Thy Enemy

[NARRATOR]

"What are we doing here, Kazuma-sama?" the shorter of the two robed figures asked, his voice battling against the dusty winds of Kaze no Kuni.

"Have you never hunted a day in your life, Fujiki?" Kazuma replied, glancing down to his left at his stout companion. "We're setting a trap to lure out our prey."

"What if they don't come out to play?" Fujiki whined, strutting along.

"They'll come," Kazuma assured him. "Power is the only thing these cretins care about. Once we've released our friend," he patted the large gourd fastened to his back, "They'll be drawn to him like a moth to flame."

"And then... Then we!"

"Yes," Kazuma nodded. "Then we get to fight."

"Whee!!!!" Fujiki squealed, clapping several times as they continued to trek along.

Coming to the peak of one of the larger dunes, the shrouded duo glared down upon the decrepit boundaries of Sunagakure. All but abandoned since the minor skirmish between Iwagakure and the Sand forces, the village was a ghost town. Once a powerful nation, now nothing more than rubble and debris where wayward travelers and filthy beggars dwelt. There were a few shinobi, those who still desired to bring their nation back from the brink of destruction.

But that was it. And while they were busy scrambling to establish some sense of government, and appoint a new leader, they were all nothing short of ignorant to the threat that loomed above.

Removing the gourd from his back and setting it down before himself, he began the long string of handseals in preparation. "The end times have come."

[NARRATOR]

The lengthy set of seals came to a halt after several moments. Kazuma's chakra surged into the atmosphere, pushing away waves of sand and compressing and expelling gales of wind. Placing his gloved palm upon the lip of the gourd, the seal-- which had been invisible until that point --sprawled to life, painting its intricate pattern along the massive construct.

"Kai!" he bellowed, and with a deafening screech, the seal was undone.

An explosion of smoke and sandy debris erupted all around the two figures, rolling down the dune that leading straight to Sunagakure's hearth. It was like a sentient cloud, with two bright, golden eyes marking its helm. This torrential downpour of cloud and sand continued until no more than a hundred meters from the monstrous stone wall that defined Sunagakure's gates.

From within the coffin of obscurity, a monolithic creature emerged. Comprised purely of ravenous blue and black flames, sporting two lengthy tails of similar composition, the creature-- now revealed to be the Nibi --released an earth-shaking roar from its bottomless stomach. The winds pushed and racked against Sunagakure's gates, completely sweeping away several shinobi unfortunate enough to be on patrol.

Who would answer the beast's challenge?

[Yoshi]

This was the stupidest note he had ever received in his life. Someone had sent a piece of parchment to his address saying that all that he would ever need was in Kaze. That " his love " wanted to give a very special present of doom to him. And finding that there was no better way to piss off his Hokage other then skipping out on the village altogether to get this "present".

Aota held his usual melancholy attitude once within the boundaries of Kaze no Kuni. This was leisure time getting away from the village, and his Hokage kohana. He hated her with a passion unknown to everyone around him. He found her to be a lifeless warmongering whore of a woman. The winds picked up all of a sudden send a tidal wave of winds directly for his small frame. It wasn't enough to sweep him off his feet for long, tumbling a few meters backwards before hearing it.

" What in the H. . H. . HELL!!! " Aota's voice quivered, as his eye's locked onto what created the horrid gust.

Approximately thirty meters out of reach there it was -- A monster he had never seen or heard of before. Fear permeated his entire body, almost paralyzing his very movements. He could barely see it -- but nothing resided within the creature's frame but flames which seemed to distort the very area. The distance was the only thing keeping Aota from literally melting down and losing his mind.

His mind raced with thoughts of what to do but nothing came to him other then making sure the damned thing didn't see him, and maybe sick someone else on it. Chimamire wasn't a hero, and his fear was not of the monster itself but the fact he was so weak triumphing against such a monster would be near impossible.

