Earthquake [3].

[Leonov]

The going seemed good. Great even. But as Maximilian kept an eye out for everything around and below, there was little to prepare him for the attack that would be summoned out from underneath them. He felt the bird underneath them shudder, and his eyes quickly darted down as he saw a swarm of sand creep up the sides of the bird that it had hit. They were assaulted. "Fucking shit!"

Max, knowing that something had to be done, and hoping his ally would do the same, he jumped off the bird they were on, angling his jump to quickly catch himself on top of the second bird that was beginning its descent down below. His fall speed let him catch himself on the top of the large, clay bird, and with that, he let its descent down lead him away from the attack. He would have looked back to see his ally, but he had to think of himself too.

The descent down was quick, and thinking carefully, he jumped off the bird as the fall was deemed non-lethal to him, and landed on a building [RB-F, the black one on the schematics], rolling into his fall and stopping at the center of the roof, quickly catching himself as the bird flew off wherever it would go. He took a second to catch his breath as best as he could, before jumping up to his feet quickly. Things were getting bad. Whatever would happen to his ally, God help him.

"God help us. God fucking help us."

But the blonde had to worry about himself as well. His descent down would have probably be visible to enemies, and he had to move quickly. Getting up, he stood up and ran off to the north-west, making distance with the flames to reduce visibility. He jumped roofs, making distance from the hospital, and hid behind rooftop access door, away from view from anyone near the source of the flames, as he breathed deeply and thought things through. It was scary. Frightening. He had lost both allies. And with so many enemies, things could get scary. In the dying kind of way.

Was fleeing an option at this moment? The hospital seemed lost.

"Seems like a fucking lost cause..."

[Comatose]

BM INTERMISSION:

---

Due to IIC being missed Superguest — Kouhei, receives critical damage for an already life-ending attack. Thus, by way of IIC, is crushed into oblivion in an implosion of gore. Dead.

In other news, Leo successfully stops, drops, and rolls off a bird, successfully escaping.

[KID GAMBINO.]

+ D E S C E N T

"Checkmate."


The invading forces were undoubtedly skilled, but without the ability to respond in enough time, the ascended shinobi inevitably succumbed to becoming trapped. Like a star falling out of the night sky, the intruder's explosive minions couldn't help him now, and in all but a flash, a thundering "CRASH!" echoed from the distant field. "Well, that's one down...", I noted teasingly, a simple wave of mental communication ordering the closest soldier to the crash site, THETA, to gather the corpse pieces and remaining weaponry of the deceased male left to my disposal¹. Meanwhile, the hasty retreat made by the bomber's partner assured me that the mission was still incomplete, and without a moment's notice, a string of handseals executed the next phase of capture.


"Sabaku Fuyuu no Jutsu!"², I commanded once the formation concluded, another platform of sand rising from the below terrain to aid me in my plight. The unconstrained shinobi's free-fall was sporadic at best, but nonetheless quick, which meant that an immediate response was absolutely necessary. Just as the figure would find his safety amongst the weight of the falling bird, the remaining clones (DELTA, EPSILON, OMEGA) would vigorously sprint toward the area of destination, while my aerial creation promptly shot through the air with the same direction in mind.


Unable to coordinate a proper landing, the opportunity to catch the laser-man appeared before me, especially since the clone known as DELTA was easily several meters away from the location. With a burst of energy and a couple leaps, the sand replica would ascend to the two-story building's rooftop in enough time to intercept the intruder's ability to flee, fleeting handseals birthing a thin, extensive, but sharp thorn from the clone's palm³. Before the landed male could recollect his stamina from such a lengthy near-death experience, the sand minion's five-meter blade would've already extended from it's hand toward him, aiming to pierce directly through the shoulder of his body, effectively holding him in place.

There was no escape.

SPOILER: Click to show

Rokuto - 10 Meters from RB-F; 10 Meters in the air.
Delta - 1 Meter from Maximillian; atop RB-F.
Epsilon - 3 Meters from RB-F; ground-level.
Omega - 10 Meters from RB-F; ground-level
Theta - 5 Meters from RB-B; ground-level.

