Sacred Retribution [M][Kinz]

[Estilo]

SPOILER: Click to show

name; sacred retribution
rank; b
description; Three thieves posed as monks have abducted a sacred scroll of prayers from a local temple! They were reported to be adequately skilled in the arts of NinJutsu and TaiJutsu comparable to that of a Genin. The recent carnage of the town made the Temple's security vulnerable, and this was exploited at a pivotal time. The scroll was reported missing the hour of its abduction, thus making your role crucial on this hour. You must track down these bandits and deliver justice; but you mustn't waste time, for it is of the essence. Do not let the scroll be damaged, otherwise it will lose its holiness for eternity and in result, the monks would be devastated.
reward; 60 experience, 1,000 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; open, credit big black fish

It had only been an hour since the ancient temple was struck with the unfortunate event that had transpired- a small unit of thieves having stolen one of their precious prayer scrolls. Atlas nearly scoffed at the idea of thieves stealing religious texts, or the fact that the village was putting some much interest in religion to begin with. Nonetheless, he had a task to do. And thieves were thieves, he reasoned. Someone needed to chase them down like dogs and catch' em, right? Quite frankly, he didn't think he needed the help of a Chuunin to do so. But rules were their for a reason, he surmised.

As he waited for the Chuunin at the front gate of the temple's lush patio, Atlas took a deep inhale, sucking in the cold air that hung around this morning. Time was of the essence, eh? Well, he supposed he couldn't wait around any longer then. After all, the Chuunin he was set up with would probably scold him if he saw him standing around there in the cold like an idiot. And the thieves were probably getting further and further away as he did so. So, glancing at the street beyond to see if his comrade was approaching yet, he would light up a single cigarette and take a smooth drag. Time to play detective.

Walking over the cobbled stoned path dug into the grass, Atlas would reach the base of the two story, ancient stone temple. It was covered in what looked like moss in the crevices of its stones. Very old indeed, and very precious to Kumogakure, he was sure. Echoing past its 15 feet wide and ten feet high entrance was the voice of old men. Coughing and conversing amongst one another in the heart of the temple's ground floor. Atlas was just about to enter it when he felt a presence approach from behind him.

Was it the Chuunin he'd been expecting earlier, perhaps?

[Kinz]

Landing with a soft thud, a little louder then a whisper on the stone patio, Asa saw a man, seemingly a little older then he standing there. Was this the genin he was supposed to be working with? Why was he so old? The slow crawl of a sullen expression began to cross his face, but it was replaced with his ever present smile as quickly as Asa realized it. Asa’s first thought was that this man was some sort of terrible shinobi, but he didn’t want to judge him solely on age and rank. Perhaps he came to the ninja profession later in life. It wasn’t Asa’s place to question him.

“Atlas I presume? Names Asashio. Asa for short. I guess I’m your chunnin here. Lay out the situation for me. I was only given a short briefing at the mission depot. They wanted to get me out here post haste. Also, I tend to do this with any new partner, tell me about your special skills in five words or less.”

The smoke from the cigarette plumed into Asa’s face, not bothering him. He didn’t often smoke, preferring a pipe when he did, but the smell was a familiar companion from his general hang outs. It was a bit comforting to have that smell linger around. The sounds of monks, still obviously in an uproar within the temple, were being carried out to them. While he talked with Atlas about the case he would carefully peruse the surroundings of the patio looking for footprints or broken limbs in the trees just outside of the stone floor.

[Estilo]

“Atlas I presume? Names Asashio. Asa for short."

"Asa, hm? Nice meeting you." Atlas would murmur, exhaling a soft ring of smoke. He had turned to face the Chuunin, but had stopped halfway, so that the right side of his body faced the man. Obscured from Asa's vision on Atlas' left side was his katana blade, hanging off his black leather belt in its sheath. As Asa continued to speak, Atlas would fully turn to allow the man to see the object dangling firmly off the side of his hip. "Well, I dabble in Kenjutsu and Raiton techs. Not much more than that for the time being." After a moment, he calmly turned back towards the temple's entrance, listening in for a bit on the mutter of old men.

