Team Rin: The Sword of the Valiant

[ZeroNumerous]

That Afternoon

Team Rin spends most of their afternoon in quiet contemplation of the events to come. Most of the stories of the mountain place dangerous monstrosities made by ninja experimentation running amok. None the less, Rin seems fairly set on going and the genin don't have many options to the contrary. The wait seems to drag out for several days, but eventually the sun rises to the noon position and the four of you set out for the mountain.

It takes several days of marching, and you encounter the occasional ninja group who are planning to take the Exams but mainly the trip is a pleasant romp through a countryside that makes a rainforest look dry by comparison. Almost like clockwork there's a small lake formed by rainwater every ten feet. Adding gentle rolling hills, villages built at near sea-level and the ocean surrounding it on all sounds together makes you think this place was just a flood disaster waiting to happen.

All of that is put out of your mind when you see the Mountain. A veritable obelisk of obsidian thrusting forth from a valley that is below sea-level by your best guess. As you descend into the valley, you notice the foliage become more numerous and much more primordial. It feels like you've stumbled straight into the thickest of rainforests as you're forced to draw kunai and cut your way ever closer to the Mountain. After a day's travel through the rainforest, you eventually come to an ancient gateway.

It's a subtle thing at first. The damp stone covered by ancient lichen barely stands out against the rainforest background. But your attention is quickly grabbed by relatively clean red clay tiles built into the gate's roof. It appears to have been transplanted straight from a Hidden Village and placed squarely in this area for no discernable reason. Ancient wooden gates taller than even Konohagakure's and covered in creeping vines bar your path. There are no walls around the gateway, but you can't see through the trees surrounding it.

Just as you wonder how to get through, the ancient hinges creak and groan as something pushes them open from the inside..

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin's quick battle-scarred reflex moved her quickly, a shimmer of a hand and the next moment she held a kunai across her field of vision not willing to allow any chance for surprise slip her by. She had however already activated her sharingan out of raw reflex, so it was likely any human or human-like foe could at least make a guess as to lineage. "Formation behind me. Yuu in back." She growled, her powerful spirit resonating in her words, they brooked no argument.

OOC:
Hit Points: 64/64
Chakra Pool: 91/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1)

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Sighing quietly at his lack of ability to substantially contribute, Yuu calls Kuromaru over. There was at least one technique he could still perform with one hand.

Muttering "Juujin Ryuu- Seiga", Yuu's hand glowed as he enhanced Kuromaru's fangs.

"That's the best I can do for you, buddy. Be careful, and stay on your guard."

Straightening up, Yuu drew his sword, awkwardly. He was reasonably confident he could still perform the Gatotsu, but it did make sense for him to stay in the back. Focusing, he relaxed the restraints on his body, entering a state of heightened awareness and ability.


HP- 79/79
CP 36/40
AC 20
Initiative-

Perform Juujin Ryuu Seiga- take 10 for autosuccess, even with the -4 from performing off-handed. Draw sword. Kuromaru gains +1 to attack and damage, with chakra-based fangs for overcoming DR. Activating rank 2 speed.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The figure pushing the door open pauses in surprise once it catches sight of people at battle-readiness arrayed in front of it. The raven-haired person wore the white mask of the ANBU, the animal face it was shaped into resembling a cat with the stylized leaf symbol of Konohagakure set in the middle of the mask's forehead, and straightens from pushing the door open to an un-imposing height of five feet and two inches.

"Uchiha Rin?" The soft soprano voice asks before the person steps out from the doorway and fully into what light the Mountain allows down there. A gloved hand came up to grip the ANBU mask tightly, lifting it free after a moment as it's wearer slipped the mask into the large shuriken pouch belted about her waist. And it was easy to tell that it was a her now that the mask had come off, icy blue eyes taking stock of each of those present before fixing on the Sharingan staring her right back. The girl couldn't be much more then fourteen years old, but age was hardly an indication of ability as most in the shinobi world knew, and the elegant silvery-gold battle armor she wears is testament about under-estimating her. The breastplate, with matching greaves and gauntlets, makes the teenager look more experienced then she otherwise would but also makes it close to impossible to get a good look at her body. Hell, until the mask had come off, it had been almost impossible to tell the slender figure was in fact female!

"You are Uchiha Rin of Team Rin?" She asks again, in a more formal tone of voice as her arms hang loosely at her sides though fingers clenched and unclenched nervously as the younger female stared up at Rin.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Looking back Rin relaxed and with a twirl her eyes returned to their natural emerald green. "Yes I am." She had let her arm move back to her side but still kept the kunai clutched in her hand. Certain children were beyond a childhood and while she hoped this wasn't on of them, she remained alert. "You?"

Her own clothes had changed since she first met her genin slightly. She wore an unfamiliar tan coat instead of her usual white doctors coat with the kanji 'Doctor!' drawn on the back. Her shirt and skirt were also both more conservative, more adult then before, but they both still displayed warm earth tones. Also gone was her usual Kazengakure vest with it's volcano motifs, instead she wore a light piece of armour under her clothes.

OOC:
Hit Points: 64/64
Chakra Pool: 91/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: None

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Some of the tension leaves the somewhat plain girl's shoulders when Rin answers her, a smile briefly touching across her face before she gives a short nod of her head. Fingers quite fidgeting, the shinobi's left hand going to the large pouch at her waist to pull forth a simple scroll that bore the mark of Konohagakure upon it.

"My name is Sumie. I was instructed to give this to you once I found you." Sumie says simply, finally letting her gaze drift from the Uchiha to the others once more. Maybe she was seeing if they were threats, or maybe she was just seeing what sort of condition that the 'genin' were in. It is hard to tell with a face like hers. "I didn't think I was going to get here before you. Did you have trouble getting through the jungle?"

