Ninpocho Chronicles

Ninpocho Chronicles is a fantasy-ish setting storyline, set in an alternate universe World of Ninjas, where the Naruto and Boruto series take place. This means that none of the canon characters exists, or existed here.

Each ninja starts from the bottom and start their training as an Academy Student. From there they develop abilities akin to that of demigods as they grow in age and experience.

Along the way they gain new friends (or enemies), take on jobs and complete contracts and missions for their respective villages where their training and skill will be tested to their limits.

The sky is the limit as the blank page you see before you can be filled with countless of adventures with your character in the game.

This is Ninpocho Chronicles.

Current Ninpocho Chronicles Time:

Event Return of Sunagakure and the Rise of the 13th [Event: Shadow Steward]

Toraono Michino

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Standing braziers among the bazaar remained lit throughout all of the night to provide small warmth against the desert night. An ordinance placed into act by the 11th Kazekage to help not only fight the night’s icy claws from digging into the shoppers; but also the homeless who were ever near by in the alleyways. Their warmth was a familiar promise of the sun’s rise and a reminder to hold hope against the long night. As Michino walked by the blazing flames bursting from iron baskets, his right hand gently glided over the flames. They licked at his palms, but no heat created by man could harm him, so it was akin to a faithful dog’s mindful lick. Reminding him. Steeling him. Encouraging the hard thump in the warrior’s chest to still.

At the end of his path was a raised podium surrounded by a little more than fifty different shinobi; the core of the Rebellion. All of them were unique in their own ways, only a handful of them sharing bloodlines as the Toraono’s elite came to aid their wayward lord in his coup. The rest were trusted advisers, capable fighters, and powerful public figures who had been waiting for this day for some time. His foot reached the first step, and began to ascend the stairs to the speaking place in the center.

In the time span of one year, Sunagakure lost their Kazekage and found themselves at the hands of a tyrannical beast of the Chikimatsu clan. Without hesitation, Wei sold out the services of Suna to the highest bidder - two oil barons in Soon who wanted to control the desert and, eventually, the world. A war against the local nomadic tribes of the desert who were holding major oil wells started soon after. Without the aid of Ryuu Tama, ANBU, the Sennin, and Sousuke’s Old Council - the current Steward probably would have easily rolled over the Nomads. Yet through the machinations of the old guard and those with a heart for their desert home refused to allow themselves to be just another mercenary force, Wei’s hand had finally been shown…and not a moment too soon.

There was a leak in their ranks, and without hesitation the tyrant jailed a number of royal families, locked down the Toraono Dojo, and halted all Academy classes. The moment he began to make such flagrant power grabs the entire public raised a collective eyebrow. Sousuke, untouchable in his position of fame, continued to stoke the public’s ire with a subtle fan from the sidelines. He didn’t need to be public, he had people who could do that for him that were far more relatable than some old leader. Before the week was out the rebellion which had been but a handful of shinobi now included a majority of the village. Those that had come today, came to watch the rise of the next Kazekage, the man they would be following into the maws of hell to take back their home.

Michino’s foot raised to the next step. He was wearing very casual clothing. Jeans, sneakers with special soles for desert movement, and a gray muscle-shirt. Covering his arms was a sand-colored bomber jacket with white dunestrider feathers for the collar. His hair was bushy, his face unshaven with a small beard grown in. His fists were clenched in both righteous fury and sheer nerves. After all - this was entirely out of the man’s way of doing things. His purple eyes were ever wreathed in the same-colored flames that looked off to the horizon between taking glances at each recognizable face in the crowd.

To go through such subterfuge was against his own self-imposed laws; Toraono Michino was an honest man, after all. Hated subterfuge, always played a the ‘straight man’, especially when it came to things as important as replacing the leader of a village. Had Suna come to ask him to be next in line because Wei had to step down, then he would have accepted without hesitation. Instead, She came asking he throw down the current government, and take over with an internal coup built up by the local shinobi looking to return to an older time of stability and independence. Wei’s crime were many, and by all means did the idiot deserve the beatin’ that was coming…but the way he was asked to do it sat ill with him. So though he was “stepping up”, Michino had a plan, a goal in mind to change the village entirely and keep another Wei from happening.

That final step did his foot take as he raised up to the center platform and look down at everyone. His softly glowing eyes in the darkness gazed around through the faces in the crowed, recognizing many of his fellow servicemen, friends, and family. His brother was mysteriously missing, but Tama was ever a cat that did his own thing. There was no doubt in his mind that the scientist was helping in his own way before absconding back to the desert to plan some new foil. Uzu was also missing from the crowd, but that was probably for the best…no doubt an ANBU Captain had better things to worry about with a live coup about to start…

The Toraono leader raised a hand to still the murmuring of the people gathered. His eyes closed to regain composure before opening again to speak with an echoing baritone,

Children of Sunagkaure, my brothers and sisters, and all creatures that call this place home. We stand in a time not seen since before we broke beneath the ground and raised ourselves to the surface. A time of strife. Grief, terror, and an unknown future have placed a heavy burden on our shoulders. Together, we have carried that burden so that a single man could relax and be at peace.
While our blood muddies the dunes, he dines on the finest foods. While we hold our comrades dying in our arms, he holds beautiful women and lounges in his golden ball atop the Kazekage tower.” His voice began to raise. There was something about recounting the Steward’s crimes aloud that gave strength to his purpose.
We have been forced to imprison children of our friends, the Nomadic tribes that have ever been a boon to us in this hostile environment. Forced to strike down their parents, raze their homes, and all for what? Greed. Control. Power. It is time that we remind Chikimatsu Wei and his leeches the consequences of such hubris!

The raised podium Michino stood within the center of ignited in a purple flame, the same color that burned in his eyes. It lit up the night with haunting colors that painted the village in hues that could only normally be seen in the desert’s dusk.

It has been asked of me to take on a great task. To lift the burden on Suna’s Children so that they may be free once more. Free to decide, free to fight, and free to run! And so I shall take upon my shoulders that weight from you!

I, MICHINO OF THE TORAONO CLAN, ACCEPT THE TASK AS THE THIRTEENTH KAZEKAGE! WE STAND STRONG AS THE MAELSTROM BLOWS!

His voice shouted, strong as ever, echoing off the walls of the old buildings. Something rose within him that he had never felt before, something like a strength unknown to anyone but those who made that promise to lead. In his heart he would throw away his own life, gladly, to take on the very things that sought to destroy their world and life. That had never been a question he had to ask. From the very first time he nearly died tried to save that old couple from a maniac, to returning to shinobi life at an advanced age to save his home…Michino would always give his all to Sunakagure.

…and now, the first task.” The flames around Michino died back down until the podium was returned to its original form with a slight char. He stepped back down as the crowd parted before their next leader,
We go now in the night to tear Wei from his bed, and make him answer for the terror he has placed upon our heads. Do your best to still your blades against those that still guard him. Capture and arrests, so that we might sort out those who are loyal and those who can still be saved. We go now, into the dawn!

As if planned, the dawn of the next morning cracked upon the Eastern horizon and bathed their world in shades of red. A battle was about to commence. A fight that would hopefully result in little of their fellow man’s blood spilt as they reclaim what the Chikimatsu’s Steward had taken from them. Michino removed his jacket and tossed it onto the ground before the purple flames erupted from every pour on his skin, turning him into a walking elemental wreathed in flame that darted forward towards the Kazekage Tower with alarming speeds.

The trail he blazed ahead was left for others to follow.
 

Sand Council

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…Lord Chikamatsu…I think the Bazaar is on fire.

The words came from a crack in the door far away from Wei who was far too distracted by a pleasurable sight before him. A woman dancing, wearing barely a cloth to cover herself with and a mask to hide her disgust. His big eyes watched her with greed and ill-intent, a fat tongue licking across his dried lips as he pulled another hit from the hookah next to him. Sweet delectible cactus fruit mixed with the lands tobaccoo rolled across his tongue and inhaled into his lungs.
Lord Chik-
WHAT?!” the Steward screamed, finally unable to ignore the instance of the man too afraid to show himself fully.
Th-the Bazaar…is…on fire.
And?! Send out some idiots to put it out! No doubt its those damn “homeless heaters” the 11th put up everywhere…
Well, sir actually…the fire is…purple? Maybe someone from the Torao-
Shut-up. What color did you say was the…fire?
Purple, m’lord. Yes.

Wei rolled up onto his feet from his mountain of women and pillows, dragging the hookah cord with him and puffing it casually while moving towards one of the hidden windows in his golden dome. One of the women quickly stood up to follow, grabbing the smoking device to carry it closely behind him. He leaned into the window and peered to see the purple flame in a distance with curiosity. That inqusitive thought was quickly dashed when the fire just, vanished. With an angry yell, Wei turned and pushed the woman holding the hookah out of his way. It sent her and hot embers all around to start small fires she quickly began to put out before attending the ones that burned into her skin.

Throwing open the door he kicked the man who reported back into the darkness and shouted,
We’re under attack! All soldiers to their battle sta-

The sentence was drowned by the sound of roaring flame. An amethyst colored inferno cascaded up the ivory tower to encase the golden ball on top that Wei attempted to hole himself up in. Screams of fury and fear from up to echoed into the night as the Kazekage Tower’s guards began to exit out of the different floors to do combat with the rebellious shinobi who had come to wrest the power back from the Oil Barons.

Some thirty guards poured out of the bottom floor to meet with the main force, many more residing within that were heading up into Michino’s position as the purple fire that marked his presence burned through the golden orb and slipped into an exposed window. Shortly following his entrance, another cry erupted into the air followed by another fire, hued in reds and oranges, exploded out of that window to push Michino back out…followed by the 12th’s assassin as they locked into physical combat mid-air.

The dyes had been cast, and the battle started. Who would turn out as the victor in this coup for control of Sunagakure?

[Welcome to the Finale of the Shadow Steward Arc! All participants will be in an RP battle vs the guards of Chikamatsu Wei while Michino does battle with the 12th’s assassin. There are no rules in the chaos of war, but keep in mind that the 13th Kazekage has asked that there be no death between brothers; meaning holding back punches on our side. War is war, and that cannot always be achieved, so write what you feel comfortable with! The battle will be decided by Mod Discretion (Council) and a D20 Roll! Anyone, and everyone is allowed to participate no matter what circumstances you might find yourself in outside of this thread (time is a concept anyways). Good luck, and for the future of Suna!]
 
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Ryota had woken up early, and you could see that the sleep was still clinging to the male as if it were a lingering shadow. A big yawn left him as he scratched his side. His bright red hair stood out against the colors on the sky. He ran a hand through it, trying to tame back the few loose strands. He fastened the single golden globe earring which carried a faint light. Besides that, he decided to wear something warm and yet sturdy to see things through. He didn’t have an exact idea how tonight would go… Heck he got a little roped in without knowing everything for a solid 100% but he wanted to be there, not only for his brother. But also for those who helped him call this place home.

Ryota found himself near the podium and still had half bed hair from waking up. ’ This isn’t just a rising against the tyranny of the hidden sands… it’s more than that. Maybe it’s a good thing for this big change too… and I don’t like that man… Hmm.. ah brother…’ That MIchino walked past, made him look up. Ryota had his hoodie on so that the cold would be less in his neck… And because he was a little known inside the clan, he wore a facemask. But he still had that one tiger paw printed on it, so that his big brother could always know it was him. He mainly did this after meeting his ghostly contract, who was watching too.

’ You still look like I can beat you…’ He grumbled, but he knew better by now. He was no match for his brother, and secretly, that made him proud. With hands in his pocket, he looked to what the man would do and say… His brother probably wasn’t the only one nervous, he had to do stuff too today. He couldn’t and wouldn’t be lazy here for him. His fingers started to fidget with each other as he started to listen to what others were saying around him.

