White Knight Mystery Case Part I [Chuunin Exam: Riyota]

[Tomomi]

A few days earlier, the incident had occurred on the Aikayume Estate. During the evening hours, an unknown assailant had snuck into the the clan's holy grounds and brutally murdered one of their members by snapping her neck before plucking the eyes from the fox right from their sockets and disappearing. The execution appeared to have been planned as the work committed was quick and the Aikayume had probably only suffered a sharp pain before her life had ended so quickly showing that the one who committed the crime knew what they were doing almost like they had been trained. However, the clan had not contacted any members of the ANBU as to keep the family name out of the limelight considering there had been reports and news spreading that a member of their clan had been in the Red Light District and tried to kill a member of the Byakko Clan while she was there. Of course, there was no names given out but the clan could only assume who it was and what she was doing. The news also could have been stretched slightly considering a well-known clan or person in the news would attract more attention than a lowly mongrel committing another crime.

In any case, this is when a letter would be sent to the residence of a Mister Miroku Riyota who was a strong Genin in the village that had seen a hellish life to put it mildly. It appeared the Aikayume Clan was enlisting the help of a shinobi outside of the ANBU to help them investigate and try to figure out who was behind this heinous crime on their holiest grounds. Inside of the letter, it informed the young man that he was to go to the Aikayume Estate for a conversation with one of the members of their clan regarding an incident that had occurred recently. It would go on to give the address and tell him that there was a big reward for him if he came and spoke to the one who sent the letter who did not disclose their name. Obviously, it would be a gutsy move to walk blindly into something without asking for more information but Riyota was not known for being the most cautious individual in the world after all. It was more than likely that he would simply arrive shortly and begin to ask to speak to the letter sender.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

When Riyota had awoken this morning, this was not how he expected his day to go. He had been in the middle of sword training. Still trying to get the hang of one-handing his greatsword when he heard a knocking on the door. Setting aside the blade, he gave his permission foe entry and a nervous looking made slowly walked in clutching an envelope. Thanking her for the delivery, he quickly opened it with an eyebrow raised. It read, "Dear Miroku Riyota, the Aikayume clan requests your assistance in a most urgent and sensitive matter. Due to the nature of the matter we are unwilling to enlist the assistance of an ANBU. Please arrive at the Aikayume estate as soon as possible." He finished the letter with a confused expression before scanning it again. It definitely said his name, however he had never been involved in any investigation the public had been made aware of. Nor had he completed any famous exploit that would make the Aikayume aware of him, or at least he thought...

So he was left with two questions. How did the Aikayume know him? And what matter was so sensitive it couldn't be handled by an ANBU?

Igniting the letter just in case he grabbed his sword once more and sheathed it before striding off to his bedroom. It seemed his day was not going to be a standard one.

Having spent roughly half an hour getting ready (Ten minutes of which was spent arguing with a maid who wanted him to wear some finer clothes.) He exited the Miroku sect of the Toraono dojo. Making the trek to the prestigious residence of the Aikayume clan, the former home of his beloved.

It became apparent that those of the Aikayume who didn't often leave the Clan lodgings were unused to seeing people such as Riyota. His scarred face and empty sleeve hanging limply by his side and blowing in the wind certainly caused many of them to keep their distance. Whilst others merely stared. He didn't know his way around the fancy building, and in a short time was approached by multiple on-edge guards asking him what his business was.

"My name is Miroku Riyota, I'll be your detective for today." He remarked with a smirk. "Can I ask which fox sent me the letter?"

 

[Tomomi]

​

A smile would creep onto her face as she placed her hand on the shoulder of one of the guards who had stopped the young man questioning him on why he was here. Her smile would be all the guards needed to see to know that she would be able to take care of this man and his reasons for being here. Though, it was nice to see that the guards were actually on high alert after someone was attacked from behind, eliminated, and let without her eyes. An unfortunate event that occurred and the main reason that this young man would be called upon. Hopefully, he was prepared for an exciting adventure because he was certainly going to be dealing with a lot if a prestigious clan like the Aikayume had called upon him.

In any case, the woman would turn her gaze back to the one-harmed man in front of her after the guards had walked away so there was a little privacy between them. Her little smile would still be on her face as she extended her left arm to Riyota as she began to talk. Her words would come out calm and direct, but they could surely be felt like daggers piercing the skin as she had to make some comments about his appearance so in other words, a typical method of insulting from the Aikayume Clan. Those words were as followed: "I am the one who contacted you, Mister Riyota. Though, I wasn't expecting you to be so unappealing since our former priestess took a liking to you after she left the clan. In any case, you will have to do as you are since you decided to get involved with Azusa and this matter truly should concern her as much as it does for us. You also should be concerned since you have been getting QUITE friendly with her from what I have heard when you two were sighted in the Grand Palais. I think I also might have also heard that you two were at the Academy as well in recent times..hmm."

She would ponder for a moment as she tried to remember if that last part was true or not. However, she wouldn't be able to remember and would merely shrug her shoulders afterwards allowing her revealing outfit to show itself why it was revealing. Of course, this woman certainly hadn't been trying to get the boy's mind elsewhere from her appearance. No, she hadn't even thought of it or maybe she did. The world may never know. In any case, she would return her gaze to him after she finished pondering and would continue: "Anyways, I have asked you to come because a few days ago, we had a little incident that we want to avoid getting too much publicity from. See, one of our family members was attacked from behind and murdered when someone snapped her neck. The one who attacked her also decided to rip her eyes from their sockets and left her for us to find in her unfortunate state. Usually, we would have heard someone coming from a mile away with our fluffy ears, but this individual or group must had been trained well in stealth because there was no evidence left and the execution was almost perfect." So, there was the reasoning for summoning him to the Aikayume's home today. It seemed that the clan had an issue and Riyota would be required to solve this issue for them. Of course being the knight that he was for his lady, he surely would not turn down an opportunity to help his lady's former home. It would even get him brownie points and probably pets from Azusa if he did good enough even though she was still at odds ends with her clan. That would have to be something that she resolved with her newfound power and position in the Toraono Clan.

