Kaze no Sennin!;

[Messatsu!]

The day had almost been like any other day within Hi no kuni. The thick forestry thrummed with life as animals and insects alike prepared for the day and went on to deal with their own lives and problems. While they existed on a different level than most humans, they were, without a shadow of doubt, living things that deserved and had a purpose for to their lives. Adopting and appreciating that philosophy from his late Senjutsu master Shiju -who gave his own life to ensure his student lived on- the Sennin achieved a higher level of thinking despite the gap between his age mentally and physically. He swore to not only Shiju, but even his missing sister that not a single living thing would die from his own hands, and that was a promise he intended to live by and kept until the end of his days.

His mind began to think back and reflect upon all the past events and encounters that lead him up to that exact moment, smiling at the good times and not so much at the bad. Stiller than any mountain, Masuyo sat meditatively in-between two trees, both of which sat a total of three meters from his left and right sides. Birds were perched on his shoulders as other stray animals periodically approached him for a quick sniff before going about their business. He was peaceful and submissive to nature; no threat to the environment and anything that inhabited it. His large war fan which was sprawled across (horizontally) the small undergrowth about a meter in front of him.

For what seemed to have been hours, he sat there, slowly gathering chakra from every possible living thing that surrounded him, everything that nature had to offer and then some. While invisible, minuscule portions of natural chakra slowly gravitated and encircled Masuyo as he stabilized the chakra to a bearable degree, ensuring that taking in too much was impossible.

[Messatsu!]

Birds chirped, insects buzzed, and animals cried out while they interacted with the world that Masuyo now seemed to have been detached from. Having been told that he had been a wanted man and that others desired to personally make his capture a reality only made him more paranoid than ever which only drove him to constantly use the powers of nature that hadn't failed him just yet. Thinking back on his encounter with Goryo, his very words resounded and burned deeply into the forefronts of his mind.

"Everyone you meet, could be one of us. Every Kekkai who comes into your fold could kill you the next day on a whim. Every man, woman, and child that you encounter, for the rest of your life, will be in danger, and will put you in danger, merely by being."

The words were sharp with a sense of malice that trailed behind each word, forcing Masuyo to overly think of who he trusted and why. Life as a ninja always came with an inherent paranoia, a paranoia that recently seemed to have been incessantly amplified the more and more Masuyo climbed up the ladder of power to restore his lost home.

Meanwhile, the chakra drawn from nature's own wellspring began to slowly coalesce with Masuyo's own chakra network, doubling its potency and capacity. By now, the process of gather breached the middle-point and neared completion at an alarming rate. Although still relatively new to the process, after extended use and repetition, drawing out, combining, and stabilizing the chakra with his own seemed become easier.

More minutes of concentration and focused passed, which only meant that the process of gathering Senjutsu chakra had been complete. He was ready!

[Messatsu!]

As his chakra overflowed and 'released', its capacity doubled as well as his physical attributes. The Sennin's eyes burst open with tenacity and furor, both of which were -at that point- surrounded with a deep red ink that told countless warnings of his new-found power. Feeling rejuvenated and powerful, Masuyo unfolded his legs and pushed himself up to a full stand. In reaction, the curious birds and animals around him fled, leaving him by himself the same way he entered the area. Music to Masuyo's ears was heard as a quick-second breeze swept through the general area which caused leaves and blades of grass alike to whistle beneath its influence. A deep breath was taken as he smiled and reached down for his war fan that he promptly swung up and over his shoulder to strap it into the casing that came with it. Fastening the strap that stretched from shoulder to waist, he made sure that it'd been sure before setting out.

"Ah! Wow, almost forgot about you guys!"

He said in tandem as his hands came up just above his chest and formed a single seal, a seal which summoned a medial line of meditating clones (3). The formation of a second seal heralded the coming of another trio of clones that lined up in front of the original. Finally, a third seal had been made, mirror the formation again for a total of nine clones, all of which simultaneously fell into the rhythm of gathering Senjutsu chakra.

Bearing thrice the amount of chakra than most, allowed him to perform certain feats that were otherwise impossible to another.

"There! As long as you guys stay out of site, you should be safe!"

