Nidori decided he'd need to speak up.

Yo.

((545))

[Cloudnine]

She gazed in the direction Raz pointed out but saw nothing definitive breaking the even, gray outline of buildings. Wings spread, the crow struggled to take flight again, much envying the wind counterpart that hovered so easily beside her. Korin couldn't hover- only fight into the sky and cut through the trees with the grace of a blind hawk. It zipped about her, Raz obviously watching now. Without waiting for the bird to take the lead and fly any direction, Korin set off down the street, high enough in the air to forego two-story buildings. The ground was moving fast again, and she dreaded staring at the pebbles at this velocity. It wasn't as bad as a summon, but the fact that she was provoking her own sickness…

It has been quite a while since she'd utilized this jutsu. The form wasn't something she readily took onto since it reminded her of her abduction from the NCIA- with Terrick delivering her to Kitari's doorstep. She'd been a fanatic over it before, using it until the transformation was no longer safe. Now… she wasn't quite sure. Suspicions might have arisen in Nidori due to their previous encounter with the crow. It was a jutsu she'd created herself, but it wasn't the most unique concept. Raz, she recalled, witnessed the technique once. In her wandering thoughts, Korin found herself nearing the hospital. It was a monolithic building, in need of renovation. A large red cross adorned the front of the building. Scouting around the windows, the girl saw people inside, a majority of them injured. She dipped towards the ground, undoing the jutsu before she hit the pavement with an airy spring in her step. Eyes throbbing from aerial travel, she quickly straightened as a hospital staff member approached her. He pushed open the double glass doors, gave no notion of greeting her except with a grizzled wariness.

"Haramatsu Korin of Kusagakure, sir. I don't have much time to explain- I'm here to aid in the liberation of Otogakure. Right now, we're standing in a different dimension due to a rogue portal that opened in Oto, and ultimately engulfed most of the villagers in this pocket of time. No, I'm serious,” Korin's expression glared as the man pulled away. "This world, Oto II will collapse soon. Brash is keeping the portal open and sent me and my comrades and rescue those trapped in this place. Gather the people in this hospital- the well and wounded, we will evacuate towards the kage's tower in fifteen minutes.”

And he still looked at Korin like she'd ingested some hallucinogen. She grasped him by the shoulders, shaking him, causing her blistered hands to cry out in a volley of puss. "Listen, this is the last place I want to be,” she hissed. "I want to go home for once, just to see if it's still standing. I don't even know if my parents are alive! See these burns? I can't stop yet. Go inside, tell your friends, tell everyone. Wait for me in fifteen minutes or none of you are seeing a tomorrow.” So maybe she was bordering hysterics. Just a little.

Letting him go with a final deft shake, the girl took off in the direction of the academy, presumably not too far from here with the small street signs that guided pedestrians through this usually-busy district of Oto. She looked over her shoulder to see the man in the white coat walking back to the glass doors with a purposeful haste. Fifteen minutes. In fifteen minutes, she hoped, the hospital staff could lead all its occupants to the ground story. Meanwhile, Korin would scour the Otogakure shinobi academy for any people and rendezvous at the hospital. She'd hastily assist in any dire healing that must be done, and defend them from any forces on their way back to the tower. Lightning sizzled in the air as she quickened her stride, leaping the academy gate.

Summoning a batch of clones, they split up to cover the seemingly empty wings. "Hello?” she called, hearing only her clones calling back to her. She peeked into every room, peering in between the rows of desks. No one to be found. Five minutes left, she remarked, timing herself on gut feeling alone. Calling the three clones back to her in a cloud of smoke, Korin leapt the gate again and returned to the hospital. Her abrasive words successfully put the hospital into action. A few handfuls of people were poised near the entrance, expecting her return. Out of breath, she looked around. "Is that all of you?” The silence and the nods seemed to confirm this. She counted about twenty people, several of them sporting freshly bandaged wounds that already began to bleed through the gauze. Tending to these wounds, she felt time slipping away- returning to the tower on foot felt unpromising. Summoning a clone again, she sent it out with all due speed towards the kage's tower. She swallowed- it was a risky plan.

"Everyone, stand close to me.”

As the people crowded around the girl, she sensed her clone to be halfway between the hospital and the kage's tower. Over twenty minutes have passed, she told herself. With a giant push of chakra, panels of earth slowly enclosed around the group. Korin positioned herself on top of this ball, forming a coat of spiked iron about her figure. It was an improvised version of the wrecking ball-technique, the Reversed Iron Maiden. She really hoped her chakra pool was conditioned enough to withstand all this- the last thing she wanted was to drop the earthen vessel or lose touch with her clone. Melding into the earthen construct, her creation levitated with a push of magnetism. Seeking her clone at the tower again from her immobile cocoon, she ordered it to do the same- to create a body of steel that far outweighed the earth and steel at the hospital.

That done, all she could do was pray this worked. Unleashing a torrent of negative energy while the clone responded with a wave of positive energy, the magnetic pull was enough to send the dome of earth barreling towards the kage's tower. They kept off the ground with a constant field of repulsion. Buildings easily crumbled before the mass… Korin assumed it was safe to demolish them since their decimated states wouldn't exist outside of Oto II. Within moments, Korin and the twenty passengers ground to a slow halt before the kage tower. Twenty-five minutes, she noted, letting the panels of earth fall. Spent and shaken, she'd taken the brunt of the several building collisions to ensure the smoothest voyage. She requested to be left alone for a while as the others slowly made their way past the portal. Korin lay sprawled out upon a ridge created by the impact, catching her breath and wondering what the hell compelled her to do such a thing.

Never again.

Words: 1,159 [Hospital and Academy complete!]

[cntrstrk14]

ooc: Hah, well I didn't plan on you guys finding stuff before I posted, but thats my fault for not being clear. As a GM should though, I am going to exercise my flexibility. Also, Khaos, feel free to RP the people you found. I was going to, but I am just to busy in RL this week and I don't want to hold you guys up more than I have. Sorry for that.

As Raz would search the residential district, he would at first find nothing of interest, the streets seeming deserted and the houses as silent as the rest of the village. As he would round a corner though a door to one of the houses would burst open as he walked by. A tall man wielding a large sickle would be standing in the doorway, his mouth shouting out some string of inaudible words. That was the strangest part though, that the door had not made a single sound as it swung open and slammed into the wall of the house. Nor was the man making even the slightest pitch of noise as he took steps towards Raz from his house, seemingly to shout the entire time. Behind him in the doorway stood a woman and a small boy who could be no older than seven. As the man got about halfway towards Raz down the path from his house suddenly his voice would become audible as if someone flicked the mute button off.

"- id you come from?! Are you one of those NCIA trying to take back the village again!! You'll have to go through me if you want this house!!!", the man would shout, his loud words in the silence would cause a crow to take flight from the top of his house, disappearing over the rooftops. A second crow sat on top of the neighboring house, twisting its head in confusion as it examined the man below.

ooc: Roll me a d100 and add 1/10 your accuracy modifier to it.

-----

Korin would have little resistance from the frightened Oto civilians as they would be transported to the kage's tower. As they arrived, they would move towards the portal, unsure at first but with the beckon of Brash and the first brave person they started to file through the portal and back to the original Oto.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of Hakkai yet. A single black crow would flutter through the sky and land on a communication pole, looking down towards the scene at the kage's tower. Two more crows would land on the tower and on the tiles nearby. A few moment's would pass before suddenly three men in gray vests would appear in place of the crows, their forms simply popping into existence as the crows disappeared. Their mouths and noses were covered by masks. They had no affiliation markings on them and the headbands they wore were a blank piece of steel.

Without hesitation they would all flank in towards Korin, kunai drawn to strike.

-----

As Nidori would approach the man would turn towards him and point the knife at the young ninja.

