Wonderland; [Open]

[—calamity]

"Vengeance." Kou seized the handle of his trusted blade, Touketsu, and drew her across the frigid mists. She erupted from her sheath with a brilliant scream, and her crystalline beauty splashed across the horizon. "Revenge," He spun softly in pursuit of the rising blade, thrusting his right palm outwards in a lateral shove. "Justice." Touketsu was returned to her sheath with a sweeping arc that was nearly as fluid as the one which unfastened her. As the weapon settled itself with a firm click, the Jounin lunged frontwards, leading with his left shoulder and preparing several seals with his right hand, which trailed half-hidden behind his body.

"Hyouton!" he exclaimed, his announcement something he would only do in such a relaxed enviroment, "Hyourou no Jutsu!" Without breaking his motion, Kou extended his lung with his right leg and swung his concealed appendage until it struck the earth. There was a scant instance of silence, and then a blockade of frozen waste rose from the earth before the Yukina. It shimmered radiantly in the sunlight, as a proud testament to his power.

Standing, he would place his left hand against the large wall. A silence which even the chilling winds of the Land of Mist could not break ensued. The Yukina, his long coat dancing with the wind, seemed unaware of the dismal cold that had engulfed his surroundings.

He grinned; it was wide and wicked. It was the grin of a man that had vengeance on his mind.

[/justify]

[Raglao]

Through the calm, pervasive mist of Mizu no kuni, a lingering light beamed through in the shape of a grin. Its teeth, wide, sharp and serrated, parted to let out a joyful series of laughter, of which only preceded a deep, rough voice.

"Hyouton, Impressive, kinda dwarfs my specialization. Ah well, what can ya do right? "

A six foot human figure, comprised of knotted muscle and gruesome scars stepped forth from the daunting mist, greeted by a wall of icy constructs. He stopped two meters from it and examined it from top to bottom and both sides, his smile widened. He advanced even more, his left hand, raised to place a open palm against its surface, its texture akin to dry ice.

"Dangerous stuff, especially for me."

That same palm closed, and used its knuckles to tap its surface several times over to gauge its durability, not that he expected it to be soft or anything. His right hand had also been occupied, its fingers curled firmly about Ardemus' wondering if there had been a way for him to convert this wall of ice into a water source, not that he needed it, but just casually wondered.

[—calamity]

"Oh?" Kou turned his head to the rough voice of the newcomer, who he could only describe as humanoid. "A shark man? To think I'd see one before my very eyes." Truth be told, he had heard the stories of the Hoshigaki, but having never seen one himself, he had treated them as mere folklore. To see such a strange man—creature?—standing before him was shocking.

"This ice is my art, Shark-san, please be gentle to the touch." The Jounin removed his hand from the towering block of ice, allowing it to fall to his side as he turned to face the stranger. His eyes were drawn quickly to many of the man's features, including the weapon his right hand had curled around. After a moment of silence, his gaze would return to the wall of ice which now hovered to his left. Soon after, his hand would grace the wall's frozen facade once more.

"What brings you to these frigid lands, Shark-san?" The Hitodama performed several handseals with his right hand and placed the weight of his focus on the wall. Within the time it took the eye to blink, the great wall began to crack, and in a terrifying act of volatility, the frozen blockade exploded into a dense sea of razor-like shards, which flew outwards, away from both the Yukina and the Hoshigaki.

Several more handseals were created with his right hand; as the last of the shards fell to the ground, 10 of the shards which dared remain afloat contorted into the form of small birds, which took flight into the heavens, before finally dissolving and returning to the earth in a shallow curtain of mist.

"Do excuse my showmanship," Kou said, turning to face the Hoshigaki once again, "but I was originally out here to practice my control."

[Raglao]

Through the back corners of his eyes, he watched the fingers of his Icy ally twist, fold, and curl into handseals which triggered the wall to crack and then shatter thereafter. The abrupt destruction startled him, though, no physical action gave it away. He merely stood and watched the mans performance, namely when he sped through another set of seals to use the shards pieces of ice to form into a flock of birds compiled of Hyouton chakra, a duo of jutsu he'd never seen before.

