It was getting to the point that many of these bandits were causing too much harm to Suna's own people. This one in particular had quite a long list of kills and despite numerous shinobi thinking they had killed him Sniperman had maintained all this time. There was something unearthly about him and the Shadow Priest was being sent out to help Uri get to the bottom of this. While the chuunin had seen plenty of odd things in his time, the numerous lengths ninja would go through in order to achieve something dastardly or just to eek out some more power for themselves. This person had decidedly partaken in something not of this world, stretched his own boundaries and sold away some part of his human soul to become something else.
"What do you 'tink of this maruder, Oori?"
The chuunin remained crouched in the shadows of the forest, looking out unto the lake where they had tracked this abomination to, "I'm unsure, Al-Haquish. I know of a few forbidden arts that let ninja have multiple bodies or to have completely inorganic bodies; there was a sunan shinobi who was a living puppet. He thought he did well to hide his oddities, but any well-trained shinobi could see the changes, especially in a village so well known for its puppetry. How should we proceed?"<i></i>
The shadow priest stroked at his chin, shaking his staff ever so slightly. Uri could only assume this was how he thought.
"Well, Oori, we first need ta identify what this person is. Den and only den can we form a proper plan to take'm apart. Distract him with fervor and I shall pick his brain."
Uri nodded. Since he wasn't one exactly talented in the mental manipulation arts, nor even sure what the Shadow Priest was capable of, he simply would follow his lead. What would keep a madman of a killer busy? Giving him plenty to slaughter. Inhaling deeply, Uri closed his eyes and focused his chakra. The energy was subtle compared to the actual amount he was channeling. In a zen-like state he pressed his palms hard against the soft earth at his feet. The environment around them seemed to tingle in anticipation as he pushed forth a surprising amount of energy. While Uri was talented with earth and had his unique talents, he was also a master elementalist, capable of wielding any earthly power at a master's level. Like a wave, his energy surged forward and from it rose hundreds of clones. Stepping forth from trees, rising up from the dirt, trudging from the lake water itself. An army was born and they all walked towards a central point opposite where the two remained hidden.
"Goood, goood. You are quite the shinobi, Oori." Al-Haquish, sat down, legs crossed and started to mutter words that belonged to a language Uri didn't know. They each had their roles and Uri was ready to perform his.
As he looked back out onto the lake, he watched as jet streams of white pierced rows of clones, taking them apart and reducing them back to their elements. There was movement beyond the rows of makeshift warriors, something only a high-trained ninja could see. Clones lunged at this nearly invisible target, and all were cut down in turn. Palms still to the earth, he created more clones to replace the ones that were destroyed, buying as much time as he would need to allow Al-Haquish to do his job.
After a time, it was becoming clear the clones were falling faster than Uri could maintain. Soon he would wear on his chakra reserve and not have enough to fight when the time came. Releasing the bond, no new clones formed and he stood. Al-Haquish remained where he was. Not disturbing him, the chuunin left a headset transceiver near him so he could relay his news. In a single burst of speed Uri launched himself at the target, intercepting his attack on another clone. His foot connected, if only for a moment before he dropped down and spun in time to see another attack aimed his way. A clone jumped in front of it and Uri was gone in a cloud of mist. As Uri reappeared, he was struck with a sharp lance. He tumbled backwards, head-over-head and slammed against a large rock. Examining the wound, he saw an enormous amount of blood, but he was certain not all of it was his.
Wiping away a crimson stream across his chin, he got up and cracked his knuckles. The seals on his hands glowed wildly with energy now. He curled his fingers as if taking hold of something, and with a jarring thrust upwards large animals grew from the ground, composed of jagged obsidian and porcelain clay. They charged forward and soon chaos ensued.
From the perspective of the Shadow Priest, he could now only see massive explosive rocking the normally still waters of the lake. Black craters remained, shards of glass jutting upwards from the intense heat. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he reached for the headset, scrambling to put it on and trigger it.
"Oori, he is an immortal, but through the means of sick and twisted gods. Blood magic, something awful. Destroy him completely and utterly and he will not come back."
It wasn't longer than five seconds from his statement that a massive explosion shook the crystal trees. The large blast consumed everything it touched, distorting even the shape of the lake, adding another smaller circle to the larger one. Something crashed into the trees near Al-Haquish. As he approached, ready for anything, he saw the bloody and battered form of his comrade, the white-haired chuunin, Uri. His body was littered with deep, piercing wounds, blood flowed freely from them. His wounds were too grave for the Shadow Priest to handle alone. A quick spell would ebb the bleeding, but he needed to seek aid from the local medical ninjas.