"STAY AWAY!!", he said, swinging the knife in the air between them. As Nidori could see the man he would be able to make out the heads of two small children peering over the counter of the shop as if they were suppose to be hiding but curiosity got the best of them. It was likely many people were hiding in shops like this. One kid would turn and speak towards the other, their mouth moving silently. Even with his improved hearing Nidori would be unable to hear the smallest peep from the child.

A crow would flutter down onto the top of the shop, its black beady eyes looking towards Nidori with curiosity. A second crow would land nearby on some power lines. Suddenly, as if it had just popped into existence, a man was sitting in the crows place, a mask pulled over his mouth and nose, a gray vest and a headband with no markings on it adorned his figure. He was obviously a ninja of some kind, but he was merely sitting on the roof looking at Nidori. The shop owner with the knife had not noticed the man above him yet.

[Eechi-go]

Raz continued on without any inclination of someone following him. His hands wandered in his pockets, flicking around the few scrolls he had on himself. He had begun to whistle a little tune as he did so, figuring he should begin getting back to the Kyoukage tower. His stomach growled angrily at him for not feeding him. When was the last time he ate again? Nothing since mid-day a day or two earlier. Considering how much exercise he had received in a day, he was liable to being looking sickly if he didn't begin consuming something on a daily basis. A hand rested on his stomach, as he began muttering to himself in a quiet tone.

"I'm gonna stuff my face with rice once we get back…”

Just about the instance in which he said this, the old man's voice burst out from behind him quite audibly, scaring the living shit out of Raz. He nearly stumbled forward, tripping over his feet while flailing rather wildly. His neck quickly snapped around as he saw the man, his eyes wide in alertness, before gazing at the man waving about a sickle angrily, demanding he tell him who he was, and if he was of the NCIA, he'd have to go through him. The boy decided to act calmly about the current situation, since worrying anyone who he managed to get to follow him was just asking for disorder.

"No, I'm Kinsen Rasen, Otogakure no Sato is my home too, look.”

He said, swiftly undoing his headband, and extending it towards the man, the bloodied and beaten metal glimmering in the light of Oto II. Sure, some NCIA wore Otogakure headbands too, but he figured the man might trust him more if he knew he was an Oto-born.

"You need to get your family and follow me. I know you probably can't trust me, but I'm doing this for your own good. The longer you stay here, the more you put your family and yourself in danger. Come on! Quickly!”

He beckoned, hoping to god this man had the sense to follow him.

86 + 160 (Or atleast I think I did it right, Accuracy is 1600) = 246

[Khaos]

The man’s reaction was not unexpected. As he hysterically sliced the air as if to ward Nidori off; the ninja saw no danger in his actions. His eyes weren’t filled with that of murderous intent; but that of fear, not for his own life; otherwise he’d have probably fled from the moment he detected the Oto-nin. Nidori lifted his hands to show he meant no harm. The nozzles in the centre of his palms didn’t promote the notion too well though if the man had not realised that Nidori was of Oto; the show of local technology would sway his judgement.

Sorry. I mean no... Nidori looked past the man as he spoke; slowing his speech as he found what was probably the reason the man had stood his ground. Two small children sat close to one another, their curious faces briefly staring at Nidori before withdrawing into their hiding spot. Looking back at the man, Nidori’s eyes widened slightly as he watched the knife wielding middle aged man’s eyes well up before letting their bounty of tears stream down his face. It was a look of failure. He was unmistakably their guardian and had clearly seen that the shinobi in front of him, who he’d perceived as a threat had noticed his dependants.

Dammit You Two! I told you to keep your heads down!

The man was in no condition to defend the three of them, especially if Nidori had been hostile. Before he could put the geezer’s mind at rest an unwelcome presence became apparent. A single crow swooped behind the stall, passing it and travelling to a nearby rooftop. Seconds later another accompanied it, coming in from a separate direction and landing not far from the first. The three in the stall hadn’t noticed; the man, because of the tears clouding his vision and the children as they were tucked away. Nidori didn’t want to cause alarm; he’d already achieved that inadvertently. Before he was able to finish a thought, another presence was felt. This was a person, no doubt. He seemed to have taken the place of one or both of the crows. The situation had become awkward. There sat a potential enemy and he couldn’t react in any confrontational way. He first needed to check the rest of the stalls. As he was getting closer to the arena, there’d only be a few more down the promenade and a couple on the perimeter of the arena itself.

Sir, I mean you absolutely no harm, I am a ninja from Oto and I’m here to- The man suddenly let out a small yelp of sorts, a way to cut Nidori off as it turned out; he lifted the knife higher pointing it at the boy the whole time. He rested it against Nidori’s Hitai-ate, tipping it slightly so he could see it clearer. He took in a deep breath, before lifting an arm up to wipe the tears away. Breathing what seemed to be a sigh of relief, The man introduced himself.

My name is Mog- *cough* *cough*

The coughs grew in volume, he was clearly in pain. The impromptu coughing fit provoked the two children to leap from their hiding place. Taking either side of their guardian and looking Nidori square in the face. The girl spoke up;

”Hey you! Whatcha do t' our uncle!?”

”Rucha, he didn’t do anything thou-“

“Ack! Rico! Who’s side ya on anyways!? And don’t tell the enemy my name!”

But, you just said my name... and I don’t think he’s an enemy. Why else would Uncle Mogi introduce himself?

Nidori looked on as the two, who were clearly twins bickered amongst themselves as their uncle coughed up a storm between them. The boy seemed the more logical of the two; and though twins, the girl seemed to take the senior role of the pair. Mogi, who's name was properly delivered by Rico, soon enough calmed himself and regulated his own breathing. Looking at the two in a scolding way they both shut up immediately. They clearly had respect for him.

Are you okay? Nidori enquired. He tried to ignore the new presence, if it was just a matter of reconnaissance, he’d just not give much away. If this person was to attack, he was also ready.

Oh, uh... yes, just overworked myself a little there. Thought I’d have to take someone’s life; don’t know how I’d have lived that one down.

What? How was he going to protect them if he’s so opposed to killing? Don’t worry about that. Do you know if there are any more of you? Hiding in this area I mean.

Mogi nodded his head, seemingly without prior thought, he walked past Nidori and continued past one stall until he reached a cloth vendor stall; much of the wares were still on display, though it was odd since none of the other ‘less broke down’ shops had any merchandise out. He stood beside the stall and knocked a short rhythm on it. A couple seconds later, another similar rhythm could be heard, though much louder; sounding like two pieces of metal hitting one another.

Mogi turned back to Nidori and rejoined him. There are a few. There are more in the arena.

As he finished his sentence, a head popped out from the cloth stall he walked to. Not only that but other heads began popping up; from the stalls Nidori had planned to inspect next. The civilians of Oto had gone into hiding, their emergence ranging from the likely stalls, to the more unlikely closed-space rubble piles that were once buildings. Nidori could breathe a sigh of relief as he counted eight others separate from the initial three. Nidori wasted no time in addressing them all.

Everyone gather please. I am here to escort you from this village; it is not safe here. He knew it’d be too troublesome to explain the whole concept of Oto II, yet still keep their trust. My name is Kazuo Nidori, a ninja from Otogakure no sato, just as you all are civilians. Remembering the man, Nidori looked up to the location he was sitting just to see nothing there. He’d moved somewhere; it was as though the first time he appeared it was intentionally so someone of Nidori’s ability would notice. He just wasn’t sure now he knew whether someone had detected him or not.

Please follow me. We’re just going to go to the-

Nidori-san, where exactly are we? A voice came from the troupe. It seemed someone had realised that things were not ‘normal’.

Well...This is-

A Ha! I knew it! This place; it’s not Oto. I told you; I, I told you all!