"Weird I haven't met this guy yet."

He mused silently, wondering how a man of such talents escaped his acknowledgement, it had probably been that Kiijin was a meager genin, maybe this man was of a higher rank? There had been no way to tell, and in the end, it hadn't mattered. Kiijin cared very little about ranks and titles, as long as power was universally obtainable for Kirigakure forces. As human turned to Kiijin, he followed suit to show respect as a brother in arms, standing roughly 3 meters the humans position. He was here to practice to control his art, makes sense, a perfected art makes for a deadly one.

" Practice makes perfect they say. Heh, Ardemus could use a tune up here as well, mind giving us a hand? HAHA where are my manners, names Kiijin."

He finally introduced himself, but only with his first name as the last was, well, painfully obvious. Nevertheless his offer to help out with training so the both could benefit from having live targets, even though Kiijin had no intentions of harming the fellow in any way.

[—calamity]

The Jounin couldn't deny that a live target would make his practice far more efficient; in truth, it had been some time since the Yukina prodigy had the chance to use his art on a moving, breathing foe, and though the Hoshigaki Shark-san was no true foe, he appeared to have a body and attitude capable of making a short spar interesting.

"You call that weapon Ardemus?" Kou said, motioning to the weapon at Kiijin's side. Simultaneously, he would leap backwards, placing a fair 10 meters between his comrade-by-village. "I am Kou Takeda," he continued, not really giving Shark-san much time to answer his question. "And I accept your proposition." With that, the Yukina erected his stance, sliding his legs shoulder-width apart and bending his knees at a gentle 165 degree angle.

As he slipped his arms into his long coat, Shark-san would find that his hands were concealed by the fur-cuffs at the end of each sleeve. This was no coincidence, the Hitodama was a very cautious and calculating man.

"I will dull my ice as best I can, as harming a comrade accomplishes little," He said, giving his final offering of words, "but I can make no promises."

[Raglao]

Seems the man took notice to take in Ardemus' name by motioning towards what he called it. Kou Taeda eh? His name revealed, Kiijin's serrated grin widened even more, feeling the butterfly's float within his stomach as he knew the thrill of imminent battle would have soon taken place. He caught the mans movement, y'know, when he leapt backwards a fair 7 meters as to increase the space between them even more. That would have been his moment for assault had he been an enemy, but this hadn't been the case, he was going agasint an ally who fought for the same country, albeit for different reasons.

In moments, Takeda had taken a stance which confirmed the readiness he held to engage with Kiijin. He nodded towards Takeda and allowed him to respectfully finish what he had to say before it started. Kiijin himself took action, releasing ardemus from the black and white obi sash that fastened its body to his hip, holding it towards his side (as well as the other hand) as he ran forward, both feet stepping in front of the other quickly. All the while his grin remained, screaming with happiness and joy as he came forward, he ran at an average speed of three meters per second, devouring 9 meters out of the full 13 that had separated him from Takeda.

Life was so entertaining.

[—calamity]

It would appear, at first glance, that Kou was at the disadvantage; he had laready revealed several of his jutsu, as well as the foundation of his art in and of itself. His foe, on the other hand, did not reveal much information. There was no way to tell what the extent of his power was, but there were several clues.

Foremost, the wide grin of the Hoshigaki would betray him. Shark-san had a thirst for battle, which quickly informed his opponent that he was not nervous, nor was he untested. Next, he referred to his weapon affectionately, and by name; this implied that Ardemus was likely no simple blade. Finally, he charged headlong at his opponent, gripping this weapon, even knowing that Kou possessed control of Hyouton Jutsu. Kiijin either had a large amount of faith in his weapon, his Taijutsu, or a combination of both.