’ Not a single person that I recognize here… Ah… but that is my aunt… Okay.. there are a couple of the family here… Somehow, that did calm a little bit of the nerves for the teen. “Children of Sunagkaure, my brothers and sisters, and all creatures that call this place home. We stand in a time not seen since before we broke beneath the ground and raised ourselves to the surface. A time of strife. Grief, terror, and an unknown future have placed a heavy burden on our shoulders. Together, we have carried that burden so that a single man could relax and be at peace. While our blood muddies the dunes, he dines on the finest foods. While we hold our comrades dying in our arms, he holds beautiful women and lounges in his golden ball atop the Kazekage tower…”
’ He rambles… he rambles… can’t we skip to the action? Or go somewhere else till he is done rambling?’ He tried his hardest to stand firm, to keep composure… but if a person knew Ryota better, they could see he struggled with this. Despite this being a fair and harder part of the talk and everything. HE COULD NOT STAND STILL AND LISTEN. The flames made him look back and a little caught to his brother. I did not listen… fudge.’

’ First task.. Let’s go..’
he thought and would look through the crowd. He was one to often hold his guard up in places like these. After all there were so many people now. Who could backstab? Who would backstab? Was there going to be one?

The moment he saw his brother throw the jacket off… He knew it was go time. He saw many people starting too… And taking a deep breath, he remembered his training and could already feel the purring inside of him, his spirit was ready too. A lightning crackle came from the teen as he got into his JInchuriki form, one that many made fun off. Tiger ears, a tail, and the chakra shimmered around him. It was yellow with red-black outlining, for those who knew it… Cursed lightning. With that, he started to walk after the flames. He would fight those who came on his path. Which… was soon, he wanted to make sure that Micchino was uninterrupted… So he soon took a guard by his own. Lightning Torrent Ryota spoke soft as he blocked off a path for a guard. “You are with me now..” he would then attempt to try to zap him further with Shoryuken.

[Topic entered; haiii plz dm me if I am late // needs things edited and such.]

[edit; colors]
 
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Yo, ho, all hands
Hoist the colors high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars

Never shall we die


I, MICHINO OF THE TORAONO CLAN, ACCEPT THE TASK AS THE THIRTEENTH KAZEKAGE! WE STAND STRONG AS THE MAELSTROM BLOWS!” Listening to the broadcast, Sora sat in the seat designated for the Captain of the ship. His forces at the ready, all were keenly listening to the broadcast as Toraono Michino declared himself the thirteenth Kazekage. The latest of recent historical updates, though he would have chosen things a different way, Sora fell in line like a good soldier. Knowing full well that ever twitch and expression that he made was closely being watched by those around him, he made sure to keep his face unchanged and unknowing as he didn't want to give any indication of his true feelings concerning the matter. "Hmph." Even over the sound of the engines of the airship that they were on, Sora's first utterance after such a time was enough to turn heads. Certainly some might have believed that he would have been a far more worthy candidate, he was after all, actually a serving Sennin whereas Michino had not been. More so to the point, the Fourth Order was still the most intact fighting force left of the Sunagakure that formally was. They hadn't been sullied by Wei, and yet, in their prudence to protect themselves, they had become something far more mysterious and distinct among all the Orders, they had become truly free.

…and now, the first task.” Freedom was a funny fickle thing. For it, many were born with it, but for others, it was something especially yearned for. In fact, this current affair was being fought over such a thing. Having taken away the freedom of an informed choice, Wei had made the grave mistake of believing that many would simply go along with the flow. Fortunately for them and unfortunately for him, he had been wrong. “We go now in the night to tear Wei from his bed, and make him answer for the terror he has placed upon our heads. Do your best to still your blades against those that still guard him. Capture and arrests, so that we might sort out those who are loyal and those who can still be saved. We go now, into the dawn!” Finally allowing a smirk, Sora leaned up from his chair, his newly provided Fourth Order uniform crisp against his form. "Well then, I guess that's our cue." Having been flying through the night, the dawn of the next day peaked over the horizon as if on Michino's command. Moving to stand up from his seated position, the men and women around Sora snapped to attention as they awaited his orders. A dual broadcast, Sora could be sure that the other airships in the fleet were also waiting for his orders. Not wishing to hold them up for too much longer, he merely pointed ahead towards their destination and gave his most eagerly awaited command. "Engage!" Without further delay, his people went into action with officers of varying levels issue further prepared commands. Sora had been asked to make an entrance, and an entrance he would make.

OOC: The Fourth Order is reporting for duty. :)
 

Tsurara Moriko

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Moriko was not on the stage anywhere and did not expect to be. She fully expected she would need to claw her way into a position of notoreity from where she was; the Sennin Games were, in some senses, another world and time away. She was, however, in the crowd; this was an opportunity for violence that she did not have to hide.

The Tsurara were spread out around the crowd, those who had been doing espionage and information work. Most were in clusters, with a few limited exceptions: her mother, off to one side and near the front, if not quite on the stage, expression even and serious. Hanae, standing with a couple of non-Tsurara friends, light from the purple fires glinting off the red streaks in her hair oddly.

And Moriko herself, front and center as could be, arms folded and ice bow strapped across her back, knowing the firelight and the prospect of battle combined to make her similarly-shaded eyes glint. Next to her, Tsukiya, fully kitted-out himself with his tactical jacket and knives, a razor-edged smile on and a similarly bright expression.

There were of course murmurs and glances at her, but save family no one had spoken directly to her--and even then, only in a limited fashion. Moriko didn't know exactly what it all was about. She supposed they'd heard of her 'illness' that had turned out to be poisoning. The Tsurara spies and information gatherers for this resistance hadn't seen any reason not to let people know it had been poisoning and the culprit, of course.

In some ways, the speech itself was irrelevant. Moriko did not know Michino; they had not, to her recollection, ever met. But he was a Toraono--in most cases, that was good enough in Sand. Toraonos led, often and habitually, and so regardless of anything else that alone made him a good choice. And he had the fire, figuratively speaking, to manage this much, at least.

To her, the moral aspects of this were...less relevant, themselves. The Shadow Kazekage had done her a personal wrong. A severe one. Moreover, his goals and his actions were not good for either the village or anyone living in it long-term. They were shallow, ill-conceived. Worse than worthless--actively detrimental.

And yet, there was no point lying to herself. The main reason she was here, other than reaching for power of her own and enjoying violence, was because of genuine, simple, revenge. She wanted to destroy Chikamatsu Wei for what he had done to her.

To most, she would pretend otherwise, of course. For now.

(And what a stupid, thoughtless way to use the power of the Kage seat--personal indulgence! Personal vendettas! That would only ever see this type of reaction. Why would you be such a slovenly, lazy hedonist when you had, with some clever finagling, the power of a loyal nation? Idiot.)

"He is loyal to the village," Tsukiya murmured, watching the resistance's anointed heir. "Unswervingly. But he is hiding something, too. I don't think he takes up the mantle of the revolutionary lightly, but I do think he likes it more than he perhaps knows."

More of Tsukiya's uncanny insight, there. Moriko made a noncommittal noise; she could work with that, most likely.

"Call it," she murmured back, after the instruction to kill as little as possible, and he tilted his head lightly.

"Genuine compassion and mercy," Tsukiya said, still lowly. She sighed. "Yes. Mistakes would be forgiven. Deliberate intent would need justified."

"Shame," she said under her breath.

Some of the crowd were already running, including some Tsurara--those who would be involved in the forces preventing civilians from getting anywhere near a hot zone. But a few others converged on her.

"Moriko," Hanae said, halting in front of her with the others. Yuri, who was coordinating the civilian protection, spared them only a glance and nod before moving. "Your orders?"

Moriko regarded them all, concealing any surprise. She was the heir, after all. And not a child anymore, really.

Strange, it should be now--she was the one who had been awake and present for the least of this. She had been both out of town and out period, while the family worked their usual background (mousy) activities.

(There was also a different kind of weight here. Moriko was a Chuunin; Hanae was a Jounin and the other cousins here more senior Chuunin, largely. So they were turning to her despite that, acknowledging that this was also, for them, a family affair.)

Every single one of them had bows, of course, and Moriko felt herself smile--not nicely.

"Up," she said, and tapped her foot on the ground.

The ice roads she'd first made out of a modification of Ice Transmutation were now just raw Ice element chakra. The fire, she had been told, and the heat--these would not bother them. Instead, they shot out from her foot, and arced upward, perfect for any Tsurara to run up, arcing high into perfect snipers' nests. Hanae stared at her in shock, and the other cousins were actively gaping.

"Snipe," Moriko said simply. "Take your positions, and move around on them if you have to. Ice Transmutation yourselves a safe path down, if you need to at any point--or catch yourself otherwise, if you need to."

Hanae took a deep breath and stepped onto one of the ice roads, and the other half-dozen followed her lead onto the other ones. Moriko watched briefly, and then nodded; the ice did not need to be rooted on the ground, so it crumbled some feet behind them as they went up. The positions would let them snipe helpfully and were not too high for that, but also high enough they shouldn't be sitting ducks.

"And us?" Tsukiya lilted. "I leave it to your excellent tactical brain, my dear."

She turned to him, a crooked smile on her lips, and felt the resonance between their chakra hum. There was a practically feral expression on his face, almost half-mad. This part, for them, would be more difficult in the preventing themselves from killing.

Tactically, though. Yes. Both of them were capable of--and truthfully, by some preference for her especially--ranged fighters. The ice roads, though she would also have to control them for both of them, would be viable. And he did not have terrain issues anywhere, so they would be no harder for him to manage than a Tsurara. It was one option.

Although, they could also use that height in a different way. Any guards inside the tower moving up to intercept both the visible aerial force and the Kazekage-presumptive would not necessarily expect a more direct vector.

Finally, they could approach with the rest of the ground forces and mix into what everyone else was doing. It would be a little harder to stand out, and that might draw them into a melee range that neither of them were especially suited for, by preference, but it would also let them concentrate force with others.

Splitting up was also technically an option, she supposed, but it didn't appeal immediately. In a mess like this, it was better to concentrate force.

And she wanted Wei's head. Whenever the fight against him happened, she wanted to be there, to make sure he did not walk away.

"Up and forward," she decided. She tapped up another ice road and slid onto it, Tsukiya following, and on her next exhale passed him enough control to make his own in case of emergency, if it was touching one of hers.

They'd discussed the link, a bit, and while it wasn't something they were going to bandy about, sharing jutsu or even non-jutsu chakra techniques like this was neither difficult nor obvious. Between that and the other roads, it still wasn't too much pressure for her to manage as well as gearing for active combat.

(Of course, Moriko was unaware--and would be until someone told her--that her eyes were glowing when she used the roads, the skates, or any of the other heart of ice tricks she had available now, and this was one of the reasons her cousins had been staring earlier.)

The road the two of them were using wasn't going as high by far as the sniper towers. No, instead she was aiming toward the upper middle of the tower itself, where Shadow troops would be climbing to. Michino had already proved this current, gaudy version of the Tower was not anywhere near impervious to strong attack. The obvious thing to do was take advantage of that.

Of course...

"Which floor are they on?" she asked Tsukiya, who was still right behind her. He would be able to see and peg through the windows better than her; he had a better sense than she did for that type of timing.

"Floor right below the explosion," Tsukiya said. "Do you want me to call it?"

Moriko lifted one hand, ready to seal. "Yes. Give me a ten."

A pause, and then, after a moment, Tsukiya started counting down from ten. At 'three,' Moriko started her handseals. When she finished, a gigantic ice dragon leapt into the air from nowhere, in the next instant crashing into the exact location Tsukiya had tracked. Shouts of alarm sounded, and she leaned sideways to perfectly coordinate with Tsukiya, whose blades came up next to sing in the air and send impossibly-distanced slashes directly after, aiming for any of the guards that showed their faces.

It was hard not to laugh, though Moriko knew she was grinning as she moved to the side, expanding the ice path just a touch so they could be side-by side and not obstruct each other. It ended significantly before the tower, and she could turn it on a pin-point anyway in case anyone tried to jump for it.

She had, after all, been aiming directly for any running guards--not merely to smash a hole in the Tower.

Certainly, Michino could say 'try not to kill them,' but if one could make it just look like a brilliant sneak attack--well.

Who could blame them?