Turning around, he stepped forward and began his trek through (and out) the forest, eventually finding his way back to the cobblestone road in which he originally deviated from. Roughly 5 meters wide, the road was thick and strangely comfortable. Reluctant to even travel through what had easily been the largest country, he had no choice but to persevere if he wanted to reach Mizu no kuni meet this Akuharu

SPOILER: Click to show

• Sage Mode Activated [6 / 6] Turns
  
• 9 Clones w/ Senjutsu prep for Sage rejuvenation.
  
• Heading North.
  

[Naitome]

Six silhouettes would follow you as you exited the forest, one leading the pack ahead of the others. Her hair is the same bright red as your own, but her eyes have been replaced with a subtle violet swirl, just like the others. They ignore the clones, judging them to be of no consequence, as you attempt to clear the forest, heading for Mizu no Kuni, and your destiny. She holds in her possession two large blades, which call out to the wind even without being held in her masterful grip. If you were to see her, you would recognize her instantly, but you will not. She and her associates will move like shadows, cursed eyes linking their vision as they tail you, unseen.

The path before you will be long and hard. The past will meet the future and culminate only when you are willing to sacrifice everything you know for uncertain ends. But right now, what lies directly in your way is a gathering of men and women, towns-folk crowding the bit of forest that might lead you on into Mizu No Kuni. There are at least twenty of them, and what they have gathered to watch is a competition of skill. The ones sponsoring this competition seem to be a young girl and her sister, barely 16, dressed in clothing that suggests they have quite a bit of money. They have the symbol for "Iron" in intricate tattoo in the center of their foreheads, and as you approach to watch the spectacle, the shouted words of those in attendance fill you in on what is occurring.

It is less a competition, and more an audition. The two girls are the daughters of the Tetsu No Kuni Daimyou, and they require a body guard on their trip to Mizu No Kuni. The 'winner' will be given this position, and accompany them on their luxury ship to the Land of Water...though the reasons why they travel are unknown. They promise handsome payment to whoever is the strongest fighter, and as you watch the ensuing matches, you can tell that the five remaining 'warriors' are skilled...but not shinobi.

---

Soaring Short Swords - Quest
Proceed.

[Messatsu!]

With his chakra flaring and free like a nudist streaking along a public beach, Masuyo continued down the cobblestone road, at least until a small gathering of townsfolk came into plain view. Looking around curiously as he approached the group like a tourist, he effortlessly sifted through the crowd, making his way to the front. Momentarily, he looked up, down, left, and right, amazed at how experiencing the world with the heightened senses that accompanied with Sage Mode made it so much more enjoyable. He heard, saw, and smelt things that had normally been impossible to sense - he truly transformed himself into a were-bear! Nevertheless, he couldn't have helped but noticed the small spectacle that took place before his very eyes.

"Haha, looks like they're enjoying themselves!"

He thought to himself while looking over and observing the girls and then the crowd who considerately (but unknowingly) informed him about the event in the midst of their entertainment.

"Daughters of a daimou eh? The must be quite the gals then. But I wonder what they're doing here all the way in Hi no Kuni. "

While silently brooding, his heightened, bear-like sense of hearing provided him with useful information per favor of the crowd. Apparently the two required a capable body guard to assist them in their travels, which, coincidentally, had been a luxury trip to Mizu no kuni. Taking a moment to process all that flew into his ears, he almost couldn't believe that such an opportunity came knocking on his doorstep; he almost deemed it 'too good to be true'.

From first glance, the spectacle hadn't seemed all that great and entertaining, at least the combat aspect where a great many males attempted to win. They had no combat skill and barbarically rushed the stage to attack any man that stepped up to the plate. Masuyo sighed. . .

And then he was gone.

In the following moments, he quickly made his way up to the stage, flanking one of the men from his righter most side and delivered a smashing (though held back) jab to his jaw. Overcome with spaghetti legs, he melted down into the ground. Before his opposition could process, react, and attack, a lateral side kick drove itself into his solar plexus which sent him scraping across and off the stage. Three more made their way up to the stage; one to his front, and the remaining two at both his side flanks.