"I want you to find the individual who did this crime and punish them either by execution or by detaining them. Since we have no idea who it is, we can only assume a list of people who may or may not have been involved. But, I can assure you that the eyes that were taken will not be hard to find as they almost mirror Azusa's and my own. They will stick out like a sore thumb" she would say next to him and his mission had been given. All he had to do was eliminate the one who caused this damage to the Aikayume Clan and he would be golden like Ponyboy. But, there was next to no information about who had attacked the Clan and thus he was going to be going into this dark like he loved to do with everything in his life. Of course, this could spell the end of Miroku, or was it Aikayume now, Riyota but one only lived once and Riyota had a good life already even if he had been tortured by Akkuma and done some interesting things with Azusa.

After she waited a moment, she would finish with a few questions and a reward for finishing this task for the Clan. Hopefully that would help sway his decision to help or not. It was as followed: "Do you have any questions for me, Riyota? Anything that you are dying to ask or want to know before we continue? I forgot to mention to you that I have already talked to the village and they are willing to promote you if you complete this mission."

Now, she had to wait to see what the young man would say in response to her comments. Business was going to pick up shortly, she assumed, and hopefully he would agree to go on this mission to advance himself in life and to please his lady. If she knew more about the relationship of Azusa and Riyota, she would have exploited it but alas there was only so much that the Aikayume Clan could get on Riyota and Azusa with simply spying on them or anyone for that matter.

[OOC: Click the image if you want a full appearance ^^]

 

[Miroku Riyota]

The shinobi couldn't help but smirk as the guards backed away from him. Turning to face the woman who had spoken he would wind up looking down at a fairly scantily clad Kitsune. Knowing he wouldn't be able to keep eye-contact he instead opted for looking at the ground next to her. Recent events had rendered him more...sexually aware, and he was not going to get lured into any traps. Once this was accomplished he shook the hand she had offered.

Although he did roll his eyes when she mentioned his apparently unappealing appearance. Par for the course with the Aikayume.

He stood silently, listening intently as she explained the reasons she had called him here. 'A murderer on the loose with a habit of stealing eyes...sounds kinda like what Azusa did with Kyuji.' He thought, once the fox-woman had finished explaining the situation to him. She gave him the opportunity for questions, whilst also mentioning a potential promotion in store for him, should he complete the task. Even he had to admit, it would be nice to hold the title of Chuunin, however, he did first have a job to do.

"Yeah, I do have a few questions." He began, "Question one, who are you exactly?" If she decided to reveal her name he would nod, if she did not he would roll his eyes again and sigh before continuing. "Question B, how do you know who I am? Have you been spying on me?" He asked her bluntly, no matter her answer, he would remain silent before continuing. Final question, Do you have, ANY leads on this case. Or are you just sending me in completely blind expecting to me to work miracles?" He asked with a hint of venom in his tone.

After his questions, he turned to face away from her. "I have two demands..." He stated, turning back around. "Firstly, if you are spying on me or Azusa, you stop and never continue." He examined her reaction to his likely ridiculous request. "And secondly, Your clan will owe me one favour of my choosing, no matte what it is." Riyota smirked, knowing full well what he intended to use them for.

"I'm sure you're unwilling to do this as payment for a simple investigation, but now I know this thing you're trying to keep so secret. So if you won't do it for payment. Do it for blackmail." He smiled, clearly he had been learning things from Azusa in the art of manipulation, and unfortunately the Aikayume weren't exactly in his good graces currently.

Of course, the Kitsune could take the other option and get her clan to kill him where he stood, however, she had likely never seen him fight. So without that knowledge, it was possible Riyota could get away with sheer intimidation.

Giving her a few minutes to ponder the brown-haired shinobi stuck out his one remaining hand. "Deal?" If she accepted, he would begin his investigation.

 

[Tomomi]

As she stood there, she had to ponder if keeping this secretive and using a mere child to do their dirty work was the right thing to do. Sure, it was true that the Aikayume Clan was known for manipulative and exploiting others through any means necessary at times, but this boy seemed to already endured enough in his life as he was missing a limb as his clothing blew in the gentle breeze and he simply looked like he had been battered badly during his upbringing as there were still scars clearly visible. In all honesty, she felt somewhat sad for the child as he was a mess and likely being used by their former priestess to do her bidding; it was likely that she had made some kind of oath with him using his feelings against him. Truly pathetic if Azusa would stoop that low as there were even lows that Aikayume should never go to. However, he was old enough to make his own decisions in life so if he wanted to be battered, used, and abused, there was really nothing that she could say or do to help him. It was unlikely anyways that he would be rational with her clan after past events between them and him that other members had told her.

In any case, the boy would not make her wait too long as he had quite a few questions including who she was. It made her smirk that the child wanted to know who she was as she was merely a commoner in the sense of their clan. There was no position of power that she held nor any royal titles that would have her name plastered through papers or the village. However, she was the one that summoned Riyota here and that alone gave her some authority it would appear even though the others told her to do it since they needed to handle other matters that were more pressing right now to them than a simple murder of a clan's member. Irony for sure, but the Aikayume were self-centered egotistical creatures that truly only cared about themselves and nobody else barring a few individuals which included the letter writer before him. Before she would respond however, she would listen to the rest of his questions bearing a smile as he continued to ask them merely because he couldn't even look at her while he spoke possibly because her assets were literally mere inches from showing themselves to him. The outfit probably had been too revealing for a meeting, but the Aikayume had to use what the kitsune spirits gave them!

Quickly though, her smile disappeared as he would give two demands to her. They were both reasonable requests to her, but being in debt to this boy would not look too well if it became public knowledge. However, she would have to hear his request before she agreed to these conditions even though he already had his only arm extended ready to shake on it with a smile on his face. He was definitely up to something from the looks of it and she snickered as he seemed to have learned from tricks while playing house with the former priestess, not surprising. But, she would simply take his hand in hers and tell him directly and with a smirk: "How about we talk about it and I address your questions before agreeing to it. After all, you wouldn't want to get into an agreement with me without having all the details would you or maybe you don't care."

At this point, she would shrug her shoulders and close her eyes momentarily as she continued talking to this boy in front of her. "After all, you have scars and are missing a limb so from my assumption, you have no concern for your body or well-being. It's almost like you are being played like a toy from someone until they grow bored of you or you break. It's a real shame since you don't seem to have any ill-intent behind your words as you speak and you seem like a nice kid" she would explain to him trying to get him to take a hint that something might not be right in his life right now. Of course, she was unaware that Riyota was more-or-less dense when it came to these kind of things so it was more likely than not that he would not even have a second thought at what she was saying. It was truly a shame for the boy, but he would hopefully eventually learn.