The question was directed moreso towards Yuu and Hibiki, wanting to give Rin some quiet while she read whatever it was that the scroll said.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin's eyes flashed as she thought about Sasuke. She felt a knot inside and she knew she should have stayed, her presence might have allowed him to continue the exam. "Have you read it?" She asked the question but it was clear from how she spoke, how her eyes gleamed, and even from the slight hint of a battle posture from an apparently off guard woman, that she wanted to know if she knew her orders.

OOC:
Hit Points: 64/64
Chakra Pool: 91/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: None

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

A batch of flaxen, blond hair peeks around the right side of Rin's waist, slowly Hibiki's head slides into Sumie's view; however, this was not the only head to appear around Rin. One head peered around on Rin's left, another came into view over the Uchiha's shoulder, another found its way above Rin's head, yet another came up through Chimera's legs. After taking a long, hard look at their new encounter, all heads simultaneously shift back behind Rin leaving no trace of what was behind the jounin of Konohagakure.

After a few silent moments, Hibiki walks away from behind Rin and tilt his head looking at Sumie; a sudden look of horror comes across the mad genin's face once Sumie's question registers in his mind. He runs back to Rin and tugs violently on her earthy toned skirt, "Rin-sensei! Don't answer that! Please, oh please, don't answer it!"

Thoughts of Hibiki taking hours in the forest to move his bowels and of the horror when Rin peaked in on him to make sure he was okay. The embarrassment was more than the crazed genin could handle. Hibiki snaps his head to Sumie and feigns a smile when he remembers about introducing himself.

Hibiki flaps around his white cape stitched by Umino-sensei and gives a peace sign to the stranger-nin. "Hi! I'm Hibiki!" As if on cue, a sudden gust of wind picks up his cape and flutters it around. Other clothing such as his gray flight jacket and jumpsuit pants (with one pant leg zipped off) cling to him and his ninja armor underneath.

A broad smile carries on through the silence.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"A pleasure, Hibiki-sama." Sumie murmurs softly, eyes widening upon the appearance of the multiple versions of the same person. Those must have been clones then, I'll have to remember that for later. Never have been too good at understanding ninjutsus. Outwardly, the girl's eyes had taken on hardened look as she thought to herself, but once Sumie returned her attention to the situation at hand it faded. "But why should you not tell me? Is it private or just embarrassing?"

The musings were disturbed when Rin asked about the scroll, the slight teenager taking in the other female's posture and expression and taking a swift step back away from Rin. "I have not. I do not pry into the business of others when I can. Especially when it might contain sensitive information I should not be privy too."

Sumie tilts her head to the side, reaching up to idly tuck her short hair behind her ears once more. Remember, polite and civil. She thinks to herself as she waits for an explanation, until finally the shinobi speaks up once more. "Is there something I should know?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

"Read it yourself." A quick whip like motion saw her scroll the paper back inside before tossing her the item. "At least you're not going to be a burden." In her own way she was trying to encourage self-reliance. One of the keys to being a good shinobi and a good person to her mind.

[The Unborne]

Inside Hibiki's Mind

Pride is sitting on his throne of gold raising his chin so high up that he banged his head against the back of his chair. "Sama! She used sama! Muwahaha!" The rest of the sins are sitting close to small television tube that served as their only link to the outside world.

"I don't know...What's your analysis Wrath?"

"She looks cute."

All activities inside Hibiki's brain stops. A thick silence fills the atmosphere not because what Wrath said was taboo, but because no one knew how to reply to that. Not until Envy spots the flying, "Scroll!"

Hibiki

The crazed leaf-nin diverts his attention from Sumie to the scroll moving through the air. Out of reaction the genin jumps in the air and catches the scroll right before it reaches Sumie. After a few flips through the air, Hibiki sticks his landing and pumps his hands into the air in exclamation, "See that Rin-sensei? What a catch! Now let's see what we have here..."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"I am not supposed to be. No shinobi should be." Sumie points out as the jounin tosses the scroll in her direction and one hand raises to pluck it out of the air. Only to have Hibiki snatch it away from her grasp and flips through the air before pumping his hands up in the air. Irritation flicks across her face and the girl steps up behind Hibiki as old training steps flash through her mind.

One foot between his, leg tense to break his stance. Twist the body around to the opponent's side and throw your forearm across the chest. Sweep arm back while using leg to trip opponent.

Taijutsu, the art of hand-to-hand combat. It was easy to see that it was Sumie's forte as she flowed around Hibiki and bent him backwards with a standard, but elegant, throw. However she didn't let go of him and let him crash down to the ground, as one usually would, instead her hand grabbed a fistful of his flight jacket to hold him suspended almost parallel to the ground. It was almost a parody of the classic 'swooning lady sweeped into the romantic kiss' pose, though the positions were obviously reversed, and Sumie's intentions only become murkier as she leans down until her face is but a scarce half-inch from Hibiki's and her eyes peer into his.

"You were not given permission to read the scroll Hibiki-sama, I must ask you respect the wishes of the one who sent it." The girl whispers, holding the taller and older teenager up with a little effort before pressing her lips to his for solid ten seconds. It was probably nice enough for Hibiki, but it proved to be a diversion a moment later when the girl plucks the scroll from his hands and breaks the kiss the very second after. She was polite enough to straighten Hibiki out though, instead of just letting him drop, before letting go and unfurling the scroll so she could read it herself as if nothing had happened.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

"Hey what are you doing? Wah, wait! Don't!" Hibiki squints as the kunoichi draws ever so closely to his face. The genin becomes as stiff as plywood during the interaction of lips and his wild bang of hair shoots up on end. Fireworks go off inside his head, and the Sins start celebrating with Karaoke. Lust is blowing off confetti everywhere.

Those ten seconds were the longest of Hibiki's short life. Who knew that the heavens would open and grant the lowly Hibiki a kiss from one of its angels. The forest soon disappears as the crazed genin's imagination runs wild, what used to be a mountain reverted in size to be a tabernacle and Hibiki's jumpsuit soon became a black tuxedo. Sumie became his bride.