Beneath the veil of his right sleeve, the Hitodama created several quick handseals, then began to move backwards. He would not leap, nor would he run—instead, the Jounin literally slid across the ground, his speed doubled by a path of ice that had manifested itself beneath him. While Shark-san would close the distance at 3 meters per second, Kou would open it at 6 meters per second. As a secondary effect of this jutsu, the Hoshigaki would soon encounter the path of ice, and were he to cross it at his current speed, he could very well find himself losing balance.

Once the distance returned to and looked to exceed 10 meters, the Yukina drew his left arm into the folds of his coat.

Yukisuberidai (Ice Sliding)
Rank: D
Type: Supplementary / Hyouton Kekkei Touta
Range: --
Handseals: Yes
Chakra: Low [Initial/Upkeep]
Special: User's maximum movement speed is doubled during sliding. Can only perform Ice jutsu while sliding. Can be held for one turn before needing a cool down, plus one more each time retrained; cool down equals the amount of posts used to slide. While sliding, only Hyouton jutsu may be used.
Description: A simple ninjutsu meant to exploit the Hyouton user's skills, this technique allows the shinobi to essentially cut their travel time down in half. After a few simple seals, wind and water come together below the user's feet, creating a fast moving sheet of ice which the user rides on as if it were a surfing board.
Domain: Hyouton. Hyouton Ryuuken 'D'.

[Raglao]

!

The moment Kiijin successfully breached the 6 meter threshold as intended, his opponent, whose movements were easily traceable, increases exponentially, doubling in what seemed to be an instant. He virtually negated His movement as a whole, moving back 6 meters as he advanced, making it almost seem as though no distance was gained at all in Kiijin's favor. Using seals discreetly beneath the sleeves of ones own sleeves, at least it was the most feasible reason as to how he activated his jutsu without overtly performing seals - clever. He refused to stop, devouring another three meters as he approached the oh so obvious streak of ice that was parallel to him by 3 meters.

With his leading foot (at the time) at the back, once it came forward, he moved it forward and to the side, after that he brought his left foot forward accordingly and returned to his basic running pattern and speed. The line of ice had now been roughly a couple feet from Kiijin's left foot. Going forward another 3 meters had been when and where he reached Takeda's previous position. But suddenly he came to a sliding, 1 meter stop while having concurrently raised Ardemus out to his front, pointing its tip towards Takeda's chest. He knew chasing after him with that level of speed would be like a dog mindlessly chasing a speeding car - fruitless.

Taijutsu had always been a preferred option for Kiijin given his stacked weight and passive muscle and inhuman strength, but he too knew when it was needed and ineffective. Ardemus' already light blue glow shined even brighter, not blinding, but noticeable, an effect caused by the its essence that now mixed in with Kiijin's own, and where seals would ordinarily be required, it hadn't been in this case. The chances of surprising Takeda was high, but it having solid effect given his speed made it debatable, but in the end, Kiijin would have still enjoyed himself.

In an instant, using Ardemus' infinite source of water, shot forth a duo of condensed balls of water. The second led behind the primary ball, identical in size and shape, making appear to be only a single ball of water, both of which traveled in a straight line aimed for Takeda's chest.

|- Ardemus: 'A' | Sealess Suiton

|- Teppoudama (Bullet)
Rank: C - C [100]
Type: Offensive / Suiton Ninjutsu
Range: 0 - 20 meters
Handseals: Yes.
Chakra: Mid
Special: Bullets are fired from the mouth, all at once in the form of straight lined stream–like fashion. By default, 5 bullets can be fired at once, plus 5 more each time retrained. Must hold seals while firing. Bullets pierces 'C' ranked barriers and below, and move at the speed of a kunai.
Description: A simple yet effective suiton technique, after forming the necessary hand seals, the user manifests bullet sized water projectiles in their mouth, which can then spit at their opponent at fast speeds for a quick attack. As the user’s knowledge of the this technique increases, so does the amount of bullets they can fire off.
Domain: Suiton.

