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 Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:11 am
Daisuke came running into the arena, ready for combat. He knew that if a Jounin like Aona was going to be wounded by this foe, he would stand less than a chance. He pulled out a kunai and stodd stiff next to Aona. His legs shaked a little. This was only his second day of training and he was already faced with a situation like this. He was a little unsure of how to act, but he would do his best to protect his comrades.
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:43 pm
Harou lunged out of the trees about a hundred yards from the bottom where Kei and the others were standing. he rushed as fast as he could to their side.
"Kei-sensei whats th-"Harou saw the other shinobi, crushed. He gulped and rethought what he was going to say. "What would you like me to do Kei-sensei?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:25 am
As Westley crested the lip of the cliff, the sole figure atop it stood out in the open. Leanly built, messy dark brown hair, and a perfectly average ninja outfit with collarless, padless vest, wrapped around in a plain olive green cloak. "So," his voice came out smooth, young; probably older than Aona, but still not a full-grown adult, "kendo-chan trains such brash students, does she?" The person drew a Chinese style of straight sword, pointing it at Westley with nothing but a mocking expression.
---
Aona's eyes opened up, staring straight up into the sky, as Kei appeared and spoke to her. Kei having to see her like this... she mentally cursed yet another display of weakness in such a short span of time. "By now," she began as she slowly sat up, her face and voice dull, "anyone of any competence would be all but impossible to catch."
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Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 8:22 am
A smirk blossomed on Westly's face as he faded back into the mist. "Nonsense," Westly quipped, "I was born brash. Do you have a name, or should I just call you 'mate'? It's a chess term. Like 'mate in two moves'. Check, by the way."
You know what the difference is between me and the other Genin? When I talk smack, I mean it. It doesn't matter how much you outclass me. If you can beat me in single combat without breaking a sweat, and I'm STILL bragging about what I'll do when I win, you should probably be asking yourself, "What does Westly know that I don't?" The answer MIGHT be important.
I'm partial to "you're standing on a set of explosive charges I disguised as a twig", but in this guy's case, I just got off the phone with the boyfriend of the Kunoichi he just tried to kill. He's got about a minute to live.
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Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 2:43 pm
Kei glanced back at Aona with a smile but the words that came out were cooler then ice. "Let's hope this guy isn't that smart, because he just tried to kill the woman I'm dating and did kill a shinobi of my village. This guy has about forty seconds to live." Kei said as he bit the back of his thumb and smeared the blood over a seal tattooed onto his left forearm.
Kei's falchions appeared in a cloud of smoke and he seized them and unsheathed them. He spared a parting glance to Aona before telling Harou to join the kunoichi, he was leaving his students under Aona. After that, Kei was sprinting up the cliff face and leapt upwards into open air, and landed across from the shinobi that was still standing around.
Kei stood with his falchions drawn and a cold fury burning in his eyes, "Westly, a quick lesson for you, don't attempt to murder someone unless you're positive that you can get it right the first time; and if you do, you better make sure there isn't someone in her life willing to take vengeance." Kei said in the calm manner of a teacher informing a student of the principles of arithmetic.
Following those words Kei exploded into motion, he launched forwards with huge momentum probably gained through a stimulation of muscles with chakra. Slashing his swords simultaneously from a distance, Kei unleashed two sharp sickles of wind that rushed towards his adversary before he closed the distance and brought his falchions honed edges to the fore front of the other's worries.
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Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:21 pm
Light Yagami would've envied Westly's smile. "You know, I was just telling this guy the same thing," said Westly.
Ball's in Kei's court. Of course, if this guy was sent to kill Aona, one junior Jounin might very well be as good as another. This could be difficult. Manndar's squad is a bit far off; maybe I should've called Forza as well? Nah, it's probably too late.
Westly thought about his options.
I can't really hope to do much damage here, but if I keep him off-balance, I can set him up for Kei.
Recalling Aona's last attack, Westly performed the handseals for Chakra Cannon. No Genin could perform such a technique, and Westly's chakra was weak even for his rank, but the blast went off regardless and the correct handseals added to the deception.
Peacock Flare: a blast of energy taking the form of any jutsu the user has ever seen or thought of. A Genjutsu, and an easily dispelled one at that, it does no actual damage, but the gods strike me down where I stand if it doesn't HURT like the real thing...