"Anyways, home base wants us to track down a couple of thieves that stole an important prayer scroll from this place. Happen just an hour ago, and the monks are in shock, I hear. There are no apparent leads to the current location of the thieves at the moment either, so we'll have to do a bit of investigation beforehand."

He tossed his cigarette down into the dirt and crushed it under the sole of his black boot, despising the way he went through these things so quickly. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually finished an entire cigarette. He was always just lighting them up when he fancied a drag or two, then dispose of them minutes after, when his craving was gone. The entire repetitive process was vulgar and stupid, but as the saying goes- old habits die hard. With a sigh, he would stretch a single arm and slightly turn towards Asa with a raised eyebrow. "I guess we should start the investigation now, hm? Time's a wastin'."

[Kinz]

Asa listened as the man explained, all the while scanning the area for clues. Atlas had just lit the cigarette and without a care dashed the still usable coffin nail on the ground, stomping it out.

“Lightning and swords? Interesting. I am more of an earth user myself.”

He was being careful not to let his name or eye skills slip. He never wanted to need to rely on the sharingan, only use it as a tool to supplement his other skills. That same thing went for any partners he had. The sharingan wasn’t something to abuse.

Sifting through some bushes, Asa began probing for any other signs of the fleeing bandits. The earth was his playground. Perhaps an earth jutsu would be the proper path.

”Yes time is wasting I suppose. Lets canvas the area around here for signs of movement. Footprints, broken twigs, things like that. If they left within the hour that means one of two things. Either A) they left slowly and precisely, trying to cover their tracks. In which case I should be able to find them within range of my technique pretty quickly given a directional reference. Or B) they left quickly and probably left some foot prints or something to indicate their travels. You canvas the area. I’ll try my jutsu and head in a spiral pattern. If I get within 30 meters of someone I’ll know it.. What do you think?”

He didn’t need to ask the genin his opinion, but this person was of similar age to him. He decided to show him some respect for that reason alone, and avoid lording the title over him. Asa liked to be thought of as a common man anyway whenever possible. Higher rank just meant more work.

[Estilo]

"Sounds like a plan." Atlas would reply, gazing upon the scenery and brush that surrounded the stone sanctuary. "I'll call out to you if I find something." With an affirmative nod, he would depart from Asa's presence and towards the western side of the temple. The area was filled with greenery and plants, with a few small copses of trees scattered about. At first glance, it seemed neither Atlas nor Asa had the capability to find anything at all. There just seemed to be too much natural clutter in their way, and finding a single footprint, even, started to look more and more like an impossible task.

Despite the odds, however, he continued to venture around the property and scan the ground for anything that stood out. Anything among the blanket of leaves, branches, pine cones and patches of rich soil that covered the ground. But as he continued to search, with the daunting fact that the thieves were probably getting father and farther away each second, Atlas started to pick up his pace. His eyes would scan the ground ahead of him before he took a single step, then check the trees above him for any signs of snapped branches. Everything looked so untouched at first, like nothing had passed through this area in years.

He would stop at the side of the temple, beside one of its back exits, when he heard the soft patter of footsteps. Turning towards the open exit, he would see a monk emerge from the shadows, hands held behind his back and a shifty gait in the manner in which he walked. "Hello there." He would say, as the monk- dressed in an orange robe- continued to approach. "I'm one of the shinobi sent here to find the thieves. Is there... anything you could tell about the incident?"

The monk looked up at him, took a moment to inspect the man's clothing, then nodded. "The men, they had made everyone believe they were new to the temple. That they had been here to help in our reconstruction. But alas, they were not- and they had, in fact, come here to impede our revival. In their misguided endeavors... we ourselves have become lost without the scroll."

Atlas nodded. "I understand. But is there anything else? Physical appearance, notable features, the way they smell or walk or talk- anything like that?" He would ask the question politely, all the while wondering how much progress Asa was making.

