extra targets, extra practice (r)

[johnny.]

As the sun lazily fell further and further from the center of the sky, it's body being split by the distant horizon, the harsh sands were stained with a vibrant orange. Lifestyles interchanged in the desert. Birds sought refuge, while lizards burrowed into their own abodes, hiding from the predators of the night. Those with a price on their head should have followed suit.

An encampment near cliff walls amongst a vast pit of harsh winds and rolling sands wasn't exactly easy to find, but no where near impossible. A blurred visage approached from the distance, the near-invisible heatwaves disfiguring the image as it approached the establishments of tents. Three men that surrounded the impressively built fire stood up, hands reaching to the weapons that hung from their waists. The whispers they muttered to each other were no where near audible to the predator that stepped casually towards them. The distance was still great... for now.

As more men shuffled from the tents, doubling the once group of three, they all began different methods to get a better visual of Koji, the figure that was approaching. Many cupped their hands over their eyes, others simply just squint. In the end, Koji just felt inclined to help. A few simple hand-seals would be made, before preforming a small hop. A construction of ice grew from literally nothing, his feet landing on it easily. In a quick boost of speed, he was now surfing the hot sands, the wind pushing back his exposed hair. While at first, the men showed no expression to the movement, after a few seconds, they were struggling to withdraw their weapons, fearful of the fast moving man.

---

Yukisuberidai (Ice Sliding)
Rank: D
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu / Kekkei Touta
Range: See special!
Special: Doubles user's maximum movement speed. Can only perform Ice jutsu while sliding.
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. Must know Ice Dominion 'D'.

[johnny.]

The surprised men shuffled in place, preparing to defend against the high-speed target. A good ten meters from the closest man, Koji lightly hopped off the sheet of ice, watching the construct disassemble and melt instantly. He landed on the sand with the same casual walk, deciding to deal with the situation with a bit of mannerism. With a confident and inquisitional tone, he asked, "Might mister Yamato Matsu be hiding out over here?"

The closest man refused to talk, a larger club still gripped tightly; definitely waiting for the orders of few behind him. A scruffy and dirty larger individual stepped forward, the sweat glistening on his chubby face, surprising for the fact that his body was in pretty good shape. While Koji expected a hi-voice as it was unexpected, 'piggy' (what he will be referred to as from now on) called out in a husky tone, pronunciation slurred, "Who teh hell'r you?!" There was a hint of threat behind the words... that and the heavy foreign ax he wielded.

"I'll take that as a yes. Well, tell him to surrender himself, or I'm going to come in and drag him out by his ears... with or without the rest of his body," Koji demanded.

The men were a bit taken back, and despite their fear, remained loyal. Piggy howled, and the closest man, much more thin and less fit than the rest charged forward. Immediately, he began to stagger and stumble to the ground, sharp needles exposed from his thigh, and two more well placed in his feet. One hand was extended in the form of a fist from Koji, with a senbon launcher tucked behind the fabric and arm-guards. eight were fired, and two more sat ready in his clip.

The grunt of the group looked up, rage and fury still present. He was small, but tough. Struggling to his feet, he took two more steps before Kojiro decided to cut the advancing man short. One more squeeze, and two more steel projectiles fired out, landing accurately in the good ol' medula oblongata. He stood still for a moment, occasionally twitching. Eventually he fell flat back, body paralyzed from the lethal attack, and with that Koji simply walked forward, walking around the grunts body.

The rest of the men weren't too happy with that.

---

2/3 Senbon packs remaining.

[johnny.]

In response to their fallen ally, two more men that stood aside Piggy rushed at the lightly armored shinobi. They seemed a bit more trained than and better quipped than the first victim, though their posture didn't vary much. Two rough swords swung at Koji, both sloppily aimed at his lower torso. With one step back, both missed, and to answer to their mistakes, the shinobi unsheathed his own blade, it's metal reflecting the little remaining light from the declining sun.

With a fierce charge, Kojiro slammed his shoulder against the chest of the fighter located on his left. The man staggered one step before falling back. While he attempted to shuffle to his feet, he watched as the recovery for Kojiro's attack with near-nonexistent, able to easily bring the blade diagonally, from top to bottom, across the second trooper. The metal tooth easily cut through the dirty cloth, tearing deep into the flesh of the victim. A trail of crimson followed the pathing of the weapon, straight from the left shoulder to the right hip. Liquid expelled from the large wound, and the man cried in an agonizing pain, throwing himself on the sand, and rolling around. The wound was already fatal, and any chance of his survival was ending with his ill-prepared reaction to the attack. The sharp kernels of sand dug into his wound, turning the gash into a valley of moist dirt.

