☆ team yokumaru: solong halcyon days pt.2

[kagirinai]

[STYLE=margin: 15px 80px 15px 80px; text-align: justify;font-family: arial;font-size: 10px;]Due our imminent north were the soaring, embattled gates whereby our trio would exit, their entirety blanketed in the uniform mist permeating throughout the village and its vicinity. Scarcely visible, I'd nonetheless amplify my proceedings, pace nearly doubling as I took into consideration the diminutive distance left.

Amid our enclosure on the exit, I'd allow my gaze to subtly percept in direction of the two shinobi segmenting our cell, Rael more specifically; reminiscing on my prior acknowledgement of his answer, as well my response in kind, having given my own age. At nine, our years personifying youth would've transpired identically; a definite change based on the normality I'd grown accustomed to, half-expecting to always be the youngest amongst my peers. The majority of my graduating class had been eleven, twelve, even thirteen, with but a few sharing the likeness I had with the nearby Genin. From my own perspective, our youth was advantageous, considering we'd already arrived at a point most our age wouldn't for several more years.

It was a rewarding thought, though one I'd be sure not to dwell on too consciously, understanding such things could consume both drive and self-awareness. Perhaps, eventually, I'd get a chance to regard Rael's own view on the subject, though now wouldn't have been the time, our group having just exited the Hidden Mist en route toward the high-ranking assignment's starting location.

It all seemed unreal, even through my own violently aspiring outlook; roused from sleep mere hours prior, I hadn't even thought to imagine the thought of summiting with a squad that could have met my nigh on unreachable standards, too the subsequent surprise of a B-ranked mission – my first.

We'd be well on our way toward its actualization following disembarkment, the trip filled with silent observation, I myself taking in the picturesque surface terrain, appreciating the concealed morbidity it housed. Unbeknownst to those outside of Mizu, the land we traversed through represented a history of cold murder, and the bloodshed of the honorable, afforded by the deceitful and underhanded. The region I lived in.. while shared by everyone, it held a particular sentimental value in my being, existing as a living metaphor and analogy to my own self, history, and ways.

It had shaped me; I believed it to be fate, as it was no mere chance I'd arrived from beyond this nation as an infant, raised in a village once hailed the Bloody Mist, its crimson nature wickedly harmonizing with my essence in a visceral, instinctive way.

In view of such impassioned contemplation, time would have flown, our force reaching the appointed village in what had seemed to be moments, though in reality the span equating to minutes, possibly hours. The rather large town wouldn't be familiar in the slightest, not that I'd done much to explore every nook of Mizu – most, however – my examination of its majority all during trips we'd occasionally take in the academy, accompanied by an instructor or two. This unknown town was well hidden, I guessed, though upon entering, its resident's would treat us as if we'd been since-departed, finally returning family, greeting our trio with bows and kind, warm smiles.

As always, such manners were unsettling, though, as expected, my comrade shinobi would take it in stride, they're own persona's apparently matching in this soft, virtuous morality. Instead of visibly acknowledging their welcome, I'd avert my full attention toward the town itself, eyeing its enormity – the impressive waterfall, their housing and architecture, crafted to resist the Water Country's testing weather, and, most importantly, the gargantuan warehouse situated along the rear.

The one-eyed man, Roken, approached my side following the observation; I knew the fear my eyes were capable of striking in ordinary civilians such as himself, and thusly would've made sure to avoid eye contact, viewing him peripherally, my head turned in direction of the trap-crammed structure upon which we were advancing.

Gargantuan had been an understatement; up close, words couldn't describe its scale. Accordingly, I, and assumedly Rael, would begin to understand why exactly it'd been deemed B-rank. Days of time would be easily consumed should we be forced to stick together; I'd hope that wasn't the case, continuing to ponder this as I'd survey the tagged Kunai be prepped and launched by Yokumaru. The ensuing explosion left me both amused and wide-eyed; not necessarily the exploding tag's force, but its intensification after striking the door's own rigged explosives.

It was easily enough to kill any of us, as I doubted even the most skilled of iryō-nin could heal a shinobi who'd had half of his body blown to smithereens, with the other half marred black. Bearing such information, I existed even more puzzled at its rank than my partner had been, though in opposite terms. Of course, I'd do nothing to show it, neither would I shy away from the challenge, eager to begin as the Jōnin would adorn a mask I'd half-noticed earlier, immediately detecting the subsequent, drastic change in demeanor. This was more like it; in his humorless wording, I'd catch a glimpse of the reason he'd been awarded the position of Shinobi-Gashira.