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 11:42 am
The figure chuckled at Westley. "There's no need for you to know my name right now," he said calmly. He glanced over to the side, watching as Kei charged up and over the cliff, listening to his explanation, and smiling confidently as the wind blades rushed at him. "One should learn to be careful in their vengeance, lest they meet with a trap," he said in imitation of Kei's manner as the blades slammed into him; chunks of earth were sent flying through the air as the earth clone lost its arm and most of its head. "Check," he said, as the clone stabbed its 'sword' into the ground before destabilizing into a pile of lifeless stone. The sword struck a buried fuse, lighting it; only a moment later, and there was a sizable explosion from just underneath the clone, enough to send deadly shards of stone through the air and produce a large shock wave.
---
Aona stared up stunned at the explosion from atop the cliff. More stone was sent out across the area, though nothing truly dangerous fell near her and Kei's genin. She figured Kei would be able to protect himself, but Westley... if he was hurt badly... just how bad at this was she?
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 2:17 pm
"Don't even try ******** with me, you son of a b***h!" Kei yelled as he planted his swords into the ground and performed a one-two punch combination. Using the Violent Sky style that Kei had develop over years of training, he was capable of following up each and every one of his strikes with a blast of concentrated air. Using the same method he released stronger, more diffused wind and then as he was wont to do, he focused the wind together and created a twisting cylinder of wind, dust, and debris; commonly called a tornado.
This tornado swallowed the shrapnel that the explosion had unleashed, as for the shock wave that preceded the actual explosion, the charge wasn't great enough to cause any damage on its own. Kei was more concerned really with where the man behind the attack had fled to; the tornado that he had used would probably eliminate some of his tracks, but it had served its purpose of catching the brunt of the debris and sparing himself and Westly; and so it released it allowing the dirt to fall off the side of the cliff, away from Aona and the genin.
He had allowed most of his outrage to bleed out at this point and reclaimed the cool head that he would need to track down this shinobi, he was somewhat ashamed that he had allowed his emotions to get the better of himself but it had been just that, a momentary lapse in judgment and reasoning. "Westly if you're alright, I would suggest you go back to Aona and if you can send word to Ipalla and Manndar. I'm going to try to trace this shinobi, and I may need help; also send word to Anhilur at the Ichijin compound so that he may alert the Hanekage of a highly hostile enemy shinobi of unknown origin; he used an Earth clone so we know he utilizes Earth jutsu." Kei ordered as he looked around and began to walk towards the source of the explosion, it was a stretch but maybe this guy had left something behind to give Kei a lead on him.
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 3:00 pm
After watching Kei's heroic behavior Harou became much more confident to stand at his sensei's side. He moved to Kei's side, standing along side of him. "I use earth jutsu myself. .I may be able to help, and am willing to." He said looking over at Kei.
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 4:40 pm
Kei doesn't know the half of what I can do... but then again, do I? If a Genin could track an assassin of that caliber, he wouldn't have survived long enough to even BE an assassin. Best case scenario, Kei's only a few months away from ANBU... and I've got two years and as many tournaments at the LEAST before I can say the same. I'm overstepping myself, here. The enemy has fled, my teammates are safe for the moment, Mission Bloody Accomplished, it's in the ANBU's hands now. And the Jounins'. We only have the two ANBU, Azure should get on that. Or is recruiting under Nekage's authority as well? Not my problem.
"I'll see to the wounded and make some calls," said Westly. "It was an honor to finally meet you, Kei. I wish the circumstances had been sweeter."
Westly dove off the cliff, a dream thread shooting out at the last moment, a bungee cord of sorts.
I'm no Ichijin to walk on air, but maybe I can learn to walk on mist? I need to ask Nekage about that Chakra Physicalization thing he does as well. Too much shrapnel in ninja fights these days. What happened to 'knife in the dark', huh? I'm a stickler for classics.
Westly landed by Aona and Midori. It took him less than a moment's glace at Midori to know what had happened. It was still too early in his medical training to diagnose complex injuries, but Westly could tell that much. Even if he hadn't run off, the only treatment he could've given Midori was his Last Rites.
He turned instead to Aona. "Can you stand? If you've got a refracture, you'll need to see a real medic when you get back. I can see to the cuts and bruises... I hope." Aona's hands seemed scorched, but the injury wasn't as bad as it looked. First degree at most. There was no blistering or melting.