Koji prepared little time to watch the man die, and already has attention locked onto the man that was just now rising to his feet, still shaken by the initial attack. He swung aggressively, still not fully balanced. Their swords met, and Koji was prepared for the counter. Kicking him back with a strong foot, though with not enough power to knock him over, he mimicked a sheathed blade to prepare for a more precise attack. "Mae Zuki..." he would whisper before his blade quickly shot forward into the throat of the second man, quickly snapping back into a sheathed state.

The man gasped, cupping the wound. Blood seeped through the cracks of his fingers, and palm. He choked, coughing hard occasionally. Though alive, he was in no shape to fight, and everyone knew it. Falling back onto the floor, he crawled with one hand and two legs back to the group, whimpering, and attempting to call out for help. The others paid no attention to him, angry eyes still focused on their attacker... Hopefully the big dogs were ready to play...

---

2/3 Senbon packs remaining.

* Mae Zuki (Front Thrust)
Rank: D
Type: Offensive / Taijutsu / Kenjutsu
Range: 0 - 5 meters
Special: Rank of strike depends on the user's highest 'Battojutsu' rank. Each time retrained, 'D' ranked damage is stacked.
Description: Commencing from a standing position, the practitioner draws and thrusts a frontal attacker then quickly sheathes. As they invest more time and practice into the art of offensive sheathing, their overall offensive rating shall increase.
Domain: Kenjutsu. Battojutsu 'D'.

[johnny.]

Then there were three... Piggy... and two others of equal size. Their bulk fit snug in the under-sized clothing they wore, and all had some sort of decorative headpiece. Piggy had a little cloth hat that hung lightly from the back of his head, while the other two (who seemed to awkwardly move in unison) both represented full on head wraps, revealing nothing more than their tired eyes. Like before, their skill seemed to subdue the aforementioned grunts, and appeared to be the upper echelon of the encampment... for all who were there anyways.

The twins started forward, one bearing a large pike with a dull, yet equally terrifying head, while the other a variant of a broadsword... a falchion. One rare weapon to see in the present day. They started their advance slow, and suddenly the falchion-user dashed forward in a foreign stance. His body twirled, and his arms rotated extending the falchion forward in a hard to block manner. Kojiro hopped back, narrowly evading the weapon. The assault didn't end. The opponent, in a fluent fashion preformed a 360-spin with the blade cutting through the arid winds with ease in a horizontal fashion. Koji's blade clashed, though the falchion carried much more force, and staggered the shinobi.

Kojiro flipped back, and brought his blade out, slashing at the exposed legs of the opponent. A fierce force slammed his sword into the ground, the cause of that a heavy spear. Koji pulled his blade back, flipping once more backwards, and prepared for the onslaught of attacks. A spear tip shot at his leg, and he avoided it, though it threw him off balance. His sword clashed once more with a horizontal strike from the falchion, though this time his staggered state threw him to the floor. Rolling to the side, Koji would meneuver away from the heavy spear that once against smashed into the sandy surface. Amidst his roll, the falchion knocked his own ninjato from his hands, leaving Kojiro unarmed and on the floor. A grave position...

---

2/3 Senbon packs remaining.

[johnny.]

Ninja training prepared him for these situations, and he with the calmness that was required to win. With quick precision, his hands formed into three seals, before the hyouton-user shouted, "Hyouton Ryuuken!" A surface of snow sprouted from around him, causing surprise to the twins, and giving him that extra second to recover to his knees, four meters from their positions. Again he formed seals, then followed by placing his hands against the surface of snow. A mass of force erupted from the white blanket, diving towards both targets. The forceful wave shot them back, and Kojiro took the advantage to dash forward, grabbing the downed weapon while he had a chance. The tip of the sword cut through the snow as he ran, both hands carrying the weapon, towards the spear user. With a solid dash, and an upward slash, the weapon cut through the man's side, and ripped out, into the air. He bellowed in pain, and wiggled more on the floor. An effective strike, but not a deadly one.

Turning the blade around, he slashed back downwards, this time meeting the neck of the victim. It was a sloppy cut due to the abundance of rag that was layered over, but it's purpose was surface, and the foes life ceased at that moment. The blood soaked through the starched wraps quickly, joining a place in the crimson snow that had been created from the initial wound. Koji smirked, but was suddenly caught off guard by a blade that cut through his thigh. It wasn't a shallow wound, but no where near the effectiveness required to down the shinobi.

