Sunrise

[Azure]

Concealing his body in the safety of the fallen debris, Soujiro focused his stance once more. The aura he had around him ferociously grew with each passing minute, he bought himself time to carry out his personalized mission. It was his ultimate goal, to which he obviously would go through extreme means to meet the final moments. But his plan didn’t seem to go as planned, even with the Konohagakure Resistance fighting against hi, they were at remarkable odds. They were only a handful of Gennin and Chuunin, but they stood up to their elder nonetheless. As was their way of the ninja; as was their eternal flame. It wasn’t too long, before a large crumbling sound was heard, shrieking across the plaza, one of the buildings had been broken through. With his defenses weakening, he still would not be viewed as changing positions. His body remained stationary; his fiery chakra hung like a cracking robe. Within the next few seconds, the force broke through the other building, with howling lighting and pulverizing blows.

Within an instant, a shadow slipped through the sandstorm kicked up by the falling buildings and now the dust tossed in to the atmosphere derived from the band’s unmovable resolve. Once Ayatsuri had connected his blows with Soujiro, the man was knocked out of his concentration. His eyes burst open to see the captor of his will; with eyes burning brightly. Soujiro could see the emotions stringing through Ayatsuri’s body and soul diving from his pupils, trying in vain to rip out the old sensei’s heart. Tearing through the dust and smoke would come another set of projectile kunai propelled with augmented force. Tucking in his arms, he raised resistance against the metal cutting tools, which broke open his tanned skin, sharp and clean.

Soujiro was a very recondite man; although with his current status in reflection, he didn’t look too preen. Whether his motives were libertine and beyond all that is righteous or incoherent self sacrifice, the allegiance of shinobi was undeniable. Hardly knowing each other, or even with their somewhat prodigal strengths they persevered. It was an impressive feat, however there would be more to the formula to saving Konohagakure no Sato than simply good showmanship. They were pitched against an unstable being of unsure power.

It was the first time he moved since they saw him in the central plaza. His reflexes grappled Ayatsuri by his blackened shirt and hurled him in a reversal; towards the other incoming ninja. His fingers came together, crafting an exotic form of seals, shortly and swiftly, before slamming his hands down to the ground. The sea of sand nearly instantaneously turned to glass; the immense heat he placed in to the ground morphed the entire terrain in to a glass sculpture. His left foot, clad in a sturdy boot crashed through the layer of mirrored material, forcing shards of glass to break and separate, crafting pointed and dangerous pieces. Slipping in a small seal, he pushed forward and a gust of wind carried the shards of glass back towards the incoming warriors.

“Shinobi are clad in war, chakra is a tool of destruction. If this is the time you choose, your times draw near.”

Soujiro bellowed outward to the opposing force. His statement was extremely emotional as it would seem, as many shinobi throughout the years have seen this particular view. It was specifically prominent in the past few years where the Kumogakure Empire expanded and showed cruelty to most of their relatives. The wispy flame entangled Soujiro once again, this time in an obscure manner. The maelstrom of red, orange and tinted blues now contracted fiercely, resembling a heartbeat.

-The terrain ‘Sand’ is no longer in effect.

-Ayatsuri will sustain 40 unmodified damage unless he can 'recover' while being throw. This will be done by rolling a d100 and adding 1/8 of your taijutsu modifier. If the result is >80, you will not sustain damage.

-The ‘Shards of Broken Glass’ will deal 50 unmodified damage each, with a percent to hit of 60%. You may choose to use a technique or basic attack to ‘deflect’ the glass shard, dealing 5 bleed damage to your character if you physically touch the glass shard to deflect it. By deflecting the shard, you do not sustain any more damage from the glass shard, but the deflection will count as your attack for the round. be sure to make it clear if you are choosing this option, but I will tally this myself.

-From here on out, there will be a set amount of time you have to defeat Soujiro. It will be marked like the brackets below.

-[Health Remaining: 1000]

- [Turns left: 2]

[acillies45]

(OOC: I typed my username wrong on the die roller so the link it messed up, but that was the result (and I missed anyway so yeah) sorry about that)

Jinsoku burst through the crumbling building at his master. As soon as he was through the debris, he stopped, as he saw what happened to the ninja who had gotten through. Dispite this, he smiled. They had broken his concentration...they still had time to do this.

As he stood there, his master smashed the glass around him and sent shards flying at him. He (Result: 58, hit) took the shards and flinched. They hurt like hell, but he these couldnt stop him, not now.

Then his master spoke to those attacking him. Jinsoku's thoughts barley comprehinded what he had heard before his reply came. It was pushed out as he was in pain, but it came out none-the-less. "...We may be tools of war Sensei..." He said, in an almost growl "...but we are also those who bring peace from war. We are those who will fight when others can't...We are those who defend our people against ninja like you, who seek to start wars." He bent down in a running stance "We are the shinobe of Konoha, and we will not let you win!!" He shouted as he sprinted at his one-time master.

He had a feeling that they didnt have much time left, so he went straght in and leapt at his master. "KAZEKOBUSHI RENDAN!" He shouted.

Name: Kazekobushi Rendan (Wind Fist Combo)

Type: Taijutsu (Tiger Style)

Rank: Genin

Cost: 65 Stamina

Damage: 80

Effects: If not used after Shadow Leaf Dance (Kage Buyou), then -40 too the user's accuracy.

