Open Forward, always forward

[Uchima Shoma]

Academy life suited Shoma, most of the time. He'd always enjoyed devoting himself to a singular purpose, and that's exactly what he was expected to do as an Academy Student. The structure and direction that classes gave him kept him busy, and he felt like he'd made some real progress over the past few months. He no longer felt slow and awkward, and it seemed that his skill was beginning to reach a point where he could truly utilize the size advantage he held over most of his classmates. Life in the village had gone from confusing to comfortable, in a constantly sore, constantly acting and reacting kind of way. Still, despite his appreciation for the day-to-day hubbub, he wouldn't be Uchima Shoma if he didn't know how to take full advantage of a day off.

Shoma was under a tree, lying on his back in the grass behind the boarding house that had been his home since arriving in Konoha. His head was resting on a balled-up jacket he'd brought from his room - it needed to be washed anyway - and he was staring up at the sky through a gap in the branches. The clouds above were like three-dimensional paintings on blue canvas, floating by lazily before Shoma's eyes.

That one's a rabbit, and that one looks like a horse. There's a fat caterpillar over there, and that one looks a little like a bird.

He'd been identifying clouds for an hour already and showed no signs of stopping. It was something he'd started doing as a small child back in the village, sneaking away from the tea shop to lie on the roof above and watch the clouds. It was a way to relax, sure, but at the same time, it was a way to work through his own thoughts and feelings. Clouds moved slowly, of course, leaving plenty of room for pondering.

I wonder how Dad is doing, and Kuma. I bet Kuma misses me, I should probably go see them sometime soon. Maybe I should write a letter first just to make sure it's ok.

What will I tell him if I go back? He never cared about Shinobi stuff much, so telling him about my Taijutsu classes and the Ninjutsu I've learned probably won't mean much.

I wonder if he even wants to see me.

I thought he'd have written by now.

Shoma's eyes turned down at that thought. He'd always known his father was likely conflicted at best about his leaving. He'd always reminded his father of his mother, who passed away while giving birth to Shoma. His father probably wasn't capable of living a happy life anymore, but it would be happier without Shoma in it.

I guess I won't go back. I do miss Kuma though. I wonder if he'd let me bring him here.

Thinking about the family dog brought a smile back to the 13-year-old's face. Kuma had been his best friend for 5 years, ever since Shoma had found him as a puppy, wandering the woods on the outskirts of the village. He was a big, white dog with a ferocious growl that melted into a goofy grin as soon as you showed him a treat. He was a sweet dog, the only one Shoma had been able to truly talk to. He missed the pooch terribly.

That cloud kind of looks like Kuma, actually. There are the eyes, and the nose...and that's his tongue hanging out like it does when I rub his belly.

Shoma wasn't typically a crier, but he could feel a few tears slipping out.

Why is life so hard? Even when I'm doing the thing I've always wanted to do, going to the ninja academy, I still feel lost. I wish Kuma was here. He'd understand.

Shoma let out a world-weary sigh. These thoughts weren't new to him, but they never felt any lighter. They were constantly present, weighing him down any time he stopped to acknowledge them. He looked around as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He'd let his thoughts wander and now he was at risk of ruining a perfectly good day off. As he had so many times before, almost symbolically, Shoma sat up, got to his feet, and left the solitude of the tree.

Forward. I have to always move forward. If I stop, I'll die under that tree.

Shoma went up to his room and grabbed the gloves he'd purchased not long after joining the academy. Viper Gloves, they were called, as they were designed with little barbs on the knuckles to which poison could be applied and delivered with every punch. He hadn't any real occasion to use them yet, but he liked to put them on and get a feel for them occasionally. He did so now and flexed his fingers a bit. They felt good, powerful, but they also frightened him a bit. They were tools of violence, after all. He still wasn't sure what it would feel like to bring someone closer to death with his own hands. Aside from unarmed Taijutsu, he had taken an interest in poisons, though he still wasn't sure if his interest was more academic or practical. The thought of administering poison to another human being also brought him no small amount of internal conflict.

Maybe I really should be a med-nin. I'm not sure I want my purpose to be to hurt people.

Still wearing the gloves, he continued the train of thought as he went back down the stairs of the boarding home.

If I become an Anbu, I can stop people from being hurt, but I have to do it by hurting people outside the village. If I become a med-nin, then I only really get to help people after they've already been hurt, but I can do it without causing more pain. Maybe I should stay in the main branch and become a Taijutsu instructor. But then again, I would need experience, so I'd still have to go out on missions and cause pain.

Shoma's face was scrunched up in thought as he stepped back out the front door of the boarding house. He was on his way to the punching bag made of thick leather that hung in the open courtyard across the street.

So do I use violence to prevent violence, or do I let violence happen and clean up after? I could go into the combat division of the medical branch, which is kind of the best of both worlds, I guess. Hikaru-san does seem pretty nice, and it would be cool to study under her. If I become an Anbu then maybe I'll be in the same division as Toshi.

Arriving at the punching bag, Shoma looked around and saw that the courtyard was empty. It was getting to be about dinner time, so most people were probably inside. He came to a tentative conclusion as he began warming up, striking, bobbing, and weaving as he worked through a sequence from a recent Taijutsu class.