Edit - Looting Approved By Naitome.

¹Looting Corpse / Remaining Items from Kouhei.
²Desert Sand Floating - 1x Low Chakra.
³Sand Javelin Technique - 1x High Chakra.


Sabaku Fuyuu (Desert Sand Floating)
Rank: C, C, C.
Type: Supplementary.
Range: See special!
Handseals: 4.
Chakra: Mid to cast (per platform) and sustain.
Special: Range of sand island flotation, as well as the distance it can reach in the air depends on the user's 'Sand Dominion' rank. When the user learns this technique initially, one clump of sand can be created. Retraining after the initial allows the user to create an extra island, though for every fourth retraining, chakra consumption will go up by one. Each island costs separately, and the distance between the user's main island and those extra can never exceed thei 'Saton Ryuuken' range, halved. Islands can be no bigger than 1/10th of the user's highest 'SR' rank.
Description: With this ninjutsu, the user will bring together sand into cloud shaped clumps, the size of these ‘islands’ depending on the size of the user. These clumps are dense enough for the user or another ninja to rest on. During quick, dangerous attacks, this can allow the user to rise above any threat from below.
Domain: Saton. Saton Ryuuken 'C'.


Sunayari (Sand Javelin)
Rank: B, B.
Type: Offensive.
Range: See special!
Handseals: 3.
Chakra: High.
Special: Length of the spear is equal to 1/10th the user's maximum Saton Ryuuken range. Up to one javelin can be created, plus one more each time retrained up to a maximum of six; however, after every third retraining, chakra consumption will raise by one. With multiple spears, the user has the choice of firing them off either simultaneously, or one after another.
Description: Sunayari, an extremely favorable technique for those of the Sand Element that relish striking down foes with brutal impalement. Upon forming the handseals, sand in the environment vigorously comes together into the shape of a javelin, with the intention to use the weapon for the same purpose. The sand spear can be shot forth in a straight line or thrown into a vertical arc, and with a sharpened edge that is deadly to the touch, the javelin is definitely capable of causing multiple gruesome deaths.
Domain: Saton. Saton Ryouuken 'B'.

[Leonov]

There was barely any time for Maximilian to contemplate much as he witnessed an enemy right before him as he recovered himself from the landing. Standing up, tensed, he saw the enemy run toward him, and quickly, fear and instinct kicked into his senses. He was in no condition to retaliate with any sort of incredible acrobatics nor remarkable movements. He did only what his body pushed itself to do. Instead of fleeing for the next building, he let cowardice and reactions take hold.

He ducked back. He flinched.

And as he did, moving back in the process, the point on the palm of the clone grew into a spear, and went over his shoulder, hitting thin air. He reacted, knowing he had less than a second to move. While the spear extended to its full length of five meters, with a single handseal, he released a ball of storm energy from his hand, which reached the clone in the blink of an eye due to its distance from him being barely over a meter. It exploded, hitting the enemy with a blast of storm energy, barely scraping up Max as he was a bit too close for comfort to the blast radius.

The clone, hit by the blast point-blank and, if not completely obliterated as the blast would encompass its whole body, would be taken aback long enough for Maximilian to realize an escape was necessary, and he dove to his right, covering the distance of two meters to the edge of the building, and quickly moved down to the streets below. He was out of sight from the individual floating in the air, but down the alley, behind him, he saw enemies thirteen meters away [Epsilon, Theta]. Taking no time to wait, he sprinted forward, keeping his eyes behind him, looking to get away from them.

"They're not gonna fucking get me from there."

SPOILER: Click to show

Shoissuiboru (Shocking Storm Globe) - x2 Mid

[KID GAMBINO.]