[/justify][/font]

[~Kohana <3]

The tall tales of the Yonbi that wreaked havoc within Kusagakure was still fresh in people’s minds, as was the onslaught that was brought to many ninja that sought the Sanbi that appeared outside of Kirigakure. She had been one of the unfortunate who hadn’t been able to claim the beast’s power that day. Though power was tempting, she didn’t want it for herself, by far, she wanted the Sanbi’s power for her village. It would have been a mantle to speak volumes against any who would try and belittle what Konohagakure has been struggling to do since it was destroyed, since plague and disease wrought it, and since it seemed the world itself had given up on it.

She was Hokage, however.

Kohana’s eyes bore a flame, much like the fabled beast said to have appeared near the gates of a village she hardly knew much about, despite meeting the former Kazekage, Sora, once before. Last she had heard it had fallen under Iwagakure’s control but in these days everything seemed to dishevel that the outcomes of war continued to change over and over. Now it wouldn’t be such the case. She knew she didn’t have much of a village to back her up, not only in numbers, but also in trust. After all, suggesting to blow the village up at one point didn’t quite set well with many of those she still held dear to her heart, whether they realized that or not.

Regardless, any and all able shinobi were called to converge on Sunagakure, or at least venture to Kaze no Kuni. She, however, went ahead. As Hokage she felt it was her right to do so, again, not for her own selfish reasons, but to gauge just how bad this onslaught would be. The Sanbi had been tamed, sleeping within a ball of chakra. The Yonbi she heard had been terrible, but she had missed that event and knew nothing of what a bijuu could truly do. Of course, seeing the ape come out in Akira alone was enough to show her that the shear power of them was something to truly respect and, potentially, fear.

Byakugan flared while veins pulsed alongside her temple as she had finally come in close enough range to see the giant feline monster, its flames licking the sky while its gold eyes seemed to try and fill the world with whatever malice and hate it had via the flames. It looked as though she had just missed its ‘summoning’ or ‘appearing’ in this world. As she neared the beast, something else caught her eye which, to put lightly, lit a fire of her own. Aota, a boy, only a Genin, from her very own village. She was sure the note that she had set out was specific enough for the whole village to move as one considering there hadn’t been many of them anyways. Her eye twitched a bit while she inhaled sharply to prevent from pouring all her chakra into a single punch that would, beyond a doubt, kill the boy.

“Aota!” Her voice was stern, harsh, and uncaring. He was hers, so deep down she did, but at the moment, disobeying an order for something as serious as this was almost enough for her to take back his status as a Genin and destroy his headband. “Why aren’t you rallying with the others and coming here as a group?! A bijuu, whether it’s the Nibi or not is out of your league by yourself!”

Shaking her head, Kohana didn’t dare get any closer to the feline, but instead opted to stand in front of, yet to the left, of Aota. “We should wait for our reinforcements and then hit the beast with as much as we can at once before too many forces from other villages comes—and keep an eye out for Sunagakure shinobi. Last I need is you getting hurt.”

SPOILER: Click to show

Infuin- Stack 1

[King]

"We're here, Fusa." Ashura gave the emerald dragon's slick neck a loving pat, signaling her to descend. Length winds compressed along her back, and like a dagger stabbing at the earth, she cut toward the sandy dunes playing host to the Nibi's temper tantrum.

Curving her descent several meters above the earth, and expanding her winds, a strong gust buffeted her fall. Seconds later, her feet touched down and then Ashura's thereafter. Waving the dragon off, the creature vanished with a large plume of smoke.

"So, this is the Nibi?" Ashura's voice was ripe with interest and curiosity; it was the first tailed beast he'd ever seen with his own two eyes. The boy stood off to the Hokage's left, more in line with the other Uchiha, forming a triangular like formation. The beast was still quite a ways out (roughly thirty meters), and Sunagakure event further behind them.

Rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, Ashura blinked. That's all it took for his eyes to transform into their fully matured state, the Mangekyou. "This'll be fun."

[The Dude]

Yui wandered aimlessly through the desert for any sign of what she was looking for. She had nearly found the man only for him to disappear without a trace beneath the eyes of watchful shinobi. It hadn't been his first time disappearing from her life, but it still hurt to have come so close to what she had set out to find only to have it slip through her fingers.