His brows furrowed, accompanied by fierce orbs that glistened in the escaping sun. Koji stepped forward quickly, and threw his head into the wrapped skull of his opponent, disorienting the target, and slightly himself. Stabbing his ninjato through the thigh of the second twin, it's tip dug deep into the ground below, pinning the man in spot. Koji followed up by delivering his right elbow into his opponent's left jaw, twirling his body around to prepare a strong roundhouse kicked to the same spot. When his foot landed, his stopped the remaining twirl mid-spin, and delivered another elbow directly to the mercenaries face, throwing his torso back. Kojiro's left hand cradled the man's head, his fingers curling and grasping the rags. Clenching his left fist, he fired it into the face, expelling ten loaded senbon into the skull from point black. Each fired needle caused the man to twitch in spot, and from the back of his head (the part the Piggy was seeing) blood seeped heavily into the rags.

Reaching for the blade, Kojiro unpinned his target, and kicked him to the floor, revealing a mutilated face. A simple flick of the wrist would throw off a good portion of the blood that stained the ninjato, but a strong amount still existed. His arms fell to his side, the blade aimed downwards, and it's tip stepping into the edge of the snow. Piggy and Matsu remained...

---

1.2/3 Senbon packs remaining.


Yuki Ashiwasa no Jutsu (Snow Wave Technique)
Rank: D
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu / Kekkei Touta
Range: See special!
Special: Wave distance and width depends on user's maximum 'Ice Dominion' rank. Rupture moves at the same speed as the user.
Description: Though basic, this Hyouton ninjutsu is useful when faced with a precarious foe. After a few simple seals, the user places their hands onto the ground, given already existing snow is in place. Once their hand creates contact with the ground, the user's special chakra combines and displaces the attack. Within moments, a sudden rupture appears along the snow or ice, as if some sort of energy is rapidly approaching a target and causing the ground along the way to be overturned and disturbed greatly. When reaching contact with the target, the opponent will most likely be thrown back, or at least finding themselves at a loss of balance.
Domain: Hyouton. Must know Ice Dominion 'D'.

Hyouton Ryuuken (Ice Dominion)
Rank: D, C
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu / Kekkei Touta
Range: 0 - 50 meters
Special: Dominion extends 10 meters in every direction of the user, and goes up 10 more with each rank learned.
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.

[johnny.]

Piggy was far from in a good mood. At the least, he just hand a band of allies slaughtered in front of them, some still squirming and gasping for life at the moment, and at the worst, possible brothers and good friends were now on the floor bleeding away the precious time the creator had given them. Regardless of who they were to them, their defeat had definitely called forth a very heavy amount of rage - something that Piggy seemed to manifest and usurp to only imbue himself with greater strength.

Raising the ax, he charged forward with impressive speed, though with a very mongrel-esque method of attack. Completely wide open at the torso, and judging from the weight of the weapon, there would be no 'instant' use of its strike. And that's how people lose fights, underestimation. As Kojiro moved to intercept the attack, pain still eating at his side, Piggy only moved twice a fast as before. And with a heavy cleave, the ax fell from the sky, tearing through the wind, directed at the light-framed body of Kojiro. Hastily, he jumped from danger, nearly losing a leg to the attack. Kojiro felt safe for now, believing that it would take time to bring forth another charge for an attack, and was he wrong. They heavy-handed ax swung from its downward position just as quickly to the side, hoping to rip Kojiro in half. Again he left, though this time the weapon's head clipped off one of his shin braces, leaving part of his skin exposed.

Relentlessly, Piggy swung, and due to the initial underestimation of the ability, Koji was caught too far off guard to recover amidst the flurry of powerful cuts. All the scene was, was the shinobi jumping further and further back, narrowly avoiding death or a mortal wound; though, suffering either very shallow cuts, or his armor being disassembled.

Fortunately, Piggy would make a mistake. The constant bouncing left Kojiro's position near a propped tent, and Piggy's swing would rip up the heavy fabric, as well as catch one of the ropes that acted as the support for a quarter of the tent. As it fell, Piggy struggled to get loose of the entanglement, and Koji used that time to prop to his feet, and gain a few meters of distance.

Once Piggy was completely free of the Fabric, glared down the opponent, watching as hand seals would lead to the creation of a replica. Shinobi arts were foreign to the man to an extent. He knew there were clone techniques, but how to react to them, he was at a lost. It was a two on one fight now, and he was unprepared for what Kojiro had in mind...

