The Rain [open]

[Yoichi]

天の下の最強 ————

^{"Now this is how it is, we try to handle biz, and make moves in this land where the power lives. Where they devour kids and acts of cowardice rule from a tool of violence and a shrouded bliss. I try to release my malice, and develop my inner peace in a place so callous. Maybe I'll go to Angle or other Gold Coast and blow smoke with the old folks cause they know most"}

Beckoned forth from his midday slumber, his eyes pried open in response to the droplet that fell upon his cheek. He shuffled slightly from his prone position in the grass, shifting his upperbody further up the stone boulder into a sitting position. The shinobi couldn't help but to yawn, extending his arms outwards in a loud uproar, but this rejuvination was cut short by another drop, and so he directed his gaze to the barren sky above. A sea of gray, plagued with the angry torrents of the gods, which gradually began to increase, and that one droplet multiplied into many. Before long, rain fell hard.

But Shiroji chose not to drift far from his nest, opting to sit upon the boulder, tucking him away from the rain and beneath the branches of an old willow tree. His undergarments no longer lay exposed to the conditions, for in his transition from grass to stone, he had thrown his white coat over his shoulders and buttoned it at the neck. The temperature resistant cloth serving to keep him at a well regulated body temperature, even in the icy torrents of wind and rain. Bringing his knees to his chest, he tucked his head down, gazing forth slightly from beneath the edge of his bandana. The Hilt of his blade rose from folds of his coat, most likely resting between his legs.

To onlookers, it'd appear that the shinobi had drifted back into the realm of slumber; consumed by the dreams of REM. However, his sealed eyes relocated concentration to his ears; Shiroji listened intently to the sound of the rain. And moreso, the sound that suddenly broke that steady fall. Who approached him through the meadow, he wondered, and his eyes shot open. Cobalt pools darted to the source of these footsteps, unable to identify the dark mass that approached. The ivory digits of his right hand coiled around his sword in anticipation and he remained motionless to the bare eye. Movements concealed beneath the vail of his cloak, his left hand found comfort on his right side.

"Fond of the rain, my friend?" he mused, a subtle grin reaching the corners of his face.

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[.DEVIOUS]

die roll

The sound of movement was clearly audible, even through the falling drops of rain. Though liquid drifted from the heavens and thundered against the ground, the sound of shambling footsteps would echo through the area, casting away any doubt that the shinobi might have had that he was alone in this place. Splash. Squish. Squelch. The sounds would draw ever nearer until, at long last, they would be visible to the man who rested underneath the branches of the ancient willow tree.

As the unidentifiable mass became to come slower, it would soon become apparent to the man who sat underneath the boulder that the moving object was not, in fact, singular -- there were two things moving towards him. Slow and steady they moved, seemingly unhindered by the cold, slashing water that cut through the sky and air like sharpened knives. Whatever it was that was coming also chose to ignore the man's speech. In fact, they seemed to ignore everything. They had only one goal: moving forward.

When they were finally close enough (15 meters) to be completely visible, it would be easy to tell that whatever these things were, they were humanoid. Bipedal and shambling forward, there was a distinct difference between the two. The one that would be to the shinobi's right was well armored, decked out with a centurion-style helm that covered all of the thing's face, excluding small holes for its eyes and mouth. It also was protected by a breastplate and was carrying a European style longsword, about a meter in blade length, as well as a rounded metal hoplite-style buckler whose radius was about two feet. This one appeared male and stood about six feet in height. On the left side of the creature's neck would be a clearly visible... bite wound.

The other walker was poorly garbed, clothed with ragged strips of cloth that had long since tattered and shred. What little bit of clothing hung to this creature's body was stained with drops of red. This one appeared female and stood about five foot and six inches in height.

With their terrible appearance and the way that they continued their walk towards the boulder and willow tree, only one thing would become clear to the person who rested on top of it -- your life is in danger.