I should try to talk to someone from the Anbu branch and understand it more. Maybe then I'll be able to make a good decision.

He continued the sequence, working up a decent sweat in the process.

That's it, I'll try to find an Anbu to talk to...hopefully I survive.

[OOC: Anyone who wants to jump in is welcome. I'll leave the thread open for a week and leave if no one responds]

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Daisuke had been keeping and eye on all those that he had noticed joining the academy, it wasn’t his responsibility or his job in any way, but he still liked to know the names and the faces of those who would soon be rising through the shinobi ranks. After a few weeks of idle observations, the Minamoto boy had noticed one specific figure that did not quite fit into the average demographics of new academy students. That had caught his attention. Though this boy seemed to be in the opposite situation to Daisuke in terms of initiation into the academy – he had entered young and passed on from academia relatively early (he’d have his heritage to thank for that).

For the last few days, Daisuke had been positioning himself in ways that had allowed him to subtly watch Shoma from a distance. It obviously would have been easy to follow him to what Daisuke assumed was the boy’s home on the first day, however the young blonde always liked to be certain before acting; and as such he had kept an eye on him from a short distance away. To many, this sort of observation would have been creepy (and in reality, it probably was), but to Daisuke it was practice in both his ability to gather information and to manoeuvre through densely populated urban areas without raising the eyebrows of too many onlookers. Of course, he still needed more practice as well as practical experience, but that would come with time.

Today had been different from normal; Daisuke hadn’t seen the reasonably tall and dark-haired boy during his time observing the comings and goings at the academy. He thought little of it for some time and went about his day, he wouldn’t be able to track or follow anyone if they did not meet at their designated start point for the exercise. Of course, it was a very one-sided exercise, especially in the sense that Daisuke expected he was the only one who knew he was taking part – but he liked it that way, the anonymity suited him as it always had. From that point he had gone about his day as normal, training, then swimming, then more training before heading home to prepare dinner for his family and heading out once more. It was a tough and simple life, but it was Daisuke’s and he wouldn’t change it for the foreseeable future unless his own position within the village was to change. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been trying, it was just that everyone else who could help him progress seemed to be busy and doing their own things. It was understandable, almost frustrating, but understandable.

Daisuke headed out after finishing his early dinner, he allowed the evenings to be his downtime (downtime that often involved a lot of training, but downtime all the same). His footsteps along the rooftops and exposed walls within Konoha only made the slightest pitter-patters while he ran without infusing chakra into the soles of his feet. He had seemingly mastered the ability to move relatively silently a long time ago, his duel with Shun in the tournament was a testament to that – after all being able to fight without being spotted let alone being hit was quite something he thought. But even if he were an expert on the ability, it did not excuse him from attempting to refine his skills further.

His mind darted back to earlier that morning, no sign of the boy he had been tailing recently. Maybe now was the time to locate him, almost as if it were a daily chore to be ticked off an imaginary and completely unnecessary list.

It didn’t take the boy long to navigate the distance between his home and the boarding house, it was a simple and now practiced journey. He arrived to see that there was nobody around, his eyes scanned the area, picking up on barely anyone else in the vicinity, only one figure stood out across the street – it was exactly who Daisuke was looking for. Anyone else would have smiled upon locating a target, but Daisuke simply stood with his hands in his pockets and a blank expression resting on his seemingly uninterested face. He watched for a few minutes as the broad-shouldered boy practiced against what was clearly an extremely incompetent opponent, the punching bag was little threat – good in theory and drills but not for preparation for real combat. Daisuke touched his middle and index finger on his right hand to a small seal emblazoned on the glove that covered his palm. A small cloud of smoke popped into existence shortly after, dissipating to reveal the glistening metal of three shuriken.

Daisuke waited a few more moments, analysing the pattern that dictated Shoma’s movements and strikes. In his opinion, the punching bag was only so useful, and from his observations Shoma was at almost past the point where the bag would offer him any useful training. The Minamoto took a breath and brough his hand back. It soon shot forwards in an arc, each finger releasing a shuriken at exactly the moment Daisuke intended them to. He watched as the thrown weapons whistled through the air towards Shoma. Two imbedded themselves in the floor at the point where Daisuke assumed the next steps Shoma would take would be, one for each foot. The third shuriken soared past the boy’s head and down into the punching bag – this one had been aimed for the point at which Daisuke had thought the next strike would land. It stuck, plugging the hole that would have allowed for the bag's contents to trickle out of.

From that point, he simply watched – with any luck the boy would be skilled enough to react to this sudden change in routine. But only the next few seconds would tell for sure.

“Your target is not a threat to you. Your energy could be better spent in other training regimes.” He spoke, from the rooftop, looking down to Shoma. Waiting to see what the next few moments would have in store.



[Topic entered]

 

[Uchima Shoma]

Jab, jab, cross, step in and left knee, elbow and step back.

