Slight Work [m]

[Hotaru]

name; Tower Guard
rank; b
description; Guarding the Kage tower is a huge honor and far more important than it initially appears. While your not inside the tower and instead just a posted official, your job is invaluable. As the first defense to attacks against our central office, it’s up to you to make sure all situations are appropriately dealt with. Keep your responsibility in mind at all times and never get complacent.
reward; 100 experience, 2,500 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable

Standing in front of the new Mizukage Tower, she sighed and plopped down on the lawn in front. Due to her circumstances, she was unable to get any sort of mission that let her leave the village from the idiots who handled assignments. Confined to Kirigakure, she grabbed the highest paying mission that seemed to require the least amount of effort; guarding the Mizukage tower. The chances of an incident, she assumed, were relatively low. After all, an assailant would have to make their way into the village and find the building first, all the while passing ANBU and other high ranking members of the village.

The bright sun beat down on the village and the humidity was impossible to ignore. Removing her jacket, she tossed the garment into the grass and tried to enjoy the small amount of relief provided by shedding a layer of clothing. Her bright cyan bikini was the only thing that covered her chest, and black denim short shorts with matching blue stripes up the hems created a rather stylish, yet revealing ensemble. Her fiery hair was tied back into a tail, and her mind began to wander.

Since her arrival, she had taken a bit of time to explore the village. Everything seemed basically the same as Iwagakure, however, there was one thing that she just couldnt adjust to. The weather. The awful humidity had been tormenting her since her arrival. In fact, her first purchase in the village had been hair care products to combat the ambient moisture. With a sigh of discomfort, Hotaru reached over to the black and blue drawstring bag and pulled out a bag of snacks and her sunglasses.

The red, heart shaped frames were set over her eyes and she ripped open a bag of potato chips and began to snack.

I guess guard duty isnt so bad.

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[Nujabes]

"We just keep runnin' into each other," the booming, deep voice rolled over her shoulder, "Don't we, Tits?"

It'd been on the off chance that he'd left the tower when he did, goin' to get some food of his own. A cursory glance of his surroundings had revealed a practically nude Hotaru -- which, of course, was never a bad thing considering her well-rounded chest -- and he simply couldn't pass up the offer to spark some sort've conversation with her. Though he hadn't thought about her much after inviting her to the village, he remembered all too quickly why he had done it; she definitely was the female version of himself, spare a few traits here and there.

It only took a handful of well-placed steps to cross the small distance separating the two of them. Akira's tall, broad form soon loomed over the sitting kunoichi, adding an extra thick layer of shade to the bulk she found herself resting in. It didn't take him long to figure out what she was doing; most of the guard patrols usually had that same, discontent, lazy look in their eyes (not even her shades could hide it!).

"Guard duty, huh?" His inquisitive tone was more genuine than mocking, though it held a teasing air to it. "Looks boring as Hell."

Crouching down, Akira's head tilted to the side. "Interested in spicing up your afternoon a bit? I could use a spar."

[Hotaru]

Her eyebrows raised and she pulled her sunglasses down just enough to get a look at the figure looming over her. Akira, the Mizukage, had found her once again. Though running into him at his office was far less serendipitous than in a mist covered forest, she still pondered his motives. Just why she had been invited into the village was still a mystery, but she hadn't been killed or imprisoned, so she continued to not dwell on it too much.

"Eh. Chip?"

Hotaru responded to his comments on guard duty, offering the small bag of salted snacks to the Mizukage. Regardless if he took one or not, Akira would speak once again, this time offering to spar with her to pass the time.

"You just cut right to the chase, don't 'cha?

Hotaru asked, picking herself up off the lawn and standing in Akira's shadow. Though she was a bit above average height, Akira towered over her by at least two feet.

"How the hell can you wear all that leather in this humidity? I can barely stand it with what i'm wearing."

She chided, removing the sunglasses and waiting for him to answer.

"As for the sparring, so long as you have space for it. Things tend to get a little...heated when I start fighting."

She spoke, of course, of her unique affinity for magma, and it's ability to reduce nearly everything to a smoldering puddle of boiling rock. If they fought where they stood, there was a high chance his tower would meet an untimely end.