[Topic Entered]

Note that both Moriko and Tsukiya have their Shinobi 101 as Slashing Taijutsu at Ranged Accuracy; this is that in practice. Since they're paired through chakra resonance, Tsukiya's Zantetsuken is coming off Moriko's Yuki-iced Water Dragon Bullet directly via the Cascade effect on the latter.
 

Toraono Michino

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[This will be modderated much like DnD. For those who don’t play: just use what you have on your character, and RP them as normal. I will be taking those actions and applying them to the arcing story I have already laid out in my head. With the roll of a d20, we determine how effective your strategy is against the “Defending” roll of an enemy’s d20. From there I will write out your next challenge, victory, or potential injury! For Suna!]

Fighting in the sky was a weird sensation. Normally a man used to planting his feet on solid ground to throw a punch, Michino felt a little out of sync when his flame wreathed form swung a right; not that he needed to actually make contact with his physical fist. Each swing brought forth the gigantic paw of his god from the flames, and though the Ancient managed to dodge each attack, the air pressure following those swings forced the assassin to keep his defenses up.

The Flame Court Ancient standing before him was covered in flames themselves. Bright orange and reds to make a stark contracts against the Toraono’s purple and blue hues. The being who fought for Wei, wore his flames like an armor, solidifying into red heated metal platemail the closer the flames were to his flesh, whereas Michino’s purple fire hung around him like a wreath save the raw chakra pouring from his eyes and mouth; which looked like fumes threatening to ignite. The big difference between the two fire users duking it out? The source of their flame, and how they handled it.

Ancients were beings of raw elemental power that gained sentience. They were created, formed naturally, and birthed by other Ancients. They breathed, fed upon, and slept in the elements that cradled them. The only reason Michino’s power stood a chance against the fire of the Old World was that it was sourced not from himself, but from the realms of the Youkai - a Primal Source of Creation. Yet, unlike his opponent, Michino’s use of the fires of hell constantly burned him. He could feel it already, the purple fire that was his alone to control, eating away at his chakra and reducing his coil to cinders. In a prolonged fight, he wasn’t likely to stand long - which made fighting a Flame Ancient exceptionally challenging.

Stretching his hand out, the assassin gripped the air to instantly form a broadsword made of fire, raise it above his head, and swing it down in speeds no average mortal could match. The boxer threw his left shoulder back to sidestep the heated vortex cut his way, wincing at the sounds of a building being cut in half behind him and worrying not for the structure itself, but for the people within that might not have evacuated yet. His eyes hardened as he tried once more to shift his body into a stance that would allow him to box in the sky. All the 13th needed was a simple opening. A single solid blow in the right spot could allow him to inject the Ancient with a fire he could not consume and that would be that. Yet every time he tried to make a stance and swing, the giant paw of Hyou swatted air as the Ancient deftly saw the attack. The Kazekage’s eyes glanced away for a moment to peer at the battlefield…
===============================================================
[Ryota rolled a 20/The Guard rolled a 12]

Wei’s group of thirty rolled out into the streets looking for blood. Their eyes seemed almost hazy too, as if their whipped frenzy wasn’t due to an unrepentant loyalty, but due to some outside force. A drug? A Genjutsu? Many of the Sunan Rebellion who dove into the bottom set of guards no doubt missed the simple actions they made in their frenzied attacks, but the young Toraono did not. Strings of electrical whipped from Ryota’s fingers as they intercepted one such guard before knocking them out cold them with a clean uppercut. The attack was solid, the chakra technique giving them a zap enough to clean up an opening that landed the other shinobi flat on their back; knocked out. Guess those lessons with Michino were paying off.

Yet as his fist landed against the guard’s chin, Ryota would quickly recognize the strange “give,” in the way their opponent flopped out like a fish on land. The haze in their eyes, a certain smell wafting in the rising air amongst the flames, and the frenzied actions of a militia trained to work in harmony tipped the teenager off that these people were influenced by something unsuspectingly familiar.

The same concoction that had forced Ryota to see the worse of their days, was now influencing these soldiers. It was clearly changed up, altered down to awaken a beast within and, made easier to control. To the teen’s left and right other guards came simply rushing in like beasts, only to do themselves in as the lingering electrical torrents of the Lightning Ninjutsu zapped them into unconsciousness. It was clearer now than ever that the people “fighting” to protect Wei was only doing so because they had no choice.

How would Ryota handle this information? Would it be wise to reinforce the Kazekage’s warning of pulling punches against a frenzied force? Or would it be better to let others come to their own conclusions while doing their best to punch with kid gloves…

Not giving the Toraono too much time to think, another six guards rushed to the position of the fallen four before Ryota with a myriad of weapons swinging wildly through the air in an attempt to catch them with any attack, a mix of fear of the Demonbeast Clan and the drug doping their systems.
===============================================================
[Sora rolled a 4/The Ancient rolled a 17]

Ah, I see the missing Order has been found,” a grated voice from behind a metal helmet echoed into the night after dodging yet another of Michino’s attacks, “I see they believe that the sky will protect them from the retribution of bucking the System…” his hand glowed and ominous black color before throwing a line of fire covered in the same hue across one of the airships before it ever had a chance to begin firing munitions.

It is not so.” Michino reached out his hand to stop the flames, willing to take on the pain and burden of the black fire himself to protect those who aided him from above, but alas, the great paw of Hyou could not stretch that far.

Being that the Order were no fools, having collected information from the world ‘round, the thing keeping the airships aloft was nothing that could be ignited from heat. What kind of idiot would fill their flying contraption with a combustive fuel, in the desert?. Especially one well known to cook things left on the dunes to a crisp on the worse of days already. That did not, however, mean that the ship itself, could not catch fire. Heat-proof, sure, and perhaps flame retardant to keep any fires the sun could cause easy to catch and contain…but the black fires that landed upon one of the decks was no normal fire.

Those with ties to the Uchiha would quickly recognize the unquenchable black fire of their clan. It was a primal flame, born of from a time the world was new, and raised questions once more to the significance of Ancients, the world, and how their mighty elemental hands might have shaped human history beyond the Wind Country…but of course those were questions for another time. Instead. Sora's Order would need to find way to remove the black flames before it removed them from the sky.
===============================================================
[Moriko rolled an 8/The Surprised Guards rolled a 2]

The sniper towers gave the Tsurara clan an advantage more than what could be expected. Well defended by large sheets of ice to hide behind, and clear openings to shoot from, they had everything needed to rain down a frozen hell from above…only to find that the opponent below paid them no attention. No matter how many arrows shot out to incapacitate or kill the guards below, not a single one pointed up at the two towers as a source of their fallen comrades. They all seemed to be simply…wild. They attacked like beasts on the ground forces, showing not a single moment of mercy that was being showed to them. Members of the rebellion caught trying to pull punches were starting to become more and more wounded; some critically. The horrors of war against the order of their Kazekage turned an ugly face to the Tsurara, who had an eagle eye view of the battlegrounds.

Moriko and her companion, however, wasted no breath in holding back. They were the horrors of war, unleashed, as the two exploded into the side of the building and met the opposition with blade and bow. Immediately three guards were cut down, their limbs flying with a spray of crimson. The frozen ground that covered their entrance into the tower made it impossible for forces down the stairs to turn back towards the assault half-way up the tower, and those coming down were forced into a bottle neck of impossible blade techniques and Ice Ninjutsu. A simple ten seconds after breaking in, the duo had notched out a staging ground. A simple path out towards the towers and Moriko could call her clan within to begin setting a pincer attack on the main force below.

Yet that wasn’t the only option. Wei’s screams, clearly far more shrill than most, with a deep commanding voice that would spike in panic randomly came from above. Then an even further distracting cry for help came from below the stairs. What was between the entrance and the top of Wei’s terrible tower of debauchery? A slave stash? His unfortunate harem? Could Moriko ignore the pleas for help to satisfy her well deserved vengeance? How much of the 13th’s order for pacifism would the duo follow?
===============================================================
[Michino rolled a 9/The Flame Ancient rolled an 11]

A burning, heavy, blow struck the Toraono like a truck. He felt the impossibly hot fire dig into his ribs and shatter two of them. It sent him sailing back into the building previously cleaved in 'twain, a purple streak of fire through the sky that ended with a crash of debris from the sheer force. The mysterious fiery assassin dove into the dust plume after the boxer, causing clashes of red and purple to explode from various parts of the building before the new Kazekage was thrown back out of the building and into the fray below. The man was already bruising up, and blood was seeping into his white shirt where his ribs had been shattered with a few of them poking through. Yet it wasn’t a face of pain, shame, or weakness that shined upon the Toraono’s face…it was one of resentment.

His eyes were being opened.

Through the beat down from within the building, top floor to bottom, there was bodies everywhere. Some cut clean in half by the sword attack thrown earlier. Others crushed by the rubble. As the two fire-attuned warriors struck and parried their way through the dilapidated building the Kazekage heard small pleas for help being snuffed out by the heat the two combatants brought as bodies became ignited by both of their flames. A solid blow from the Ancient’s sword blocked by Hyou’s paw sent Michino out of the building and into the battleground where doped guards hacked into the warriors of the Rebellion trying their hardest to follow his orders and take down their fellow shinobi without ending lives. They were suffering terrible injuries, some already on the ground dead from their crimson life spilled around them.
…as you can see, young Toraono, in a war there can be no mercy. Instead of dragging this fight outside of Suna, as a good leader would, you planned a surprise attack with the intent of sparing as many as you could. Noble, if not foolish.” Came the rattling voice of scratching metal and mockery. The Flame Ancient walked out of the building’s hole slowly before snapping his fingers, causing the entire thing to ignite in a red inferno to crush any hope Michino had of saving the survivors of their battle.
Far too green…” he murmured before lifting his broadsword even to his shoulders, and lunged forward with a thrust aided by the flames bursting from his soles. Those caught on either side of the attack were burned and pushed away.

The speed the elemental pursued his opponent with should have been impossible to stop for all but the most seasoned of warriors. The Ancient so consumed with the thought that the Rebellion had elected a novice to lead them, he changed the thrust suddenly into another swing, to slash out a giant wave of fire at the last second. It would burn down those around him, behind him, and sever his pride ever further.

The Toraono lord spit a glob of blood into the sandy stone at his feet, took a deep breath, and shouted before punching with a straight right. There was no giant cat’s paw to deflect the wave of flame this time, just simply the right fist covered in a sheen of purple heat. When the two forces collided another burst of air and heat rocketed either side of the attacks, for a split second, before it was all redirected back towards the Flame Ancient. The warrior quickly raised his blade and deflected the air force back upwards, missing one of the airships by mere few feet.
Oh? Planning to actually fig-” his words were cut off by the Toraono Lord’s sudden entrance into his personal space; it happened in less time than it took to snap a finger. A look of fury, famous to his clan, roiled within his purple iris with a rage that made even the Ancient take a single step back. He swung the long blade at the target well within his murder-circle, but it missed as Michino ducked under it as if to spite his broken ribs, followed by a single swing that turned into five more. All of them were seemingly instant, as if he had summoned clones, but the Ancient knew that this was raw speed. The boxer wasted no words in combat, but the swordsman knew that now that they touched ground, he was in the Kazekage’s natural fighting state. There was something more there too, something angry, with each blow.

The Ancient didn’t try to dodge them, instead he foolishly raised his blade and took on all five hits; each one felt like being struck with by a mountain from the pits of hell. The elemental found himself regretting allowing those blows to land...yet…behind the red metal of his armor, the Ancient smiled…
 
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Ryota gritted his teeth as soon as he noticed it. His fists clenched and his nails dug into the gloves. “These people…” He whispered under his breath, he knew exactly what this curse was. After all, he was having the same. He was trying so hard to escape this, but it seemed like these people weren’t. “Isamu.” The voice of the teen sounded cold as he said that name. The shimmer reduced out of his earring and he looked side-eyed to the contract. “Isa… I want you to relay something for me.” He spoke and would eye the people in front of him. It was hard to say that the teen was calm in this aspect… And he knew that there were only two ways to deal with this. He wasn’t going to kill these people off. “Tell Micchi… That I am going to use that, as widely as I can in this area without faltering myself. They have enhanced that drug and made it worse.” And with that, he knocked another set-out. He had no other choice… There may be a way for them too to come clean of it… Although it wasn’t easy, definitely not the way that most people would do.