Before Hibiki could reach his hand up to press the girl's face closer to his, the kunoichi broke off the kiss and daydream, and left Hibiki standing there with empty hands. The genin fell back and laid motionless on the ground.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Shinobi of both gender were trained to take advantage of the special weaknesses of the opposite gender, so Rin was not surprised when Sumie did what she did. She however was aware that Hibiki had received no such training, either offensive or defensive in nature. His reaction to this could range from nothing to the out right insane. She leaned back against her ever present non-existent lounger but then quickly she rose back up an incredibly devilish smile on her face. "I think you've made a friend, Hibiki." Worst thing that could come from it would be Hibiki's clumsy advances, or headlong charges as the case might be.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu had remained conspicuously silent throughout the proceedings. He was mulling over the concerns that this new mission might delay him getting his arm back. That was the entire reason they'd come here, wasn't it?

"Are those new orders, sensei?"

As the kunoichi intercepted and kissed Hibiki, Yuu turned to Kuromaru, grumbling.

"So when Hibiki meets a mysterious girl somewhere, he gets a kiss. I meet one and I get my godsdamned arm chopped off...life's not fair, buddy."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin still was not happy with Yuu. He had in her opinion failed to learn anything about how the real world worked. She soon would resign herself to considering him an unrealistic dreamer. One of those stupid people who refused to compromise themselves, to adapt to a change was fundamental in a living being. "Nothing to concern you." Rin responded without looking back at Yuu who she had placed as far from the gate as she could. She turned to look at Hibiki, expecting some funny reaction, as she held out her hand for the scroll. "If you've read it. I'd prefer to keep it safe."

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

What Rin does see is Hibiki lying down on the ground straight as an arrow; his hair is still spiked up from the shock of the event, but a sheepish grin is plastered on his face. Overall, the genin had taken his first kiss quite nicely.

Inside Hibiki's Mind

The only thing better than frolicking through a field of poppies is frolicking through a field with someone heading in your direction. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxGiKgYYKvQ) Enter Hibiki, a careless, naive individual with no care in the world, but that would soon change with the introduction of Sumie.

As the two lovers met in the middle of the field, Hibiki embraced the kunoichi into his arms and looked deep into her eyes. The future seemed cloudy to the crazed genin. He truly believed he would save the world a few times over, but with Sumie how would that be possible? She'd be his weakness, the single object of his being that a villain would use to cause the genin's downfall.

Hibiki tilted his head at his newest hamartia. Would he have to change himself for her? The genin shook the thought away thinking he could hold it all off for awhile, but Hibiki wondered when he'd have to experience the changes of growing up.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Sumie rolls the scroll up after pursuing it's contents, looking at it thoughtfully for a moment or so before raising her eyes up to Rin. The Chimera. The Chimera and her two students at that. The scroll had contained nothing that she hadn't already known, but it had revealed her mission to at least Rin and she wondered what sort of consequences that might have if she told the others.

"I would prefer to destroy it, if you do not intend to share the contents with Hibiki-sama and Yuu-sama. I know that this one," the girl stopped, nudging Hibiki with her foot as she tossed the scroll back over to Rin, "seems likely to try and steal the scroll again. Better if he does not get the chance, yes?"

After speaking her mind though, she pauses and looks back down at the ramrod stiff Hibiki and how the older teenager hadn't moved a muscle since he had fallen on the ground. I'm not that great a kisser. She thinks wryly to herself before looking back up to Yuu and Rin.

"Will he be alright? And what exactly is our goal here? I was not given enough time to find out your purpose in coming to this mountain."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin slipped the scroll into one her jacket's pockets. "I'll bet." She said as a response. The Sharingan was a powerful asset for Konoha and it was not likely they would ever let it fall into such a persons hands. It meant that Rin would face death at this girl's hands before her eyes met capture at his. That was their plan. "I think Hibiki is far too interested in you to care."

Rin had hoped nothing would come of it. She had hoped. She hadn't believed nothing would happen though. "Even I'm not sure how he'll react. That was his first kiss." She continued on in the same manner as a mother would, 'unknowingly' telling people embarrassing things.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Like a rake being stepped on accidentally, Hibiki stood straight up with a flash of anger across his face. "Rin-sensei! You don't say things like that! Especially with Sumie-chan around! It's embarrassing!" The crazed genin snaps his head in Sumie's location and quickly fixes his hair down and then covers his mouth with his hand and breathes into it, hoping to smell if his breath was okay for his first kiss.

Hibiki races across the ground and joins up with Rin. The Leaf-nin positions himself behind Rin with enough room to see his new love-interest; however, Hibiki tries to avoid any prolonged eye contact with the girl. The child was simply not ready for any second helping of any kind.

The genin tugs again at Rin and asks her, "What did the scroll say Rin-sensei? If it was important enough to send and risk the life of a beautiful kunoichi like Sumie-chan, it must've been pretty important. Tell me!"

[Valgunn]

Rin

Lifting one arm she twisted her head around to look at the retreating lunatic. She had thought he'd perhaps do something stupid, get rejected, and declare her his enemy or something. He was acting normal, something had to be wrong with him. "Stop acting normal, Hibiki. It scares me." She dropped her hand on his head and ruffled his hair before turning her head back up the the summit of the mountain.

"I'm getting quite nostalgic here, I remember the time I made you climb the volcano. Let us try and avoid getting my chopsticks dirty before I eat this time." To the new addition to their little troupe the idle comment about chopsticks meant nothing, but to the small loony behind Rin it was a terrifying thought.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"I hope you realize what you've gotten yourself into, Sumie-san. I don't believe I've introduced myself. My name's Nagase Yuu, and this here's my bud, Kuromaru."

Yuu looks up at the gates and the mountain before him, up towards the top where his solution might rest.

"Do you know anything about this mountain here?"

[Valgunn]

Rin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEZpQnURcdM&feature=related)

As Rin stared up at the mountain her own mood influenced how she saw it. The mountain stood alone avoided because of it's dangerous reputation, a dangerous reputation it had earned through blood. Inside however lay hope, a strong spirit resided within, a healer's spirit. She smiled in a small and mournful way as she reacted to the world again.