"Aww C'mon. You guys really going to do this after what just hap-"

With sudden synchronized attacks, the two sideward men threw mirroring haymakers at Masuyo's head, attempting to clean out his dome. Meanwhile, the frontal one lunged down towards the Sennin's waist. Ducking the haymakers, Masuyo simply reached out, grasped, and pushed the lunged man's head into the surface of the stage as the remaining two managed to knock themselves out cold - shame.

Back up in a fool stand, he joyously looked over to the two beautiful sponsors and spoke with an inviting tone.

"So, hehehe, do I get the job?!"

---

Interim, the clones summoned back at the forest continued their rhythmic ways of gather senjutsu chakra.

SPOILER: Click to show

• Sage Mode [ 5 / 6] Turns
  
• Cones sage mode gathering [ 1 / 2 ] turns
  

[Naitome]

The common thugs would prove to be no match for your incredible strength, and the passive strength of your sage mode would provide you with the means to severely injure the men you fought, knocking them aside with ease. The crowd would ooh and ahh in your direction as you addressed the two women, who nodded simultaneously in approval before turning to walk off rather quickly towards the nearby coast of Hi No Kuni.

A smaller, thin gentleman would approach you, in clothes just as elegant as the women, speaking in a haughty but reserved tone.

"You wll be paid the sum of 20,000 Ryo to accompany the young Masters on their journey. You are not to speak to them, unless spoken to, but will remain at their sides at all times. You will not ask questions. When they arrive safely at their location, you will be informed, and will be able to take your leave. That is all."

He does not wait for you to answer, motioning you off in the direction of the swiftly moving young women, as less than five miles away, you greet the harbor, and the largest ship you have ever seen.

Your enhanced senses are able to read a clear emotion from both girls, no matter how impassive their faces seem. It rises off of their male servant as well, who struggles to keep up with you as you move to board the vessel, along the side of which is written the name Terpsichoria.

They all reek of incredible fear.

---

Proceed.

[Messatsu!]

Both the ground and the sponsoring women seemed to have approved of his demonstration. As their approval became evident in the form of them taking off hurriedly, he reached out for them and just as his lips were about to open, a much thinner gentleman forced his presence upon Masuyo.

"You wll be paid the sum of 20,000 Ryo to accompany the young Masters on their journey. You are not to speak to them, unless spoken to, but will remain at their sides at all times. You will not ask questions. When they arrive safely at their location, you will be informed, and will be able to take your leave. That is all."

Blinking repeatedly in confusion, Masuyo simply went with the program and nodded his head lightly as he'd been guided to catch up and guard the two young ladies. Just as he approached them from behind, he managed to steal a couple of mental snapshots of their curvaceous bottoms. The walk, admittedly, had been one of the more boring things he experienced during the course of his life. Paid to only speak when spoken to, he couldn't say a darn thing considering that the two girls themselves seemingly had nothing to say. However, through all of the silence, one thing stood out like a red dot on white paper. As a bear would its prey, Masuyo similarly (though not literally) smelled the fear that incessantly oozed from his 'clients'.

"Hrmm. I hope that little display hadn't been too much, maybe it was and I scared them off. Sigh, off to a bad start already."

Fortuantely, after millions of thoughts and minutes of traveling and guarding the group finally reached their means of transportation, an overly large ship called Terpsichoria. He smiled brightly upon seeing its size and noble design, however, he looked to the rest of the group, gauging their actions nonchalantly. While his work seemed lax to the rest, they had no idea that anything foreign and suspicious that came within 50 meters of them would've either been heart, smelt, or seen. So for now, they were safe.

SPOILER: Click to show

• Sage Mode [ 4 / 6 ] Turns
  
• Kage Bunshin Senjutsu charge [2 / 2] Turns
  
• Remaining KB: [9 / 9]
  

[Messatsu!]

Behind, yet, in-between the two girls just as they boarded the overly large ship. Senses wide open, Masuyo heard, saw, and smelled things that no normal human or ninja could, making him utterly ideal as a bodyguard. Allowing the girls to first walk upon the ladder-like plank that lead up to the ships main deck, Masuyo immediately followed suit with the gentleman behind him. Moments later, the group finally set sail and drifted off into the sea towards Mizu no Kuni upon the captain's command. The Sennin's nose jumped and twitched, sniffing and snuffing out each individual scent that he could pick up on while on the ship despite being unable to readily tell who they were physically and visually.