Mogi stepped in, Uh, excuse Matsuo. He’s... ummm, we’ll follow. It was clear Mogi seemed to be the lead of this small group of Oto inhabitants. Nidori started the approach toward the arena; he near enough walked backwards as to keep an eye on the people. He wasn’t too far from the tower, so he figured bringing them all back wouldn’t be too troublesome. The guy who’d spoken up, enquiring on their whereabouts would soon approach Nidori again.

So?...

You’re right. Don’t cause alarm though.

The boy nodded back to him. He was the same person who’d been inside the cloth stall. His presence was slightly distracting, if one were to inquire about his image they’d learn he was clad in all home-made clothing, from the same cloth as he sold. He carried himself in a very effeminate, add his tone of speech and it was quite clear he was homosexual. Though this was the case, it was only his image that was distracting. Everything he said seemed spot on. He was smart and so Nidori felt confident in his next move. Calling over Mogi and addressing them both he informed them;

I want you to take these people to the kyoukage’s tower. I’ll send clones with you so you’ll be okay, there’ll be nothing to worry about as long as you keep moving smoothly. As he finished his sentence he saw the boy about to comment- This is not open for discussion, if you do run into any trouble my clones will only stall for time at which point I’ll be there.

After performing a succession of hand seals, Nidori was soon engulfed in smoke. As it dispersed two clones stood beside him. One immediately leapt to a rooftop. It would act as a scout for the group. The other was to ‘be’ Nidori and act as an escort for the civilians. It called them all over and begun to make its way to the tower.

The real Nidori wished to waste no more time; the two he’d delegated to would inform the other six of the situation; he resumed his own approach.

Reaching the arena, there was no cause for concern. The fact that the crow person decided to check up on Nidori meant that the civilians weren’t its assignment. He’d found the area so easily. If they were to have a confrontation it’d be in the arena and Nidori felt that was best as it’d cause no further damage to the village. Before or after that; whichever way it was to turn out, he’d need to find out just how many people there were in the arena and evacuate them. There weren’t many places to hide; there was no foyer area, no offices to check. Pretty much just the stands, staircases and the arena floor.

