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It was....somewhat human. It's head, at least, was dark haired and youthful, pale skinned but with features one might expect from anyone else. Everything below the neck, however, was a different story. It seemed to spurt out a foam like concentration of blood and water from several gill-like structures placed haphazardly around its form. It did not have a torso so much as a series of tentacles that branched out in every possible direction and braided together to take on the vague shapes of muscles and bones, vibrating with energy and possibly hunger. It did not have arms, but impressions of sinew and tendon woven together and bristling with brine and what appeared to be organic seaweed. It bent awkwardly where there should have been a spine, but it was only cartilage and more tentacles, sliding around on a wet skin-cloud of leftover aquatic membranes, slicking the ground with blue mucous.

Akuharu backed up. He couldn't help it. He didn't understand what he was seeing. The creature seemed to get over its fear of leaving the sanctity of the shadows and inched its way forward, expanding and contracting and greasing the arena with a substance that seemed to erode away the earth itself. It bubbled with chakra. It moved like a snake. He stepped backwards and with each footfall, it seemed like the creature got exponentially faster, the all-too-human head devoid of any emotion, but its eyes deep black and sinister. The Kirigakure shinobi held Akurojin-no-hi out in front of himself, still retreating, tripping backwards and landing with a hard thump over the dead body of Basher. He saw the beast eye his one-time comrade and slide forward even faster, and without thinking, Akuharu grabbed the bandit's corpse in one hand and began pulling it along the ground, his own chakra reserves nearly depleted, strength ebbing, unsure of what he thought he was protecting.

The creature spasmed, a flurry of limbs, rushed ahead like a tidal wave to overtake them both in a motion too quick for Akuharu's sharingan to predict. Its sides opened into several tentacles that flashed down and wrapped around both Akuharu and Basher, ripping the bandit free of his grasp. It held the corpse up to its face, its black eyes leaking a thick oil like substance as its mouth opened wide and...it spoke.

"D-d--d----Dad?"

It's voice was harsh, it struggled to escape through malformed rows of overlapping fangs and a tongue split nearly in half, held together with veined flesh. Akuharu looked up at it, his mind putting the pieces together until he had to ask

Are you...Joey?

It's face flashed with anger at the mention of the name, but then, it grew sad. It held Basher in its hands lovingly, setting him back down on the ground and falling, its body sectioned into smaller thinner tentacles that allowed it to sit in a heap of discolored skin, still weeping oil. It rose what passed as its arms up to its face, attempting to wipe away the leaking 'tears', and then looked back at Akuharu, its voice full of pain.

"I was Joey, once. Now--I am something different. They drowned me. Used my body in a ritual. Placed my mind within the remains of a sea thing they'd found with too many hearts and not enough---enough thought. My dad watched me. He was a good dad, but he was caught too. I died but they wouldn't let me stay that way. They brought me back and they hurt me and I woke up and I was so hungry. So angry. And they told me I would never see my dad. And they killed him too."

Bashir told me about his son. I tried to save him, but I was not strong enough. His last thoughts were of you. He was sad, but very proud. He told me you were a hero. You were his hero. I am...I am very sorry. I did all that I could.

And the tentacles surrounding Akuharu returned, sucking themselves back into Joey's sides and making him look a little less like a monster, and a little more like a small frightened boy, mourning the loss of his father. Akuharu held up Akurojin-no-hi and walked towards Joey and Basher, standing with the Naginata as if it were an offering. The creature...the child...looked up at him, eyes full of sadness and anger.

The Hidden Mist killed your father, they did...this...to you, and they nearly killed me. I understand your pain, I too have lost family and friends to the pointless whims of shinobi...but you are a weapon now. Weapons are used to destroy one's enemies, and it seems our enemy is the same. We can be angry and remain slaves...or we can figure out how to escape and avenge your father...and my friend.

Joey wrapped a single tentacle around the naginata, as if drawing strength from it, and used it to stand, taking one last look at his father's body, before staring into Akuharu's red eyes, his voice having gained a subtle maturity. He looked up at the webbing overhead and asked

"So--how do we get out of here?"

-Snikt-

We don't.