Description: A more powerful version of the Lion Combo. The user comes from the opponents shadow and kicks them into the air. Once there, the user comes after them and knocks them even higher. The user leaps up to them and uses a flip-kick to send them straght down to earth. Once the opponent hits, the user follows up with a hammer kick to the face.

Points: 4

(Damage: [base 80] +[Mod 75] =[155 Total])

-50 hp

-65 stamina

(Full: Current)

(Health Power) 300:230

(Stamina) 240:110

(Chakra) 260:200

Edited December 3, 2008 by Jinsoku Kazekobushi

[Baromosa]

(ooc: I'm letting the glass hit the armor I repaired last turn. Of course, with the glass plain now I won't be able to repair it again)

A flurry of glass shards flew towards Baro's direction, slowing him down as they scored and broke off large chunks of his sand armor. Before long, he allowed the chakra to release and the sand began to crack off on its own after the glass had settled. Originally Baro had hoped the protection would aide him in getting closer to his mentor, but the environment around him and even his own actions had step by step prevented him from gaining any momentum. The deadly shards of glass however could have been much worse had he not been prepared. Still, the entire process drew far more chakra then it had been worth from calling the sand forth and depending so highly upon it.

Now, Soujiro was within sight however. His flames grew more intense, but so were the emotions he threw down at them. Tools of destruction? Is that how Soujiro saw him, and all of the other shinobi of the world for that matter. There wasn't time to argue the point though in a true heart to heart discussion. Baromosa would argue his point through ninjutsu.

Low on chakra, Baromosa would have to rely on a more and more common application of fire manipulation that was becoming a part of his vocabulary at this point. For learning things on the go and as he worked, he was doing pretty well or so he considered. Running to just a bit past where the building debris once stood, Baro dodged glass as he charged another orb of fire into his palms. The fire glowed and shook violently before Baromosa allowed the chakra infused ball to be released, hurling towards his now stationary sensei. 'These are the flames from the people I love...'

.:.Katsu wa Chusshin.:.

Damage towards Soujiro: 255

Damage to Self: 10

[HP: 390 | CHK: 110 | STM: 192 ]

Edited December 3, 2008 by Baromosa

[Rhapsody]

For a moment, everything slowed. Ayatsuri felt his spin suddenly lose momentum, caused mostly by the fact that he crashed into the much larger Soujiro. Thankfully, the damage had been done, and he had knocked the man off his feet. that enough was a small victory, was it not? He allowed himself a happy moment, before being roughly grabbed by the back of his shirt and thrown backwards with an incredible force. The air forced his normally wild hair down flat against his head, like he'd been hit by a torrent of water. But the child's thoughts were not on his appearance; they lingered more urgently on the wall barreling down on him from behind or, rather, the wall he was quickly approaching. It did not seem logical that his slight body would come out on top in a battle with concrete. He would hit the wall with all the destructive force of a rag doll if he could not straighten himself.

A momentary pause was all the boy really needed to gauge the situation. Taiyaki was here, he noticed his his investigating, but he didn't have time for any sort of sentimental greeting at the moment. Ayatsuri clenched his jaw and somehow managed to flip himself around, hitting the wall with his feet. The 'landing' was still painful, though he did his best to absorb the weight of the impact by bending his legs. It didn't take very long - perhaps half a second, for him to be in motion again, dropping down to the ground below, he miserably shielded himself from the onslaught of glass. Sadly, he took the onslaught from the front, glass slipping between the open folds of his Chuunin vest instead of being absorbed by the sturdy expanse of his back.

"Shit..." the boy cursed under his breath, ripping a nasty shard of glass from his forearm. The damage wasn't so bad, he reasoned with himself; it could have been worse. The glass had not caused any fatal wounds and, for this, Aya forced himself to be thankful. This foe was a force to be reckoned with, though, and he could easily kill any one of the young ninjas standing before him. From what Aya could hear of the sparse conversation, it seemed as though this man had once taught his comrades, and now he was turning against them? He pitied this exploding man with the blackened heart.

A wet nose pushed into Ayatsuri's palm, and he turned to check on the little dog's health. Shiranui, too, had felt the effects of Soujiro's glass onslaught. A streak of warm blood consumed a portion of his left side. A lump of anger rose into Ayatsuri's throat, but he swallowed it. At this point, everyone was suffering.

"Stay here..." Aya commanded the canine in a low voice. Really, it was time to end this battle before the weaker half of the force opposing Soujiro was wiped out. Tiredness was all around; fatigue was a tang in the air. Ayatsuri scratched the puppy behind the ears and turned to face the Jounin, disbelieving that a ragtag group of strangers could have actually gone this far. He started a run, taking no more than two steps before launching himself into a tornado, bigger than the one before, though, and howling with menace. Strangled by basic instinct, it would seem that Ayatsuri had become a bit of a one-trick pony.

Gatsūga

150 BASE + 175 MOD = 325 DMG

Ayatsuri

Rolled 89 to recover.

Rolled 26 to dodge the glass.

CLOSE RANGE - 2/2 Turns

BURNED - 1/3

Total Loss -

180 HP // 0 CHK // 220 STAM

Shiranui

Rolled 48 to dodge the glass.

