Burnt Out[ANBU Exam]

[Nanjirou Soku]

The evening night would be cast upon the village as the female waited against a nearby tree trunk, dressed in a black cloak and her feline mask her sword strapped to her side. Today was not some mere outing or anything of that regard. It was a assessment, it was the final stepping stone and she had the honor of being their proctor. With that said, Soku had sent a masked ANBU operative to find the young AiT with a letter that would simply instruct him to make his way to the Forest of Death at midnight and seek out his proctor. That in itself would be quite a challenge. Trying to find an ANBU when the night had fallen? It was like a needle in the haystack, very diffcult but not impossible. The assessment would be a simple one if the recruit did it right, one mistep and this exam could be a lot more complicated than it would have to be."Well, they are trying out for one of the most demanding units.This is gonna be a fun one to say the least."Soku said to herself smiling lightly twirling a kunai around her finger. It was not your standard genin or chuunin exam for that matter, ANBU assessments tended to be a bit..questionable to put it lightly but that was how they weeded out those fit for the harsh life of this branch. Not everyone was cut out for the dark and dirty deeds that they dabbled in. If all went to plan here, she would be walking away from here with a fresh addition to the branch and more manpower, the worst that could happen..well..she could only imagine. The Santaru had to ensure the candidate was ready for almost anything, this would not be easy for them in any regard but she had her hopes up. After all, the recruit hadn't made it this far through sheer luck alone.

"I really hope he isn't late or I might have to throw in a extra twist."She added to whoever would be happening to listening. Timing was an important factor to her and latecomers, she reserved a special punishment for them in her book. Though thankfully, she hadn't had to address any violators yet, there was always that one person. Soku shook her head just thinking of the thought glancing at the grassy terrain before him where she had buried a tripwire a few moments ago. While it was not rigged to do harm by any means, if one should trip over that small detail an potential ANBU should be able to pick out with ease then her first impression of them was not going to start off good by any means.Maybe you're being too harsh about this?She frowned as the thought crossed her head before her confident expression returned.We are meant to adapt, to be the best of the best, harsh does not exist in my vocabulary. Leaning her head against the tree trunk, the Captain closed her eyes momentarily seeking a few minutes's rest before all hell was set loose which was bound to happen no doubt very soon. "It's just a waiting game now."Soku murmured as the shadows of the large tree concealed her where she stood."This is going to be fun."

 

[Senju Gaki]

With a quick flick of his hand Juko released the Shuriken towards the sturdy tree. The day had been long, as usual, and once again he found himself hanging around the same old training spot that he had used in his days as a student. Tch... Again he lifted his hands. Again a loud thud as the shuriken sunk deep into the wood. Ever since the whole issue with Maki going missing, being found and vanishing again his life had taken a turn to the worse. Between his mentors disappearing into the shadows, the Hokage slinking into nothingness and even Shinzo suddenly vanishing from Juko's vicinity the young man found himself drifting from day to day. As the Anbu fell into something akin to disarray over their missing leaders Juko was quickly delegated to continuous training in both the general ninja arts and those of the Anbu.
A third shuriken settled into place inbetween his brothers.
Rising from the treetrunk that Juko had occupied he lazily walked over to the middle of the clearing. With a snap he ripped off the old tattered picture of Maru's face from the tree and took back his Shuriken. With a distant gaze the shinobi looked at the face. His disdain for the past co-anbu hadnt exactly receeded since their last encounter and with that thought Juko scratched the scars on his neck again. The poison had since long been removed and still he felt the constant tingle where the puppeteers needles had struck him. I wonder what the little maggot is up to these days... he hasnt shown up in Konoha since... ever...
Plucking the weapons aswell he turned around and decided to spent the rest of the days with some basic excercise to hone his jutsu skills. Its not like i will need them anytime soon though. Maybe i could just apply as an instructor at the academy after all?
Juko remembered his own classes and, more importantly, his classmates. He sneered.
Considering how most of these turned out i suppose the new students could really use some roughing up... Suddenly he stopped midstep, his hand tensing around the shuriken. Eeeeh... Before he could do anything, and he was sure that itd have been a mistake anyway, a dark clothed member of the Anbu stepped from behind a tree. Its empty unpersonalised mask showed that the ninja had been sent as a messenger. Not exactly any more reassuring... last time had been the same...
Warily he accepted the small letter that was handed to him by the stranger who, once having accomplished his task, vanished into a flock of crows. Typical.
The orders were as simple as they were direct. He was to meet his new mentor at midnight in the forest of death, for what was probably more than just a regular meet and greet. Juko sighed and burned the letter in his hands before looking up at the setting sun.
Well, i guess i should hurry after all...its not the forest is that close.
With that he brushed the ashes from his palms and got on the way.