"This mountain is dangerous, even for me. Along it's slopes reside beasts formed out of chakra itself, like the bijuu in that way." She sighed a little, already guessing her genin's response. 'We can do it' or 'It'll be tough, but we're tougher.', such stupid children. It was times like this Rin felt her age, but not in years. A weight of experience languished on her hard war-built shoulders. "The forest itself is dangerous, the climb would be hard without the bijuu-like beasts. It will likely be impossible."

"The technique we seek to be performed is also dangerous, both for user and subject. It calls upon the God of Death to grant a single wish to the subject, if it finds the users soul to be worthy. If not, it devours the users soul, and she will live in eternal torment within the God of Death's stomach. It is called Kami no Shuukyokuno Handan."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu sighed. He looked at his sensei and his friend, people who had helped him through a lot of tough times. Sensei had already saved his life several times over, and Hibiki, crazy as he was, was a friend. He didn't know what the new girl was doing here, but he couldn't ask her, either.

"We came here for me. Because I was stupid and charged into a situation without thinking, and lost my arm as a result. Hibiki, I cost you and Matsuo your shot at Chuunin, when you two are probably better-qualified than I am. Sensei, I know I put you through a lot of stress, and you saved my life back there. So I can't ask any of you to come with me. It's not worth my friends risking their lives over just an arm. You all have your own lives to live, I wouldn't want you to put them in danger just so I can swing my sword a little better. Koromaru, you too. I'll be alright, somehow."

Koromaru growled, and butted his head into Yuu's leg. It was a very clear indicator that he'd stick with his friend and companion. Yuu smiled and shrugged. What could he do?

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The daft genin rubs his thighs remembering the pain inflicted by those damned chopsticks. He gives Rin a nasty look that says, "If you try to pull that off again, I'll send more kage bunshin at you then you could possibly- oooh that does look like Haigakure's volcano!" Hibiki gawks at the mountain in front of them, and he sees in it a challenge unlike anything he's encountered before.

"Wait...Rin-sensei you said there were strange animals up there? Made out of chakra? How does that work out?" The leaf-nin wonders about how his chakra looks when he performs jutsus and then he imagines animals made out of the same, shapeless stuff. A question arose in side his head, "I wonder what would happen if you ate one..." He thinks out loud.

Hibiki tosses the idea around his head while his sins caught it and threw it back, but once Yuu starts apologizing he stops for a moment. He lifts his hand as to stop his fellow comrade from speaking, "That's stupid Sidekick-san, you went in to rescue people! That alone is worthy of being awesome. The sacrifice of your life as a shinobi for the lives of others makes it just as great." Hibiki pauses, and tries to remember what else he wanted to say, "I think the reason why there are villains out there is because they don't know the benefits of being good! Sidekick-san, I'm going to climb that mountain and find you a really nice arm, all because you have become a pretty decent hero in the past few days, and because those animals seem really cool to meet. It'll be tough, but we're tougher! So chin up and follow us, we can do it."

The genin clenches his fist, That was cool, I bet Sumie-chan is impressed.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

It was interesting to watch the interaction between the various members of this squad, so different from her own but at the same time similar enough that Sumie could relate to what they were trying to do. Well...the reasons for it, the methods just seemed so inefficient if they went with Yuu's plan for it all.

"If what Rin says is correct, then you will not be able to survive a trip up the mountain by yourself. To try would be foolhardy and you would further delay the development of yourself and Hibiki-sama if you were to get further injured, or worse, killed while seeking your cure. Learning teamwork with new squad members can take much time, time that might jeopardize your squad's chances at the next Chuunin Exam." the girl points out bluntly, hoping that the direct route would be the best to convince Yuu that while he might not want to endanger anyone else in retrieving his arm, he would need them too in order to have a chance of success. "If we attempt it together though, then the chances of success are much improved, if for no other reason then Rin will be close at hand in case somebody is injured. Perhaps not a sure gamble that we will make it, but much better odds then if you attempt it yourself."

But it was Hibiki's comments about the chakra-beasts that had the raven-haired girl staring in surprise at him. Did he just keep getting odder, or was he trying to prove something? It was too early to try and tell. "Hibiki-sama, I do not believe it is possible to eat chakra. Let alone a chakra-beast. You were not seriously going to try that...were you?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The sensation of being watched becomes steadily more obvious the longer you stand around and talk. At first, only Rin and Sumie detect the sensation hidden by their conscious thoughts but promoted by their instincts. But over time both Yuu and Hibiki detect it as well. A search of the area with your eyes reveals nothing immediate. As you pass over the gate you see a little girl wrapped in a kimono of pink silk adorned with little crescent moon symbols. At first your eyes pass right over her, but a quick double take brings your attention back to her. Something in your conscious thoughts says to not look at her because she was unworthy of attention, but your instincts kick and scream like a child to draw attention toward her.

She sits cross-legged on the edge of the gate's roof. Sumie never saw the girl, but she seems to have been sitting there for quite sometime. Her kimono is carefully wrapped to ensure that nothing but her ankles show. Even her hands are crossed over her chest and tucked deep within her kimono's sleeves. A pair of pale white eyes stare in your general direction, but not at anyone in particular. Her light white hair is twisted into a single long braid, wrapped around her neck and adorned with a blue ribbon.

She waits, rather patiently, for everyone to notice her. She seems to have done.. something to either increase her ability to be noticed or something to decrease her invisibility. You don't quite no what, but it's rendered irrelevant by the first thing out of her mouth. "Good morning Leaf-nin. I assume you're here to see the Master, yes? My name.. Isn't important. But you can call me Charon for now." A soft smile little more than a twist of her lips spreads across her face.