’You orders?
’ Tell micchi… That they enhanced ‘the drug’ and that it is a lot more harmful. You can see it in their eyes, their movements are like fish on dry land. Sluggish and they are fed so far, that they are fully in control of their minds... I am going to subdue them, not kill them, in the hope we can help them…’

’ You understand Isa?’
’ Yes. I will find a way to pass on this message to your brother Micchino.


and with that, the contractor incorporated himself and started to search for Micchino. Ryota on the other hand, just barely managed to dodge the oncoming parade of weapons. “Sheesh.. Guys, let’s just talk it out?” He was saving up time for the beast's fangs to activate, large enough where he remained in control, but also not too small that attacks could rise all of a sudden and leave him defenseless.

Out of nowhere, spikes from almost pure chakra formed from the ground, static discharge coming from them, and a gravity force pushing down on people. “Beasts fangs…” It was a jutsu that he created to hold a larger group of people in place, yet sadly he wasn’t always 100% in control and was often reluctant to use it. As it required a lot of chakra at the same time. A sweat drop went from his jaw as he looked at how he managed to keep this under control. “Bring it…” he muttered to the people around, this would for sure make it a lot harder… Not only that, he would try to bind them or make them unconscious by any means possible… Even if he needed to use an old-fashioned chokehold. The problem was, that he wasn’t really in a position to do much else besides this one for now. He could feel his body heat up already, so time was a little bit of the essence. “Don’t fight it too hard… Gravity is a bish and you may break something…” He tried to sound innocent, but the fact that he couldn’t really hide his anger was a fact.

The contract in the meanwhile, started to get closer as to where the leader was supposed to be. This brother Micchino. Isamu struggled to get through to the place, but once he finally noticed. He called out, thinking he could get closer in time. “Micchino Sir! Message!!” He called but was soon blocked off and was now facing something himself…

[ooc; using CRPJ Beasts fangs, since CRPJs are normally not used, I treat this as an 8AP action with 3AP maintenance. Just so I limited myself from the 10 I have. =) ]
MFT
 
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Stretching like an arc of lightning only from the ground instead of the sky, black flames erupted towards the ships like guided missiles. With the speed and admittedly beautiful grace that the black flames had danced upon the skies, the cry to call for evasive maneuvers came too slow and far too late. Of the five largest ships, three had been hit, including his own, and of the handful of smaller ancillary ships, he reports were coming in that most of them had taken on some form of hit, whether it was direct hit or not didn't matter. The recognizable black flames consumed all that they touched whether it were an ember or an infernal maw. "Sir, what are your commands? Should issue the command to abandon ship and..." "Not yet!" Rising from his seat, Sora played back the trajectory of the glowing black flames from before. If such an attack was coming from one gifted with the abilities of the Uchiha then they were all just simply too large a target to fully evade them. In much the proverbial way, they were sitting ducks and those from the ground could take potshots at them from all angles.

"Sir, we're taking on damage on multiple floors and the s-" Holding up a hand Sora shook his head. "A moment, all I need is a moment." Turning to another order member a few steps away with a clipboard, he motioned for them to approach. "Lieutenant, are all ships outfitted with sand clippers?" Nodding, the officer looked at their clipboard. "Yes sir! All of the battleships were outfitted with them." Nodding appreciatively, Sora continued on. "And our C-Class ships?" Pausing a bit, the officer flipped through a few pages on the clipboard. "Well sir, they're basically larger sand clippers themselves." Shrugging in agreement, Sora had received the answers that he needed. Turning back to the original officer that had asked for his orders, Sora begin to give further instructions. "I guess that we're going with your plan after all. Let the other ships know that I'm issuing a T.S.O.:R, and open a private line to the Murasame for me." Snapping to attention, the officer gave a salute and rushed off.

From the ground those looking above might have seen a shimmering reflective wave pass between the airships before the black flames that plagued them seemingly disappeared. Not trying to repeat the same mistakes that had been made by so many leaders before, instead of being xenophobic, the Fourth Order was xenophilic in its practices, and in doing so they had opened themselves up to the best that the country had to offer. Much like Sora, there were others who could in many ways manipulate the flow of time and much like any great power, when gathered together, the impossible was made possible. Though he hated to use what he considered to be their secret weapon so early, getting a second chance at making an entrance allowed the second part of his plan to come into effect. While not a kamikaze order in the truest sense, Sora surmised that by grounding the Murasame, that they could at least make it easier to protect their very precious underbelly from attack. He hated to lose even a single ship in the sky but if sacrificing one meant that more could make it to the through then that was a sacrifice worth making.


OOC: There's a noted irony to rolling a 4. XD

OOC #2: Sora issued a command to rewind time for most ships, removing the black flames from them and then purposefully grounded the Murasame (one of the larger ships) in order to unleash a small contingent of small scale "Sand Clippers" (think school bus/public transportation bus sized air ships that are meant to effectively float a meter or two off of the ground) to try and take out the anti-air forces on the ground.

T.S.O:.R = Temporal Strider Order: Rewind or, a large scale use of the Rewind - Independent Special Action This is a maneuver that takes many multiples of Temporal Striders to pull off and is not something that can be used rapid fire. Large scale feats like this effectively burn out a number Temporal Striders and is a last resort to protect as many as possible.
 

Tsurara Moriko

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"Pause," Hanae said. She didn't want to outright contradict Moriko, but something was off. "Something's wrong down there."

Her varying cousins all did as she said and looked more closely at the movement. It was easier than one would think to differentiate friend from foe--largely because the friendlies were moving with purpose and being cautious, and the foes were not. They looked...deranged. Berserk.

A moment was too long in battle, though, and Hanae rapidly strung and fired again when she spied a flailing guard charging an unaware resistance fighter.

"Never mind," Hanae said, expression tight. "Prioritize protecting friendlies, keep open fire. Unless Moriko radios us with a change in plan, or Yuri-san overrides her."

That didn't seem likely, though.

With swiftness and careful view of the battle to prioritize covering allies, the Tsurara cousins resumed fire.

~

Moriko had, of course, no such moral qualms. If someone had told her outright that the guards here were being controlled, and were not doing this of their own will in a more literal sense than simple blackmail or blind loyalty, she would not have changed her approach one jot.

In fact, she was largely of the opinion that morals were for other people. It could be helpful to feign having them, but in present company she didn't need to do that and any supposed excess brutality was simply and easily lied about. If anyone even brought it up at all. The incoming Kazekage could be as high-minded an idealist as he liked, but that didn't mean his people agreed with him on that one.

Though some of even them might balk a bit at the wild, high laughter Moriko allowed herself for a few moments upon seeing the bloody mess she and Tsukiya made of the tower guards.

This is living!

It had been a good tactical consideration, too, Moriko noted as she tamped down her outward expression. They had a lot of options from here that the people on the ground simply did not. Air was always a good idea with the option, after all. A lot of people simply didn't consider the third dimension when planning.

But what was the best way to move? She'd effectively cut off the tower guards from joining the melee below unless they wished to start hurling themselves out windows. Those lower down also would have a significant barrier to coming up after them. So she and Tsukiya could climb and plow through guards relatively unimpleded by anyone potentially coming up behind them. That way, they could get to Wei more quickly. And decapitating him--literally or figuratively--would also end or put a severe damper on the enemy side of the fight below. From one projection, going up as quickly as possible was the correct thing to do.

If it had been possible to simply rip the top off the tower somehow, that might have been best--but the airships were probably geared to do that, which meant that was handled. (If they weren't, she'd be a little disappointed.) A breakline through was the next best thing. Either way, it was unlikely the tower would remain standing by the time the resistance was done here.

There was also--

"What?" she asked. Tsukiya was frowning. His hearing was sharper than hers; had he picked up on something?

"Cry for help," he said. "Down below. Given the mental state of these soldiers, whoever it is is not there by choice."

"All right," she said, and mulled it over briefly before mental shrugging. "Tactically they don't offer much, probably. I can radio my mother. To get to anything or anyone under the stairs we'd be letting the guards currently blocked off from climbing back to us, but she's already taking some of the spies around to clear civilians, so I can just let her know. Her people can probably get there more easily."

For a given value thereof, granted. But still, Moriko cued up her headset and relayed the information to her mother. Yuri accepted the information with her usual terse responses and said she'd get people on it--apparently at somewhat of a priority, as since Michino and Moriko's attacks and the approach of the airships, there was a growing cognizance the tower would not last the night and anyone going in for such things should get in and out as fast as possible.

She flicked her headset off and with a thought stabilized the wall behind them, blocking the troops from coming back up more thoroughly and deliberately. This was heart of ice, not mere normal chakra ice; they would have a hard time with fire or blade.

"We go for the head," she said. Tsukiya's crooked smile mirrored hers.

Though--how? Both of them were better at range, and narrow hallways negated that. One option was blasting directly up and through...a few big hits might do that, and it would be better than fighting their way through. For them, at least. However, they also did not have protection from those between their current position and the top coming up behind them should Wei have more than one competent guard. So perhaps a 'shortcut' was not a good idea in the medium term. Additionally, if they aimed for Wei and reached him alongside Michino when he was done, that would likely be better. Extra force.

Not a lot to be done about that fight, mind; Michino was now down on the ground and who knew when he'd fix that. Moriko could maybe provide a path up...

...but the guards still had to be cleared.

Which meant she should fix the terrain. Exterior walls were load-bearing, so eliminating them now might be a bit premature. Unfortunately, neither of them had any explosives they could use to remote detonate, so that would have to be accomplished later. Collapsing part of the tower by blowing outer walls would have similar issues to a shortcut right now, but later it might be a viable backup surprise.

"You're fine on sliding ice," Moriko said to Tsukiya. Not asking; she knew he was.

"Of course," he said, so she nodded and stepped forward, heading up, pushing ice chakra out ahead of her to freeze the ground. The frost pooled out from her feet, reaching ten feet ahead of her no matter which way she went, and Tsukiya trailed, footsteps sure and knives out. The hallways were just wide enough for both of them once they cleared the bodies, so he stepped up to her side, both of them with senses primed.

Their joined chakra sung between them, and Moriko nudged him without words; in response, he spared a fragment of attention to collapse the path they'd taken up via her ice, since she was focusing hers on the hall in front.

But should they run into more guards, the destablizing ice would suddenly creep the walls and turn into large, deadly spikes. And Tsukiya would be ready to follow up with ranged slashes to anyone who escaped the ice.

Moriko is using Ice Transmutation to turn the floors to ice to give terrain advantage. Ice Transmutation is described as spikes, so when necessary (if anyone shows up this round) she can turn it more lethal. Tsukiya is poised to Kill Driver anyone who tries to attack.
 

Toraono Michino

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[Rolls 1d20 in post order: |Suna|18,4,14,15 vs 9,11,9,20|Wei|]

The early dawn’s red rays of violence brightened the battlefield more and more. Bodies of those who were unable to avoid the destruction around the Kazekage Tower became more noticeable. Crimson life spilled into the dusty stone paths began to turn a reddish brown hue as it mixed with the dirt to become a grotesque mud. While the majority of the soldiers on Michino’s side were doing their best to pull punches, the other side was not, and this lead to some inevitable hard choices to be made.

My life, or their life?

For many of the shinobi that flocked to the 13th’s side and message of a peaceful revolt, they tried to risk their own for an ideal. These fighters were met not with good karma for their heroic attempts, but instead the cold bite of steel into their side. Wounded began to stack on the rebellion’s side. More than a few were fatal. What were their final thoughts as the good soldiers of the Toraono laid on their back staring at the crimson sky? Did they feel proud to carry on the honor of the Demonbeast clan? Or where they scared of the inevitable darkness that crept into the corners of their eyes as their bodies turned cold in the desert morning? Wails of pain, fear, and aid came from the Rebellion, but Wei’s soldiers idled in no such weakness.