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[Yoichi]

天の下の最強 ————

^{"Now this is how it is, we try to handle biz, and make moves in this land where the power lives. Where they devour kids and acts of cowardice rule from a tool of violence and a shrouded bliss. I try to release my malice, and develop my inner peace in a place so callous. Maybe I'll go to Angle or other Gold Coast and blow smoke with the old folks cause they know most"}

If it wasn't the subtle moan that qeued him in on his impending danger, it was likely the overwhelming facts about his company that brought him to a state of caution; bite marks at the neck, inhuman movement, and a powerful ignorance to reason. The eerieness of the situation was enough to send a shiver quivering down his spine, but to his luck, only one of these creatures appeared to be a threat. And that was, he presumed, the ironclad warrior who gripped tightly at the hilt of his longsword even in his disgruntled movements. The deranged forms pressed on through the harsh conditions stubbornly, as though it had no affect on their well being. Shiroji wondered what is was about them that gave him such a bad feeling, and while he usually avoided conflict, he felt compelled to act on his hunch.

Unveiled from the white folds of his coat, a sliver of steel would pierce through the muffled terrain, unhindered even by the layers of white parchment coiled around its frame. The senbon, well equipped with precision and explosive power, shot forth towards the two. It's aim intending to pierce the poorly dressed women in her mid section, however, if she reacted swiftly, time offered her a chance to evade the initial damage of the devastating projectile. Leaving her to face the troubles of the explosion that followed, fire plumed outwards in the same sense that a flower blossomed, ironically this bloom brought death. Unlike its life bringing counterpart.

"Well...That's your decision," the shinobi cooed, stepping from his boulder in the midst of the panic.

The intent of his initial attack was to gauge the strengths of his opponents in one go, basing their rating on the efficiency of their survival. But beyond trial, it held another purpose. This was to serve as a distraction for his movements to follow, which were difficult to comprehend in their own right being that he was formidable foe in the domain of Taijutsu. Darting forth swiftly, his legs tread gracefully, even through the tall grass of the meadow. This was partly due to experience, though a large portion of it was his honed balance and the lowered stance from which he ran.

This distance between Shiroji and his competitors was vanquished in an instant, the sheer speed of his movements allowing him to clear it efficiently. Beneath his cloak, the digits of his left hand coiled around the top of his sheathe, which now clung idly to his left side. His right hand, instead, gripped tightly upon the hilt of his katana Rōge. The explosion had just begun to clear by the time he had reached his first foe, heavily armored and delusional. A high speed unsheathing of his blade attempted to plant the base of his hilt into the wrist by which he held his long sword. This was meant to disarm the walker, leaving him weaponless as Shiroji fully unsheathed his blade. A silver flash occured, as his hand guided the lengthy katana across the throat of his adversary. The swift movement ended gracefully, as he shifted his grip on his sword and slid it back into it's sheath. The attack was likely to be a success, given that his concealed movements leading up to the strike were unpredictable, and that his opponent appeared to be ignorant to detail. The aftermath of his strike was followed up with a backwards push, capering a couple meters away to increase the distance once more. In this instant, he'd apprehend the reactions of his opponents and decide on a new course of attack.

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[.DEVIOUS]

There are some who say that the quickest solution to a problem is the best solution. That is not always the case. Perception is the key to victory, and the one who makes the first mistake is usually the first to fall. While it might have seemed like an easy task to deal with the unarmed woman, there was a simple fact that was impossible to tell just by looking. Whatever it was that animated these bodies brought the full nature of the people's lives with it. In this case, one of these zombies was a shinobi, and she could wield chakra.

As the opposing shinobi threw his senbon through the air, aimed as it was towards the woman, the she-zombie already had her defense prepared. Acting entirely on instinct, a tiny barrier of paper, sized five feet by three, would appear in front of the zombie at the exact moment that the senbon would appear to be about a foot in front of her. The paper, hardened and protected by chakra, would catch both the strike and the resulting explosion that ensued, and would do so in a way that was likely to be invisible to the man who had thrown the senbon. The defense, hidden behind an explosion of the attacker's own making, would thoroughly protect the zombie from any harm, all the while likely to leave him oblivious to the fact.