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[Nujabes]

Naturally, he took several chips from the bag. Though it probably wasn't on the list of things he should've been eating -- Akira followed a very strict diet of limited carbohydrates and lots and lots of protein --, he didn't think cheating would be all that bad. It was only a couple of chips, right? "Thanks," he replied simply before stuffing the handful into his mouth and demolishing it with several powerful, crunchy chews.

"You get used to it," he said. "Besides, it's not like I can't just take it off if things do get a tad bit overwhelming. I mean, it's just a jacket, Hotaru."

Heated? Ha, does she know-- wait, she doesn't. That's right! Not many people do, actually. Oh well, I guess it's best to keep it like that. The last thing I need is some crazy, hell-bent organization hunting me down for the big monkey spirit in my stomach (zing!). Akira's internal monologue was brief, and in the following moments, as Hotaru stood, he began strolling away from her. "Plenty of space right here," he waved to the lawn before the tower. Beyond it was nothing but empty street for several handfuls of meters, and then beyond that, more grass. The Mizukage Tower was somewhat isolated from the rest of the village, though located at its heart.

With his red-iron clad hand, he began unbuttoning the long row elongating up the center of his jacket. Tilting his head to the side, he smirked. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you, Tits." Slipping his two massive arms from their sleeves, he tossed the leather jacket off to the side. With a twirl of his hand, he brought Hebi spinning about, held firmly in his right grip while his left delicately folded over the ebony pommel.

"That isn't my style at all." Already, his eyes were glazed dormant power dwelling within him, bubbling beneath his flesh and crying for release¹. "You'd better not hold back, either. Or you might get hurt."

SPOILER: Click to show

¹____

[Hotaru]

Hotaru cracked her knuckles and stretched, limbering up for their spar. She watched Akira toss his jacket to the side and draw a sword. He warned her to not hold back and she smirked. Restraint was one concept she was just not comfortable with.

There was only a few meters between them, and judging by Akira's earlier demonstration of speed, she would undoubtedly lose a hand to hand confrontation. She needed to keep him at a distance, and her lava techniques could do just that. Without the luxury to distance to give her time to perform a long string of seals, she would have to try something with a shorter ritual.

Fingers came together quickly and, upon the completion of the seals, the ground in front of her began to glow red. A moment later, the boiling earth leaped from the ground and flew towards Akira. She was sure that he would be able to defend against the 5 meter wide stream of magma since he wouldn't have challenged her if he couldn't.

During the whole exchange, she remained alert for any sort of counterattack. She wondered what Akira would do to survive, but once the attack was launched, she would retreat 5 meters, trying to put some distance between her and the taijutsu user.

Yōuton: Yōnagare ( Lava Release: Magma Flow )
Rank: C
Type: Offensive / Youton Kekkei Touta
Range: See Fushokuzai
Handseals: Yes
Chakra: Mid
Special: Sends a quick stream of lava up from the ground or from the user’s mouth streaming to the opponent.
Description: Flying at the speed of a kunai, the user sends a flowing stream of magma rushing at their target. The user can melt the ground nearby and release a steady stream of magma for one second for each rank of Fushokuzai they posses (D = 1 second, S = 5 seconds). When it is suits the user or when there is no earth to melt, Yōton practitioners can spit magma from their mouths. The width of this stream is 10% of the user's Fushokuzai range.
Domain: Yōton. Fushokuzai 'C'.

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[Nujabes]

Good opener, he thought to himself, immobile until the earth had started to glow red. With the initial gate released¹, even as fast and wide as the "stream" was, the lumbering Kushinada easily cleared its girth. He wrapped around the shapeless blob of searing lava so fast he almost blurred, branching out to his right (Hotaru's left), coming in hard and fast.

Considering she'd gone directly back, the distance between her and the Mizukage wasn't nearly as great as she'd hoped for. What's more, the tower, itself, wasn't too far behind her (a solid two meters beyond the "five" you hoped to gain), so if she wasn't careful she'd find herself slamming smack dab into it.

Regardless, Akira still hadn't drawn his blade. Instead, he simply busied himself with tending to the second lock he'd unleash on her when the time was right². A meager three meters separated the pair now, and with several more well-placed steps, it too would vanish.