EDIT: Due to visibility issues, changed her text color to Pink.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Feeling the instinct of being watched Rin continued with her pattern. Not a muscle and not a vein moved out of place as the instinctual feeling gave way to conscious perception. A sad slow turn of her neck saw her staring at the feeling made flesh. Her eyes flashed red and three tomoe emerged on the surface of her eyes. Her fully formed sharingan concentrating and feeling the flow of chakra. "It's quite rude and dangerous to spy on people, Charon." Her voice breathed out like fire. Her fiery presence engulfing her charges. "Not big on subtly, are you, Charon?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The girl appears as an utter aberration to both Rin's eyes and doctoral thought process. Her body entirely lacks any flow of chakra yet her chest expands and contracts in breath and her eyelids blink. Everything Rin knows about medical science says the girl should be dead as her chakra coil system is intimately close to her circulatory system. And yet, she sits, breathes, watches and waits. "Is it not also rude to step into someone's home without speaking to them first? And to even threaten a little girl? You wound me, Leaf-nin."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Ummm...hello. Does your master live on top of the mountain? Because that's where we're headed.

Yuu had accepted his team's help without a further word- he had just wanted to say that they weren't obligated to do so. Truth be told, he probably would have run off if no one else had followed. He was still enough of a coward for that. But he had a smile on his face, even as he faced down this curios child. His friends were with him. Bring on the monsters.

Of course, that would most likely change the moment they actually encountered one, but he allowed himself this moment of bravado.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The girl doesn't look toward Yuu, but the boy gets the feeling of being acknowledged. "To say that my Master is one who enjoys his privacy is a vast understatement. He lives on this mountain, yes, and has spent me to warn you to turn away. Naturally, if you are intent upon climbing it's slopes then I would have to guide you up, 'lest I be seen as a poor hostess."

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Inside Hibiki's head is Lust rubbing his chin; outside Hibiki's head, Hibiki followed along with Lust's thoughts, "What's with all the pretty girls all of a sudden?" He thinks about a little bit more before jumping onto Rin's back, "Rin-sensei you should be more polite, she wants to help us out! Hey you! Charon! What are the Chakra beasts like up there? Are they tasty? Can you ride them? I need to know!" By the end of his question, the genin's voice started cracking with excitement.

If Charon doesn't answer Hibiki's questions, he leans forward from behind Rin and whispers into her ears, "Were you as pretty as these girls when you were younger? It's a shame people have to age...We should all stay young don't you think? We'd be more...accepting."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The girl again does not look at Hibiki. She does seem to acknowledge him. "They are no different than any other animal, though they are all hateful things drawn to human suffering. Of course, your armless companion attempting to climb this mountain will be like throwing chum to sharks. You can no more reason with them than you can reason with a stone, so I presume they cannot be ridden. And naturally they disappear upon death so they could not be eaten."

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The genin nods at the mysterious kunoichi's comments, "What sad creatures...they can't bury their dead, they can't pay respects to their fallen allies...But I don't get the human suffering! If they are drawn to suffering, would they be repelled by happiness? That's a stupid weakness if you ask me, I'm always happy!" To back up his point, he gives a rather large smile that stretches from ear to ear.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The girl frowns at Hibiki. "They are drawn to it because they thrive on it. Despair is their appetizer, pain their drink and hatred the main course. Death would, naturally, be a dessert."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Surprise warred with anger in Sumie's mind, the surprise of having someone sneak up on her rankling at the girl's considerable pride even as she finally managed to look straight at 'Charon'. Teeth ground together, but Sumie managed to keep a straight face as she took a few steps over towards the kimono clad girl.

"The chakra beasts. They will attack us, right? Are they physical? Can I strike them?" She asks urgently, wanting to take the chance to gather information about prospective enemies before she would have to find out the hard way. Trying to hit an immaterial being did not sound like a safe prospect to her.

But then...nothing was, and daylight was wasting every moment that they spent talking to their calm hostess. "Perhaps we should travel up the mountain as quickly as possible, less we draw unwelcome attention.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu grins at the little girl.

"What, you think just because I've lost my arm I'm in a bad mood? Pah! I'm good to go! I've got my friends with me, and we're going to get my arm back come hell or high water!...."

After a few seconds, however, the facade cracks a bit.

"Alright, so maybe I'm not as happy as Hibiki here. But despairing? I'm far from that, little lady."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The girl acknowledges Sumie, but again her head does not move and her eyes do not focus. "They can be struck, yes. But the appropriate question is whether you can harm them or not. How does one slay a being made of chakra with one's fists alone? A question for sages, but one with an immediately helpful answer." She pauses for a moment as Yuu speaks, and then for a moment more as if to consider his words.

The feeling of acknowledgement does not pass to Yuu as she continues. "Even the slightest of pain, of fear, of anger will bring them down upon you as locusts upon a farmer's fields. To be truly safe, one must void themselves of all emotion 'lest he find himself face to face with his fears." The girl continues to stare at the same spot she had been looking at when you first noticed her. Her hands have not moved, her legs have not twitched. Her only movement is the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"So these things test our minds more than they test our bodies? It doesn't matter how strong you are as long as you're able to keep calm and emotionless?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The girl neither nods nor makes a movement, but the feeling of being acknowledged returns to Yuu. "One could say that, yes. However, there is always the second option of simply turning away and leaving." A minute, near invisible smile spreads across her lips as she regards the group as a whole. "As I said before, I am here to guide you if you will not turn away. The path to Yakushi Buddha is a harsh one, but anyone who passes through this gate without the blessing of it's guardian will never get further than the mountain's base. But for that blessing, I must ask of one favor."

The girl closes her eyes as she pauses for a moment. A few seconds pass and she neither moves nor breathes, then opens her eyes and physically looks toward Yuu. The chill of the grave passes over the boy as those emotionless white eyes settle upon his own. "You. I wish for you to carry me up the mountain upon your back so that I may see the Yakushi Buddha again. If you swear upon your ancestors to do so then I will give my blessing to pass this gate."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu tries to hide the grimace he makes when the girl turns to look at him. Trying to turn it into a grin, he succeeds merely in looking distinctly odd.