Akurojin-no-hi, blade first, had been shoved through the center of Joey's throat as his attention traveled to the webbing above. Akuharu pushed its end out of the right side of its throat and he spun around, slashing back through the left side and removing the head completely. It landed, followed shortly by its heavy body, still carrying a look of hopeful curiosity. Akuharu fell to the ground, his strength mostly drained, his eyes fading from their bright red to a dull black. Near him almost instantly after were several masked figures, one of which dropped his headband atop his chest, the others kneeling next to him and checking his vital signs.

"He's just tired. He'll be fine."

They nodded in agreement, and would radio Akuharu's success back to the Kage tower, before several chakra charges incinerated the webbing above. They would have to remove the fatigued Kirigakure shinobi before the new shipment of prisoners were shipped to the arena.

No one noticed the single tear that rolled down Akuharu's face.

The gray monstrosity pushed off with its massive hind legs, its head down, its face obscured by shadow and aimed to gouge out the center of Akuharu's body, horn steady. Its feet were just squat pillars of overlapping muscle that left tiny impact craters wherever it moved, and these formed now as it began its charge. The Kirigakure shinobi stood his ground, allowing the beast to get closer as his knuckles turned white from the strength of his grip on Akurojin-no-hi. The tomoe of his Sharingan spun, a hypnotic and lazy motion that seemed to ripple and keep pace with the beating of his heart. Time seemed to slow; all he could see was the horn, inching closer and closer, as everything drew itself out, each millisecond an eternity until

No.

He...dropped Akurojin-no-hi. His hands clapped together atop the creature's single horn, and pushed down, hard, forcing the creatures head into the dirt and flipping his own body forwards. His hands twisted, their position pivoting his body through the air, legs spinning before his feet came together and arched down with the momentum atop the back of its skull, stomping its head even deeper into the arena grounds. It grunted out in pain and protest, as Akuharu extended his retractable wrist blade and began punched down, unskilled, full of little more than anger, over and over again. He bellowed with each blow, striking it at the neck, cutting away its armored hide inch by inch, until both of his forearms were covered in blood and frustration. He kept hitting, even after the creatures eyes rolled back caked with sand, after its breath stopped and its body could no longer fight to dig its head up from the dirt. He swung into it until his knuckles were white and the gray matter beneath him was only pulp and the memories of Basher's death were replaced with an empty static that drowned out everything else.

A man-sized black teardrop descended from above, landing in a thick cloud of dust. From its sides, eight dark lines of pronged chitin spread out, and lifted its body, eight black orbs shone in the washed out light, reflecting off of a dangerous looking mandible that quivered with hunger. It crept towards him without bothering to come from behind, dripping points of organic muck like oil which bubbled into smaller copies of its original form. The arena had grown darker but in his rage, Akuharu had not paid attention. Looking up, he could see the thin web stretched from one side to the other, and turned to stare at his enemy. Beneath him, the ground vibrated, and not just with the heaviness of the spider's steps. Something was slowly creating cracks in the soil, breaking its way to the surface.

Near the gate, a new shadow shimmered. It's form glimmered at the edges of understanding. It didn't matter. The spider began chewing, each sinister segment of its gaping maw contorted in a wild spiral that shredded apart a thick graying mucous, preparing its web. Akuharu's hands began their own preparation, forming a sequence of seals, mindful of how much chakra he'd already used. As his hands formed the final seal, the air to either side of his body seemed to ignite, the explosion flaring into two exact copies of Akuharu. The on to his right ran towards the large spider, the one to his left veered off and moved in a burst of speed towards the gate, while Akuharu side-stepped a projectile ball of compact webbing shot from the creatures mouth to retrieve Akurojin-no-hi. The ground beneath him burst upwards suddenly. He jumped.

A pile of stone shoved its way past the surface to stand, several feet taller than them all. It did not make sense. It was simply block cut rock stacked into a roughly humanoid outline. No sinews held it together. No bones moved its earthen limbs. No blood beat within; it had no heart nor organs, nothing soft or weak to exploit or destroy. It was stone given shape. It's movements were slow, it didn't seem quite used to maneuvering above ground, but it mattered little. The giant golem did not look for him; perhaps could not even see as it had no eyes, no sensory organs, no mind, just direction. That direction seemed to involve summarily ignoring the advances of the spider; all its attention was on Akuharu.

I'm ready. Let's do this then.