Coupled with the fact that the shinobi wasted no time in his secondary assault, it seemed unlikely that the man would even be prepared to defend against a counter attack. While his strike would fly forward knock the longsword out of the male zombie's hand, it was at that instant that the female zombie would release another act of instinct. The sheets of paper, which had formerly existed as a mode of defense, would now fly straight through the remaining heat of the bomb's explosion, cutting through air as they spun and shot straight towards the man who was caught up in his offensive strike.

Ten paper shuriken in all, the timing of the counter-assault was such that when the man began his strike towards the throat of the male zombie, they would be soaring through the air at 8 meters per second. From the near point-blank range from which he was standing, the man would be hard-pressed to mount an applicable defense.

That wasn't all, though. While the shinobi had successfully disarmed the zombie's longsword, he had, apparently, forgotten about the creature's shield. In the moment that the man resheathed his weapon, the male zombie brought its shield forward, protecting itself from the secondary strike that would have, most likely, cut through his throat. As steel rang against steel, the paper shuriken would be reaching their target almost instantly.

What could this shinobi do to save himself?

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Abilities used:

Crafting Paper - A
Paper Speed - A
Crafting Paper Elemental Resist - A
Paper Shuriken - Cx9
Folding Paper - B

Total Chakra spent: Mid + Very High

[Yoichi]

天の下の最強 ————

^{"Now this is how it is, we try to handle biz, and make moves in this land where the power lives. Where they devour kids and acts of cowardice rule from a tool of violence and a shrouded bliss. I try to release my malice, and develop my inner peace in a place so callous. Maybe I'll go to Angle or other Gold Coast and blow smoke with the old folks cause they know most"}

It was fallacy to assume he'd overlooked the sudden creation of a white construct just moments before the senbon was destined to collide with his target. However, he had never seen anything like it, and having no time to gather information on the source of the defense: he assumed it to originate from the woman. Nonetheless, he pressed on as planned, disarming the large opponent before a sudden kink found its way into the shinobi's plan. With a large shield readily available to apprehend his sword strike, and a clearly unwounded target to his right, Shiroji found it out of necessity to alter his course.

Rather than the strike intended to follow-up his disarmament, another act of instinct took place, birthed from the decision of the zombie to raise his shield at the initial sheathing. This being more precise and untraceble than the attack of the woman who utilized an ivory material. With staggering speed, Shiroji lowered his stance, side stepping to right side of the zombie and then to his southern flank. The high speed movement kept him from the vision of both the ironclad soldier, who held a large shield in his forward vision, and his paper manipulating accomplice, who aimed blindly as she shot several paper shuriken from the fading fabrics of the explosion. Because of his quick movement, and the timing of his actions, Shiroji managed to easily avoid her attack: pivoting behind the large man towards his vulnerable backside.

Right hand curled around the hilt of his katana, the shinobi drew his blade, unleashing a lethal attack along the backside of his larger enemy. The first blur of steel shot forth towards the back of his neck, a succesful strike severing the thick flesh exposed between the pieces of metal that clung to his hulking frame. The second strike utilized the moment of the first, shifting from right to left, and in opposite direction of the former. An acheived blow would warrant the steel blade slashing through the lowest point of his spinal chord, exposed openly between the bits of metal that guarded his back and his legs. Even if the behemoth didn't fall, Shiroji would utilize the opportunity to attack the woman who also had her back turn. At this instant, the explosion had cleared and the failure of her attack became apparant to her.

Having slid his blade into the safe harbor of sheathe, he gripped the hilt of his katana by the digits of his right hand. Pivoting slightly, his feet pressed hard into the earth, propeling him quickly in the direction of the woman. Her parallel stance to the male walker had placed her a position of limited vision, though at the cries of her comrade, it was likely that the sound of his shouts would alert her. Nonetheless, Shiroji pressed on attempting to clear the five meter distance in a quick an efficient fashion, his sword eager to unleash its devastation.