"I can do that. I swear on the word of my ancestors that I will carry you up the mountain."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

A slight wind picks up, and the girl seems to fade into nothingness. A few seconds pass and nothing seems to happen, but a sudden sharp pain draws Yuu's attention to his right leg. It feels as if someone is progressively stabbing a knife into his leg, at first starting with his ankle and then moving up his thigh. Finally, the pain comes up to his back and settles on his shoulder. A pure-white ghostly snake-like thing appears wrapped around Yuu's throat with it's head settled atop his own. The creature sports six whiskers, four small five-fingered clawed hands and a long ridge that snakes down the creature's back to terminate at it's tail. The creature's head sports a pair of blue horns with eyes matching Yuu's.

The creature opens it's mouth, showing a row of dagger like teeth and an unforked tongue. The voice that escapes it's throat is much like Yuu's. "I apologize for the pain, but to leave the gate I must borrow a little bit of your spirit. This has the unfortunate side effect of changing my voice and appearance."

Yuu takes [roll0] chakra damage and [roll1] HP damage, halved on a DC 20 Fort save. He'll also need a DC 15 Fort Save every minute or suffer a d4 of chakra/HP damage.

[Valgunn]

Rin

"You should feel honored Yuu, a dragon asked you for a ride." Rin hadn't guessed the exact spirit the girl was, but she had known she was some kind of spirit.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The dragon unfurls to it's full length, stretching across Yuu's shoulders with ease. The poor boy can feel it absorbing just enough of his energy to be noticeable. Fortunately, he seems to have gotten a bit stronger as it's own energy flows back into him. The dragon points a little claw toward the gate. The ancient structure rumbles, groans and shakes off dust as the twin doors force aside leaves and overgrown weeds in their single-minded devotion to opening. It takes but a few seconds and both doors are wide open to show the overgrown path leading up the mountain. "Let us waste no more time, for Yuu's time is precious."

The group travels up the mountain, but travel is slowed by deep chasms and broken terrain. About six minutes up Rin stops the group. The pathway up the mountain terminates suddenly into a sheer rock wall about sixty feet high. Climbing it would be a hassle, but doable if you had some way of creating hand and foot holds. Jumping up would also be possible, but you would need to place a foot hold half way up in order to make the leap. Either way, it would take some time. The dragon spirit seems agitated at the forced stop however, but only marks cryptically. "I can smell them. They draw close, and I cannot ward them away."

Yuu's Fort Saves
22
28
21
13
14
12 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2091861/)

Chakra and HP Damage
4
2
3 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2091864/)

[Valgunn]

Rin

"Who?" Rin asked without thinking. Whoever was providing them the tastiest lure could also provide cover for the rest. Rin felt the answer would likely be her. Rin hoped the answer would be her. "And how many?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The spirit looks toward Rin, giving the jounin a shiver which tumbles down her spine. "I smell six..No, seven now. One is much stronger than the rest and it's leading them here. Strange, I suppose.. I've never seen them do this before. One of you must be a particularly delicious soul."

[Valgunn]

Rin

"How fast can they go?" She said without her normal smile or sing-song voice to add contrast to such horrible surroundings. Turning to the dragon she stared into her eyes. Saying with her eyes what she would not say with her mouth. Inside her soul careful fingers caressed the locks within her, built over years to seal away a fair portion of her life. She had no idea what would happen if she released just one seal. "You three go up first, I'll follow closely."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The time spent traveling was time for Sumie to observe her companions and the terrain that they traversed, and it truly looked like blasted mountain full of monsters and worst that she had rumors about. Silence was golden though, the girl keeping her mouth shut so as not to draw un-friendly eyes on them though in truth she did not know if noise was even how the creatures hunted.

"Nobody should stay behind. We do not know which one is attracting them and if it is not you then you will be giving them a chance to attack Hibiki-sama and Yuu-sama." Sumie says softly as they come to the rock wall. There was no time to spend looking for hand-holds or to set up a rope, and from the way Yuu looked with that...spirit attached to him it seemed like Yuu was getting more and more tired by the minute.

"Hibiki-sama, I need you to hold these." She says abruptly, reaching down to slip long black plates out from behind the greaves of her silvery armor. Soon she repeated the process with her arm-guards and held out the heavy stack for the crazy genin. Having done so, she walks over to the cliff-face and plants one foot on it. Experimentally she lifts up her other foot off the ground to see if her foot stuck to it. Best to test such things in such a bizarre place before relying on them.

"Yuu-sama, come over here. We need to pick up speed." the girl says, whither the experiment failed or not before crouching down. "Get on my back. I will carry you until we are out of immediate danger."

Of course if Sumie had been able to stick to the sheer cliff-face, then that meant Yuu would have to hold unto her back while Sumie ran up the cliff. Or climbed normally as the case may be.



Chakra Control to convert Chakra cost to stamina (DC 17): [roll0]
Performing Kinobori
Releasing up to the third Strength rank: 47/50 Chakra

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Huh? Where'd she...Ow! What the?!"

Noticing the dragon now nestled on his head, Yuu chuckled.

"Alright, friend, no...ow...problem. Let's get going."

When they reached the cliff, If the kinobori worked, see spoiler A. If not, see B.

A


Yuu shook his head.
"I've got more than enough chakra to make it to the top, even with our friend on me. Could you take Kuromaru instead? He can't climb by himself."

Suddenly struck by an idea, Yuu reaches into his belt pack and pulls out 5 trap tags.

"What do you think, Dragon-sama? Would these work to slow down the beasts? Or possibly collapse the cliff below us?"


B

"I've got no hope of climbing this thing with only one arm and this guy around my neck. Let's get moving. Kuromaru, get back to the entrance as fast as you can, wait for us. You should be able to make it easily. Go on, buddy, we'll be fine."

Suddenly struck by an idea, Yuu reaches into his belt pack and pulls out 5 trap tags.