Just like the rich, adolescent girls that they were, the two sisters immediately grew ecstatic as their eyes fell upon built in pools and hotsprings that were accompanied by a bar and grill that served them free drinks and food on their command.

". . . .Man, wish I had all this as a kid, lucky girls."

Almost uncontrollably, the girls pranced around, darting from place to place, pool to bar, bar to grill, grill to hotspring, and many other places. The work proved to be more dangerous than he expected - dangerously tedious! For the most part, so far, everything seemed relax and stable, however, having lived most of his life as a trained ninja, he knew that the moment he ushered in some kind of certainty in safety was the moment his life became forfeit.

SPOILER: Click to show

• Sage Mode [ 3 / 6 ] turns
  

[Naitome]

From poolside bar to expensive grill, you followed the girls as they enjoyed the comforts of their rich upbringing, noticing that the younger and older sister rarely separated even as they ran back and forth across the ship. It was relatively smooth sailing as night came, and you'd sit down to enjoy a meal with the two girls. However, this dinner was special. It seemed to be a major banquet, a feast of dishes from places all over the world with one exotic entree following the other as the ship's somewhat small crew was directed to sit at specific seats in a large dining room.

There was a professional band of musicians and performers, as the sisters sat next to each other at the head of the main table, oldest sister on the right, youngest on the left. You, and the girls frail assistant, are instructed to sit with the other 'help' at a table near the back of the proceedings, which could possibly be seen as rude, but wasn't meant to be. Still, you have a clear view of the entire dining room, and are always within 10 meters of both girls should any problems arise; your senses are heightened to the point that any trouble can be easily dealt with before it gets too bad.

That is why, when your senses are suddenly overwhelmed with the knowledge that something is happening, and the left side of the dining room, and the left side of the ship, explode with such unbridled fury that the entire vessel is nearly upturned, you are, reasonably, surprised.


Something is descending from the air. A man fastened to what appear to be several leather-formed...balloons, wearing a complicated belt-like device attached to several motors and a humming engine that belches a thick stream of smoke into the sky. He is floating. Wearing some sort of flying contraption. You can see him clearly, as the roof of the dining room where you are sitting has been torn away. The few remaining citizens are in an uproar, their frantic calls of who? and what? are all that you can hear, before the screams of the oldest sister barrel through your brain.

Her younger sister has been caught by an arrow in the face. You didn't even see it get shot.

Those members of the small crew who are still alive are not fighters. They point at the floating man, as he totters about in his odd contraption 50 meters above the ship, looking like some bizarre unbalanced insect. He aims his crossbow at random men and women running and screaming and pissing themselves in fear, killing them without remorse. The sisters skinny assistant falls to an arrow, and the floating man seems to have spotted you, as a few arrows whizz by your head.


Your advanced senses allow you several advantages;

• You can hear the sounds of several large metal objects hitting the sides of what remains of the boats, seemingly from all around.
  
• You can smell the bodily odors of several hundred people, that inexplicably, seem to be coming from above you. If you look up, however, all you will see is the strange floating man.
  
• There are people losing their lives throughout what remains of the ship. Not all of them are due to arrows. A pervading and unnatural mist seems to be descending. Its scent is horrible.
  
• The youngest sister you were meant to protect, as well as the sisters servant, are dead, there is nothing you can do to help them.

---

Proceed.

[Messatsu!]

Everything seemed so. . .

Peaceful.

Under his supervision, the girls looked as though they couldn't have gotten any happier. However, on the flip side, as Masuyo grew more and more comfortable on the ship as each fleeting hour passed, his heightened senses began to slowly (but gradually) be overwhelmed with all of the voices, heartbeats, and machinery that thrummed like an ill-structured chorus within the 50 meter radius. Like always, there hadn't seemed to be enough hours in the day considering that the sun surrendered to the moons power so quickly. Before long, a banquet had been scheduled for the two sisters while everyone else either watched or entertained them. Everyone -for the most part- looked to have been enjoying themselves in some way shape or form, but Masuyo on the other hand found himself facing a few complications with controlling his newly acquired senses.