((ooc: Carried away?))

~~~

[HP]: 1000/1000

[CHK]: 1380/1500

[sTM]: 150/150

Edited December 14, 2008 by Khaos

[Cloudnine]

Her body still trembled from exertion as she watched the last villager step through the portal, back in the threshold of normal time and space and Brash's vigilance. Shaky, Korin made no effort to move herself. Her limbs felt drained, detached. She lifted her head a little to gaze at the massive wake of rubble, letting out a frantic chuckle. What a mess. Thank god this place will close in on itself and leave behind no trace of her recklessness. The impacts held the force of cannonballs, shattering brick buildings, blasting shards of their constructs to strew across the scenery. The last bits of smashed stone ended at the girl's feet, along with a bed of steel she shed away, cast off like a jagged cocoon.

She then looked to a flurry of movement- a crow alighted on a telephone pole nearby. The pole stood crooked at an angle from the massive magnetism experiment she pulled off- anything heavier than a few crows would obviously send the structure to keel over once and for all. Hazy vision blurred in and out of focus on the crow. Korin fuzzily saw the crow multiply, shifting into the form of men and drew near.

Anxiety grew within her- Korin began to scramble onto her elbows, unsteadily sitting up to engage with the three strangers. She backed towards the portal a few meters away, but found her path enclosed by the trio. "What have you done?” She demanded in a tone steadier than her appearance. The girl hardly knew if that was the right question, let alone anything acceptable to say in a situation like this.

[cntrstrk14]

The man in front of Raz seemed to calm just a few notches, anger still seething from every pore of his body, but he seemed to realize that the boy from Oto was probably not the one he should be directing it towards. As his muscles relaxed and the man seemed to be coming to reason, a door on the neighboring house where the crow stood upon would open silently. A woman would emerge slowly to see what was going on, standing in the doorway and looking from the man to Raz. As the voices silenced for a very, very brief moment, there was a very low humming sound that could be heard echoing off the buildings, like a low heart beat.

-Fwooum- -zz- -Fwwooooum- -zz- -Fwooum- -zz-...

Suddenly the air would hiss with the sound of flying metal, a kunai piercing the wind. The crow from atop the roof had taken the form of a woman, and her arm was extended outwards as three kunai were already halfway towards Raz.

[60% Chance to Hit; 158 Damage each] x3

[start informal stat battle. Just include damage and chance to hit at the end of every post]

-----

As Nidori would move about the residence, the man would continue to sit on top of the shop. As soon as Nidori would take his eye away from the rooftop, even for a brief moment, the man would disappear completely leaving no trace. As the boy made his clones and started to lead the people, a crow would swoop overhead and land on a rooftop near the crowd and his clone.

At the stadium, it would appear quiet and deserted at first glance, the stadium seating empty and the pit devoid of any presence. Once Nidori would step close enough though it would appear as if his ears had been turned on as all at once the murmuring of voices and chattering of children could be heard from within the stadium walls. Dozens of people stood huddled together, sitting and standing in a group. One would spot Nidori as he approached and yell out, the rest turning and looking in horror, some even letting out a small cry. Many looked ready to run.

A small crow would fly in an entranceway on the opposite side before a man would suddenly appear in its place with a flicker of light. With no words he would look towards Nidori for a moment, his arms crossed. Suddenly he reached towards his back and drew a knife, rushing forward with an incredible burst of speed, blade forward ready to pierce.

[55% Chance to Hit; 200 Damage]

[start informal stat battle. Just include damage and chance to hit at the end of every post]

Back in the streets where Nidori's clone was, the crow that had been watching would suddenly release a series of strings from its form, a short woman standing in its place as the strings of steel wire extended from all ten of her fingertips, apparently hoping to catch the young boy's clone in a web of wires.

[80% Chance to Hit; Completely Binds and deals 10 unmodified damage if hit]

[start informal stat battle. Just include damage and chance to hit at the end of every post]

-----

The group around Korin would not answer a word, and instead the closest, whose form led it to appear as a woman, would quickly drive towards the girl with a kunai. A flicker of movement from the portal behind Korin and a flash of white-blonde hair would signal the appearance of another. It was the girl 'L' from before, she had slid through the portal in the blink of an eye and with two resounding cracks she delivered two very fast and deliberate blows to the approaching woman in mask. The first blow was sent to her arm, sending it flying upwards as it was blown away by the force, while the second was sent directly into the mask the girl wore, cracking it clean in half and sending the woman away with an incredible amount of force into the opposing wall, smashing it completely.

"What are you doing?! They obviously are not interested in talking!", 'L' said as she turned to face the other two who seemed to be unmoved by the attack the small girl had just delivered. With another motion the one closer to Korin would throw two kunai towards her.

ooc: I know you are gone, so if need be I will leave this open and may just push it on later.

[Eechi-go]

28 [Hit]

4 [Hit]

11 [Hit]

"Please hurry! There isn't much time!”

Raz called out to the man as he began to come to reason. He was relieved that he managed to subdue the man; atleast a little bit. He could sense the anger flowing out of him, like a wave of intense negativity. He had hoped that the man would quickly get over it and just comply; it'd make his job far easier. He had no problem issuing commands if it needed to come down to it, but he'd prefer to act like a friend, rather then a superior.

The boy's arms remained crossed, watching the angry little man gather his family together to prepare for their departure back to the true Oto. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small, female figure surveying the area from the door of her house. Catching a glimpse of her, Raz quickly attempted to wave her down, in hopes of gaining her attention so he could bring her along as well.

"Oi! Excuse me! I am a member of the Otogakurian Resistance. We're here to take back the village. If you'd please just-”

He was cut off by the faint sound of humming that echoed off the nearby buildings. His hand fell to his side, as he listened intently to the nearby area. Three objects, slicing through the air, approaching at several miles per hour. Location; above!? The boy quickly turned around in confusion, as he saw three kunai careening through the air, one by one piercing into his chest. He released a shaky breath, as his body limply stumbled backwards; the blades of the kunai piercing through his ribs, nearly slicing into his lungs. Blood leaked from his chest, drowning his pure black shirt with the tint of a dark crimson. His widened eyes fell upon his assassin; a woman who had taken the form of a crow. What a fool was he, that he missed such an obvious disguise?

Well, granted, it was more or less his distraction of gathering citizens that kept him from noticing the crow in the first place. Luckily enough, he was a ninja built completely on war and strife. Due to this, he was able to endure life threatening instances like these. A normal ninja would have likely perished from taking such critical damage to their organs. Still, this was an everyday thing for Raz, as he always seemed to be a magnet for taking a beating. His hands shakily tore each and every kunai from his chest cavity, blood spurting out onto the roads of the fake Oto each time he did so. The kunai were dropped on the floor, the metallic sound echoing through the village each time.

"Nice shot, I'll give you that…”

He muttered, tossing the last kunai onto the ground, the echo still humming through the buildings. He decided that he could use this moment to his advantage. If he could release a powerful enough technique, he could get just about anyone in this neighborhood to follow him. His hands quickly formed a sphere as he pulled them towards his hips; his knees crouching slightly as he smirked up at the woman, wind generating and expanding within his palms.

"My turn.”

".:Hisui Fuusha; Reppuu Gun:."

[Jade Pinwheel Type; Gale Force]

The boy hastily thrusted his palms towards the woman's general direction, attempting to avoid the roof at all costs in the case that more people were within the house. From a single point between his palms, a gargantuan blast of wind chakra was sent in a beam directly at the woman. It came out fast and furious, with enough destructive potential to bring down the entire neighborhood if he wasn't careful. The sound of the air bursting from his palms was that of ear-piercing winds that could deafen one if they weren't careful. The sheer size of the beam was amazing; ending up as wide as half of the rooftop that the woman stood upon, giving her very little lee-way to move at all. The beam burst into the Otogakurian skyline, piercing through the clouds above.

1802 Damage Total [Wow]

470 Chakra Spent; 10% Reduced from Silverwind, and 450 Regenerated.

474 Damage Taken

[Cloudnine]

"I'm not here for this," Korin muttered, scrambling to snag the leftover magnetic remnants of her previous jutsu to repel the kunai. It did take so much more effort than dodging- but when was the last time she'd successfully evaded any attack from another shinobi around her caliber? She was small but not agile; her thin frame was more frail than athletic, svelte.

But before her gathered force of repulsion was put into effect, a bolt leapt from the portal into her side of Oto II, the blurred figure cracking against the charging attacker. Nameless woman dispatched, Korin gazed towards the person who'd crossed the portal; L. Never knew I'd be taking sides with her... Korin pondered, contemplating how much of her self pride she'd gripe over. Feeling like jelly all over, she fell back again. "I don't have anything better to do," the girl responded, rolling onto her side and curling up to see the other two shinobi.

As twin silver flashes whirred through the air, Korin enclosed herself into the sand and metal scraps that lay around her as a ring of rubble. The force of impact from the kunai were enough to bruise her through the sand armor, hitting her shin and forearm in her... assumed fetal position. What an impression she must be making on L as a high-level shinobi of Kusagakure, devoted liberator, one of the young shinobi who aided in the Raikage's defeat.

[[Waah... I'm without spell check and word count. xD]]

[Khaos]

78 Miss.

75 Hit.

It only took Nidori to walk through the grand entrance of Oto II’s arena to begin hear that there were indeed people inside. He could only be glad that he’d found them quickly; the thought of the alternate dimension collapsing on top of him or anyone he had intended to save was a dark and lingering one. He’d not allow that to happen.

Walking in the direction of the civilian’s voices, it wasn’t long before they were in sight. It seemed that they had grouped up, exercising some order amongst themselves; it was always good to see the resolve of the people of Oto; much like the smaller group that had begun to make their way to the tower. A stocky short woman seeming to be the one talking most within the group turned her head, more than likely to check that nobody was wondering off on their own or anything of the like. She caught a glimpse of Nidori as she scanned over the immediate area, stopping whatever she was saying mid sentence and focusing on him. Her stare was unnerving, a moment that felt like an eternity. It was as though the whole world had gone silent; more so than the environment had already provided. Upon further inspection, it had indeed quickly muted; the adults and children alike had all silenced themselves. Some turned their gazes towards the Oto nin. Dozens upon dozens of eyes pressured down on Nidori before he made an attempt to move forward towards them.

A terrible shriek ripped through the air, coming from the woman who’d initially discovered Nidori’s presence. The calm order that Nidori had just commended was all but shattered as the deep set fear each and every one of those villagers had inside them surfaced. It was obviously misplaced as Nidori was there to help but nevertheless he knew it was bound to happen.

Please, everyone; I am not the enemy. I’m here to take you to safety.

He kept his sentences short and precise, continuing to try and coax them down from their panicked state. He couldn’t show any signs of frustration, nor could he be forceful, that number of people were more than he’d dealt with earlier and there was no one representative he could pick out to explain to the rest. The one closest to that was the woman, though she seemed to be the most hysterical one of the bunch.

He took a few steps before stopping in his tracks a single crow swooped in from the opposite entrance of the arena. With a flash of light, what was once a bird transformed into a man. His eyes gave an intense stare piercing through all the villagers between the two. Nidori returned this look until the man made his move. It was the same ninja from the stall.

The opposing ninja wasted no more time he made his approach, rushing swiftly towards Nidori after reaching for a blade. He wasn’t looking to slice at the oto nin, he was quite clearly poised to stab a vital spot. Who are you? Though it had been a while since Nidori had entered any real combat; this man’s first move was nothing to be fearful of. As the man closed in on him, he leapt upwards, evading the attack. The crowd of villagers watched, slightly confused at what was going on, Nidori figured he wouldn’t address them until the battle was over; hopefully they’d draw their own conclusions; given that they’d most probably recognise the grey attire as that of the enemy’s.

As Nidori was airborne he took a deep breath, sending chakra to his melody arm in order to change the output of his next move to damage the ninja’s energy source rather than exert a killing blow ((targeting stamina)). Before landing, Nidori went through a flurry of hand seals; what he produced as his feet touched the ground, facing the enemy was a blast of sound, nearly too high pitched to be heard, an attack directed to drain his target of his stamina. Maybe then he could bring him back to Brash for questioning.

Ultrasonics: Rourou Taihou (Full-sound cannon)

Type: Nin/Gen

Rank: Jounin

Cost: 60+ X (X = 140)

Damage: X1.6 [224]

Effects: Opponent is confused for two turns.

Description: The user seemingly builds up from sheer will, chakra in the bladder of the air pressure device in a similar fashion to Zankuuha. This technique is released as a blast, coupled with the ultrasonic waves imbedded with the chakra of the user contained in the blast. Once it hits the opponent, what seems to be the shock caused from the impact is actually a genjutsu in the shroud, it disorientating the targets judgement, chakra manipulating capabilities and motor skills.

~~~

799 Stamina Damage Total [+ Confused; if hit roll an additional d100, 1-40 = extra turn of confused via ‘Epidemic Overun’ ]

200 Chakra Spent; 150 gained.

+200 accuracy modifier +10 with lightning speciality. Do with it what you will.