It was a simple enough combination, one Shoma had been proficient at for a while, but his Taijutsu instructor was always highlighting the importance of mastery rather than simple proficiency, so he was trying to get the footwork just right, smooth and natural enough to work against a truly skilled opponent. He was finding the bag...well, a little lacking for that purpose, though. He had just begun the sequence for what must have been the 50th time, landing the knee and about to step back for the elbow when he heard two quick thunks near his feet. He jumped a bit at the sound, and again when the third sound, a softer thud, was accompanied by the appearance of a shuriken in the bag, right where his elbow would have landed. As he turned to look behind him, he spotted a blonde boy on the roof and heard him call out,

Your target is not a threat to you. Your energy could be better spent in other training regimes.

Shoma hadn't seen the boy before. He looked young, but not too young, and he was standing on the roof of the boarding house looking not at all worried about the drop to the street below. From the way he'd thrown those shurikens from such a long distance, he was clearly skilled.

Who is this? Is he threatening me? Does he want to spar? Why did he ruin the bag?

Who are you? Are you... offering or making a threat?

Almost as quickly as the thought had come, Shoma had forgotten his resolution to find an Anbu to talk to about joining the branch - understandable given how quickly his afternoon had taken such a weird turn. How often does one have shurikens suddenly thrown at them while they're practicing on a heavy bag? Well, maybe that kind of thing was more common in the ninja world than he'd realized. At any rate, he needed to figure out who this newcomer was and what meaning he'd wanted to convey with those shurikens. If he was trying to start trouble, well, Shoma was no longer the timid kid who'd arrived at the village months ago. Sure, he was still sad at times, unsure of his future, but his success in his Taijutsu classes had brought him no small amount of confidence, at least in certain situations. Thankfully, this was one of them. Whatever happened, he was reasonably certain he'd be able to at least hold his own.

Shoma took a few steps forwards, hand to his forehead to shade his eyes against the setting sun.

If it's a spar you want, come on down.

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

A light breeze blew a few strands of air across Daisuke’s face as he looked down towards Shoma. He watched on as the student reacted swiftly to the sudden appearance of three sharp implements that impeded his training; that was good, not only was the boy unharmed but it also meant Daisuke had properly assessed one aspect of Shoma’s skillset. The Minamoto boy continued to watch as the dark haired student turned in response to his statement, he couldn’t quite read the expression on Shoma’s face but he could tell that his sudden and abrupt entrance was not expected or noticed until just that moment. The sound of a reply floated up to the rooftop, two replies in fact Daisuke noted while Shoma took a few steps in his direction. He seemed to think that this was some sort of challenge, it was understandable of course, Daisuke had never been particularly skilled in the field of communication.

The genin paused a moment before speaking up again. “I don’t make offers or threats. It was simply an observation.” He walked forwards to the edge of the roof and peered down, the street below was relatively level, nothing appeared to be obstructing a descent. With that in mind he stepped off, dropping to the ground without even taking the time to jump. He simply dropped, chakra pouring into his feet to cushion his landing just before contact with the road was made. Daisuke remained still as he stood opposite Shoma, the distance between them now much smaller than it had been but seconds before. It seemed as though the student was at least somewhat confident in his own abilities, at this point Daisuke wasn’t sure if he was being challenged to a spar or not. He knew it would be a better alternative than a punching bag, but still he never went into any sort of battle without first having at least some understanding of his opponent – maybe Shoma had something to prove, maybe even just to himself.

His mind wandered to the question of why Shoma appeared to live in this boarding house, did he not have a family home here? Could they not afford it? The thoughts only crossed his mind for a split second as he looked over to meet the gaze of the Uchima boy.

“I did not come here specifically to fight you, I came to watch and learn as much as I could about you.” Now wasn’t quite the time to reveal that he had been watching Shoma for a little while now. “But, if you were to decide to spar with me then I could certainly not stop you from engaging me in combat.” He looked around to assess his surroundings, the urban terrain around him was committed to memory shortly after; Daisuke might have been somewhat competent at predicting the movements of others, but he could never tell what anyone would do for sure.

He didn’t say anything more, he just watched. If there were a moment where Diasuke could judge the character of Shoma, then the next few seconds would surely do the trick. There was much insight to be had, and Daisuke was sure he would be able to gain at least something from this interaction, though he did not intend to drive the situation in any specific direction.


[MFT]
[WC: 557]

 

[Uchima Shoma]

Well, if Shoma was confused before, he was befuddled now. Daisuke had been watching him, decided to interrupt him with weapons, and now he was saying that if Shoma wanted to spar then he couldn't stop him? This was certainly turning out to be an odd afternoon.

He searched the blonde boy's face for some sign of his intention and having very little luck. He seemed sincere, there wasn't so much as a hint of ulterior motive in what he was saying, but while Shoma understood the words that were coming out of Daisuke's mouth, he couldn't imagine what was going on in his head.

What kind of person spies on someone else, ruins their training equipment because he thinks it's inferior, and then when confronted acts like the other person is the aggressor?

Look, I was just minding my own business, you're the one who decided to throw a shuriken into my bag. I'm not mad, really, I just don't understand what you want.