+ E X H A U S T I O N

The earthen spear was deadly to the touch, and the life of any unsuspecting fool would've surely ended at that very moment, but everything about this shinobi was quick and evasive. From a bare three feet away, the sand weapon pierced the air right over his shoulder, a single handseal of his own conjuring another luminous sphere that would shatter the core of the heroic clone DELTA into glass once again. "Ugh!", I groaned, my patience vastly deteriorating for each failure that would unfortunately be added to my résumé during this battle. However, I then would realize that this pain wasn't caused by a shot of discouragement... the chakra reserve that I had imprudently managed were almost at it's end.


To conserve the molecule of energy I had left, I leaped from the hovering throne to the opponent's former building, watching in disgust as he fled into the shadows. "Tch, you cowards invade my village, and you're the ones runnin'?!", I said with a loud enough animosity for the lost shinobi to hear me. With EPSILON and OMEGA already perched on the same building, we each scoured the darkened alleys from the corners of rooftop, with hopes that the shinobi would make an idiotic mistake... or come to surrender, at the least. "Give it up, kid... there are tons of ANBU sifting through the village, and since that little pet of yours at the gate has been defeated, there is no way you're going to make it out of here alive."


Meanwhile, the distant clone, THETA, finished gathering the deceased shinobi's remains, which included his weaponry and items, his headband, his severed body, and one of his clay minions for memorabilia. Once the assessment was complete, it wouldn't be too difficult but to simply deposit the corpse pieces with the experts in the main hospital, to preserve the interesting bloodline for later investigation. With the reserved chakra in my sand gourd used and my tolerance staggering, I had to end this, someway, somehow.

SPOILER: Click to show

Rokuto - 20 Meters from Max; atop RB-F.
Epsilon - 13 Meters from Max; atop RB-F.
Omega - 16 Meters from Max; atop RB-F.
Delta - Inside the Main Hospital.

[Leonov]

This guy was throwing out threats to the hidden blonde, and for a second, Max could taste the spite and hatred in the words that he spoke. His village was the ones who were invading and killing. Hard world to live in, to do such acts towards one another and have to live with it the next day. But that was nothing for the man to worry about. He had to figure out what to do in this situation.

He moved down the alley. While his enemies stood on top of the roof of the building he had been on [RB-F]. Maximilian hid behind the next building right north of it. The enemy finished his words, and an idea racked through his head, and taking an explosive tag tied to a shuriken, he threw it up so that it lodged itself right against the ledge at the edge of the building, away from view of the opponent, and he completed a single handseal.

Out of nowhere, four copies of Maximilian appeared beside him, in a line, and all five of them moved up, reaching the ledge of the roof above them, and standing there in a line. All five of them held their hands close together in a bowing gesture - while they stood straight of course - and watched at the three enemies at distances varying around 20 meters ahead of them. Maximilian stood as the second to the right individual of the line at the ledge.

All five of them raised their hands to the enemies before them, and simultaneously, gave a beckoning gesture to them. He had a plan in mind, as before he jumped up onto the building roof, there stood an open window the floor below right behind the real Maximilian - already having calculated the trajectory he'd need to take to land in the room if he jumped back - as well as an open alleyway only two meters to his right and down, and another four meters to his left and down.

From his location on the roof, only a silhouette of the five of them were visible. Their faces were inscrutable. The flames were staying at their respective buildings, not enough light reaching Max and his crew. All five remained silent.

SPOILER: Click to show

Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique) - Low

[KID GAMBINO.]

+ S T A L E M A T E

The hours into the midst of the night were becoming infinite, the blackened skies and the destruction on earth truly embodying what made the life of a ninja so dangerous. A point in time of order and tranquility quickly became a killing spree, a malicious plan that was organized by these very intruders... but nonetheless, that was the system of the ninja world. Analyzing the barely-lit alleys, a yawn seemed to escape from me, as I was eager to finish this battle with some rest in mind, and to think, just a mere few days ago I was relaxing in the pacifistic trenches of Sandi Airando... I wasn't getting payed enough for this shit.