It took him quite some time to reach the outskirts of the forest of death, altough he still had about half an hour before the epitome of night.The sun had since sunken below the horizon and what was left of its shine painted the black forest in a bloody red. Readying his clothing and his equipment Juko carefully eyed the wall of trees. He didnt exactly have many good memories of this place. Ugh... no sense in worrying... One last time checking his weaponry he entered the forest, his eyes carefully eyeing every shadow and shrub for movement. The letter had conveniently left out where and how to find this new supervisor of his.
Leaping from branch to branch he moved towards the middle of the forest, to one of the known meeting points of the Anbu. What loss is there in looking eh?... Before he could reach his destination however Juko found himself stopping near a very specific path. A very familiar patch of grass seemed to grow differently to the surrounding area and several of the trees had either been scorched or broken off by offensive jutsus. He could still see the tree that Maru had been hiding behind. So? Is this going to end the same way as last time then?.... He said, more loud than necessary and just in case. He didnt really believe, that Maru was hiding somewhere nearby... again. And yet, here he was, being called into the darkness again.
Juko sighed and quickly checked the meeting place, which was as expected empty. Deciding that this was as good a starting point for his search as any other he cracked his knuckles. Not for the first time he regretted never having learned any proper searching Jutsus and so, as a substitution, he decided on a variety on one of his more favourable jutsus. Concentrating his mind he released a small wave of concussive energy, not strong enough to actually cause any harm but with enough chakra to feel any unusual resistance.
The empty rustling of leaves and smaller branches told him of no immediate presence and with a few more steps he moved forward, releasing another weak blast every few hundred steps. Finally he had the wanted reaction, albeit not the expected. WIth the last blast he heard the snap of a wire just a few meters in front of him. Where there is a trap, theres bound to be a trapper... Is that some sort of test? If so than im afraid i havent exactly gotten any formal introduction into the Anbu yet... I am not sure what you expect of me... While saying all of this Juko gazed around, looking for traces or hints of his new supervisor.

WC: 976​

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

The Santaru frowned as her sharp ears picked up the rustling of leaves announcing the arrival of someone. Though, she would not have to worry long as the voice called out for anyone. Her eyebrow shot up in somewhat of a surprised expression.Not the reaction I was expecting but it will suffice, I suppose for now.What also followed would also cause her to do a double-take and ensure she was seeing the situation unfold as it was. The kid was releasing these blasts that cleared the area in front of and she winced as the wire snapped. Well, he had taken care of that small issue rather effectively, that much she would give him credit for. The voice called out again and Soku forced herself not to utter a sigh. She had her work cut out for her, that much was certain.Well, let's go introduce ourselves, shall we? Deciding she had witnessed enough, the Captain stood up from her leaning position behind the large tree trunk which had served it's purpose in concealing her well enough. Rounding the corner, she covered the distance swiftly, the loud crunching of leaves enough to annonce her as her tone rang out, it was blunt but not unfriendly."Presuming from the way you approached the situation in front, you are the recruit that I have sent for."She said it almost like a statement rather than a question as she stopped before him, the Sharingan-patterened eyes scanning him up and down."Sughira Juko, AiT, your file is a most curious one if I do say so myself. I will conducting your assessment for the assassination division as Yuki-sama had originally initated before her duties rendered her unable to do so."The harsh reminder of how severely they were lacking still haunted her.