Total Loss -

50 HP // 0 CHK // 0 STAM

Edited December 3, 2008 by Rhapsody

[cntrstrk14]

[Rolled a 18 for Glass Shards; Hit]

[50 Damage]

The girl who would arrive next to Tsubasa would not take much of the boy's attention with the growing threat in front of him. In fact, he would think it was a boy and not pay any attention either way as it was now just another 'ally' in his mind. They outnumbered the opponent, but he out strengthened them by just as much. The battlefield was not in their favor, in strength or time seemingly as the man's aura swelled up even further. As the man would raise his arms and release the jutsu, Tsubasa would turn to the 'boy' next to him and say in almost a growling type of yell.

"Get Down!"

The glass shards would strike Tsubasa as he tried to shield himself from the blast, no where to run to. Each shard ripped and tore at his skin as it passed, leaving a series of cuts along his jacket and his arms for the most part. Looking again, his vision covered in the hazy carved lines of the battle field, Tsubasa had a moment of clarity. The grooves aligned, became clear and his vision focused more than he had ever experienced.

[Halo Circuits Rank 2; Unlocked]

"FUCK THIS!!!", Tsubasa would yell out as he sprinted forward directly towards the man. Their time was running thin and there was not enough precious moments left to worry about how burned he would be if he got close, considering if the man erupted there wouldn't be any wounds left to lick clean. As he came closer, Tsubasa would unleash his invisible assault, if the man was caught in it the moment would flicker forward in his view, the form of Tsubasa appearing to teleport the ten feet remaining between the two as he slid on the ground towards the Jounin. As he neared, the flames would engulf his form, washing over him quickly as he approached his body. His vision cleared, the flames parted between the two and Tsubasa could see a large groove, black in color, sliding clearly across the man's chest as if it was a giant target. Two swift kicks with his right foot as he pushed off the ground would be aimed directly for this groove. Tsubasa had an intuition that this was what he was suppose to aim for, and regardless he had no other places he knew of to strike the man, so what was there to loose.

"Sutorobu-isshun Taipu; Bai Kikku"

(Instance Strobe Style; Double Kick)

[293 Damage; Automatic Critical due to Skill; -45 CHK & -45 STM]

[65 Damage taken from aura]

[Halo Circuits; 5% Chakra; -15 Chakra]

[HP: 115 | CHK: 197 | STM: 227 ]

[Blackrose]

”Shit…”

The soft curse barely left her lips before the glass began rushing towards her. It was fast, but luckily so was she. She had just enough time to reach into her pouch and grab another kunai. The glass was upon her already, as she raised her arm she narrowly deflected a large shard away from her neck. She had no choice; she wouldn't get out of here alive without using her bloodline.

She felt her body speed up and suddenly the glass began to slow in her eyes. Not too much but just enough for her to see them coming. She just needed to block and evade them; to hell with fighting back other people could handle that.

To others it would appear as if Tenka drastically increased in speed. In reality that is exactly what happened. Her body continued to speed up allowing her to react faster to the incoming projectiles. One by one she deflected the shards of glass. She winced as some smaller shards glances off her hands cutting them up a bit. She was barely able to dodge one of the medium sized shards and it ended up leaving a shallow cut on her left cheek. 'Shit, I should have stayed away…' She thought once the danger had finally passed. She stopped to rest turning off her bloodline ability for the moment. She'd have to be ready to run again as fast as she could should things get too much worse.

[blocked; 5 damage? (I didn't physically touch it, but I did role-play minor cuts.]

[bloodline deactivation; Vulnerable next turn]

[HP: 75| CHK: 20 | STM: 75 ]

Edited December 4, 2008 by Blackrose

[Zereon]

Time was growing short; Zereon could see that the old sensei didn't have much left before he would surely blow up. There wasn't much time to think now. All that could be done was to defeat the exploding man once and for all. But Zereon was exhausted from blowing up the building and before he knew it broken glass was coming at him in high speed. "Damn..." In a split of a second he had to choose, dodge or deflect. If he dodged he would probably have the time to attack the exploding man before it was to late. But as Zereon saw the others fighting hard to defeat the man, Zereon choose the safe way out and deflected them as he screamed out to his fellow shinobies. Hopefully his choice was wise enough not to blow up the whole village."There's not much more I can do, I believe in you guys! Defeat him, for Konoha!"

With those words Zereon made a back flip and shot fire from his hands with help of his fire amplifier. The attack was made from range and the glass never made to where Zereon was at. What was remaining from the glass went past him on the sides and above without touching him while he was still in the air. Like a wildcat he landed softly on his feet watching the final few seconds of this fight. He was safe for now, but was Konoha? Or had Zereon just made a mistake that would cost life of thousands? Only time could tell now as Zereon rushed towards the man so that he could, if there was still time, get in range for another attack.

(Deflected the shards.)

((My basic attacks are ranged Ninjustsu do to my fire amplifiers; hope that there aren't any problems with what I did.))

|CHK| +23

|HP| 160 |CHK| 184 |STM| 120

Edited December 3, 2008 by Zereon

[Rakirian]

Rakirian was almost like in a trance. The power this man infront of them all displayed was simply massive. To him, it felt like looking at once death sentance. Taking two steps back away from the opponent, the only thing that was floating around in Rakirian's mind was: How can one defeat someone with such power. While standing there, the others continued to attack with quick reactions and power but one could just wonder if their efforts would be enough. Suddenly the man did some quick hand seals which was near impossible to read or prepare for what could come. Within an instance, the man slammed his hands into the sand around him, turning it all into glass by his immense heat in a bink of an eye. The glass then shattered by the man's left foot and yet another hand seal was formed sending the shards of sharpened glass through the air at the group.

