Dusty Trails [Entering Country]

[Sekuro]

Monday : Soon's Haven : 8:23 PM​

The ride was relatively quiet and short lived. Just under 4 hours but at this time of day it was good to begin winding down. Their group would be heading off before the sun came up so a good nights rest was upon them. However, that may not be the case as they had several things to do before they could sleep. When exiting the boat, Kagemaru located a hotel they'd be staying in. He booked two rooms next to each other. The second floor rooms 207 and 208. While conversing with the woman at the front desk, he took a moment to study the architecture of the building as well as find all the possible entryways and exits he could with his Hakumei byakugan. On a different note, it was always slightly funny to see how people reacted to his demeanor as he feigned being blind. Most people wouldn't expect a blind man to be as independent as he was. But that was also part of his act. He had no need to portray a helpless blind man so he portrayed what more skilled eyes would see as blind warrior. The reason for this was so that when his opponents would fight him, their tactics would be made to subdue a blind opponent, when in reality his vision was his best asset.

Once everything was settled, he would usher the group into the first of their rooms and lay out the game plan for the evening. He knew they may be tired, as he himself was beginning to feel the exhaustion as well but this was important.

Alright so we're here. If you haven't noticed, this place is located next to water and its still as hot as Leaf is in the middle of summer on a bad day. That being said. From this moment on, we're in mission mode. You will live and breath your story and you will know it back to front. Myself and Mizuki are Ministers from the Leaf Village. We're here to begin talks with the Sand Village and we found you two on our way here. Now... both of you are to give me your rendition... or rather, your side of the story as to how you came to be traveling with us. Using no lies. Only the truth. The key is to omit any parts that skew the story in the wrong way. Tell truths that support what you're trying to convey. Zenichi, you first. He wanted to give him a chance to see what he could come up with. Their stories would have to sync and they would have to remember it and stick to it so the more natural the story the easier it would be to keep up with.

[Country Entered]

 

[Kazu]

Re: Dusty Trails

Weary from the boat ride and from the travelling they had done that day, Ginjiro was ready to just relax upon arriving at the hotel. He wasn't exactly going to pass out, but he wasn't really looking forward to anything too strenuous either. Not only had he been tired from the physical work they'd been doing, but also Ginjiro's mind was starting to get sore—he'd been constantly thinking about Kagemaru-sensei's words ever since he'd had his realization on the boat. Ginjiro couldn't get it out of his head that the man said he could see in the dark, when he was obviously quite blind. Or was he? Ginjiro decided that he'd have to keep a closer eye on the man, and see if he couldn't find any other traits that a blind man shouldn't have. So far, he hadn't noticed anything too strange—you never know, though, so the young puppeteer would keep his eyes peeled on this man for as long as it took.

For now, however, it seemed as if there was a different agenda to follow. Upon arriving at their rooms, Ginjiro promptly deposited all of his supplies onto one of the beds. It was nice to be able to stretch his shoulders, arms, and hips. It was something he hadn't been able to do for a while now. It didn't take long, though, for Kagemaru-sensei to usher all of them into one room. While Ginjiro wouldn't object, a part of him had really been hoping that they'd be able to get some sleep. The young boy supposed that he shouldn't be expecting as much; on a mission of this caliber, nothing was going to be easy. So, situating himself in the first room they had rented out, Ginjiro made himself comfy. Sitting cross legged on the ground, his back against a wall, the boy listened intently to the words that Kagemaru-sensei said. The young boy chuckled a little at the first comment. "You can say that again." As if to emphasize the point, Ginjiro began to tug at his shirt to try and get some air circulation going—already, the young boy was beginning to perspire. Sobering up quickly after Kagemaru-sensei's more serious words, the young boy began to think really hard about the task that they were supposed to be accomplishing. What was his story? How did he come to be here? It was a little fun, actually; it was like the young Ayatsuri was re-inventing himself. It was supposed to be Zenichi-kun's turn first, however, so the young boy would just have to wait and keep pondering. He was in no hurry to speak currently, as he was totally drained—waiting wasn't a big deal for him at this point.

[ooc]
Country Entered.

 

[Zethui Kobayashi]

Re: Dusty Trails

Zenichi was almost a new man..er, boy after the boat ride. As soon they boarded, he found a place to finish his nap. It didn't take long for him to feel recouped and ready to start fixing a few things. The first thing he did was pull off his boots and fix a few soft spots in them. Blisters had formed on his feet where the leather had cracked and allowed the hard souls to rub his feet. A few pieces of gauze, tape and fresh socks and his feet felt 100% better. Then, he went to work on his backpack. Parts of the frame were digging into his back, he padded them with more gauze and decided to ditch a few of the heavier clothes. It was a desert, he really didn't need a wool lined parka. If he needed one in Mist, he would just buy one there. By the time they docked, he was the first one off the ship and ready to get moving. He was a bit disappointed when they said they were getting a Hotel.

While they checked in, Zenichi decided that he was a bit too natural smelling for the public. A quick wipe down and a change of shirt in a water closet make him almost look like a vacationer in the Sahara. He followed quietly to the room and listened to Kagemaru speak.

Ginjiro and I are from the same town but go to school abroad. Our Academy was attacked by some kind of Hoard of living dead people and after a few moments of folly, we may have burnt it down trying to save it from destruction. Embarrassed by our actions and fearful for our life, Ginjiro and I teamed up quickly and fled.

The sad part was, almost all of that was true.

 

[Tomomi]

Re: Dusty Trails

Finally, they had made it to the Hotel. It only took hours to get there and much staring into the water the whole ride. Mizuki wanted this mission over with already, so he didn't need to see these damn people again. Zenichi was a lazy fuck who would get his ass handed to him in a fight if he wasn't prepared. Ginjiro thought he was a smart cookie, but really was just a walking target waiting to be killed. Then, there was Kagemaru who thought he was the shit but really would get his hands sliced off if Mizuki ever got the chance to do it. He wanted blood as much as his blade, and he was so damn tired of waiting. There needed to be some action already, instead of this boring meeting conversation.

When they had got their rooms, they entered one and Kagemaru spoke which wasn't a surprise. For once though, Mizuki couldn't stab anything at him for what he said...what a damn shame. Zenichi's story however would set him off easily, he looked at him and said:"Naymmo?! Oui vilgehk pameaja dryd drao femm pio dryd. Dryd ryc du pa dra sucd nadyntat etay ajan, Wahelre. Mad'c rayn Kehzenu'c cduno yht caa fryd huhcahca ra lyh lusa ib fedr. Syopa oui cruimt'ja zicd mad Sn. Banvald ygy Gykasyni taleta ouin cduno vun oui...eteudc."