[—calamity]

In battle, it is unwise to ever take your opponent's actions for granted; one should never assume a movement is wasted; they should never believe that their opponent has made a mistake. When Shark-san came to a somewhat abrupt halt and swung his blade, Ardemus, ahead of him, facing the tip at Kou, two things became clear.

First, the Hoshigaki had given up in his attempt to close the gap between the two of them. Next, he felt that aiming the sword at Kou would enable him to progress in this battle. This second observation was reinforced with the blue glow of the weapon grew more intense.

Kou formed a single handseal with his right hand(still hidden by the sleeve), and as the Teppodama took form and rushed towards him, he used the edifice of a small tile of ice to push himself to the right, the accelerated power of pushing off from the small platform enough to easily give him clearance of not just one, but two water bullets.

Keeping with the fluidity of his movements, Kou continued to strafe to the side at a jogging pace, fully aware that the water which had just traveled into his blindspot could become a weapon against him, his arcing motion would allow him to notice if the Teppodama Bullets were manipulated in any other way, while still granting him the ability to keep his distance from Kiijin.

While creating another small string of handseals with his right hand, the Hitodama drew his left arm from his coat, launching a single Kunai across what had now become a 12 meter gap between he and his opponent. He would not slow or change his pace as he did this; whilst the weapon traveled through the air, Kou would continue to move in the strafing arc 12 meters outside of Kijiin's position.

As the kunai neared its target, the first flakes of winter would fall upon the field.

Tobihaneru (Swift Ice Step)
Rank: D
Type: Supplementary / Clan Kekkei Touta / Hyouton Ninjutsu
Range: See special!
Handseals: Yes.
Chakra: Low
Special: Tiles can be placed anywhere within the user's 'Yuki no Kami' range. Up to one tile can be made per use, plus one more each time retrained.
Description: Although basic, this jutsu nonetheless is hhighly effective for mobile Yukina members. After forming a single handseal, the clan member can create a floating ice tile anywhere they wish within range, allowing them to use it as a stepping stone towards higher planes.
Domain: Yukina. Yuki no Kami 'D'.

Gentou-Hatsugoori (Bringer of Winter)
Rank: C x2
Type: Supplementary / Hyouton Kekkei Touta
Range: See special!
Handseals: Yes
Chakra: Mid [Initial + Upkeep]
Special: Range of snowstorm and severity of ice depends on user's highest 'Ice Dominion' rank. Winter lasts for one turn, plus one more each time relearned.
Description: One of the most fundamental Hyouton jutsu, the Bringer of Winter allows the shinobi to summon forth a snowstorm that provides them with enough snow and ice for the rest of the battle. After a set of handseals, the user conjures up a raging snow storm, sending their chakra overhead and forcing driving snow to fall within seconds. Ice and snow fly at rapid levels, and visibility is quickly lowered. The snow, though imbued with chakra, is still snow, meaning it is susceptible to the conditions of the temperature zone.
Domain: Hyouton. Hyouton Ryuuken 'C'.

[Raglao]

His veiled duo of water bullets had been avoided, namely by some formation of ice that shoved Takeda off sideways, which allowed him to strafe past the water bullets. If Kiijin's smile could have gotten any wider, it would have without the shadow of a doubt, even if the battle had gone on for only a handful of seconds. His sidewards (to the right, didn't think it mattered, if it does tell me.), circling motion had been hella' fast, doubled to what Kiijin himself could physically manage, but he hadn't been untraceable.

He continued with that same sideward motion and began to circle around towards Kiijin's flank, as he came around towards his side, Kiijin's body, head, and eyes respectively turn, still mindful of the icy line that was about two feet behind him. A kunai, one of which seemed to have slid from his sleeve had been launched towards his position, and from what he could see overtly, it carried no lethal addition, which led him (addition or not) to raise his left forearm to swipe horizontally (right to left). He swatted it away, namely few meters off to the side with his hardened, scaley flesh (B). He incurred little to no damage at all, but with his opponents speed, and the speed in which he circled around Kiijin, he knew it'd become a problem soon enough.

