「 C K R A : :x4,480 // 5,000 」tab「 S T M : :x4,360 // 5,000 」tab「 S E A L : :x「 Dormant 」 400/400 」tab「 両 : :x107,300 」 tab「 Monsoon 」tab「 S+ 」tab「 Jiongu 」tab「 Nin / Tai / Medic」tab「 Theme: Tanada 」
Curious about what Kin meant, a pensive expression crossed Takeda's features for a moment. What would Kagerou's reaction to his death have to do with wrapping up the mission? "I don't mean to rain on your parade, but it'll take more than that to put me down." He responded with no particular bite to his words. He would've put more venom into it if Kin was an inherently hostile or arrogant person, but the boy came off as apathetic. Instead of thinking he was trying to annoy him, Takeda figured it was just his nature. No cruel words or threats were going to change that.
"Thanks for the information. I have something in mind that should limit the radial destruction of a decoy like that. It'll work well regardless of if it's really her or not." With that in mind, he broke his meditation to weave a few seals, starting a technique that worked its way into his body instead of manifesting normally. There were no visible signs that anything had changed, at least not with the clothes he was wearing, but sensors would detect that Ninjutsu had been cast. The instant he returned to his meditative stance, more chakra pulsed from him. He was layering several defensive techniques on top of each other that were effectively invisible. To anyone without sensory techniques, Takeda was just poor, unassuming Mizutani. The one he activated last would assist him if Kotodori had poison in mind, though a slow death like that didn't fit her MO.
- - -
Kin answered his questions regarding the Kiritani during the minutes that went by, and Takeda only held off from asking more because of the circumstances. He had more questions, of course, but he was satisfied with that much. If he wanted more, he'd ask Kagerou another time. Well, assuming the assassin didn't somehow kill him. The relative silence gave enough time for doubts to settle, as they were bound to when Kotodori was involved. It wasn't enough to shake him from his duty, though. Takeda would persevere as he always did, as his indomitable will gave him no room to fear an enemy. If he succumbed then, before even laying eyes on his target, he would have already lost the battle.
No, he didn't fear losing by her hand, and he stopped worrying about whether he'd live or die when he was under Oda's watch. The only thing that filled him with a sinking feeling akin to dread was the thought of Kagerou believing that he didn't want anything to do with her when he met his end. It was hard for him to stop once he started thinking about it, and he was going to activate the Wave technique again before touching the demarcation. Once it was crossed, not only be tossing professionalism aside, he'd also be jeopardizing the mission. Compromising Kagerou's emotional state and single-handedly endangering her. He may have had unsettled issues with her...but he wasn't so selfish or cruel that he'd do that. In the moments that passed since that mental conflict, he wondered what made him consider it in the first place. Sure, she was a friend, but he would have felt the same way about contacting Emiko if that was all it was. Ultimately, he decided to focus his mind on other things instead of hanging on that topic for too long.
It was easy to distract himself by continuing to mold chakra in his stance, and he concentrated his technique while bolstering his armor at the same time. Considering the codes and words being spoken by both Kagerou and Kin, he was glad he had something to keep his focus on. Even with the bare minimum of knowledge on their terms, he knew that Kotodori was active. Despite being in the area, nobody could stop her. Given her history, though, he doubted that the Kiritani expected to wrap up the situation before she found him. Given the number of people present, layered seals, and lack of panic, it was easy for him to assume that the room he was in was vital to the Kiritani's operation. The crux, the Gilded Cage.
"I'm ready. If I'm within the radius of whatever you want to do, don't worry about me." Those would be his last words on the matter before opening his eyes, breaking his meditative stance, and placing his hands in his lap.
Techniques Used:
▰ Reality Bending | Rank A | Spiritual The user coats their body in chakra, preventing status effects and poisons from having influence over their body. Additional effects of ninjutsu ( concussive, burning, ect. ) are prevented on techniques up to the rank of this ability. Remains active for three posts.
Nin-Tai Armor Rank X : : Spiritual (S+) The user may cast a ninjutsu, however as an alternative for its normal state, the user is able to create an elemental armor of the technique that guards the user from techniques that rank and lower while retaining any knock back, status or other effects it may apply. To keep this elemental armor active after taking damage, the user must pay the cost of the technique interacting with it, consuming an action. If the user is able to strike a target while this armor is active, the ninjutsu is cast from the point of contact, making direct impact on the target, requiring the cost of the ninjutsu be automatically taken from the user's reserves for no additional action. The user must pay an upkeep two ranks below the rank of the technique with a minimum of E Rank. This technique has no action, however, requires being paid for at the rank of the technique it is augmenting.
HeadlessKoko
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2021 10:11 pm
With eyes wide open, Takeda would see, and perhaps he may have noticed earlier from the lack of footsteps, that Kagerou stood, no longer pacing, before the double doors. Her back was turned to him, hiding the paled face and fingers that dug tightly into crossed arms. He would not need to worry about the smile that had disappeared or the head bowed down. In the time Takeda took to meditate quietly, Kotodori had wasted no advantage, and though this "Kagerou" had no sensory abilities, she had honed ears. Nothing so sensitive that could pick out what exactly happened outside, but she could hear enough to predict that Kotodori was targeting the miscellaneous freelancers outside first to thin out the herd.
If it had been the real Kagerou, she probably would have been able to see the damage first hand. She would see, know she could have done something to help, and know just as well that she could also not help, not without jeopardizing something far more important to her. How would someone, who so keenly avoided death, stubbornly insisted on life as one of her key principles, handle the knowledge that, though her hands were not bloody, she had decided to choose death for who knows how many outside all for one life precious to her?
Murasaki didn't know, so to keep things simple, both on that front and on the relationship front, she stood turned away, so that even while her wavering red eyes and falsely steadfast shoulders looked unmistakably as Kagerou's would, it would not affect the one behind her.
Outside, there was quiet. Of those present, almost all were shinobi trained or trained by those shinobi trained. It was common place in Water Country, where a great many of those hired combatants were worked were formerly of Kirigakure. Those who were not naturally fell into silence with the majority after an initial outburst as the lights went out. That, or they set off at the first sign of the glowing butterflies that marked the target's appearance. The newly darkened atmosphere pressed the silence even more, even after oil lamps and other fire-based lights placed exactly for an incident like this were lit. They provided light, and with it, both sight and shadows as now, with no "safe" area of light present, those waiting felt bolder about traversing. While a few remained near the main room, a few felt brave enough to venture out. Those who had already chosen specific positions, however, remained as they were.
===
Breathing out a fog of warm hair, Nori stood beneath the eaves of the gazebo in the center of the lake. His hands, tucked into the sleeves of his kimono, he stood looking across the gradually freezing pond. Frost settled on the leaves, and though there were no clouds, the rapidly cooling temperatures created something akin to snowfall in the guardian. A pretty winter wonderland in the dark of night. With Nori being the only one in the gardens and a member of the oinin corps in the past, there was noone to light torches.
A tap upon the roof of the gazebo, a strumming of the shamisen, and the ringing of bells, Nori's muscles stiffened beneath his clothes as he looked up, an air of the carefree hiding the tension he felt. There was only one footstep, but who knew how many were really up above. However, the minutes passed, and he had his ways of seeing if he was under a genjutsu. "Hm," to an individual already gone, Nori asked, "was that just your way of saying 'hi'?".
In the last part of the pond that remained unfrozen, the new moon's reflection wavered before disappearing beneath the unfeeling ice.
===
Nestled in her little nest, Hanajima surveyed the field. Besides her, Moriko knelt in preparation and watch, both to protect Hanajima and also take advantage of the high ground.
Down below, beneath the roots, Daisuke and Ryousuke stood hidden and on watch at opposite ends, neither too far nor close.
The smiles and casual air was gone around the four of them, but the camaraderie between the four of them was apparent still in the formation they had chosen to take. Well, assuming anyone saw all four of them. While giving the appearance of a workaround for their resident fuuin users, seals glowing brightly across the wooden latticework, the second floor had created a deceptively well-controlled hiding place below for the Senju four.
At one point, Hanajima lifted her nose to the air and sniffed. "I smell blood." Moriko only stiffened and then nodded besides her, attempting to appear as if this was all cool. This was all something an experienced kunoichi like her should be used to, when in reality, as a sealer support who worked more in maintenance than combat, she was not.