Driven by the drug that turned them into berserk warriors, the glazed eyes of fury tore into their opponents without reprimand. Nothing save ‘kill,’ cross their cerebral. The smell of blood, death, and fire became as thick as the smoke of the building the two fire elementals were duking it out in.

The battle continued on…

===============================================================
[Ryota rolled an 18|The Enemy rolled a 9]

Driven back by the countless soldiers pushing him back, the young and upcoming Toraono quickly recognized what was effecting his opponent and reached up to their earring. Not just any ol’ fashion accessory, this living object of some mystical power responded to their friend’s touch. A message. The soldiers under Wei were being affected by an alternative version of the drug used to torment the teenager not but a few months ago. With a quick toss towards their leader, Ryota sent the living jewelry to Michino’s side to help him gather tactical knowledge he might be able to use. The clan leader's brother was the second largest mad scientist in town, so maybe he had an idea to help break the men and women at Wei’s behest from their spell of rage.

Except, as the living gem flew through the air, maintaining the speed of the original toss through chakra, something intercepted its path; a rock. Simply a rock. A wall that had not been there during the original aim and toss suddenly collapsed in the direct path between Michino and the Item. Harmless to the spirit within, the earring simply bounced off the new wall collapsed there by the Kazekage’s fight.

However, where the magical ear accessory failed, Ryota did not. A trick up their sleeve to be used should they become overwhelmed by the fighting force came into full form as the Toraono unleashed the power innate to his bloodline. With a mighty roar of chakra the battlefield suddenly became enveloped in a beautiful blue and purple, with claws shaped out of lightning bursting from the ground where the chakra spread. The claws themselves did no damage, but the chakra spread around the field was a powerful well of gravity that dragged down both enemy and friend alike. Some of the Rebellion was caught up in the wave of gravity, but a majority of Wei’s ground forces were pinned to the ground and turned into easy pickings. The only remaining question was how long could Ryota hold the technique for?

Even as the majority of the guards were weighed down, the strongest were already trying to resist the technique and drag themselves towards the teenager who was putting their everything on the line. It would be here that the Rebellion learned that the guards pouring out of the Kazekage tower were not the only soldiers they would be fighting. These shinobi fought other shinobi, and not all of the Steward’s men were doped up. From the shadows of alleys not yet collapsed came the fly of a crossbolt that flew by Ryota’s face clearly laced with some kind of poison. It missed him by a hair’s breadth. Through the sounds of grunting and resistance to the gravity technique, the young Toraono could hear the tell-tale click of another crossbolt being loaded...
===============================================================
[Sora somehow rolled a 4, again|The Enemy rolled an 11]

Once the attack landed on the airships, the Fire Court Ancient turned his full attention towards the new Kazekage, missing entirely the power Sora and his crew had on the strings of fate. For the first time in history yet to be recorded, the power of the Temporal Strider was put on full display as the captain ordered his fleet to use their collective power to erase the event from happening all together. To reiterate: it still happened, technically, but the black flames famous to the Uchiha manifested into the air instead of on the airships. As the world's natural weight grabbed at the chakra, pulling it back down, the black fire ate itself until not even an ember remained to touch the ground below; as was the end fate to the Black Flame. A fire so absurd it could only be put out by an Uchiha with a fully powered Dojutsu or it ate itself after consuming whatever it had been placed upon. Starting with a disadvantage towards their attack, Sora quickly pushed the ‘solution button,’ to reset his position on the board.

The next command came. One of the largest of the fleet flew down closer to the battlefield until it come down grounded as close to the fighting as possible. Hatches slid down to reveal The Order geared up on Sand Skippers: bus sized vehicles of war created by the most mechanical geniuses of Suna that had never been fully put to the test in combat, until now. They roared out from the Murasame and onto the battlefield to start helping with the ground forces so that the other airships could maneuver without need for evasive techniques. The plan was solidly clear: Potentially sacrifice a single airship and use the weapons within to mow down anything that could attack them in the sky. Once an aerial superiority was dug into the battleground, the side currently without would quickly find themselves helpless. Flying, gravity manipulation, or in Moriko’s case, precise ice control would keep a majority of soldiers from being able to fly up and disrupt the larger ships armaments.

Science, however, was a fickle mistress.

As the anti-grav propulsion of the Skippers contacted Ryota’s full gravity field mined with electricity, the two opposite powers reacted and broke the laws of nature for a few seconds. Everyone within Ryota’s field were suddenly thrown up into the air. All the way up they went, floating instead of being pushed or pulled by any force as the two laws of the world contacting each other negated gravity in the area completely. Then, as the area in which everyone was floating reached the golden orb where Wei was hiding, it broke, sending both armies and the Skippers crashing back down to earth. Rebels who were with their minds and not fatally injured were able to use quick thinking and chakra to break away and cling to buildings. Some of the wounded were caught by these fast thinkers, while the rest crashed back into the stone below.

The horrid sounds of bones crunching, screams suddenly cut off, and wet explosions filled the air with blood as a majority of Wei’s current ground forces were crushed by the weight of the world. The Skippers came down just shortly before them, yet not a single sound of pain or crushed steel came from Captain Sora’s people; the immaculate timing of a well rounded captain, or the willpower of Suna’s finest minds saved them. It was hard to say which one it was without being directly under the Ancient's command.
===============================================================
[Miroko rolled a 14|Wei’s Tower Guards rolled a 9]

Relaying the message back to her family was Moriko’s choice in saving those potentially trapped in a tower that was quickly becoming a demolition project. The warrior of ice had neither the want, nor the time to chance moving away from the object of her hatred. With a quick hand a large wall of deep ice blocked off the lower reaches from the duo’s position in the tower, and coincidentally also reinforced some of the tower as the wall of ice became load bearing. As the two began to sweep up the stirs further into Wei’s domain, an interesting thing occurred: gravity lost all meaning.

The only thing prefacing such a strange occurrence was a sound that could only be described as “the air being ripped apart.” It was a large vibration that would shake everyone to their core before lifting them from the ground in a gravity-less freefall. Moriko and her lover would be lifted from the ice as they skated up, potentially ruining any chance the duo had at a strong frontal assault on whomever were trying to guard the stairs. Above and beyond they could hear the squeals of their target, screaming and swearing as his large form was lifted from his hiding place and directly towards the raised ceiling of his golden dome.

What could have been, most likely should have been, an interruption to their strategy instead became serendipity. The initial speed of their movement did not slow as they were lifted up, and the duo continued barreling through the stairway without the weight of their bodies to hamper them. The pocket of zero gravity also provided another boon - one in which when they collided with the closed door above, it’s weight had also been negated from one axis to be tossed towards another. Right off the hinges the large wooden barrier came, and stealing from their inertia the door sailed right through the air at frightening speeds. Two of the three guards trying to hold the door barred, ready for any attack, were instantly crushed to death from the sudden speed of their wooden executioner, the third unable to block the Tsukia’s flying slashes, was cut to ribbons as both his body, parts, and blood flew through the air in a form of grotesque artistry.

Then everything snapped back into place. The sounds of screams, crashes, and pain rented the air, echoing up from the opening downstairs. The duo came back down the ground without trouble. A touch of chakra here, a quick landing, and they were back on two legs ready to fight. Wei’s shinobi elite did much of the same, prepping to immediately counter attack the two intruders only to find frozen spikes adjusting their attitudes when they neared Morkio and her partner in crime. It took three bodies rushing in before the last four realized that approaching them while ice still clung to the stairway entrance was a fool’s endeavor.

But, they weren’t the only ones who dropped.

Shortly before three men gave themselves to the frozen lance, but a moment before a majority of the enemy landed back to ground there was a high pitch scream and an “oof!”, as a short, boulder gutted man landed on his back with a groan. Gently floating down like a feather was a black hairpiece that road the upwind caused by the mix of frost within and fire.

Just beyond four more soldiers was Chikamatsu Wei, on his back, literally sobbing and pleading from someone to help him off the ground. Between his blubbering pleas, barely intelligible through his pained tears, he spoke,
“…hip…broke…can’t…save me! Damn…useless! What…pay…”
===============================================================
[The Kazekage rolled a 15|The Flame Ancient rolled a 20]
Michino’s balled fists struck against the Ancient’s armor, his purple flames scouring away the red flames before the blow landed. Each attack from the boxer shook not just the assassin’s world, but the world around him. It was as if the being was fighting something that was supposed to be ten times larger, and yet whenever he thought there was an opening in the Kazekage’s defense, the boxer would simply side-step and counter into an opening the Ancient had left in their own offense. The man’s speed was unreal for his age, despite being just a flesh-and-blood Demon/Human hybrid. The laws of the world, of nature itself, had dictated that those of Ancient Kin were at the top of the food chain in all ways…

…and yet, once again, a human, dared to upset that balance.

The Ancient’s name was Fen’ning, often shortened by his remaining peers to “Fang.” He had once served under the greatest Flame Court Ancient to exist before they had been thrown down by that damnable Primus and the traitor to their kind. Before the humans overthrew their perfect kingdom, razing the once greatly forested lands into the desert they now lived in, Fen lived a life of utter luxury. He dined on the finest warrior souls after demolishing their corporal forms himself in the arena of the Flame Courts. His home was an entire mountain kingdom of its own in the far North, with a palace that had long since fallen to both the movement of time, the world, and sandworms. Everything, that the Ancients had was destroyed the day one of their own kind took pity on the caste of creatures that were more like food to their kind than the slaves they toiled as.

Enough,” the Ancient growled as Michino threw another haymaker with his left fist. It was caught by the wrist, a giant ghostly panther paw replacing the balled knuckles the moment it was stopped; Fang’s hand extended into a giant flame that continued to hold it. With speeds yet shown, the elemental being’s sword raised and fell, cleaving right through the boxer’s right eye and down to his groin. Blood sprayed out from the wound freely and the attack forced the kage’s right knee to buckle from the shock of such an injury. Fen jerked on the arm he had grabbed, to pull the wound open further, but as he did gravity suddenly lost meaning. The sudden movement threw Michino instead of tearing open a fatal wound, and the man was sent sailing towards the debris they fought within. As if to spite the Ancient’s attack, the boxer ran a thumb over his own blood and began to work his way through a number of seals before a small black orb created itself within his palm; he threw it into the shadows of the destroyed building.

The Flame Ancient lost his coordination for a moment among the gravity-free zone that had been accidentally created by the colliding of two forces, but something small and shadowy bounced through the corners of the floating debris and grounded walls. Something fast, and when his eyes finally caught it, something red. It appeared on his right, horned, and furious, with black hair floating in the zero-g. The Ancient swung his entire body to attack with his sword, but without the force of gravity he had become accustomed to, the blade sailed right on by the demon. It raised two fingers with her right hand, grabbed his burning platemail with her left…

…and poked out his eyes.

What should have been far more comical was, in fact, a searing pain that Fen’ning had no idea could be experienced. Those two fingers contained obsidian claws that dug right into his orbs. Despite the fact he was made literally of fire, they punched in as if they were made of mortal flesh. He could feel his essence escaping them as he jerked his head back and screamed. Then gravity corrected itself and he began to fall. Unable to see, he did not know that the little demon had not just momentarily blinded him, but angled his body so that a large piece of rebar would impaled through his chest as Fen landed. Magmatic blood spewed from the wound followed by another cry of pain as one of his eyes slowly regenerated to see the ruby-skinned imp like creature that was Michino’s twin sister, slowly swaggering towards him. On the tips of her fingernails were his previous eyeballs, searing in purple flame, and upon her face was a look of seer malcontent.

Bro’s not much of a talker during a fight. Makes aight’ speeches, and knows how to talk someone down out of a bad time but, combat monologuing? Not really his thing,” she flicked her wrist, causing the impaled eyeballs to fly away and turn to dust as her steps neared the impaled Ancient, “Me? I’m told I can be quite the chatterbox. What can I say? You don’t win the Underworld Championship Belt six times in a row by just being a good fighter. Gotta work up the crowd!