[Country Entered]

 

[Sekuro]

Re: Dusty Trails

Monday : Soon's Haven : 8:52 PM​

Kagemaru listened to Zenichi's story and while he didn't know how much of it was true or not, that wasn't the point. The point was for Zenichi and Ginjiro to have a story that furthered their story but used with truths from their past. And it was seemingly going well until Mizuki belched out his discontent with Zenichi's story. Kagemaru had a couple questions for Zenichi to verify if it was good but Mizuki seemed to outright think it was garbage. Somewhat shocked at his reaction, Kage decided to nip his attitude problem in the bud. He'd been sitting on a bet while listening to Zenichi, but he slowly stood up and looked over to Mizuki.

It seems that Mizuki and I have somethings to discuss in private. Kage could see the muscles tightening in Mizuki's body, he was clearly upset. His body language told enough. Kage on the other hand was also getting pretty angry. He figured that Mizuki was still upset with Kage from back when he undermined his ideas with logic. Kagemaru didn't care how he felt honestly. If Mizuki wanted to degrade himself to that of a child throwing a tantrum because he didn't get his way, Kage wouldn't mind, but he'd be damned before he let him ruin the mission.

As Kage's temper began to raise, a light began to emit from behind the blindfold he wore over his eyes. A white glow was making its way from under the dark colored cloth. Without taking his eyes off Mizuki, he spoke to Ginjiro and Zenichi.

Ginji, Zenichi, we're going to go discuss the rest of this mission. I want you two to get your stories straight. No arguments. While he spoke, he took out one of the key cards from his pocket and tossed it on the bed behind him. Then he began to make his way to the door.

Bring your swords He then left the room. Kage had nothing on him aside from a couple belt pouches and the clothes he arrived in. He'd already told them that he didn't use weapons so it should have been no surprise that he didn't take any with him, the bigger shock should have been that it was now obvious what they were about to discuss.

===

Once they made their way outside, the sun had already set. He'd walked a fair distance away from the town so that no buildings or people would be in their way. He was only then waiting for Mizuki to follow.

You wanna throw a tantrum like a child? For what? Because your idea was dumb and I proved it to you? Fine, I'll play another game with you. Beat me in a fight and you can lead. You lose and you get your shit together, stop acting like you're 2 and man the fuck up. His temper was at the point where even though his eyes were still covered with a blindfold the light they were emitting was shining through, and with the sun already set and the only residual light around was that of the starts and the far off glow of the town, it was obvious at this point that Kagemaru held special eyes.

Agree to those terms or go back to Leaf. And if I have to make you go back to Leaf, then it'll be a less comfortable trip back then it was getting here. He wasn't giving Mizuki much of a choice in the matter. They were going to fight and if Mizuki didn't agree to those terms then Kagemaru was going to fight him anyway and ship the man back to Leaf against his will. He wouldn't deal with another Minister jepordizing their mission on some petty shit.

Kage had the advantage. It was dark but that wasn't an issue for him. He also worked better at night, but what Mizuki had over Kagemaru was the element of surprise. Kage knew he used swords but that was about it. He didn't take a stance because he didn't need to. Kage's fighting style had been perfected to the point that he had a defense ready from an idle position so as he stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Mizuki's response, he simply stood there. A feint glow from under his blind fold casting a small shadow upon his face as he stood in the perpetual darkness of the desert at night.

[Marked]
wc: 700+

 

[Tomomi]

Re: Dusty Trails

"Oh really? We have matters to discuss? Perfect! I can lay my fucking blade on you finally and draw blood." was what the Minister was thinking as Kagemaru was finishing up with the other two. He had given them a key for their room and left the room, Mizuki just followed him with no talking between the young kids and him. Shit was about to go down and everyone knew it, one could only hope that their thoughts and abilities wouldn't fail them now.

Arriving outside, following Kagemaru still he noticed the sun was beginning to go down. The fellow Minister had taken him a long distance from humanity to basically the outskirts of the town. This is when Kagemaru began to speak to him, criticizing him for acting like a "child" and practically forcing him into a fight with him. It wasn't like Mizuki wasn't going to fight the man because he was dying literally to lay his blade on that flesh. There had to be some discussion before they actually begun fighting so Mizuki could get everything off of his chest, but the man with the bandages was having something glowing from his bandages. "His eyes, it has to be his eyes...so he lied to us about that? Bastard..." he thought as he pulled out his sword from the sheath and got in his stance.

"I wasn't pissed at you for shooting my idea down, as much as that fucking stupidity that Zenichi just said. I for one can't believe that Lord Hokage put these two idiots with us on this mission, we are babysitting them and you know it." He took a breath and then resumed his speaking: "I'm not going back to Leaf even if I don't like the team, that would be stupid and give me a bad reputation. Now, Kagemaru...lead them. Just remember that we are the same level and rank, so stop treating me like I'm inferior to you."

Sighing, he stretched and said: "I accept your challenge, give me a match. I'm sticking around no matter what, but it's good to test our strength Kagemaru. Just don't whine if I spill your blood on this ground tonight."

Much like Kagemaru, Mizuki had some advantages compared to his opponent. He had Genjutsu and loads of it along with his piercing and slashing Taijutsu. Hell, he had Ninjutsu as well to protect himself and to strike. He was practically an all-around fighter but this fight would prove to both men what the other was capable of.

 

[Sekuro]

Re: Dusty Trails

Monday : Soon's Haven : 9:01 PM​

He claimed his outburst was due to Zenichi's stupidity. But Kagemaru knew better. Zenichi was but a boy, an inexperienced shinobi on his first big mission. Kagemaru didn't expect much from them to begin with and he'd planned to work with them on their story but now he was here about to plan Mizuki's face firmly in the ground. In Kage's mind, he figured that due to all the glowing, that Mizuki would by now be questioning if he was blind or not. But Kagemaru had never actually said he was blind.