[Kinz]

Atlas moved to follow his instructions and Asa prepared himself to begin his attempt at finding the suspects. Stepping off the patio he would quickly become enveloped by the soil under his feet, submerging into the embrace of the mother. though true sight was now lost to him, a faint feeling, almost a sixth sense was gained. Any movement on the surface of the earth within 30 meters of him would be detected. Every footstep, and landing. Currently he felt nothing.

A trickle of chakra was generated as he began his search. Using the temple as the center point, he would begin spiraling out from the temple in large circles, staying underground for a few moments then surfacing to get air and repeating. In truth he probably looked like a dolphin does when it plays in the ocean. His body continued its dance between earth and sky. His careful circuits took him past Atlas's location a number of times, thought to far away in the underbrush to see.

Asa knew there were holes in this plan. They could be moving through the trees. However, they would land eventually. The land of thunder wasn't known for its dense woodlands. Eventually foot would touch earth, and then he'd have them.

He had taken about seven laps around the temple before he got a glimpse. It was just at the edge of his range, but a heavier foot print then any small animal could make was felt. He assumed it could have been a bear or something, but that creature would be leaving four prints in a uniformed and constant path. These foot prints were only a pair, and they only touched the ground once. Asa assumed it was his quarry, landing from a large gap between trees and then taking to the safe limbs once more. They headed south. Emerging from the Surface, he would quickly make his way back, and find Atlas speaking with one of the monks.

"Atlas! Lets go man. I think I've got the trail. Hurry."

Saying no more, Asa would take to the trees in pursuit.

[Estilo]

Asa would suddenly appear from beyond the brush, looking like he had something to say. "Atlas! Lets go man. I think I've got the trail. Hurry." With a polite nod towards the monk, thanking the elderly gentleman for what little useless information he had provided, Atlas would quickly follow suit and leap off to the trees with his comrade. Their direction seemed to be due south, and Atlas quickly assumed Asa had found something along the lines of a footprint or marker, pointing towards the location of their prey. Quite frankly, he was impressed the seemingly regular ninja had found something like that so fast.

As he followed the Chunnin, keeping up side by side and mimicking his movements with a watchful eye, he would wonder exactly who they were dealing with. If they were professional thieves, then that must mean that they are somewhat attuned to the ninjutsu and taijutsu arts- both useful abilities to have as a robber and bandit. But he couldn't imagine that they were professionals, especially due to the fact that they had left some form of evidence behind them. Enough for Asa and Atlas to pick up on their trail.

The two jumped from branch to branch at an incredible speed, leaving no room for talking or comment- only for breathing and thinking. As they continued, the visage of a few ruins appeared in the distance. What used to be a towering ancient stone temple, in the middle of a grass clearing, stood beyond. It was surrounded by sunflowers, and showed no signs of activity within its depths- yet. But this was a type of shelter, hidden from the view of normal citizens, and the perfect hideout for a group of thieves looking to lay low. They had reached their destination.

Leaping off of the last tree, and crossing the boundary between small forest and grassy plain, Atlas would land with Asa in front of the stone temple, delving into the sea of sunflowers that flooded the perimeter. He took a moment to catch a cool breath, as he gazed into the two dark entrances on the front side of the temple. Two separate hallways, that led to a destination unknown. He stayed quiet for a moment, expecting to hear the chatter of thieves in the distance somehow, but all he heard was wind. Turning to his companion, he would ask, "So... should we head in there... or lure them out?"

He was sure Asa was aware that they didn't know exactly how dangerous these thieves could be, and that the prayer scroll's integrity was the most important thing on their plate. So deciding on a concrete plan of action before actually trying anything was probably a good idea.

[Kinz]

Asa led the way through the thicket of trees, mighty leaps pushing the ninja forward towards their goal. Questions plagued his mind. Why would these thieves steal a prayer scroll? Ransom? Asa doubted its worth on an underworld market. It seemed ransom or blackmail were the only useful options in regards to their bounty. Asa shook away the thoughts briskly. Whatever they wanted with the scroll was unimportant. He would simply have to remove it from their possession.

Coming to a clearing filled with some flowers, Asa landed beside Atlas. The two surveyed the building. Asa was unaware of these ruins. Perhaps the recent turmoil in the world had shifted things around. No matter. It was a lucky thing that the structure was made of stone.