And this time, she would not be given the chance. Trying to keep up her image as the older, Moriko stated the obvious, "Well, I'm not surprised. That's probably all of those people who'd gone out to chase after Kotodori." She bit her lower lip as soon as she spoke those words, bravado settling with a dosage of cold realization.
"That's quite the astute observation," from the shadow's, a softly delicate voice agreed, a lilt in its tone lulling the two girls that heard into a false sense of security for but a moment.
A moment was all she needed. Kotodori was not surprised to see Moriko act fast enough to jettison Hanajima off the platform, launching her gracelessly to the side, where she recovered like a cat, landing on all fours upon a wooden branch she summoned. It was just unexpected, but that was fine. In the moment it took Moriko to protect Hanajima, the assassin had shoved a claw-covered hand into the older girl's abdomen, puncturing a variety of organs. Blood leaking out of her mouth, Moriko continued to weave hand signs despite her situation, activating a sensory technique.
Hanajima shot without hesitation once she recovered from the forced evade, and her arrows struck true... into the body of the Moriko turned into a human shield, but that had forced Kotodori to move away, allowing Moriko's body to drop to the ground, and with what little more time she could remain conscious, she activated to seals upon the latticework. With the sensory technique she activated as she was punctured by Hanajima's arrows, she tracked down Kotodori and summoned an iron maiden beneath her. It shut on empty air with a loud clang. Once again, Kotodori had proven elusive, but now there was no question where she was. Though the torch light could only offer glimpses of her enticing figure, the creaking and crumbling of numerous wooden structures painted an adequate enough picture with sound. The rest could be filled in by what could be seen of the shadowed kunoichi danced with ethereal grace around a controlled frenzy of vines. As a the strongest attack of them all looking like it was just about to hit her, her mouth formed the phrase, "How well done," and then she was back in shadows, but two crunches spelled out what couldn't be seen. A wooden crunch as, in the darkness, she crushed the brutish attack with a motion that appeared effortless. On the other side of the arena where the Senju were intended to have an advantage, a sickening crunch as wires instantly tightened, snapping bone and flesh. There was no sound of the body being dropped, so who knew how big it was.
"Two... down?" Hanajima's eyes widened from the tangle of branches she had hidden herself in. Panic edged on her mind as she tried to figure out how she was going to survive this fight alone, much less what she would do if she lost two, any two, of her little squad. Ryousuke and Daisuke, down below, had the benefit of the doubt. They still had hope that it was only one of them, but even that one unsettled them. Ryousuke immediately charged another attack, and Daisuke increased the pressure of the offensive in order to quickly end this fight.
Kyouka smiled, knowingly. A team like this, it was easy to make their formation fall apart if she just killed enough of them, or made it seem like she killed enough of them.
===
Similar scenes played throughout the scattered and lost estate. Groups picked off one at a time
In the east wing, the duo had been ambushed in their own hiding spot, and panicked shouts of "Help! Kyouka is here!" could be heard running down the hallway. Of course, one group took the bait, and upon hearing the haggard yet professional report given survivor, they all ran back down the hallway to help. The leader ran himself straight into a painless death, body severed in multiple places by a wire trap. Most of the others fell victim to the same trap. Good on them for knowing not to run headfirst into it. It still wouldn't help them. One last escaped, but he met the "survivor" in the hallway, now with a slit-faced grin. After getting one hysterical scream of "NOOOO" out of him, Kyoka had no more use and quickly latched her corpse doll to the survivor's body, where it detonated with a bang that was as deadly as it was loud and colorful.
Outside of the main building, wandering among the estate's side buildings, a group came across what seemed to be blood stains but no corpses. Curiosity piqued, they investigated, hands touching the darkened spots of ground besides the wall of a side building. The hands that touched first would not be released. Strands of shadow clung to their fingers. The smart one activated an opposing technique immediately to release it, only for his technique to pass straight through the shadows. The comical one was still trying to shake the technique off when both were impaled from the inside out by spears of shadows. The one girl in their group screamed, stumbled back. Kyoka wished she would leave, act as a lure of others, but when she picked herself right up, she stood her ground and tried to save her two comrades that had fallen. Wisely keeping her distance as she cast an iryojutsu over their two bodies. It reminded her vaguely of her daughter. Kyoka could not be there in purpose, so the only thing she could do was have the puppet she had used to kill the young woman's friends hug her from behind after slitting her throat.
===
And then, it was finally Mizutani's turn. The Senju, who had deemed the biggest threat after her own clan and Nori, were broken as a group to the point that dealing with them further would just make things more difficult. A family such as them was predictable. If not given a reason to fight, they would make themselves useless by mourning and grieving.
Nori was a wild card factor she couldn't speak of for certain. His presence here raised questions after their last encounter and what Kyouka had studied of his personality and the decisions he would make. However, if she was try to make sense of this situation, then she would know that Nori would not leave his little encampment. He had nothing to risk like the Kiritani did and he knew as well as they did that attempting to fight her outside of his little winter wonderland would be a certain dead end.
Time was precious, and she was dying to meet her daughter. Humming to lift her spirits and refill her chakra and stamina pools, the tried and tested kunoichi made her decision and advanced from the south. She had killed enough, but there were also those she had merely led on a wild goose chase. Before those still vigorously alive came back, she would need to finish this mission.
As those who remained steadfastly guarding the building figured out how to handle this incoming threat, Takeda would feel blood splash onto his shoulder. Simultaneously, someone landed on the floor to his side. In his peripherals, he would see in the lantern light that it was Shiro, clutching the side of his chest, which could only mean that the seals had been breached without a sound. [Riposte [Fuuinjutsu], prepared in advance]
---
The guards were too stunned to react properly in time, but one of them did shoot an attack up into the rafters while she was still there. Instantly sinking into the shadows with the Shadow Dancing technique, Kotodori was no longer present when the attack connected, but the strike opened up into an aerial defense. A solid A for effort and foresight. Even if they couldn't hit the threat, they had at least forced her plans to a halt, right?
Unfortunately, there was no way the guards could have expected she would be a Nara. Besides, she had already planned to reposition. Using the shadows as portals, she reappeared as quickly as she disappeared, this time directly in front of Mizutani, Kagerou behind her, and palm outstretched. A burst of smoke signaled a summoning, but nothing visible appeared, and in fact, whatever did appear, didn't seem to do anything yet. It was from within the sleeve of the other hand, also pointed towards Takeda but obfuscated in the background, that what appeared to be a small pellet shot out, expanded into a mask with a myriad of limbs that clutched onto the first piece of physical flesh and exploded with force that would certainly shatter a man's bones even if they could intercept the strike with their arms.
Kagerou, rushing forwards, had her own issues to attend to as she stopped within the first couple steps upon hearing a familiar, if almost silent, twang as wires were set into place around her, the invisible whatsit that Kotodori had summoned. Subtly twisting her wrist, one ring among her cacophony of ringing bells manipulated the water into the air to condense rapidly, coating the summoned wires with telltale dew drops that would, at least, help those skilled enough to pick up the indicator in avoiding the lethal web set up around them.
Shiro would be fine enough even with a wound like that, and it was good to see that the area directly around "Mizutani" was free of wires. However, what relief Kagerou might have felt in the heat of battle, was quickly erased when she saw and heard the explosion of her mother's first strike.
[120 sentences]
Performer – Puppeteer: Able to treat the puppet as an instrument for performance purposes, in addition to the performer's first chosen performance type. All puppets are also able to upkept song techniques as if they were a separate RPC.
Melee Marionette: You are the puppeteer who takes the head-on approach with your creations fighting alongside you. Your puppet strings can manifest from your shoulders, knees, hips, arms, and legs so that your hands are free for physical or weapon attacks. Your puppet looks and moves like a "real boy" so you are able to use any Taijutsu and Bukijutsu through them. Any techniques used by the puppet carry the stats of the user. In addition, you gain [1] additional Taijutsu or Bukijutsu style every other rank for a total of [3], (D, B, and S). Your stats cap also increases to [6] rather than [4].