"Right, first thing's first introduction. I am the acting captain of that unit, Santaru Soku and as such, I want to see if you have what it takes to make the cut." She paused letting that sink in waiting for any sort of protest to erupt or excuse. After all, it was not every day someone was roused from their bed in the dead of the night and suddenly told they had an exam to satisfy but after all, in the ANBU, time did not play a factor in your readiness. If it took you 6 months, so be it, if it took you a day, that was great too."Trust me when I say this is not for the faint-hearted. It takes a lot of courage to intetionally kill someone for a bigger goal even if that target turns out to be your friend or relative, morals are something we do not believe in here so if you can not cast this aside, you are wasting your time."Her voice had suddenly taken on a much harsher tone, a shocking difference from just a few seconds ago.You're going to run him off. That's how I'll know if he's ready or not."If you still wish to continue down this path, for this examanation, your misson scenario will be to track down and kill a enemy ninja which my contract will. serve the role of, an Youkai who is altogether evil."As if to reinforce the point, she would quickly do the proper Summoning technique and soon enough, a Youkai, black in color and it's face appeared to be...blank appeared yet it talked in a hissing, dead tone.Your desssire, Soku-sammma?""You know your role for today."The contract glanced at Juko for a moment before grinning revealing a set of fanged teeth that seemed to be stained with dried blood."As you command."With that, there was a rush of air as the Youkai faded away seemingly off to start off the exam as the Captain glanced back at Juko."Well? Whenever you are ready, the exam will start as soon as you reply. I will be giving you clues throughout depending how well you do. Any questions?"

 

[Senju Gaki]

The person appeared before Juko in a flash, her red glowing eyes breaking the dark pattern of green and black of the forest. Other than that there was nothing revealing the gender or identity of the silhouette before him which instinctively made Juko pull a Kunai into his grasp. Ho ho ho.... He said as much to himself as to the face before him, feeling the tension rise in his body. Before anything further could happen however, the stranger revealed himself to be the one that had sent for him.
Juko sighed. So thats how it is... Assassination Squad huh? I had almost thought they had forgotten about me... Putting the kunai back into his pouch he managed to put something of a Grin on his face. I wonder whats in that file of me though... she makes it sound like theres quite some interesting stuff written in there... I see. Glad to make the aquantaince... He stared at the emotionless mask, feeling insecurity rise in him. The last time he had an assessment of this kind he failed rather blatantly, after which he hadnt been called upon for quite some time.
He wasnt sure whether he had really improved enough to take on and prove himself to the captain in a direct fight. Almost instinctively he flexed his shoulders, and let the chakra in his body rush through their channels. Regardless of his actual chance, he would give it his best shot. Time stretched as she kept on explaining and Juko nodded along, realizing he was only supposed to listen for now.
When Soku mentioned killing your "target" Juko licked his lips. I... i am sure i can cope with that... Even he himself could feel the slight insecurity rumbling in his voice and he frowned. I can! The repetition steadied him somewhat, altough he could still feel some lingering doubts in the back of his mind. If this is going to be a battle to the death... i suppose i wont get out of here unscathed....
The Kunoichi before him proceeded to summon her Familiar, probably expecting him to flinch or otherwise react to the otherwordly appearance. The blondehaired boy however, merely nodded. It wasnt that the sight of the youkai wasnt unpleasant, it was just that due to his past adventures with Takeshi Juko had more than enough experience with Youkai. He even went as far as to grin when he remembered the drunk face of Kijin.
I am ready, Sir! Bowing quickly, he turned around and glanced at the darkness behind him. Looking for a youkai that seemed to be made of blackness and shadows would not be easy, and with an initial spark of uncertainity he scratched his head before leaping forward, onto the branches of the next tree.
I probably shouldnt let down my defense anyway...
Forming the necessary signs he created a clone, winked at himself and split off, both personas making sure to keep the line of sight between each other steady.