"What do you think, Dragon-sama? Would these work to slow down the beasts? Or possibly collapse the cliff below us?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The dragon crawls down Yuu's arm, leaving a trail of pin-pricks and tingling pain from his shoulder to his hand. It rubs the tag with a spectral claw, then nods. "They will slow down the land-based creatures. Anything flying will ignore the blockade. It is best to be secretive however, as the explosions will draw the attention of others."

The dragon crawls back up Yuu's shoulder, drawing the same kind of pain from before. "They are not quick hunters, but they are tireless and unhindered by most of the mountain's problems."

Clinging to the rock wall is possible as it's no different than any normal wall. Walking up only takes a scant few seconds to both travel upward and then pull yourself over the edge.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Alright, let's get these put down and then get up the cliff. Can someone else charge them? I'm bleeding chakra here."

Handing out the tags to whoever volunteered, Yuu activates Kinobori and hustles up the cliff, pulling himself up and continuing to move.


1 chakra expended for Kinobori.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Red hearts start fluttering all around Hibiki, "Oh of course! Anything you say Sumie-chan!" Hibiki holds out his arms in a receiving gesture and waits for the kunoichi to hand the weights over. Everything is fine and dandy during the exchange until Sumie leaves the crazed genin. Hibiki didn't even have a chance to balance his gained weight before the training equipment brought his hands crashing to the ground.

A decent sized crater formed underneath his crush fingers, "Owchies! Why the hell do you wear these?!" He shouts with his eyes large, white circles. "Kuso, women...I don't get them! Most of the time they complain about their weight, and then I meet girls adding a hundred pounds onto them! I hope Lust has some answers for me..."

With all of his might, Hibiki lifts up the heavy gear and begins his slow walk up the mountain. After a few steps he stops and drops the weights down. Unluckily for him they landed straight on his toes. Hibiki has enough time to look down at the accident before his brain registered the pain, "YOWWWW!" The genin rushes to pick it up from his toes, but struggles. "Hey Sumie-chan!" he calls up to her, "Can you come back down and take these yourself? I can't lift em!"

If the kunoichi does come back down, Hibiki follows everyone up the side of the mountain with kinobori. While on his ascent, the genin catches up to Yuu and stares at the dragon crawling all around him. "Hey Dragon Lady, have you ever been attacked by the chakra animals?"

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The dragon doesn't look toward Hibiki, but answers his question all the same. "It has been.. quite some time indeed since I've been up the mountain. Unfortunately the last time I went up was with Yakushi Buddha, and the beasts do not attack the Master."

As soon as the dragon finishes speaking, it appears. A huge body formed of obvious stone shaped like a great shaggy wolf-dog. Eyes the color of blood marked with a yellow star in each. The creature was nearly sixty feet away, but everyone knew better than to rely on that measly distance to protect them. It didn't seem to have noticed you yet, but it sniffed the air and searched around with it's eyes so it was only a matter of time.

No map yet, but everyone gets a round to either buff or move. You can climb the cliff with a full round action, but doing so will count as leaving the encounter. Either way you get XP since you've avoided or defeated the encounter by leaving.

[Valgunn]

Rin

"Go." She said sharply and without edge. The majority of her concentration went toward forcing her emotions down. Her face did not betray her effort as she edged toward the edge of the cliff face. She would wait till everyone was up before following.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Don't be stupid, Sensei, get up here with us! It doesn't look like that thing can climb!"

Yuu pulls himself up to the top of the cliff, hoping that Sumie could take Kuromaru, reaching into his pouch to pull out a kunai and explosive tag. Wrapping the tag around the hilt, he looked down to see what the situation was.

[Valgunn]

Rin

"If you detonate that thing, I'll rip off your other arm, Yuu." Rin appeared not to be paying attention as she waited for Hibiki to get up the wall.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Give me a break, sensei, I'm not that stupid. It's not even armed yet. Just being prepared.

Yuu resists the temptation to roll his eyes. Seems Rin-sensei had something of a diminished opinion of him ever since the incident with the Mist ninja. It was probably justified, but...it got a bit grating.

[Valgunn]

Rin

"You all are." Rin had never thought much of any of her team. With much justification. Barely any academy training, no concept of teamwork, and no idea what was expected of a shinobi. Some might say this is a failing on her part but they had only been a team barely a month.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

"Awww Rin-sensei! He looks so cute! Can we go say hi? Pweease?" Hibiki leans out around the face of the cliff to get a better view of the creature. His eyes first went to the starred eyes of the wolf-dog, and squeals. "I want to pet!" The daft genin begins his slow and steady walk towards the creature instead of going up over the cliff. A stern look is plastered on his face as he raises his hands ready to grasp at the animals stoney fur. He'll continue on his way to the animal unless...Rin finds a way to stop him.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"I wear them to become stronger Hibiki-sama, please try to be quiet." Sumie sighs, looking at the struggling Hibiki as he drops the weights then simply leaves them behind hurrying up the cliffside as Yuu elects to simply go up by himself. A slightly distasteful look is given to Kuromaru, wondering if they wouldn't have been better off leaving the dog behind when the chakra beast makes it's appearance.

Eyes widen as the huge stone-wolf creature makes it's appearance, instinctively freezing in place as if that would keep the creature from spotting her before years of training kicked in. The first thing to do was to get Kuromaru away from here, that much was certain. Reaching out, Sumie grabbed hold of the big dog and threw it over her shoulder before hopping off the ground and planting her feet on the cliff wall. Without a second thought she begins to run up it as fast as she could go after snaring her weights.

I don't know if 'picking up Kuromaru' will count as an action or not so I don't know if I reach the top. In any case...if it doesn't and Sumie makes it up.

Once at the top, Kuromaru would be uncerimonously dropped unto the ground once more, the girl turning around and squatting down on the edge of the cliff to watch the chakra beast and Rin. It wasn't the easy relaxation of someone who had escaped danger, but rather looked as if she was preparing for something.