Blame it on whatever you like, just hurry up and defend yourself! At this point, Kagemaru had began rushing towards Mizuki. Once he got close he'd enter his (Jyuuken) fighting style. It was particularly effective foes without causing much external damage His hands now out of his pockets, a glow had begun to form around his hands (Chakra Absorbtion + Advanced Channeling: Shadow) that was black in color and seemed to blaze off his hands as if they were on fire. This was the reason why Kagemaru didn't carry weapons, his hands and feet were all the weapons he needed. Once he was within striking distance of Mizuki, Kagemaru would throw a viscous Shoryuken aimed directly at Mizuki though he didn't plan for the move to connect. If it did, then Mizuki was in trouble, but honestly this was a test move that should Mizuki dodge, Kage already had 3 other techniques planned in advanced. However, if the technique did land, it't would send Mizuki flying high enough for him to combine another quicker set of attacks. He'd have to keep an eye on Mizuki's swords. Those were lethal any way you looked at it so Kage had to keep his guard up. One misstep and he could be seriously hurt or even killed. Mizuki called this a test, but Kage knew that Mizuki would be taking this just as seriously as he would himself so he didn't let those words ease him. This was Kage's opening move to test Mizuki's reaction. A frontal attack with plenty of ways to counter, but that was what he was counting on.

 

[Kazu]

Re: Dusty Trails

Immediately after Zenichi opened his mouth, Ginjiro wished he hadn't waited for him to go first. The things that Zenichi said, while still true, weren't the kinds of things that they were looking for. Even though it was true, there was next to no chance that the people of the other villages would believe that. Hell, even Ginjiro barely believed that it had really happened. It all seemed like a dream—if he didn't even believe it, why should any of the other villages? Sighing a little, Ginjiro ran one of his hands through his hair. "Zenichi-kun, that's not gonna work. Our story, even if it's true, needs to be believable..." It seemed, though, that Mizuki-sempai had a different opinion. Well, it was actually a similar opinion, just spoken in a much harsher way. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with these two? First Kagemaru-sensei snapped, then Mizuki-sempai did too. Were all adults crazy? Before Ginjiro had a chance to express the need for Mizuki-sempai to chill out, Kagemaru-sensei was on it. Seems as if the two of them were going to have a 'talk' about what was going on. Well, that sounded interesting! Or at least it was; however, Kagemaru-sensei specifically told Zenichi-kun and Ginjiro to stay and work on their story. Ginjiro was about to open his mouth in protest when the blind shinobi told them they were not to complain. Keeping his mouth shut, Ginjiro watched the two of them leave. He watched their every movement until they left the room. He also noticed something a little strange about Kagemaur-sensei. Behind his blindfold, a white light seemed to be emanating. What the hell was that? Was it a doujutsu? As the door slammed shut, Ginjiro turned to look at Zenichi-kun with a sparkle in his eye. "Okay, we both know we're going to follow them, right? Let's do this quick so we can see what's going on with those two..."

Scrunching his face for a moment in thought, Ginjiro then looked back to Zenichi-kun. "Okay, how about this? The two of us met during our time at the Academy, and we quickly became friends. Then, out of no where, the two of us were taken from our village by two strangers. We were taken out of our country, and we wound up here. Kagemaru-sensei and Mizuki-sempai happened to find us at this hotel, where the two strangers had taken us, and took us with them on their mission. Sound good?" Ginjiro was dying to go spy on those other two. Did Kagemaru-sensei really think the two of them would just stay in the room and not do anything? Ginjiro wanted to get out there for two reasons: the first was that he wanted to see this fight between the two of them, and the second was that Ginjiro wanted to gather some more information about Kagemaru-sensei's glowing eyes. Something wasn't right there, and the young boy wanted to know why. All he needed was for Zenichi-kun to agree to go with him. Hopefully, the young kid would.

[ooc]
Marked for Training.

 

[Tomomi]

Re: Dusty Trails

Smirking at Kagemaru, he watched as the Minster rushed towards him and entered his own stance. The stance was particularly familiar to another stance that Mizuki knew, the puzzle pieces would continue to be put together to solve this special power that he possessed. But, Mizuki didn't have much time to keep thinking as a powerful unarmed taijutsu was heading straight towards him. But quickly, a puff of smoke and a log had replaced where Mizuki was standing, yes even at this rank a shinobi still used the substitution jutsu or Body Switch jutsu as the common folks called it.

The open move had been decided and now it was Mizuki's turn to act. He smiled as he channeled his own affinity to his weapon that would slowly be a killer to his opponent. It would make evading his attacks and hitting him a whole Hell of a lot harder than before. After channeling, he used a technique inspired by a heavenly moon that would allow him to follow up quickly with a devastating powerful taijutsu that only a true master of the arts could use. Did he believe he was going to land a hit on the man, not at all but it was a game of cat and mouse at this time so they were really only going to trade attacks until one of them let their guard down.

What really surprised Mizuki was that Kagemaru would go head on towards him when he knew that his fellow Minister had a sword and other weaponry concealed at the time. Nevertheless, it was a challenge for sure and very gutsy for him. However, rest assure blood will be spilled tonight as Mizuki stated and thought. If there wasn't blood, the poor Nanjirou would be very upset and disappointed in his work. His bloodline wanted blood, the blade wanted blood and he wanted blood if there wasn't any than it was like he was failing his gods. But. he was confident with his abilities and got a feeling that the other two would be here soon.

"Don't be surprised if the other two are coming right now. They may be young, but they aren't complete idiots. They know exactly what you meant."

[OOC:
1. Iaido - Fighting Style Activated Last Turn and withdrew Sword. For now assume my BL's sword
2.Used Toxic Channeling Mastered w/ Twilight Venom:
A. Coats the user's weapon with poisonous chakra that has the effects of a single weak poison, though is treated as a strong poison, and has +2 Poison DC.
B. Effect: -1 Accuracy/Dodge, increases by -1 per round, up to -3. Decreases per round by -1 per round after it hits the cap.
3. Used Lunar Steps Mastered:
A. The user strikes a single target dealing 1,265 damage at Normal Accuracy.
Effect: Waning Crescent Moon: Upon a Full Hit, the users next Slashing Taijutsu Attack gains a +5% Auto Hit and +5% Damage Buff.
4. Lastly used Annihilation Mastered:
A. Strikes a single target at -3 Accuracy and +2 Critical, dealing 4,620 Damage.
Notes:
- May only be used once per round.
- Ignores 30% of Damage Reduction.
- Upon Full Hit, Annihilation has +10% chance of inflicting Bleeding.

Happy hunting!]