His forceful orders would better awaken my own more grave deportment. Moving into the building, a mere shake of my head answered Rael's question, a beneficial calm afterward instilling itself throughout my being, emotion nonexistent in my expression.

One last look in the masked Jōnin's direction would see me off. I planned to exceed his expectations, and soon enough, my plan would be made reality.

---

all items on person.
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[KEITH]

With the booby-traps of the door taken care of, and the speech to my students covered, it was time to make our advancement into the warehouse. As the leader of the team, I would lead the way into it, being the first to enter through the doorway, a bit paranoid, but it was needed in this kind of situation. The door was large and heavy, though I was able to move it still, easier than it would have been to move for my smaller students with fragile bodies. As the door would have swung open, my eyes, hidden beneath my mask, would set upon the interior of the warehouse, and I would enter into it, hopefully with my two students trailing behind me.

Like the outside of the warehouse, the inside was enormous; it might have actually looked bigger upon the inside than it would have on the out. It was also quite messy, with supplies from boxes laid all over the floors, which one could tell was intentional, as if it were to hide something that might have been underneath it all. Though there was a lot of mess upon the floor, there were also many boxes and things that were still upon the shelves. Everything had been about ten meters from us, so we still had some leeway until we reached it. The large warehouse was separated into two three different floors, and each floor would be different than the next, and it could be assumed that Soken would be upon the 3rd floor of the warehouse.

He wasn't a part of the current objective; we had to move the undamaged goods out. The warehouse would have been thirty meters wide and forty meters long, with several shelf rows (6) separating the room. It was time for the team to go to work. “Spread out and get to work. First mission starting now.”

With his words said, in a burst of speed, I would have disappeared before the two eyes, taking the row upon the far left, row1 , leaving one of the others for each of them. Within the first row, the two would hear several explosions go off.

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[Lang]

Too bad we don't have an Inuzuka, Rael thought to himself, witnessing the mess strewn about on the warehouse floor, obscuring nearly every visible inch of the surface. He would've gladly welcomed a member from the 'House of Dogs' at this point, with their ability to sniff out any nearby sources containing explosive material. He had zero inkling about what capabilities Kaginirai's clan snakes possessed, but if an enhanced scent of smell happened to be one of them, all the better for their group. He couldn't boast of Yokumaru's ability to actually outrun any potential threats, nor did he possess a plethora of ninjutsu to destroy or hopefully prevent any sprung traps that might end with him in pieces.

No, he needed to exercise caution far more than either of them. Hence, even before he broke off from the group, a thin film of blue-tinted chakra¹ began to emanate from the Genin, surrounding one limb at a time as it danced back and forth without a specific goal, waiting until Rael himself was injured before being put to use. Granted, he would definitely prefer if nothing happened to warrant using such a technique, but chances were, something probably would before the mission was over. Hopefully nothing serious enough to drain him of all his reserves, or worst. Rael needed to preserve as much if his chakra as possible, in case Yokumaru-sensei or Kaginirai ate a volatile bomb to the face or something.

Though, I'm pretty sure even my medical expertise wouldn't help in that case.

As Yokumaru rushed off claimed the furthest leftmost row for himself, Rael followed suite by taking over the closest rightmost one, row 4. There were tons of boxes, most of them already opened and flipped onto their side, but none actually contained anything from what he could tell. He wanted to personally sift through each one to make sure they were as harmless as they appeared, but there was also the danger of getting too close and possibly setting off a trap nestled at the very bottom of the boxes. Instead of going up to each container and shaking them like an idiot to see if anything activated, Rael plucked four shuriken from his weapon satchel, carefully eyeing the containers to his sides and assessing how he needed to go about doing.

One by one, Rael palmed and hurled the shuriken at each container in succession, taking great care to nail the physics behind each throw as accurately as possible. Each projectile arced in the air before embedding themselves at an angle into their respective box. However, even as they lost momentum and came to a stop upon cutting into the weak material, the force behind the four-bladed throwing stars was enough to cause the boxes to actually spin in place, without moving from their space and disturbing their adjacent containers. This process was repeated for all the shelved boxes in row 6, and Rael called out to affirm as much once he was finished.

"Row 6 is clear!" he shouted, and was promptly answered by a loud explosion the next row over. Sounds like someone's going to town on their part.