"Atlas. Run a wide perimeter around the building. See if you can spot any other exits besides these two. I'm gunna get an idea of their numbers."

Forming a handseal without a word, Asa would meld into the surface of the earth like before and move within a few meters of the building. His radar sense went through the earth material that made up the structure. About 10 men were housed within. All at various areas of the compound. Singling out the one furthest from any others he would move in closer, every once in a while allowing his lips access to oxygen. His body passed through stone like a ghost eventually landing him in the wall directly behind his quarry. Quickly he would lash out, arms cutting off sound and pulling him into the stone. His Earth Spear Essence allowed for considerably boosted strength. Enough to handle bringing this one back for questioning. He would return with his prey to where he and Atlas had parted ways.

The man he had captured was barely old enough to be called such, perhaps thirteen or so. He had shoulder length, black hair. Asa never let go of the captives mouth long enough to allow speech. He'd wait their for Atlas so they could both put the brigand to the question.

[Estilo]

"Atlas. Run a wide perimeter around the building. See if you can spot any other exits besides these two. I'm gunna get an idea of their numbers." Responding with nothing more than a nod, Atlas would leap off towards the left side of the building and through the plateau of budding flowers. He would move swiftly, scanning his optics over the establishment in question, and looking for any form of hidden exit or escape. It was only until he reached the back of the ruined temple, however, that he found any indication of an alternative entryway into the structure. It was half-buried under a collapsed pile of rubble and moss, but was clearly still in condition to be utilized as a quick exit. Carefully, and quietly, Atlas would advance towards the entrance and pull off a few of the stones supporting what was left of it. His tampering with its structure ultimately resulted in its demise via a small rockslide- which he was sure the thieves inside would hear.

Realizing he only had moments before they escaped or ventured out of the front exit, Atlas quickly leaped onto one of the stone steps and hiked over the stone temple, determined to reach the other side as quickly as he could. Traversing the ancient terrain and crumbling stone fragments was more dangerous than he had thought it would be, nearly slipping to serious injury more than a few times, but he continued on nonetheless. It was smooth sailing after he reached the summit of the ruin, as he hopped down and jumped off in a blur, reaching the base of the temple's entrance in a matter of seconds. It was only until he landed on the grass with a soft thud that he noticed Asa standing a few meters away from him with a young man in his custody. One of the thieves perhaps, he mused, not given the chance to ask him before he sensed a presence approaching from behind. The thieves were emerging!

He turned with anticipation to look upon the bandits, who were emerging from the shadows within the temple in a jog, startled to see the two ninja out front. There were nine in total, not counting the one Asa had as a captive, and despite their scrawny looks, Atlas could tell they presented some form of danger just the same. They had pulled off a heist at the temple- successfully, for the most part- and moved like trained ninja. He wasn't going to let his guard down when he didn't know exactly what tricks these criminals had under their sleeves. Backing away towards Asa, but always keeping a weather eye on the group, Atlas would land a single hand on the hilt of his blade.

"So, guys... where's the scroll, hm?"

The group of nine seemed to bristle and snarl in unison, but one in particular, an individual with a red bandana, called out. "We're not telling you shit! And neither is he!" He'd add, pointing towards the young man Asa held. They cautiously advanced afterwards, each of them brandishing their own forms of weapons as they attempted to surround both Asa and Atlas. Their pride seemed to make them think they were capable of gaining victory in this bout. And Atlas was sure they could find the scroll within the temple with the aid of Asa's captive.

All they had to do was fight through the front lines and force them submission.

[Kinz]

Asa had already been sitting there a moment restraining the lad he had captured when Atlas landed near by. Before the two could begin their conversation, shadows began emerging from the temple. Asa had no idea if they had spotted atlas, or if they had noticed Asa's captive missing. As they headed for his position though, he knew there was no longer any time for stealth. Using similar earth techniques, he would phase the boy into the ground, only leaving the captives head exposed. Then standing he would watch the nine men come. Atlas addressed them, but Asa wasn't hopeful. Even rats with a numbers advantage were known to try pulling cats down. Perhaps these vermin would try their luck as well.