The viper gloves were still on Shoma's hands, and he was already thoroughly warmed up. He even had most of his ninja equipment on him, stowed in the many pockets of his signature black cargo pants. A spar wouldn't be a horrible idea, and it might be a fun gauge of his progress since he met Toshi months back. He turned slightly and gestured back toward the square where the heavy bag was starting to slowly leak sand as the shuriken was being gradually dislodged. There was plenty of empty space, and if the fight spilled out of the square they weren't likely to run into anyone as the surrounding area was mostly empty.

Anyway, I need to keep training, and the bag's not an option anymore. Help me finish up with a good spar and I'll tell you whatever you want to know. You won't have to watch me from the roof anymore.

Shoma assumed that Daisuke wasn't a malicious threat, he didn't expect the boy would try to take things farther than a friendly sparring match. He hadn't seemed to be an aggressive person before, after all, but this interaction was still a little unnerving. He didn't know the boy well, and his entrance had just seemed...strange to Shoma who was used to people either ignoring him or approaching calmly. He'd never had shuriken thrown at him in greeting.

Shall we?

[MFT]
[WC=392]

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

“What I want,” Daisuke started, “is what’s best for the village.” He gestured neutrally towards the punching bag before continuing. “Your skills are beyond benefitting from a stationary target as evidenced by your ability to react to the threat I imposed on your apparatus.” Daisuke raised an eyebrow as it become clear that his words had caused confusion for Shoma, a bolt of frustration shot through the boy’s mind as he considered his inability to convey his intentions yet again. His form stood still for a few moments longer, listening silently as his eyes scanned the individual stood before him – it seemed as though he did wish to partake in a spar. His first mistake, Shoma surely had no idea of what Daisuke was capable of, much in the same way that Daisuke didn’t know the extent of Shoma’s abilities. Yet he still wished for combat rather than devising a more challenging training routine.

The blue irises of the Minamoto boy’s eyes glinted in the orange light of the setting sun as they fell upon the gloves currently equipped by Shoma, a dangerous piece of equipment, favouring taijutsu usage by the looks of things. The subtle barbs were probably something to be concerned about; a point of analysis for later then Daisuke concluded while continuing to scan Shoma to identify the locations of more of his equipment. His glances lasted only a few seconds longer before the blonde boy moved his gaze to meet Shoma’s. He held it for a few more seconds of silence after it appeared that Shoma was ready to engage in combat.

If it were any other shinobi a smile may have played across their lips, but not for Daisuke, his face held a constant state of neutrality – his aim was to never give away a hint of emotion, it could lead to his downfall. After a few more seconds of waiting in silence, Daisuke raised his right index and middle finger up in a salute. It appeared that Shoma was not quite taking the element of surprise at this moment in time, another mistake maybe?

A deep breath filled Daisuke’s lungs as he held his stare. There would be something to be learnt from this, for himself and hopefully for Shoma. He had already gained knowledge of Shun’s skills, now it was time to add Shoma to his list of well-known shinobi.

"So be it."

[Calling b-mod]

 

[Sanyu]

Aight Chillins', it is I Sanyu here to mod yo fight, I just got a few requirements:

• Link all your stuff in your actions, if you're using a jutsu, link it. If you're using an affinity move, link to the list. If you're using a dependent action from a CA/BL, link to the CA/BL.
• List your passives, just make a list one time and copy pasta it into ever action cause I promise you I will forget something.
• If you have any concerns contact me on Discord, if I don't respond immediately I'm either at work (I have discord on my phone) or I'm being lazy and don't care for that moment.
• I'm quite the stickler for wordings and rules so make sure to double check your stuff before you send them.
• If something is wrong in your profile, even if it was approved incorecctly, its wrong and unusable. (ie. Shinobi 101 written wrong, Wrong class becomes rookie class.)

 

[Uchima Shoma]

Shoma strode to the center of the square. The sun was still high enough to provide plenty of light, but the terrain offered enough cover to be slightly concerning. He hoped Daisuke wouldn't turn out to be like Toshi, fond of hiding and laying traps, as he wasn't sure how he'd fair against anyone more experienced than an academy student in that regard.

At any rate, it was what Shoma assumed to be a friendly spar, so he decided to just take things as they might come and do his best to put the last few months of training to use. He faced Daisuke and assumed his stance, running through a checklist of actions to take in the beginning of a fight. Satisfied that he had remembered everything, he braced himself to meet Daisuke's attack, whatever it may be.

[Stats and first actions sent!]