"Argh, there seriously can't been this much activity going on the ship, this is ridiculous"

Solely speaking to himself, he shook his head and rubbed his ears while trying to drown out all of the metameric sounds that flooded his ears.

And then it happened

An explosion rocked the left side of the ship as well as part of the dining room near the sisters. Distracted by the overflow of noise, Masuyo jumped out of his seat and nearly lost his balance in the process from the near upturning of the ship. Luckily, his training as a ninja provided him with the necessary skills to think on the fly, which instinctively caused him to lace chakra to his feet.

Looking around frantically, his sense of smell and hearing attempted to control and understand the situation, however, the smell of blood and explosive chemicals heavily obstructed everything he intended on initially tracking. Alarmed, the startled civilians looked up at a descending figure, one of which captured everyone's attention, including Masuyo. While unable to hear and fully acknowledge every sound that pelted his ears, there had been one distinctive sound he wished he never heard.

A girls scream.

Alas, it had been no ordinary girl, but the one girl Masuyo had been paid to protect! The first scent of blood he smelled so strongly had been from her, yet, others followed as the mysterious man continued to gun everyone down mercilessly. People died, and as a ninja, Masuyo knew it was inevitable however, he refused to allow the other to die. She would make it. His hand (right) reached over his shoulder and grasped his War fan that he pulled up and over to his front in tandem with running towards the girl. Moving five times the average ninja, he barely existed as a blur, even as he curved straight ahead towards the remaining sister and scooped her up with his left arm. Before he took off, he heard what could've easily been arrow's intended for him, however, considering his speed, he was confident that she would remain unharmed.

"Just what the hell is going on!?"

The Sennin stopped just for a moment and looked up towards the floating man in anger. Suddenly, a seemingly harmful and unnatural mist that he'd never seen began to fall upon the general area. Unluckily, for the crossbow totting man, Masuyo's right hand that held his war can used it as a medium for his fuuton based ninjutsu and gathered^{(1 second)} the necessary power he needed to thwart the mist.

While he held the girl tightly in his left arm, his right brought the fan up in a heavenwards arc towards the floating man (and mist), beckoning forth a monstrous wind that attempted to either dissipate or reflect the mist back up to its potential source.

SPOILER: Click to show

• Fuuton Dominion (S) - 20 meters
  
• Kyodai Sensu Used
  
  
• Amakaze (Gale Burst Release)
  Rank: D, C, B, A, S [625 Exp]
  Type: Passive / Fuuton Ninjutsu
  Range: See special!
  Handseals: No
  Chakra: --
  Special: Allows the user to perform any Fuuton jutsu in conjunction with the fan without the need of seals. Range of jutsu depends on the user's highest 'Kiroku Gaijuu' rank. Which jutsu can be performed without seals must correspond to the rank of Amakaze learned. Keep in mind that although no seal are needed, the handseal speed/time is translated into "charge time" the fan needs in order to deliver its blasts. The amount of chakra used is the amount of chakra required for the Fuuton technique.
  
  D: Full post (5 seconds) charge
  C: 3/4th of a post (4 seconds)
  B: Half a post (3 seconds)
  A: 1/4th of a post (2 seconds)
  S: Near Instant (>1 second)
  
  Description: Amakaze is a specialized ninjutsu technique utilized in conjunction with the Giant Fan. By gaining an understanding of the unique weapon, the user learns to cast Fuuton jutsu on a whim without the need of handseals, as long as the fan is used as a medium.
  Domain: Fuuton. Giant Fan.
  
  
• Dai Kamaitachi (Great Cutting Whirlwind)
  Rank: B - B
  Type: Offensive.
  Range: See special!
  Handseals: 12 [ None with fan ].
  Chakra: High.
  Special: Blast measures between 10 meters, pierces barriers 'B' ranked and below, and can stack 'B' ranked bonus damage each time retrained. However, after every third retraining, the consumption will go up by one. Can be trained a maximum of 4 times. This technique requires no hand seals when used with a fan type weapon; however, takes half a post to charge if used with said weapon. Distance at which it can travel depends on the user's Kiroku Gaijuu range.
  Description: This jutsu was brought to fame by a legendary Suna shinobi from long ago, and was named after a mythical creature able to command the winds on a whim. After channeling chakra to a limb or weapon, the user executes a large swipe, letting loose an intense wind in a sixty degree cone. The winds are razor sharp, cover a wide area, and can cut through trees like butter.
  Domain: Fuuton. Kamaitachi. Kiroku Gaijuu 'B'.
  