[ooc: Sorry for the short post, gotta get back into form]

WC: 500​

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Nodding silently, the Captain gestured in the direction of the trees as if indicating the exam to start."I will be observing, unseen but around."With that, Soku turned and made to retreat back a few steps until she was barely visibile within the low hanging shadows of the trees. As for Juko, the task of tracking down a Youkai that in essential had the advantage of the terrain on it's side would be far from easy to say the least. It was dark out and her contract basically thrived at this time of the night. To start things off, a cold laugh echoed throughout the forest followed by a series of twigs breaking which if the young recruit focused enough, he would be able to discern where the source of such sounds was coming from. The sound of the twigs breaking as if someone was approaching seemed to be getting louder by the minute before the noise seemed to fade away as quickly as it had come which was quite strange for any normal person to decipher. Soku watched from her concealed spot balancing on a tree branch not far behind Juko almost smiling to herself.He must act soon or the Youkai will act for him.Next, the sound of birds cawing sounded as a flock of them erupted from some trees nearby flapping thier wings rapidly as they made haste to escape from the area. Something was around and it was causing disruption to the enviorment, whether it was the Youkai or something entirely different, that was for Juko to find out, that was always the enjoyable part of these exams. The little shocks here and there that were implemented to throw the students off guard, it truly proved how ready they were.

A light wind breeze begin to set in and the trees swayed a bit to and fro, any scent uphill would be carried downwards if the recruit decided to utilize some sort of technique with his senses. Although, he had better make his action swift and precise. There was another horrific sound resounding not far ahead, this time, the groaning and creaking of wood as the ground shuddered as something hit the ground with enormous impact and that cold laugh followed that. This pattern repeated itself over and over again, each time, the noise growing lighter by the minute making it more harder to hear."You're losing your only lead, I suggest you take action swiftly before all hope is lost."Her voice sounded out of one of the trees behind him, cold and emotionless in tone but watchful. She just hoped that her contract was not having too much fun destroying the environment around them, if it got into too much a frenzy, that would prove..troublesome. This would be the deciding moment right here if the ANBU could live up to face whatever horror was out there producing these ominous sounds and from the sound of it, destroying something or perhaps did not have the mettle for it. Whatever the reason, Soku would wait and watch...and also silently hope her Youkai was not having too much fun in the process. That could end badly very quickly.

 

[Senju Gaki]

As the two Juko's were leaping from branch to branch a dry sound echoed through the forest, overshadowing the rustling of leaves in the darkness. Despite his best attempts to stay calm and collected Juko felt his hair stand on end for a moment. Dont think ill ever get used to the sound of youkai laughing... Throwing a glance sidewards at his clone the boy made sure that things were still alright on the other end before slowly descending onto the ground again. Here he stopped, the constant noises of a busy forest and his slow-beating heart the only sounds in the night as his clone distanced itself from him. Ugh... This is going to be very very exhausting, i can already feel it in my bones... Crouching in the shadows of a tall tree Juko put on his black gloves and slowly reached for a shuriken. She didnt say not to harm him... it... i guess. Wonder if thisll even have any effect but... eh, guess my choices are limited enough as it is...
He licked his lips and squinted his eyes. Sitting in the darkness for more than a few seconds always had the unpleasant sideeffect of making him imagine all kinds of sounds surrounding him. Feels like someone is watching me... A twig seemed to snap somewhere next to him. Something sped past his other side, giving of the impression of being a small animal. The young Seikon stopped himself from sighing. Once more he cursed himself for never properly developing any sensoric skills. The sounds of breaking twigs and dry leaves seemed to come closer suddenly before vanishing behind the tree Juko was hiding behind.
Ughhhh dammnit! He dashed forward, throwing his shuriken into the darkness of the bushes, regret hanging heavy on his shoulders even before the metal projectile vanished from his sight. Such an obvious reaction Juko! What is wrong with you!? Are you now getting scared by random sounds in the dark? You did join the Anbu of your own accord, didnt you? And you DID follow Takeshi basically into the depths of hell, didnt you? Come on, show'em what your made of!
Somewhere close by a flock of birds left their tree and fled screaming into the nightsky.
Meanwhile Juko's clone was getting some good distance between himself and his creator. His eyes were dashing from one side to the other, constantly looking for hints or tracks, altough the chances were slim for a shadowy youkai to leave anything. Sounds seemed to come from all sides and parts of the forest until a particularly loud crash rang out from the clones left side. Even though he stopped midjump on a branch the clone could see the leafes rustling as the ground moved as a reaction to the sound. Moving in accordance to the agenda he was summoned for the clone started slowly to approach the sound, even as his hands were forming handsigns. He handnt been created with much chakra in reserve and this one jutsu was all he was able to give of for now.
A small fireball lit up the sky, clearly visible from where Juko was slowly creeping through the underbrush. Shit. I shouldve picked something different... this was visible to more than just me! Arghhhh why did they keep me in the dark for so long only to call me out for an exam NOW! I really really REALLY have to try harder if i dont want to be kicked out... for good! Biting his lip, he dashed forward, his body staying as low as possible as he flew around trunks and through the undergrowth, his force guard providing a soft armor that gently pushed leaves and twigs out of his way before he could cause any uneccessary sounds.
Approaching the positiong of his clone Juko started to hear remnants of the loud crash, albeit quieter than the original was. Somewhere to his side the voice of the Captain that had called him out rang out to him, suggesting haste.
Shit!
The boy raised his speed even more, channeling his chakra in a way that only Seikon could. Not even a shadow seemed to pass over the scrubs as he flew through the forest, his body seemingly vanishing and reappearing every few meters without any signs of movement. Aiming for the source of the sound Juko broke through the wall of trees like a rocket, his advance even more quickened when he decided to aply a light version of his force blast to himself. Speed could surely not be called an issue anymore.