Sinister Schemer: These performers are masters of deception and have a flair for dramatics, they specialize in moving through courts unseen and are expert information gathers. Enemies won't know what hit them until they already have your dagger in their back. While they may not be as specialized as a genjutsu artist, the potency of their illusions is not to be underestimated. The Schemer is a master of misdirection, capable of replacing the senses affected by a genjutsu via the use of their performance. This can be done either before or during its duration without cost. The only requirement is that the RPC writes their performance into their post. Additionally, the Schemer may reapply any non-instanced genjutsu that has been kai'd immediately after it has been done so. This effect happens quickly enough that the target does not realize that they have not been returned to reality. Reapplying a genjutsu in this manner may only be done once per every casted gen, but also resets the duration of the jutsu. Finally, performers gain access to the song/performance technique below
Compositional Therapist: The most physical of the three disciplines, A compositional Therapist most commonly uses heavy beats to inspire bodies to move in rhythmic ways, healing the soul through captivating dances and wild acrobatics. This healing takes its form in raising stat caps ([4] to [6], [6] to [8], and [9] to [10]) of anyone listening (performer and allies), experiencing or taking part in whatever act the performer writes into their post. This, however, only breaks your stat caps and does not yet provide you with the points needed to reach these levels. Additionally, users gain access to the following to the song/performance technique below:
▰ Spirited Performance [ Genkina pafōmansu ] | Rank X | Ninjutsu [ Spiritual ] The user makes use of their performance to inspire dance and movement in all. Allies capable of either seeing, hearing, or experiencing the user's performance will begin to feel empowered. Granting a total of [2] stat points at E-C Rank, [4] at B-A, and [6] stat points at S+ rank, to be distributed in any stat column that the user wishes. In addition, allies that join in the performer’s act will gain a chakra regen effect (even while in battle) at 1/3rd the cost of this jutsu for three posts. However, by utilizing either your squad, or the assistance of other class performers, or even yourself, this ability may have its duration increased by one post each time that performance is written in their post. Doing so costs an activation (or all activations in the case of a squadron) but no chakra, and can only a maximum of one activation may be spent this way at a time. Performance assistance from multiple sources does provide more than a single post increase but does improve your chances for upkeep this effect uninterrupted.
▰ Riposte [ Riposuto ] | Rank B This ability is an augmented version of [ Vacant Release ]. Upon its use the user turns their whole body into a Kūton jutsu. This is to say that they may freely ignore a specified range of jutsu with [ Vacant Release ]. While this "etherealness" exists, the user is also not affected by any kind of non-chakra created physical barriers and becomes something akin to a ghost, When the user exits the ethereal state while inside of something, he/she is shoved to the nearest available space. This state has a [6] post duration but maybe be recast at any time in order to change resistance types.
▰ Vacant Release [ Munashii Kaihō ] | Rank C At the user’s command, all of the user’s Kūton techniques may only be interacted with by up by either a single person of the user's choosing or a single chakra source (Raiton, Doton, Katon, Complex tai, Spiritual tai, Simple buki, etc, bloodline may be chosen as well but is not a type itself. Meaning you may choose to protect against lava but not also be protected against Ice) of the user’s choosing. Once the desired effect is chosen Kūton techniques will pass harmlessly through anyone or thing that the user chooses. This effect may be undone at any time for no cost by the user. Additionally, because this effect does not defeat jutsu (only passes through them) Jutsu that passes through colliding jutsu need not pay extra resources for overwhelming. Only one source may be selected at any given time and recasting this technique overrides its precious use. If a jutsu has multiple tags associated with it ( Such as being both bloodline and katon ) then choosing either bloodline or katon will work in terms of being able to phase through it.
▰ Shadow Dancing [ Kage no Mai ] | Rank S The effect of this jutsu is twofold. First, all shadows may now be used as portals for movement. This includes those from other jutsu, but not those under the opponent's control. Transportation is considered instant but the user the act of entering the portals is not. Secondly, all Nara Clan jutsu affected become more physical and harder to dispel, granting them a two rank increase when attempting to break free of other Nara possession jutsu. If stacking bonuses would bring this to over S+ rank (such as a Ino-shika-cho formation) then it grants overwhelming instead of being lost. Lasts for [ 12 ] posts.
[Main Building: A Japanese-style residence. The owner's superstitions can be seen reflected in the building's construction. From one central room extends four hallways that bend perpendicular and to the right to connect to four outer rooms. From the skies, the design is reminiscent of the sun-symboloizing swastika. Nestled in each of the arms is a garden. The north arm contains a zen rock and sand gardens. A large part of the green garden in the east arm is filled with a pond and babbling creek. The south arm contains a minimalistic garden that borders a well tended lawn. The west arm contains a decorative garden in the Japanese style, cut through by a path for those who wish to enjoy it with a walk. The original purposes of these arms are lost as everythig has been removed prior, leaving them bare and with plenty of room to maneuver.]
[Client/Target: Mizutani Hiro, arms dealer of the Water Country and second son of a storied noble family of the fallen Water Country. A robust, self-proclaimed patriot who rubbed shoulders with the Lightning Empire's officials and merchants while selling the goods of war he obtained from his dealings to the daimyo's slowly rebuilding forces. He is a man who knows how to defend himself, but is understandably ill able to against the likes of an assassin who could cut the throat of a Lightning official one day and then silence a fortified town the next without suffering any repercussions.]
「 C K R A : :x4,180 // 5,000 」tab「 S T M : :x4,320 // 5,000 」tab「 S E A L : :x「 Dormant 」 400/400 」tab「 両 : :x107,300 」 tab「 Monsoon 」tab「 S+ 」tab「 Jiongu 」tab「 Nin / Tai / Medic」tab「 Theme: Tanada 」
Numerous sounds prompted him to respond, but Takeda remained still in place. If it wasn't entirely certain whether or not Kotodori was around before, the cries of her name and sounds of combat confirmed it. Uncertainty gripped his heart for a moment. Dividing his presence via clones would give him assured peace of mind, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it would only work against him. The Senju, Mori, and the Kiritani all had plans in mind. Not only that, they were all aware of the danger they'd be confronting. The Kiritani made room to fit him into their plan, but the others believed in their own capabilities. They didn't need him, and he needed to accept his place.
Given the silence in the room, Takeda managed to discern a faint, quiet hum. It took him a moment to pinpoint where it might be coming from, not that it mattered. While the plan wasn't flipped just as he locked on to the sound, the blood that splattered against his opulent attire was outside of expectation. If he had been focusing on the room and not that sound, it wouldn't have been a necessary injury. Maybe he was wrong, as there was always the possibility that her talents surpassed his senses, but it steeled him regardless. Nothing would distract him from his objective. He stood quickly as Mizutani would - fast - but not so swift that it would seem practiced. The Yamanaka beside him sent out an attack towards the ceiling, giving him an idea of where the target was at the time of Shiro's defeat. Knowing that it was foolish to expect a lone assassin to remain in the same place, Takeda scanned the room with his eyes. A futile endeavor, really, as she ultimately appeared right in front of him. Long, dark hair, a disturbingly familiar face, and a kimono of all things. Naturally, she didn't wait for him to dig back years in his memory before extending an arm towards him, so he wasn't able to discern her identity.
Smoke burst out first, and her attack followed soon after. He was able to register the projectile, but it came with more speed than Mizutani could muster. Suddenly, he was grateful that he didn't turn down Kin's protective seals, as they activated just before the puppet could latch onto him. Stepping back and raising his arm, he properly braced himself for whatever would follow next. While he expected it to be a more blade-oriented mechanism, an explosive one lined up with the sounds he heard earlier. The barrier covered the brunt of it, and he took the window of opportunity presented to fall back instead of pushing through it. She saw the seal's barrier so he wouldn't engage in a fruitless attempt to fake his death. Instead, Takeda utilized the unique assets available to Mizutani. "Keep me out of her sight. Protect me." He muttered to the mercenaries surrounding him, not bothering to lower his voice to a point where she couldn't hear. He doubted it would work. Turning so that his hands would be out of sight while crouched, Takeda got a technique ready and placed his left hand on the ground, using it to stand. Of course, it had the doubled intention of letting a dark sigil wrap around his wrist, sending out tendrils that swiftly, smoothly blending in with both the shadows and lines in the tatami mats. By the time he got to his feet, his tendril should have made its way over to Shiro, touching him just enough to heal his wounds.
Now, what was it Kin said? Multiple chakra types? The thought crossed his mind while chakra built up in his body. Quickly turning, he made sure to confirm the target's location before leaping out suddenly, rapidly accelerating towards the mark. Exhaling steadily, the Jiongu extended his right hand in a straightforward stab towards her midsection, aiming for the absolute central point. Even if his hit wasn't direct, he could execute his assault with its maximum potential if he just managed to touch her. His hands were revealed to be coated with Hyoton chakra, able to freeze whatever they came into contact with, and should any contact be made, his built-up technique from earlier would reveal itself. A large amount of iron sand would burst from his body, consuming the target in front of him to trap her. It would have been nice to add on to his assault further to limit her movement, but he didn't regret using the time he had to care for Shiro's health.