The smile never left Asa's face. He always had it there. Whether Atlas and the bandits mistook the smile for hubris, or an attempt at peacemaking was non of his concern. He was simply a happy person. Inner peace was a good thing to have, even if externally you always battled. As the men began encircling them, Asa's eyes began to glow crimson, and he unsheathed his gladius. Now the fighting would begin. He was aware of Atlas's presence, but with the numbers they faced, Atlas would have to fend for himself for the time being.

Trying to look every way at once, Asa viewed one of the men, a burly man with an axe begin to shift his weight. Charging at Asa, the axe was set to split him in twain. As the blade came down, Asa's left hand lashed out deflecting the axe while his left leg kicked the man in the front part of the knee. The mans knee shattered, bending in a sickening fashion under the force granted to Asa by his Earth Spear Essence. Just as the burly man crumpled into a heap Asa's right hand holding the gladius came forth, slicing him along the naval. Intestine hit the earth first. The man motionless. Continuing the smile Asa calmly said, "Eight more."

[Estilo]

As the criminals surrounded them, Atlas bothered to throw a glance over at Asa. The Chuunin had skillfully buried his captive in the ground with an Earth technique and had pulled out an intimidating gladius sword to face-off against the incoming attackers. It was good to know at least some of the abilities and traits his companion possessed, as the thought of asking him had slipped his mind during the beginning of the mission. Thinking he was going to have to give it his all to just keep up with the accomplished warrior, Atlas would turn all of his attention to the nine bandits gradually surrounding them and grasped the hilt of his katana blade. This seemed like it was going to get exciting.

Ironically, just as that thought swept through his mind, one of the nine men lunged at him with a fierce battle-cry and a hooked sword in hand. Atlas would swiftly side-step to his right, avoiding the potentially deadly strike and skillfully unsheathe his katana, swinging it across forcefully enough to knock the hook sword off course when it came through for its second attack. When the bandit lunged in for his third, Atlas would utilize the hook at the end of the man's weapon to lock in place with the side of his katana, only to pull at his weapon and tug the blade sideways with its owner. Doing so, he managed to use the poor fool as a shield for an attack that was meant to strike his right shoulder.

An old tomahawk sank into the flesh of the bandit's back, forcing him to release a blood-curdling cry and drop his hook sword. Seconds after, he himself would drop down to the ground, a victim of friendly fire and about as dead as a doorknob because of it. A toothy grin would spread across Atlas' mischievous face as the next bandit came through, swinging a ball and chain forcefully from a far, in an attempt to intimidate the ninja, it seemed. When the young thief in question actually swung the darn thing towards him, Atlas would promptly arch his body backwards to avoid a ball of pure steel to the face, immediately swinging his katana towards the chain it was connected to afterwards. His action would result in the chain wrapping around the katana, dangling the steel ball from its side as its owner attempted to tug away.

Atlas, however, kept a tight grip on the hilt of his weapon, responding with a few tugs of his own as they remained stuck in that deadlock. Unfortunately, he was gradually being surrounded by three of the seven bandits that remained- seeing as Asa had defeated one as well. And, though stuck in this precarious situation, Atlas would not bother the Chuunin with a single plea. The man had his own enemies to face, and he definitely did not want to seem like a bother or burden of sorts. Instead, he'd grit his teeth and devious a way to fight back.

[Kinz]

Asa stood there waiting for the men to strike first. He needed to stay on defense because of the numbers. There would be time for counter attacks, but pure offense would get him and Atlas killed. He was busy fighting the first opponent he felled while Atlas took a bandit down, but Asa did notice the bandit on the ground, the hook sword by the limp and lifeless arm. Atlas was now struggling with a man who had wrapped a chain around his weapon. Three in total now were making preparations against Atlas, while the remaining four stood on his door step. This was tricky.