The insult slinging would stop momentarily as the discussion shifted to his questions directed at her. She was not annoyed or irritated with his questions, but she definitely would not answer them as directly as possible. Typical Aikayume fashion. She would say the following going from a direct to the point approach to showing a small amount of solemness as she finished: "But to answer your questions, I am Aikayume Umiko and I don't personally know you. However, some of our clan members have been watching over Miss Azusa from afar to make sure that she isn't causing any trouble nor putting herself in harms way. Unfortunately, we heard about the fire in the Red Light District and that she was involved in it along with her former teacher and mentor, Byakko Kyuji. It's truly a real shame that she fell that low in her life to be involved in criminal-like activities like that. Hopefully, the Byakko Clan is doing okay after that incident as rumors spread that Kyuji died while others said that he survived but is a broken shell of a man. Either way, hopefully the poor bastard isn't suffering anymore."

Then, the last part that she had to address showed up and that was his "demands" as he called them. See, he had learned from one of the best on how to be demanding and try to manipulate a situation, but he was still a novice at best and would need years and years of training to ever match up to the level of an Aikayume. He tried, but he also must've forgotten that he was standing on Aikayume grounds and thus, he was at their mercy and Umiko would let him know that. She would give a slight nod as she begun as she had to ponder for a moment how to best respond to him. Her response was something along these lines: "As for your requests, I will accept the conditions under two circumstances. First, you tell me what the favor is that you are requesting upfront as I am not putting myself or the clan into a situation that it does not need to be in especially for someone like yourself. Lastly, you will fight one of the guards that you met earlier to prove to yourself and I that you are capable of accomplishing this mission. If you do not agree to these conditions or you fail to defeat a guard, you will be restrained by me and I will make you my own little play thing until I grow tired of you and break you, Mister Miroku Riyota."

Her arms would be folded across her busty chest as a big smirk appeared on her face as she responded: "Do you accept my conditions? I mean you have a promotion in store if you successfully complete this mission. If you fail to deliver or lose to one of those two guards, you will continue to be a lowly Genin and amount to nothing but disappointment. This also mean that it is likely that Miss Azusa would stop being a friend and companion to you as you would have failed to live up to her expectations and we don't want that, do we?" Oh, she was having so much fun messing with this child and hoped so badly that she could exploit him physically, mentally, psychologically, and emotionally. She had a lot in store if he couldn't defeat a simple guard of their clan. Sure, the guard was not as strong as who he would likely face, but if he failed to pass this hurdle, he served no purpose in investigating for the clan.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

The fox was toying with his emotions, trying to torment him psychologically, make him question his allegiances. He was having none of it, he had little patience for this particular Aikayume. "Don't speak to me like some sort of child! You think I'm weak in some way? That I'll abandon all I know just because things might go wrong? You make it clear you know nothing about me. My cells regenerate quickly, I'll look young for perhaps my entire life. Maybe I'll come visit when you're old withered and wrinkled. I will outlast you and your beauty that you're trying so hard to flaunt." It was unlikely his insults would do anything except perhaps catch Umiko by surprise, but a man could hope.

Riyota sighed and ran a hand over his face, breathing in and out in an attempt to calm himself down. A keen observer would be able to see a few snaky tendrils of his curse seal that were starting to work their way up his neck, slowly recede. "Now that we've established that I won't stand here and be talked down too, I can continue with what I was saying." He cleared his throat and stretched his neck. "I'd rather not say too much about the favour out here in the open, all I will say is I will require temporary use of your entire clan in order to kill someone. In exchange, I'll keep this mission on the downlow and happily fight one of your guards."

He cracked his knuckles and paced around Umiko as she pondered his offer. Eventually he would stop and stand in front of the two guards she had indicated and ask "So, which one of you would like to fight me?" When one accepted, if Umiko had nothing more to say he would walk ten paces away from the guard, draw his greatsword and stand in a readied position. "I'd rather not hurt you, wanna keep it friendly?" He would ask his opponent as he gave the sword a few test swings.

Truthfully Riyota was worried, he hadn't had a fight since he lost his right arm, he wasn't sure if he was still capable. He still had enough strength to wield the blade, but losing the assistance of his supporting arm severely weakened his control over his slashes. And if he lost this fight, he lost Aikayume support for the coup.

MFT

 

[Tomomi]

It was hilarious to Umiko that this little, one-armed troll was trying to get her bent out of shape through his words. But, he was a fool to believe that such insults and comments were going to have any effect on her since she was an Aikayume and they were prideful, egoistical creatures who truly did not care what others thought about them. It actually made her chuckle to herself that he was even trying to get under her skin, but he was still young and naive which is why he was likely being manipulated by Azusa and going to be tossed out like old trash when she was bored of him; in other words, the white knight was going to be nothing when she was done with him as he would likely die trying to be the hero if he survived today. If anything, Umiko was going to have fun watching him struggle again one of the guards that were standing nearby.

But before any fighting ensued, one of the guards would step up without a second thought and volunteer to fight the cursed boy which Umiko agreed to without a second thought with a devilish grin on her face. However, there was some things that needed to be covered before Riyota began his duel with this Aikayume guard. She would say the following: "Bring me back the one who killed one of ours and you will get your request granted. I do not care if the filthy mongrel is alive or not as long as I am given the satisfaction of knowing that I eliminated this disgrace from this world. As for your fight, it will be until one of you is unable to continue so try to not kill one another, alright?" It was then that she stepped away from the boy and the clan's guard to allow them to begin their fight where Riyota was more than likely going to lose his other limb and become even more disgusting looking. He had better watch out though or he was going to be too ugly and pathetic looking to even look at or someone would go blind!

After Umiko was out of harm's way, the guard would crack his neck as he looked at the young Genin. He truly did not want to harm a child, but if Miss Umiko deemed it necessary, he had to do as he was asked! "Listen, Kid. I will go easy on you so you don't have to go crying home to Mommy and Daddy about how you got a bunch of boo-boos because you couldn't handle yourself against the most prestigious clan in all of Wind Country." Yes, it was a taunt and a quite honestly a true one depending on who you asked even though the only opinion that mattered was an Aikayume one!