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[Mad-Rock]

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Having been snoozing near by the small area where a fight had broken out it was no question that Nhar'qual was destined to be awakened. The sound of an explosion caused his ears to twitch, though the faint whips of smoke that reached him didn't bother him in the least due to his Breath Mask. Nonetheless, the explosion was enough to cause Nhar'qual to wake up, still half asleep, but rather irritated. "Da' fuckkkkkkkkkkk man, it's a bloody Sunday, what are you idiots d...." The question erupted into his mind. Though as he became wise to the situation at hand Nhar'qual saw one of his few fellow Chuunin, Shiroji taking on two who were foreign to his eyes...They had blood upon their attire, one a male, the other female...And despite how Kirigakure was intense in their training sessions and a explosion was nothing new...Something was wrong here.

Standing atop his tree branch from the right of the "zombies" and Shiroji's left about five meters away, Nhar'qual tilted his head as his finger made their way to his satchel, retrieving two scrolls. It was on. Never letting his gaze leave his two targets, and without even trying he knew he could avoid harming Shiroji...Unless..."Move Shiroji!" The explosion of some of his tools could harm his fellow villager and this had to be avoided!

SPOILER: Click to show

1 prep

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[.DEVIOUS]

The opponent was a crafty one. Utilizing his superb talent at fighting, he would dodge to the right of the male zombie. Through the air the paper shurikens would fly, but no single target they would land upon. Instead, they soared past both zombie ally and shinobi opponent and continued until they reached the end of the paper's domain. The creature that sent them flying knew of no calculation to her action -- it acted upon impulse, and right now its impulse was to preserve it's unlife.

Immediately after launching the paper shurikens, the same "ivory" substance that the shinobi opponent had seen would begin to crawl across the skin of the undead woman. The substance would change color as it moved, very quickly masking itself into the same physical appearance as the woman's skin, and thanks to the maneuvering of the opponent, it would be unlikely that such a defense would be visible. In but a mere moment, the woman was covered from head to toe in a perfect sort of armor that, without a doubt, would be capable of stopping almost any sort of force that was thrown against it.

It was around this same moment that the opponent would unleash his assault upon the armored zombie. The blade would pierce the underside of the creature's neck, and with a tremendous slash, the man would sever most of the zombie's spinal cord. The creature would sink to its knees, giving the appearance of defeat. It would not, unfortunately, be enough to completely defeat the creature, but the sword-wielding shinobi would unlikely know that. It was, after all, the sort of blow that would fell a mortal being.

After the man turned and began his assault upon the woman, who would have her back turned, the man's weapon would strike against the paper armor that covered the woman's back. The woman, feeling the strike, would turn and glance towards the man. Extending its hand, it would unleash another barrage of paper shurikens towards him from point blank range -- hopefully, this time the assault would be successful.

The creatures paid no attention to the opponent in the distance.

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OOC: I apologize for the shitty quality of this post. I'm exhausted but I promised I'd try to get one out to you guys. I don't want to make you sit here and wait. T____T;;

[Yoichi]

天の下の最強 ————

^{"Now this is how it is, we try to handle biz, and make moves in this land where the power lives. Where they devour kids and acts of cowardice rule from a tool of violence and a shrouded bliss. I try to release my malice, and develop my inner peace in a place so callous. Maybe I'll go to Angle or other Gold Coast and blow smoke with the old folks cause they know most"}

Shiroji caught a glimpse of success as he pierced the thick rotten flesh of the ironclad soldier. The teeth of his fangs were fierce, steel armament biting deep into the spine and neck of his adversary; death seemed inescapable. But what the shinobi had failed to realize, was that these creatures were niether living nor dead, meaning the normally fatal attack had not brought the death of his adversary. The key to their destruction, must be sought in order to insure their survival.