Instead of chasing after him, he pointed ardemus' tip towards the heavens above, using his chakra to call upon Baku suishoha. From the tip, a massive amount of water sprayed, enough to drown a small village. His eyes remained upon Takeda's mobile body as his own body turned (as well as his legs) as to keep him in Kiijin's line of sight, ready to use his left arm and legs while his right remained occupied.

|- Samehada (Shark skin) 'B'

|- Baku Suishouha (Bursting Water Collision Waves)
Rank: B [100]
Type: Offensive / Suiton Ninjutsu
Range: 0 - 40 meters
Handseals: Yes.
Chakra: Very High
Special: The waves are delivered through the user's mouth and proceed to rapidly flood out an entire area. When the user is ‘surfing’ the waves, their movement speed temporarily doubles. Flooding depends on how long the user spends time spewing water, and as a result, amounts are measured by height, width and length.
Quarter turn spill: 10m x 10m x 10m
Half turn spill: 20m x 20m x 20m
Full turn spill: 40m x 40m x 40m

Description: Baku Suishouha is an offensive ninjutsu technique utilizing Suiton. After forming the needed handseals, the user will take a deep breath and appear to expel water from their mouth or gullet. This will then expand into a large volume of water, propelled forwards at high speeds, resulting in powerful initial blasting damage, as well as plenty of water to flood a small village, break down large barriers, or put out large fires. Lastly, if the user wishes, they can push a bit of additional chakra into their feel so that they can essentially walk along the water and even ride it as if they were surfing.
Domain: Suiton.

[—calamity]

It appeared that Ardemus had two abilities that were crucial to this fight. The first was that it could act as a source of water for its wielder, and the second was that it enabled them to perform Ninjutsu without the aid of handseals. Further, it was the weapon itself which acted as the point of origin for these abilities, and not the owner of the weapon. This information was compounded with the discovery of Shark-san's unusually adamant flesh—skin which deflected his kunai with minimal, if any, damage.

Those things considered, Kiijin had fallen into a situation which he might find difficult to handle. As the kunai was flung in his direction, the first flakes of winter had emerged; by the time he had deflected the weapon, the full effects of Gentou-Hatsugoori would have taken effect: a curtain of snow and ice had befallen the battlefield. While the kunai was being smacked away, a new set of handseals would be performed by the right(hidden) hand.

As Shark-san thrust his blade to the heavens, and readied himself to expel his water upon the land, numerous senbon would take shape in the snow and ice around him. Hardly discernible from the ice which was naturally falling, the senbon would number at 100, positioned in a dome all around the Hoshigake. The Senbon, as water began to spill from Ardemus, would race towards Shark-san. They were very powerful, and would sting and sear the flesh if they struck him, but as this was a battle between comrades, their true lethality was hindered: these would not be lethal Senbon.

The water which erupted from Ardemus, naturally, was an issue that would still have to be dealt with. As these proceedings took place, the Jounin would cmoe to a standstill. Without moving, he would focus and exert his chakra upon the surroundings.

As the water spilled from the blade, the Yukina would attempt to exert himself upon it, and submit it to his domain. Should such a thing happen, then Shark-san would find that his water was being turned to ice just as quickly as it was produced.

Sensatsu Suishou (Death by a Thousand Flying Water Needles)
Rank: B
Type: Offensive / Clan Kekkei Touta / Hyouton Ninjutsu
Range: See special!
Handseals: Yes.
Chakra: High
Special: Strength and range of needles depends on user's highest 'Yuki no Kami' rank. Up to 100 needles may be formed when first learned, plus 100 more each time retrained, up to a maximum of 1,000.
Description: After forming the needed hand seals, the clan member either kicks water into the air with their foot or gathers some from the air and surrounding environment. The water then rises into the air and takes the form of a thousand long needles. Directed to a specific target at high speeds, these needles then come raining down while leaping backwards before impact so as not to get caught in the crossfire. In the end, the needles surround the target from all sides, providing no form of escape whatsoever.
Domain: Yukina. Yuki no Kami 'B'.