There was only the briefest pause. The calm before the storm.

Then..it began.

Quake. Quake. Quake. It resonated through their feet, the broken shards of the gate still dotting the landscape were thrown up; the shadows seemed to come alive and break apart and reform into a cloak that gripped the wall with thin slivers of ash-colored flesh. It was like a storm brewing, and helping his injured temporary comrade to his feet, Akuharu could only watch while a black mass of vein-ribbed wings descended from the air and a heavy thump, thump, thump signaled the lurching gait of some enormous beast, rattling the dust as it moved into the light. Akurojin-no-hi found itself chained at his back a few seconds later, as Akuharu scanned the area for any other 'new' enemies, his attention never totally off of the approaching destruction.

"I've got a kid...ya know...a boy....damn Mist bastards...took him...had to watch them..drown him...can still see it now....my son...poor Joey....god damn them all..."

Basher's eyes rolled back a bit, pain and delirium fighting for purchase within his mind, as a horn attached to a gray slab of strength barreled its way towards them, the lurching gait of a creature that could take its time as it charged. Flooding out from behind it came a swarm, the self-contained organic tornado of the night, dripping old blood like a trail across the sand and dirt. A peculiar glinting caught the Kirigakure shinobi's eye as he noted how this swarm, this flying mist that was claws and sharp barbed wings crawling through the air to find them, did not fly up and out the way the eagle had, and he understood why. High above, a bulbous tear-drop sprouting thin disjointed spikes wove a pattern of reflecting light overhead, stretching from one end of the arena to the other. It moved far faster than it should have. The thin shimmering threads were made compact with the insectile savagery of smaller, more circular globs discharging webbing in almost the same moment they were discharged from their gigantic 'parent's' abdomen, and the swarm of...bats...they could see now that they were bats and gnashing fangs and impressions of sharpness twirling through the early night sky...the bats would not fly higher, or they would risk being caught. Some massive spider-like creature and its children were trapping them, no doubt prepared to feast on whatever survivors might remain. It had probably been doing so for the entirety of their battle, unaware, working off of the corners first to maximize its effectiveness.

The tremors along the ground increased in severity, but the swarm would be upon them in only a few seconds, and Basher fell to his knee's, gripping Akuharu's hakama and whispering.

"Can't do much...to help now...sorry mate...i'll try...to stall 'em...best...best I can do.."

He grunted with effort, using his shield to push himself up, and ran to the right as fast as his injuries would allow. The beast charging them, one Akuharu had never before seen and thus could not name, bore down on the shift in its vision, the tiny target that moved away and tried to escape, hobbling with pain. It switched direction, following Basher, but the swarm that swelled up in its wake could not be diverted and set themselves to envelop and devour Akuharou, rising up into what seemed like a single point, before falling towards him like a massive mosaic arrow. The shinobi's hands flickered through seals, holding his fingers up to his mouth as katon was molded within, the mesh of his mask pulled down the smallest bit to let forth

Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu.

(Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)

Three more wolves, each as big as the previous Alpha's, exited the gate, tongues lolling, panting with rage and starvation. They would have no doubt joined the others, but there was a great whir and a click and a sound like the world itself splitting in half, and though they left the gate, they appeared to have been thrown, their bodies crashing into the sand as Akuharu and Basher's attention was focused on the two just before them. Basher seemed content to turn and run, though Akuharu removed Akurojin-no-hi from its chain, flipping it around in his hand, and speaking the ancient chant passed down from the War Coil Blades of the Nūrihyon Death Cult upon whose designs he'd crafted the weapon long ago.

Kyō wa shinu ni wa yoi hidesu.

_{Translation: ("Today is a good day to die.")}

Though the chant had no added effect on its user, it did help Akuharu to settle into the combat style he preferred to all others; the precise and brutal maneuvers he'd been taught by the Six Paths of the Moon. Far more comfortable with the over-sized naginata than with a sword, it was no surprise that when the Alpha wolf only five meters away from him pounced, it was met with a solemn ferocity it simply could not match. Akuharu moved like a machine, the blade flying out in an upward diagonal swing that allowed the flat of the blade to crash into the beasts chin, slamming its opened jaw closed, its bottom fangs crushed into the softer flesh of its own mouth as it had tried too soon to fasten its mouth around its prey. Akurojin-no-hi's heavy composite staff base spun into the beasts nose, forcing it downwards only for it to be used to propel Akuharu up and over, landing him atop the beasts head as he switched to a double-handed grip, driving the metal end deep into the base of the wolf's skull and performing what, to all others, would look like a hand stand atop its handle. He brought his feet down to match the position of his hands, stomping the blade further through the beasts head and twisting as he did so, allowing it to exit far easier when he pulled it loose a second later. He looked towards Basher.