And with a spontaneous jerk of the neck, I turned to notice five targets standing nonchalantly in the twenty-meter distance, as they appeared to be taunting me with a welcoming curtsy... but I wasn't that gullible. While the opponent made his presence known in the indiscernible distance, I signaled my clones to gather into our own formation, the minion THETA coming to join it's allies from the rear. Before addressing the trapped assailant, I withdrew the deceased shinobi's headband from the palm of my soldier, observing the unexpected insignia to be engraved in it's epicenter, and quiet frankly, I was shocked to realize that I was completely wrong about our adversaries.. this was nothing less than the treachery of Iwagakure.


"Tch, those damned pebble-brains...", I answered subtly, intrigued to know that despite speculating potential invasions from Kumogakure for so long, the Stone Village had abruptly gone from off-the-radar to our number-one enemies. Were the two villages secretly in cahoots? With our village weakened, was another invasion on behalf of the Cloud Village to be expected? Focusing on the man and his replicas, I demanded answers.


"Ahem, shinobi of the Hidden Earth,", I said loudly enough for the resilient male to hear me, "The end of this little invasion is drawing near... you must've considered by now that the opportunity for escape has been lost... even if you were to defeat me, right here in the middle of the village, you'd still have to fight your way through an onslaught of enemies, because this is their nest. You must be wise, for the Sand Village army that will be your obstacle is far too great to overcome alone."


I paused briefly, granting the man a chance to ponder while maintaining a humble and trustworthy range between our groups. "The choice is yours... surrender, digest your pride and forfeit your freedom in return for your life.. or you can end up just like your 'friends', and foolishly accept a death caused by the very people you call your leaders and allies." Then came a silence, the cackling flames behind me disappearing into the gravity of the situation... it would finally be his turn to speak.

SPOILER: Click to show

Rokuto - 20 Meters from Max; atop RB-F.
Epsilon - 20 Meters from Max; atop RB-F.
Omega - 20 Meters from Max; atop RB-F.
Delta - 20 Meters from Max; atop RB-F.

[Leonov]

Four of them.

Maximilian was finally able to get a solid number of enemies down in his sight. At least for the time being, and only as far as he knew. There could be more enemies hidden all around the area, and he would have no way of knowing until it was too late. He maintained formation with his clones, all five of them in a straight line, and he simply watched and waited for this man to say what he had to say. Quite frankly, it didn't look too good.

Max gritted his teeth, frustrated, as he stood at the ready and tried to analyze the situation. He was, himself, quite well-off with chakra and stamina, for whatever he may need. He eyed the enemy strangely. It didn't seem right for this person, who had warded off one ally to move off and killed another, to suddenly demand surrender. But then again, Maximilian wasn't an expert at the art of warfare himself.

"Fuck!" The blonde cursed, pissed at the situation and the ordeal. He had an enemy offering him the chance of survival, and for some damn reason, the deal made a bit of sense to him. He was in an enemy village with their special ops shinobi probably crawling in every other place he would find. But his patriotism to his village was eating at him. He couldn't give up, in his right mind, just because he felt like surviving. He could survive this battle, possibly.

He could have a chance at escape. He could hide.

He sighed, and shook his head, pissed at all of this. he stood still, however, still making it difficult to discern where the real Max was, and the distance between them was long enough to where the noise disturbances going on around them would also make finding where the real speaker was difficult. "I don't know, Mr. Sandman. I think I have a good feeling about things here. My allies aren't too shitty, I hope."

"Speaking of... I hope your Kage-person is doing alright. I thought all his elite shinobi would be by his side."

[KID GAMBINO.]

+ N E G O T I A T I O N

There is a saying that "a worthy adversary knows when to pick and choose his battles", and to blindly combat in a war that you're destined to lose is nothing more than a fool's errand. Cautious and observant, each clone (and myself) took consecutive turns surveying both the visible surroundings and the dusted atmosphere, the previous escape of the first intruder forcing me to consider if the weasel ever made it out of the village. The body imprisoned in the mouth of that beast... my intentions were strong, but my efforts were simply not enough. Retribution for the acts of the Stone Village was now the clear objective, and with the trail of flames he left behind roasting vengeance into the hearts of our citizens and shinobi, a thirst for more blood subsided in every fiber of my being. Could it be possible... that the capture of the unidentifiable person was Iwagakure's true mission?