WC: 765​

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Perhaps it had been prudent of the boy to utilize clones as this way, he could cover more ground and have a larger sense of vision from where he could detect the location of the threat. The sounds of conflict slowly died away but the recruit had done well to act on it in a timely manner, something the Captain begrudgingly accepted. Well, a moderate start at least. Honing in on where the directon of the strange noises had been coming from, a pungent odor would invade Juko's nostrils, a heavy thick smell that was not pleasant in any sense, it was almost as if something was rotting away. As the male broke through the heavily forested area, he would happen upon a most interesting sight. A hut with large trees that had vines hanging and a river flowing across that separated him on one side and the hut on the other. That, however would serve to be least of his problems. The front door of the hut had been blasted open and blood stained the walls, the odor seemed to be getting stronger as he would get closer to the structure. It was an eerily silent crime scene or so they thought. "HELP ME! PLEASE, HEL-IT'S GOING TO KI-AGHHHH-"The distress call came from within the hut before there was the sound of a terrifying low hiss and then.....silence. Nothing."Who daresss to ssstand between me and my feasst?"Well, if he was paying attention enough, Juko would come to the realization that the ghastly tone indeed belonged to the Youkai and it was not letting him roam about freely without a fight.

"You think you have what it takesss? To come in here and dare to have the audacity to prove yourself to a force against which you know you have no hope? I am darkness, I am chaos, I am death and you shall learn sooo. If you wish to challenge this philosophy, come inside and we shall..."talk"".That creepy echoing laugh resounded again very prominent from within the darkness of the building. "Ah, but let us make this fun, shall we? That scream you heard was the last words of a corrupt bandit leader who preyed on travelers who got lost in these woods. His body can be found behind the hut. Turns out he had a acclompice with him whom I have not killed yet and am holding him hostage. Your life is in his hands, if you manage to prove to me my philsophy does not make you who you are whether that be through combat or words, I leave his fate in your hands otherwise if you fail to do so, I shall take his soul as well and you will join your ancestors in the earth."Soku's sharingan was spinning rapidly as she kept her focus on the hostage, a bearded man who was bound with rope, a scar running down his cheek and the shadowy prescene of the demon behind him, a clawed hand gripping him as well, a bit more pressure and it would go straight through his skin. Juko would have to navigate the shadowy rooms searching each one by one to locate them. Soku smiled to herself.If you only knew, my friend. The funny thing here was the hut seemed quite empty. In fact, there was nothing save for the dead body and furniture but the voice had clearly come from here so where? Up? Down? Impossible, there was no physical way a human could construct any sort of complicated hiding spot on this fragile terrain. The Youkai was no man however so perhaps,,,a closer inspection was in order.