SPOILER: Click to show

¹Hachimontonkou: Haimon (Gate One)
²____

[Hotaru]

It wasn't surprising that Akira had managed to evade her technique, and in a matter of moments he had left the lava flow behind, now closing in on her left. Cursing his speed and nothing the prominent veins in his forehead that signified the gates, she formed a simple string of seals again as she continued to retreat. About a meter from the tower, she shot a ball of stone from her mouth and aimed it at Akira's feet.

On contact with the ground, a monsoon of volcanic ash would erupt from the ball, filling the entire area with a swirling cloud of dust and pulverized rock. There was no way for her to gain the distance she needed in a fair fight, so her only option was to re position with some cover.

Under the cover of the ash storm she had unleashed, she utilized shunshin, parallel to the tower and away from akira, vanishing from his severely hindered field of vision. Moving towards the tower, a layer of chakra covered her feet as she attempted to scale up the wall of the tower. Provided that she had lost her mock opponent, preparations for another attack would begin about 10 meters up the side of the tower.

SPOILER: Click to show

Kazan Hai Kichou (Volcanic Ash Screen)
Rank: C
Type: Defensive / Youton Kekkei Touta
Range: 0-50 Meters
Chakra: Mid
Special: The area which the screen covers depends on the highest “Fushokuzai” rank known. The screen can be blown away by a Fuuton jutsu of rank C or higher.
Description: The users employs youton in a different manner with Kazan Hai Kichou. He spits forth a ball of lava-covered rock incapable of causing any damage. A thin layer of chakra prevents the lava from immediately burning the rock. Upon contacting any sort of surface the force causes the ball to erupt by breaking the protective layer of chakra, and immediately spreads a layer of volcanic ash in the area by allowing the heat to disintegrate the rock. The breaking of the chakra layer not only allows the two substances to connect, but creates an energetic burst which spreads the volcanic ash. The range which it spreads Depends on Fushokuzai. The ash screen is thick, difficult to see through, but causes no damage aside from slight irritation to the lungs should the ash be inhaled, easily prevented by holding ones breath. Kazan Hai Kichou is not an offensive technique but serves as cover for an escape or as means to support subtlety.
Domain: Youton, Fushokuzai: Rank C

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[Nujabes]

Unfortunately, techniques that affected a wide area, but were delivered in a small package, wouldn't help the young kunoichi in the slightest. There was a reason why Akira was the most feared taijutsu master in all of Kirigakure -- perhaps even further, as he'd never met another fighter remotely close to his caliber -- and Hotaru had primed herself for a front row seat to a demonstration as to why. Even with the first gate active, and the second waiting right behind it, the massive, enormously tall Mizukage still hadn't drawn his blade - until then.

Regardless of whether she'd aimed it as his feet, Akira was encroaching on a very limited space at an incredibly fast pace. Considering her reduced speed from back pedaling, counteracted by his brisk sprint toward her (only heightened by the initial gate), by the time the sphere was even close to striking the floor, Akira would've been much closer than originally intended. With a tug of his left arm, and a brilliant flash of light, Hebi's blade cut into the air like a cluster of prismatic radiance.

The sword's superlative edge touched the sphere's "shell," and before it could even trigger the explosion, it simply vanished. The chakra not only shielding it and holding it together, but giving the technique life in the first place, had been completely snuffed out. Hebi hadn't eaten in quite some time, and feasted heartily on the source of nutrition Hotaru had offered it.

With her "cover" not even coming to play, her follow-up options were incredibly limited. Even if she did perform that shunshin as planned, Akira would have simply followed her -- quite easily, mind you, under the effects of the second gate (9 MPS)². And considering the difference in size, it's quite safe to say the massive strides from his lengthy legs would've easily allowed him to cover the distance in half the time, if not less, simply appearing before the girl before she'd even realized what happened. Presuming she didn't shunshin, the insane burst of speed delivered in the split second from the second gate's unleashing would've still been an impressive feat to follow, especially from one lacking any form or shape of taijutsu experience.

Regardless of what path she chose (wherever she'd go, Akira would simply follow and out-run her), the result would be be the same nevertheless. Rather than her face, the Mizukage's powerful leg right leg would crash into the left girl's arm, pinning it to her torso and shooting a pulse of ravaging force through her, sending her soaring off in whatever direction (corresponding with our current position)³. The blow would be much stronger than its original incarnation, still boosted by the side-effects of the initial gate's release (i.e strength boost). Presuming she was still on the ground, likely as she was, the result would've been her skipping across the ground like a rock on water, cutting a trail of dirt and debris for several meters until she slid to a halt.