Luckily for Asa, his previous actions appeared to intimidate his four foes into caution. They were content with merely forming around him, trying to think of a safe way to attack. Without thought, Asa tossed his gladius in the air and flickered a few handseals. He needed to be judicious with his chakra, but at the moment the phrase "all out" was all he could think of to remedy the situation. His hands flickered and flames shot from his back, turning into a replica of Asa. As the clone formed it would grab 3 shuriken from Asa's pouch and hurl them at the bandit wielding the chain that struggled with Atlas. The bandit would either have to release his weapon and abandon the struggle, or be killed by the flying blades. The clone, after catching Asa's gladius, would help watch Atlas's back as best it could for the time being.

Asa on the other hand was now seemingly unarmed against his four foes. the three smaller men in front carried crude bladed weapons, while the man in back was the size of a giant and carried a large hammer. This would be interesting to say the least. The three small bandits all charged Asa, their blades lashing out at him. His sharingan predicted the movements, and they were easily kept at bay with his predictions combined with his earthen armor. One of the bandits got careless though. As he made a stab, Asa merely let the weapon come forth and hit his armor. It was a light enough strike that it didn't actually pass through the surface. With the time that the man was off balance though, Asa's left hand lashed out and a closed fist landed along the right side of the mans head. He crumpled to a heap, blood pouring from his ears.

[Estilo]

A flurry of motion and swoosh! Atlas glanced over, during his physical altercation with the ball and chain wielding bandit, to see a fleet of shuriken cutting through the air towards his opponent. To ensure the shuriken hit, he would instinctively direct the enemy's attention to him by yanking back on his katana, thus yanking the chain his adversary held onto and forcing him to turn his attention to the red-haired warrior. Unfortunately for him, Atlas' plan had worked, and it wasn't long before the shuriken shot into the side of the man's body, tearing through his shirt and forcing him to fall down to his knees. During his painful scream, he would release the chain he held onto and fall to the ground as he slowly bled into unconsciousness, allowing Atlas to free his katana from the chain's restraint and prepare himself for the three bandits heading towards him.

As he placed both of his hands onto the hilt of his katana, dropping to a swift kneel, he glanced over at Asa- only to find a clone standing by his side a few meters away. He'd helped him after all, having thrown a few shuriken to fend off his previous attacker and even created a clone. Finding himself thankful for the aid, but in the man's debt, he would crack a grin and turn back to the three opponents charging him. If he really wanted to help Asa to make up for his own misgivings, then he'd best take these fools out fast enough to help the Chuunin with the others. It was all a matter of choosing his attacks carefully, but at the split-second, utilizing all of his garnered skills as a swordsman to his advantage.

"Let's dance!" He'd exclaim in mid-laughter, rising from his crouch when the first victim on his plate approached him with a jagged axe. Without a moment of hesitation, or remorse afterwards, Atlas would perform a swift Nibaigiri- aka Double Cut- brandishing his weapon from its sheath so fast that it managed to slash the opponent across the torso, then sheathing it once more as he pulled it downwards, slashing his opponent for the second time across the torso. The end result was two nasty gashes going from the man's face down to his stomach, seeping blood without stop. The poor bastard couldn't even manage a scream before dropping his axe and falling to the ground dead.

Another bandit was dead, but two more were heading straight towards him!

[Kinz]

Asa had made a mistake. In his haste to get the three bandits out of the picture, he took the opportunity to strike at the one, and though it did leave him out of the picture, he had exposed a blind spot. The other two occupied his right side, his left side having lashed out for the attack. Suddenly he noticed the large man with the hammer shunshin, landing on that side. There was nothing Asa could do as the man reared his weapon back and struck Asa in the left shoulder.

Tumbling end over end, Asa was sent skittering across the ground. He landed about 20 meters away from his original position nearby Atlas. Asa could feel the earth that made up his armor falling off of him. He didn’t have enough chakra to waste keeping it repaired. Shaking his head Asa rose to his hands and knees. It had been like having a mountain land on him. The village wasn’t kidding when they said a few of them had ninja skills. Apparently this was the leader, and he was really strong at taijutsu. All of a sudden the man was at Asa’s side leveling his hammer for another blow. Asa wouldn’t be able to stand another. Attempting to shunshin was useless. The remnants of his armor weighed at his body awkwardly. He couldn’t catch his balance. The only maneuver he had at his disposal was to simply roll out of the way. Rolling on his side, the man continued dropping his hammer over and over again, pounding over the ground. The rolling was forcing Asa even further from Atlas.