!

You have entered modded combat! You will be fighting an Aikayume guard who is a Tsuchimikado. Your opponent is roughly around the same PL as you so take this seriously like it was a true modded fight against another player. Please send me your battle-related information in a PM as you will be using what you currently have. I will however also allow you to use anything that was requested prior to this post even if it is pending. You may simple post your actions in your post as an OOC note. You will not be given the actions of your opponent. I know Shiori typically puts the action, but I am not her and thus, I am going to leave you in the dark as much as possible. Good luck and have fun! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

​

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota smirked, "That's funny, I was about to say the same thing to you! Wow, we are so in sync we should be best friends!" He joked as he paced back and forth, observing his opponent. In Riyota's experience male Kitsune were a rare sight so the young Shinobi didn't quite know what to expect. Slowly though he drew his greatsword out of the sheath on his back and slid it across the sand to the left of him. He didn't bother trying to sense his opponent's morality with the blade. There wasn't any point he simply watched, and waited for a few moments.

Just in case, Riyota closed his eyes and willed the bones that made up his skeleton to move, to rise to the surface of his flesh and harden to a density stronger than rock. He wasn't sure what the guard was capable of so he wanted to be prepared.

His defense sorted Riyota would leap forward suddenly. Wildly lashing at his opponent with a flurry of strikes from his sword. He wasn't going to try any fancy attacks yet. He wanted to see how strong the guard was. Their reactions to his attacks, before he tried doing anything else.

Remembering his extensive training with blades he concentrated on an all out feral assault against his target. Feeling his strikes become more powerful and accurate with every swing.

With his one arm Riyota swung the greatsword right, then left, then diagonally left then diagonally right, then straight down and to finish his first flurry he spun around and let loose his strength into a final slash attack. It was unlikely to do much, but it would allow him to learn some things about the guard, and his defense should hold together for the impending counterattack.

Spoiler

- Drawing weapon 'Humanity' [0.5 AP]
- Activated Kaguya, Ultimate Bone Defense, Rank 2 [1.25 AP, 250 CP]
- Activated Slashing Style, Feral Assault [0.5 AP]
- Basic Attack x6

 

[Tomomi]

[col3]

HP: 18900 - 1593 = 17307
CP: 12900 - 250 = 12650
AP: 8 AP - 6.75 AP = 1.25 AP (9 AP to start next round)
Status: Okay!
[spoilername="Abilities"]

• 0. Shinobi 101: Explosion Ninjutsu will use Melee Accuracy
• 1. Healing Factor - The user regains 3% Max HP at the beginning of each round
• 2. Slashing - Physical Style (using Feral Assault right now)
• 3. Supercharge
• 4. Adrenaline Rush
• 5. Hidden Power - +0.5 secondaries each time he loses 20% of his health which is 3780
• 6. Fearless - +10% Damage Reduction to all Damage types but -1 to Evasion and Gen Save
• 7. Thick Blood - +10% Bleeding Resistance and Bleeding penalties are treated as one rank lower.
• 8. Weapon Mastery electing Slashing - Open Wounds
• 9. Cursed Seal

[/spoilername]
[spoilername="Secondaries"]Melee Accuracy: 18 - 2(Weapon) = 16
Ranged Accuracy: 14
Ninjutsu Accuracy: 18
Genjutsu DC: 13
Dodge: 18 - 1(Fearless) = 17
Genjutsu Save: 17 - 1(Fearless) = 16
Stealth: 10
Awareness: 9
Poison Resistance: 10[/spoilername]||

HP: 21600 - 669 = 20930
CP: 12600 - 2205 = 10395
AP: 8 AP - 5.5 AP = 2.5 AP (10 AP for next round)
Status: Okay!
[spoilername="Abilities"]1. Weapon Attunement - +5% Weapon Damage Modifier and +3% Bleeding
2. Bloody Mess
3. Healing Factor - The user regains 3% Max HP at the beginning of each round
4. Elemental Illusion
5. Duelist
6. Fearless - +10% Damage Reduction to all Damage types but -1 to Evasion and Gen Save
7. Called Shot
8. Concentration - May carry 1 additional AP over from the previous round if unused
9. Slashing Style - Razor Edge
10. Hidden Power - +0.5 secondaries each time lose 20% so 4320[/spoilername]
[spoilername="Secondaries"]Melee Accuracy: 17 + 2(Weapon) + 2(Duelist) = 21
Ranged Accuracy: 14
Ninjutsu Accuracy: 9
Genjutsu DC: 17
Dodge: 17 - 1(Fearless) = 16
Genjutsu Save: 17 - 1(Fearless) = 16
Stealth: 9
Awareness: 10
Poison Resistance: 10[/spoilername][/col3]

---0 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard gains 3 Talisman via Ritual Sealing Rank 3!

---0 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard is dueling Riyota!

• +2 Accuracy and +10% damage towards a single target.
• +10% chance to auto-dodge the targets attacks
• -2 Dodge/Save to any other opponents targeting the user

---0.625 Seconds: Riyota draws Humanity

• Accuracy/Damage modifier: -2 Accuracy
• Damage Modifier: +10% Damage.
  Weapon Effect: May naturally inflict Supression
  Augments: Siege

---0.625 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard draws their sword!

• Accuracy Modifier: +2
• Damage Modifier: -10% Base Damage
• Weapon Effect: May naturally inflict bleeding
• Augments: None

---1.25 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard enters Slashing Style - Razor Edge

• Razor Edge: Should a target's Bleed Rank increase due to a Slashing Attack, the attack has a 20% Chance of doing Critical Damage. Can only effect a Victim once per round. If the victim reduces their Bleeding rank to 1, this can be used an additional time; this effect may only occur once per battle.

---2.18 Seconds: Riyota activates Ultimate Bone Defense, Rank 2!

• Rank 2: User gains 5% Damage Reduction and Bleeding has a -7% chance of success.

---2.81 Seconds: Riyota enters Slashing Style - Feral Assault!

• Feral Assault: Each consecutive Slashing Taijutsu Attack made by the user gains +3% Damage and +1 Accuracy, stacking up to +6% Damage and +2 Accuracy. For each Non-Slashing Taijutsu Attack made lowers the stack by -3% Damage and -1 Accuracy.