"Oh my..." Were the only two words that managed to slip out of Rakirian's mouth as he quickly pulled up one of his kunai and went into a defensive stance with his right hand outstretched infront of him, holding the kunai ready to deflectthe shards. While taking some steps backwards, Rakirian quickly started dispatching the incoming glass shards within his reach as they flew towards him. Shattering into even more small pieces then before by his kunai, the smaller shards started doing their work on him as they dug into Rakirian's skin making his forearms and part of his face covered with many small cuts with the glass sticking out of them. "Damn it...crap crap crap!!!" He yelled out painfully as the shards continue to dig into him as he continued to deflect more shards.

Finally it stopped and Rakirian, now full of small cuts with glass in them collapsed on one knee as a larger shard managed to cut a deeper wound on his left upper arm during the frey. With a painful expresion, Rakirian took up his right hand with the kunai and used it to release and pull out the larger shard from his left arm. The shard dropped to the ground, dipped with Rakirian's blood. Remaining on his one knee in a sitting position, Rakirian could only observe his allies while he continued to pull out the remaining smaller shards out of his body. Just keep going at him. He thought as the battle continued.

((Deflected the shards, but roleplayed it maybe alittle much with the small -5 bleed damage. Just figured for his remaining small amount, -5 could be seen as much in % wise.))

(Health Power) 60:35 -5

(Stamina) 40:20

(Chakra) 80:28 +8[Chakra Flow]

Edited December 3, 2008 by Rakirian

[Takius]

The Uchiha gasped in surprise, “Ayatsuri?!” The whirlwind that had exploded through the wall had stopped and the Inuzuka could now be identified. As the rest of the time responded by raining down attacks on the man, Taiyaki prepared to defend himself against the spray of glass. He picked up a kunai from the ground where it had been discarded, knocking away the many shards that had been launched at the motley crew of gennin and chuunin… He still processed the few words being spat across the battlefield, digesting them and storing them away in his memory… where they would be pulled out if he needed to recall them. In the midst of all of this, a subconscious instinct for survival acted and, in a rush of chakra to the head, his Sharingan eyes switched on. The boy’s chocolate eyes were flooded with scarlet, and the world around him crystallized, glaringly clear now.

Shards deflected.

Sharingan eyes on; Chakra Flow suspended.

+10% Chakra (normal regen)

-5% Chakra (Sharingan upkeep)

[HP: 280 | CHK: 484 | STM: 050 ]

smexy code thanks to cntr~

Edited December 4, 2008 by Takius

[Azure]

The melodic rhythm exhibited by the seemingly living flame began pulsate outward; the minutes to midnight were daring near. It appeared to be their last stand soon. Konohagakure through the years had always seemed to give birth to the legends that would transcend the history books, bending conceived rules and theories. The eternal flame said to be born within all children in blood inheritance and residence of the land of fire had not died out. Despite the three years of Kumogakure dystopian society to the ninja kind; the ageless spirit persevered. The children that stood in its kingdom did not fall back; although the quill of death was already being held by Soujiro.

His heavy felt words infected the psyche of one of his former students. Jinsoku's retort was not shy of Soujiro's ears. Despite his immense concentration and other sounds, the select words screaming from the vocals of the band of leaf shinobi had broken through. Jinosku's resolve was young, but it spit with the flames Soujiro had once fleshed out of the young boy. Despite the hungry flames, Jinsoku still resorted to physically assaulting Soujiro with the style that he had been taught. The kick injected in to his back, knocking him out of serene concentration, but the fire lit sensei abstained from reacting, he still held tight to the focus as the heart beat wilder.

His second student, Baromosa was being drained by the constant pull and weight of chakra consumption. Even though this battle seemed to take the majority of his reserves away, he still fought valiantly. At the cost of more of his vital strength, he released a reckless fireball, one necessary enough to inflict corporal penalty for his actions. Soujiro's tattered clothes caught the brunt of the force, in to what appeared to strengthen his flame, at the cost of his human body, slowly being bitten by the cackling flames.

The slippery Ayatsuri had made his shadow into a tool as he danced around crashing in to the ruins Soujiro commanded him to be. A swirling choir of howls, dust and ferocity slid towards Soujiro. His body felt the brunt of the force, ripping deeper in to his wounds as the flame remained ever strong. Out from his mouth spattered droplets of dark hued liquid. The outer wounds he sustained that allowed him to bleed had cauterized, but internally, his vital life blood ran in places it was not intended to. Bringing his hand up, he would try to swat away at the Inuzuka to rid himself of the pestering boy.

Soujiro stumbled as if waltzing in a clumsy fashion, staggering to keep himself on his feet. The last blow he had sustained was powerful, but he still had the means of staying forthright. While in the midst of recovering, time felt like it was being distorted. His muscles froze; his brain was at a loss of words as a single moment in his memory appeared to be skipped. His brain simply could not accept this impossibility, but in reality, there was no missing chunk. He was collided with two powerful kicks at his chest. He wheezed at this attack, his lungs and heart were both struck hard, which incidentally lunged him in to the air. He seemed powerless now and rather useless in the air. However there seemed to be a grave and disturbing problem. The aura around him did not cease. It was obvious that his concentration had now clearly been broken, but the ominous flare that resided around his frame remained. Perhaps they were too late.