Her hand extended out to the left and inside of the four-foot tall ruby imp’s palm manifested a black spear with three points at the end. It was made of petrified wood wrapped in ebony sludge that moved around as if it had some sort of sentience. From the tips of the spear dripped an emerald toxin that hissed when it made contact with the mortal realm.
Today? Today I’m not gonna say a lot. Just going to start stabbing you. I don’t know when I’ll stop, and not a single word will be uttered from my lips, save perhaps, the most disgusting swears this world has ever heard in a language no mortal can comprehind…

…which, you might know a few, not being mortal 'n all.

The imp all but lunged, fury and vengeance in her eyes.
===============================================================
The shock of having been cut in twain, surviving the wound perhaps out of sheer luck as the purple flames that drifted from his body sealed it closed, had caused Michino to black out. It was the sounds of screams and the fall of Wei’s guards that alerted his combat senses once more and awoke to find the corpses around him of both his own and the enemy. Sadness crossed the Kazekage’s figure as he struggled to push himself back against the broken building's wall and into a sitting position. The horror of war he was trying hard to avoid simply stared back at him in her inevitability. No matter how well laid his plans had been, there was nothing that could stop the curse of death when blades were drawn between two sides.

Michino looked down at his hands, wondering now if he had been correct in his choice of accepting the Council’s decision. These people followed at his whims because they looked towards a leader to unite their ideals and fight back into the future. He had promised to sweep Wei out of his building and take back over Suna before waging a real war against the Twins and their machinations, but now…now he wondered if he ever really had the strength or will to do that in the first place; the wound that sealed his right eye shut now, and tugged painfully as he moved, only seeming to exacerbate his line of thinking. The sounds of screams, swearing of the Fel, pain…the smell of death, blood, and fire…

Was this what it meant to be the Kazekage?

Michino turned his eyes to the ground in shame, wondering how he could of done better, when the glint of something gold and orange caught his eye. Ryota's earring...
 
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' I used to think that pain was something you could see. That you would be able to tell right away. But I was wrong. It's quiet, invisible and people hide it behind smiles. Behind the noise of everyday life. They bury it so deep inside, that even they forget it's there until it's not. The ones who laugh the loudest... The ones who seem like nothing could ever touch them... Sometimes they are the ones drowning the most. Then you start to believe it is your fault. That somehow, you deserve this weight pressing down on your chest as if this endless void is meant for you.'

That bolt brought him back to reality. This wasn't a picnic, this wasn't a simple exercise. This was survival. He somehow managed to dodge that bolt at first. And that is when he reminded himself. "Right... War..." He muttered and knew he had to do something. So far... He only killed two people, nothing more as of yet. But right now, he felt barely anything. These people were using those people, maybe even innocent in the beginning to start this bloodshed. He activated his Byakugan silently, no word callings, nothing like that. He never understood why some in his team announced as to what they did. You would have to use other methods to catch the enemy off guard. Everything around him, including him for a few seconds became weightless. ' Ahhh... please don't scold me after Micchi...' the teen thought a bit tired of getting nagged perhaps.

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he kept that chakra going. Slowly a grin formed, he noticed the sound that was carried by the wind too. Despite a lot going on around him, he heard it. The loading of another bolt right there and then. He had to make amends... He couldn't save them all. As soon as he hit the ground again, he would start moving. "Die.." He muttered as he got into moving, as quickly as anything. He moved right close, 2 palm strikes... Started to turn into 4.. and to 8 then to 16... Yet everywhere where Ryota touched you could see the skin turn. He even tried to hit those points so that he wouldn't be able to draw that bow again. Not now not ever. Ryota turned fearless, an ability that not everyone had or found accepting... Many people fear death above all else, but the shinobi who embrace death as a simple part of their career, find they have nothing to fear.

"Listen well Ryota... The Byakugan possesses the ability to see all within a certain radius, nothing being able to escape its wide field of vision. This visual sensory is beyond the processing of a normal mind. Using this however, one can focus and block out other senses and concentrate purely on their Byakugan sight, temporarily increasing the distance of their sensory range and enable to pinpoint their targets through their chakra view." As if a faint memory came back, his body already did this. Scan the area to see what he would have to deal with... He was for sure going to complain to Michino later, about the extended moving he had to do. It was quite known that Ryota could be as lazy as anything.

A shimmer came from the earring as it landed on the ground. Inside, the contract would be rubbing his head. "Smooth landing if anything...." They muttered and started to look around, that was when he found Michino. "Haha... Hey now, Done already? Is that all you've got? I haven't even shown you my or Ryota's strength. You know... you'll have to try harder than that!" The earring started to buzz a little on the ground as it spoke that. Yes... It spoke. A lot of people freaked out before, but he hoped he would bring a little sense... and if not, he would attempt to whack him one way or another. "Get your head back into the game!" He scolded the male, despite being dead. He was still older than this guy right now. "Or are you giving up..? If you want... I can lend you some power, at no price. See it as a favor from me to that kid."

Ryota
3AP Remain CRPJ Beasts fangs.
0ap activate Sage mode - ghostie
1AP Activating Byakugan.
3ap. Life Corrosion - A-Rank Ninjutsu
1.75 ap Eight Trigrams: Palm Strike - Unarmed Taijutsu 16 Palms - Requires C-Rank. 4 attacks, each dealing 250 Chakra Damage. Costs 1.75 AP and 335 CP.
1ap Chakra Vision Scan - Independent Special Move

Contract;
Passive; Effect: The user transforms into some type of living item, and equips themselves to one willing Player Character (a Tsukumogami contract may only bond with someone who has the Tsukumogami contract, while someone with Sage Mode may choose any willing ally). While bonded. If Micchi is willing, he can equip said contract with Ryota's content due to Ryota being Sage mode.

1) A basic strike costs 0.75 AP to knock Micchi back into it...
2) Small nag for 1AP on michino for being a bratty person sitting like this.
3) if Micino allows it, use mystical hand.
 
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A collective gasp escaped from everyone on the bridge's mouth as the planned maneuver of the Murasame almost seemed to backfire. It was then that Sora learned a lesson that should have been clear and obvious. Even in a wide desert, the act of literally flying in as the cavalry was easily rendered moot if the allied ground forces below were either not fully aware of their presence or efforts couldn't be coordinated. Motioning for a communications officer he made a request that he probably should have made long before he did. "I need a channel opened to the Kazekage or whoever's supposed to be guarding his rear. We're practically tripping over our own forces down there." Snapping to attention the officer gave a nod and rushed off to try to get a clear line to the action below. Though the ships were floating far above the action, one of the few systems tied directly to the ships power source was their communication units. Sora hoped that by getting in contact with the ground below that he could if nothing else make sure that whatever gravity bomb had happened below didn't happen again, or if it needed to, it would hopefully be purposefully controlled. Even more so than the frankly embarrassing landing, the fact that they were quickly coming up on civilization and not just an open desert made it even more important that they get in contact with somebody on the ground, least they accidentally blow up their own.

OOC: Attempting to open a line of communication with the ground forces for better coordination.
 

Tsurara Moriko

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It was utter chaos, but Moriko still didn't miss the pathetic figure of her hated enemy tumbling down onto the floor they were on, snivelling for someone to help him. Only a buried note of discord stopped her from immediately levelling on him.

This is too easy.

And it was. Despite the utter chaos it had been since they'd smashed their way into the tower, they were in effective command--Moriko controlled the battlefield, four enemies remained aside the useless figurehead leader, and there was all but a clear path.

Something's not right.

No, the note was louder now, culminating in a single crystallized thought.

"זאת מלכודת." She used the language Tsukiya had taught her some of, focusing on the combat-relevant portions as they had early on, but still spoke lowly just in case. Runic Terran was out for situations like this, after all, as any of Wei's guard could know it.

"Damn," he murmured at low volume. "Don't ignore him, but..."

"Yes." Keep an eye on Wei, but blast through the other guards first--if this was genuine, the pathetic figure would keep; if it wasn't, better to keep eyes open.

There did, after all, exist the possibility that the resistance had struck hard and well enough, and that the assassin that had barreled out the window after the would-be Kazekage was the only truly competent one around. But then, if that was the case...had all of this been necessary? Was everything going on outside necessary? She didn't know most of what that was, true, but it was hard to miss that things were more than a little mad and the spillover was hitting them in here.

Had their enemy simply underestimated them, in other words? Could they simply have barged in here with a strike team? Cleaned the whole thing up? Had Wei so focused on political machinations and luxury indulgences he had neglected the martial might of the core of Sunagakure, or had he simply not expected them to mobilize this effectively?

The Sand loyal forces had not only those airships but the combined might of the strongest ninja in the country, not to mention a number of particularly powerful ones and something to fight for. Wei had...what? Guards they had been shouldering aside, an assassin completely deadlocked with Michino? He had to do underhanded things like poisoning because he couldn't fight. That suggested the man himself was not a battlefield threat...

Yet, was the thought the guards or many of the forces had been mind-controlled true? What was the correct method here of handling this?

Just kill him? Grab him and make him do...something, to undo whatever effect was on the fighters? Could he even do that? Did he even control that?

Well. Grab him. Threaten him to do so, with Tsukiya watching and reading him to see if he was lying when he either claimed to be able or unable to do so. And go from there.

"Continue," she said after her brief deliberation. "But don't close in. We're ranged."

She didn't even need to specify that she would take the left side and him the right; it was their usual. Instead, she flipped a set of ice shards out of the air into her hand and tossed them in a spread--two at the remaining guards, one at Wei. The one at Wei, if it landed right, would pin him down through the leg that didn't already have a broken hip. The others were aimed at sheer--potentially lethal--damage at the guards, of course.

"Certainly," Tsukiya said, a glint in his eye, as he drew his knives rapidly through the air. Invisible slashes carved through the air, aimed at the two more right-handed guards from their position, not cushioning his blows at all.

Should the left-hand guards still be standing after Moriko's admittedly light attack, she could easily follow up with the ice spikes already present--or possibly a couple blasts of specially frozen air if they were particularly persistent.

זאת מלכודת
It's a trap.

Moriko: Storm of Ice Shards, Fuyushio Yuki table, at two of the four guards and Wei. Strike on Wei is meant to pin (or damage his less/non-injured leg), not lethal. If the attack does not disable the guards, follow up with Yuki-Ice converted Grand Wind Scythe.

Tsukiya: Lotus Flower @ range (S101 Slashing -> Ranged Acc) on the two guards Moriko is not targeting.
 

Miroku Akkuma

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Post Theme
With each step taken towards the source of chaos, the sound of ensuing battle grew. The chaos of the battlefield could be heard ahead, along with the explosive roar of fires. Even from this side of the tunnel it was apparent they would be exiting into the thick of it. This was the moment he'd been training them for, the reason they'd been isolated. He'd had little doubt they would follow his orders perfectly. After all they moved as an effective regiment, one that consisted of both Sunagakure Medical Corp Shinobi & Miroku Agents.

Their footfalls falling in perfect unison as they marched to the tunnel exit, muffled yet steady. Like the quiet beat of a drum echoing down the tunnel in anticipation of the battle awaiting them on the other side of the sands. The metallic clink of their weapons & armour ringing out, a whispered reminder of the strength they carried with them. In the subdued light they seemed almost spectral, disciplined warriors with faces set with looks of focused resolve. A chuckle would escape him at how fitting it was given the reputation he had among many of his fellow Sunans. Every individual moving with a calculated precision, every step part of a larger rhythm set by their Sennin's unyielding presence.

Requiring nothing more than a thought from the Iyashiikami Sunaku to remove the sand that acted as both the exit & barricade for the old Medical Access tunnel. As the sand's parted to reveal the tunnel, flames raged around the entrance. The light it cast throwing an infernal light that danced across Akkuma's figure. Making it appear as if he & his forces are appearing straight from the heart of a fiery abyss. Nearby buildings crackled & groaned under the heat, casting their smoke billowing into the air as embers scattered like deadly stars into the wind. Threatening to set even more of the village alight with every passing moment that they were allowed to rage uncontested.