And then the man from a foreign land had the nerve to question me about Sunagakure's leadership?! I smirked at the compliment, hesitantly irritated by the moniker given, but was nonetheless flattered. There was nothing detrimental about my talents... I was a sand deity, with godly sand-manipulation powers, on a battlefield composed of nothing but sand... this intruder was knowledgeable to withhold such impatience. The Kazekage, on the other hand, the deceptive enigma that had taken the position of sovereignty from right under me -- could the man of a thousand origins finally debut his appearance in the silence of the night? Concurrently, the ravages of the invasion slowly became quiet, the flickering of bodies in the vast distance assuring me that the reinforcements I was so inquisitive about were surely doing their jobs, and then the realization I eluded suddenly came to me... I couldn't give a damn if the Kazekage had entered the fray; there only existed here and now.


"Heh, Mr. Sandman? You must be confused... you're looking at Sunagakure's finest finest, The Human Sandstorm, Rokuto of the Kekkai Clan!" I responded obnoxiously, my finicky intolerance beginning to show to the Iwa-Nin. "...and don't worry about the Kazekage, Earthling, such a person is capable of holding their own." I recessed, hoping to discern the real from the fakes... but under the absence of light at such a distance, that feat would be impossible. Fortunately, with the flaming bulb at my rear, the man's predictability was just as good as mine... we were both practically concealed. "Mm, nice transition, but the question still remains, Earth shinobi... one ally has abandoned you, while the other is dead... that just leaves you. Explain to me, how will you fare if the rest of your comrades are dead as well? C'mon, don't become another picture in the obituary, mate... that would just be sad. Let's just call it a night, aye?!" The benevolence in my tone was apparent, but the message was stern.


I waited anxiously for a conclusion.

[Leonov]

An enticing offer. The blonde sighed to himself as he realized that this was a serious offer, or what seems like it. But it wasn't in his heart to accept the offer happily. He was still a proud Iwagakure shinobi, and if that meant having to escape into impossible odds to keep his dignity and his allegiance, he'd have to do that. He thought it over, and with his thoughts collected, he looked over at the four before him, twenty meters away, and spoke back.

"You know, I appreciate the honesty. If that's what it is," he called out to the sandman that went by Rokuto. The man wasn't too cold. Not too cruel. He felt like if this was a certain other circumstance, they could be good friends. But that wasn't the case right then. Maximilian knew that his allies were gone. He had no radio, but with his one and only ticket out of the village safely, he knew he would have to retreat and find his ticket out. Bass was his only hope.

"And I know what my odds are in this village," he confirmed what the other sandman said was true. "But out of self-respect, I'd like to keep my dignity intact. I'll decline." The cold words he delivered across the twenty meters were honest, and stern. However, he raised his hands up, his silhouette appearing to shrug apologetically. "Though I know, for a fact, that right now my survival is more important than your or any other Suna death I can cause. I'm done with killing; I'd like to live." His four clones disappeared in a small puff of smoke, leaving him alone on the ledge.

He sighed, and with a single leap, he jumped back, making it through the open window into the building he stood before, and turning around, he ran through the empty corridor he was in, and jumped through an empty window on the opposite side of the building, into an empty, dark alleyway, which he hid in among the shadows, creeping away into the darker parts of the alleys to make sure that his enemy, this Rokuto, would not be able to find him in his present location. Hiding could be an option. He trusted on his ally that he could find him somehow.

Maximilian knew how to create a sign.

[KID GAMBINO.]