 

[Sekuro]

Re: Dusty Trails

Monday : Soon's Haven : 9:02 PM​

Mizuki had dodged his move as expected. What Kagamaru was waiting on was what followed afterwards. Which didn't surprise him either. It would seem that Mizuki practiced the Iaido style of fighting. He'd fought someone like this in his Ministry qualifying exam. At that time, his opponent wasn't able to even draw his blade, but Kagemaru was in no position to stop this man from drawing his, in fact, Kagemaru wanted Mizuki to strike him. Before the blade was unleashed, Mizuki had released a deadly looking chakra around his sword. Kagemaru could see it clearly emanating with the use of his Hakumei Byakugan. It was then that Mizuki attacked Kagemaru and the speed was phenomenal. Kagemaru could appreciate the speed of Mizuki's attack but it was still expected.

Mizuki would enjoy a hollow victory as his blade connected with Kagemaru's body and seemingly cut him in half. To lesser trained eyes it would have seemed as if the match was decided in that very moment, but moments later, the body would turn black in color and then burst into several feathers. The feathers then exploded and re-formed themselves several feet away from each other in the shape of what looked like 4 Kagemarus (Flock of Shadows).

You'll have to do better then that if you want to spill my blood. Kagemaru's taunt at Mizuki's expense seem to fall on deaf ears as Mizuki kept attacking. Unknown to Mizuki, but Kagemaru was recording his moves and had been doing so since they left the hotel through the use of his Snapshot<i></i> jutsu. He'd view it later so that he could study Mizuki's movements more in depth. For now, he'd focus on giving this guy a run for his money. The 3 clones danced around Mizuki just as Kagemaru did attempting to dodge Mizuki's slashes. Two clones were hit and before Mizuki had a chance to attack either Kagemaru or the third clone, smoke began to fill the area. He'd thrown a smoke bomb down. Almost unneeded as the sun had fully set and it was nearly pitch black outside already, but the added disorientation should have been enough to buy Kagemaru more time. He could see Mizuki and he was almost positive that Mizuki couldn't see him.

You've got more important things to worry about then those two insubordinate children. In the smoke Kagemaru had done several things to prepare for his game with Mizuki. Mizuki would begin to notice shadows running about through the smoke but a more menacing set of eyes could be seen glowing brightly through the fog of the smoke bomb. Kagemaru continued to keep himself hidden while he let his minions do his bidding.

Spoiler

Actions:

Dodge Mizuki's attack with Flock of Shadows
- Snapshot has been active the whole time (Hidden Action)
- Throw Smoke Bomb
- Enter Stealth
- Activate Active Camo (Hidden Action) If removed from stealth, Kagemaru will look semi-transparent.
- Activate Specter Shade (2 clones) (Hidden Action)
- Activate Ebony Nightmare (Looks like a large black dragon with 2 sets of red eyes (4 eyes total) (Hidden Action)

 

[Tomomi]

The blade, it hit him dead on! Perfect! He got a clean shot on Kagemaru, or so he thought until the area went into black feathers. He had used Flock of Shadows, a classic ANBU/Minister techique that most ANBU knew by heart. Much like the feathers falling to the ground, Mizuki's confidence went down as a smoke bomb was laid and was covering the area. The situation had gone from bad to worse in mere seconds and now he was a walking target, unable to see in the smoke. He did however, have a gut feeling that his opponent was still close and was conjuring up a defensive and offensive plan...it was just too bad that he couldn't see a damn thing.

He stood there for a few seconds before it hit him that he needed to act because Kagemaru wasn't going to stop the attack on him. Even if he had no idea where his fellow Minister was, he had a plan to fight back. He first used Wind Release that was being used basically to uncover the field for him so he could evaluate the match much more clearly for himself. But he didn't stop there as he went through some more handseals and shrouded himself in a veil of poisonous mist. If Kagemaru was going to attack him, he might as well take some harm back from laying a finger on Mizuki. The last plan that Mizuki had in his sleeve, that was already used by Kagemaru, would protect him from further harm...the Flock of Shadows.

Much like the other Minister, he would have two clones on the battlefield to aid him in his fight. And hopefully by the time, he had shrouded himself with his poisonous mist...his wind jutsu would've blow the field clean of the smoke and he could see what was in front of him: A large dragon with two sets of 4 red eyes, clones that came from Flock of Shadows and Kagemaru. Seeing Kagemaru would be hard since he didn't see where the Minister went, but it was possible he could find him quickly. But for now it was time to play defense.

[OOC: Some assuming but we share the jutsu that I was assuming. Message me if you have any questions.
Used: Wind Release Mastered, Corrupt Mist Mastered. and Flock of Shadows Mastered
Wind Release clears the battlefield of smoke and other things that jeopardize vision.
Corrupt Mist: The user shrouds themselves in a veil of poisonous mist. Melee contact with the user has a 28% chance to check the victims Poison Resistance against this Jutsu. If they fail this check, the victim suffers 2200 damage.
Notes:
- This Jutsu is considered a 'Chakra Armor'
- Lasts up to three rounds.
- A target may only be effected by this Jutsu once per round.
- Melee Contact is any Melee Accuracy used by or against the user.
- This Jutsu receives Ninjutsu and Poison buffs and debuffs (Such as Poison DC increasing its accuracy, and the victim's resistance buffs increasing their dodge)
- This Jutsu counts as a Heavy Poison.
Description: A lethal poison technique that concentrates a high amount of extremely toxic chakra within the user's body, before releasing it in a thick, visible aura that appears as thin veil of dark fog emitting from the user. Those coming in contact with this vapor immediately feel the nauseating effects, which are quickly followed up by fits of coughing up blood.]

 

[Sekuro]

Monday : Soon's Haven : 9:02 PM​

Mizuki thought that he could play the numbers game on the same level as Kagemaru. Though they were both Ministers, they both had similar jutsu due to similar teaching, but Kagemaru was more used to this type of combat. While he wasn't exactly sure which Mizuki was the real one, his clones and his dragon had eliminated the possible choices and Kagemaru knew exactly which one was the right one. The downfall to the Flock of Shadow jutsu was that the clones were simply distractions. They couldn't attack so when Kagemaru's clones attacked and eventually connected, the clones dispersed. All the while his dragon slithered around the battle field blowing fire as his clones jumped over and around in a fluid progression of violence. Though Mizuki had blown Kage's smoke away, Kagemaru remained in stealth cloaked under his Active Camo jutsu. Though what intrigued Kage was the activation of Mizuki's poisonous chakra. Kagemaru was beginning to understand this man more and more. However that poisonous chakra flowing from his opponents body spelled dissaster for Kage if he'd try and attack it. However, Kagemaru wasn't afraid. He'd call Mizuki's bluff and attack him anyway. Walls were made to be torn down anyway.