Four shards of refined glass were thrown back in the direction of Soujiro. At the expense of saving their lives the nascence of needing to deal with the inconvenience of glass shards wedged in to their bodies, Tenka, Zereon, Rakirian, and Taiyaki had all tossed their crystal shards back to their pitcher. Each shard flung skyward and a gallop of footsteps could be heard, followed by the invisible swish of air. The figure of Noel was airborne, his left hand crafted a seal while the staff in his right hand emitted a ray of light, bouncing off of each glass shard, running together in a race and then shooting at the body of Soujiro. When he collided with the light, burn marks were ripped through his skin. The light penetrated the lit flames and slashed at the sensei's life force. His body then hit the ground, with a loud thud and pushing up a cloud of stray dust. The eerie flames emitted from Soujiro's body ceased its beat and dispersed, riding upon the carrying wind. The bloody skies slowly began to grow lighter and the temperature was slowly decreasing. Noel dropped from his perch, eyeing the work of the Konohagakure band. ‘Well done children, but it is time to wake.”

Slamming the blunt end of his staff to the ground, in each of their eyes, reality would appear to be distorted, followed by the same blinding flash of light that they experienced before awaking in the central plaza. Although this time, they were not being carried, but rather standing on their own two feet. Their wounds, pains and fatigue would all feel as though it was being lifted. They would awake, all together, scattered closely on the streets of Konohagakure no Sato. Shadows of leaf ninja soldiers would be their shade, along with the ominous trio staring at their resting bodies. Tsukasa, Noel and in the middle of the two, looking as if he had no wounds and ultimately no whim of violence in his face, Soujiro.

"Your resolve is simply amazing. You all will carry on bright futures. You've all done exceedingly well given the circumstances. And that's exactly what you will need in a short time to come.”

Was it all really just a dream?

[Rhapsody]

He lay belly up, drawing harsh breaths and holding disbelief in his amber eyes. Faint whispers of memory flared into life. Taiyaki's voice, the smell of burned flesh and blood, and the constant buzz of rudely loud music blasting from headphones. Ayatsuri allowed himself a small, almost confident smile and reached out. Almost instinctively, he knew exactly where Shiranui would be laying, and his hand rested on the puppy's head in a gesture of love and of comfort. Just what was this patriotic whim crackling in his chest? Konoha had abandoned him to his life of confinement, but now he stood tall to fight for her.

No, not now. Not now; he couldn't return. He couldn't surrender.

"Hi, Taiyaki," he finally responded to the child's bewildered greeting from before. He wasn't sure if the Uchiha heard him or not; he hadn't bothered to take a real account of his surroundings. That would require extensive thought, and effort he wasn't willing to exert at that moment. Instead, he sat up in a bouncy sort of way, and directed his stare at the source of the voices that had praised them only a moment before.

"What was that about?" he questioned, a tinge of indignation in his tone.

[Blackrose]

Tenka regained consciousness, her body feeling oddly rested. Her mind took a moment for everything to register what was going on. She could still hear her headphones blaring since she hadn't bothered to turn them off. Once she finally wrapped her mind around the situation, her eyes immediately jerked straight open and she sprung to her feet as if waking up from a nightmare. ”What the f*ck!?” Would be the first words out of her mouth as she turned to see leaf ninja all around her. Her immediate reaction was to get defensive. She hid the sound of her feminine voice making it deeper so that people would assume her to be a boy. She even pulled her hand firmly over her so that one would have to stand awkwardly to look her in the eyes.

She immediately withdrew her kunai and waited for a possible attack, believing she had been deceived somehow. She knew she didn't stand a chance but had decided she would go down fighting. ”What is this about?” She demanded trying look for a possible way out. 'Shit, why did I decide to come out of hiding! I got too careless.' She reflected to herself.

Edited December 4, 2008 by Blackrose

[Zereon]

The fight was over, or so it seemed. As the man fell to the ground there was a light. And after the light there was great confusion. Zereon felt like he fainted for a short period of time and only to wake up in the central plaza, somehow fully rested. Zereon looked around, had it all been a dream? But if so then the training in the forest would have been for nothing, it couldn't have been a dream. The strength from his training was still there. But everything since he got to Konoha was gone, the building he'd destroy, the exploding man wasn't exploding. Then what about the two others he had meet, were they just lies as well. Zereon took a look around again and found out that many other ninjas that had been in the fight was scattered everywhere, almost all seemed just as confused.

Then suddenly Zereon heard a voice out loud. Telling them all how great they been and that they all have great futures. And also, that they would all need it in a short period of time.

It wasn't long before Zereon stood up with pride. It felt as if he had done something great and that his training had showed result. Maybe it was finally "his time to shine" and this time it was with the true Konoha, the one he had been longing for such a long time. It was a warm feeling; being back. But that didn't loose the fact that he was still very confused on what was going on.

But not all people seemed confused on what was going on, there were three people, one of them was the one that had spoken. It was clearly the man that had just tried to blow up the whole village.

Zereon walked up closer to the gathered group and observed the conversations as he thought to himself.

"What is going on here?"