To make matters worse, the two smaller bandits who had been assaulting him apparently thought their boss had everything under control, and were now leveling their attentions towards Atlas. Asa’s clone stood there at Atlas’s back, ready for defense, the gladius in hand.

Asa needed to end this game the bandit leader was playing with him. He couldn’t leave Atlas by himself against the remaining four men. It wouldn’t be fair. Seizing an opportunity, Asa launched three shuriken at the hammer wielding giant mid roll. The bandit was just winding up for another strike and had to halt so that he could deflect the weapons with the haft of his hammer. Asa, still unbalanced, pushed off the ground lunging at the man. His hands wrapped around the hammer, and he began wrestling with the man over it. The bandit was initially surprised by the feral leap Asa had displayed, but quickly recovered. He leveled a large boot against Asa’s chest sending him back about 10 meters with the sheer force of the kick. Asa was fairly certain at least one rib was broken. It was like being hit by a truck, only this time he didn’t have his armor to dampen it. The bandit smiled at the reeling Asashio, only to be met with Asa’s familiar smirk. The bandit looked quizzically at Asa as he made a single hand gesture. Suddenly the exploding note he had placed on the hammer during their grapple ignited. A red mist of the bandit leaders pulp hung over the battle field.

He was dead, but Asa was tired, and already about thirty meters away from Atlas. It would be difficult to help any more then he had from here, with what limited chakra he had left.

[Estilo]

With the two bandits charging straight towards him, Atlas would have to react quickly to avoid being sliced and diced into bits. But while one bandit approached him with two katanas in hand, the other held back and performed what looked like a couple of hand seals. It was during that moment that Atlas raised his eyebrows in surprise. One fool was about to lash at him with two blades, and the other was attempting to unleash some form of jutsu. He needed to dodge both, but could only afford enough attention for one. "Shit!"

The moment he cursed, a sharp clang rang through the air, followed by the clear sounds of Asa's clone fighting off the katana-wielding foe. He'd only glanced at the sight of a gladius blade facing off against twin katanas, before turning his focus back on the second foe- the one would had performed the hand seals. He'd known some of these criminals knew ninjutsu, but somewhere between the scuffle that had began, he had forgotten so. Now the problem was very present and he had no choice but to react to it as quickly as possible while Asa's clone held the other adversary back. What he noticed, in the few milliseconds he had to notice it, was that the enemy he was looking at had ended his hand seals and placed a single clenched fist to his mouth, arching his body backwards as he took a deep breath. Immediately, Atlas realized what jutsu he was about to go up against, and his eyes widened at the fact that this punk was actually trying to burn him alive!

When a small wisp of spitfire emerged from his enemy's lips, Atlas knew it was time. That small wisp, as he had predicted, immediately formed into a gigantic fireball, barreling straight towards him in an impressive, but deadly display of flame. An exasperated 'huff' escaped his mouth before he performed a quick shunshin, maneuvering out of the way in the blink of an eye. Successfully having dodged the attack, he found himself only a few meters away from its creator. Before the man could issue yet another string of hand seals, Atlas bull rushed the opponent with his katana blade, dropping to a swift crouch before making contact and slicing his stomach open in a blur of metallic motion. Guts spilled to the ground in a disgusting squelch of sound.

Atlas scanned the battlefield promptly afterwards to see what their current situation was. Asa was facing off against a giant brute with a hammer, looking a little worse for wear, his clone was effectively fighting the opponent with two katanas- sure to get a kill in the next few seconds or so- and the two bandits that had been centered around Asa were now hell-bent on attacking Atlas! Quite tired himself, but determined not to give in just yet, Atlas would fire a string of hand seals, gathering his chakra around his entire body and balancing it. In the next few moments, when the enemies got in range with their weapons, he would unleash the Purazuma Booru!