Rushing towards Mizuki, his next attack was coming from behind as Kage's clones and dragon kept Mizuki's attention, his back was totally open for counter attack. He knew there would be no Flock of Shadows this time and sneaking up on his opponent would negate them from having the time to react with a body switch. As Kagemaru moved within striking distance, he smirked as he knew this attack was going to hurt them both.

You should pay more attention! Kagemaru had Gathered his focus and would then unleash his clans secret technique upon Mizuki.

Eight Trigrams 256 Palm Strikes! Kagemaru had struck Mizuki in the blink of an eye. Normally this technique would take several seconds to complete, but Kage had focused this jutsu specifically for Mizuki. But his plan of attack was not without drawbacks. He'd attacked Mizuki physically and as such, the poisonous chakra began to flow through Kagemaru's body as well. It would seem that Mizuki got his wish as a couple drops of blood spilled from Kagemaru's mouth. However, Mizuki would be doing some bleeding himself, however, his bleeding wouldn't be external. Kagemaru had just struck every single tenketsu in Mizuki's body. His internal organs had to feel like they were on fire. 256 points in the blink of an eye, Kagemaru had moved much faster then what any average shinobi should have been able to.

Kagemmaru backed away from Mizuki as he was sure he'd stagger a bit, and Kage also had to tend to the poison coursing through his veins. So as Mizuki hobbled, Kagemaru jumped back and deployed a clan technique that his father had taught him many years ago. He had not only seals some of Mizuki's chakra, but he'd stolen some of it as well and transferred it to his body. Using that chakra he'd stolen along with some of his own, he going to replenish the damage done by the poisonous chakra. Converting his chakra into stamina was a simple process for him and one that most wouldn't know you were doing by simply looking at you. While he healed himself even his clones and dragon ceased to attack. They seemed to back off to allow a pause in the combat. Kagemaru had just landed a decisive blow to Mizuki but if Mizuki was on the same level as Kagemaru was, of course the Minister would be able to continue, as would Kage if he were in his shoes. The question was... would he?

By now you should have figured out whats under this blindfold. If you want to quit now, admit defeat. He'd then stretch a bit and spit some blood out to the side and whipe his mouth of the crimson liquid. Mizuki had gotten what he'd wished. He'd spilled some of Kagemaru's blood but something was telling him that that wouldn't be enough for the brash ANBU. Though Kagemaru had demonstrated a glimpse of his power he was impressed with the Minister he was traveling with. It would seem that the jutsu he had was a decent natural counter to Kagemaru's fighting style. Forcing him to make the hard decision of simply attempt to dodge until Mizuki's jutsu ran its course, or to take the damage from the poison.

If you're going to continue, then I'm going to be serious this time around. That was partially a lie. Him being serious would probably result in either killing Mizuki or injuring him to the point of uselessness for their mission. The damage he'd done already was going to take at least a full day or two to correct itself. Kage would be serious enough to defeat Mizuki and establish dominance. A good lesson for the two children watching from the distance. Kage knew they were their the whole time and didn't mind them watching. He'd punish them later for disobeying orders but for now, they could watch as shinobi of their level would be what their future looked like if they trained hard enough. Kagemaru then took the formal Jyuuken stance and awaited for Mizuki to respond with his answer.

Spoiler

- Used Gather (Hidden Action)
- Eight Trigrams Tenketsu Strikes Mastered + Gather (8 strikes in 1 strike) + Sneak Attack
Clones and Dragon still on the field.
- Took damage from the Poison, but Healed it with Health Converter and Quick Healer

 

[Tomomi]

Mizuki had thought he had a game plan in place after that bomb, he thought he had the upper hand. He was unfortunately sadly mistaken as his clones were destroyed by his fellow Minister's clones while that fucking black dragon was blowing fire around the battlefield. This jutsu and clones were going to be a real nuisance if Mizuki didn't get rid of them soon. But now wasn't the time as Kagemaru hit Mizuki dead on with a unarmed taijutsu and a Hyuuga clan technique. The powerful taijutsu knocked the Minister down as his ribs were practically scattered by the move. Lying, he knew that he wasn't external harmed by the clan jutsu, but internal he was probably bleeding all over the floor. Moreover, he was suddenly much weaker than he was and his energy seemed to have deteriorated from that move. This was definitely not good for the Nanjirou boy and Kagemaru giving him smack to give up. Did he really think our dear character was going to just give up like that? Mizuki would much rather die by his sword than to admit defeat to him, even if their skill levels were just a little off.

Knowing he could get up, he ran through what he had learned so far. Kagemaru was a Hyuuga from the eyes and that last technique he performed . He stretched the truth about being blind in the library in Konoha, and he was a defensively fighter against Mizuki...going in to attack after he had his butt protected. Very interesting Kagemaru, very interesting. Once he was done processing the info. He got up with a big grin on his face. He had some markings now running from his neck that were clearly visible and he seemed much more focused now on the fight. It was time for the fight to get seriously fun, seriously.

Gripping his blade with the thoughts and knowledge of every generation in their ancestral family, he dashed at the clones of Kagemaru. He used a simple blade/sword move to attempt to rid the battlefield of the clones and then he used a much more powerful blade move right into the ground to hopefully speed up the dragon and Kagemaru's fighting so they would be easy pickings for his follow up attack. The real reason behind the radius-based taijutsu strike to the ground was to get Kagemaru out of hiding so he could lay some strikes on him before the Hyuuga would nail him with more of those chakra-decreasing shots. However, Mizuki was ready right after his last blade move to protect himself if need be from a potential barrage. It was true that he had poisoned Kagemaru from that ninjutsu-based move but that alone wouldn't stop him. The fire-based defensive ninjutsu that Mizuki had in mind would only be if the situation would call for it and in Mizuki's eyes it would be needed if Kagemaru was to get anywhere need him.

It was true that Kagemaru had caused the first big clash in the fight, but Mizuki wasn't giving up on this war until he would physically collapse from the battle. It was in the Nanjirou code to basically never give up and die with thy blade. There wouldn't be any fighting because both shinobi knew their capable so passing out was the next option.