  
• Sage Mode [2 / 6] Turns
  

[Naitome]

You focused on saving the girl and going after what seemed to be your initial target; but did not pay attention to the many signs that something else was amiss. Your wind technique would rip through the body of the floating man, severing the tethered balloons that kept him aloft and forcing his body to plummet to the ground in a bloody heap. The descending mist was averted, but what descended after it, its own anchor-like tethers now attached everywhere around the ship while you thought only of protecting your 'client'. Though you'd been able to hear the metal sounds of them descend, your inaction secured what could only be seen...as an invasion.

[/justify]

An ominous shape fell through the cover of clouds. It was an impossible fecundity of bones assembled as if by a blind architect, an animal-horn-shaped cathedral of skeletal shards woven into terror and hooked to the sides of the ship with thick metal cable. The many men and women running and screaming in terror stopped and stared, as down each cable slid a large number of tough-looking men and women in garish collection of half-ruined jackets and worn leg wrappings and sewn together patches of stolen rags. They were dirty, but practiced and efficient, and they have killed a large number of the remaining civilians without sparing a glance towards their comrade who fell.

The boat shakes.

A tall figure lands, 15 meters away from you.

His eyes maintain a heavy, complicated spiral that overtakes sclera and pupil with a violet hue. Your advanced senses can tell, he is a danger. The men who've descended the cables serve him, and even they are afraid of him. He looks around, waving a hand simply as a large section of the boat merely...warped out of existence, and destroyed any cover you may have tried to use. He speaks, and his eyes look at you, then, particularly, at the girl you are attempting to protect. When his voice rings out, it is addressed to everyone on the ship, and you will feel as if you cannot move at all.

The killing...ends now!

He holds his hands up, in a symbolic gesture of supplication and peace, even as the blood continues to run along the floor of the ship.

Enough blood has been spilled today. Those of you who are officers or shinobi, samurai or farmers, whatever your former occupations, whoever or whatever you once served...those days are over.

One of the few remaining servants of the wealthy girl barks out words in a tense, terrified tone. He tries to be brave; the marks on his uniform set him apart as a member of the Hi No Kuni military, and the captain of the ship.

"Hi no Kuni....will not stand for this...and neither will Mizu No Kuni! W-w-w-we are..expected! You w-w-w-will answer for your c-c-crimes here today!"

The power I represent...cares not for those you think might save you.

The man looks back in your direction, ignoring you, dismissing you, as his focus remains on the small, scared girl you hold, and adds with an arrogant tone that slowly breaks you away from your paralysis.

Not at all.

---

Proceed.

[/font]

[Messatsu!]

The winds settled and as a result. . .

The raining arrows did as well.

Masuyo proved successful in saving his client, thwarting the unusual mist, and actually defeating the floating man quite easily with a simple swing of his fan. Masuyo opted to not watch the man and his unbridled descent to the dining room's floor and instead closed up his fan slammed it into the ground. Keeping it hoisted next to him (vertically), his ink covered eyes eased themselves over the young girl, sparing not even a single word.

Unfortunately, things only worsened as anchor-like tethers fell through the ships roof and pelted the surrounding floor. Reflexively, Masuyo looked up past the the cover of clouds only to witness a hovering structure unlike anything he'd ever seen. Just when he believed that jumping into a dimension filled with talking bears was one of his more surreal experiences, that invasion topped the former by a landslide. Before they even came into plain view, Masuyo smelled each and every ruffian that rode the cables down unto the room's battered floor. The boat continued to violently shake, luckily Masuyo's chakra laced feet ensured that his balance remained unshakable.

Before long, a much larger figure than the others landed 15 meters in front of Masuyo, releasing a scent and aura that either made him some sort of captain within their group, or the leader itself. His mannerism's weren't the same, nor was his scent. His smell was distinctive, very masculine in fact, but, something else lingered, albeit faint.

Fear. . .

It was fear.