[HP]: 1000/1000

[CHK]: 1330/1500

[sTM]: 150/150

----

As Nidori’s clone guided the villagers back towards the tower to join Brash and the villagers Korin and Rasen had found. They needed only to walk out of the marketing district and down the main street of Oto II to reach it. As they neared the end of the commercial area a familiar feeling came over the acting Nidori; not given a chance to ponder on it, steel wires came down on his person in every direction, essentially to bind him. Before they made contact, the clone looked towards the source of the attack, a woman, as opposed to the man at the stall stood there controlling the web of steel. He, quickly turned to the villagers he had been escorting, Don’t panic, you’re all still safe He winked before moving in such a way to be impaled by one of the wires instantly dispersing in a cloud of smoke.

Not a second was wasted once the clone disappeared when a kunai was thrown towards the woman. This one split into dozens, all ready to hit their mark. As the kunai neared their target, Nidori’s second clone jumped down from the rooftops; now it had her attention at least. It’d need to keep it long enough for plan B.

Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu ( Shadow Shuriken Clone Skill)

Type: Ninjutsu

Rank: Jounin

Cost: 8x chakra (x = 24.)

Effects: Multiplies the amount of the small weapons you threw by x. You throwing limit is uneffected by this, since it happens after you throw it.

Description: A powerful technique. The user throws an object, in this case a Shuriken, and uses Ninjutsu to make it divide in the air, creating a few, or hundreds, of other real Shuriken.

~~~

13 Damage Each; 11 attacks...

88 Chakra Spent

+80 accuracy modifier +10 with lightning speciality. Do with it what you will.

[HP]: 1/1

[CHK]: 422/500

[sTM]: 50/50

Edited December 19, 2008 by Khaos

[Cho Hakkai]

Hakkai looked at Raeyn as the drumming was heard. Hakkai was worried but needed to stay confident in what they were doing. Brash needed to be at the Kyoukage tower. He just needed too. If there would be any place where a leader would be, it would be where the original leader would be. Hell, Brash would most likely become the next Kyoukage since he leaded the resistance to begin with. He took a deep breath and exhaled to calm his nerves. So close to the finish line. They only needed to keep going for a tad bit.

Hakkai was still worried even if they kept going. They had injured people and should they be attacked again, they would be screwed. Hakkai shook his head and cleared it. He couldn't keep this mind set. He waved his arm forward. "Keep going, the drums are distant in sound. If they come closer then we will need to run faster. No matter what, even if we are attacked, we cannot let them let us stop because then we will be sitting ducks. We haven't enough man power to stop a full on assault.

The injured we have need medical attention, more than what we have. The medical ninja we have can stop bleeding and so on, but we need more to heal the more serious of injuries. We also need more strength because these people seem to just jump out of nowhere. They don't even make a sound until they are here. So, I'm going to stop talking. Let's go!”

And then Hakkai began to run, past Raeyn. The Kyoukage tower was coming up. Hakkai could feel a sense of anxiety over come him, making it harder and harder to breathe. His chest felt like it was closing. Hakkai couldn't rise above this feeling. He just felt something was going to happen wrong. No one could ever be this close and everything could go right. fun Murphy's Law. And you know what? fun Finagle's Law too.

"Ah!”

Hakkai stopped and turned around to see the group behind him. One of the foe-beds that were used to carry the injured had broken and the hurt man had fallen on his bad arm. He was crying in pain. Hakkai cursed under his breath and then ran over to the man. The medical ninjas were also at his side. Hakkai asked, "What happened?” to the men that were carrying him. They shrugged.

"We were going on and the side of bed just snapped. I mean, it wasn't exactly made from the best of materials, but it should have supported his weight.”

Hakkai cursed under his breath. Goddamn the Murphy's and Finagle's law. "Shit,” Hakkai said. Hakkai rubbed his hand against his face trying to think. Hakkai looked at the men that were carrying the injured. "Don't worry, this wasn't your fault. It just happened. The bed wasn't made of material that you were positive could hold but you were in a dire situation and used what you could. Thank you.” Hakkai then smiled. He turned around so that his back was to the injured ninja. He looked at the medical ninja. "Put him on my back so that most of his weight is in the upper part. I'll carry him the rest of the way. And if you can, wrap his good arm around my chest.” And so the medical ninja did as Hakkai asked, they even wrapped his arm in a bandage.

Hakkai stood up. The man was heavier than expected, but he was an Oto ninja. A brother Hakkai had yet to know. And thus the group continued to the Kyoukage tower.

When they got there, the doors were slightly ajar. Hakkai jumped up into the air and front kicked the right door so that it was fully open. Hakkai and the group ran in.

(629)

(4863 words total)

[cntrstrk14]

[Rolled a 5 to dodge; Hit]

The woman on the rooftop would stand, not moving as the beam of wind would wipe directly over her, striking her squarely and lifting her off of the roof and into the air. With the blast her form would thin and vanish, breaking into a series of black feathers and being blow away with the intense wind into the clouds. As the rushing wind from the attack would be silences the civilians would be silent for a moment, the man looking towards Raz and the woman in the house looking up to try and see what was happening.

-Fwooum- -zz- -Fwwooooum- -zz- -Fwooum- -zz-...

The low humming would continue as the man would start up. “Okay. We will follow you, but I am putting my family in your hands.”, he said, motioning for his family to follow him towards the street. Apparently the show of force had been enough. As people who were apparently watching from their homes began to pour out, there would be a considerable number of people whom had locked themselves in their homes. Even a few people in civilian clothes but still proudly wearing a Otogakure no Sato headband came out, maybe they were the cause for the strange silence that enveloped each house to keep them from being heard by searching ears.

-----

L would make a disapproving sound from the back of her throat as she caught a glimpse of the other girl’s actions. Swinging a kick towards the man in front of her who jumped back and responded with a quick swing of his own leg, L would dodge backwards and shout towards Korin.

“Watch out!”, she called as the other man lept into the air, aiming to come down towards the girl with a powerful knee as she curled up on the floor.

-----

Ooc: unless I am missing a skill or something, you can’t just target stamina instead of health unless the technique says so. Also, my default, stamina and chakra damaging techniques also do not get modifiers from stats. So unless otherwise stated I will just assume this did HP damage

[Rolled a 11 to dodge; Hit]

As the man’s attack would miss, he would turn to see Nidori landing and not a moment later a wall of sound would rush over him. With a powerful blast, the man’s body would turn into a puff of black feathers and be blown out of the side of the stadium, leaving only a few of the feathers behind on the ground. As soon as the fighting had started a few of the civilians had began to run out of the room towards the outside, starting a panic as many civilians started to stampede out, nearly sixty in all.

-----

As the flurry of kunai would fly towards the woman, she would try and maneuver the wire to help block some of the knifes. A few of them would become deflecting spinning out of control and towards the ground, but two found their way through the mess of wire and connected with her shoulder. The woman instantly popped, turning into black feathers and disappearing from view.

The wires were all let loose at once, flying all over, many of which were heading towards the villagers with the tension that had been built up in them. They could probably cause severe injury at the speed they were moving.

-----

As Hakkai would enter the Kyoukage’s tower he would find it to be completely empty. As well, on the way back the group of ninja had not heard or seen a sign of any other living thing within the village. The sound of a horn would go off in the distance and with it the approaching shuffling of movement outside the tower as another wave of enemies came to attack. The only ways into the main lobby would be the front door, the large windows about two stories off the floor of the lobby and the back staircase that lead to the higher rooms.

Ooc: Defend this room the same as you did before.

[Eechi-go]

The young man held his ground, watching the woman explode into a flurry of blackened feathers that filled the sky on impact. Once the beam came to a complete halt, he yanked his hands back to his sides, multicolored eyes gazing into the sky as he searched for any trace of her that might have been left behind. Nothing remained, just a couple feathers that remained afloat in the air. He noticed an incredible silence fill the area, as his eyes quickly flashed towards the man whom had run off to gather his wife and child. Still, the odd heartbeat-like sound stealthily filled the air, causing Raz to ponder what exactly it could be.