Yuki no Kami (Gods of Ice)
Rank: D, C, B, A
Type: Supplementary / Clan Kekkei Touta / Hyouton Ninjutsu
Range: 0 - 50 meters
Handseals: No.
Chakra: ---
Special: Dominion extends 10 meters in every direction of the user, and goes up 10 more with each rank learned. Determines rank strength behind all CLAN Hyouton ninjutsu. If this is learned, the user automatically gains the effects of Hyouton Ryuuken (Ice Dominion), and as such does not need to learn it as this can be used as a substitute.
Description: Able to manipulate Ice better than the rest, the Yukina Kekkei Genkai specializes in the accelerated recomposition of Hyouton chakra, able to create surdy, powerful creations within seconds. Serving as the basis to the Yukina's ability, their advanced Ice skills has earned them the nickname 'Gods of Ice'.
Domain: Yukina.

Hyouton Ryuuken (Ice Dominion)
Rank: D, C, B, A
Type: Supplementary / Hyouton Kekkei Touta
Range: 0 - 50 meters
Handseals: No
Chakra: High
Special: Allows the user the ability to create, control and move Hyouton (Ice) chakra of their own for multiple purposes. Range of creation, speed of freezing and severity of ice depends on highest rank known.

D: 10 meters // Whole Turn
C: 20 meters // 3/4th of Turn
B: 30 meters // Half of Turn
A: 40 meters // 1/4th of Turn

Description: The basis behind the majority of Hyouton techniques lie in the user's ability to control the very molecules of air and water around them, so that ice may be created on a whim from anywhere the user stands. 'Ice Dominion' is just as its name implies, a fundamental supplementary jutsu of Hyouton nature that allows the user to intermingle their chakra with that of nature, harmonizing the two in order to create as much ice as they can afford chakra-wise all around them. Once this link is achieved, the door is opened for greater creations to be made.
Domain: Hyouton.

[Raglao]

Snow and winter, the elements that formed the blizzard that soon surrounded the general area, which originated the man, an ally of Kirigakure and Kiijin. He had been impressive through Kiijin's eyes, but even with his alert on high level, seeing minuscule senbon through out the entire coating of snowflakes that pelted the area made it near impossible to see, at least without any sort of chakra sensing capability. But, he needed none in this instant as his passive abilities that blessed him from birth played a large part in his defense. Some of the needles that did in fact form above Kiijin (if some truly did) would have been negated by the pressured water that billowed into the air from Ardemus' tip.

But the others, the others that aimed to pelt him from all around, were unavoidable, that much could not have happened otherwise. With that accepted, his body filled with minuscule pain as the senbon rived through his shark skin. Although they were small in size, the damage carried with them had been quite strong and undeniable. However, Coupled with the man having held back the true lethality of his attack, the damage taken had been more than enough for him to remain alive. His face cringed in pain, his knees trembled and caused him to fall to one knee, his grin remained and his eyes still content on not losing Takeda's position.

By now the water ejected at least reached 20 meters (roughly 10 meters wide just from the width of the wave) before having frozen solid. Given the added weight from the column of ice that now hung from Ardemus' tip, that same right arm plummeted back down and attempted to smash Takeda with his own creations, he'd live, but by god it'd hurt like hell.

Bloody and hurt, his grin had been wider than ever, curved into a near sadistic smile.

"Hehe. You're somethin' else!"

[—calamity]

Shark-san was a resilient man; his toughness and determination earned the respect of the Yukina. However, it would be a cold day in hell before he would allow himself to be bludgeoned by his own creation.