While not obvious, Masuyo's senses picked up on it, but barely. Nevertheless, a quick wave of his hand alerted Masuyo, but before he even thought of retaliating physically, a fair portion of the ship just up and vanished. Things had gotten too serious too fast, enough so Masuyo actually found it almost difficult to effectively keep up with everything, let alone make sense of it all. The rocking continued as the screams of fleeing and felled civilians swapped presence with the single voice. The voice of a leader. During the man's brief exchange of words with the Hi no kuni native, Masuyo felt his sage mode nearing its end, and considering all that went on, he couldn't afford to be without it. Thankfully he followed his first mind and left behind a plethora of meditating clones. Additionally, an unknown pressure kept him in place, but what it had been specifically had -at that point- been beyond Masuyo.

Just as quickly as it came, the paralysis seemingly lifted from his body as the man, at long last, finished his spiel.

"You, just what exactly are you trying to accomplish by attacking this ship full of innocent people?! Judging by your efficiency, this had to have been premeditated! "

The sennin barked while listening to as well as smelling any and everything that could've escaped his line of sight.

"It eludes me how men like you and him exist. Monters!"

[Naitome]

The man stares in your direction, but does not otherwise react, as your voice is largely drowned out by the sudden commotion of terrified gasps moving like a domino effect towards the front of the remaining section of the ship. The girl you have saved has fainted, most likely due to shock, but is otherwise unharmed. The leader of this group of freebooters turns his attention to where the disturbance has originated, and you can see a group of his murderous brethren swiftly approach him, six of which are each carrying bodies. Though there words are meant for the captain and might not make much sense to you, your enhanced hearing allows you to easily eavesdrop in on their conversation.

"All we found was the bodies, captain. Six, just like you thought, but their out cold now. Must've pulled his essence out of 'em and ran just before we got here. We've searched the rest of the ship, and the surrounding waters. No sign of him. We removed the control rods though."

The captain's face is impassive. He seems to have expected such news.

The girl. Place one of the control rods back in her, she's the strongest of the lot. It's a long shot, but he may try using them again once we're dry-docked, and i'd prefer if only had 1 path instead of 6. Keep her in the lower decks until we arrive, then have her transferred to New Avanc. And remove those swords she's carrying. Lock them up on the Jagganath.

"Aye, Captain."

The 'girl' they mention, one of the six bodies that lay sprawled out before the captain and his crew with their hands and ankles ties, barely breathing, has a sweep of remarkably familiar red hair that you have seen before. As they remove two short swords, which glow faintly with an unearthly light, and take them out of site, they turn her over, and take a spike-shaped thin black rod the width and length of a finer, and insert it into the side of her neck. She gasps slightly, but appears otherwise unharmed and blissfully unconscious. You can make out her features clearly now, even with your considerable distance from her.

She is your sister.

The captain speaks to all assembled now as she is taken once again from your sight, and his words are accompanied by the sudden advanced movement of the ship as it seems to be unnaturally tossed about by the high-reaching waves. A hush comes over those gathered, and his words bring answers it is difficult to understand, and new questions that only add to the disrupting nature of his presence.

Commissioned officers, civilians; workers and sailors and mercenaries and thieves and travelers. You will be leaving your old lives behind. Mizu No Kuni will not be receiving your services this day, and it will unfortunately have to do without you...forever.

You are coming with us, to a new city.

And as if on cue, the boat lurches one final time and.....is pulled violently out of the sea, into the sky itself!

---

Mini-mission!: Save up to five members of the remaining non-pirate crew from falling over the edges of the ship as it is yanked into the air!
Proceed.

[Messatsu!]

It seemed that Masuyo's voice had been easily dampened by the commotion that bounced throughout the sheep, and unluckily enough, unlike him, the leader of the rag-tag pirates showed no sign of possessing super hearing. Ignored -for the most part- Masuyo noticed the small group rush back to their captain, all of which carried bodies upon their shoulders just before reporting in. With his heightened sense of hearing, their words registered just as clearly as if they'd been talking to Masuyo himself. Nevertheless, while hiding the fact that he could hear them, he listened intently.

" 'No sign of him'? Wonder who they could be talking about."

Soon, the leader gave his response.