"I thought it was that kunai attack, but I guess not. Could it be Oto II beginning to destabilize? If so, then we need to move a bit quicker. I doubt I could get everyone into my toad before the dimension collapses in on itself; if it collapses at all. I'd rather not take that chance though…”

Raz's thoughts were quickly interrupted by the man who had brought his family along now. He told the boy that he was entrusting his family to him, which gave Raz a sense of the deep trust the man must have planted within him. Suddenly, one by one, whole families began to leave their houses, swarming around the young man, awaiting his leadership to return them to safety. There was something very touching about this to him; to have hordes of his people willing to follow him to where ever he guided them, to instill enough trust in him that they'd give him their lives. He smiled slightly, beginning to create a hand seal with his fingers.

"I promise, you'll all be safe with me. Just stay close behind and don't spread out.”

He began to channel his chakra, two small whirlwinds forming next to him. The whirlwinds began to recompose themselves into exact replicas of the boy.

".:Fuuton; Shippuuden Bunshin no Jutsu:."

[Wind Release; Hurricane Clones]

"Pick up the remaining survivors and lead them back to the Kyoukage Tower. Meet back up through the portal once you're done. I'm counting on you.”

The boy said to his clones, whom nodded at him, before leaping off to gather the few families who attempted to lock themselves into their houses. After all, he couldn't stay put with all these people who actually wanted to live while he tried to convince the foolish ones to move. Raz beckoned the leagues of Otogakurians to follow him back to the Kyoukage Tower, and each step of the way he worried about whether or not Korin and Hakkai were alright. If that last ambush was any hint, then there were obviously people working against them even in such a dangerous place.

Upon reaching the Kyoukage Tower, Raz opened the ajar doors as wide as they could go. Standing nearby the portal, he began to direct the citizens through one by one, in order to avoid clutter and fights. He continued to gaze back towards the residential district every minute or so to check if the clones had gathered their share of Otogakurians.

[Khaos]

((ooc: It wasn’t the technique itself, it was the weapon ability.))

Following the successful attack launched and the subsequent retreat or defeat of his opponent, Nidori felt the presence of one of his two clones disappear; its experiences rushing into his head. Given that the group he’d sent to the tower had lost a chaperone appeared to be the main problem... before Nidori realised the reaction of the large group of civilians who’d been huddled in the arena during the encounter with the mysterious hostile ninja.

He made a single clone once again, which, upon its conception dashed out of the arena. Its speed was clearly above and beyond any of the villagers who were trying to make an escape. He couldn’t allow the villagers to scatter, not with the undetermined amount of time they had left.

He began to perform a quick set of seals then collected a mass amount of chakra within him self, he needed to contain them, if even for a little while. As he concentrated his will, he looked around. Many of the civilians had calmed to an extent, witnessing the quick fight they realised that the sound shinobi was not hostile to them. From the looks of it, they’d already encountered the crow-nin or someone dressed similar. It made the plan to contain them all within the arena for a short reasoning much easier.

Slamming his hands into the ground, Nidori took a little time to target the coming technique. As he wasn’t aligned with the earth element, he took a little longer to execute the technique. Nevertheless, a moment later walls of mud rose from the ground, situated at both exits of the arena and solidifying instantly. As Nidori was not in a position to clearly see both entrances, he had relied on his knowledge of the arena to aim.

He turned to address those who still stood in the main arena grounds. They seemed to be the ones who were the most trusting/level-headed. My name is Kazuo Nidori; a ninja loyal to Oto. Some of you may recognise me and the others? I hope you understand I am your ally. I am here to take you all to safety; we need to travel towards the tower as quickly and as orderly as possible. Tell those around hiding, we need to start moving now!

With that Nidori scanned the exits he’d blocked, walking over to the one he couldn’t see properly before. Though there was some damage to the doorways, there was no structural damage as a result of his makeshift blockades. He waited a couple minutes for everybody to settle to some extent before letting the walls he’d created dissipate, each softening and returning to the ground from which it came. The people gathered closer and closer until he decided to make a move, guiding them all from the arena.

As they reached outside, Nidori performed yet another flurry of seals, resulting in a small series of powder like explosions, a clone emerging from each; three in all.

Splitting the large group into four smaller cells would help the management of them all. No one spoke, the once bustling group seemed trusting now, but ultimately scared and confused.

----

There was no need for a plan B. Surely the original Nidori would be on his way or would send another to supplement the one that had just been stuck by the woman’s initial attack. She was gone but the threat wasn’t over. The wires that had suddenly been loosened as there was no one controlling them, were whipping wildly; each in their own random direction. There was no need to think twice; especially given the speed of the wires. The clone ran towards the villagers, performing hand seals as it done so. As it reached, the clone leapt out as it activated the technique. A red crystal summoning from the ground between the clone and the merchant villagers. Before taking the brunt of the full force of wires, the clone spoke Don’t worry, help’s on the way,you’re saf- it was cut off as he burst into a plume of smoke the wires having some trouble but ultimately slicing through it. The time he’d stalled by taking the hit was enough for Nidori’s ‘Red Scapegoat’ to fully erect from the ground absorbing the rest of the force. Had the clone not taken the damage, there was a greater chance of injury and it would’ve expired after using the last of its chakra on that technique.

The merchants watched on in a mix of awe and fear. Mogi instantly turned to the others, aunching a pre-emptive strike on any who would panic. Okay, we’ll wait here. This...strange crystal will help Nidori-san to track us. Looks like it’ll keep us safe as well. Though he was right, he wasn’t quite sure how or even if the crystal worked how he’d explained.

Not a minute later, the figure of Nidori could be seen in the distance rushing towards them.

----

Heading the lead group of the four, Nidori walked quite hastily, there could be no more time wasted. As they moved, he felt the other clone disappear, receiving the rush of information from its perceptions. He gave a nod of approval and wished for his trailblazing clone to find them quickly; not that they were far from their destination anyway.

----

Reaching the small group beside the ‘Scapegoat’ crystal, the clone slowed to a brisk walking speed and motioned for them to follow. They could’ve really walked themselves the rest of the way but this was safer.

Reaching the tower, the doors were already wide open, no doubt the others had reached with a share of civilians. The clone guided the merchant group through the doors and then the portal, stepping through it gave a nod to those present and addressed them.

There’ll be many more to come, over 50 I think.

With that, it too disappeared in a puff of smoke, relaying its information back the original.

((calculations and such I can do if necessary - though i'm not sure when to slot in regenerations; for ooc knowledge, let'd just say I don't have much chakra left, not critical, but less than half...))

Edited December 29, 2008 by Khaos

[Cho Hakkai]

○Cursed Seal ○

Hakkai was happy as the group neared the Kyoukage tower. Regardless of whether or not Brash was in the building, they would have shelter for the wounded and time to heal them. The person on his back was getting a bit heavy. His muscles were giving in. His body still hadn't the chance to rest completely. And on top of that he still had no shirt or monocle. So he was cold. Seriously, this day isn't going well at all.

The people around him too were obviously tired. From even before they met up with Hakkai, they had been attacked a numerous amount of times. They needed a break from all of this. If they weren't fighting, they were healing the injured. If they weren't healing the injured, they were transporting the injured. If they weren't transporting the injured, they fought against which lead to more wounded members of their team. Hakkai was ready to call it a day. But he still had to find out what was up and where he was to head to next.