OOC:

Spoiler

1. Wrath Seal Rank 3: +3 Dodge, +2 accuracy
2. Top Spin Mastered: The user strikes at up to two targets dealing 1,110 Damage at Normal Accuracy.
3. Fury of Time Mastered: The Nanjirou strikes the ground, dealing 4,125 Damage. Those hit by the attack are affected by its secondary effect. The Nanjirou can choose whether to slow down those effected or speed them up. When time is sped up everyone affected loses -3 Dodge and has a 8% Chance of Auto-missing. When slowed down everyone affected gains +3 Dodge and +8% Auto-Dodge.
-Note:It's being sped up
4. Higuma Mastered: Strikes a single target up to seven times, dealing 1,030 Damage each w/ effect of comboing with itself.
5. Flame Shield Mastered: Summons a wall of fire that erupts from the ground, absorbing up to 6050 damage. Attacking this barrier has a 36% chance of causing the 'Sear' and 'Burn' effect.
Note: - This jutsu must be used reflexively. This jutsu only lasts for one action.
- Can defend against a single physical, non elemental or elemental attack.
- Attacking this barrier with melee accuracy deals 20% backlash damage to the attacker.
- This jutsu does not protect against Level A+ Water damage. Lower levels deal +20% damage to this barrier.
- When 'Seared' the target has a 10% chance of taking critical damage to the next attack to hit them. If this is not successful, then they only take +10% damage from the attack. This does not stack.
- The 'Burn' effect causes the target to take +5% damage for a full round. 'Burn' stacks up to three times.

 

[Sekuro]

Monday : Soon's Haven : 9:04 PM​

Did you already forget that we have a mission to acomplish? Or does that not matter to you anymore? I can see now we're going to be here for a bit longer then we should. As expected, Mizuki was willing to continue fighting. Though Kagmearu wished that he wouldn't have, Mizuki was going to keep coming at him again and again until he was laid out in the dirt. As Mizuki got up, Kagemaru could see his chakra shifting. A strange new power was surging through the ANBU's body and it seemed to be empowering Mizuki. A thought crosses Kage's mind that he'd actually have to hold true to words from earlier and be serious with Mizuki, if he didn't, Kage might actually be seriously injured. That was his realization and he concluded that there was little more he could do without conceding the fight, which was probably the best option, but on the flip side, Kagemaru couldn't trust Mizuki's sense of judgement so if he had to beat subordination into him then so be it.

As Mizuki began his counter attack, Kagemaru could tell that he'd gotten serious. Within seconds all of his clones and his dragon had been destroyed and rather easily at that. The strength of his sword strikes was impressive but Kagemaru could match Mizuki's ferocity with his own cunning. Mizuki was approaching Kagemaru and he'd had his counter ready. Mizuki's blade struck Kagemaru in several places and again, Kagemaru's body faded into blackness before erupting into a black mist and then vanished into nothingness. He'd used a one of his favorite jutsu, Dark Displacement and was now using the darkness of the desert to mask his presence. Mizuki would probably be expecting another sneak attack like the last so Kagemaru thought he'd do something a bit different. He'd toy with the man's resolve.

Why are you still fighting? What do you have to gain from this? A sense of superiority? His voice echoed throughout the emptiness of the desert.

You can't beat me. Especially not right now. This is my element. Or haven't you noticed? Mizuki may or may not have noticed that Kagemaru's element was the Shadow element. His fighting style combined darkness and his superior eyesight to offset his opponent. Mizuki had already lost this fight the moment he agreed to fight Kagemaru after the sun went down.

I see everything. You know that? I can see how much chakra you have left. I can see your poisonous chakra around your body, I can see exactly how much damage I've done to your organs with my last attack. While he spoke, Kagemaru was still healing himself. using his chakra to mend the wounds he'd sustained up to now. He'd have to continue attacking Mizuki if he didn't wanna exhaust himself of his own chakra. But he was sure the man would be counting on it and prepared with a counter to his attacks. But then again, Kagemaru had a superior healing factor so perhaps he'd just have to chance it again. The fact that Mizuki was forcing him to make such a decision was impressive. Kagemaru would have to commend him later.

As things grew quiet, only the sound of the wind and empty desert could be heard as Kagemaru prepared his attack. The sky begun to turn pitch black and there was no longer any residual light coming from the stars as they were no longer visible. His jutsu Darkness Falls would then descend from the void that was the sky, but as expected, Mizuki was prepared with a counter attack. An incredibly powerful wall of flames erupted from the ground and Kagemaru knew how powerful it was just by looking at it. His technique wouldn't be enough to break through the flames, but it seems that Mizuki was now open. As the flames died down, Kagemaru rushed in, to deliver yet another masterful Hyuuga technique.

Dodge This! Eight Trigrams! Eight Gates Assault! This technique was designed to fell almost anyone. Very few people could defend from this as it was an even more condensed version of his tenketsu strikes. The single palm strike was aimed at center mass of the target and a burst of chakra would flow from the attacker into the the target causing excruciatingly painful convulsions. In Kagemaru's case, not only would he be inflicting more chakra damage to Mizuki but he'd also be taking chakra from Mizuki and absorbing it for himself.

Spoiler

Top spin destroyed clones and dragon
Fury of Time was dodged by Dark Displacement + Special Action (stealth)
Sneak Attack w/ Darkness Falls was blocked totally by Fire jutsu
Last attack was Eight Gates Assault.

I still have Active Camo on and Chakra Absorption

 

[Tomomi]

Again, he had struck at Kagemaru and again the man had countered it with a jutsu. But before being able to strike at Mizuki, the firewall had protected him for a split second. However, as soon as the wall was down...Kagemaru was at it again with his Hyuuga-style taijutsu assault. The palms of the Hyuuga were coming in so quicker, so Mizuki had to react quickly. He got struck with some of the jutsu but managed to vanish from the field much like Kagemaru had down seconds earlier. If Kagemaru wanted to play a game of hide-and-seek, Mizuki would play with him.

He was now concealed in the darkness, and stalking his prey. This fight couldn't be won with brute strength alone, he needed to try a different approach...something much more "peaceful." But first, he had to hit Kagemaru hard and fast. Going through handseals, he would create a water dragon and a fire dragon that would simply going towards his opponent and try to crush him. Washing and burning him up, that was a definite possibiilty. But Mizuki wasn't done as he would then go to the scenic route and cast a hellish genjutsu onto Kagemaru in the hopes that he would make some trouble arise and make Kagemaru use more of his energy.