She didn't lose heart though, and in fact chose to start the search the last time she had no clue in the search. By wandering aimlessly and hoping for some sort of sign or clue that would tell her which way to pick up his trail next. Kaze no Kuni seemed a strange place for her father to be hiding out, but then she had very little to go off of and one of the few clues was simple enough. 'He doesn't like the cold.' The desert seemed reasonable for being a polar opposite.

It was suddenly no longer quiet as a roar bellowed out causing the very sands themselves to tremble. Yui leaped out of her skin at the sudden emergence of the sound, twisting and landing to face the source of the sound. Perhaps the most peculiar site, for the gates of the sand village once hidden were now exposed. Not only to the careless wandering eye, but to the animated flame of mounds that challenged them.

A sickening anxiety caused her heart to leap and her stomach to plummet. Fear of death and the sickening feeling of her mother's fears coming true made her feel ill with the thought of her mother being right. On the other hand she had long idolized the stories her mother told her about her father and his various adventures, and it brought out the adventurer in her. Death be damned, the girl was going to be like her father! With a moment to regain composure she shot off speedily in the direction of the beast as well as the small company of shinobi that were already beginning to gather about with uncertainty.

[Kami]

Conflict was eminent.

What loomed in the horizon casted it's eerie shadow upon the village, outlining the terror and destruction that was to come. It's presence striked the fervor of many, some compelled by their everlasting greed, some shoved into the fray by way of their duties. Yoshirou, however, was a combination of both.

A carbon copy¹, the puppet master hidden in the distance, arrived at the scene in a hurry, his was timing impeccable, as he was just finishing a routine checkup on the defense systems of Sunagakure. A sigh left the lips of the young Kazekage, signifying his great discontent at the sight of his new guests the three shinobi directly in front of him^{10 meters} and the great, tyrannical beast, Nibi.

His garb fluttered in the wind; his hood draped over to protect his eyes from the harsh ailments coinciding around him. He let out a smile as he listen to the conversation of the three individuals before him, who had seemed to be completely unbeknowngst of his presence.

"Hmph, you won't have to worry about that, Ma'am."

Yoshi would utter these words precisely after the singular female finished her own, obviously catching the attention of the three shinobi in front of him. His arms folded together sternly to assert himself in front of the strangers. First impressions were always important.

"The last thing we need is Sunagakure and Konohagakure fighting amongst themselves with this beast on the horizon. Quite frankly, I'm most concerned about my villages' safety, after all, I am the Kazekage."

A smirk crossed his face as he stared directly at the woman.

"You scratch my back I scratch yours?"

SPOILER: Click to show

^{1Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone)}

[Comatose]

A particular sand dune made the perfect vantage for watching the beginnings of what would be nothing but chaos. The first arrivals of ninja had already begun to arrive stirring to and fro - rallying and marching against a foe that they both could not hope to defeat and never would understand. This had not been my first squabble with a beast such as this, one powerful enough to instantly rend entire contingents of ninja to nothing but smoldering piles of ash. No, this was in fact my third meeting with one such as this, the first having resulting in my 'death'.

Anyone with any sort of knowledge on such things even from our vantage just shy of seventy meters would know that this particular beast - a bijuu, was in fact the Nibi — a crimson feline capable of speeds far surpassing any normal ninja. Both distance, timing, and application of one's talents would be required to fell such a foe — to capture it for one's own. Because no, one wasn't capable of killing such things, literal forces of nature. You could only quell it's wrath and pray you came out alive, under it's blessings.

As I glanced to my side, my wife there too, watching the beast, my hand went to the hilt of the demon blade Kusanagi. The blade itself seemed to let out a cackle of glee, relishing in the possibility of facing such a thing. I tried to not let my own unconscious uncertainty show on my face as I flashed her a warm smile. Even in the face of odds that didn't allow us for a wide margin of chance of survival I would protect her if something should go awry. I would protect her to insure they survived. Life or death.