Akira would be following her, of course, ready to deliver another blow the moment she was back on her feet. That is, of course, presuming she could even stand after such a mighty blow. He'd be impressed if she could.

SPOILER: Click to show

¹Hachimontonkou: Haimon (Gate One).
²Hachimontonkou: Kyuumon (Gate Two).
³Dainamikku Entorii: Dynamic Entry.

[Hotaru]

"What the hell?!

She yelped, watching her diversion simply vanish after being sliced by the sword.

What is that?

She thought frantically, knowing full well what was on its way. Without any way to gain distance or hinder his movement, Akira closed the gap between them with a burst of speed, likely from opening another gate. A blur of movement gave her just enough time to anticipate what was about to happen, and Hotaru braced for impact.

Ah!

She shrieked as his powerful leg found her arm, sending the chuunin reeling across the lawn from the force of the impact. Thanks to her medical training, a burst of chakra had flooded to her arm just before the impact, saving her from broken bones, bruises, or lacerations from skipping along the ground like a stone against the surface of a lake. Still, she couldn't defend against the sheer force of the technique and had to bounce off the ground a few times before righting herself.

Her feet finally found the grass and she continued to slide backwards in a crouched position, but at least the momentum was under her control. Eyes frantically searched for any sign of Akira, looking to anticipate another powerful blow like the one she had just been struck with. Bounding towards her with speed that she, quite frankly, found unnecessary for a sparring match, her body tensed as she waited for another powerful attack.

If given the time to, the same ritual as before would be performed and an ash cloud would be spit onto the field, this time in a direction away from Akira's strange sword. However, the opportunity would likely not present itself, and so she braced for impact.

SPOILER: Click to show

¹In'yu Shōmetsu (Yin Healing Wound Destruction)
^2? Kazan Hai Kichou (Volcanic Ash Screen)

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[Nujabes]

Excessive? Hotaru didn't know what excessive meant if she thought that the first two gate, out of the eight he knew, was excessive. He'd warned her before the match even started that he wouldn't be going easy on her, and true to his word, he didn't plan on letting that big tittied red-head take a single breath without fearing him stomping it out of her chest.

The bouncing and skipping she'd done across the lawn was a lot more dangerous than she ever would've suspected, but not due to any sort've injury. Instead, it was simply because she'd be unable to track or keep up with Akira -- he would've seemed to all but vanish under the effects of the second gate, blazing a path across the lawn with such speed he actually passed the girl. The wind generated from his velocity would've been irrelevant, as she wouldn't have been able to discern what it in meant while being thrown around like she was caught in a human-sized blender.

The moment her unfavorable slide came to a halt, there'd be nothing for her to see directly in front of her. Instead, if she was keener than your average shinobi, she may have been able to feel the surreal heat behind her as Akira's foot pressed down toward her spine, more than likely pinning her down against the ground before she could even rise to stand.

No more than a second later, Hebi's glowing blade would've slammed into the ground just above her shoulder, no more than an inch away from her face. Sometimes, the best option was just to quit while you were ahead (especially when you were outclassed), and try to learn how to better yourself for next time.

"Impressive," he would've crooned, still leaning into her back to keep her still. "There aren't many who can take a full kick from me and just get back up like that. Medic, too, huh? That's some pretty strong chakra you got there."

[Hotaru]

Instead of another big impact, all she felt was the pressure of a foot bearing down on her back. Collapsing under its weight, she was forced to lay flat on the lawn while his stupid wizard sword was stabbed into the soil just by her head.

"Get off!

She whined, knowing that their little match was over. Her combat skills were rusty and taijutsu had never been one of her strong points. Still, she could walk away from the conflict having surprised the Mizukage, something which likely didnt happen every day.

As soon as Akira obliged her request to be removed from under his foot, Hotaru would sit back up and dust herself off, removing patches of soil and blades of grass that had stuck to her arms and legs and in her hair from tumbling around a few moments earlier.

"Been a while since I had to try that hard. Things may have gone better if I actually could have used my 2nd technique..."