All the while, Mizuki would sit in the darkness watching it all play out. He knew that he was running low on chakra for sure by now and he needed to start doing some indents before it was too late. He had to die by the blade, or in this case collapse beside it. Kagemaru didn't understand that concept, he probably thought Mizuki was just a dumb idiot that wanted to die. But, one thing was sure...both men now should know that the other, although a pain in the ass, was capable of turning the tide of the battle. We can only hope they wouldn't have an increasing hate towards each other after the battle.

[OOC:

Spoiler

1. Dark Displacement Mastered w/ first Special Action of Stealth
2. Water Dragon Bullet Mastered: Creates a powerful dragon out of water, that can crash into a target and deal 5500 damage with a 44% chance of activating the 'cascade' effect.
Notes:
- May only be used once per round.
- This action always requires full handseals; regardless of any skills or abilities the user may have (Such as channeling or one handed seals).
- If bound, the victim cannot move or dodge.
- The 'Cascade' effect suppresses the target and allows the user to immediately follow up this Jutsu with any Water Ninjutsu of their choice. This follow-up gains +2 Accuracy.

3. Dragon Flame Bomb Mastered: Creates a torrent of flames in the shape of a dragon that strikes and bursts into an explosion of flames, dealing 5500 damage with a 44% chance of setting the target afire.
Notes:
- Setting the target 'Afire' automatically deals damage equal to 30% of the jutsu's strength at the start of each round after the initial use, this amount is doubled if it effects barriers or clones of any kind. This effect lasts two rounds, does not stack, and is overwritten when the victim is set afire by a stronger Jutsu.
- If afire, the flames are dispersed if the victim spend 1 Ap to put out the flames, or is hit by a level C+ Water jutsu.

4. Mind Shattered Master: Creates an illusion at -2 DC. Target takes -4 to all secondaries, jutsu cost +25% more chakra and inflict -15% damage, handseals have a 30% chance to fail, Taijutsu cost +.4 Ap, Genjutsu has an additional -2 DC.

5. And for all purposes, the sword was dropped and then picked up.

 

[Sekuro]

Monday : Soon's Haven : 9:06 PM​

Kagemaru smirked at the results of his actions. Mizuki had dodged him with a jutsu that Kagemaru was surprised that Mizuki knew. But it didn't matter. Mizuki had made the mistake of attempting to hide from Kagemaru.

Did you forget? I see everything. You can't hide from me. It was at this point that Kagemaru would remove his blindfold, releasing the full glow of his Hakumei Byakugan. His eyes almost like miniature moons in the darkness of the desert shined brightly and seemed almost out of place. His Byakugan was more advanced then the average Hyuuga. His Byakugan had superior visual range and evolved past the need for activation. He retained its effects at all times. A blessing and a curse as Kagemaru spent several days getting used to the strain, trauma and sensory input. But that was what made him good at his job.

My eyes are absolute. But it would seem that Mizuki thought he was safe within the shadows but he was nothing of the sort. The handseals he'd done, Kage could literally see from a mile away. He attacked with a Water Dragon jutsu and it was deflected by Kagemaru's rotating kaiten. He'd taken some of the force from the attack but it was nothing he couldn't shrug off. Shortly after another dragon came roaring at him but this one was on fire. As the previous dragon attack was too much for Kagemaru to fully stop with his kaiten, he gathered that he would simply dodge this one outright with another clone jutsu. As the dragon connected with his body, it burst into smoke as 2 other Kagemaru's appeared in its place. However, there were three Kagemaru's on the field and the third one was already unleashing a powerful counter attack upon Mizuki. Once again, he was aiming to rupture Mizuki's internal organs by striking him with the Eight Gates Assault. This time, however, Kagemaru was fortunate enough to catch Mizuki in the middle of hand seals.

Sloppy! His palm thrusted forward once more and this time Mizuki would have even less time to react then before.

Spoiler

Technically, you can't Activate-AutoDodge a Sneak Attack, but I'll give you that one.

Also, Technically you would have come back out of stealth from using your first technique. You'd definitely be out by the end of your 3rd.

Kaitened Water Dragon Bullet
Stunt Doubled Dragon Flame Bomb
Stunt Double produced 3 clones 1 of which was automatically destroyed by the Dragon Flame Bomb
Used Quick Reaction to counter with Eight Gates Assault again.

 

[Kazu]

Patience was not one of Ginjiro's strong points. He didn't intend on waiting all too long for Zenichi-kun to respond before simply shrugging the guy off. "You know what, forget it. I'm going without you." And so, running past the boy whom he had no patience for, Ginjiro ran out of the door to the room, through the halls, out of the hotel, down the streets of the town, and into the dark country side. It took the boy a few minutes for his eyes to adjust, but soon he saw and heard great explosions of light and sound. There wasn't anywhere else that they could have been. So, running up to view their fight, the young puppeteer hid himself behind a mound. He thought he was concealed enough, and was anxious to view this fight. He couldn't stop smiling and giggling to himself. It seemed that the boy had arrived a little late to their match. He caught them just as Kagemaru-sensei had thrown down his smoke bomb. The fight, from that point on, was simply fantastic. Battle tactics on both sides were displayed, and for the young Ayatsuri boy this was one of the greatest learning experiences he could have gotten. With his analytic mind, he quickly was able to break down each of these two fighters' moves to see exactly what was happening. All of it was quite amazing, and was giving Ginjiro several ideas as to how he might incorporate some of these techniques into his own fighting style. He whispered words of amazement under his breath. "Whoa, these guys are on a whole 'nother level..."

The real clincher here, however, was when Kagemaru-sensei revealed himself. Not when he took the blind fold off, but when he used the Tenketsu Strikes. This move, known only by members of Konohagakure's Hyuuga Clan, was a dead giveaway as to the man's true power. So the Ayatsuri boy was right! Had the man been using the Byakugan eye underneath those blindfolds this whole time? "Damn that guy! What's the big idea, hiding this from us, anyways?" Actually, it was far more impressive than that. When the man moved to remove his blindfold, Ginjiro got a good look at his eyes. What were those? They shone with a brilliance that he'd never heard of from a normal Byakugan. And what was with the lack of those veins around his eyes? Weren't those part of the technique? What kind of Byakugan was that?!

Even though it didn't make sense to him yet, Ginjiro would just sit there and continue to observe. He was gaining valuable information from this, and nothing was going to stop him from learning more from this. Even if Zenichi-kun had followed him and decided to talk to the boy, Ginjiro would be too engrossed in his task of observation to notice. He was lost to this fight, and nothing was going to sway him from his learning experience. He just hoped that these two adults wouldn't take this fight too far...