"We shouldn't go in just yet. See that there?" I pointed off in the distance, shifting shapes seemingly charging the bijuu and others gathering to start some sort of assault. "Every Bijuu has it's own disposition, it's own personality. This is true. However, charging headlong at anyone with killing intent would make them retaliate. We'll go shortly after they engage the beast. I assume they'll die in an instant."

[addy-hime ♥]

[style=width: 310px; font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify]Funny that the first time I should grace the land of my previous home tangibly — that is, in my own body and not that of a clone's — it should be to face such a monstrous foe. Sand compacted beneath my feet as I leaned my weight slightly forward, wishing I could feel the warmth of it as I had when I used to run bare-foot through Sunagakure's streets. But that was then, this is now. The disparate heat was overwhelming to me now, making me slightly uncomfortable in the confines of the cloak that had been designed to blend in with this exact terrain. With my hood up to cover my signature hair and at this distance, I was but a part of the dune upon which we stood.

"They are foolish for attacking it," I noted quietly, tearing my eyes from the crimson beast and instead focusing upon my husband. Although his hand was upon his blade, mine had drifted to rest instinctively upon the hidden swell of my stomach. "The texts I have read about the bakeneko said that it was known for being very polite, even formal, in its interactions. I have to wonder why it would choose to assault Sunagakure in this manner. What could it possibly gain, and why now?"

During my first day as Kazekage I had led an assault against the Ichibi, Shukaku. If it had not been for the help of a group of samurai, myself and my entire team would have wound up nothing but bloodied corpses in the sand. I considered this now as I took a deep breath and reached for the dual swords sheathed at either of my hips, drawing them. Wood scraped against steel — shiiiink. I smiled; the wind picked up marginally around our bodies, stirring the sand ever so gently, as if it was greeting an old friend.

"Tell me, what tactic do you have?"

SPOILER: Click to show

Equipped,
- Fujaku Hishou Shouken.
- Kyodai Sensu.
- Hooded Robe.
- Steel Toed Boots.
- All secondary weapons.
- All accessories.

Chakra,
- Massive² + High².

[/style]

[Nujabes]

God, I was really hoping I'd never have to come here again. The desolate lands of Kaze no Kuni had left a bad taste in my mouth since my little journey to acquire the fabled Hiramekarei. I'd spent nearly an entire week stranded in the shifting dunes, alone with no one other than the witty beast sealed within my being. Not that he was bad company or anything.

What are we doing here, Akira? the deep, rolling voice sounded through my mind. I thought you hated this place?

I do, I replied while brushing a handful of sand from my hair. But word has it that your friend is out and about, causing a muck.

Oh?

Yeah, the Nibi.

Are you sure? The beast sounded concerned. Out of the lot of us, she's by far the most docile and polite. Randomly attacking a Hidden Village doesn't sound like her, at all.

We'll never know for sure if we stay cooped up in Kirigakure, I reasoned. Besides, we haven't had a chance to showcase what we can do. I'm sure Kohana would be interested to know I've got a new friend, don't you?

... The Hyuuga woman? I could see bull's brow lofting. What is your fascination with her, besides the obvious?

Scratching my grin, I grinned. Well, you see, she does this thing with her m--

Enough!!!

Among the score of people who had already arrived at the scene, I was probably one of the furthest away from both the Nibi and Sunagakure, itself. I was about a good hundred meters to the West, dressed in my usual garb with only my ceremonial hat hanging from the small of my back to signify who I was. Opposed to my two primarily known weapons, I only had one -- the writhing, sentient beast that had become known as nothing other than Samehada.

GiiigiiigGgiii GiggiGii GiiigGiiiigigigigGIgii~

"You can sense its chakra all the way out here, huh?" I asked the blade, patting its handle. He was anxious - hungry, even. It'd been quite some time since he'd tasted fresh chakra of that caliber; I could understand his excitement. "Don't worry," I assured him. "You'll get your fill in due time."

Casually, I started toward the beast.

SPOILER: Click to show

All equipment, both primary and secondary, are equipped. By the end of this post, Akira is roughly sixty meters from the Nibi's west flank.