---

1. In'yu Shōmetsu [Yin Healing Wound Destruction] // S

[kagirinai]

[STYLE=margin: 15px 80px 15px 80px; text-align: justify;font-family: arial;font-size: 10px;]Proceeding beyond the structure's threshold, as well the missions, my actions would mimic our leader's. I'd note the strength he'd displayed, forcefully shoving the abnormally massed door open, now trailing him, parallel to the shorter shinobi. A muddled, box-strewn floor, six rows of shelves, and an exit possibly leading to an upper level of the chaotic building; scrutinizing my vicinity, I'd have noted the basic layout of the interior before progressing into specifics, and considering such, lithe footfalls would've began pacing my precautious bearing toward the isles.

I'd internally prepare my body's snaken capacity during our advance, certain it'd be put to use shortly, though doing well in not lingering on inward focus in lieu of my surroundings. With Yokumaru fronting our measures, he'd be the first to move toward a shelved region, taking the left most, and first, Rael subsequently moving opposite of him. Considering their spread, the middle few rows would've been open to myself alone; a content leer possessed my visage as I'd eye the four rows, each of which I planned to check simultaneously, not confined by the human characteristics both the Genin and Jōnin had inherited and been forced to live with.

My abilities, both unique and formidable, would dictate my positioning, which was in the direct center, middling isles two through five. I held no intention of physically searching the columns, nor would there be a need, with my innate companions capable of effortlessly completing the task for me. I possessed their eyes, and could their entire beings; everything they'd see or sense, I would as well.

Accordingly, five would be extended from my flowing sleeves, their composition thin and light, each upright and in front of a row upon stopping. My mind would move to encompass the sight of each, visualizing the isle from above first, before sending them chronologically to scuttle along the floor, beneath the rubble.

Isle two would've been empty if not for a large, motion sensitive floor-spike trap, avoided easily enough by my snake, as his thin, meandering structure would've merely slipped through the openings between spikes. Three and Five would be occupied by metal contraptions that were, essentially, larger, more lethal versions of a mousetrap; again, avoided easily enough by my snake, their speed quick enough to trigger a reaction and shift backwards near immediately.

Having previously acknowledged Yokumaru's own explosive proceedings, I'd have thought it safe to assume we'd find explosives in more than one isle. It was true, as I'd view Four to be filled with them; six in total. I knew what'd have to be done, and without hesitation, it would be. I'd make sure to sever any mental link I shared with the snakes, simply ordering them to kamikaze by colliding, in order, with each of the slightly obscured bombs. My partners would hear, if not see, five subsequent explosions sound off, a shuriken afterward launched to solidify the sixth.

"rows two through five, complete."

---

¹ senei jashu; mid.
² kokoro hebi; low.

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[Lang]

SPOILER: Click to show

C's given us permission to go ahead without him for this turn, as well as use his character for verbal instructions.

With Yokumaru-sensei effectively handling the first row and him grabbing the last, that left only four more to go, minus whichever one Kaginirai decided to snag for himself. However, just as he finished retrieving his previously thrown shuriken, and was prepared to call out that he was moving onto row 5, a series of consecutive explosions setting off deafened his ears. A cloud of smoke rose up over the entire ground floor, with Rael calling out to make sure neither of his comrades were caught in the blast radius. Hearing the other Genin's confirmation of his impressive deed brought a sigh of relief out of him, compounded on by their Jounin instructor's positive response.

Not bad at all. Very nicely done.

A quick shout from the Gashira-Jounin brought them together into the middle of the rows they'd just examined, or in some cases, demolished. Flashing the serpentine-looking boy a thumb's up, they listened as Yokumaru gave them the next round of instructions. "Go on to the second floor; I'll start shipping out the goods here." Heeding his orders with a two-fingered salute, Rael nodded Kaginirai's direction, letting him take point for the pair. With no idea of what lay in wait upstairs, it was smarter for him to pass the lead onto someone that would be prepared for it. And if his handiwork just moments ago was any indication, his confidence in the other Genin wouldn't be misplaced.

There was only one exit out of the main floor, and that was located, some distance away from the shelves they were mucking around with. It was easiest to assume either a regular stairwell or winding staircase lay beyond the door, but he didn't want to pull a 'sensei' moment and tag his kunai with an explosive note before testing to see if that was also rigged. It would be bothersome if they collapsed the only preset method into the second floor, unless either of them wanted to try literally bursting through the first floor ceiling. That, or make their way up to the 2nd floor from outside, and tag the wall with another explosive.

Ugh, so many choices.