---3.75 Seconds: Riyota does a Basic Strike at the Aikayume Guard and scores a critical hit! (36 to 25)
Auto-Dodge Chance (10%): 16
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 20 = 36
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 17 + 8 = 25
Suppression Roll: 62 (Failed)

---4.06 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard attempts Executioner Mastered at Riyota and is successful!
Aikayume Guard's Melee Accuracy: 21 + 5 = 26
Riyota's Melee Dodge: 17 + 2 = 19
Bleeding Chance Roll: Failed!

---4.69 Seconds: Riyota does another Basic Strike at the Aikayume Guard and full hit! The guard is suppressed!
Auto-dodge chance (10%): 57
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 7 + 1 = 22
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 16 + 4 = 20
Suppression Roll: 8 (Successful)

---5.62 Seconds: Riyota does another Basic Strike at the Aikayume Guard, but misses!
Auto-dodge chance (10%): 10 (note, the rolls below didn't need to be done)
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 7 + 2 = 25
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 16 + 18 = 34

---6.56 Seconds: Riyota does another Basic Strike at the Aikayume Guard and achieves a full hit!
Auto-dodge chance (10%): 60
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 10 + 2 = 28
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 16 + 8 = 24
Suppression Roll: 83 (Failed)

---6.87 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard attempts Executioner Mastered again at Riyota, but misses!
Aikayume Guard's Melee Accuracy: 21 + 3 = 24
Riyota's Melee Dodge: 16 + 16 = 32

---7.50 Seconds: Riyota does another Basic Strike at the Aikayume Guard which is a clean hit! The guard is suppressed!
Auto-dodge chance (10%): 34
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 15 + 2 = 33
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 16 + 8 = 24
Suppression Roll: 20 (Successful)

---8.44 Seconds: Riyota does another Basic Strike at the Aikayume Guard, but misses!
Auto-dodge chance (10%): 79
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 4 + 2 = 22
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 17 + 10 = 27
Suppression Roll: 72 (Failed)

---10 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard has run out of AP to finish his actions!

And the fight was finally on between the male Aikayume guard and the young white knight of Aikayume Azusa, the current head of the Toraono Dojo. The guard would enter his own stance as he looked at the one-armed child entering his own stance as they both pulled their blades from their sheaths and were staring down one another with looks that could literally kill. The tension in the air was also quite suffocation as Umiko watched from a distance with the other guard as they saw Azusa's love clashing his blade with their guard's own with the filthy, disgusting, and ugly child managing to land a few blows here and there, but still showing signs of inexperience as he also had missed his mark quite a few times as they snickered to one another. However, there was no blood spilled yet as they watched their guard lose his breath a few times wasting useful time to attempt to counter-strike the strange child in front of them.

However, he would manage to land a deadly blow that would cut into the skin of the boy. Unfortunately for him, he was unaware that Riyota had impressive regenerative abilities and thick blood that didn't bleed out easily meaning this was going to be more difficult than originally planned for him. But, this was a challenge and he had managed to land one of his strong attacks while Riyota had grazed him quite a few times with quick blows. If one thing was for certain, we were starting to see how each fighter was planning on fighting the other and we would have to wait to see if quickness of Riyota or the strength of this guard would prevail at the end of their duel.

A quick moment would be taken from the guard as he looked at Riyota giving him a smirk as he addressed him: "You managed to evade one of my fatal blows that would've had your body bleeding out in mercy or decapitated you. I must say I am impressed that you managed to evade my attacks for the most part, but this is only the beginning, Young Man. Prepare yourself!" His blade would go back up after he spoke and he'd dash again at Riyota!

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Both men split off from each other, gaining some distance from one another. It was a break in their battle for a brief moment as they paced in circles, eyeing each other. Waiting for each other to make a move. Though neither of them would admit it outright in that moment. They were both gaining some respect for one another. The wound the guard had landed was powerful and still stung. Though it was not bleeding as much as it would've been had Riyota been anyone else.

Gripping his sword tightly he smiled. "Those are some very impressive moves you have, seriously, those hurt." He chuckled, complimenting his opponent. "Honestly, if I were in charge you'd be far more than a guard." He nodded, it was true that Riyota hadn't hit nearly as hard, but he had hit more, and that was something he could capitalise on. He felt his wound begin to heal as he stared dead into the eyes of the Aikayume guard. "That small clash gave me and idea of what kind of person you are, very graceful, yet very strong." He said as the dark mark on his chest began to glow underneath his shirt and snake it's way up his neck and across the left of his face, appearing like lava had settled there.

"So now I'm gonna try making it a little interesting, with this power that makes me oh so disgusting." He smiled again, but there was a bit more of a sinister feel to it this time. Gripping the handle of his sword tightly, he leapt towards the guard as the guard dashed towards him.

And so the two warriors began clashing again. Riyota was not yet abandoning his strategy of using many quick strikes as he felt the cursed energies begin to flow through him. He swung with lightning fast speed, impressive due to the sheer size of his blade. The weapon itself would seem to vanish, replaced by Silver streaks through the air.

Following up this attack Riyota landed and planted his feet firmly into the sand. Holding the blade back slightly he struck forward with a powerful slash. Utilising the strength his previous wounds had allowed him.

The young Shinobi's eyes would narrow as the Curse seal had finally finished empowering him. With a smile he leapt towards his opponent again. Slashing with his blade seven times in quick succession.

Riyota was not yet prepared to go all out against his opponent. He was waiting to see how things progressed before he got too crazy.