Kiijin had taken several shots to his body as a result of the frozen senbon from moments beforehand. His knees buckled, and he began to lose his footing. As the ice began to creep upon Ardemus' tip, it was only natural to assume that the overbearing weight would bring the large chunk of ice crashing downwards. Such a scenario would put an unprepared ninja at risk.

Kou Takeda was not an unprepared ninja.

A true ninja is constantly aware of his surroundings; he is always considerate of danger, and from what angle that danger might approach. He always has an exit plan.

to raise his left forearm to swipe horizontally (right to left). He swatted it away, namely few meters off to the side

His sidewards (to the right,

For an instant, it appeared Kou Takeda had been smashed beneath the weight of the ice. However, as the debris settled, what lay beneath the chunks of frozen waste was not a ninja, but a kunai.

"You're quite tough, Shark-san," came a voice a few meters off to the right, "and that sword is quite interesting." The Hitodama stood, unmarred, off to the side, having swapped his position with the kunai he had previous thrown, which had been deflected in the direction of his strafe.

Kawarimi no Jutsu (Body Replacement Technique)
Rank: E
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu
Range: 0 - 5 meters
Handseals: No.
Chakra: Very Low
Special: Switch is near-instantaneous. Kawarimi can only be used once per thread, plus one more each time retrained. However, the technique itself can only be used once per turn, regardless of retraining. Requires the user to switch with objects equal or smaller in size; cannot switch with other living people or animals.
Description: This jutsu lets the user quickly switch places with another nearby object, such as a plant (normally a section of a log), an animal, the moment an attack hits. This creates an optical illusion, making the enemy think the attack was successful. The user can then use this confusion to escape or launch a counter-attack - i.e. exploding tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise.
Domain: Academy Ninjutsu.

[Raglao]

As the column of ice came down upon the moist earth, its weight increased its velocity over a short time, which caused it to shatter upon impact with the floor. It freed Ardemus from frozen essence, and sheathed itself carefully with a quick second swing of his arm. Kneeled on a single knee he caught his breath, mulling over how he would have surely lost, combating a advanced release that easily surmounted his own, but hey, he had to test his limitations, but it seemed even without the need of seals, Ice proved to be more superior than water in every way.

"Heh, man oh man that Hyou-*painful grunt*-ton is somethin' else. Pretty dangerous stuff right there."

Catching his breath, he managed to gather enough strength, he came to a full stand, breathing fairly heavy as the pain made it somewhat difficult to move, through the shattered ice, there had been not a single trace of a body, but instead a single kunai hidden amongst the debris. He realized he missed, and Takeda's voice that originated from his right confirmed his safety as he motioned towards Kiijin's toughness and the sword that he bore, Ardemus.

His body still riddled with iced senbon, he simply folded his arms, his grin still eternal, showing his serrated teeth as he spoke once more.

"Looks like I lost. That Hyouton isn't something to play with that's for damn sure. So while I rest a bit, what seems to be your story Takeda-san, I could use a good story after this beating I just took hehe."

[—calamity]

"You are unlikely to encounter another Hyouton user who controls his ice as well as me," The Hitodama came to kneel across from the exhausted Shark-san, offering him a bit of a grin as he planted his hand against the snow to steady himself, "I am a member of the Yukina Clan."

The snow would continue to fall for several moments; Kou would relish their cool embrace for several seconds before continuing. "I am a Jounin from the village, though I am only 19 years old." He traced his fingers through the snow, drawing several kanji that bore very little relevance to what he said.

"At a young age, I lost my family to a Nukenin from Konohagakure." Though it was a bitter memory, the Jounin did not show any signs of emotion. He paused for a second, albeit brief, then spoke again, "unfortunately, there isn't much story to tell beyond this. My only driving force is justice—or perhaps vengeance, I no longer know—and I will see the man who took my family dead at my feet." The matter of fact tone with which this last statement was spoken was haunting.

After a few seconds of silence, the young Yukina would turn to face Kiijin. "What of you, Shark-san? What is your story?"