 

[Zethui Kobayashi]

Zenichi listened to the other boy's remarks on his idea. He felt like Mizuki and Ginjiro were both criticizing him for his outlandish story. Hadn't the horde hit several other parts of Konoha? Didn't most of the senior ninja participate in fending them off? The stated objective was to make as much of a story based upon as many truths as possible, that way they weren't lying. If their story was basic, that they were being trained in the way of a Ninja, but simply wondered off, wouldn't that raise many more questions than they had answers for. What was the name of their village? Where was it located? Who was their Kage? If they proven to be disloyal to their own village, why should the be trusted within another village? He seemed to think that his story fit the criteria Kagemaru stated but didn't feel confident enough to voice his opinion.

Luckily, Ginjiro didn't push him enough to force his ideas and concerns to the front. Ginjiro simply walked away uncaring of their plan. Zenichi decided that he would take this opportunity to be the first to take a shower and get the best of the hot water.

 

[Tomomi]

"You got to be kidding me. He blocked some of my Water Dragon's move and completely dodged my Fire Dragon. Even worse, there are clones on the field now. Fuck..OH FUCK he's coming" said Mizuki as he was taking in all the details quickly as Kagemaru's palm hit his chest sending him flying. Luckily for him, there was no obstacles blocking his path of flight and he just crashed onto the ground. Now, he was lying there with blood oozing from his mouth. It seemed the internal damage had finally affected him externally. His body was feeling very weak now and he felt like he had no chakra left to fight nor energy. He closed his eyes, sighed and tried to conjure up a plan. It hadn't been for a long time that he had to use this jutsu in a fight, it may have only been the second.

His blade was laying beside him and Kagemaru would notice the blade dissolving away. What would come next was a Mizuki standing up with a blank stare on his face, a katana coming from his chest and a spear from his vertebrae jabbing out at his head. It seemed that Mizuki had fused with his weapons and created a monster with them. He smirked at Kagemaru and rushed at him and his clones. Mizuki was being pushed to the limit now, blood oozing out of his back and chest. The man was literally committing a suicidal act for a simple fight. He had spun around in a circle first to try to clear the field of the clones that Kagemaru had out followed with fatal swing to try to make the blood spill from Kagemaru. But not even stopping, the monster would continue to try to execute the man with his blade and finish him with his spinal-fused spear. Unfortunately, Mizuki couldn't control himself as he would continue to keep swinging at Kagemaru even after trying to finish the fight. The poor damned bastard was going to wear himself out before Kagemaru even hit the ground.

[OOC:
1. Kindred Fusion Mastered: Don't worry about it. Just for RP taste.
2. Top Spin Mastered: The user strikes at up to two targets dealing 1,110 Damage at Normal Accuracy.
3.Fatal Draw Mastered w/ Special Action:
Strikes a target at +2 Accuracy dealing 3,795 Damage.
Special Action - Total Draw: By paying additional 1 AP, Fatal Draw gains a +36%+45% chance to inflict Fatal Wound upon a target.
- A target effected with Fatal Wound has their current bleeding rank damage immediately modded. This damage is not added to the base damage of this technique nor is buffed. (IE: A target with Rank 2 Bleeding takes 2% of their Max Hp along with the damage of attack)
4. Executioner Mastered w/ Called Shot Head: Strikes a single target dealing 1,875 damage at +2 Critical.
5. Finisher Mastered w/ Called Shot Head: The user strikes at a single target, dealing 1,800 Damage at +1 accuracy.

Notes: Heavy bleeding, exhausting at quick pace, stretched Kindred Fusion for taste.]

 

[Sekuro]

Monday : Soon's Haven : 9:09 PM​

As Kagemaru knocked Mizuki away with his last palm strike, he'd assumed that the fight was over. Every time Kage struck Mizuki he also sealed away some of Mizuki's chakra as well as took some for himself. That combined with the amount of chakra Mizuki was using to combat Kagemaru in the first place should have been enough to tire him out. But it would seem that Mizuki still had some energy left in the tank. As the broken ANBU got up, Kagemaru noticed right away what was going on. Though he didn't understand it, Kage could see the chakra leaving Mizuki's weapons and re-entering Mizuki's body until Mizuki actually stood up and transformed into a man-blade hybrid.

... Thats not good. Kagemaru had never faced a technique like this and he was also a bit surprised at to what just transpired. The man's insides were no longer human, it was like he'd literally fused with his weapons to become that monster of an opponent.

Mizuki wasted no time in attacking Kagemaru and his clones. The poor clones were wiped out almost instantly and then it was just him and Kagemaru and that wasn't a good in this situation as Kagemaru had already used two of his best finisher moves on Mizuki and they would have no effect if he used them again. Kagemaru did his best to try and dodge Mizuki's attacks as the monster swung in rapid succession. Kagemaru could see that Mizuki was attacking off impulse now as his eyes were dilated and rolled back. Kagemaru simply couldn't block as the man's body seemed to be comprised of sharp edges so his only resource was to dodge and as they had been fighting, he had also been healing himself with his own chakra so he had to reserve what he had left for any jutsu he may need. As such, Kagemaru was restricted to no longer healing himself at the rate at which he had been doing.

Alright... so you're...He had to pause during his talking when he noticed he needed to dodge and it required a bit more concentration.

The kinda guy... that has... some kinda super duper finisher move huh? Well... too bad for you... I'm a Hyuuga of the Konoha Hyuuga Main Branch. At which point he backed away with a jump and the chakra already flowing around his hands began to glow even brighter. Then as he began to wave them around in a circular pattern, his eyes even began to glow brighter as well.

Eight Trigrams: Heavenly Guard One of Kagemaru's strongest techniques. It was similar to Kaiten in that it protected him from all physical areas of combat and even in a wider area, even the combat output of this jutsu was better then his normal Kaiten. The issue with this technique was the amount of chakra it cost to maintain as he was creating a large barrier out of pure chakra threads.

As the barrier went up, Mizuki's lifeless shell continued to attack at it. The strength at which Mizuki swung and struk was enough to still damage Kagemaru but his barrier of chakra managed to block the majority of the damage.

See... the issue with being a lifeless husk thats only moving on impulse... is that you'll stop once the body can't go on anymore. And with what I've put that body through, you wont be attacking for much longer. Kagemaru was more or less correct as all he had to do was maintain this barrier until Mizuki dropped from lack of chakra and exhaustion. It would happen eventually.