[OOC: If Juko decides to keep investigating the hut, he will find a portion of the floor looks suspiciously different than the others]
[OOC: If Juko decides not to check any further, he will find the dead body behind the hut is now gone and the river is turning a weird red color]

 

[Senju Gaki]

The foliage broke noisily when Juko flung himself into sight. Already in midair the smell of decay hit him hard, causing him to slow his approach as rapidly as he had accelerated it before. Ugh! what is this unholy SMELL!? His hand rose to pinch his nostrils, lest he risked to fall unconscious due to the smell. The clone, obviously similarly affected by the rotting stench was standing directly next to the river, trying to get a clean look into the hut on the other side. Something had broken the front door into small bits and pieces, some of which had been carried all the way over to where the clone was standing and blood had been spilled all over the inside of the rudimental building. Gods... is this still part of the exam? Juko wasnt sure whether he was supposed to interfere with whatever was going on here or whether this was all just part of his test. If so then the captain sure had a weird way of testing him.
Then again, its not called the Assassination squad because were helping people with cooking and cleaning i suppose... altough... cleaning might just be part of the job... He carefully eyed the stains as he inched closer to the entrance. The smell was getting worse and worse the closer Juko got and soon it felt as though someone was actively trying to shove a dead animal up his nose.
Better make sure... The boy closed his eyes for a moment and focussed his chakra inward, trying to feel whether he had been affected by a genjutsu on his way here. Before he could fully flush his system however a scream broke through the natural sounds of the forest. A person, screaming for help before clearly being silenced by either an animal or.... something else.
Stretching his skin Juko grimaced at the display. Really now...?
The voice that wafted over to him seemed different to the one he had heard before, yet the distinct accent clearly pointed towards the yokai as the perpetrator. The boys face turned sour and even more so when the yokai released a truly stereotypical monologue about darkness and death. Somehow i feel like talking to Maru again... What is it with yokai's and the constant desire to threaten and hiss at people? I suppose i gotta ask Kijin next time around... Barely listening to the speech Juko waved at his clone and slowly started circling around the hut, his double mirroring his moves on the other side.
After having met the overlord of the yokai and spending time in their realm, as well as having a polite "conversation" with the overlord of the kami Juko didnt see any use in pretending to be scared of the whole "i am death incarnate" - game. He had had his share of evil snowflakes with Maru and Kijin, all that he had to focus on was show his worth to the Captain. Considering the situation at hand it seemed that his target was either to check for survivors that had survived the spirits carnage, take on the yokai directly or potentially kill a member of a third party. Maybe i have to pretend that the man i had heard before is a comrade of mine and i have to kill him to prevent him from spilling any secrets?... Shit this is getting annoying...
He licked his lips and nodded towards his mirrorimage. Both men put on black gloves before one of them seemed to fall over and straight into the darkness of the hut, hands raised to counter any incoming attacks. On first sight he might seem to have entered this way all by himself but on second glance one might notice the ground lightly moving in his shadow where Juko was following underground.
FIrst, we need to make sure to know where our targets are...
Juko carefully peeked around every corner only to be met with dark walls everyway he turned. The hut seemed to be abandoned.
Hmmm... The figure stopped and considered what he had seen and heard for a moment. Your pretty good at hiding yourself, arent you Death-san? He mocked the yokai while his eyes kept scanning the room he was standing in. Now that he had stopped moving around he felt as though one of the corners of the rooms was looking slightly different than the rest; somehow fuzzy on the edges and with color that seemed to shift ever so little whenever he wasnt looking directly at it.
Seems to me as though this "force" against which i cannot stand has barely managed to ambush a poor little bandit in the woods and has now been injured by his accomplice perhaps? Perhaps you should change the phrasing from "i am darkness, i am chaos, i am death" to "i am dark, i am mischief, i am slight discomfort" ? He made a few carefuly steps towards the weird area, making sure not to step into the pools of blood.
Now show me this "philosophy" of yours...