But alas, the group heard a horn in the distance after a while of no sound. Hakkai cursed under his breath with a shocked look on his face. He looked at the Kyoukage tower before them. Hakkai looked at the person on his back and then at Raeyn. Hakkai ran over to his comrade and, as they continued to run, asked Raeyn, "Raeyn, take this one. I'll shut the door. I have no idea how many there are but I'm the person who has the most energy. You and everyone else get inside the tower and stay there. If they break in, break their face in.” Hakkai smiled as he said the last part, which to most people would creep the hell out of them.

Hakkai smiled as everyone else went into the tower. Hakkai made several hand seals as an Earth clone arose from the ground. Hakkai, the real one, ran outside of the threshold and stood before the building, awaiting the group of people that he was to face.

He heavily panted. He wasn't in the mood to fight at all. All he wanted to do was just sleep in a bed and let this all be forgotten until the morning. But no, nothing is ever convenient for Hakkai. As the shuffling became louder, Hakkai was able to see the attackers. There were 9 of them. Hakkai took a deep breath as he stood in an upright position. There was no way that Hakkai could take on all 9 of them at the same time and he couldn't very well ask to fight them one at a time. There is no such thing a civil war.

The door slammed shut behind Hakkai. The clone he had created used a gust of air to slam it so that it was fully closed. A locking sound was heard as the door sealed itself from within. But then there were footsteps from behind Hakkai. They were the other ninja. Hakkai was relieved.

There was Raeyn and another ninja. They knew that Hakkai couldn't do this by his lonesome. Hakkai was grateful that they didn't listen to him because he didn't expect this man people. Raeyn and the other ninja went to go take on their own groups. 2 ninja passed by towards Hakkai.

Hakkai quickly dropped into his infamous Chi-Gong fighting Style. His hands were flat, his right one ahead and facing the sky, his left by his chest facing the earth. His back straightened out flat as the ground itself. His chest slowly rose up and down from a calm breathing pattern. His legs slowly but sternly went into a wide horse stance. His knees locked into ninety degree angles as his feet became parallel with each other.

As the two ninja came at Hakkai he shifted his weight onto his back leg as his front leg became almost straight. His foot came off of the ground and tilted so that the inside of his foot was now facing the ground rather than the sole. The first ninja, a male with an empty expression on his face wearing a helmet and had eyes the colour of blood, came at Hakkai with a Kunai knife. Hakkai quickly shifted his weight again so it was towards the man. Hakkai turned his flat hands into fists as he punched the man in the rib cage. It was a power and stern hit. Hakkai was attack more for power rather than quickness. The man was hit and stayed onto Hakkai's fists for a split second until Hakkai moved him to the side of himself. Hakkai went back into his second stance. His arms were hurting, his right one more so than his left. Hakkai didn't know why but didn't have time to figure it out; the second ninja was on his way.

This time the ninja was shorter, but more bulky. He was fatter. He jumped up and did a front flip as he rammed down at Hakkai with an ax kick. Hakkai took his hind leg and quickly switched the side so now his left arm was forward. Hakkai managed to parry the attack with his forearm but the heel of the kick was able to kick Hakkai in the head. Blood began to drip down Hakkai's face. This ninja was sneaky. He was wearing boots. Hakkai didn't expect such force to come down on him, but damnit did it. His forearm began to ache from the hit. Quickly though he raised his right hand to meet his left as he made hand signs. The fat ninja's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Hakkai to recover so quickly. In truth Hakkai didn't, but he was close to a break, something he really wanted. Hakkai closed his right eye and aimed at the ninja in front of him. Taking a breath in, Hakkai brought his right hand back and pointed his fingers to the sky as if he were about to palm the ninja. Hakkai threw the leg of the fat ninja off of him as he moved his leg to gain momentum as he shoved his right hand right into the face of the fat ninja. Hakkai then yelled:

Zankuuha!

(Air Slicing Blast)

It was true that Hakkai hadn't learned many sound justu as he wasn't home from Oto, but the technique he used was a classic. A simple blast of sound. With the combination of Hakkai's almost complete understanding of sound justu, his current Chi-Gong Stance, his power in ninjustu, and from such a close range, the justu would do major damage.

And it did just that. In slow motion, one would see the cheeks of the fat man ripple as the sound blast came into contact with his body. With another trust of his arm, Hakkai was able to knock away the fat one. He fell onto the ground with a squishy sound coming out of him coming into contact with the ground. Hakkai groaned in pain again as his right arm began to hurt, this time more severely. He began to sweat. His body was heating up, but Hakkai wasn't breathing any differently. He, however, began to get more into the idea of fighting.

2 other ninja came at Hakkai. Back up possibly. It didn't matter. Hakkai was ready to finish this. These ninja was again a male. Hakkai didn't wait for the ninja to attack him. Hakkai just ran up to him and inhaled deeply. As he exhaled, he placed his fingers to his mouth. The ending result happened to be a rather powerful blow of fire from Hakkai.

Dai Endan!

(Great Fireball)

The two ninja were set on fire and fell onto the ground squirming in pain. Hakkai, as he breathed, began to have fire escape his mouth. Hakkai now had a split second to see what was wrong with his arm. Hakkai's eyes opened wide as he saw one of his worst fears. The cursed seal that the Gobi gave him had become open and now was climbing his body. It was already covering his whole right arm with the purest black fire tattoo pattern. It covered about a third of his chest and half of his face. Rage grew within Hakkai. He didn't want to have this seal activate, but it seemed that it was going to happen. The fireball he had just made was a lot more powerful because he was in this state. Fire was his forte in this form. He, however, felt a lot stronger. He felt more energetic as well.

Hakkai looked down at his fingernails. They had grown to that of talon length. He gripped his hand into a fist and let it go. This power was so new to Hakkai. At first he didn't accept it, but he was able to take two opponents out in a single blow. A wicked smile overcame Hakkai's face. It wasn't his usual smile that was warm hearted and inviting. No, not this smile. It was cruel and sick as if he were enjoying the sensation of fighting.

Go on Hakkai… Let it give you power. All you have to do is let it. Haha…

The voice of the Gobi inside of Hakkai's mind. A chuckle overcame Hakkai. Again, he was no longer the warm hearted man. This seal made him change. But this change wasn't a first time. Hakkai had a name for this part of his conscious. He had appeared several times before. What was the name of this beast that dwelled in Hakkai?

Gonou.

The chuckle made Gonou feel great. To fight so freely made the man knew no better form of euphoria. He calmed down with the wicked smile still across his face. He raised his left hand and combed it through his hair as the first man Hakkai had fisted got back up, looking for another go. Gonou's eyesight no longer hindered him. For some reason, he could see nothing but blur, but knew exactly where things were. The man was a little scared now that Hakkai wasn't in a stance. Just standing there, Hakkai seemed a little intimidating. Gonou raised his hand and made the hand gesture singling "come on.”

The emotionless ninja ran at Gonou who drew his sword. As quickly as the ninja came at Gonou, he didn't bother moving faster with his drawing. In fact, Hakkai turned his back to the ninja. The ninja saw this as an opening to strike. Quickly taking out needles, he threw roughly twenty at Hakkai. The needles all struck the cursed man, but as he fell over, a poof of smoke was created as Gonou was replaced with a log. The emotionless ninja no longer had no emotion, he was scared.

A smile came across Gonou's face as he floated above the ninja on a cloud. The ninja had yet to realize where Gonou was so he jumped off of the cloud and flew down towards the ninja with his sword in his right hand. The wicked man hit the ground, absorbing the shock with his legs as his right hand came down with such great force, that it sliced the man in half. Blood came out and got all over Gonou's chest and face. He licked the blood form around his lips. Again he took a deep breath as he slowly became quite calm to the idea of battle. He was thinking like Hakkai was, but he was thinking with less boundaries.

Hakkai would think of how to defeat the opponent.

Gonou would think of how to finish the opponent with ease, regardless of whether or not death was involved.