 

[Sanyu]

Uchima Shoma HP: 6625 CP: 3010 AP: 4 - 3 = 1 AP Next Round: 5 AP Maintains: Status: Misty​

Minamoto Daisuke HP: 33600 CP: 25200 Inner Reservoir: 6300 - 813 = 5487 AP: 8 - 7.5 = .5 AP Next Round: 8.5 Maintains: Elemental Clones Status: Misty Spoiler: Elemental Clones Clone 1 HP: 1428 CP: 1428 AP: 2 Clone 2 HP: 1428 - 172 = 1256 CP: 1428 AP: 2 Clone 3 HP: 1428 CP: 1428 AP: 2

Timing​	Action​
0.00s	Using Initiative, Daisuke: Declares Duelist on Shoma Equips his weapon (Shuriken Seal)
1.25s	Shoma equips his weapon (Viper's Gloves)
1.88s	Daisuke attempts to cover himself & Shoma in Hidden Mist. Daisuke automatically affected Daisuke vs Shoma Rolls: 24 vs 14 Shoma is covered in Mist!
2.50s	Shoma enters Defensive Stance
3.75s	Shoma enters Unarmed (Capoeira) Style
5.01s	Daisuke does a hidden action! Daisuke vs Shoma: 30 vs 21 Part two; Daisuke vs Shoma: 21 vs 13 Shoma now sees 3 Daisuke's on the field, which is the real one!?
5.63s	Shoma attempts to strike Daisuke, but which one!? Target 1-3: 1 Shoma vs Daisuke?? 10 vs 23 Miss!
7.51s	Shoma attempts to strike again! Target 1-3: 2 Shoma vs Daisuke?? 25 vs 20 Crit! Dmg: 172 But its a Clone!? Daisuke does a hidden action! Daisuke does another hidden action! Nothing Happened.

Notes:

Shoma: Sadly, your final action did not go through, since we round up you ended up at 10.01 seconds :C

Let me know if something looks off, haven't Bmoded in two years so my skills may be dusty.

 

[Uchima Shoma]

Shoma was just securing his Viper Gloves when Daisuke began running through a series of vaguely familiar hand seals. At first, he didn't think anything had happened, but then, at the corners of his eyes, he caught sight of a thick, hazy mist creeping onto their makeshift battlefield. It was slow at first, but accelerated rapidly, covering Shoma so completely within the next few seconds that he could barely see 5 feet in front of him.

It must be the same Jutsu Toshi used. I won't get caught this time, though...I hope.

Suppressing the urge to panic as he lost sight of Daisuke, Shoma began swaying in his ready-stance, just as his instructor had taught him. It would make it easier to slip an oncoming attack, or at least that was the goal. He had no idea how quickly an attack might come from Daisuke, but if he was anything like Toshi, and this first attack seemed to indicate he was, then Shoma would have to stay, both literally and figuratively, on his toes.

Shoma began a cautious approach. The last time he'd fought someone who hid in mist, he'd tried to circle around and catch him by surprise. He'd since reasoned that that was probably the logical move, but that might also make the expected one. This time, he decided, he'd try a slightly more head-on approach.

He'd only taken a few steps before coming across his target. There was Daisuke, standing right in front of him, only... there were three of him. This, too, echoed of Shoma's spar with Toshi.

Does everyone around here like clones that much?

Before any of the Daisuke's could strike, Shoma threw out two attacks of his own. A jab at one of the Daisukes failed to meet its mark, but a side-kick to the one on the opposite end of the row landed square in the clone's belly. It felt squishy somehow, like a balloon filled with water. It seemed to be barely affected by the strike.

Not that one.

As he re-chambered his leg and resumed a defensive posture, a thought entered his mind like a flash of lightning. The likelihood of it working seemed low-ish, but it was worth a try.

[Actions sent]
[MFT]

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Silence descended over the battlefield, only the whistling of wind between loose roof tiles pierced the now somewhat tense air between the two shinobi. Of course, Daisuke was already prepared for something like this to happen – his observations had indicated that many people didn’t react well to being interrupted, and in the cases where they were met with shinobi weaponry unexpectantly. Though, he had to admit that Shoma took the whole situation better than expected, and in addition to that Shoma had also embraced the idea of a more beneficial training session. It seemed as though there was some promise for this shinobi in training – promise that Daisuke would keep an eye on. It was clear that Daisuke’s new found opponent was conscious that there was some threat at hand, the Minamoto boy could tell by the shift in stance. There was time to seize the initiative, but that could only go on for so long, the time had come to observe and evaluate Shoma on a more practical level.

Daisuke’s hands moved together, his fingers furiously interlocked over and over again to create a myriad of seals that focused the genin’s chakra into the air around him. Droplets of water began to condense, blanketing the courtyard and surrounding area in a dense mist. Vision was something that Daisuke had specifically trained himself to not be reliant on, and that training served him well in combination with the jutsu of his ancestral homeland. A humid chill washed over him while the hidden mist settled – though that was no time to stop weaving hand signs. Time was always of the essence, especially in combat which is why Daisuke always aimed to be as efficient as possible in all of his actions. His training was tough but consistent and drilled these values into him, and it was times like these where he could demonstrate some of his hard earned skills.

Three masses of water grew out of the already moist air in front of Daisuke, each one rose to his height and then took on his appearance. The corners of his mouth curled into a subtle smirk while quiet steps took the boy further into the mist, leaving his clones to spread confusion. Ideally they would absorb some of Shoma’s inevitable attacks; just as that thought passed through Daisuke’s head, he watched one clone bobbed its head and shoulders out of the way of a punch from Shoma while another took a swift kick to the torso. It stumbled back a few paces before standing upright and looking back towards its attacker. None of the clones moved however, they simply appeared to be watching and waiting.