The distance between the kaguya and the woman was cleared with realtive ease, for she hadn't caught a glimpse of his position. Hand tightening on the hilt of Rōge, he felt her hunger to strike, unveiling a lethal attack and resheathing it in the blink of an eye. The untraceable blur of silver shot back in an instant, gathering an ungodly power in the tip of the blade before he released it all at once. The potential to pierce her skull manifested in the force of the strike, though with the unseen armor blanketing her frame, the sword strike served to, at best, derail her protection and create an opening.

Stemming from it's sheath, his katana shot out once more, following his flash thrust with new riposte. The second attack, flashy and near untraceable in the same right, swung from left to right, completing a parry aimed to decapitate the woman. Utilizing the momentum from his first strike, he followed through with a second targeting the hinge between her left arm and upperbody. The force behind his final strike was enough to tear her arm from its socket as blade ripped through flesh, quite a terrifying possibility. And to up the anti, the two techniques had been used in the matter of an instant, the double cut initiating before she had the chance to turn.

At this instance, the shout of his comrade reached his ears, and Shiroji could feel his heart beat increase ten-fold. The threat of immediate danger conveyed through something so simple as a heads up. Nonetheless, the shinobi leaned forward, gathering his weight into the balls of his feet. In one powerful leap, he pushed with all his might, capering backwards in attempts to clear the distance between parties. His comrade, whose voice rang out from a distance of ten meters or so, was a declaration of an initiated attack. Though that wasn't all the chuunin had to worry about. For as he leaped backwards, and assuming his strike to kill her had failed, the woman turned, extending her arm slowly before shooting out several white shuriken.

"Fuck," he scowled, hand reaching for his katana in a desperate attempt. The shurikens, which moved in a disarray of attacks, arrived at different times. The first two managed to hit the shinobi before he could manage to preempt and prevent it, slicing his shoulder and forearm before continuing out into the distance. The remainder of the attacks were deflected by the defensive wheel of his rapidly spinning sword, which efficiently broke and parried the remaining eight projectiles. Though he had continued to move away from the two undead warriors, the majority of his focus had gone to deflecting the attack. But as it finished, he'd pivot quickly and dart further away to clear the distance once more. He was a close range fighter, but if a comrade who knew his name, told him to move, he'd act accordingly. Cooperation was essential.

[/b] - Tatsujin-ken Sōgiri: Due to their dedication to the blade, the practitioners techniques cost 1 tier less of chakra to perform.

» Senkou Zuki (Flash Thrust) - A - Mid x2
Using a vast amount of mental focus, the practitioner nearly-instantaneously draws, thrusts at an opponent and sheathes again, all in the blink of an eye. It is fabled that even the famed Sharingan has had trouble following a blade swung under such pretenses.

» Nibaigiri (Double Cut) - B - Low
Commencing from any position, the practitioner proceeds to draw, cutting a fluid swath before using the same momentum to deliver a final slash, which leads to them sheathing once again. The movement is flashy and hard to trace, leaving unguarded opponent's in trouble.

» Jitentate (Rotating Shield) - B - Low - Deflects 35 Projectiles
Commencing from a standing position, the practitioner unsheathes their sword then rotates the hilt of their blade in a spiral motion, the result being a rapid rotation that easily deflects incoming projectiles, either slicing them in half or redirecting their path away from them user. Useful when faced with opponents that prefer to strike from a distance, as long as the user is able to spot the incoming threat in time.

» Total chakra spent: 1 High + 3 Mid

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[Mad-Rock]

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Trained to waste literally no time, Nhar'qual pounced on with his attack. Shiroji was already out of the fray with his first backward movement, though unknown to Nhar'qual he had been hit by ebony tools. Leaping high into the air as the scrolls he held began to unravel, Kirigakure's Mad-Rock Nhar'qual began to spin, the beige sheets of paper around him beginning to unleash a torrent of tools ranging from simple kunai to explosives and even kama. He was Mother.....Father Nature at this time, and he had chosen to let it rain, but rain steel and fire as he tied off his tools with such expertise that it surely went unnoticed entirely, especially in the mist.