[kagirinai]

[STYLE=margin: 15px 80px 15px 80px; text-align: justify;font-family: arial;font-size: 10px;][excuse the drabness]

We'd cleared the first story of traps, though I'd not rejoice in the spectacle, my thoughts instead aimed toward the second floor, which I'd guess to be much more difficult. Yokumaru declaring that he'd stay below to fulfill a separate objective of the mission would act to effectually increase the complexity and demand of what lie above; I expected more intricate, cleverly placed bombs, possessing an added lethality compared to the count we'd just successfully neutralized.

It was astute on Rael's part, allowing me to lead our duo, as my snakes would be able to ensure our safety up the stairs. Utilizing a feebler version of my previous technique, only a single snake would be emitted from my being; I'd immediately tap into its senses, capturing its vision as it'd carefully slide up the spiraling stairwell.

Following its first turn, invisible from our lower vantage point, would be several tiny mechanisms attached to the walls; though, slithering up the staircase, nothing would happen to the snake. It'd eventually reach the top, making clear the wall-attached traps, each leading up the entirety of the sides surrounding the staircase. Noting this, I'd deduce that they only sensed what was level with themselves. Should we follow in the serpent's crawl, making sure to stay below the traps, I felt we'd be safe.

"we'll have to crawl up the staircase," I'd inform him, retracting my snake slowly, afterward taking the lead in beginning my own creep upward.

---

¹ senei jashu; mid.
² kokoro hebi; low.

[/style]

[KEITH]

It was my job, as the leader of my younger students, to clean up all of the work that had been left behind, while I let them enjoy the fun part of the mission. Of course, I wouldn't have mind joining into the fray with them, but I needed to do something else at the time, which would make work far easier for the both of us. With Rael and Kagirinai moving onward to the next floor together, the two of them would have some time to bind along with one another if they had so wished, I didn't think much of it, but I wonder what would come from it. Our team could become far stronger than any other team within Kirigakure, but in order for it to do so; we would need team work, and a lot of it. I had a lot of work to do on my hands, just this floor had a lot of junk upon it, and I would have to solo all of it.

Not that I was disheartened or anything by the work load, in fact, I was thrilled to do it. The mask that I had worn had a strange effect upon me, it was like, when I had worn it, I had two different thought patterns, and the newer one had taken over. This "other side" was more determined to do things than I was, completing a mission and being a true and loyal shinobi to my "lord" was all that I cared about. Family, friends, no matter what it were, all I would want to do is complete my job at hand.

I knew that it was a bad trait, subconsciously, though I kept the mask around because I needed it, I've had it for as long as I could remember. I also felt as I was addicted to what it had turned me into when I wore it, so I had always carried it around with me, in case I had lost motivation or needed to become really serious. What was this inside of me, breathing and growing, as I wore this mask? I had felt it there for so many years, but I never really felt as if I should question it, and I wouldn't start now. I had a job that I had needed to complete.

Luckily for me, there had been a huge waterfall not too far away from the warehouse, just behind it actually. And since I had been well-versed in the arts of Suiton no Jutsu, I would be able to use my water techniques to blast out some of the stuff. I moved foxly across the floor to the end that would have been closer to the water of the waterfall, stringing a large numbers of seals after each other, as I would turn to face back toward all that had inhabited the floor. Once I had completed my tedious set of seals, I create a large dragon, composed of water, and the dragon crashed into the building I was in; entering through the windows which would have been behind and above, the glass fell behind me.

The water dragon, I would look up at it, before it would fall down upon the area in front of me with a mighty force, causing the building to shake, more than it would have from the dragon entering in. Once it hit, it would cover everything within the front of my eyes, pushing it all through the other side, breaking down the front lower wall of the building. It would have cleaned the floor out, only leaving the residue of water in its wake. From the outside, Roken and a group of people would have seen the act that I had performed, though they cheered for me, despite damaging the warehouse in itself, but with so many traps around the place, one could account of a lot of collateral damage being done. “You're doing a great job, Yokumaru-san, keep it up! You'll be finished in no time!”

Roken would shout toward me, and all I could do was stare for a brief moment, I hadn't felt a sense of accomplishment, no. I wouldn't feel that way into the mission had been completed successfully. With that, I would disappear in a burst of speed; it was time to ascend to the next level, though I hadn't planned on doing anything upon the second floor. I had just wanted to set back, hidden out of sight and reach, while I watched my team work.