Daisuke took a breath and wove his fingers together once again, his eyes caught the slight flicker as it gradually became even more difficult to distinguish himself from his surroundings. He wouldn’t make this easy on Shoma. After a few seconds to glance around, check his mind, and reposition himself to a higher vantage point, Daisuke reached for his belt – ready for phase two.

[Actions sent]
[MFT]
[Word Count: 493]

 

[Sanyu]

Uchima Shoma HP: 6625 - 1750 - 1028 = 3847 CP: 3010 - 651 - 225 - 400 = 1734 AP: 5 - 5 = 0 AP Next Round: 4 AP Maintains: Gale Force, Shadow Play Status: Misty (Temp Unaffected), Serpents Blood​

Minamoto Daisuke HP: 33600 CP: 25200 - 280 - 400 = 24520 Inner Reservoir: 5487 - 540- 297 = 4650 AP: 8.5 - 7.5 = 1 AP Next Round: 8 Maintains: Elemental Clones, Hidden Mist, Hidden Status: Misty Spoiler: Elemental Clones Clone 1 HP: 1428 - 135 = 1293 CP: 1428 AP: 2 Clone 2 HP: 1256 - 270 = 986 CP: 1428 AP: 2 Clone 3 HP: 1428 - 270 = 1158 CP: 1428 AP: 2 - .5 = 1.5 (Suppressed)

Timing​	Action​
0.00s	Daisuke does a hidden action
1.25s	Daisuke does a hidden action
1.88s	Daisuke attempts to cover himself & Shoma in Hidden Mist. Daisuke automatically affected Daisuke vs Shoma Rolls: 24 vs 14 Shoma is covered in Mist!
3.13s	Daisuke does a hidden action Attack vs Dodge D Rolls: 47, 47, 39, 29, 35 S Rolls: 24, 26, 26, 18, 25 Crit, Crit, 3 Hit DMG: 1750 Shoma feels some Serpent's Blood in his System! Daisuke remains in stealth!
4.00s	Shoma uses Gale Force! The effects of hidden mist on him are temporarily halted!
4.38s	Daisuke does a hidden action Attack vs Dodge D Rolls: 38, 41 S Rolls: 22, 14 2 Hit DMG: 1028 Secondary (16%): 65, 8 Pierced! Bleed R1 Daisuke remains in stealth!
5.01s	Daisuke does a hidden action
6.50s	Shoma Starts some Shadow Play
6.89s	Daisuke does a hidden action
10.00s	Shoma attempts to use Roaring Combination to find Daisuke! 2 Attacks for each Starting with Daisuke 3 Sneak Attack Chance (5%): 25 26 vs 24 16 vs 26 Crit! Miss Nin Check 15 vs 12 Success Gapless (31%): 29 Daisuke 3 is lacking its Gap! DMG: 270 Its a Clone Next Daisuke Sneak Attack Chance (5%): 63 19 vs 11 14 vs 21 Hit! Miss! Nin Check 13 vs 15 Fails! DMG: 135 Its also a clone!? Two Strikes at Daisuke 2 (Who We already know is a clone) Sneak Attack Chance (5%): 98 24 vs 9 23 vs 12 Two Hit 19 vs 18 Success (Can only succeed once so no need to roll again.) Gapless (16%): 39 Gapless Fails DMG: 270 Blindshot to find the stealthy Daisuke! Awareness vs Stealth 24 vs 36 Fails!

Notes:



Let me know if something looks off, haven't Bmoded in two years so my skills may be dusty.

 

[Uchima Shoma]

Shoma began the hand signs, doing his best to draw his chakra into a thin layer around his skin. He'd trained primarily in Wind chakra, the main component in Poison Jutsu, but this technique was still considered a little bit advanced for someone of his experience level. Still, he soon felt the air begin to whip around him, forming a kind of second skin. As he saw the mist begin to disperse around him, just as he'd hoped might happen, he let himself smile.

It was short-lived, however, as just as the mist began to thin, he felt a rapid succession of what felt almost like pin-pricks against his skin. The pain was dull at first, as is usually the case when hit with a piercing weapon, but the shock wore off quickly, leaving him riddled with burning wounds throughout his torso, arms, and shoulders. After a split second, he began to feel something else as well...

Burning at the wound, feeling sluggish, head starting to spin...Serpent's Blood. I only have a few seconds before it takes full effect.

Hours spent in the poisons lab at the academy finally found practical application as Shoma identified the poison the shuriken must have been laced with. Just as he'd made his identification, the mist around him cleared, in time for him to see two streams of water come screaming at him. He tried to dodge, but the rapidity of events was proving too much for the young shinobi. One grazed him and the other struck so squarely as to open a gash in his thigh. He felt a trickle of blood from the puncture.

Shoma knew things were getting dire quickly. The defensive Taijutsu he'd been training for months was apparently useless against someone as accurate as the blonde-haired boy. Still, he upped his swaying, adding a bit of chakra to the motion. He knew it would provide a small a small amount of misdirection, as it would cause the light around him to play in such a way as to slightly mask his movements. Then, he let loose a quick combination of punches and kicks at the multiple Daisukes in front of him. He knew from the fact that he'd been attacked with shuriken that the boys in front of him were almost certainly all clones, but he hoped a strong offensive might get them to back off for a moment.