Techniques Used: ▰ Protective Tag Barrier [ Omamori no Kekkai ] | Rank A (Drains Kin's chakra, I think?) Must be set up before combat and labeled on the profile. The user creates a seal which will protect their body. If attacked, then the seal activates, manifesting a sheet of chakra barrier to protect that location. The activation of the barrier will automatically drain the user of an A-ranked amount of chakra, but will not cost an activation. Upon protecting the user, the seal will break. Can have two seals on the user's rpc at a time. To create the seal cost five chakra.
▰ Healing Hands Technique: Major [ Chiyute No Jutsu: Ichidanto ] | Rank A Uses chakra to mend major wounds. Any stamina lost through trauma of tier four is automatically restored to the patient. If this technique is used on a target which has not endured trauma then they gain stamina double to the cost of this technique. If this technique is used on oneself then the stamina is only equal to the rank of the technique.
▰ Elemental Fury | Rank X | Spiritual (C) The user surrounds their hands with their elemental chakra, granting their taijutsu and basic combat taijutsu their elemental affinity. For each rank of the technique, this effect lasts one post.
▰ Combining Elemental Training | Rank A | Training The user does a single post of training where they practice combining their techniques with their elemental bloodline affinity, allowing them to combine the techniques of this style with their bloodline properties, including statuses inflicted by said bloodlines.
▰ Dandelion | Rank A | Simple (Treated as S+ via stats) A thrusting technique comprible to Chidori's piercing power. This technique is a knife handed thrust that pierces through flesh and steel alike, ignoring armor tiered defenses and treating ninjutsu armors as one rank lower. This technique gains a [2] point increase in strength.
▰ Iron Sand Coffin [ Satetsu Kyuu ] | Rank X (S. Charged. Nin-tai action.) The user will force iron sand to crawl up on their target. The sand will then wrap up and around, until it fully encases the target. As the sand encloses, it will apply a crushing amount of pressure [see Iron Sand Funeral], more than capable of grinding bones. If the wielder takes two posts to set up the technique for one combat action each then the iron sand can encase the whole body and deal an equivalent tier of full-body paralysis based on the rank applied for five posts. The other method is the faster but less effective option of using one post to grip only a single limb and apply paralysis of equivalent tier to the rank of the coffin. The Iron Sand Coffin is also considered a chakra-based grapple rather than the standard stamina-based grapple and thus requires an equivalent rank of chakra to be spent by the target once gripped or encased to break out.
HeadlessKoko
Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:38 pm
Even without 'Mizutani' giving such and order, his guards would of course devote themselves to keeping their lord out of harm's way. It was just that, with the wires spread across the room, there wasn't much that was safe. However, they proved adaptable and coordinated with their strike, the Akimichi and Yamanaka striking first in tandem to corner her into the Nara's waiting technique.
However, it was too standard. Reading them like a book, the softly smiling assassin weaved and danced around them, at one moment playing with expectations, and then the next, defying them. The Akimichi was gently coerced with a dodge and caress into the wires so close to where he struck. In the screams that accompanied his fall into bladed threads that reacted upon touch to enwrap around and attempt to severe his arm, Kotodori strode with great speed into the Yamanaka's face, directly putting her own face into the circular target he had formed with his hands. He was free to take over his body, if he had any mind to do so with after being gently tapped into the wires, the deceptively soft motion blasting his body across the room.
She sang softly to ringing bells, "Daidai, students should greet politely their teachers. Know your place. Come down," already knowing who must have taken out the puppet responsible for her wire tricks. Of course, Daidai didn't come down, but that would only be a matter of time. [modified Shadow Substitution; I take it this has to match speeds with your Dandelion technique, right? So Spiritual A should counter simple S+, right?]
Kagerou sighed mentally as her eyes physically darted to ensure each body would live, glad that she had trusted her read on the part of the situation she couldn't see. If they had to cut the wires directly... Well, would they explode or create a razor whiplash was the real question. Then Kyoka locked eyes with her. It wasn't long enough, though. No, it couldn't be long enough because, in the next instant, the Nara, even if things didn't go as planned, used the chance Kyoka took to speak to wrap his shadows around her, visibly sweating as he instantly felt with his entire being exactly why he was told to us only one shadow. Takeda was also ready, already mid-lunge. However, she didn't move. She didn't...
Takeda's hit connected, but not with the real Kotodori. His nin-tai armor exploded into action at the same time as the replacing puppet also burst forth with a counter mechanism of some sort. The two techniques clashed, and the iron sand broke through the mechanism intended to launch, as well as quite a few others, but the puppet remained in working condition as it released some sort of gas while encased within the iron sand.
Meanwhile, Kageoru had already dashed forward, and she was ready to strike the moment Kotodori was forced out of hiding in the shadow, keeping her locked in the area where the Nara still had possession of the shadows. Leaves of green chakra swirled around her hand, summoning a sheathed katana, which was used in the same disciplined motion, reminiscent of the Iron Country's controlled bukijutsu over the Water Country's wilder techniques, to deliver a forceful strike that would send the assassin crashing back into the mass of iron sand she had only just evaded. [▰ Crashing Wave | Rank X | Simple]
With no footing to dodge, Kotodori was forced to block, but held her own, using a bangle, of all things, to block the blade so that she wouldn't deliver herself right into a trap. Just as she tossed the sword off, however, another three strikes were waiting for her from Shiro, who likewise kept her locked in place with a series of swift dagger strikes as Kagerou, smiling despite her misgivings backed off to create distance.
The music outside continued, and sounds of fighting could be heard, faintly.
[29 sentences]
Performer – Puppeteer: Able to treat the puppet as an instrument for performance purposes, in addition to the performer's first chosen performance type. All puppets are also able to upkept song techniques as if they were a separate RPC.
Melee Marionette: You are the puppeteer who takes the head-on approach with your creations fighting alongside you. Your puppet strings can manifest from your shoulders, knees, hips, arms, and legs so that your hands are free for physical or weapon attacks. Your puppet looks and moves like a "real boy" so you are able to use any Taijutsu and Bukijutsu through them. Any techniques used by the puppet carry the stats of the user. In addition, you gain [1] additional Taijutsu or Bukijutsu style every other rank for a total of [3], (D, B, and S). Your stats cap also increases to [6] rather than [4].
Sinister Schemer: These performers are masters of deception and have a flair for dramatics, they specialize in moving through courts unseen and are expert information gathers. Enemies won't know what hit them until they already have your dagger in their back. While they may not be as specialized as a genjutsu artist, the potency of their illusions is not to be underestimated. The Schemer is a master of misdirection, capable of replacing the senses affected by a genjutsu via the use of their performance. This can be done either before or during its duration without cost. The only requirement is that the RPC writes their performance into their post. Additionally, the Schemer may reapply any non-instanced genjutsu that has been kai'd immediately after it has been done so. This effect happens quickly enough that the target does not realize that they have not been returned to reality. Reapplying a genjutsu in this manner may only be done once per every casted gen, but also resets the duration of the jutsu. Finally, performers gain access to the song/performance technique below
Compositional Therapist: The most physical of the three disciplines, A compositional Therapist most commonly uses heavy beats to inspire bodies to move in rhythmic ways, healing the soul through captivating dances and wild acrobatics. This healing takes its form in raising stat caps ([4] to [6], [6] to [8], and [9] to [10]) of anyone listening (performer and allies), experiencing or taking part in whatever act the performer writes into their post. This, however, only breaks your stat caps and does not yet provide you with the points needed to reach these levels. Additionally, users gain access to the following to the song/performance technique below:
▰ Spirited Performance [ Genkina pafōmansu ] | Rank X | Ninjutsu [ Spiritual ] The user makes use of their performance to inspire dance and movement in all. Allies capable of either seeing, hearing, or experiencing the user's performance will begin to feel empowered. Granting a total of [2] stat points at E-C Rank, [4] at B-A, and [6] stat points at S+ rank, to be distributed in any stat column that the user wishes. In addition, allies that join in the performer’s act will gain a chakra regen effect (even while in battle) at 1/3rd the cost of this jutsu for three posts. However, by utilizing either your squad, or the assistance of other class performers, or even yourself, this ability may have its duration increased by one post each time that performance is written in their post. Doing so costs an activation (or all activations in the case of a squadron) but no chakra, and can only a maximum of one activation may be spent this way at a time. Performance assistance from multiple sources does provide more than a single post increase but does improve your chances for upkeep this effect uninterrupted.