---

Suiryuudan no Jutsu - x1 High

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[Lang]

The atmosphere was tense as they waited at the bottom of the spiraling staircase, waiting for feedback from Kagirinai's advance scout. It was a bit more time-consuming, having to let his ally's summon explore the area first before moving in. Then again, better to risk sacrificing one of them, as opposed to either of the Genin losing an arm or leg. As it turned out, their time and caution was well worth it, from what Kaginirai relayed seeing through his creature's eyes. According to his recount, given the youth's unimpressive height, Rael might be able to substitute crouching in lieu of going prone and wriggling his way up the steps. Keeping three feet behind his partner, in case they needed room to maneuver backward, the two slowly began their ascent.

Whoever this 'Soken' character is, he's quite good at setting traps. For an amateur.

Even hunched over like this, there were just inches to spare between the hump of his back and the bottom edges of these strange mechanisms. The flaw with these wall-lined traps, consisting of multiple holes at waist level and spanning one meter wide next to them, was that they could be seen relatively early, giving perpetrators like themselves plenty of time to react. No doubt inside each of the slim openings on their left, either a long blade or some other spring-loaded projectile was waiting to be triggered, looking to impale the two Kiri-nin against the opposite wall. However, Soken was out of luck if he thought such things would delay them for long.

Following the snake user's instructions, Rael kept his body as low to the ground as possible while they climbed. He noticed before it was too late that, contrary to his initial assumption, simply hunching over would not lower the spine of his back enough to avoid the presumably motion-sensitive devices. Getting down on his hands and knees, it became possible to do an awkward four-legged walk up the steps. Kagirinai made it past the meter-long death trap without setting any of them off, and Rael soon followed, straightening from his uncomfortable posture once he was in the clear.

"That was surprisingly ea-"

Whatever else he was about to say was drowned out, as the sound of something massive crashing down at the top of the third floor reverberated throughout the entire complex, and began to increase in volume at an alarming rate. Whatever it was, the spiraling steps made it easy for the thing to pick up more and more speed without losing any of its momentum. The sound completely bypassed the entrance into floor two, and continued on down towards them. Bursting in view, an enormous boulder rolled into view, filling the entire narrow staircase as it headed straight for them, in an attempt to either crush the pair of Genin, or force them right back onto the traps they'd just avoided.

[kagirinai]

[STYLE=margin: 15px 80px 15px 80px; text-align: justify;font-family: arial;font-size: 10px;]The scent of filth oozing from the stairwell floor would fill my senses amid the continution ahead of my white-haired coequal, its stench hurrying my own crawl. This low, ordinarily gradual movement was made swift and fluent, in equal parts, by my slight, malleable frame; surprisingly, only upon completing the deed of undering the infinitesimal machinery would the difficulty and probability of injury increase.

Almost simultaneous to the familiar, torrential sounding of aqua from below would be a racking boom and the subsequent, raucous drum of tumbling from above. Exonerate from the traps, I'd hurriedly rise to my feet, perplexed as I attempted to catch a glimpse of what was making the colossal echoes undoubtedly heard throughout the warehouse's entirety. A particular turn in the spiral staircase winding up would expose the pandemonium's origin; from what was perceivable, I recognized the edge of an enormous, spiraling boulder, making its way downward at an alarming pace. I reiterated my findings, in the case Rael hadn't viewed it from its higher elevation, concomitantly listening to its incessant increase in volume and rapidity.

The stretch separating our current position from the second floor's entrance would've been too much to surmount in the menial seconds remaining; it was nearing us. There had been a miscalculation somewhere down the line, as our crawl, or even advance up the stairs, had somehow triggered a separate trap, its presumable aim being to either crush us entirely, push us into the traps we'd just avoided, or force us back down, as well blocking access to the flight of steps upward.

Yokumaru was more than likely consumed in his own work – the water occupying the lower steps of our current companionway existing as a clear protestation to that – leaving our duo alone the task of handling this unforeseen dilemma. Moreover, I wasn't all too sure in what comprised a medic's arsenal; I'd heard stories of certain medics, even those within our village, utilizing their superior chakra control to demolish buildings, and even the impending boulder, with a mere punch. I hoped my Iryō cohort too had this ability, though if not, my own tact would ensue

Only meters away, I'd extend a snake from either of my upper appendages, these two existing much larger and more powerful than any of my previous extensions, while consuming twice the chakra. Emit from my being, they would keep their heads low to the ground, fitting them directly beneath a single stair; I would place myself behind the bulk of one, motioning for Rael to move before the other, and not a moment after would the boulder come down, intent on crushing anything it its path. Their size, while large, was misleading in accordance to their strength; moving together, their heads would be dipped even lower, and upon the boulder reaching them, would be lifted up, attempting to toss it clear of their vicinity, barreling aerially through the doorway leading to the first floor, where it'd be halted by the pool of suiton.