I won't say another word until she does. I can't. Conversation is the same as battle. You charge in, you die. To win, wait for your opponent to commit themselves to a course of action, and adapt. I can't afford to have her hate me. Too much is riding on this.
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 5:04 pm
Mara just stood there and blinked for a moment. Finally she regained her ability to think straight- after sorting out what had happened- she only had one sentence she could think of to say: "My first battle, and I'm left standing in the dust." Then she noticed Westly had come back. Se wanted to ask him why she was so numb-skulled as to sit there waiting for the end of a fight when she could be helping, but thought less of it. Instead she said, looking like a pipe bomb she was so disappointed, "Where do I go and what do I do? I don't want to be a useless twit."
to late...
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:08 am
The attacker seemed to have simply vanished. There were numerous possibilities for escape routes; his skills were a vast unknown aside from earth jutsu, leaving many avenues to pursue ranging from disguise to underground movement; even a movement seal like Konoha's Yellow Flash used was a theoretical possibility. The only clues to his identity lay in his words and actions, a broad spectrum to try and investigate with how little there was of either.
---
Silently, Aona planted her good foot solidly on the ground, and planting her sword against the ground with the hand on the other side. One firm push, and she forced herself to her feet, keeping her weight off of her injury, stepping as lightly as possible with it as she found her balance. She ignored her relief over Westley being safe, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "I... think the bone's intact..." she responded quietly, "if you know how to handle a sprain then do what you can." Despite the normalcy of her words and tone, her eyes were shaded with a strange sort of darkness.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 2:14 pm
"Forget it Harou, there's nothing left here to find; if he left a trace my tornado wiped it clean and I don't have the ANBU training necessary to track a nin through his chakra signature alone. Let's get back to the group below, I'm more worried about this cliff than anything else right now; his traps and that explosion could very well have damaged the integrity of the rock face, it's probably best if we leave as soon as possible to avoid a landslide." Kei said calmly and rationally as he turned on his heel and headed back down to the edge of the cliff.
Taking a hold of Harou's arm, Kei stepped out into the empty air but his feet fell on a solid platform forged through the Ichijin's Air Walk ability. Gliding on this 'magic carpet' Kei steered them back down to the remainder of the group. "Aona, I know you don't feel anything near good but do you know if Midori had any family? Any one at all we can send his body to? If not I would suggest will build him a cairn and then leave this place at once."
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 4:17 pm
He's already GOT a cairn! ...was what Westly wanted to say, but didn't, because there were two emotionally distraught Jounin nearby, and redundant organs were a privilege, not a right.
That probably crushed his notebook. He showed me it at the lake that one night, and I memorized the contents. Which means that I'm now one of the only two ninjas left in the village who knows how to become a puppetmaster! ...was another thing Westly didn't say. It would've been callous, and Harou was, like, RIGHT THERE. What kind of moron brags about his top secret ace in the hole in front of a rival?
...why the hell don't I feel worse about this? ...We all did what we could. It was unavoidable. I wish him well in his next life. It's all I can do.
"I'm sorry, Aona. I'm only an Academy-level healer," said Westly. "I'll splint the injury so you don't put any weight on it, and give you something for the pain and swelling, but it should heal alright on its own in a week or two."
I can't return the dead to life, nor can I wave my hands and make you feel better about this loss, he meant. We're all here for you if you need us, but only time can heal grief.
He turned to Mara, who seemed to need some advice. "Mara... not everyone is great at everything. With the right training and dedication, you could be one of the most deadly fighters around. You bring a level of firepower to a battle that I can never match. What does it matter, then, if you're not the sort to lead other ninja or command troops in battle?"
Aona's an amazing and cunning fighter, he meant. Moreso than anyone else in the village, I'd trust her to start, fight, and win a guerrilla war that could cripple a small nation, single-handedly. That said, she knows less about leading troops than I do, but as long as I'm here, she doesn't have to.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:30 pm
Harou nodded and drifted down with Kei. It made him feel a bit uneasy, floating down, but after a few seconds his balance wasn't completely thrown off. when they got down to the bottom Harou looked over at the remains of Modori.
"I didn't really know him, but I still feel horrible that this had to happen. . ." He looked over at Aona. "She looks heartbroken as well. . .not to mention in her own physical pain as well. Hmph. That probably doesn't help. . heh. . "Harou cracked his knuckles and waited to see what Kei would have him and Daisuke do next.
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