Gonou flicked the blood off of the blade and out of the opponent. He fell as another disgusting noise was made. Hakkai however made no attempt to get rid of the blood off of his body. The blood fed the seal. Or was it the secret bloodlust that was hidden deep within Hakkai that he fights?

Gonou smiled as the fat man got back up. "Tubby is back on his feet huh? About time. I like fighting you. More cushion for the pushin.” A laugh came from Gonou. The fat man became angry. Apparently fat people don't like being reminded their fat. Who knew?

More ninja came to the fat ninja's side. Again, they were all the grey vested men. They spoke not and made very little noise. Were they even people? "Why the fun do you people keep coming back?” Gonou yelled in anger.

Gonou wasn't going to take crap from these little pissants anymore. The ninja surrounded Gonou. There were about 4 altogether. Gonou closed his eyes as he smirked again. "Too easy…” he said underneath his breath.

Gonou raised his sword high into the air as he sent chakra into it. He took a deep breath as he jumped into the air. It seemed as if he was just floating there for several seconds. Almost as if he flying. The sword was lowered so it was in front of Gonou's body. With his left hand, he flicked the sword. A loud shattering sound could be heard from a distance away. He swung his sword and body into a full circular motion as the pieces of the sword shattered, reveling a new blade underneath the shattered pieces.

The pieces of bones wizzed through the air. They seemed like flower petals flying. But they hit all four of the ninja and jammed into the skin and muscles. The pieces of bone that didn't tore at their skin. Blood began to come out of each of the ninja at a relatively rapid pace. Soon they would all die. Gonou had used a powerful technique indeed. He yelled as the bone petals flew threw the air the name of his terrible technique.

"Ochiru Bara no Hanabira no Dansu”

Dance of the Falling Rose Petals

As Gonou slowly came to the ground, the cursed seal began to retract. It had done its business. Time to let the body rest before it collapsed from exhaustion. Gonou sheathed his sword as he fell to the ground.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Hakkai fell to his knees panting heavily. He was sweating bullets. He was extremely tired. And damnit, he was still cold.

♪♪♪♪

((2388 words))

((7251 words total))

[cntrstrk14]

ooc: Sorry, been hectic lately. Eechi, since you arrived back first you are going to come upon the scene in which Korin is about to be attacked by the man with his knee, so react to that post.

As Nidori would attempt to contain and calm the citizens they would seem to quickly grasp the situation and seize to panic. Many still looked scared, but none were trying to run anymore. They seemed to be ready and willing to follow the ninja wherever he would lead them.

Back with the clones, the red shield would absorb the blow of the wires that had been flying out of control. They had sliced through the clone and left major damage on the structure itself and some of the surrounding brick, but the crowd had been kept from harms way.

-----

As the last enemy fell around Hakkai, the other teammates would seem to feel the same sort of exhaustion he was. There was another injured and one small sprain to a shoulder, but no casualties to the group, yet. As they all sat in the now silence of the hall, the only sound their own panting, one woman would speak softly to the man next to her.

"Its so silent. Do you remember that humming sound we heard back in the residential district? Wasn't that strange? I mean we hadn't heard even the wind blow the entire time we were here, and it seemed different than the attacks..."

The man next to her would nod, squinting a bit as he tried to catch his own breath.

[Eechi-go]

As the people of Oto gathered in through the portal, Raz began to inch more towards the nearby window; looking for his remaining hurricane clones. He still felt the established mental connection, so he knew they weren't attacked. His mind was put to rest as he saw his clones dashing up the streets, a couple more stragglers in tow. The boy helped shuffle the last few people in through the portal before wiping his brow, grinning triumphantly at his clones.

"Thanks a bunch guys, you're free to-”

"Hold on a second. On the way in we heard the sounds of combat around the tower. You should go check that out.”

"Sounded like five people, total. It sounded like Korin and L were involved…”

Raz bit his lip, his arms crossed as he felt ashamed for not picking up such sound waves earlier. Perhaps it was due to the calamity of the Oto people he was shoveling back through the portal, but he -shouldn't- have missed something so dire. He then felt a sudden rush of stupidity concerning the current situation. He was sitting in an empty room, talking to a bunch of clones of himself. He felt a drop of sweat slide down the side of his head.

"A-alright…I'll look into it. Dismissed.”

He said, watching his two replications explode into torrents of wind that circled around him. He wasted no time, bursting through the doors of the tower, and quickly listening as closely as he could for the sound of combat that his clones spoke of. Like he was hit by a brick, the sounds of combat echoed through his eardrums as he applied himself, nearly bursting blood vessels in his head.

"Damn, they were THAT close!?”

He thought to himself, and as his foot went to press forward in order to circle the tower, he felt a horrible sense of morbidity take hold of his soul and pull it to pieces. His vertebra felt as if it were burning, and his cursed seal throbbed wildly for but a few moments. Stopping dead in his tracks, he leaned against the tower wall, gasping for air, before his muscles relaxed once more. He had no idea what caused such an eruption through his body, but he only had a guess.

"Hakkai…”

Now was not the time to ponder on the thought of his seal going berserk. He was certain his brother could handle himself. He was level-headed enough to regain his position of power over his body and soul. With a flick of worry in his eyes, he quickly dashed around the tower in order to intercept the battle taking place. It had seemed he had arrived just in time; Korin was pinned down, L was in a scuffle with another goon, and he believed he saw another one unconscious. As he saw a man extend his knee, flying towards Korin, he stepped in fast from behind her with all of the wind chakra he could muster behind him.

".:Fuuton; Fuujin no Wareru:."

[Wind Release; Fuujin‘s Cleave]

He ducked down quickly, before extending his foot into the air, delivering one kick towards the man's face. Out exploded a torrent or sharpened wind chakra. Raz didn't stop, however, following up with a second kick that made the whole maneuver seem like a ‘windmill' type attack. The attack was blindingly fast, and before the man would know it, Raz would come down upon his skull with the back of his fists, one followed by the other, before he launched one final side kick towards his ribs, enough to shatter them, and enough wind chakra to send him crashing through the Kyoukage's tower.

His attack didn't stop there though. Wanting to end this as quickly as possible, he dashed down towards L's opponent using the excess momentum from his previous strikes, and did a quick flip that boosted him but a few feet off the ground, but gave him enough forced for him to deliver a spinning axe kick towards his chest. Pressing off from the chest with wind chakra and his own muscle, his other leg was forced directly into his face, and using the same method as he did with his last victim, attempted to blast him back with a huge gust of wind upon impact. Having to do a back flip in midair in order to regain his ground, Raz slid back towards Korin, his coat billowing backwards from the sheer madness of the maneuver. All in all, the whole attack was executed with a surprising amount of grace.

"Let‘s hope that was enough...”

Edited January 12, 2009 by Eechi-go

[Khaos]

((ooc: I'll post again once everyone is back inside the tower and calmer. Time paradox much?))

Edited January 13, 2009 by Khaos

[Cloudnine]

Korin was considering the consequences of letting such a frontal assault hit her, feeling any damage could easily be repaired, feelings of pain aside. A more detached part of her wondered what would happen if she dragged one of these strange beings through the portal out of Oto II- what would they come out as? Human or bird? Shapeless- even existent, or crushed by the force of time crashing down onto the timeless?

She prepared to raise a wall of flames to afflict the attacker but let the flames fall into little flecks as a swift wind passed her. A slightly delayed reaction sent her shooting a few yards back. The girl had only recently begun to reacquaint herself with the better-made properties of her armor. Aiko's esteemed colleagues had blessed her boots with an odd ability to drag her several leaps in one direction in a matter of instants. She was still half sitting, half on her hands and knees as Raz lightly landed beside her. Letting the sand armor slide off of her as she noted the supposed-successful dispatch of the unknown shinobi, Korin let out a sigh. Chakra pulsed towards the attacker and used illusionary bindings to set him on the wheel. The girl just held the genjutsu there though, feeling that turning the construct wasn't too just.