~|~
Word Count: 997
[mft]
"What do you 'tink of this maruder, Oori?"
The chuunin remained crouched in the shadows of the forest, looking out unto the lake where they had tracked this abomination to, "I'm unsure, Al-Haquish. I know of a few forbidden arts that let ninja have multiple bodies or to have completely inorganic bodies; there was a sunan shinobi who was a living puppet. He thought he did well to hide his oddities, but any well-trained shinobi could see the changes, especially in a village so well known for its puppetry. How should we proceed?"<i></i>
The shadow priest stroked at his chin, shaking his staff ever so slightly. Uri could only assume this was how he thought.
"Well, Oori, we first need ta identify what this person is. Den and only den can we form a proper plan to take'm apart. Distract him with fervor and I shall pick his brain."
Uri nodded. Since he wasn't one exactly talented in the mental manipulation arts, nor even sure what the Shadow Priest was capable of, he simply would follow his lead. What would keep a madman of a killer busy? Giving him plenty to slaughter. Inhaling deeply, Uri closed his eyes and focused his chakra. The energy was subtle compared to the actual amount he was channeling. In a zen-like state he pressed his palms hard against the soft earth at his feet. The environment around them seemed to tingle in anticipation as he pushed forth a surprising amount of energy. While Uri was talented with earth and had his unique talents, he was also a master elementalist, capable of wielding any earthly power at a master's level. Like a wave, his energy surged forward and from it rose hundreds of clones. Stepping forth from trees, rising up from the dirt, trudging from the lake water itself. An army was born and they all walked towards a central point opposite where the two remained hidden.
"Goood, goood. You are quite the shinobi, Oori." Al-Haquish, sat down, legs crossed and started to mutter words that belonged to a language Uri didn't know. They each had their roles and Uri was ready to perform his.
As he looked back out onto the lake, he watched as jet streams of white pierced rows of clones, taking them apart and reducing them back to their elements. There was movement beyond the rows of makeshift warriors, something only a high-trained ninja could see. Clones lunged at this nearly invisible target, and all were cut down in turn. Palms still to the earth, he created more clones to replace the ones that were destroyed, buying as much time as he would need to allow Al-Haquish to do his job.
After a time, it was becoming clear the clones were falling faster than Uri could maintain. Soon he would wear on his chakra reserve and not have enough to fight when the time came. Releasing the bond, no new clones formed and he stood. Al-Haquish remained where he was. Not disturbing him, the chuunin left a headset transceiver near him so he could relay his news. In a single burst of speed Uri launched himself at the target, intercepting his attack on another clone. His foot connected, if only for a moment before he dropped down and spun in time to see another attack aimed his way. A clone jumped in front of it and Uri was gone in a cloud of mist. As Uri reappeared, he was struck with a sharp lance. He tumbled backwards, head-over-head and slammed against a large rock. Examining the wound, he saw an enormous amount of blood, but he was certain not all of it was his.
Wiping away a crimson stream across his chin, he got up and cracked his knuckles. The seals on his hands glowed wildly with energy now. He curled his fingers as if taking hold of something, and with a jarring thrust upwards large animals grew from the ground, composed of jagged obsidian and porcelain clay. They charged forward and soon chaos ensued.
From the perspective of the Shadow Priest, he could now only see massive explosive rocking the normally still waters of the lake. Black craters remained, shards of glass jutting upwards from the intense heat. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he reached for the headset, scrambling to put it on and trigger it.
"Oori, he is an immortal, but through the means of sick and twisted gods. Blood magic, something awful. Destroy him completely and utterly and he will not come back."
It wasn't longer than five seconds from his statement that a massive explosion shook the crystal trees. The large blast consumed everything it touched, distorting even the shape of the lake, adding another smaller circle to the larger one. Something crashed into the trees near Al-Haquish. As he approached, ready for anything, he saw the bloody and battered form of his comrade, the white-haired chuunin, Uri. His body was littered with deep, piercing wounds, blood flowed freely from them. His wounds were too grave for the Shadow Priest to handle alone. A quick spell would ebb the bleeding, but he needed to seek aid from the local medical ninjas.
~|~
Word Count: 997
[mft]