Only time would tell if everything had gone as planned.

---

¹ jagei jubaku; mid + mid.
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[KEITH]

With my own job completed upon the first floor, there was nothing else for me to do but watch my young students in action. I would have arrived in enough time to catch them making their advancements to a stairwell which would have led to the third floor. Of course, there would be traps along the stairwell, though it had seemed that Kagirinai had it covered. He would have used his snakes to relay whatever had been on the stairs, letting them know of which traps they needed to avoid and how they could avoid them.

It was nice to see, from my prospective, at least. My two Genin had been working together to make their way up, though they just forgot one major detailed part of the mission; they had to remove everything they had needed from the floors. Meaning, once again, the sensei would be stuck with all of the hard work; all the Genin had to do was advance forward. Due to my neglecting of what other traps may have been on inside of the warehouse, I hadn't known that my Suiryuudan, crashing into the building would have set off another trap for the duo to face.

All I would hear is the monstrous sound of a large object tumbling down the stairwell. What was going on?

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[Lang]

There was no space-time ninjutsu in play, and as far as he was aware, neither of them were under the influence of any genjutsu. Yet, as Rael saw the boulder quickly descend to crush them beneath its bulk, he could have sworn time slowed to a near crawl. Not a very reassuring thought, especially since it made their imminent fate seem all the more disheartening; who would want to see their own death approach at a leisurely pace, taking its time. If it was indeed his time to go, then Rael would offer no protest, and accept it, albeit rather grudgingly. However, with an ally thrown into the same predicament, there was no way he could just roll over and let things go to hell.

Rael didn't know how much his 'In'yu Shōmetsu' would be able to automatically heal him, but as the blue aura of chakra enveloped his body in preparation for the upcoming damage it would be dealt, he only hoped it would be enough. Ducking behind the cover of one snake summon Kagirinai so graciously provided for him, a green glow began to emit from both of his hands, in case their living shields failed to completely absorb the subsequent crushing blow. However, the iryou-nin did not even have the chance to shout a warning. As the snakes lowered their heads and sought to catapult the rolling boulder over their backs, Rael caught sight of five explosive tags slapped onto the face of the rock, the inscribed kanji burning a volatile red just before they disappeared from view onto the other side of the boulder, and the entire stairwell exploded.

Several hundred pounds of solid rock, as well as Kagirinai's serpent's body were all that kept Rael's body from being literally torn apart in the subsequent explosion. The blast threw the Genin back through the spike-rigged meter wide trap they just passed, and only his light frame's airborne speed kept the blades shooting out from impaling him in midair. Even so, the young boy's body slammed into the concrete wall located at the bottom of the stairwell with nearly enough force to break his neck. Only the effects of his prepared healing jutsu immediately kicking in to quickly mend the worst of his injuries prevented the medic from lying uselessly next to the initial steps.

The entire stairwell was in ruins. but the devastation did not end there. So close to the base of the second floor when the explosion went off, it greatly weakened the rafting holding it together, and with a deafening crash anyone hundreds of meters outside the warehouse could hear, the entire second floor collapsed in on itself, falling down to the water-logged main level. There was a chance Yokumaru-sensei might have been caught in the wreckage, but he couldn't worry about that just now. Looking up the bits of rubble, which were all that remained of the staircase, Rael was afraid to see what happened to his fellow Genin, likely much worse off than himself.

"Kagirinai! What's your status!"

---

^{1. In'yu Shōmetsu [Yin Healing Wound Destruction] // B // x1 Mid}

[kagirinai]

[STYLE=margin: 15px 80px 15px 80px; text-align: justify;font-family: arial;font-size: 10px;]My sight was stilled on either hue-less serpent; I eyed them precautiously, albeit, even now, unsure of what to do should the plan backfire. It was unlike me; I'd always been secure in my aptitude for devisive thinking and improvisation, even amid the most adverse and dangerous of academy trials. Odd, definitely, though everyone had their limit, I guessed, and the mixed emotions I currently felt, culminating with the sudden, rapid transpiration of events had done well to present my own.

Any attempt I made to consciously refute these debaseful, meandering thoughts would be countered by the perception of what I was hiding behind, as well the crouched position I had been so eager to bury myself in. It was possible that none of this would matter, should my technique prove effective, yet I felt doubtful in viewing the enormous stone ram our locale; as I had previously concepted, time would reveal everything… whether I and Rael-san advance, or die here.