[Forsaken]

Rave sat on the back of his wolf watching the rampaging cat from the crest of the walls around Sunagakure. With his arms crossed over the head of his wolf his feral eyes scanned the cat seeing its movements and habits. It seemed pissed at something and he was curious as to what it was. Most Inuzuka hated cats but Rave himself was a lover of all animals and a cat in pain was no different.

He leaned back to sit at his full height as the kazekage spoke of an alliance with leaf for now to protect the village. His gaze then shifted to those that had amassed on the field, all of which he smelled before any were aware of the others. His eyes narrowed at the one he addressed as Hokage and they slowly moved back to the Nibi in dismay at the huge creatures suffering. Rey grumbled against his master shifting on the wall, the large wolf was nervous about the rampaging feline and damn well let his master know that he didn't like the idea of taking on the massive beast.

[/justify]

SPOILER: Click to show

all 6 Inuzuka masteries active.
entering 20 meters from the Nibi and the group on the wall of Sunagakure,
all items in bio

[Pwn]

The time had finally come. Nemuru had been waiting for this moment his entire life. Before his very eyes were the beast he had been seeking out this entire time. The intense flames radiating from its fiery abode caused his blood to sizzle. Analyzing the rest of Kaze no Kuni, about fifty meters away from the massive congregation of shinobi, although twenty-five from the Kazekage and his right hand.

Nemuru casually made his way over to where the warriors of this country stood. He opted not to speak, allowing the superior of this desolate village to take the stand. It was up to them to decide what was best for their village, but at the end of the day, only one would be victorious. Now, only ten meters behind the Suna-nin, with his arms crossed, yet still armed and ready, he halted, watching the monster with widened eyes.

Something deep within his heart began to churn. It had been a feeling he never felt before. The lust to capture the pretty kitty aroused his desire to go all out. However, the sanity within kept him together. As hot as the desert was, cold shivers chilled his spine. A subtly shake at the core followed before he completely paused. His eyes stared into the void, and then a blink to obscure them.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

x1 Massive / x2 High

---

Equipped

[The Lazy One]

[style=float:left; width: 240px; height: 240px; background-image: url(http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd440/LeiLuyian/sand2.png);][/style] The breeze, and sharp sense of the emending confusion of both sand, and harsh winds. Simply made this land that much more annoying to stand upon; it did offer the chance for a rather fun nap. The warmth of the sun, the comfort of the sand. You could make a rather nice little bed here, and sleep for days. It was pleasant but the constant shifting winds, the dusts of sand, and mantle that splattered into your eyes. That wasn't.

The young female had no reason to be here, no reason to come near here; no reason to so much as think of this place but she did have a simple want that this place could offer. The perfect slumber-spot, the perfect nap. The perfect never-ending day dream that could be the cause. Perfect was all she thought.

She chuckled to herself for a few moments; the time had come to take her well-deserved na- what was this? The sudden eruption of Chakra, the explosion of a large amount of dunes of sand. The sheer force, and sound of a massive beast? W-w-what was it? What could have caused this type of reaction? The once harsh winds nearly dropped to a close, the walls seemed to take a sudden batter of force. They appeared as if they would crumble in an instant, this creature was powerful. She slowly tilted her eyes to the direction it came from, and then she saw it. Her eyes started to shiver in fright, her body slowed down due to the reaction caused by multiple chemicals being forced to flood her body in one shot.

It was fear this creature caused it, and it should have. The very sight of something like this was all it took, she had never seen it before, never heard of it before, never even thought of it before. Man....this may turn bad rather quickly.

She began to slowly walk to where the mass of the Suna-shinobi had sat their defense, another young male stood as well. (Pwn) She didn't speak for a few moments, she simply shook in place.

"CREATURE! What have we done to wrong you? What can we do to make amends?," she announced as far out as she could, not sure if it could hear it or not. She simply had to try and find out what was going on.

[KEITH]

It would seem that my journey had brought me to Kaze no Kuni, strangely enough; I had never visited this country. Despite my many travels back in the day, countries like this one was always a horrible place to travel. Regardless of how I felt, I had to follow my brother—the Mizukage here. I couldn’t bare to let him go off on his own again and get hurt, being his loyal shinobi, if an attack that he couldn’t handle was coming his way, than I would sacrifice my own body for his sake.

