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As the kunai was within reach the man’s movement were already underway, but perhaps one vital fact was forgotten, the exploding tag which had been attached to the blade. With but a single seal it was activated ¹ as the opponent moved towards the right, the distance covered relatively quickly as kunai travel quite fast. Whether the explosion would tear into the enemies or the clones flesh, the Airontoku knew not.

The clones were moving, two clones ten meters ahead and the opponent himself at twenty meters. Touketsu had created a clone which stood five meters before him, therefore five away from the clone. Touketsu began rapid backwards movements, feet at a flurry to clear the distance as his left hand begun yet another series of handseals with the right reaching into the pouch to pull forth a smoke grenade. The grenade was thrown immediately upon retrieval, targeted in front of Sayano’s feet, not long after the seal formation had begun. In a high arc it flew as Touketsu finished the seals, spitting forth a thick cloud of acidic fog to spread in thirty meters, enwrapping both clones and Sayano as he was only twenty meters away, within the thirty meter range. Approximately four seconds must pass before the fog begins to dissolve.

The purpose of the grenade was twofold. Two obscure Sayano’s vision, to make the acidic fog more difficult to spot, and to block the vision so that the clones become more difficult to control. After the smoke had spread, Touketsu changed direction of his run to arc backwards and to the left, clearing the total distance to twenty meters from both clones, and thirty from Sayano.

SPOILER: Click to show

1; Exploding Tag Activate
; Corrosion Disolvance Factor; B
2; Koumu no Jutsu; c

The very world had been spat upon as fury began to manifest. Chaos had stricken the world years ago, but terror arose anew in the form of a beast born from the nightmares. Certainly the monstrosities control over lava was greater than that of Touketsu, who found himself so close to battle with a being greater than he. But he felt no fear, no dread, for to stand here was his duty. As the seven years passed, the Airontoku declared that no more will his every breath go to waste; no more will he be idle. Whether that drastic shift in persona shall cause his death in time to come, Touketsu knew not, and quite frankly, it was of little concern as the thrill of approaching battle was all that mattered.

Atop the rustling grounds a man stood, figure clad in a deep brown cloak. Upon his chest was a surprisingly light steel chest plate, along with bracers for the arm and guards for the shin. Crimson eyes rested beneath a mask, its image crudely shaped after a cat. Curiously, a hole had been cut into its mouth, revealing thin, narrow, dry lips. An ebony hilted blade hung on his left hip along with a pouch on the right, the latter contain a variety of armaments from kunai to wire. Touketsu’s ruffled, deep black, lengthy hairs sprouted forth from beneath the mask giving the figure a rather grizzled appearance, worsened by the stains upon the clothing.

Silently the Airontoku prayed. The Vigilant God will watch over me. My every breath, until my last breath. I find myself here, a challenge so much greater than I, but I must not fail. Will not fail. Touketsu referenced a false deity he begun to worship several years after Konohagakure met her doom. Introduced to him by a wandering priest, the Airontoku was completely unaware that the deity was a simple creation of the mind. The comfort provided was all that mattered, be it delusional or not.

Touketu’s boots left imprints within the grass as he positioned himself two meters to Ue’s right, standing several inches over the master of ration. The very earths would soon feel an unmatched fury, and the Airontoku stood prepared to face whatever the tedious rampage shall cast upon them. Standing still, his heart began to breath and lungs expanded with each breath.

SPOILER: Click to show

ANBU armor equipped.

I was a fool that day. Accompanying a man, a leader and a father to his, yet, I could not resist the rapture of that damned ale. Over the years, I prayed for redemption, absolution from my failings and sins, but with each dawn, life remained the same, unchanged and distant from the hopes that guided all desires. A jounin is expected to lead, but I simply sat and mourned over my own ineffectuality. I overcame the addiction at a later time, but the lost years were never regained, the humility never forgiven. Eventually, the prayers were heard. And I became a change man. But on that day, I was not.

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Touketsu clasped his calloused, thin fingers around the bottle, knuckles whitening. The glass shattered, shards plunging to the grounds. With a furrowed brow the man stared downwards, observing the liquid as it drenched the grounds. His hands remained uncut, thick skin resistan. Proceeding with slouched shoulders and a downward chin, the Airontoku began to saunter, steps rapid. A heat emanated from the soldiers body with each breath. The two departed, Hokage and Jounin, their duty crucial in a time of ephemeral serenity. Ryusuke understood the risks of the task, and deadly it was, for neither of them could be associated with Konohagakure should they be captured. The chains of failure will not drape around their wrists, the Airontoku believed with supreme enthusiasm, a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.

The flora merged with the trees as Touketsu continued his stroll, vibrant plants dancing with the wind. Wrapping the russet cloak around his body, the Airontoku glimpsed upward. Clouds dappled the azure skies, leaving the sun uncovered to smirk gloriously. Wildlife scampered through the bushes, ever wary of the hungering hunter hideously skulking through the shadows. Touketsu bobbed his head with the Hokage’s response, edges of the lips curling upwards. The man’s left hand still dripped with alcohol, the stench beginning to permeate. A sigh escaped his mouth, for Ryusuke’s words rung true; Touketsu slumped his shoulders even further upon realizing that it was not simply misanthropy that distorted his view. Another agreed with him. That was the day a dangerous idea began to form in the jounin’s mind. Revolution.

”The women of my people were oppressed, and within time, they rose and overthrew the men. We too, all of us, you, I, and other shinobi experience the same now, bound in chains. I began to understand that change can only be brought through battle, as we have seen when our home was ruined. Words can only do so much. Pleading does nothing. Only by bringing rebellion to those who keep us in this illusion can we bring the peace that you desire, Hokage-Sama. Ironic, isn’t it?”