A loud boom clamored, followed by a stark crimson picture, and afterward silence as I acknowledged my senses suddenly go numb. I’d see nothing in the passing seconds, only pitch black darkness; I wasn't unconscious, however. I could feel myself falling.. and then, not a thing. I somehow knew, for certain, that death was near, as, in this state of blacking out, my life began to flash through my conscious in the form of succinct, successive imagery. At once, I saw the bodies of children my age, academy students, covered in the exact crimson I myself had viewed before this abyss. Blood existed in every sequential revelation flashing throughout my being; I revered in it, I wasn't afraid of death, and I was aware of my choices. I'd give in, accepting the end, absorbedly wondering what awaited me on the side I was assumedly headed.

. . . Water? I'd hear it first, the familiar wading of aqua, moments later recognizing its blue outline. There was more crimson as well, a pool of it, mixing with the liquid that encompassed my vision. The full side of my face, and majority of my body, were submerged in this mixture; I lay on my stomach, and in an attempt to rise, would find that I couldn't move. It was confusing; I felt no pain, though the blood had to have been mine. Struggling to tilt my head downward, I'd feel relief in that my legs were in tact, too my arms. I wouldn't notice much else, as even these senses were meager in comparison to the traumatizing experience that had carried over.

I was stuck, nothing was working, and with each passing second, not only would more blood pour out into the surrounding water, but worse my sight and hearing would begin to revert back to their void state. I wasn't sure what had happened, or what would happen next, though regardless had no choice but to endure it..

---

he's laying stomach down; the explosion caught him from directly above, so he'd fall through with the stairs. large gash spanning the majority of his back, in addition to small bruises/cuts everywhere else. needs to be healed asap.
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[Lang]

HEALING POST

Shit, shit, SHIT.

A shinobi never gives into his emotions. Rael knew that, and followed it diligently since before he even came to Kirigakure, much less enrolled in the Academy. However, even years spent denying himself the ability to worry, especially when out in the field, could not stop the white-haired medic from mentally cursing in anxiety. Only giving himself the briefest of self-diagnostics, enough to confirm he would not suffer any lasting debilitation, the boy rushed over to the gaping hole left amidst the rubble around him, demolished nearly to the point of nonrecognition. Down below, he could just make out Kagirina's body, backside up with his head almost completely face down in the water.

Hell no. Not on the first day, new guy.

He jumped, not giving a second thought about else might be in the water that could damage him during the fall. Landing with a loud splash, four meters away from the downed snake-user, Rael was grateful none of the heavy debris from above had dropped down and crushed his fellow Genin. A swift glance around revealed their sensei to be nowhere in sight; could he have gotten caught in the second floor when it collapsed? What would they do without their team leader?

No, don't think. Just concentrate, and heal.

He needed Kagirinai to be lying on his back for the best result, but now was not the time to be picky. The freezing cold water, wherever it had come from (he suspected Yokumaru-sensei had something to do with it), was a deathtrap for the Genin teetering between this realm and the next. Despite however much chakra he retained after executing those previous jutsu, it did him no good while continuously circulating throughout his sytem, just keeping him from falling prey to hypothermia. He was not even remotely trained in Katon ninjutsu, but would provide the next best thing, other than a warm blanket under dry conditions.

"Hang on and don't move, Kagirinai. I've got you." Gently tilting the head a bit more sideways, so the Genin didn't risk drowning in case the water level rose even higher, Rael set about to work. Placing both palms on the small of his ally's back, a sudden surge of chakra passed between the pair, rushing into its recipient as its healing properties replaced Kagirinai's, but to greater effect. Immediately after, a green aura wrapped itself around Rael's palms, and he began tending to the other boy's more grievous injuries first. Namely, the giant laceration running along the length of his back. With his mastery of the 'Shousen' technique, the ripped muscle began to mend itself first, followed shortly by an accelerated level of blood cell production to replace the hefty amount lost, if the red pool around them was any indication.

Luckily for Kagirinai, his spine was not damaged in any way, otherwise the story would have long been over. With his life-threatening injuries out of the way, Rael began to work on restoring sections of torn flesh, coaxing the cells to replicate exponentially more quickly than normal, leaving the minor cuts and bruises until last. As he worked, the Genin glancing to the sides, hoping any minute now, a damaged but at least alive Yokumaru would come stumbling into view.