▰ Shadow Dancing [ Kage no Mai ] | Rank S The effect of this jutsu is twofold. First, all shadows may now be used as portals for movement. This includes those from other jutsu, but not those under the opponent's control. Transportation is considered instant but the user the act of entering the portals is not. Secondly, all Nara Clan jutsu affected become more physical and harder to dispel, granting them a two rank increase when attempting to break free of other Nara possession jutsu. If stacking bonuses would bring this to over S+ rank (such as a Ino-shika-cho formation) then it grants overwhelming instead of being lost. Lasts for [ 12 ] posts.
▰ Shadow Substitution [ Shadō Chikan ] | Rank A By properly using their chakra in a manner similar to the substitution jutsu, the user will perform a substitution with their shadow itself. Initially when this change happens there is no noticeable change as the shadow takes on the perfect likeness of the user, and the user is hidden in its shadow. The 'copy' will only reveal itself when struck with an appropriate strength chakra based attack. The Shadow copy has access to all the user's techniques and draws on its creator's pool to use them. ( Note: For evasion purposes, despite its name, this jutsu is NOT instant and can be considered happening at A rank speeds ). Lasts for [ 5 ] of the user's posts.
▰ Crashing Wave | Rank X | Simple The user steps hard with their front leg, shoving the flat of the blade into the enemies midsection or defending weapon while placing their back hand onto the blade, adding power to the shove. This technique shoves an enemy five feet per rank of the technique away from the user.
[Main Building: A Japanese-style residence. The owner's superstitions can be seen reflected in the building's construction. From one central room extends four hallways that bend perpendicular and to the right to connect to four outer rooms. From the skies, the design is reminiscent of the sun-symboloizing swastika. Nestled in each of the arms is a garden. The north arm contains a zen rock and sand gardens. A large part of the green garden in the east arm is filled with a pond and babbling creek. The south arm contains a minimalistic garden that borders a well tended lawn. The west arm contains a decorative garden in the Japanese style, cut through by a path for those who wish to enjoy it with a walk. The original purposes of these arms are lost as everythig has been removed prior, leaving them bare and with plenty of room to maneuver.]
[Client/Target: Mizutani Hiro, arms dealer of the Water Country and second son of a storied noble family of the fallen Water Country. A robust, self-proclaimed patriot who rubbed shoulders with the Lightning Empire's officials and merchants while selling the goods of war he obtained from his dealings to the daimyo's slowly rebuilding forces. He is a man who knows how to defend himself, but is understandably ill able to against the likes of an assassin who could cut the throat of a Lightning official one day and then silence a fortified town the next without suffering any repercussions.]
「 C K R A : :x3,940 // 5,000 」tab「 S T M : :x4,320 // 5,000 」tab「 S E A L : :x「 Dormant 」 400/400 」tab「 両 : :x107,300 」 tab「 Monsoon 」tab「 S+ 」tab「 Jiongu 」tab「 Nin / Tai / Medic」tab「 Theme: Tanada 」
Substitution huh? "Tch," he exclaimed in minor annoyance, taking a step back while switching the position of his stance as a precaution. Being prepared was necessary if she planned to launch a counterattack, but Kagerou surprised him by attacking her when she reappeared. It was...far removed from his expectations, especially because he heard someone screaming not too long ago. Taking the small opportunity presented by her and Shiro's combined assault, he scanned the room with his eyes again to see that two of his guards were in dire straits. The Yamanaka appeared to be removed from battle, and the Akimichi's arm wasn't in good condition. However, the wires which stifled freedom of movement were removed, which served to be both a blessing and a curse. While the positives were obvious, it also allowed Kotodori to maneuver as she pleased.
Shiro provided a solid opening, but something else took precedence. Following Kotodori's substitution, he noticed a distinct, familiar smell. It wasn't as strong as when it first appeared, but it would make sense for it to be subdued when suffocated by dense sand on all sides. He never even saw what she could have previously substituted with, so there was a high possibility for it to have been a trap.
Assuming that the trap had an explosive property, the iron prison stifling it would work against them. While he didn't expect the others to launch Katon techniques in a room of paper and wood, he wouldn't put it over the assassin to attempt it. Deciding to turn it more clearly into an advantageous situation for himself, Takeda formed a set of seals and got to work. He started by producing a water formation around him, then sent it out towards the iron sand coffin. Adjusting the size to roughly twice that of the casket, he froze the water in the blink of an eye, lessening any detonation chance. Continuing his seals, he caused chains of composed ice to burst out from his recent creation, honing them in on Kotodori to drag her back to the point of origin.
He expected her to work her way around it. It wasn't exactly a ruthless assault, after all, but he wanted to examine her capabilities from a distance. Would she be able to deal with a Hyouton technique that followed her movements while also putting up with the assault from the others? If she did, what would her method be? Even small factors like how Shiro and Kagerou responded were considered. As much as he wanted to be the one in the assassin's face, the two others were too close for him to launch a major offense. However, instead of playing the supportive role, he used his precious breathing room to plan against their target.
"I'm curious. Why stick around at this point?" Takeda asked, creating another seal to boost his offensive output for his next assault.
Techniques Used:
▰ Arctic Sea [ Hokkyoku Umi ] | Rank A The user targets an existing body of water, (or creates one with their own chakra reserves) up to one hundred feet in size. The water moves at the user's command after forming the hand signs, causing it to rapidly surround a target and consume them in churning mass of water that levitates with the targeted opponent. This ice cold water quickly freezes, trapping the target within the ice As they suffer tier three suffocation. Those trapped within the ice must pay it's rank in chakra to free themselves and suffer tier three full body paralysis on release.
▰ Dead Man's Chains [ Deddomanzuchēn ] | Rank A The user forms a hand sign, allowing chains composed of ice to explode forth from any existing ice formation or water formation. These chains expand up to fifty feet from their originating point, binding opponents tightly and dragging them towards their creation point. The painful binding and impact of these chains cause tier 3 trauma and apply the grappling status. For each tier of frostbite upon the target, they must pay an additional rank of chakra to free themselves, with a maximum of S+ Rank.
▰ Electrolyte Balance [ Denkaishitsu Heikin ] | Rank A Uses chakra to restore balance to either the user's or a target within two feet's electrolytes. This gives a boon to adrenaline which gives the target one additional activation their following post.
HeadlessKoko
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 11:16 pm
Relegated to the outskirts of the room and no longer putting up any sort of an act, the Akimichi had only two reasons to stick around, and with his ravaged arm, he knew that he and one of his reasons to be here would just be a burden to the other reason. Cradling the mess of flesh that was his lower arm, he darted off to the Yamanaka's side and deftly pulled the lighter man onto his shoulder
Kagerou, as she placed distance between herself and the main fight, positioned herself squarely between the Akimichi/Yamanaka and Kotodori. "Stay behind me, but get ready to move," she whispered, bells ringing gently. A breeze was carried on the sound and spiraling gales were summoned to surround Shiro's limbs to both empower and protect his strikes. While, with several one-handed seals, she created a wall of water between herself and the out of commission guards as an extra layer of protection.
In the center of the room, where all the action took place, Shiro traded blow for blow with Kotodori. In the blink it took Takeda to flash freeze the puppet and the flicker of the void surrounding Kotodori (and, unseen, the void that her puppet was imbued with), Shiro had pivoted after his initial three blows to attack Kotodori from an angle she would have difficulty defending from with her legs entrapped by the shadows that weren't under her control. Striking with the hilt of the blade to shave off the few milliseconds he would need to flip the blade around, Shiro aimed for an opening in Kotodori's defenses, but with a familiarity that bespoke of a teacher against her student, wires entrapped the opportunistic wrist and twisted the weapon right out as Kotodori struck with a soft but swift jab. White chakra from Shiro was quick to counter the puppet strings bound about his wrist, severing the threads before they could do any harm. [Vacant Release [ Munashii Kaihō ] [shift immunity to hyouton]]
Either her speed was lacking and she made up for it with foresight or she measured her speed to only what was necessary. Whichever the case, though moving slower than Shiro, Kotodori's hit appeared to connect, leaving a patch of scratched skin on his right cheek, even when Shiro's second hand clearly deflected her strike aside with an upwards slash in the opposite direction, white chakra manifesting once more as contact was made between Shiro's weapon and what appeared to be thin air, a maneuver that would stagger anyone else but only seemed to push her back slightly. Despite her feet being rooted into the ground, Kotodori retained her balance, her upper body swaying upright with the ease of a bamboo shoot as black ripples emanated from her person. Grabbing ahold of her chakra manifestation with one hand, she swung it forward like a dancer's scarf. Dual puppets were unsealed directly in Shiro's advancing face. It was too easy to miss the way her leg swept in a matching, feather-light motion, as she begun her dance.