Spoiler

- Using Steel Weaving (Using Special Action if Requirements are met) [1AP]
- Using Focal Blade [1AP]
- Curse Seal activated
- Basic Attack [Free due to Curse Seal]
- Basic Attack x6

MFT 425

 

[Tomomi]

[col3]

HP: 17307 + 567- 3798 = 14076
CP: 12650 - 1565 = 11085
Next Round Cap: 10878
AP: 9 AP - 9 AP = 0 AP (8 AP to start next round)
Status: Bleeding Rank 1, Putting Strain on self via Curse Seal, Hidden Power is in effect (+0.5 to secondaries), Ultimate Bone Defense Rank 2
[spoilername="Abilities"]

• 0. Shinobi 101: Explosion Ninjutsu will use Melee Accuracy
• 1. Healing Factor - The user regains 3% Max HP at the beginning of each round
• 2. Slashing - Physical Style (using Feral Assault right now)
• 3. Supercharge
• 4. Adrenaline Rush
• 5. Hidden Power - +0.5 secondaries each time he loses 20% of his health which is 3780
• 6. Fearless - +10% Damage Reduction to all Damage types but -1 to Evasion and Gen Save
• 7. Thick Blood - +10% Bleeding Resistance and Bleeding penalties are treated as one rank lower.
• 8. Weapon Mastery electing Slashing - Open Wounds
• 9. Cursed Seal
  - Regenerate 8% Max Hp per round and have a 60% chance of lowering Called shots/Bleed Ranks each round, but cannot recover HP through any other method for the remainder of battle. (4 points)
  - 1 Free basic attack per round (2 points)

[/spoilername]
[spoilername="Secondaries"]Melee Accuracy: 18 - 2(Weapon) = 16
Ranged Accuracy: 14
Ninjutsu Accuracy: 18 (moved to high due to Curse Seal)
Genjutsu DC: 13
Dodge: 18 - 1(Fearless) = 17
Genjutsu Save: 17 - 1(Fearless) = 16
Stealth: 10
Awareness: 9
Poison Resistance: 10[/spoilername]||

HP: 20930 + 627 - 2965 = 18592
CP: 10395 - 1420 = 8975
AP: 10 AP - 8.25 AP = 1.75 AP (9.75 AP for next round)
Status: Okay!
[spoilername="Abilities"]1. Weapon Attunement - +5% Weapon Damage Modifier and +3% Bleeding
2. Bloody Mess
3. Healing Factor - The user regains 3% Max HP at the beginning of each round
4. Elemental Illusion
5. Duelist
6. Fearless - +10% Damage Reduction to all Damage types but -1 to Evasion and Gen Save
7. Called Shot
8. Concentration - May carry 1 additional AP over from the previous round if unused
9. Slashing Style - Razor Edge
10. Hidden Power - +0.5 secondaries each time lose 20% so 4320[/spoilername]
[spoilername="Secondaries"]Melee Accuracy: 17 + 2(Weapon) + 2(Duelist) = 21
Ranged Accuracy: 14
Ninjutsu Accuracy: 9
Genjutsu DC: 17
Dodge: 17 - 1(Fearless) = 16
Genjutsu Save: 17 - 1(Fearless) = 16
Stealth: 9
Awareness: 10
Poison Resistance: 10[/spoilername][/col3]

---0 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard gains 3 Talisman via Ritual Sealing Rank 3! He now has 5 total talisman!

0 Seconds: All maintains remain maintained and all recoveries are applied!

---2.5 Seconds: Riyota uses Steel Weaving Mastered landing 3 full hits and 2 partial hits! (see below for math)
Auto-Dodge Chance (10%): 59
Riyota's First Melee Accuracy: 16 + 17 = 33
Aikayume Guard's First Melee Dodge: 17 + 2 = 19
Riyota's Second Melee Accuracy: 16 + 11 = 27
Aikayume Guard's Second Melee Dodge: 17 + 1 = 18
Riyota's Third Melee Accuracy: 16 + 10 = 26
Aikayume Guard's Third Melee Dodge: 17 + 9 = 26
Riyota's Fourth Melee Accuracy: 16 + 19 = 35
Aikayume Guard's Fourth Melee Dodge: 17 + 19 = 36
Riyota's Fifth Melee Accuracy: 16 + 18 = 34
Aikayume Guard's Fifth Melee Dodge: 17 + 2 = 19
Suppression Roll: 49 (Failed)

---2.5 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard does a Hidden Action via One-Handed Seals through Ritual Casting Rank 3, but fails! (31 to 33)
Aikayume Guard's Genjutsu DC: 17 + 14 = 31
Riyota's Genjutsu Save: 16 + 17 = 33

---4.25 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard uses Blade Trail Mastered and gets in a partial hit (50%)! (35 to 35)
Aikayume Guard's Melee Accuracy: 21 + 14 = 35
Riyota's Melee Dodge: 17 + 18 = 35

---5 Seconds: Riyota uses Focal Blade Mastered and lands a partial hit (50%)! (18 to 18)
Auto-Dodge Chance (10%): 62 (Failed)
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 3 - 2 + 1 = 17
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 16 + 2 = 18

---5 Seconds: Riyota activates his Curse Seal: Facetank Seal!

---5.83 Seconds: Riyota does a basic strike and achieves a partial hit (50%) (20 to 20)
Auto-Dodge Chance (10%): 32 (Failed)
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 2 + 2 = 20
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 16 + 4 = 20

---6.5 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard attempts Executioner Mastered and is successful! Riyota is bleeding now!
Aikayume Guard's Melee Accuracy: 21 + 15 = 36
Riyota's Melee Dodge: 17 + 8 = 25
Bleeding Chance: 12 (Successful)
Razor Edge Chance: 63 (Failed)

---6.66 Seconds: Riyota does a basic strike, but misses! (17 to 25)
Auto-Dodge Chance (10%): 58 (Failed)
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 1 + 2 = 19
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 17 + 8 = 25

---7.22 Seconds: Riyota's Curse Seal's effects come into play now!

---7.22 Seconds: Riyota makes a basic strike for free via his Curse Seal and gets a partial hit (75%)! (27 to 26)
Auto-Dodge Chance (10%): 99 (Failed)
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 9 + 2 = 27
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 17 + 9 = 26

---7.49 Seconds: Riyota makes a basic strike, but misses! (20 to 31)
Auto-Dodge Chance (10%): 19 (Failed)
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 4 + 2 = 22
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 17 + 14 = 31

---8.25 Seconds: The Aikayume Guard attempts Vanishing Slash Mastered and it is a full hit! (32 to 28)
Aikayume Guard's Melee Accuracy: 21 + 8 + 3 = 32
Riyota's Melee Dodge: 17 + 11 = 28
Bleeding Chance Roll: 23 (Failed)

---8.32 Seconds: Riyota makes a basic strike and scores a full hit! (35 to 32)
Auto-dodge chance (10%): 90 (Failed)
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 17 + 2 = 35
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 16 + 16 = 32
Suppression Roll: N/A (no need to)