Edited December 4, 2008 by Zereon

[Rakirian]

The final blow has been dealt. The exploding man was defeated by everyones effort. Trying to stand straight with his wounds Rakirian couldn't help to show a big smile on his face. "All right! We did i-....uhhh...what...something...strange...uhhh" Rakirian's vision started to blur, the world seemed out of place and things just wouldn't stand still. With a blinding light the world around him dissapeared.

Seconds later, Rakirian would reopen his eyes as if waking up from a dream. Not remembering that he ever went to sleep, he looked around to try and figure out what just happened. His wounds and pain were gone, as if they never existed to begin with. The voices of others which he couldn't understand made his eyes change direction from looking at his forearms. Like himself it seemed that the others had also gone through the same ordeal, even if some hadn't woken up yet. Three people stood out of the crowd that had surrounded them all. It was the shepard they meet by the walls, another man he didn't remember seeing before and then there were also the exloding man. Rakirian took a step back by reflex, then realized that the man seemed diffrent from before. No fiery glow or any signs of immense power build up. "Ummm...what just happened? I feel like I just woke up from something but have no memory of going to sleep." Rakirian asked no one in particuler as he didn't know which one to really ask what was going on.

[acillies45]

One moment, Jinsoku was using his attack on Soujiro; bashing away with his adrenaline pumping through him. He felt almost dizzy with it. Each move he made was labored and seemed to make the dizzyness worse. As soon as it was too hard to bare, his conciousness gave way and everything when black. He heard a voice; a voice that he recognized from somewhere. He couldnt place it though, his head was still spinning a little. He just kept his eyes closed for a bit before he noticed; it wasnt dark outside anymore, light was getting through his eyelids.

He opened his eyes and had to squint immediatly. It was day, and they were in Konoha...but there was no fighting. He saw the others that he had been with in the fight, but they all looked like nothing had happened to them. It hit him that he had gotten hit with shards of glass, and looked at his body, but they werent there. "Whats going on?..." he said quietly, just before flinching. He had a massive headache "Ah...S**t." He swore an looked around again and saw the three men standing there, smiling at them. His eyes flashed to Soujiro and he whipped out a kuni. "What they hell are you doing, we killed you!" He said fercely. What the hell was going on?

[Baromosa]

The energy Baromosa spent was quickly replenished, and he found himself standing among all the shinobi he had fought with. A commotion was forming, and it took Baromosa several minutes to begin hearing everything that was happening. But when timed started moving again, it did so almost too fast, and he could see his younger counterpart threatening a calm and non-threatening Soujiro.

"Hold Jin!" Baro snapped quickly, throwing a hand over his and pulling his kunai arm down. "Did you not feel us moved yet again? It was all a test." His interjection was swift, but his face then turned to the three older men before them. "Why did you do this? I know now that it had to be your work, the three of you. Things... are never how they seem." Baromosa asked with a hesitant voice. His bright eyes gazed upon them though, waiting for answers. His warmth had no disappeared, but rather was surging under a holding barrier that was apparent would break free at earliest opportunity. His hand left Jin and went to his opposite elbow, holding it as he waited.

Edited December 4, 2008 by Baromosa

[Takius]

Fire – smothering heat. Smoke – the taste of acrid ash. Noises – voices shouting.

Could it really have been a dream? The men in front of him certainly seemed to be making it look that way… Taiyaki uncurled himself from the fetal position he had been unconsciously curled into. The Uchiha sat up; he was too tired now to respond with the proper melodramatic histrionics to the Inuzuka's presence. Instead, he, too, contented himself with a simple answer: "I have no idea, Ayatsuri.”

[cntrstrk14]

Tsubasa's eye would open, immediately realizing that his patch was covering a different eye. Looking around quickly he felt his face and chest, no signs of glass shards or burning. He was sure he was going to have burns from the attack, what had happened... Taking a look around he would see that the rest of the genin that had fought with him were there as well, looking equally as confused. The young boy next to him that had jumped in towards the end would be on his feet immediately, brandishing a kunai as if they were backed into a corner. Tsubasa had no time to consider this as strange as he soon caught a look of Soujiro standing nearby. With a quick start he would jump up, tripping backwards as he instinctually tried to put space between himself and the Jounin whom kept seeming to end up his enemy no matter the side of battle.

"What the hell is going on?! What do you want?!?", Tsubasa would yell with a snarl towards Soujiro, now equally as startled as the boy next to him with the kunai drawn.

[Azure]

The man in red was remarkably calm within every second of his disciples' waking; even the two others didn't seem to fidget at their assured rage and discomfort. It appeared as though all three of the men had anticipated the angered response that was in toe to their rising from slumber. The kunai threat derived from Jinsoku was only understandable and throughout the rage, Soujiro calmly looked in the fiery soldier's eyes and said not a word. He watched as Baromosa negated the swinging arm of Jinsoku, preventing him from striking Soujiro and channeling his fears in to a quick threat against the sensei's life. The boy named Tsubasa seemed to share the same sentiments as Jinsoku and to which, Soujiro was could see the parallel connection between the two boys. It was in the instant that showed a lot about the characters of the individuals, ties of friendship, instinct and reason all had uncovered itself.