She said, trying to solicit some additional information on that blade that Akira carried. Though she thought she performed well, the chuunin simply hadn't mastered enough techniques to take on the Mizukage quite yet.

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[Nujabes]

Releasing the gates simultaneously with removing his massive foot from the lithe girl's spine, Akira sheathed the relic and sauntered over to his jacket. "Maybe," he added to her statement, highly doubting it would've made a difference. "That was the Kazan Hai Kichou, yes? Definitely a good tactic, I won't lie. But, I'm well aware of taijutsu's short-comings. I've got ways, outside of Hebi," he paused, shaking the sword, "To circumvent things like that."

Even though he'd spent his entire life mastering his taijutsu, Akira had recently dipped into the pools of youton. Thanks to the little beast dwelling within him, there wasn't much of the kekkei touta that he didn't have at his disposal.

"But, you did well. Like I said, you're medical prowess is fairly impressive to have healed and dampened my kick like that. The last person to take a directly blow from me left with a broke arm and eight shattered ribs." He smiled, slipping his jacket on. "And that was without gates." Indeed, her healing powers were far greater than even she realized.

"I hope I wasn't too hard on you, though?" Akira's head tilted to the side. "You look like the type of girl who likes it rough."

[Hotaru]

"I'm just a little out of practice."

Hotaru said, convinced that she would have performed better had it not been so long since she last fought. Still, her medical ninjutsu had taken the Mizukage by surprise and it garnered some additional praise that it was able to prevent damage from the sheer power of his kick.

Her time on guard duty was coming to an end, but she supposed she could fill the rest of the time making small talk with Akira.

"Actually, they wanted me to devote all my efforts to medical ninjutsu. I dropped out of the program though; turns out I'm too selfish and would rather heal myself than the injuries inflicted on my teammates. It's still a handy trick though."

Thinking back to the fight, there were a few instances where some offensive medical jutsu would have been useful, so she would probably revisit some textbooks and further her selfish medical training. Turning to Akira, she crossed her arms and questioned her Mizukage.

"Don't you have some work to do? Most village leaders dont have time to wander around the forest adopting missing ninja and destroy their courtyards while sparring with their guards."

Despite her chastising, she was glad that she had something to occupy her guard duty assignment. The whole mission seemed stupid; Akira was obviously more than capable of defending himself from assailants, and he wasnt even in the tower half the time. The longer she stayed here, the more she realized that this village was much more relaxed than Iwagakure.

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[Nujabes]

"Not really, no," he admitted with a shrug. "I let my assistant handle most-- okay, well, all -- of my paperwork. I give orders and people follow them; people make Kage out to be some huge, big thing." Akira's head tilted back, his eyes rising to the foggy sky. "Really, everything is pretty -- constant. Missions are generated on a need-by-need basis. I mean, everything pretty much runs itself."

Rolling his neck and shoulders, several loud pops reverberated from beneath the muscled flesh. "Honestly, I'm just here to fix shit when there's a kink in the machine. Keep everythin' nice and oiled, y'know?"

Raising his arms above his head now, he continued to stretch and crack a variety of bones. "Besides, the type of kageship you're talkin' about sounds boring as hell. Do I look like the type of guy that likes to be bored, Hotaru? Hm?"

[Hotaru]

"I see. I suppose not."

She said, laughing at his comments about how 'boring' it would be to run a village. She returned to her bag and folded her jacket up and placed it inside. After the work out, she wouldn't be needing it any time soon. She ran her fingers casually through her air, returning it to it's pre spar condition.

"So. What are your goals for the village as Kage? And whats my role in all this? I guess it's a pretty personal political question, but if I'm gonna stick around for good, I have to know that our philosophies line up."

The reason she had left Iwagakure was because of it's crumbling internal structure and the total lack of faith she had in the leadership. As a nuke nin, she had more freedom to choose her new home. She would be quite surprised if Akira's policies caused her to leave, but she wanted to make sure she wouldn't waste time working for a government that she had no place in.

She waited for him to laugh at her for the question. Most of their banter up until this point had been sarcastic and kidding around, and a genuine question might have gotten lost in their rapport. Waiting for her answer, she would let him figure out she was serious if need be by just remaining silent. It was an important piece of information, and one she was quite serious about obtaining.

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