"Control rods? They couldn't possibly function how they sound, could they?! Avanc? Jagganth? Are these the names of their own ships, perhaps."

Questioning their motives and words solely within the safety of his own mind, Masuyo noticed a sliver of red hair sprouting from the crown of one of the six bodies. Masuyo almost cringed himself as they violently lodged the alleged 'control rod' into her neck - prior to looting a pair of interesting short swords. Unfortunately, as she sprung to life, her features became clear to him, clearer than anything he'd ever seen. His heart dropped and his blood boiled thereafter, realizing that she. . .

Was his lost sister!

Instinct told him to lose control and slaughter each and every soul that invaded the ship, however, it could've easily put his sister in harms way, which, had been the last thing he wanted to do. So, instead of flying off the handle, Masuyo opted to remain silent and seemingly composed, refusing to allow those men to know that the two were related. Without a doubt, the Sennin knew that should the man find out, he would've used her as 'insurance' or 'leverage'.

Speaking for the umpteenth time, the Captains words seemed to have cued to ships mysterious rise into the air. Battered and destroyed, the ship teetered, and left both conscious and unconscious civilians sliding towards its edge! The ink around his eyes faded as his Senjutsu chakra reached its limit in duration, however, a single thought dispersed one of the nine clones back in the woods. Its remaining chakra -which it rightfully gathered- instantly transferred back to its creator and rejuvenated Masuyo's reservoir of nature energy. As quickly as it faded, the ink sprawled back across his eyes.

A single seal beckoned forth a maximum of ten clones, all of which broke off into two teams of five and successfully rescued more than five civilians that nearly slid off the ships broken edge.

While death was an inevitable part of life, Masuyo vowed to thwart it off of himself and others for as long as he possibly could!

SPOILER: Click to show

• Second Cycle of Senjutsu chakra [ 6 / 6
  
• Remaining clones [ 8 / 9 ]
  
• Chakra w/ Senjutsu: x5 -> x4 massive, 2 highs.
  

Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique ^{(10 clones)}

Rank: S - S - S - S [1200 ExP]
Type: Supplementary.
Range: -
Handseals: 1
Chakra: Massive
Special: When first learned, 10 Shadow Clones can be produced. Each time re-learned, 10 additional clones can be made, for a maximum of 100. Please remember that regardless of the amount of clones made, the chakra remaining within the user is still divided evenly amongst all bodies! Due to the excessive amount of clones, chakra cannot be returned to the user, and these Kage Bunshin are unable to be detonated.
Description: Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is an advanced variation of the Kage Bunshin Ninjutsu technique, reserved only for those seriously in tune with their chakra networks. Despite the ban it has earned over the toll this jutsu takes on a shinobi's chakra network, it has nt stopped many Jounin level ninja from learning the technique. Instead of creating several clones, several hundred clones are created. Like normal Kage Bunshin a ninja's chakra is split evenly among the clones when created. Like the regular Shadow Clones, the clones themselves can utilize any jutsu the original ninja knows. When the clones finally disperse, any new knowledge they have gained is passed back to the original ninja and to any additional clones.
Domain: Kage Bunshin.

[Naitome]

Your usage of clones has saved even more people than once thought possible, and the trembling of the ship is fierce as it is hauled into the sky. There is a moment where you can still here the sounds of the screaming men and women around you, and above the rising barge, an incomprehensible shape breaks the plane of clouds and there is some sort of...creature rigged with machinery you have never seen anywhere else. You grab the girl tighter to yourself, and are just in time to hear one of the pirate leaders dirty crew yell

"There! Captain, we can se--"

Before there is a warping sensation around your body, and your shadow clones dissolve into smoke, and you are blanketed in instant darkness and feel nothing at all.

You awaken. The girl does not seem to be with you. You have arrived...someplace altogether different.

[/justify]

You do not know where you are.

You do not know how you got here.

No one else can be seen. Your advanced hearing and senses reveal to you only information that conflicts with itself. Across the oddly colored river separating two mounds of sand, a moving shape can be seen, almost as if it is approaching you. It is 50 meters to the rivers edge, and another 50 to cross it; this 'shape' is easily 20 meters beyond that.

What will you do?

---

Mini-mission!: Completed!
Proceed.

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