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<sup>1. Chakra Ijou [Chakra Transfer] // 'B' Rank // x1 'High' amount transferred to Kagirinai
2. Shousen no Jutsu [Mystical Hand Technique] // 'S' Rank // x1 High</sup>

[kagirinai]

[STYLE=margin: 15px 80px 15px 80px; text-align: justify;font-family: arial;font-size: 10px;]In spite of the seconds passed, my thoughts remained centered on the experience I'd been floored into. It was still perplexing; reflecting, I recalled conjuring the two, larger serpents from my sleeves, their purpose being to protect us from the incoming boulder, and yet, something had happened, as, obviously, it hadn't worked. Unlike myself, they had been killed by whatever had defaced my being into its current bloody, water-inundated disarray; I could feel it, and thusly, perhaps they had done well to safeguard us, if only a little, from the mysterious, destructive ensuing.

Following the actual demolition, in my dark, albeit vivid, trance of sorts, I had willfully given in. It was a peculiar emotion, as was this entire fiasco I had found myself in, and no matter my attempt to avert my attention toward anything else, the shameful feeling continued to linger. It would even as the water around me began to ripple more expressively, at first, and then splashes; my intuition and familiarity with the aqueous nature told me someone, or thing, was approaching, though I couldn't turn my body or head enough to perceive what. It mattered not regardless; at this point, I was as good as dead. I knew it simply by the detached, escaping sensation gradually looming and tugging internally; there wasn't much time before it'd consume me. Contradicting my prior surrendering, I attempted to fight it.

To my surprise, it wouldn't be necessary; amid my mental battle, an extremely itchy, uncomfortable feeling had unexpectedly begun racking my spinal region, as well a green light illuminating, hardly visible from my diminishing peripherals. I felt health and vigor suddenly permeate throughout my core, purging me free from the leachous, soul-draining feel that had engulfed me beforehand.

I'd come to my senses sequentially, utterly shocked as I'd have, once again, been moved from one emotional and physical extreme to another. "Rael..?" I'd mutter, his name the first that came to mind following the kindling of energy within; now capable of moving my head, I looked backward slightly, my side-vision catching a glimpse of his person before shifting back to its prior position. Had he saved me? I didn't like the notion; it made me feel like a helpless, pitied child. Though, perhaps I had been… without his aid, I'd have died where I currently lay secure. I was disillusioned and confused, different parts of my conscious feeding me different ideas and views on how to approach this unusual situation; though time would see me accept it with gratitude, for now I remained on my stomach, unsure of myself.

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[KEITH]

I didn't have a clue as to what had been transpiring, the only thing I had known was that the entire place had begun rumbling somewhat after I utilized my Suiryuudan. Could that have triggered a trap to spring into action? It couldn't have possibly been that, right? In the staircase which I had seen my two Genin entered, that's where it had all been going down, I had hoped that they were alright. I was confident in their ability to handle whatever would come their way, I was sure that the two of them had been bright Genin; I could have seen it in their actions and swagger.

Before I would have known it, the sound had only gotten louder, whatever that been making that nice had gotten as close as it would get to the second floor, though still in the stairwell. Seconds later, the entire stairwell had erupted as a mighty explosion had gone off, I could only think what was going on. I cared for the life of my students, but there was also a mission at hand that they had to complete. The explosion was so powerful, and with it, I had seen broken up pieces of the boulder that had been rolling down the stairs, and now it ran through the second floor, causing it to collapse.

The second floor wouldn't be the only floor affected, due to the second floor collapsing; the third floor would have shook violent, causing it to crack up. Due to my Suiryuudan hitting the front walls of the building, that power from it had sent a powerful shockwave up the building, while weakening the front of it, and due to the explosion it would have weakened more. Until finally, the third floor would also collapse, but at a slant. The slope which had been created would cause everything on the third floor to fall out to the front of the building, even Soken himself.

While this had happened, both Rael and Kagirinai had been out of harm’s way, being more so toward the center or back of the building than the front. Rising from within the rumble with Soken in hand had been an injured Yokumaru. I had held Soken by the collar with my right hand, while my left hand dangled; my clothing had been torn open, along with several layers of skin and flesh. The blood from my arm dripped upon the rumble, and as eyes would have been focused on me, it would be discovered that the left side of my fox mask had been destroyed.

I faced the position that my Genin had been in, and due to to large hole of the second floor, I was able to see them, making my way toward, carrying Soken like a satchel. “Are you both okay?” I would say as I kneeled down next to Kagirinai, looking at his healed wound upon his back, then looking up to smile at Rael through my broken mask. “Good job, Rael. I knew we could count on you. Right, Kagirinai?” I would smile at the both of them, glad that they were okay and that the target would have been captured.

All I needed was a bit of healing and we would be able to turn in Soken and head home.

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