9.15 Seconds: Riyota makes a basic strike and scores a full hit! (26 to 20)
Auto-dodge chance (10%): 12 (Failed)
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 10 + 2 = 28
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 16 + 4 = 20
Suppression Roll: N/A (no need to)

---9.98 Seconds: Riyota makes a basic strike, but scores a partial hit (50%)! (30 to 30)
Auto-dodge chance (10%): 11 (Failed)
Riyota's Melee Accuracy: 16 + 12 + 2 = 30
Aikayume Guard's Melee Dodge: 16 + 14 = 30
Suppression Roll: N/A (no need to)

The guard would dash by the mutated child as his blade connected with flesh and the life essence of every human poured out of his opponent ever so beautifully staining the dirt that they had been fighting on. It was a shame that Riyota had left his guard down however as the Aikayume guard would slice at the child some more leaving tears in the clothing of him and marks on the child. However if the guard had been watching more closely, he would have noticed that the white knight's regenerative abilities were already at work as his wounds were healed and it appeared like nothing had even happened unfortunately. While this was a nice facade, the guard had a feeling that the boy still was taking all the damage from his blade and his body would soon give out. But, it was only an assumption and we knew what assuming did to people all the time so stay tuned folks and let's see what happen.

It was important to note however that while the guard made his mark each time, Riyota would counteract with his own attacks and land a significantly higher amount which stung with each blow especially when the boy tapped into a hidden power from within him as relics covered his body. However, the guard would not be winded this time from his blows possibly learning from the prior few moments that this kid, while smol and one-armed, could still pack a significant punch if he put his mind to it. He also had a gut feeling that Riyota had a hidden reserve that he hadn't seen yet which troubled him as the boy was managing to hold his own against a skilled swordsman already and a inner reserve would make it even more complicated.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Spoiler

- Dropping Humanity [0 AP]
- Activating Dead Bone Pulse [Rank 3] [1 AP] [Barbed Teeth, Free-Flow, Swift and Lucky Dodge Augments applied.]
- Activating Dance of the Camellia [Rank 3] [1.75 AP]
- Using Fatal Draw [A-Rank Slashing] [Rank 2] [2.75 AP]
- Basic Strike [Free]

As the two combatants had distance put between them once again a large grin would appear on Riyota's face. Happy, but also somewhat ominous. His mismatched eyes danced around in their sockets. Examining every part of the terrain around them. His curse seal had sent his senses into overdrive, everything he felt he felt ten times stronger. The pain however was overweighed by the adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream. The guard's perspective on the boy would cast him quite sinister, especially when he began to laugh. "This...This is fantastic, it's been ages since I've had a proper fight...You're good, really good.[/color] He would compliment through his chuckling.

His wounds were healing themselves slowly, but far quicker than they had been before thanks to the power his curse seal was borrowing from his overall lifespan. He cracked his neck, leaning his head left and then right. "This isn't doing me much good..." He muttered, swinging his greatsword slightly before dropping it onto the warm sandy ground. Strange lumps under his flesh would begin protruding and a small bone would begin to emerge from the flesh of his wrist. "Time to really put my family's blood to the test." He smiled as a long jagged blade made of strong, grey bone fired out of his wrist. Catching it by the handle he gave it a few test swings. "Here we go!" He called to the guard, charging forward once again.

'This is going to really burn through my energy...I have to finish this quickly, going all out is unfortunately my only option here if I want to continue...' He pondered within his mind. Surging forward towards the guard Riyota began manipulating the bones to give almost esoteric movements to his actions. The young Shinobi was dancing now, an incredibly dangerous dance. He would lash out with this newly created weapon in a strange and abstract manner, possibly throwing the guard...well...off guard...

Riyota drummed his fingers on the handle of the sword he had forged out of his own skeleton. He cocked his head to the side and nodded. 'Not too bad...' He thought to himself as he tested the weight with the palm of his hand.

Immediately the young shinobi would rush forward, weapon at the ready, moving at unbelievable speed. His strike would arc upwards across the guards stomach and chest and the sheer velocity of it would cause the blood to rush straight out of his arteries, causing a moment of breathlessness for his opponent, if it struck true.

Riyota started to sweat a little bit. 'I can't keep this up forever, it has to end soon, but I'm...I'm still in this!' He assured himself. The flicker of a blonde tail in his mind's eye providing him with the courage to continue.

 

[Tomomi]

On the "sidelines", Umiko was watching with a devilish, little grin on her face as the swords of the combatants continued to clash with one another. Occasionally, the blades would actually hit their mark, but it appeared like both of them were incapable of bleeding as their wounds were deep enough to sustain everlasting damage internally and externally, but yet they continued to fight and put their lives on the line between one another. However, it was somewhat ironic that they were complimenting one another between bouts as the Aikayume Clan were notorious for being prideful and having inflated egos about themselves so someone actually complimenting a commoner was quite a surprise. But more importantly, the longer that she watched this scene unfolding in front of her, the more that she knew that this was slowly getting out of hand as the ugly duckling's appearance had altered slightly and his body appeared to be covering itself in runic-like markings which could mean a few things; all of which were not going to end well for him or his opponent as she could see the strain beginning to take form on his body even though this change was helping him fight.

She would only stand there though and let the situation unfold in front of her more as they clashed their blades quite a few more times as she digested the information. It was only when there was a change in the boy's voice for a split second that she knew that things were or had gotten out of control as he dashed at the guard and his speed had quickened significantly. In all honesty, his body's reflexes had heightened as he easily evaded moves that he had left his guard down to before and he had come nearly close to landing a fatal blow into the Aikayume guard's body until Umiko had appeared between them and grabbed both of their swords stopping them in their tracks as she looked at the guard and then Riyota. As she did, she would begin to speak to both of them: "Put your blades down. You have both proven your capability of handling the tasks that have been assigned to you and there is no point in having more blood shed on these sacred grounds than need be. We are wasting valuable time if we continue this spar any longer and put either of you into danger."