Hopefully, the Nara, who's mental torment had already progressed so far that he had closed his eyes and begun shivering, would catch more attention as he slumped to the ground, senseless. At the beginning of this all, he would have been able to describe his succinct reason for continuing to hold Kotodori, but his efforts had quickly deteriorated into little more than senseless stubbornness. Not even knowing why any more, just simply doing so because his training allowed him to retain that shred of clarity that told him he must have had a good reason, so he shouldn't stop. Now, though, with a silent crack of the mind, he was gone.
Of course, part of Kotodori's purpose was to crush that said hope. Straight out of the forming dome of wind Kagerou attempted to protect the Nara with, Kotodori slid the body out of her protection with wires and shadows as she turned. A sea of silence spread and bottomless black eyes stared fearlessly at the encroaching bindings, stretching that split moment before Takeda's chains made impact against Kotodori. The dim light of candles and lanterns gave a warm, homely glow to the motherly smile that stretched Kotodori's lips. Kagerou was too far. Shiro was poisoned, a searing burn bordered with bubbling yellow pus spreading from where Kotodori had tapped him lightly against the cheek, on top of dealing with a mouthful of gas from one puppet and a strong desire for a beheading from the other.
The ice slipped right through her, knotting somewhere within her ethereal person. It could not affect her, just as, unfortunately, she could not affect it with her person. The shadows cast by the ice, however, were another matter, and through them, with a flick open of fan as she stopped her turn, Kotodori channeled a technique directly into the steel ball. Within the ice, lightning arced with wild abandon, creating slivers of cracks, but more importantly, superheating the ball, and in the blink of an eye, it was all gone.
With an explosion of gas and a hail of steel shrapnel, the first act ended.
===
Smoke and gas, from her own puppet and the powdered debris of the disintegrated swarm of butterflies that had been resting in the rafters. Though her ears still rang, she would strain them until she heard the one heartbeat she needed, and that was how she knew, stepping out from behind the impaled Nara she had used as a body shield. The heart before her, behind a falling wall of water, pumped off beat to the song it should be singing. Thus, the lyre bird sang, "To destination, the reaper takes Moriko. Autumn red then white."
In a way, it was terrifying, that in the very moment Murasaki hesitated on her response, her body committed before it knew it had to. Her eyes had yet to show that she had failed the perfect act when she advanced forwards with a low dash. A frontal-no. Instead of running, she slipped into the shadows and reappear from Kyoka's shadow behind her with invisible speed.
Even scarier is the one who could counter such a sudden strike as if it was telegraphed from a mile away. From the same shadows, shady tendrils wrapped around and halted the attack in its tracks. The smile that knew, unchanging, as she instructed, "The heart tells the truth. Two inches over. Violet eyes, misty thoughts. Who?," and then threw her. Plan A was never expected to work, but even plan B of the attack--distract and bind--was deftly tossed in the trash like Murasaki was thrown at the wall. Two walls, in fact. Through one of crumbling doton that had failed to hold up against the blast and onto the wall of fuuinjutsu that remained standing yet, Murasaki was tossed. Picking herself up, she saw Shiro in front of her, laid out on his side. The bludgeoning force and shrapnel of the blast he had failed to block in time almost covered the pus-outlined patch of raw, burned skin that had advanced across half of his right eye by this point. He was in no condition to fight, and Murasaki didn't even need to look for the guards to know they were out of commission even if they were conscious. As for Daidai, he was good at following orders, and his orders were strictly to not approach Kotodori.
Clothes torn and body lacerated with wounds from the elbows down, Murasaki wasn't in much better condition. She may have escaped the blast unscathed, but the price for a split second's distraction was endless laceration by shadows, several laying close to veins that would have been fatal had she not known how to defend herself from such an assault. However, she seemed to not notice any of the wounds her body held. After glancing to assess Shiro's situation, Murasaki moved like she was still unwounded. She would have leapt forwards for another assault, actually, if the radio silence wasn't worrying her.
[58 sentences]
Performer – Puppeteer: Able to treat the puppet as an instrument for performance purposes, in addition to the performer's first chosen performance type. All puppets are also able to upkept song techniques as if they were a separate RPC.
Melee Marionette: You are the puppeteer who takes the head-on approach with your creations fighting alongside you. Your puppet strings can manifest from your shoulders, knees, hips, arms, and legs so that your hands are free for physical or weapon attacks. Your puppet looks and moves like a "real boy" so you are able to use any Taijutsu and Bukijutsu through them. Any techniques used by the puppet carry the stats of the user. In addition, you gain [1] additional Taijutsu or Bukijutsu style every other rank for a total of [3], (D, B, and S). Your stats cap also increases to [6] rather than [4].
Sinister Schemer: These performers are masters of deception and have a flair for dramatics, they specialize in moving through courts unseen and are expert information gathers. Enemies won't know what hit them until they already have your dagger in their back. While they may not be as specialized as a genjutsu artist, the potency of their illusions is not to be underestimated. The Schemer is a master of misdirection, capable of replacing the senses affected by a genjutsu via the use of their performance. This can be done either before or during its duration without cost. The only requirement is that the RPC writes their performance into their post. Additionally, the Schemer may reapply any non-instanced genjutsu that has been kai'd immediately after it has been done so. This effect happens quickly enough that the target does not realize that they have not been returned to reality. Reapplying a genjutsu in this manner may only be done once per every casted gen, but also resets the duration of the jutsu. Finally, performers gain access to the song/performance technique below
Compositional Therapist: The most physical of the three disciplines, A compositional Therapist most commonly uses heavy beats to inspire bodies to move in rhythmic ways, healing the soul through captivating dances and wild acrobatics. This healing takes its form in raising stat caps ([4] to [6], [6] to [8], and [9] to [10]) of anyone listening (performer and allies), experiencing or taking part in whatever act the performer writes into their post. This, however, only breaks your stat caps and does not yet provide you with the points needed to reach these levels. Additionally, users gain access to the following to the song/performance technique below:
▰ Spirited Performance [ Genkina pafōmansu ] | Rank X | Ninjutsu [ Spiritual ] The user makes use of their performance to inspire dance and movement in all. Allies capable of either seeing, hearing, or experiencing the user's performance will begin to feel empowered. Granting a total of [2] stat points at E-C Rank, [4] at B-A, and [6] stat points at S+ rank, to be distributed in any stat column that the user wishes. In addition, allies that join in the performer’s act will gain a chakra regen effect (even while in battle) at 1/3rd the cost of this jutsu for three posts. However, by utilizing either your squad, or the assistance of other class performers, or even yourself, this ability may have its duration increased by one post each time that performance is written in their post. Doing so costs an activation (or all activations in the case of a squadron) but no chakra, and can only a maximum of one activation may be spent this way at a time. Performance assistance from multiple sources does provide more than a single post increase but does improve your chances for upkeep this effect uninterrupted.
▰ Shadow Dancing [ Kage no Mai ] | Rank S The effect of this jutsu is twofold. First, all shadows may now be used as portals for movement. This includes those from other jutsu, but not those under the opponent's control. Transportation is considered instant but the user the act of entering the portals is not. Secondly, all Nara Clan jutsu affected become more physical and harder to dispel, granting them a two rank increase when attempting to break free of other Nara possession jutsu. If stacking bonuses would bring this to over S+ rank (such as a Ino-shika-cho formation) then it grants overwhelming instead of being lost. Lasts for [ 12 ] posts.
▰ Sigh of the Yellow Dragon [ Kiiro Ryuu no Tameiki ] | Rank S Placing one hand on the opponent the user delivers a huge debilitating shock to his or her target, forcing the target to his or her knees as they suffer tier four parlysis through their entire body as a snake composed of lighting chakra seems to flicker around their person. The target then begins to smolder as their insides have suffered tier four burning and are being disintegrated, blowing away with the wind. RPC are hospitalized, requiring immediate medical aid if not defended due to the cooking of their insides.