At the end of his flurry, Shoma took a moment, just a moment, to look around and see if he could spot the real Daisuke. Alas, the boy was nowhere to be found, and there was a very pressing matter creeping to the forefront of Shoma's mind.

I need to get rid of this poison, and fast.

[Actions sent]

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

A small puff of smoke added to the already saturated air around Daisuke, as it drifted away on the breeze a small vial of liquid was revealed to be laying atop the summoning scroll that Daisuke had set out on a particularly flat area of roof tiles. Serpent’s blood, a rather vicious part of the boy’s arsenal, but also a useful tool for determining how a shinobi deals with underhanded tactics. Each shuriken summoned by Daisuke was well accustomed to being used in conjunction with the poison, the Minamoto boy had used this combination so many times in the past during training – this time would be no different.

The pearlescence of the blonde boy’s blue eyes was all but completely masked in the mist, however this didn’t stop them from focusing on Shoma. Even with all the densely packed air between himself and his opponent, Daisuke could see hand signs being woven – a combination he wasn’t familiar with, and with uncertainty comes risk. Daisuke didn’t like risk. Four shuriken fanned between the fingers of both his hands, and in one swift movement they were released into the air. They hurtled through the mist and down towards Shoma – each one was aimed for an individual limb, and each one met their target to deliver their poisonous payload; this didn’t surprise Daisuke though, the next half a second or so did. He watched on as Shoma finished his weaving, the rush of air displaced the mist. The smirk returned as Daisuke took note of this unorthodox manoeuvre, it seemed as though Shoma was not just limited to the use of taijutsu, his wind jutsu was strong – but everything had a weakness. It appeared as though the wind was being drawn in and whipping around Shoma, an interesting tactic for sure.

Of course, none of these thoughts distracted Daisuke from his continual flurry of movements as he sent two sharp javelins of water careening into his opponent. A slight flash of red confirmed that his jutsu had been just as piercing as intended. Even with that fact, Shoma didn’t seem overly shaken by the impact – an impressive display. What made it even more impressive was the following barrage that the student unleashed on the poor water clones, they were bait of course but did they really deserve such punishment for standing around and looking good?

Again, efficiency was key for Daisuke. He had already prepared another contingency just before the strikes from Shoma had landed on the clones. For the time being it seemed as though the Mainamoto boy remained hidden – but his hands never seemed to stop moving. Daisuke was already preparing for his next move.

[Actions Sent]

 

[Sanyu]

Uchima Shoma HP: 3847 - 66 - 972 - 1224 = 1585 CP: 1734 AP: 4 - 2 AP AP Next Round: 4 Maintains: Gale Force, Shadow Play Status: Misty , Serpents Blood, Bleed R1​

Minamoto Daisuke HP: 33600 CP: 24520 - 1485 = 23035 Inner Reservoir: 4650 - 540 = 4110 AP: 9 - 4.5 = 4.5 AP Next Round:9 Maintains: Elemental Clones, Hidden Mist, Hidden Status: Misty Spoiler: Elemental Clones Clone 1 HP: 1293 CP: 1428 AP: 2 Clone 2 HP: 986 CP: 1428 AP: 2 Clone 3 HP: 1158 CP: 1428 AP: 2

Timing​	Action​
1.39s	Daisuke does a hidden action! D Rolls: 40, 32, 39, 31, 47 S Rolls: 30, 29, 29, 21, 26 4 Hits, 1 Crit Sear (4%): 65, 67, 1, 94, 57 Shoma is Seared! DMG: 972 Maintain Stealth (5%): 68 Daisuke manages to stay in stealth somehow!
2.50s	Daisuke does a hidden action!
3.13s	Shoma feels the effect of the Serpent's blood!
4.17s	Daisuke does a hidden action! D Rolls: 30, 31, 44, 39, 45, 47, 37 S Rolls: 27, 21, 20, 29, 26, 18, 17 5 Hit (Max amount of hits) Critical Hit Chance (Sear: 10%): 78 DMG: 1224 Shoma feels Serpent's blood in their system again!

Notes:

Shoma: Serpent's blood activates a full round, 10 seconds, after you were effected, so unfortunately you didn't have enough ap for your first action, which meant you couldn't do your second action as well.

Let me know if something looks off, haven't Bmoded in two years so my skills may be dusty.
Sorry for the wait, work has been killing me, but I should be able to do daily mods for the next few days.

 

[Uchima Shoma]

He was too late. Just as Shoma was bombarded by five searing balls of heat that seemed to almost curve in toward him due to the wind chakra sheathing his body, he felt the Serpent's Blood take full effect, causing him to double over and gasp as he felt the strength leave his body. It took him a few seconds to recover, and by the time he had, he'd been assaulted by another barrage. Shoma knew he wouldn't be able to take much more of this, but his options were anything but clear at this point. He knew there was more poison to deal with, and he was feeling weak, beaten. He hadn't even caught sight of the real Daisuke this entire time. To say he was disheartened would be an understatement. Still, he had to keep trying. He'd just have to trust that Daisuke would haul him off to the Byoin if need be.