The bandit was not faring as well. He'd successfully lodged his shield in between he teeth of the Alpha he'd unfortunately ran right into...along with the rest of his body, which the wolf was now struggling to force down its throat. It tried to swipe at Basher's body, which was about a tenth of its size, with enormous paws unfit for such fine work, as Basher cursed and snarled and pushed at it with quickly fading strength. At the heavy thud from its mate falling, the wolf looked up at Akuharu, eyes widening with renewed hatred, and began running towards him, with Basher flopping about sadly still in its grip.

"Put...Me....Down...Bloody...Stupid....Dog..!!"

The Alpha would have reached him too...if earlier, the bell had not rung, and three wolves had not exited the gates as if they had been thrown. But luckily for Akuharu and Basher, they had been thrown. Right on top of the body of the charging alpha as it neared its new target.

Bones cracked. The wolf holding Basher had its entire jaw nearly explode from its mouth as three enormous wolf bodies colliding with its midsection, ribs blooming out like some strange and disgusting flower. Basher's body was thrown free, and a shunshin carried Akuharu, Akurojin-no-hi trailing blood through the wind, to catch him as he fell. They landed a few meters away from the mess of canine remains; the three who'd just arrived were alive but their bodies were heavily bruised, and without emotion, Akuharu's naginata plunged into each of their throats as both men circled the cloud of dust blown up in the commotion with their hands over their eyes, feeling a small bit of relief.

At least, until they saw what had thrown the three wolves.

Akuharu's first thought, irrational as it may have seemed, was that it was a mountain covered in hair. It seemed to block out everything behind it, even the enormous walls of the arena, and when the bell rang and the gate jerkily arched upwards with the bars composing it broken off in odd places to release a deadly white blur screeching into the sky, both men could still only focus on the fleshy shadowed mass that moved towards them on two legs like a man, keeping itself upright with lanky muscled arms and a face uglier than they could understand. Above them, the white blur flew and called out to the air, before being jerked suddenly back, a length of heavy chain wrapped around its talon, tumbling it back down a few meters before spreading its wings and catching itself in the air, eyeing them like worms. It could reach either edge of the arena easily with the amount of leeway granted its tether, but it could not rise very high without a slight pulling of gears shunted it back towards the ground. They did not care. Basher raised a single finger and shouted, pointing towards the behemoth that shook the earth with its steps.

"It's...it's an Ape. Please tell me you've got another sword?"

And Akuharu did not, and he was quite upset at this fact.

SPOILER: Click to show

Lone Warrior
rank; d
description; A single bandit captured from a raiding party. Nothing more then your sword and shield barbarian. It’s been confirmed he doesn’t know any jutsu and will more then likely try to strike you down with his blade with wild swings and superior conditioning.
reward; 25 experience, 500 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable


Kalimari Man
rank; d
description; One of our more unique specimens, the Kalimari Man is a weird squid like humanoid we came across while exploring the coastline of the continent. Expect to face a series of sticky tentacled attacks and be wary of his blinding ink shot. His stretchy five meter arms will definitely come in handy but as thin as he is, the six foot creature shouldn’t be that big of a problem.
reward; 25 experience, 500 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable


Apeshit!
rank; d
description; Holding this one down was infinitely harder then originally capturing it and this wild gorilla will definitely show you why. While he may be primitive, unarmed and oblivious to the ninja arts, his incredible strength, speed and vicious primal rage will be more then enough to keep your hands full.
reward; 25 experience, 500 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable


The Black Swarm
rank; d
description; We’ve managed to get ahold of an entire swarm of Vampire bats at one time, don’t ask how, it wasn’t easy. Once we release the black hurricane they’ll immediately attempt to overwhelm you and go straight to biting. Try to keep your composure as you take them on.
reward; 25 experience, 500 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable


Armored Fury
rank; d
description; Don’t get backed into a corner because we’re unleashing the armored rhino. 500 solid pounds of armor and rage with a razor sharp horn to top it off. The attack strategy will be fairly basic; charge and ram most likely, don’t get cocky though. One solid hit and you’re most likely done for.
reward; 25 experience, 500 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable


Wolf Runner
rank; d
description; Looks like we have a bit of a wolf problem in the surrounding area of the village. Apparently a few packs have been attacking travelers as they move to and from the village. We can’t allow something like this to damage not only our reputation but the safety of our residences. Move out and slice up some wolf burgers.
reward; 25 experience, 500 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable


Arachnophobia
rank; c
description; This battle will pit you against the giant arachnid queen of the nearby forests. While not that difficult for a superior ninja, her web and ability to breed smaller spiders to attack could overwealm you quickly. At ten meters tall and 5 meters across she’s no joke but I’m sure you can handle it.
reward; 50 experience, 1,000 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable


Eagles Prey
rank; c
description; This was one of our favorite captures yet, if only for the majesty of the creature itself, real shame it has to die. The giant eagle is what your facing today, 30 meters from wing tip to wing tip and 20 meters from beak to tail. You’ll definitely see it coming when it attacks but with it’s sonic screech and incredible speed, it might be too late when it does.
reward; 50 experience, 1,000 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable


Alpha Wolf
rank; c
description; Blood and meat, that’s all you are to the five 200 lb Dire Wolves were bringing in to tear you too shreds. Peak instincts, razor sharp teeth and claws as well as wicked speed should be more then enough to ravage the ordinary ninja. Add in their exceptional ability to coordinate attacks and you have a real threat on your hands.
reward; 50 experience, 1,000 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable


Rock and Roll
rank; c
description; We don’t even know how this creature actually exists but somehow it does. The stone beast golem of the Thunder Mountains is the creature you’ll be facing today. As far as we can tell it’s made of solid stone and has no discernible anatomy beyond those half ton boulders that make it up. I have no clue how’re your gonna win either but it’s either that or die right?
reward; 50 experience, 1,000 ryo
minimum shinobi; one
mission status; interminable

Around him there seemed to stretch endless water, a depression in coarse sand where the remnants of dried oceans filtered in uncontrollably and underground lakes swelled up like blisters in the fog. He thought briefly of what he'd read of Whirlpool Country, that place where some common ancestor to his clan had been eradicated and now, was only a patchwork maze of holes. He was in an arena, yes, like many he'd seen before, only this was designed around its environment, like a collection of half-broken walls dropped down from the clouds to wrangle up a series of inverted islands. There was a strip of land connecting where Akuharu stood to a rusted gate that opened and closed with the sounding of a far away bell.

He had no idea how he'd gotten here. He'd woken up and been tossed an ancient scimitar by an emaciated young woman, who eyed him hungrily as he gripped it. Akurojin-no-hi was still attached with chain to his back, and as the woman ran quickly away, he waved the scimitar experimentally, getting used to its weight. Though there was a seating area stretched out above him, there was no one in attendance. It wasn't until he lazily glanced over the series of symbols dyed into the fabric of free-floating banners that he recognized where he was at.

He was in Mizu No Kuni, in the ruins of the Great Sluice. This was the place where the prisoners of Kirigakure No Sato fought to the death for their 'freedom'. It was a ruse of course; the second one would 'win' the chance of escape, they'd soon find that the only path out of the old arena was full of beasts and creatures all too happy to feed. He looked himself over, brushing off the dirt of having been thrown so carelessly in with the 'scum' of Kirigakure No Sato, and realized with horror that his headband was missing. Had he done something wrong? Was he to die here? No, something else had happened. A flickering of memory. A voice and a mask.

This was a mission. He was on assignment. He remembered. This was the other reason that no prisoner had ever escaped; a Kirigakure shinobi was placed, undercover, within the arena to ensure that escape was especially impossible. His instructions had been quite simple, taken from the ANBU who'd no doubt employed some high level technique to conceal their location as they observed. This illusion of freedom, the great deception involved with the appearance of leniency; it seemed unnecessary to Akuharu, but he was not in the position to do anything abut it now.

A bell sounded. The gate opened.

Something was coming.