The sheer number of tools that sliced through the air towards the two "Zombies" was enough to take out at least three, no four platoons of shinobi. Surely, that meant the two that attacked his village-mate couldn't avoid the hell fire he launched at them...surely....Nonetheless he was prepared to make up for anything of his tools missing his opponents.

SPOILER: Click to show

Keikokyori (Distance Training)
Rank: D, C, B, A, S.
Type: Passive.
Range: 0 – 50 meters.
Handseals: -
Chakra:: -
Special: This ability only increases the range and accuracy of projectiles. They do not inflict more damage, nor travel any faster through the air.

D: May throw any weapon up to 10 meters, with 100% accuracy.
C: May throw any weapon up to 20 meters, with 100% accuracy.
B: May throw any weapon up to 30 meters, with 100% accuracy.
A: May throw any weapon up to 40 meters, with 100% accuracy.
S: May throw any weapon up to 50 meters, with 100% accuracy.

Description: Although all shinobi are competent with weapons, and can throw them far with impressive accuracy, none can compare to those who practice Shageki-ha. Thanks to extensive training, the range of their projectiles is increased, with no loss of accuracy.
Domain: Shageki-ha.

Soshoryu (Twin Rising Dragons)
Rank: B.
Type: Offensive.
Range: 0 – 30 meters.
Handseals: -
Chakra: High.
Special: None
Description: Dropping two smaller Weapon Scrolls at their sides, the user then leaps high in the air, the scrolls unraveling upwards at the same time, leaving the Shageki-ha between the two spiraling lengths of paper. From there, the barrage begins, any weaponry sealed in their scrolls being thrown at incredibly high speeds, with impressive accuracy and strength. All weaponry contained within the scrolls is released over roughly two seconds, thrown at double the speed of an average launch.
Domain: Shageki-ha, C-Rank Release!, two D or C-Rank Weapon Scrolls.

Soshoryu, Tenka (Twin Rising Dragons, Ignition)
Rank: B.
Type: Offensive.
Range: 0 - 30 meters.
Handseals: -
Chakra: -
Special: Scrolls used must contain 'ninja wire'.
Description: Attaches ninja wire to all the weaponry launched during the Twin Rising Dragons jutsu. This means that once the jutsu has been performed, the user's entire arsenal can be lifted once more into the air, and manipulated at once, providing a second stage attack to the already dangerous jutsu.
Domain: Shageki-ha; Soshoryu.

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Intermediate Shageki-ha Weapon Scroll x2

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[The Dude]

The first strike of the blade was strong and entirely unprecedented to the woman as the metal staggered her backwards. The woman cackled in a deep voice as the second technique of the swordsman tore through both her neck and shoulder accompanied with the sound of tearing paper. Stemming from the wounds her body seemed to fray into paper ribbons, spreading across her body as she snarled a fanged mouth before her falling head and arms disentegrated into paper ribbons. As the young shinobi was distracted in his heated melee as his initial flash of steel required a vast amount of mental focus, the ironclad monstrosity had risen and sprinted after him from behind. After his final attack the beast would reach forward in an effort to bear hug him from behind locking his arms downwards in an attempt to hold the shinobi for his ally to strike back against.

Before she could rematerialize to take advantage of this, Nhar had leaped high into the air spiraling in his own preparation for assault. The female's paper machete head snarled a challenge at him and the rain of weapons cascaded down upon the company. As if melting, her whole body dispersed into the ribbons of paper fraying and scattering loosely into the wind as the assault swept down upon them. Unfortunate for the boy, he would find himself unable to kick back further than a mere meter with the heavy weight of the armored one clutching to his frame, even if the boy had somehow miraculously avoided the clutches of the beast he would still collide with the creature in his hurried retreat. The raining weapons would assail both him and the profoundly dumb wailing creature. Unfortunate.