WC: 842​

[OOC: Using Inner Earth Reflection Lure ]

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

The situation grew dire by the moment but it was good on Juko's part he decided to utilize the idea of the jutsu to inspect the floor more closer. Soku nodded to herself as the shinobi sunk below to inspect whatever was going on within the hut but was he truly prepared for what was about to happen?"Sumino..now."She uttered in that deathly cold tone and what it was that she had instructed the Youkai to do, Juko was about to find out. When Juko sunk beneath the surface, rather than finding himself beneath the hut or underground for that matter, he found himself in another room, a basement of types lit up by torches with a table in the center with a bunch of maps and file folders sprawled all over the desk and the poor bandit bound to a chair which was tipped over. His eyes were wide open and sweat trickling down his face and back shaking too much. The man was too much stricken by fear to communcaite and it could be noted that several of his fingers were absent from his hand, a pool of blood collecting where they had recently been, probably the work of the Youkai. Speaking of which, the Youkai happened to be in the room but took on the form of a missing-ninja from the Leaf Village, wielding a double-edged spear that was buzzing with some sort of electricty as the Youkai spun it around and around stepping closer and closer.'Welcome to the playing field, kid. Let's see if you can change my philsophical ideals, hmm? It'd be a shame if this man here lost any more limbs than he already has so do try not to lose too badly and maybe I won't kill him."Spinning the spear in a rapid fashion, she twirled it so one of the ends was pointing at Juko and the missing-nin grinned."Might want to duck."Several bursts of lightning chakra shot out of the end hurtling towards Juko keen to fry him wherever they hit.

The wood surface had also been dampened with water which made any movement for the both of them slippery but aside from that, they were gonna have to duke it out down beneath the hut. There was an exit behind the Youkai, a ladder leading up to the trap door which had a series of three locks on it. Whatever this room was, clearly someone had not wanted anyone to find it. A cracked box lay in the corner with an assortment of weapons from bows to axes and a scroll. If Juko decided to utilize one of these, each of the weapons was chakra-enhanced so they would attune to whatever his natural elemental affinity was. The bandit tied to the chair flinched as the Youkai begin to fight shaking his head in sheer panic though biting his tongue as to not speak. The man was in too much pain to speak looking at where his fingers had used to be. Soku had instructed that for good reason and that was becasue the man was more than a mere bandit though that explanation would come after Juko managed to live through this ordeal."C'mmon child! I grow tired of such boring endeavors!"That cruel, cold laughter echoed around the room as the Youkai readied for another attack grinning."Or perhaps this is too much for you to bear? Would you forsake a life simply because the situation is not convenient for you? So typical."Sumino was trying to get a rise out of the AiT and Soku wanted to see if it would work. Whatever the case, Juko had better do something and fast or he would end up a corspe at this rate.

 

[Senju Gaki]