Soujiro did not say at word initially, his back would turn for a second to check on the battlefield behind them. They were in a rather inconvenient spot, so out in the open, but there didn't appear to be any forms of attack within range. "You're wise to do that Baromosa and in each of your own ways, all of you are wise. Let me explain what happened. For the original group, all of the events that lead up to the bright flash of light was all true. In order to ensure your survival and to test your resolve, Tsukasa placed you under a very powerful Genjutsu that when paired with the light Ninjutsu, allowed all of your subconscious to link together and be lead to see what you saw. You were all physiologically tied to that dream; which could have had serious repercussions in the real world, but also because of that- your brain has sharpened it shinobi-like mentality. For those of you who were not part of the original group, when you stepped in to the village- or outside of a house- you became victim to this Genjutsu and was then transported here as well.”

Soujiro took a pause in his explanation to allow the group to process the information. He held up his hand as to warn them that they should not speak because he wasn't finished. "Now why did we do this? Because when the world is free from its shackles, the world is trying to move in to a state of peace. However, there may be radicals- even your teachers, friends or family that wants to change that. For whatever reason, if this happens; the greater good of the village is at stake. For all of you that struck me in the dream, knowing full well that you had a slim chance of survival, I can see you having a very effective future as Konohagakure citizens. The metaphorical ‘Flame of Konohagakure' would be found blazing in each one of you, just as it was found in the great leaders of the Leaf. I also wanted you to learn that everyone can have a purpose and regardless of rank, you have the ability to do something, but don't take that to an extreme. With shinobi, nothing is as it seems, usually, be careful and be aware in every situation. We still have work to do and I don't want any of you to die, I want you to learn from that dream, because the next time- you may not wake up.”

He took a moment to breathe, he had talked a lot and didn't feel like getting in to every detailed lesson that they provided. He was well aware that there was a chance that their façade hindered the social development of the band of shinobi, but it was a chance his better judgment took. "I don't expect you to trust me, but those events in the dream will not happen. Kinomi no Toshi…was something I have to live with for a very long time.” The last sentence that trickled from his mouth was of a lower pitched and filled with an obvious tone of regret. It was an inner demon that it appeared that he conquered for the most part.

[Zereon]

The emotions seemed scattered among the shinobies, some didn't want to realize the fact that it had all been a dream or, in fact, a genjutsu. Others calmly stood and listened to the speech Soujiro gave, others like Zereon. The speech filled Zereon with pride and joy. Konoha was back as it once was and right now that was all that mattered to him.

The explanation to what had happened all made sense, at least to a ninja. The flashes they all had felt when entering the village had been the activation of the genjutsu. And that meant that the two people Zereon had met before were real and was standing in the crowd just as him.

Soujiro finished his speech saying that he didn't expect people to trust him. Zereon felt at first that he had no other choice. But as Soujiro had spoken so wisely about Konoha and it's "Flame of Konohagakure", Zereon felt that this man was someone that could be trusted even as a Hokage. And so Zereon walked up to him slowly and bowed his head at him.

"My name is Furukawa Zereon. I may not know you in person, more than that you just in a genjutsu tried to blow up the village, but those words meant a lot to me, and probably most of us others here. And a person with that strong of a connection to the village and all it's people is someone I'm willing to trust even as a leader of this village, maybe even as Hokage someday. Even though this may not be what you want. Since this test meant a lot to me and I'll always look up to you as a great leader. Because, in my eyes, you're wiser than I'll ever be."

It wasn't like Zereon to talk so much as he just did and his speech probably didn't meant much to anyone but himself. But at least it felt good saying it. Usually Zereon only think of improving himself and become stronger to prove his family and friend wrong. But when it comes down to it, he always puts Konoha and it's people in the first place and that's why he looks up to people who share these feelings.

Edited December 6, 2008 by Zereon

[Baromosa]

The words that Soujiro spoke were half expected, but the last part of his confession about Kinomi no Toshi was something that was going to take a while to fully understand. Looking over them with searching eyes, Baromosa was deciding if he could speak up again and forgive his mentor. His lips move, but no sound came out except a gasp. Baro's hand moved and brushed a lock of brown hair over his ears, casting his eyes down to the ground in thought. If Soujiro chose to completely obliterate an entire village, he must have had some inner reason for it. He couldn't believe wild destruction could just come and go with a whim, especially when all of the lives he had touched in that town still lived in memory only.

A young gennin began to speak first, and pronounced our faith in him. He even stated he wished Soujiro to be a Hokage of theirs. Baromosa did not know who the next Hokage was going to be in truth, but he had a feeling Soujiro was not going to be it yet, though his Jounin would definitely be a valued teacher if he was true about the compassion he showed for Konoha.

Baromosa's light brown eyes slowly rose from the ground and glanced over Soujiro, a ghost of the unquestionable trust he used to hold coming back in pieces. "This had been a long Journey. But, I'm sure there is more work to do. Is Konoha safe yet?" Baro asked quietly, his lips letting the words drip out carefully so any anxiety he felt was well hidden.

[Kouta]

What a bore.

Kaidomaru’s only thought whizzed past him as he stalked the streets. They had made him get dressed, walk all the way into the village, leave the deer behind, and for what? A couple hours of meaningless manual labor? ”It’ll be a good thing for you to meet your fellow ninja.” Kaidomaru mocked his only “true” sensei, the old Nara Medicinist Otto, who had sent him from the forest to join in the efforts that still remained. He could much more in the forests, though, where he could aid in the creation of powerful medicines, ones that could be used to heal and cure the diseases of the sick down here. No, instead he had to mingle with the other ninja, and haul stretchers around. Pointless, mindless labor.