The burning structures & ember-filled winds created a chaotic backdrop, the blazes roaring dangerously. Akkuma stepped forward his expression unreadable, eyes gleaming with a cold, calculated intent. He & his forces moving through the battlefield to their positions. Undeterred by the chaos & elements of battle, almost as if the destruction was all part of their design. The finest Medics of Suna & Agents of the Miroku wore faces of grim determination, but even among some of them there was a sense of trepidation. Akkuma's presence radiated a palpable menace, an aura that would surely unsettle friend & foe alike. Making it clear that his arrival is a storm...one that cares little for who gets swept aside in it's wake.

Like the pressure change in the air one felt in a cold snap before a storm, his chakra & presence was inescapable. "Hold the line. Fear neither the flames nor the enemy, they will break before us. The moment you see me emerge, know this: the tide has turned. Stand strong. Your survival is not just your own…it is Sunagakure’s." Each word spoken not loud but commanding, each word carrying weight as if carved from stone. "Hope rises from the sand, just as I do now. Let our enemies learn what it means to face the desert’s wrath." With that he stepped forward into the chaos, the sands shifting & swirling faintly in his wake as if the desert itself moved to aid him. Forming into a Desert Nimbus, it rose up to lift him above the battlefield. A faint twisted smirk crept upon his face, he could just imagine the reaction as his voice cut across the air ways.

One of Sunagakure's most elusive Sennin had come out of hiding, his words would either inspire hope or instil fear. Either way he had certainly managed to keep his penchant for making an entrance well & truly alive. The Sage did love his theatrics after all & this all had an operatic feel to it. Than again if anyone of them knew what he did, they might just be inclined to share his own sentiments about the situation. Musings for another time, after all there was a Homunculi to overthrow & Kazekage to properly instil.

1: Disperse Emergency Forces to their locations like Skaven Forces Unburrowing xD ?AP
2: Make Headset Call to Sunan Forces .5 AP
3: Create & Step on Desert Nimbus 1.5+5AP
4: Rain Dance+Jutsu Expansion 2+.5
 

Toraono Michino

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Breathing had become laborious for the newly minted Kazekage. The attack his enemy had landed cut into his right lung, and the vision in the same-side eye was nothing but a wet black. Vision from his left was creeping into the same darkness as his own blood pooled deeply around his legs. He could feel the maw of his god starting to close around him, as was his fate as a Hyou Prophet. Inevitably, in trade for the power in his veins, his soul would be consumed. He had hoped to serve the very village that had saved him from a much, much shorter life…but Fate apparently had other plans.

Then an earring spoke to him, a golden bell of a voice ringing in his fading hearing. His left eye opened back up to look towards to sound to recognize the same ear jewel that had belonged to his adoptive little brother. He stared at it in disbelief for a moment before recognizing the soft glow of power around it. The jewelry wasn’t just a piece of fashion…a spirit was inhabitng that thing. It offered him to be healed. To make a return to the fray.

Without hesitation he fell over onto his left side, the jarring pain of his severed body nearly making him black out right there. Of course he was going to keep fighting! He would go until the last flicker of his own flame was snuffed out…the demonkin owed Suna at least that much.

Michino’s left hand stretched out, fingers pulling at the bloody mud until he could touch the earring. A power surged through him and a breath of fresh air among the smoke and heat barreled through his lungs…

===============================================================

Ryota proved to be a valuable member of the Toraono clan in this moment of need, much as the Kazekage had predicted. The bolt flying past his face incited not fear, but anger. The act of a coward from the shadows to fire into the chaos that was the battlefield from among the wounded, the drugged, and those in between trying to win a battle for their freedom. The young Toraono would not have it, this injustice, and with a speed impossible to follow to all without the aid of dojutsu, Ryota appeared before his would-be assassin in full form.

Oh shi-” was all the cloaked man in the shadows was able to shout before the first strike hit his abdomen. A sharp pain he couldn’t even begin to comprehend severed his insides like an knife made of ice. Something drained from him, he couldn’t tell what, but it felt like the literal life had just been struck out. A second followed the first immediately. Then four, at a speed he didn’t think was possible. Eight more within the next second began to lift his feet from the ground. Sixteen in the next. His eyes looked to his now useless arms colored black from the blood vessels and chakra points having been exploded from the Toraono’s touch. He was still floating in the air.

Time had frozen.

The assassin had every moment to think about anything, and sure enough before he could will his mind back into reality, memories of his uneventufl life began to flash in front of him. The flashbacks were suddenly cut short by a final blow to his chest, around his heart, sending him flying back and through the wall of a building. His body was broken, his heart, broken, and the thumping of his chest muscle began to waver until it stopped. As did his thoughts. The assassin would never see the light of another day, let alone draw a bowstring. A deserved death for one who would pick off people from the sidelines of a battle. Like a coward.

Ryota’s eyes opened wider, using the chakra of his body to scan a great deal of the battlefield. Chakra signals both lit, darkened, and weak covered everywhere between both enemy and friend. The familiar one in the distance belonging to Michino looked like it was fading, as he was laid over on his left side, until a struggling had reached out and touched the earring the kinsman had sent their brother’s way. Power from one transfered to the other as Ryota’s mystic eye clearly revealed both the powers of the panther god Hyou, and the powers of the spirit mingle together within Michino. They roared a beautiful teal color that saw his wound stitch up like a zipper. It looked like he was starting to get his feet back under him…

….when a corpse would come falling from the sky. The young Toraono would turn their eyes to the sky to witness a most epic dog fight above them…
===============================================================

Good evening, Shingetsu Sora,” crackled to life the comms on the Ancient’s vessel, “I must say despite the situation in which we are finally meeting, it is an honor to finally say hello. After all, we never thought that you, of all creatures, would actually act on the interests of Sunagakure.” The voice was refined. Pronounced. Someone with noble ties or, at the very least, raised with a lot of money at their disposal. There was a haughty ‘I’m better that you,’ dripping with every word.

But I’m afraid we can’t have you contacting the ground forces. You see, the might of your fleet would prove too much for what forces we have left in Suna, and we have every intension of getting everything we paid for. I promise that my brother, and I, will take very good care of your ships…once we’ve exhumed the corpses from it, that is.

The line cut off to the sound of an explosion on Sora’s main ship, and a quick eye to the direction of the attack would lead the crew to see that they were surrounded in the air by another fleet of smaller airships being propelled by a strange red force of air coming out of their jets that made their maneuvering a little easier to maintain while diving past the larger ships and their cannons.

Most captains of such larger vessels might feel like they had been outmaneuvered, and that the only recourse would be to withdraw from the battle and live to fight another day…but Sora wasn’t a Sennin for nothing. The Oracles that followed beneath his wise leadership began returning fire while waiting for further orders. Never did the feeling of being overwhelm shift into the room where Sora’s brave command sat, communicating with the gunners below while they waited for the Sunan Sennin to decide what would be the best recourse.

Cannons were quickly repositioned, a glaring hole in their side patched up, and a retalitory roar from the gunners below echoed above deck before a more continuous stream of fire began to rip apart the sky above. Within seconds three of the smaller ships were downed as a quick eye from one of his troops found that the red jets were the product of a very obvious chakra user on the back of the ships propelling them unguarded. They were hoping to blitz the Ancient out of sky, and instead found themselves running into a steel wall of knowledge and trained professionals with very, observant eyes.

Captain, the communication is being jammed but, before we tried to make contact one last message from the ground got through. The Sennin Akkuma has entered the field! Should we redirect our focus or continue to get through below? Hyuuga Scanners at the front believe that the warships crowding the sky with us are holding something…big. It might be a bomb.

===============================================================

Moriko’s caution seemed to be entire overkill.

Wei’s screams turned from panicked, to whimpery, into straight shrill when the ice shard buried itself in his leg. The two guards before him raised their weapons in preparation, ignoring the cries of their boss as they faced against legendary shinobi of the desert. Raised under the same guiding hand of the Suna Academy, the two men knew full well that a shinobi capable of produing ice attacks that strong were of the type that could end them without a second though.

The left guard parried the ice strike but felt the cold bite of an invisible blade cut deep into his neck from not thinking hard enough; obviously his opponent was waiting for that opening. Crimson permafrost sprayed behind him in an arc, covering their destitute commander as he tried to grab his throat in vain; falling over next to Wei before dragging his body closer as if to guard the man as best as his corpse could.

The right-hand guard, however, proved to be faster in ducking both the ice shard and somehow managing to block the invisible slice of air before returning a retaliatory kick towards the male that flew at him. It missed. An ice lance suddenly sprung from from the ice he had dodged, but this too he managed to just barely knock out of the way before sweeping Tsukiya’s feet out from under him with a well placed swipe of his right foot. As the male ice shinobi went down, the bodyguard turned his attention immediately to Moriko to fling six shurikens at her, his body flickering suddenly behind her with a sword to bear down at what he thought was an opening.

Both were blocked by walls of ice that seemed to be moving. And then pushing. And then cutting. Blood splashed onto the frozen wind scythe as he felt his legs lifting off the ground and saw that the shiruken themselves had all been embedded into another frozen blade flying towards Wei. His lips moved to mouth something but only a gush of blood came forth, choking the words out as he felt all feelings from his legs escape him. His upper and lower torso fell, frozen in half, onto the ground. He was dead before his forhead touched the ground.

All that was left was Wei. To put an end to a would be assassin of the Tsurara clan’s next head. When the duo stood back up together to walk down their endgame, it was then that they realized Moriko’s paranoia proved fruitful. For at the end of the hall, Wei’s body was missing. His leg had been severed, from his side of the ice shard, and a trail of blood lead back into the golden dome that had been his personal chambers. The shinobi that had tried to cover him, however, was also missing. When the two shinobi rounded into the room using whatever just caution they felt needed, they came upon a grim sight.

The fat overlord of sloth and greed was eating, one of his concubines. What was left of his first meal, the previous bodyguard, laid nearby. His jaws extended and chomped down, tearing at the flesh of a young woman who could only choke on her own sick as tears rolled from her eyes; death looked inevitable. Black tendrils dug into her flesh. Those same tendrils had spread quickly across the room, piercing other women within and searching their bodies for hearts that were ripped out and dragged back into the main body in a grisly manner. His mouth lifted up from the body he had in hand, black tendrils pouring out from where its teeth should be, holding a heart that he swallowed before retreating further back into the room as the slithering evil coming from his body suddenly zipped around and knocked out the lights.

A low, guttering growl came from within that darkness…

Look what you made me do…look…

===============================================================

Akkuma’s presence on the battlefield came like a storm; with a storm.

Medical personal dispersed among the wounded on the field and quickly began to drag those who appeared to be alive away from the heat of combat. Both friend, and “enemy”, were dragged away into buildings not yet touch by flame as aid was administered. Those still under the influence of the drug of course began to fight back against their saviors, but not a single one of them was able to do anything past that first attack; and not a single blow landed on Akkuma’s staff.

Practiced with the deranged and addled, they simply dodged their attacks and pinned the patients as harmlessly as possible before administering an chakra based anesthetic that immediately knocked them out before drawing blood samples. Once those affected by Wei’s drug had fallen into a blissful sleep, the shinobi caring over them all began to break down the poisons within. Most of them simply used a detoxing ninjutsu that would purge their bodies of the evil that they had been brainwashed with, while small handful collected the blooded vials and started unraveling scrolls with various jutsu scrawled upon them. Uncorking the vials, they dripped bits of ruby life onto various openings in the scroll’s writing to trigger a reaction and see what kind of poison they were dealing with here. After two entire scrolls worth of research were dirtied with red, one finally got a reaction.