---

1.2/3 Senbon packs remaining.

Yuki Bunshin no Jutsu (Ice Clone Technique)
Rank: C
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu / Kekkei Touta
Range: See special!
Special: Clone speed is slower than that of the user, but all taijutsu strikes hit with the equivalent taijutsu power of the user's highest 'Ice Dominion' rank. Up to one clone can be made at a time, plus one more each time retrained. Explosion range covers 5 meters.
Description: With this technique, the Hyouton user is able to call upon aid from a perfect copy of themselves. Comprised purely of the ice available to the ninja, this clone is slightly sluggish with its movement speed due to speed, but can share linked mental judgement, and with its weight, smash enemies hard. Best of all, when defeated, the clone explodes, letting loose an icy essence that aims to take over the nearest opponent available and leave them a frozen block.
Domain: Hyouton. Must know Ice Dominion 'C'.

[johnny.]

With a mental thought, the clone would charge forward with enthusiasm, almost crying to be swung down by the ax. And Piggy answered. His confident smug, and belief he was besting a ninja's powers was making him overconfident, something the hot-head didn't need. And Kojiro only felt inclined to force the man to 'chill-out' a bit. Piggy swung, the dull edge clipping the clone's lower torso, and cracking it's shell of ice. Its running force toppled the built thug, and only forced the ax all the way through. It was a victory for Kojiro as the body of his clone erupted into a fog of white, engulfing the downed man. What lay in the way of the attack was a frozen body, only parts of the skin escaping the prison of ice.

With a smug smirk, Koji stepped forward, expressing a cocky walk. Piggy was alive, but in no ability to fight, as major parts of body were encased in the frozen water. He was a scary fighter, and being the man to take precaution, Koji raised a blade to erase Piggy's existence from the planet.

What had forced the Suna-nin to think otherwise? No one knew... maybe it was his own nature. Instead of bringing a blade across the heavy face, he instead landed a quick thrust of his foot, knocking the man out of consciousness. The fight was done... or so he thought.

Rising from the rubble of the fallen tents was a familiar face... Matsu. While he didn't match the exact depiction in the papers, the job was still there - kill the man and bring his head to the contractor. While alive was acceptable, he was definitely desired to be dead before-hand. And Kojiro wanted to maintain the reputation as a people-pleaser. Holding the sword firm, he prepared for another dual, though Matsu remained steadily unarmed, he had something else in mind.

That was the number of grunts escaping the burrows of their tents. While they seemed no more trained than the first grunt he killed, their numbers would make up for their lack of skill. Ten stood ready to charge, and all of them as angry as Piggy was himself...

---

1.2/3 Senbon packs remaining.

Yuki Bunshin no Jutsu (Ice Clone Technique)
Rank: C
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu / Kekkei Touta
Range: See special!
Special: Clone speed is slower than that of the user, but all taijutsu strikes hit with the equivalent taijutsu power of the user's highest 'Ice Dominion' rank. Up to one clone can be made at a time, plus one more each time retrained. Explosion range covers 5 meters.
Description: With this technique, the Hyouton user is able to call upon aid from a perfect copy of themselves. Comprised purely of the ice available to the ninja, this clone is slightly sluggish with its movement speed due to speed, but can share linked mental judgement, and with its weight, smash enemies hard. Best of all, when defeated, the clone explodes, letting loose an icy essence that aims to take over the nearest opponent available and leave them a frozen block.
Domain: Hyouton. Must know Ice Dominion 'C'.

[johnny.]

And they charged. All ten of them. Each wielded poorly crafted weapons, but their number advantage would erase that fact. He had to be smart about this, or these lackluster soldiers would tear through his injured body, and feast in a glorifying bath of victory. A dramatic thought? Maybe?

Sheathing his sword, Kojiro placed his hands together in an intricate patterns, calling forth the vary basis of hyouton techniques. A field of snow once again created itself, partially connecting with the first field. Altogether, 85% of the campgrounds were now submerged in a layer of white frost, and a layer of support for Kojiro. He allowed no time to pause as he executed more commands, this time a rush of force was conjured. The snow shot from the ground, as if something were burrowing fast towards the group of charging men. In a fierce explosion, many were knocked aside, and others toppled on each other, disorienting the group as a whole.

The fatigue of chakra consumption started to kick in, and each passing skill seemed to wind him down twice as much as the previous. He had to maintain his fortitude and constitution however. This battle was almost over.