+ S A C R I F I C E

Just as I thought... this shinobi's pride was equally as durable as my own, and in all honesty, it was truly commendable. Although the chance to unravel the full extent of this mysterious intruder's abilities was vastly slipping away from me, the mechanics of his fast-acting techniques surely interesting, the trembles of my chakra reserve suggested otherwise. Even from such a distance, it became increasingly difficult to camouflage my exhaustion, and quite frankly, pursuing the retreated intruder would've undoubtedly enabled my own death. The truth was cold, but I'd live to see another day.. this battle was officially finished.


"Well, then... nevermind, bro.", I mumbled, shifting my attention away from the shinobi's former location to a luminescent inferno that burned in the reach, sucking my teeth as I noted the several massive pests that seemed to have also infiltrated the village. With my combat-efficiency nearly drained and my patience wearing thin, there had to be somewhere else that I could be useful... perhaps even, the faceless Kazekage had made an entrance? Curious by the thought, I gave one final glimpse toward the blazing office, remembering the hostage situation at hand, while assuring that the hidden enemy wasn't primed for a sudden flank.


Whatever the strategy, leaving Sunagakure would be a toilsome journey for the misplaced lad. He spoke of respect and dignity, something I could never strip from a man, even someone who I would declare my worst enemy. For some reason, I envied the intruder's tenacity, secretly wishing that such a warrior existed in Sunagakure for my own competition. With our preference for survival outweighing the thirst for victory, I accepted the blonde's draw and briskly shoved the Iwagakure headband comfortably into my pockets. A destination elsewhere called for me, the four of us jolting into the shadowy passages away from the inflamed building, heading directly toward the Kazekage Administration... there was something I needed to take care of.

[ EXIT ]

[Leonov]

With the coast clear, as the blonde kept his eyes to the skies and his ears to the ground, he crept through the alleys of the area, heading for the general location of the hospital. The fire had lit the way for him, and luckily, they were a deterrent for anybody in the area to come toward the hospital. People were evacuated as he moved by empty buildings and the burnt structures he and his team caused.

"Fucking shame." He approached the hospital wall, away from view of anyone and everyone, making sure he was not visible to anyone that could be walking by or around the area. With a quick huff, he ran up the wall of the hospital, eyes wary as he reached the top of the building, and reached it within seconds. He dove behind for cover behind the high ledges on the hospital roof.

He knew he wouldn't be able to hang there for the whole night. He only hoped his ally would know to come for him on the roof. He prayed under his breath as he hid behind the ledges and kept his eyes out for anything worth looking at or worth catching his eye. At this point, his fate was in the hands of his allies, if they survive. The hospital was a main point of contention, so they'd have to come for him there.

His mind raced to the death of his ally and the deaths of all the people he and his allies had taken down. This was a true war, and his thoughts wandered off to the effects of this battle. What if they lose? This would be catastrophic for morale, and if the whole nation hears of his loss, what would they think of Iwagakure? The prospect of leaving went through his mind, but the prospect of victory was also there. Max was afraid.

It was a matter of faith and patience.

SPOILER: Click to show

Kinobori no Waza (Act of Tree Climbing) - Low

[Leonov]

[Thread Over.]

[x3 EXP for Superguest, Bass, and Leonov due to Squad / Team thread please.]

[~Kohana <3]

Bass- 162
Guest- 177
Leo- 297 + 500 + 20k

Naga- 16
Laz- 90
Exar- 10

[daisy]

Iwagakure ANBU
Mitzy

"Identify any bearing an Iwagakure headband, if you can. Everyone is to be collected so... Let's just get on with it." She hated this part. The dead couldn't be left in peace, forgotten. Not when they littered the streets. Not when their families grieved, and their leaders demanded knowledge. She walked amongst her small squad of shinobi, mostly medics, eyes on the fallen. She could identify a few personally. Comrades, superiors, those she had instructed.

"I don't want a single Iwagakure shinobi left here. We'll return them to the earth, where they belong. Not this... sand." And so the corpse collecting went on.

The dead could hardly complain, after all.