Tellamusk. A spore found from mushrooms grown in sandworm caverns that were known for causing madness. Yet the soft glow from the page’s light meant that there were other compounds within that accented the Tellamusk; which made sense when granted how rare the spores were. Even on the Black Market they came at a much higher price that someone like Wei or a Jashin cult would be willing to spend to produce a mind-controlling drug. Yet the findings were huge, as it meant they needed a cure and this wouldn’t just simply wash out of their fellow shinobi’s veins. The acting Medical Chief raised a hand to her communication device planted within her ear and radioed Akuma,

Just as you thought sir. Tellamusk. Used as a base ingredient to formulate a strong reaction of mind control. It’s out of my league to be completely honest, but I imagine you, have an idea on how to develop a serum to fix this mess. If you’re not too distracted, that is,” she chuckled at the end knowing full well her boss’s flair for the dramatic. He had even made a promise to the upper staff that he would have a sure hand in putting Wei down, even if it was by his own fist, and she had no doubt that was top priority.

The Chief just thought it would be a good idea to get their Sennin’s brain working on a cure in the meantime…
===============================================================

Not bad, not bad at all,” the Fire Ancient croaked from behind his helmet. A number holes had struck his armor and flesh from Owari’s spear, but they were already starting to heal. The flames he had spread around gave him home field adavantage, so to speak, and though the imp had put up one hell of a fight…it was clear, she was on her last legs.

The ruby-skinned Underworld wrestler felt that ancient spear in her hand getting heavier and heavier. Still no sign of her twin. Had the damage been that bad? Truly? The flaming claymore swung down once more, she dodged left and lifted the spear far slower than normal. It left an opening into her right side that was usually protected with speed; and Fen did not miss such a glaring weakness.

A hand snaked out, and his hand became a claw. Along the claws was a clear jagged edge meant to tear, over cut, and Owari knew that the moment that hand cleaved into her, it would easily be an entire lung and most of her organs. Instead of giving to despair, she instead roared and continued to lean into the original attack - her spear true and towards Fen’ning’s face.

She felt an impact, but not at her side. Instead it was the Fire Ancient’s face fully impaled upon all three forks of her trident. The hand meant to rend flesh from her side was caught at the wrist by a purple flame wreathed hand. Connected to that hand was an angry Kazekage, staring down at the warrior who dared to cause harm to his sister.

With a technique yet to be shown, Michino changed from his normal boxing technique into something similar to Akido. With a flick of his wrist, the Fire Ancient flipped from in front of Owari towards the rubble beyond. As he flew over, the imp roared again and jerked out the spear as fire and lava spewed from his new faceholes. The gladitorial Ancient landed on his feet with surprising grace for his wounds, but Michino didn’t let up. Not for a second. He was already back into Fen’s killing circle throwing a punch reminicent of his original form. The armored warrior dodged it, only to find himself continuing to roll in the direction he dodged as the Kazekage kicked out his feet. The punch swung down, and connected.

It was the first punch Michino had fully landed where the Ancient had no defenses up. A critical attack. Hyou’s strength roared through his arm. The Ryuu bloodline augmented that power, multiplying it by two. The Toraono’s muscle and flesh kept his arm from exploding. The very power that Tengokai, his father, had sought was finally begining to bud as the ground beneath Fen cracked and turned purple. Fires of Hyou exploded upwards, consuming his fire.
No. No, no, not like this you won’t! I have never been bested!” The Fire Ancient began to raise his sword with that impossible strength, even through Michino’s attack, to strike down the 13th - until a trident sailed from beyond the purple flames to pin his arm back down again.
Yes, yes, yes - you will, and have just been,” came the sharp tongue of Michino’s impish sister.

The Flame Court Ancient roared at first in defiance, then pain, and finally - fear. The Toraono’s god, Hyou, was a death god. One of many, but the main connecting theme between death gods was that when they consigned you to die - you went. The Ancient’s elemental immortality meant nothing to those purple flames as they consumed his own. Bit by bit, his armor was removed as the pillar of purple flame roared into the sky, exploding into the dog fight above. There it burned the early morning sky with amethystal radiance until the deed was done….

…and nothing remained of Fen’ning, the Ancient Gladiator turned assassin.

The purple fire pillar lowered back down to the Kazekage holding its might like juggling chainsaws. Once the fire was fully back within his body, he collapsed over the scorched outlines of where Fen had died, coughing blood that sizzled on the red hot concrete beneath him. Owari’s hand rested on his shoulder, timidly from both fear that her touch was painful, and because Michino’s own skin felt like red hot coals.

It’s not done yet,” he panted, “not yet…
 
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That man that stood before him... was no more. He was now dead, something that Ryota would have to deal with later probably... He still held the beast's fang up, one more round... one more round before he would have to disperse it. He knocked out every person who was still around in his jutsu. Then he used his eyes to look around, seeing how his brother did get his earring was a relief to him. "Just in time huh..." he muttered before hearing a voice that sent chills through his spine. A lot of people would be happy to hear him, or fear him... not Ryota. He didn't want anything else then smack that man hard on the head, in the face, below the belt, anywhere was fine. What that man had put him through, he wished for answers. A lot of them too. But before he could even set a step in that direction... A body fell from the sky. "This... wasn't me.." He picked up an arrow, and with the pointy bit he poked the man on the cheek. "oi... You alright?" he tried to poke as soft as possible to not let that arrow go into the skin. "Oi...."

"nope, he is dead... but he fell from above...?" His gaze would go upwards while keeping a check on his surroundings. The boy decided to wait and see if he would be needed, not that he knew entirely who was on his side... He always kept to himself.

--------------------

The contract merged with the man and lent him his strength. but it would do more than that. It would make sure that this man would be able to go on as long as possible. Giving him a part of his health, trying to absorb impacts. Try to help out by using Shadow play too. He tried to help out this person by the will of Ryota.

[actions]
Ryota:
3AP Remain CRPJ Beasts fangs.
0AP keep Byakkugan active.

Contract:
D-Rank: Mystical Hand (MEDIC)
Shadow Play (BUFF)
 
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Sora had barely finished giving the order and begun to wait when a fresh voiced crackled over the comms channel. “Good evening, Shingetsu Sora,” True enough he expected his people to work with a measure of expediency but for such work they'd need a raise. “I must say despite the situation in which we are finally meeting, it is an honor to finally say hello. After all, we never thought that you, of all creatures, would actually act on the interests of Sunagakure.” They had him in the beginning, Sora had to admit that, and with what small smile had caused his lips to curl in joy, now caused his brows to furrow in concern. Looking around at the bridge, he noted that the broadcast wasn't only being sent to him but all comms were playing the message loud and clear. Pointing to his own unit he yelled out in a controlled frustration. "Where is this being broadcast from? Who opened this channel?" The equally confused looks of all gave him his answer.

Cool, calm and collected, the voice continued on with no care or concern for the ears that it fell upon. “But I’m afraid we can’t have you contacting the ground forces. You see, the might of your fleet would prove too much for what forces we have left in Suna, and we have every intension of getting everything we paid for. I promise that my brother, and I, will take very good care of your ships…once we’ve exhumed the corpses from it, that is.” My brother? Of all the words that had been said Sora picked up on that single lone word gave him pause. Clearly this wasn't someone representing Suna so the fact that they considered him a brother... narrowed down just what sort of power they were dealing with. Sora was so lost in thought that they didn't hear the first explosion. "Sir!" "SIR!" Thankfully he'd chose the right sort of officers for the bridge because even in his hesitation they'd jumped to attention addressing the newfound threat.

Turning to the head of the comms division on the bridge, Sora issued his command. "I need to find where that message came from!" The quick nod and salute that followed from the officer made clear that his order was understood. As another explosion rocked the ship, he turned to another highly decorated officer who though grey haired was clearly proud enough of his glory days that he still carried the afforded regalia of an actual former ship master. The man had an actual name but most just called him Grey. "I trust that you're handling our new little nuisance of problem. Don't give them too much though. If one makes a break for it, send one of our scouts to follow. I need to know where the bloody patent skimming buggers came from." Saluting, Grey gave a bushy nod. "Aye, Sir!" Though he intended to double back to the comms officer he didn't have to move far.

Captain, the communication is being jammed but, before we tried to make contact one last message from the ground got through. The Sennin Akkuma has entered the field! Should we redirect our focus or continue to get through below? Hyuuga Scanners at the front believe that the warships crowding the sky with us are holding something…big. It might be a bomb. Ugh, a divide and conquer tactic if he'd ever seen one. No doubt they knew that he'd have the ability to do a simple scan of such a hastily created rip off of his own design. Baiting him with the idea of landing the big fish. There could be no mistaking that this was a trap, but sometimes the best way to expose a trap was to purposefully spring it. "Patch me in to a secure line with the captains of the Iowa and Kuro and please send word to the Hyuuga scanners to get me as accurate a report as ever on what the Reds are hiding!" As much as meeting up with Akkuma would afford him much needed backup, he couldn't take the risk of letting this new enemy to get away with something big. This new enemy, the Reds, as he now dubbed them based on their method of propulsion, had invited themselves to the dance in the sky so he was going to give them what they asked for.

OOC: Sending 2 of the remaining 4 large ships to head towards Akkuma to back him up. Only the main ship that Sora is on and one other remain on the tail of the enemy warships. Requesting another roll for trying to scan just what the "Reds" are towing.
 

Tsurara Moriko

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From overcautious to vindicated in one fell swoop.

Moriko cursed and dashed down the hall after a cursory check to make sure Tsukiya had only been briefly winded when knocked down, fortunately, so he was still up and unbothered. Then again, anything short of one of them losing a limb was ignorable.

There was a lot of blood and muck around and this point, but she ignored that too; slipperiness was completely irrelevant to an ice user and terrain as a whole completely irrelevant to Tsukiya. If it impeded anyone at all even past the frozen ground, it wouldn't be them. A second later, that was rendered irrelevant; Wei was the only other thing in the area still moving.

Moriko had not given much thought to her earlier orders--she was sure that the snipers were still sniping, for one--but now she hit her headset, not taking her eyes off the mess before her of crying women and bodies. Yuri answered the call immediately.

"What is the status for that civilian rescue?"

"Cleared," Yuri said briskly. "They're not in good shape and we took several hits, but no one's dying right now except a few guards. Why?"

Moriko's gaze traveled over those in front of them--a different set, clearly. A wave of disgust curled in her, at the memory of long ago in the Underground, captivity for much younger girls. Was this the fate of some like them, in the end? Probably.

"Not important right now," she said, and shut the headset off.

It was, in a visceral sense, disgusting. Something about cannibalism triggered a sharp human instinct, a buried revulsion. Even to someone who didn't inherently value human life, it was a lot. But then...

It was hardly the first time she'd seen something disgusting. And it wouldn't be the last.

And turn out the lights? Pah. What a pathetic maneuver. With a flick of her wrist, an overpowered light zipped out to cast the room into relief. Normally she might use fire or lightning, but she should probably try not to be too reckless with civilians around until and unless they were confirmed dead.

"Tsukiya," she started, but he had already moved the second her light went out, knife lashing out in the air again and again, every slash aimed at one of the tendrils to sever them. Optics, on the one hand. Sense, on the other. Why let your enemy recover, if you didn't have to? And neither of them were medics; they probably could not cure the girl in front of them even if her heart hadn't been eaten.

As much as Moriko wanted to walk up to the man and kick his head in, crush it to powder like she'd told the grand spirit in the mountain, she was not a melee fighter and that would be stupid. She had to down him first.

Besides, he wanted to fight in the dark?

Denied.

She might only be able to do one light itself, but there was a way to fix that, all right. At her call, a maze of glass sprung up. The light would be reflected for everyone, it didn't inherently harm any of the civilians, and it would make it easier for her and Tsukiya to both see and hit their target--as they were exempt from its trickery. She focused all the illusion in on Wei, if she could; if he was merely lashing at shadows, that gave them the ability to strike him correctly more easily.

Just to give him something else to worry about, she flicked out her bow and sent a few arrows at him.

-Moriko: Uses Searchlight (Mastered) to target Wei and illuminate the area.
-Tsukiya: Called Shotting any visible tendrils, focused on those affecting the concubines, with Slashing basic strikes using S101 Ranged Accuracy.
-Moriko: Uses Fun House (Mastered) to try and trap Wei and amplify the Searchlight both, negating the darkness as entirely as possible. Ideally the concubines are not in the maze but if they are it shouldn't matter since it does no damage.
 

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