She would then take a step back from them both and the guard would shift his blade to his side before putting it back into his sheath. He would then give a bow to the boy that he had just sparred and thank him for a fun time before heading back to the other guard nearby and likely discussing to one another about the boy and his true capabilities. As they did there own little thing, Umiko would cross her arms over her busty chest and give a little smile to the one-armed ugly creature in front of her before she spoke the following: "I am impressed, Riyota. I didn't think you would actually be able to handle yourself as well as you did against someone who is highly skilled in their art of swordsmanship. You have proven me wrong and for that, I can safely say that you are ready to go on this mission. Now, I don't know who actually attacked us but I have a feeling that it would be someone in the Red Light District in the Grand Palais. That might be your best option for any leads, but you may also want to speak with that medical chief of the Byakko Clan. I think his name was Kyujin or Kojo or something. Either way, he had been handling matters with his own hands in that area of the village for quite some time from the rumors that have circulated through the village. Then again if the rumors are also true, he is likely only a broken shell of a man that he used to be."

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota would emit a grunt of surprise when his skeletal blade was stopped short of its mark and the fight as a whole had been entirely ceased. His eyes would dart and glare with great intensity at whatever had interrupted the fight. However, when he saw the small annoying fox he only let out an annoyed sigh as the blade was slowly absorbed back into his flesh and the cursed markings lost their glow and retreated back down to his left pectoral. Turning to the guard he had sparred with he returned the bow. "I hope we can finish that some day, I'm sure I wasn't the only one having fun." He smiled, his carefree and cheerful attitude returning to him as the adrenaline died down. Riyota turned his attention back to Umiko as the last of his wounds healed up, his skin seamlessly stitched back together.

His eyes would droop and his expression would darken slightly as the Kitsune essentially explained that she had essentially zero information for the young shinobi. "So, what you mean to say is. You could've summarised what I needed to do in the letter, and sending me here first was a complete waste of my time..." He retorted to her, an irritated tone carried in his voice. 'Testing my strength...whatever, if they cared about who they're sending they would've just contacted the ANBU or someone.' He pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh and shook his head. "Fine...fine, I'll do this as a favour to Azusa and nothing else." He explained, hoping that Umiko would at least proceed to give him somewhere to start.

And indeed she did, finally. One singular lead, to get in contact with a figure that Riyota actually had very few fond memories of. "Kyuji..." He muttered out loud. There was no scorn or disdain in his voice, more surprise and worry. The older shinobi hadn't exactly been in a fit state the last time Riyota saw him, and apart from that their only other substantial meeting had involved Kyuji blowing Riyota's chest wide open. 'Seeing him again...that should be interesting...' Riyota thought to himself.

"Alright, I'll get to the bottom of your little mystery, but don't forget you still owe me that favour." Riyota departed with a wink and a smirk. Stopping only to extend white bones from his hand to reclaim his greatsword.

If this mystery was truly as worrying as the fox-woman claimed it to be. Riyota could be in serious trouble.

 

[Miroku Riyota]

Riyota would emit a grunt of surprise when his skeletal blade was stopped short of its mark and the fight as a whole had been entirely ceased. His eyes would dart and glare with great intensity at whatever had interrupted the fight. However, when he saw the small annoying fox he only let out an annoyed sigh as the blade was slowly absorbed back into his flesh and the cursed markings lost their glow and retreated back down to his left pectoral. Turning to the guard he had sparred with he returned the bow. "I hope we can finish that some day, I'm sure I wasn't the only one having fun." He smiled, his carefree and cheerful attitude returning to him as the adrenaline died down. Riyota turned his attention back to Umiko as the last of his wounds healed up, his skin seamlessly stitched back together.

His eyes would droop and his expression would darken slightly as the Kitsune essentially explained that she had essentially zero information for the young shinobi. "So, what you mean to say is. You could've summarised what I needed to do in the letter, and sending me here first was a complete waste of my time..." He retorted to her, an irritated tone carried in his voice. 'Testing my strength...whatever, if they cared about who they're sending they would've just contacted the ANBU or someone.' He pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh and shook his head. "Fine...fine, I'll do this as a favour to Azusa and nothing else." He explained, hoping that Umiko would at least proceed to give him somewhere to start.

And indeed she did, finally. One singular lead, to get in contact with a figure that Riyota actually had very few fond memories of. "Kyuji..." He muttered out loud. There was no scorn or disdain in his voice, more surprise and worry. The older shinobi hadn't exactly been in a fit state the last time Riyota saw him, and apart from that their only other substantial meeting had involved Kyuji blowing Riyota's chest wide open. 'Seeing him again...that should be interesting...' Riyota thought to himself.

"Alright, I'll get to the bottom of your little mystery, but don't forget you still owe me that favour." Riyota departed with a wink and a smirk. Stopping only to extend white bones from his hand to reclaim his greatsword.

If this mystery was truly as worrying as the fox-woman claimed it to be. Riyota could be in serious trouble.

 

[Tomomi]

And so he was off to do his mission assigned to him from Umiko after being given a simple lead of talking to Kyuji to begin the whole investigation process. He likely would be hitting a few dead-ends during the process, but it allowed him to grow as an individual and also would likely have him uncover some things that he should have been aware of, but likely had not been since he was busy chasing tails literally. All in all, he was in for a wonderful adventure that would have its twists and turns with hopefully an epic climax where he retrieved the eyes of the decreased Aikayume Clan member and accomplished his mission with little to no issues involved. But, only time would tell if these theories and thoughts would truly come to fruition or not. For the sake of Umiko and the reputation of the Aikayume Clan, hopefully he didn't fail them or it was likely that the true authorities for this situation would have to get involved and indirectly taint the name of the clan.

While he headed off, the guards were discussing among themselves how odd that the child was in appearance, dialogue, and in general. They truly did not know what their former priestess saw in the child that she would engage in personal matters with him unless it was for personal gain. However, they would compliment his fighting prowess as he held his own nicely even if he had to rely on some aid from the cursed arts. In all honesty, he was fine in their books, but he and Azusa had some explaining to do if she ever decided to show her face here again. That was likely not happening unfortunately though.

As for Umiko, she would just stand there watching him disappearing with a smirk on her face. It was true that she was likely sending him off into a suicidal mission and he would likely not come back the same teenager that he was before dealing with their ordeals. However, she did have to conjure up something to nullify his favor that he requested to her while he was gone, but she had time as it was unlikely that he would find the individual or group that had engaged in this heinous crime quickly since he had all of the village and possibly the country to investigate unless her initial suggestion of asking Byakko Kyujin for help actually lead to him retaining quickly since Kyujin had a lead. She wasn't going to hold her breath on that thought though.

[OOC: Part 1 is Complete. Part 2 begins HERE.]