So, it could be a bit of a shock when the ninja saw a group of ninja all staring slack-jawed at a man who seemed to be explaining a bout with a Genjutsu they had encountered. Kaidomaru had no doubt that he would’ve seen the fabrics of the genjutsu, and wouldn’t be sitting there fighting phantoms like he was sure this sad looking lot had done. Kaidomaru did see, however, the glint of a powerful group of ninja just beneath the surface, some potential that would be interesting to exploit amongst the children gathered here...

Still, Kaidomaru said nothing, and merely slid, listening to the discussion about the flames of Konoha that ran amok in the children of Konoha. He had, on many occasions, seen them in his own training, and in his clan, and was in agreement with the sensei that it was important to stoke the fires in their bellies once in a while. However, this did not illicit him to speak, but merely to stand in his element, basking in the shadow of a building behind the group, probably visible to the Jounin, since he wasn’t hiding all that much, more just being comfortable, which happened to be in a shadow he could morph at will…

Edited December 8, 2008 by Kouta

[Rhapsody]

Ayatsuri turned away, and sighed as Soujiro finished speaking. Radicals, he'd said. Extremists... still, people waited in in anger, hungry to rip peace from their hands and stuff it into their greedy jaws. Was the world really so full of those that craved wartime? He remembered those days in his life when he was told that the cries of battle were to become his blood and so he should cram his arteries with hatred.

The boy finally reached up to his forehead, and pulled the leaf symbol away from it, beckoning Shiranui closer so he could tie the bandanna around his neck. Slightly charming on the dog, it was, and without it Ayatsuri seemed to look like more of himself. He could be preceded by no nation, and no higher orders but those of his heart. Mostly, he was confused but above all, he needed the freedom to roam where he wanted. He could not take his legs and peg them down to Konoha.

As the Nara boy entered, the hairs on the back of the boy's neck would stand on end, and he titled his head back to stare at the child momentarily, his scent as obvious as a streak of paint across parchment. This sort of vision, it was almost automatic for the Chuunin these days. So automatic that appearances didn't much matter anymore. He missed the finer details - like, for example, that the Sokudo girl was, in fact, pretending to be a boy. At any rate, after a moment of deliberation, Ayatsuri decided he didn't care about the Nara boy. He didn't seem so strong anyways.

"Tell me, and I will forget," Ataysuri said loudly as he stood. His tone held a certain dismissive quality, as though he were speaking to a group of unruly children, which he felt he was because most of them were Gennin anyways, "Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand. Think back to when you all played Ninja. Did any of you have any idea what it would really be like? Humans are greedy, fickle things. Anyone could turn on you at any time - and if you can't turn to face them, they will kill you."

He had been there before; bitter thoughts seared into the memory of his greedy uncle. Ayatsuri huffed, then turned to beckon Shiranui into his arms. After jumping, the small puppy scrambled onto the Inuzuka's shoulders, and yapped twice. For now, Ayatsuri decided, he would stay and help the village get back on her feet. Then his wanderlust heart would slingshot him across the continent.

[Rakirian]

Rakirian stood still and listened very carefully to the man named Soujiro speech. His eyes would go from looking at Soujiro to everyone else in the group to see how their reactions would be to this explination. They had all been trapped inside a very poerwful genjutsu since the bright light. This happened to Rakirian just as he, Zereon and Ayatsuri took their first step into the village at the wall. The whole experiance was something new to Rakirian, who had never encountered or seen such powerful genjutsu among his own clans men or from any other shinobi among the varies resistance camps he had visited during the 3 years.

Listening on, Soujiro spoke of the ‘Flame of Konohagakure' . This phrase he had heard many times during the conflict and usally it was a strong motivation for many people to continue on with the bloody conflict to once more move back to Konoha. This feeling never really stuck with Rakirian however since he never thought he had one himself, but as he continued to listen to Soujiro, he began to feel alittle pride and joy with it. Perhaps even Rakirian did have a flame inside of him. He just never really thought about it before, maybe his flame is his great desire to help other fellow shinobi and citizens in the Fire country. A small smile grew up on his face.

The mood changed however once two fellow shinobi spoke up after his newly friend Zereon finished. The situation might not yet be completely over and safe. The village were still like a battlefield behind Soujiro and the two other men. Even if the opposition had been dealt with, there would still be much work left to do. Rakirian remaind calm, as he waited for Soujiro's response.

Edited December 7, 2008 by Rakirian

[Takius]

Taiyaki felt dazed as the endless stream of words washed over him. He listened with half a heart to the series of soliloquies; his mind was elsewhere, thinking of how he had missed the illusion when he himself was a Genjutsu specialist. Though the Uchiha felt a curious shame at having fallen for such a trick – even though it was inevitable, as the gap in power was simply too large to compensate – he kept his posture straight and eyes evenly gazing back at the three older men's.

Ayatsuri's words struck him the most – not just because they came from a friend, but because they were true. It was strange; he had never expected to learn anything from the wild, nigh-feral child when they had first met, but Ayatsuri proved him wrong at every step of the way. Had he truly been so sheltered in the years before the war? It certainly seemed so. Taiyaki's eyes blazed with these thoughts as they flickered from each person that was gathered around in the area. Strange – there had been so many new arrivals, and each one of them had fallen into the illusion as well. Against his will, he found himself shivering... such power, and he was so weak.

There was so much more in life to accomplish.