Juko was diving into the ground when he noticed his feet suddenly dangling in empty air. What..? Desperately trying to find some resistence underneath him his body slowly dropped into the room below. Before he could realise what was going on he found his eyes blinded by the sudden change in brightness and with a hushed hiss he raised an arm before his face to cast a shadow. Figured theres something hidden here... As his eyes slowly adjusted to the flickering light of the flames he found himself staring right at the bruised face of a man, eyes open and mouth twitching in what looked like confusion or pain. The stranger had been bound to a char in front of a table and was obviously struggling against his constraints. The table meanwhile was full of paper and folders, all but sorted.
Juko's clone meanwhile was edging closer to the weird parody of a floortile, his one hand tightly gripping a kunai. After getting close enough he would carefully poke the wrong-looking ground, prepared to dodge backwards should anything unexpected happen. The Youkai, albeit clearly of a shrewd and cowardly type, was surely hiding closeby and he was not going to be ambushed that easily.
His original body on the other hand slowly realized that he was not alone in the small chamber. Along the bound man and himself there was another silhouette, deftly hidden in the shadows of the corner that now stepped into the warm light.
Juko's eyes tightened to slits when he noticed the crossed out symbol of his village. The woman was carrying a long spear with her which was gracefully moving through the air in intricate spirals. Still the boy managed to notice the cold shine of the blade and the sparks that followed its trail. Chakra? Or some sort of poison maybe? Who knows that tricks she might..
His thought process was interrupted by the speech of the missing-nin and with a mental grunt he realized that he was looking the youkai right in the face. So this is the form youve taken? Is this supposed to scare me or somethin? He licked his lips and glanced at the man. Before this moment he hadnt noticed it with all the new input but now that the Youkai mentioned it Juko saw the strings of blood dripping from the captives one hand. Tch.
The buzzing sound of lightning burst through the moment and Juko barely managed to dodge the attack. If it hadnt been for his continuous practice in the arts of the Seikon he wouldve been toasted right here and there. His body seemed to melt into a different position as it allowed the sizzling lances to pass and strike the wall behind him. Uh oh. The small explosion behind him deafened him for a moment and in nothing more but instinct he leapt forward towards the wall, trying to limit the spears movements somewhat.
Shit, this is the worst possible situation... i dont even have time to summon anything helpful... He blinked when he more stumbled than found into tho the weapon-filled crate; then he grinned.
Of course. This is still a test after all. They just HAD to give me something to work with after all...
With a swift move he grabbed the first weapon that he came across and swirled around. Dont worry, ive seen worse than a bloody man. I can keep up with that! Hand and newly found Axe turning into a blur he released his improvised missile at the youkai before somersaulting over the crate to dodge whatever would unquestiongly come as a reaction.
I dont know what else youve got in plan but i will prove to you that i ca- aaahhn! His fingers had already begun spinning through a segment of his jutsu when he found his foot slipping on the wet floor. With a thud he landed on his backside, the pain knocking the prepared jutsu straight out of his mind.
His clone on the other hand, upon hearing the sound of a wall breaking underneath himself had no such hindrances and completed his jutsu. His eyes flashed for a second before he performed a punch towards the floor, stopping a few inches before actually hitting his target. In less time than it took to blink, a concentrated blast of kinetic energy slammed into the ground with the intention to open a path for the clone to come through and support his original body.

WC: 748​

 

[Nanjirou Soku]

Action after action, blow after blow, the trainee managed to dodge the blow which produced a hint of annoyance from the Youkai. The boy had managed t arm himself with an axe and he wielded it almost perfect.well..almost..the slippery surface proved to be his undoing and the Youkai seized the opportunity Covering the distance in a couple feet, the spirit flung the electrified spear so it arced over the bandit's head and hurtled downwards towards the sprawled trainee. If Juko did not move soon, he would be minus a couple of limbs very shortly. The spear attack was short-lived however as there was an ear-shatterinf explosion from above and Juko's clone dropped in demolishing the locked trapped door and ladder in the process. Well, so much for that barrier, the Captain smiled to herself. This was getting interesting to say the least. The Youkai stopped a few feet short before comprehending what had just happened before smirking. "So, that's how you want to do this, huh.? Alright, I'm game. Let's do this, kiddo."The contract retreated a few steps behind the tied up bandit who was practically frozen by fear and shook his hand as a hand reached out wrapping around his throat. Soku narrowed her eyes at that. Sumino would only utilize an hostage in extreme situations, perhaps this trainee had more in him than he let off. Her hand dropped to her blade out of precaution, she would still have to ensure this did not go overboard. The man's face began to turn blue as the Youkia practically began hardening her grip around his windpipe."So, here's what I propose, kid. You forfeit this mission and lay down your weapons or I'm afraid you're gonna have to explain to your superiors why there's about to be one more dead person and it's gonna be all because of YOU!"The last word was practically shouted at him.

Soku was peforming a sort of mental warfare on the poor child to see how he coped. This was the true phase of the test, would he risk it all and attempt to save the bandit despite the threat given or would he prefer to take the safer route whatever that may be. One of the man's arms fell limp to his side as the hand tightened, you could almost hear the oxygen being sucked out."I won't ask again, kid. You got 3 seconds to make your move."If he thought the Captain would halt the examination because someone was at risk, he had another thing coming. She had designed the test to be realistic as possible but this was the proving point. Would he falter or would he go through with the task that had been assigned to him. You had to adapt as needed, nothing was ever convenient and if he couldn't learn that here, perhaps he was better off fitting into another unit."3....2....1..."