Rushing forward, his hand withdrew the silver ninjato, and Kojiro would charge valiantly into the discombobulated group, hoping to at least cut their numbers in half. It was a risky procedure, but if he properly estimated the skill different, he would get through this unscathed. Which he preferred as his side was really starting to give him hell now.

---

1.2/3 Senbon packs remaining.

Hyouton Ryuuken (Ice Dominion)
Rank: D, C
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu / Kekkei Touta
Range: 0 - 50 meters
Special: Dominion extends 10 meters in every direction of the user, and goes up 10 more with each rank learned.
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.

Yuki Ashiwasa no Jutsu (Snow Wave Technique)
Rank: D
Type: Supplementary / Ninjutsu / Kekkei Touta
Range: See special!
Special: Wave distance and width depends on user's maximum 'Ice Dominion' rank. Rupture moves at the same speed as the user.
Description: Though basic, this Hyouton ninjutsu is useful when faced with a precarious foe. After a few simple seals, the user places their hands onto the ground, given already existing snow is in place. Once their hand creates contact with the ground, the user's special chakra combines and displaces the attack. Within moments, a sudden rupture appears along the snow or ice, as if some sort of energy is rapidly approaching a target and causing the ground along the way to be overturned and disturbed greatly. When reaching contact with the target, the opponent will most likely be thrown back, or at least finding themselves at a loss of balance.
Domain: Hyouton. Must know Ice Dominion 'D'.

[johnny.]

Koji charged, fearing nothing but failure itself. His feet stepped with grace between fallen legs, and aside two standing men. They swept their blades, but he reflected with ease, his skill with the sword outmatching theirs. In a single horizontal swipe, their chests would split with crimson, a trail of blood splattering on the downed opponents.

Koji would follow by throwing his weight the opposite way, while letting the blade again rip through horizontally, this time cutting the opposite direction. Another gash decorated their cavities, directly below the first wound. Two fell, and only to be joined by three more behind him.

His senses were honed with experienced however, and mocking a sheathed formation, he proceeded with a basic sword technique, trusting back, and deep into the heart of the victim that stood directly behind him. Pulling out and spinning low, the sword carved through the thighs of the remaining two, painting Koji's own face with blood.

Both men started their fall, and the shinobi met his right target with an upward slash, slicing through various tendons, and breaking through three hard ribs before the weapon got stuck. The eyes of the predator aimed at the left victim, and with a solid kick, he clipped the man's jaw, sending him backwards onto the floor. Withdrawing the jammed blade, Koji leaped over the man that was just kicked, dragging the ninjato through the man's down chest. Turning around, he flicked the blood off his blade, ready to make another charge through the now five men. Things were getting fun.

---

1.2/3 Senbon packs remaining.

Battojutsu (Art of the Drawing Sword)
Rank: D
Type: Defensive / Taijutsu / Kenjutsu
Range: 0 - 5 meters
Special: Allows the swordsman to deflect basic attacks of equal or lower rank, in conjunction with other, more advanced moves within the style.
Description: An offensive nature of fighting, all Battojutsu practitioners will tend to stand in looser patterns, letting their steel fly and attack at often irregular angles. Unlike its defensive counterpart, this form allows for quicker, more deliberate strikes, making it deadly in the hands of a true master.
Domain: Kenjutsu


Ushiro Zuki (Rear Thrust)
Rank: D
Type: Offensive / Taijutsu / Kenjutsu
Range: 0 - 5 meters
Special: Rank of strike depends on the user's highest 'Battojutsu' rank. Each time retrained, 'D' ranked damage is stacked.
Description: Commencing from a kneeling position, the practitioner quickly turns and draws to thrust the rear as a simple attack then sheathes. As long as the user is aware of the target behind them, a quick unexpected offensive strike like this usually yields success.
Domain: Kenjutsu. Battojutsu 'D'.

[johnny.]

The men that were painted in the blood of their allies wore looks of horror, and fear; however, it was more directed towards the disgust of the corpses they stood in, versus the threat level Kojiro possessed. As a single unit, they discarded the ugly faces, and all shared a similar expression... one that said, "this kid is going to join them!" As a single unit again, they charged, blades, mallets and clubs raised high. They sought death? Saito was more than happy to oblige.