[actions sent]

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Daisuke’s hands continued to blur in a flurry of motion as he began focusing his chakra once again. This time he could feel it heating up in his chest, the flames writhed within as though they were ready to break through their boundaries. As the hand seals reached their final position, Daisuke raised his index and middle finger of his right hand vertically just below his lips. Five reasonably small balls of orange flame burst forwards, heading down from the boy’s hiding place towards his opponent. The analysis that had been made only moments earlier turned out to be accurate, the flaming orbs were almost sucked in by Shoma’s chakra armour – the wind ninjutsu served as a beacon for the already reasonably accurate bursts of fire. Each one hit, scorching their target as planned. Daisuke hoped that would act as some sort of learning moment for Shoma on the intricacies of elemental jutsu and their interactions with one and other.

Before his position could be located properly, Daisuke leapt through the mist and repositioned himself just behind a rather thick chimney on another rooftop. This would do for cover for the time being, and hopefully Shoma didn’t notice his shift in location, the origin point of his fireball jutsu would have given him away if he remained; so this new spot would have to do. If Daisuke was a particularly conscientious individual then he would have felt bad for Shoma, but from his perspective this was all a matter of gaining experience for his opponent, and it would be disrespectful to simply play around with him; each action the blonde boy took had an intention to teach, he wasn’t an instructor but he wanted to make sure that the shinobi that he encountered within the village were ready for the tough times that came with the lifestyle.

Another squadron of shuriken soared out and down to Shoma, once again delivering their payload. Daisuke took a breath, his mind focused on his opponent. He could see how tired the dark-haired boy was getting, it would seem the evaluation would be over soon.


[Sending actions]

[MFT]
[Word Count: 352]

 

[Sanyu]

Uchima Shoma HP: 1585 - 3048 = KO'd CP: 1734 AP: 4 - 2 AP AP Next Round: 4 Maintains: Status: Misty , Serpents Blood, Bleed R1​

Minamoto Daisuke HP: 33600 CP: 23035 Inner Reservoir: 4650 - 540 - 842 = 3268 AP: 9 - 2.5 = 6.5 AP Next Round: 9 Maintains: Elemental Clones, Hidden Mist, Hidden Status: Misty Spoiler: Elemental Clones Clone 1 HP: 1293 CP: 1428 AP: 2 Clone 2 HP: 986 CP: 1428 AP: 2 Clone 3 HP: 1158 CP: 1428 AP: 2

Timing​	Action​
0.00s	Shoma drops his Gale Force
2.50s	Daisuke does a hidden action D Rolls: 44, 41, 42, 46, 44 S Rolls: 27, 19, 29, 22, 34 4 Hit! (Max hits is 4) Crush (12%): 40, 17, 26, 89 Crush Failed DMG: 3048 CP Cost: 842
4.17s	Shoma feels the effects of Serpent's Blood

Notes:

Let me know if something looks off, haven't Bmoded in two years so my skills may be dusty.

Shoma: Unfortunately you can't use reflexive attacks against sneak attacks. :C

 

[Uchima Shoma]

Shoma braced himself. His latch ditch effort would be to dodge the next attack with a high-speed taijutsu. He just hoped he could beat the poison. If he could move before it hit, he might at least get a moment to rest.

Unfortunately, he couldn't. The attack came out of the mist once again, only this time it was five sharks made of water. Sharks. Made of water. It was enough to make Shoma think he must be hallucinating from the poison. When they struck, bit into his arms and legs as if they were actual sharks, icy teeth tearing through his flesh.

This time, the pain was entirely too much. Shoma was beaten, and he'd never even seen his opponent. As the world began to darken and his eyelids narrowed, a thought fought its way through the fog of his mind.

I need to get better.

[KO'd]
[Thanks a bunch for the mod, Sanyu! It was a great learning experience]

 

[Minamoto Daisuke]

Daisuke looked down from his perch as his swarm of sharks reached out and met their target, thoroughly thrashing the young man stood on the ground below. A flicker of pity shot through Daisuke’s mind as he looked out to the weakening Shoma, maybe he had gone too hard in this spar – but there was always something to be gained, even in defeat. The blonde boy hoped Shoma had gained something at least.

As the taller of the two fell, Daisuke’s clones dashed forwards and darted in to break the student’s fall. They crashed under him, breaking into bubbles of water that slowed his fall enough for Daisuke to cover the ground between them. His left arm wrapped under Shoma’s to support him, it took quite some strength but the boy managed. With his free hand Daisuke began weaving signs once more and condensed the air around Shoma to cover him in a thin layer of water. A pulse shot out as healing energy radiated through the water Jutsu; this was one of Daisuke’s special talents that nobody had seen in the past, and for the time being nobody would see.

He turned, still supporting his defeated opponent. It wasn’t too far to the hospital, the journey would take a little while at the speed they were going to travel, but it wouldn’t be long until Shoma had somewhere more suitable to recover.


[Topic left]