[Main Building: A Japanese-style residence. The owner's superstitions can be seen reflected in the building's construction. From one central room extends four hallways that bend perpendicular and to the right to connect to four outer rooms. From the skies, the design is reminiscent of the sun-symboloizing swastika. Nestled in each of the arms is a garden. The north arm contains a zen rock and sand gardens. A large part of the green garden in the east arm is filled with a pond and babbling creek. The south arm contains a minimalistic garden that borders a well tended lawn. The west arm contains a decorative garden in the Japanese style, cut through by a path for those who wish to enjoy it with a walk. The original purposes of these arms are lost as everythig has been removed prior, leaving them bare and with plenty of room to maneuver.]
[Client/Target: Mizutani Hiro, arms dealer of the Water Country and second son of a storied noble family of the fallen Water Country. A robust, self-proclaimed patriot who rubbed shoulders with the Lightning Empire's officials and merchants while selling the goods of war he obtained from his dealings to the daimyo's slowly rebuilding forces. He is a man who knows how to defend himself, but is understandably ill able to against the likes of an assassin who could cut the throat of a Lightning official one day and then silence a fortified town the next without suffering any repercussions.]
「 C K R A : :x3,540 // 5,000 」tab「 S T M : :x4,120 // 5,000 」tab「 S E A L : :x「 Dormant 」 400/400 」tab「 両 : :x107,300 」 tab「 Monsoon 」tab「 S+ 」tab「 Jiongu 」tab「 Nin / Tai / Medic」tab「 Theme: Tanada 」
Slowly, his eyes opened, and Takeda felt small dull aches across his entire body, likely from the shrapnel that impacted but couldn't pierce his flesh. It didn't significantly hurt, but he was sure that the pain suppression technique had a hand in that. Regardless of whether or not he felt anything from it, the concussive force of the explosion that happened right in front of him was enough to send him off his feet and strip him of his consciousness briefly. Placing a hand down to lift himself, he noticed a few things. Firstly, the lack of sleeves and skin tone change/musculature was enough to show that he wasn't disguised as Mizutani anymore. He didn't know if it was because of the minor damage or lapse in consciousness, but it didn't matter. The disguise was inconsequential at that point. Secondly, the jiongu's tendrils rose to the surface while he was out and covered the entirety of his hands up to his forearms. Covered in inky black, they would have continued moving up his arms if he missed them in the act. Even if his seal's activation would have helped in a confrontation with the assassin, he didn't want to place Kagerou or her family at risk.
A loud crash made his entire body tense up, and he stood quickly to get his bearings better. Red eyes scanned through the smoke to the best of his ability, and he could see that Shiro was wounded again. Again, he had injuries that would register him unable to battle without healing, but there was something more important at play. Kagerou, as far as he could tell, was fighting Kotodori all by herself. While her survival was undoubtedly crucial to him, that wasn't the sole reason for him to make her his priority. If he could give her enough space, she could take Shiro somewhere and formulate another plan to deal with the assassin. It would also give him the freedom to utilize his seal, but he wouldn't tell her that.
Even if he was fast, he didn't want to run the risk of her hearing his footsteps. Instead, he sent some tendrils out to their maximum reach ahead of him before putting his strength into yanking himself over, zipping across the distance between him and his target. Sticking the landing with ease, Takeda immediately used the momentum to turn his hips in a roundhouse kick - one that didn't make it to its intended mark before he used chakra to explode his speed in the opposite direction. With maximum torque and efficiency, he crouched down and spun his body around, aiming to sweep her leg and cause a detonation of chakra on impact to send her flying after she lost balance. Even if she decided to check his leg with her own, the elemental burst would still go off.
Whether or not it hit, he'd take a quick step back to speak. "Take your friends and go, Kagerou. If you can't heal yourself or others, then cut your losses and let me handle this." He'd allowed himself a brief moment to examine her condition, and that instance was all he needed to notice the numerous lacerations on her arms. Takeda and Kagerou had enough of a combat history for him to know that all the wounds thus far would have never existed for longer than a moment before being healed. He didn't miss the fact that she never took a second to tend to the Akimichi either before everything went haywire. If Takeda was off the mark, she had the perfect chance to correct him by healing her own or Shiro's wounds. If not, he hoped that she, whoever she may have been, would listen to his suggestion.
With that said, he returned his attention to Kotodori, resuming his assault without the need for any more discretion. No, he utilized all of his speed to breach her personal space, whether he blasted her away before or not, and infused his arms with chakra for the oncoming offense. Once he was close enough, he'd lash out in a flurry of controlled, vicious punches. If she remained in one straight path, he'd do a series of jabs and straights, but those would change to hooks or uppercuts depending on whether she tried to move to the sides or charge an attack of her own, refusing her any room to breathe. Then, after the seventh attack, he reeled back for another with his right hand while his left subtly formed a sign, and his movements finally changed. Stepping back slightly instead of forward, he waved his right arm horizontally across his body, spreading a cone of freezing hyoton chakra twenty feet in front of him to catch her in a wide, area-of-effect attack meant to slow her mental functions. Techniques Used:
▰ Hidden Force | Rank X | Complex The user strikes the opponent with any hard physical classified action. The user releases chakra from the limb upon impact, creating a sudden and unforeseen explosion of elemental chakra that impacts the target and carries them five feet per rank of the technique, consuming them in the element during travel.
▰ Moving Fissure | Rank A | Training By using a quick twist of the hips, the user can change the momentum of a kick that has been executed in order to change it's direction completely. Doing so requires half the cost of the technique be paid and the newly directed attack gains an additional [1] point increase to speed per rank of the technique. This ability may only be used once every three posts.
▰ Elemental Personification | Rank X | Spiritual (Earth/Wind/Water) The user floods their system with chakra while choosing one of the primary elements they have access to. This attunes the user to that element, giving their element of choice the following effects. This technique requires no activation but always requires it's chakra cost paid equal to the technique it is paired with. Water: Reduces speed of the target by a [1] point amount per rank when contacting an opponent for the following post. Earth: Stuns an opponent, losing an activation if unblocked. Fire: Reduces strength of the target by a [1] point amount per rank when contacting an opponent for the following post. Wind: blows the target back an additional five feet per rank. Lightning:Reduces agility of the target by a [1] point per rank when contacting an opponent for the following post.
▰ Dragon Round | Rank B | Spiritual (Fire/Lightning/Earth) The user coats their fists in chakra, granting their striking techniques elemental abilities during each instance of impact. This technique requires a D rank upkeep cost after it's initial use. Fire: Ignites a target, causing burning tiered to the parent technique. Water: Causes tiered drench, flooding a five foot area per rank of the parent technique with one foot of water. Wind: All strikes cause bleeding from the trauma status and have an additional twenty feet of knockback. Lightning: Causes tiered burns and paralysis. Earth: Causes petrifaction on limbs at the point of impact. If body shot or head shot is made, the entire body is effected.
▰ Firing Pattern | Rank X | Simple (7 B-rank strikes) The user is able to combine any striking technique known to them together for a combination by paying the rank of this technique atop the resource cost of the techniques. These combined techniques require only the activation for this technique. This technique must be used at the cost of the highest rank single technique in the combination.The user is able to combine two techniques at D Rank body and an additional technique per body rank after that.
▰ Six Round Bursts | Rank B | Complex The user channels chakra into their fists and release it in a single punch that travels until physical contact is made. The chakra travels in the form of six chakra orbs that travel in a singular line. These six shots are approximately the size of the user's fist. These six chakra orbs require a B rank amount of resources to be expended to block them, while evading them requires only the standard amount. If impacting a barrier or shield technique, this attack is considered one rank higher in power.
▰ Cone of Cold [ Samu-sa no Ensuigata ] | Rank A The user swiftly preforms a fluid swipe of their hand horizontally before them, creating a rapid expanse of ice that covers a twenty foot half circle shape before them. Those who are stricken or trapped by this technique have a unique handicap placed upon them as their brain functions begin to slow. The target will be unable to use chakra at A rank or above for the next three posts. In addition, their body is covered with a firm layer of ice, and they suffer a 2 point loss in both speed and agility for six post. This can be relieved by expending an A-ranked amount of chakra.
▰ Live Fire Exercise | Rank B | Training All striking techniques executed by the user double the decreases inflicted upon targets when impacted.