An attack flew at his cerebrum, and adrenaline along with his own reactions raised his own blade quick enough to catch the attack. His sword followed the blade's path, straight to its users lower torso, slicing through the leather armor with ease, and into the gut of the man. He bellowed in pain, and with a quick tug, Kojiro ripped the blade all the way through. He now stood in the center of the five men, all ready to attack. A mallet swung, and Koji ducked, letting the brute force crash into the face of another grunt, expelling an audible 'crack.' Koji rose quickly, his shoulder ramming into the mallet user's chest, and breaking the circle. Others swung for his escape, though his charge had gone too far.

While the man fell, Kojiro quickly turned and let loose a wide-head level slash. Due to the enemies' size, it would reach the neck area of the closest to opponents, all who reached for their throats in pain. Simultaneously they would fall to their knees, choking in their own blood. In the wake of his own attack, Saito followed up with the opponent on the floor, and thrust his blade into the back of the man's skull. It was a tough defense, but it wouldn't stop the point from breaking the man's thick skull and diving deep into the cranium.

Pulling the blade out, he watched the last standing grunt, who trembled a bit in fear for his opponent this time, but was still possessed by anger. They stood ten meters apart, and both assumed a draw stack. Each holding blades, they ran, sharing similar concentrated expressions. With his fingers tangled around the blade that hung horizontally on his back, Kojiro pulled out in a reverse style all while diving forward with great momentum. He swung across his chest as one would in that stance, and the blade caught the majority of the man's lower torso, colliding with the spine before it was halted in it's cut. They ran past each other, and while Kojiro stopped to watch his victim, the grunt ran mindlessly onward before tripping onto the floor, slowly dying.

Ten eliminated... all that was left was Matsu.

---

1.2/3 Senbon packs remaining.

Battojutsu (Art of the Drawing Sword)
Rank: D
Type: Defensive / Taijutsu / Kenjutsu
Range: 0 - 5 meters
Special: Allows the swordsman to deflect basic attacks of equal or lower rank, in conjunction with other, more advanced moves within the style.
Description: An offensive nature of fighting, all Battojutsu practitioners will tend to stand in looser patterns, letting their steel fly and attack at often irregular angles. Unlike its defensive counterpart, this form allows for quicker, more deliberate strikes, making it deadly in the hands of a true master.
Domain: Kenjutsu
Domain: Kenjutsu. Battojutsu 'D'.

[johnny.]

The stare down between Matsu and Kojiro seemed last forever. The cold, and terrible glare of a man with an experienced face, and the youthful cocky orbs of the soon-to-be victor. Silence was their form of communication, the way of rivals in combat... if they even considered each other that. Matsu's hand twitched, reaching for the blade at his side, and Koji mimicked. What would happen next was fate...

Withdrawing their blades, fierce eyes still locked, the exchange of scraping metal would echo, and be muted in the raising wind. By this time, the sun was at it's last quarter, the colors of pink and purple embellishing the high-skies, and even painting the few clouds that drifted aimlessly. While Kojiro prepared his weapon, Matsu did the unexpected with his. The hardened fingers would let the blade fall and land loudly onto the ground. The sword hand would raise into the air casually with his other, before he spoke out, "I surrender. My chances of survival are very slim in combat against you.

Koji smirked, letting out a light chuckle before letting his guard down. "Really? Cool, I was expecting a bit more injuries before I got to walk home in the limelight, haha." he commented, now approaching the surrendered man. It was now that it occured to him that his right side was still leaking the crimson fluid, splattering occasionally against the dirtied snow. Slightly limping over, he would direct the man from behind, starting the walk back towards the village he had left from.

"Bleh... this is unfortunate, y'know?" Saito would interrupt, his words cutting past the gradually heavier growing winds.

Cocking a brow, Matsu furthered upon the statement, "Yes it is, I feel that if I just stayed a bit longer imprisoned, that life would have turned out better for me..." His deep voice was toned with disappointment and sadness.

Kojiro shook his head, countering the man's statement, "Oh... No, I didn't mean that."

"Then what, shinobi?" Matsu questioned,

That was the last thing the man would hear before his head fell. His detached body dropped to its knees before landing against the floor, a foot away from the lifeless head. Behind stood Koji, sword drawn, and in a stance that suggested a finished strike. Flicking the blood away, and sheathing the sword, he chuckled before speaking out, "That they offered me a higher price for just bringing your head back."

Retrieving the head, Saito Kojiro continued his march through the harsh winds, injuries bearable, and wearing a prominent grin. He loved the honor taking down criminals, and the justice system... but he also loved money.


[exit]

---

1.2/3 Senbon packs remaining.

[DAVID BOWE]

ninety one exp addition