I was a shinobi, and this was my duty to my lord, despite him being my sworn brother. As we traveled, I noticed that he remained silent, though the slight facial expression that he had shown that it wasn’t completely the case. He was having a conversation with the beast that dwelled within his being; it also served my lord in a similar fashion like me. We both were to protect him, and it was something the monster within him could resist doing, because if my brother died, the beast would die along with him.

If and when he would reincarnate, I would be there to slay him again and again for failing my lord when I would not be present to do so. My thoughts would now shift away from the protective nature I had of my brother, and onto what we were about to face. I was side by side with him as we walked, and we could hear the Samehada that he was carrying with him get excited. It had meant that a tasty meal wasn’t too far away, and for the Samehada, that meant a massive chakra pool.

My yellowish-gold orbs stayed peeled, covering the desert and taking all that was before us in our sight. If I was lucky enough, I would be able to use the hellish gift that was bestowed upon me back in Mizu no Kuni. A tattered, beige cloaked concealed by both and everything beneath. As I tried to calm down, and cease my own excitement, the tendrils that were housed within my body couldn’t stay still, moving violently through my arms.

It caused them to shake, though luckily the cloak had hidden this, I wanted it to be a surprise to my brother on the battlefield. “I’ve got a feeling this’ll be quite the show, brother.” A smirk crawled upon my face, making me look even weirder than I would usually without the black sclera that surrounded my golden irises.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

• Juusui (Heavy Water) - Primary Weapon
  
• All secondary weapons
  
• Ankle Weights - Accessory
  
• Heavy Avendil, Heavy Brigandine, Heavy Gauntlets, Heavy Boots - Protectories
  

[/justify][/font]

[Chae]

"Huh? you and that Bijuu know you can do some talking, haha. Hm, it'd be great to drink with a Bijuu one day if possible."

Chae went on rambling to himself and perhaps anyone else within earshot - obviously tipsy. With his trademark gourd of sake held tight within the grasp of his fingers, his steel face mask had been slightly pulled up so that he could've comfortably taken his occasional swig of sake.

Wiping away trickles of sake residue from his lips with the right sleeve of his battle gear, he pulled the mask down over his face entirely and continued to walk along side Akira (opposite of Yokumaru), venturing out into Kaze no kuni's seemingly endless ocean of sand.

The scene, minus Chae's general drunkenness, turned out to be inspirational. The both the left and right hands of the Mizukage at his sides, nothing could have possibly stopped them, not now, not ever.

After pulling himself together once he put away his gourd, Chae inquired about how they would've approached the Nibi. It had to be discussed whether they wanted to or not, and besides, Chae had been up for any play that Akira whipped up.

"So, how exactly are we gonna do this, there seem to be others in the distance but I don't want to act without your say. So, whaddya say Akira? Your call."

SPOILER: Click to show

• Steel Face Mask
  Rank: B
  Type: Head
  Limit: Taijutsu Secondaries
  Description: An improvement upon the original Face Mask, this place now covers the user's entire face, and is as such customly designed to fit it. Able to withstand stronger blows without much interference to the player, it is an ideal addition to the shinobi's roster.
  Cost: 10,000 Ryo
  
  
• Battle Gear
  Rank: B
  Type: Torso & Shoulders
  Limit: Taijutsu Secondaries
  Description: Stronger than a simple flack jacket, this Battle Gear serves like an exoskeleton that covers the user's torso and shoulders well, keeping them safe while not slowing their movement down. Standard issue is all black, but users may alternate the color to their liking.
  Cost: 10,000 Ryo
  
  
  
• Shuko Hand & Arm Pads
  Rank: B
  Type: Arms & Hands
  Limit: Taijutsu Secondaries
  Description: A padded set of gloves that fit the entire hand and forearm. On both the inside and outside are small spikes that can be used to grapple walls with ease or double as a weapon, while still having enough steel plating to be light yet protect from more serious attacks.
  Cost: 10,000 Ryo each