▰ Gunslinger | Rank S | Training The user has always sacrificed range for power, all up until now. By making their physical punching techniques complex, the user can send dense chakra orbs from their fists to extend their impacting range as well as allowing them to now "punch" ninjutsu. The strikes are now counted as spiritual when interacting with other techniques and carry the user's full stat increases of simple techniques. These chakra orbs range ten feet per rank of the parent technique.
Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:26 pm
Distracted yet at the recent effort put towards dispelling Murasaki's hold upon her, Kotodori was not fully prepared to take on someone she had calculated as most likely a nonfactor in the remaining fight. However, shinobi were such creatures who took advantage of such situations, and as a killer of such who utilized such techniques, Kotodori was no stranger to seeing her expectations overturned. Raising a hand to swipe aside the first blow, her wires wrapped around empty air as Takeda's initial strike took yet another unexpected turn.
Black eyes met red of a shade she knew, and Takeda, if he made eye contact at any point in his maneuver would see, not surprise, but the turning of gears. It was a gaze not dissimilar to one a certain familiar female had pinned him with times upon learning something new. A thoughtful, probing gaze that, upon any other face, would be a reason for concern for one's safety, as if they had just revealed a weakness, in whatever seemingly innocuous detail they had given. If not weakness, then some tool. Upon any other face, a gaze that would be unsettling, just like the gaze upon Kotodori's face. Even the soft smile beneath echoed a familiar smile.
Despite every advantage Takeda had, both by circumstance and the ones he created with his own effort, working for him, Kotodori nonetheless took the sweep to her leg without faltering even once. It was only the burst of chakra that followed that, finally, moved the assassin. Chakra against chakra. The creation of earth, wind, and water that swirled about Takeda's foot was countered with a howling gale that erupted within the split second Kotodori had to react, defending her stance, but a defense hastily created had its limits and while the elemental properties of Takeda's attack were scattered to the four winds, the strike itself broke through the barrier of wind and launched Kotodori to the wall, but the contact gave her an opportunity to connect her shadow to Takeda's, an opportunity that she did not miss.
Her legs swept out from underneath her, it appeared Kyoka would be landing on her back, but like a cat, she recovered with a swift turn and landed impeccably on her feet. The two, Takeda and Kotodori, had their own preparations to make: Takeda communicating with the rest and Kotodori planning her next moves as she fixed her stance beneath the layers of the kimono she wore.
In acknowledgement of the fighter before her, her fingers twitched and she waited, biding her time until she saw Takeda turn to her once more. "Oh?" she asked, false curiosity raising her eyebrows above her painted smile, "You're approaching me?". Her hand brushed to the side as Takeda charged forwards, aiming for the exact moment his footing would be weakest. At her somatic command, her shadow pulled upon Takeda's, expecting it to obey like a ball of malleable clay. When, instead, her command felt resistance, Kotodori was faced with the second miscalculation she would be punished for tonight.
The first jab landed, Kotodori turning the cheek so that she wouldn't need to contend with a broken nose. Crackling electricity coating her arms, she raised them to endure the remaining five that came in quick succession.
Two. Three. "My shadows didn't work?"
Four. Five. Kotodori shifted stance, still blocking Takeda's blows primarily with her arms, but shifting the lightning swift jabs aside with her own empowered movements. Fluid as she danced, she created an opening within two moves for a counter strike of her own. Her palm snapped forwards swiftly, but the puppeteer proved no match to the taijutsu expert.
And six, Kotodori was hit squarely in her gut as her counter was easily countered, but the point of the dance had never been for a physical strike. From the feet that repositioned to get in the proper stance, a wisp of void that camouflaged with the darkness hooked out to Takeda as her upper body drew the attention with its feint. Pain was a small price to pay to ensure the successful connection.
Takeda backed away as Kotodori staggered back, that carefree smile finally wiped off her face. Eyes focused intently on the fist reeling back, she raised her hand again as if to defend once more. As if she had, after being caught off guard twice, lost the rhythm of the battle and was falling straight into Takeda's trick. As if she didn't have any peripheral vision.
Only the eerie calm of her false expression, the exhausted mask she wore, as she watched the supposedly unexpected wave of cold hinted at anything awry.
The very act of acting was a performance in and of itself, and so, with seemingly nothing, the two would find their places swapped, or seemingly so. Through the tendril of void that Kotodori bound Takeda with, Takeda would find himself in the place she stood. Kotodori, on the other hand, moved effortlessly through the shadows, ducking beneath the wave of cold and reappearing in the center of the room after turning the tide of battle in her favor once more... or... was that truly the case?
"Sing:," Murasaki issued a command, voice booming through the room and beyond. Kotodori effortlessly landed after her hop from the shadows, her foot tapping upon the ground as light as a feather. Black eyes darted across the room to the figure that appeared as Kagerou but was not, unmoving from where she had been when Takeda initiated his flurry of blows, lacerations still present and no move made to assist Shiro's worsening condition either. The impassiveness of a kunoichi who had accepted, possibly even embraced, her somber duty in life, guided her actions. Smiling act no longer present, Murasaki stared her teacher dead in the eye. Heart rate, breathing intensity, using the foot that hadn't connected with Takeda's. Like teacher, the student could also extrapolate facts from these smallest details. The key pieces were missing, but Murasaki couldn't see a better opportunity to see Kotodori in the center of the room than this, "Gilded Cage." With what they could get, they would go at it.
Preceded by a rumble of mellow chimes, twisted roots, veins of glowing pink etched through their limbs like miniature leylines, erupted from the ground beneath Kotodori with a sharp sound not unlike cymbals, though no instruments could be seen upon their wooden exterior. She was already mid-jump, ready to leave the vicinity of whatever trap was to be sprung, and since she had covered all that was above and to the sides, that could only mean they'd planted a trap below, where she had both her strongest and most necessary counters. However, despite being caught without her footing, Kotodori proved adept at weaving through the increasingly frenzied branches and vines, bypassing their attempts to prevent her from reaching the rafters and lock her in their embrace. In only a few moves, the hidden weapon caught the weakness in Kotodori's one leg. In the same few moves, however, Kotodori had sight on Nadeshiko. Check and checkmate. Her hand drew back, and...
"Kuroi hana."
[63 sentences]
▰ Black Waltz [ Burakkuwarutsu ] | Rank E - A ( Learned as C ) The user unleashes a long tendril of whip-like void chakra that hooks downward. If the ability manages to strike another living entity with this ability, then the user is granted the ability to fade into a form of wispy void chakra and travel. Most often in an elegant or dance-like manner, but may manifest in any appearance the user wishes. The result is always the same, they are treated as having access to an evasive movement that happens as part of the same activation as this one, moving them in any direction (while also allowing for turns) they wish at the same rank speed that this jutsu was used at. The max possible distance that can be traveled is also determined by rank, starting at five feet at E and then doubling on each subsequent rank.
▰ Marionette Dancing [ Marionettodansu ] | Rank A Requiring the [ Like Pawns on a Chessboard ] PA, this is an augment to the [ Feather Step ] technique. The idea behind the jutsu is quite simple after the user has successfully set up to move the enemy with the effect granted by the PA, they may also cast this jutsu alongside it for only it's chakra cost and no activation. If they do they may move their enemy through their Kūton jutsu portals the same as they would themselves. Doing so does not consume any distance from the max possible movement of [ Black Waltz ].
▰ Feather Step [ Fezāsuteppu ] | Rank D Coating the user’s body in Kūton Chakra, the user becomes able to travel through their Kūton techniques and use them as portals to any other Kūton jutsu in the area. While still at least partially in any Kūton technique, this may be kept with a D ranked cost per post but ends if the parent Kūton jutsu is destroyed, causing the user to simply be ejected out. Sensory effects are not able to locate the user while in the portal but the jutsu acting as said portals appear as normal unless under the effects of a full jamming.
▰ Shadow Dancing [ Kage no Mai ] | Rank S The effect of this jutsu is twofold. First, all shadows may now be used as portals for movement. This includes those from other jutsu, but not those under the opponent's control. Transportation is considered instant but the user the act of entering the portals is not. Secondly, all Nara Clan jutsu affected become more physical and harder to dispel, granting them a two rank increase when attempting to break free of other Nara possession jutsu. If stacking bonuses would bring this to over S+ rank (such as a Ino-shika-cho formation) then it grants overwhelming instead of being lost. Lasts for [ 12 ] posts.