"Yuu-sama, don't arm the trap tags. If they go off, it could very well draw more chakra beasts and there might be worse on the mountain that could hear you." She says softly, taking a moment to take a deep breath. Sumie honestly didn't believe that she was the one drawing the creature, but she took a moment to still her emotions all the same.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin blinked out of existence without warning. It seemed that way to the slower perception of those around her. Rin then blinked back into existence her finger pressing against Hibiki's forehead. Without warning her chakra poured out from the connection between them and invaded his body.

OOC:
Hit Points: 64/64
Chakra Pool: 82/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: None

Complete Paralysis!
Perform (DC29): 38 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2093862/)
Chakra Cost: 6
Save DC: 24

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The genin felt violated as Rin poured her chakra inside him, "I'm being ra-" Hibiki can't finish his sentence as the final portions of Rin's technique paralyzes him completely. He freezes with his hands outstretched still aching to touch the chakra beast.

Hibiki's eyes shift from his jounin sensei back at the beast. A sad look comes to his eyes as he realizes he won't be able to see the creature any closer. Damn you Rin-sensei! Damn you... The daft genin glares at his sensei from his frozen state as she stands there in front of him. Oh you wait...you wait...

"...!"

[Valgunn]

Rin

Without waiting Rin grabbed the boy's body and dragged him up the side of the cliff. "Moron." Normally when Rin did anything it was accompanied by a wealth of feeling that was almost suffocating. The icy void that now presented itself was so deafening in contrast. With a sigh she dispelled her technique and allowed the boy free movement, but not toward the wolf-thing. "Move."

OOC:
Hit Points: 64/64
Chakra Pool: 82/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: None

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki folds his arms and snaps his neck away from his nicely dressed sensei. "No! You don't let me do what I want to do why should you get what you want? I've spent these past few weeks with you having no fun, and now when the fun comes knocking on my door..." His legs grow weak and he crouches low to the ground and shivers, "you violate me with your chakra and carry me over the cliff...How dare you..."

A grave shadow comes over the genin.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Thanks for carrying Kuromaru, Sumei-san. And Hibiki, chill. Now's not the time, man."

Yuu pockets the unactivated tag and turns to move onward and upward.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The creature looks up when Hibiki begins to approach. It's star-shaped eyes narrow as it focuses clearly on Hibiki. It doesn't appear to notice Rin as she moves to grab the boy and drag him up the cliff side, nor does it notice Yuu or Sumie as both suppressed their emotions to the best of their ability. It's stony lips curl back to reveal teeth made of clear quartz and a tongue of red sandstone. The creature rears back it's head when Hibiki disappears over the cliff face and a piercing howl tears through the air. The howl echoes for quite sometime, and then a quick response comes in the form of another howl.

The dragon moves over to Yuu's head, leaving pin-pricks of pain as it goes. "I believe we have been found. It's only a matter of time before more show up. We'll either need to slow them down or hurry up."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Grabbing Hibiki she lifted him up to his feet. Rin stood at the cliff edge. "Yuu. Toss me the kunai, you need to restrain yourself and conserve your strength." Rin stood calm and collected as she let her human side slip aside in a manner she really didn't want to. It was how she had been trained to fight seriously.

Inside Rin at all times was a conflict between a savior born of hope and a monster born of war. It was this inferno that she worked to keep separate from her manifest chakra aura. It was this monster she drew on for her killer intent. It was that savior that held her blow against Anju. "I'm going to create a diversion. Get ready to run, even if this works I want distance between us and the diversion." It was this inferno that her concentration was now focussed on suppressing.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

What...gah! Why is sensei being this....calmly. Calmly. Must focus. Be calm. Emotionally vacant. Rin-sensei's the Chimera. An experienced Jounin. She's been through more than I can possibly imagine. She'll be all right. I've got to keep moving.

Yuu nodded and tossed her the Kunai, explosive tag still wrapped around its hilt. He turned to continue his way up the mountain, still occasionally pained by jolts from his passenger.

"Got it. Good luck, sensei."

Turning, Kuromaru close on his heels, Yuu began to hurry his way up the mountain.

Calmly, calmly. She'll be fine.

[Valgunn]

Rin

With her green eyes Rin looked across the small five foot distance between herself and the cliff edge. With her right hand she grabbed the kunai by the handle slipping her index finger inside the hole and with a flick of her wrist began to spin it. She cared Yuu had decided to leave before she set the diversion but that part of her was in no position to do anything about it.

The part of her that was now in charge didn't care about them and cared for her survival. Only the situation aligned that monster's survival with their's. With a twist she stopped the twirling and grabbed the kunai by the hilt again. Her tight fingers scrunching the paper slightly as her chakra burned itself into it. She set a short delay before she twisted herself around. Her image blurring before the kunai was sent flying in the opposite direction they were heading.

As she stopped her rapid rotation to face them you catch a glimpse of her sharingan before it disappears. "Hurry." She said it more to herself than to those around her as the balance was again reasserted.

OOC:
Hit Points: 64/64
Chakra Pool: 78/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: None

Exploding Tag!
Chakra Control (DC21): [roll0]
Chakra Cost: 4

[ZeroNumerous]

Rin

The kunai flies out and strikes the beast's stone hide with a light plink. The creature rears back and directs it's gaze toward where the kunai attack originated from. A growl of stone grinding against stone escapes it's granite lips. Quartz teeth glint in the sunlight, but it's not long before the creature attacks!

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/DogBattle.png

Dark Brown: Cliff-face. 80 degree angle, can be walked upon using Kinobori
Light Brown: Dirt and stone.
Aqua: Cliff. 60ft drop.
D = Dog
R = Rin

Rin needs an initiative check.

Team Rin

The team's travel isn't interrupted by further dogs for two minutes, but the howling doesn't seem to be getting any further away. Each of you has the sensation of being watched but no one can see an immediate watcher.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"This is no good. No matter how far or fast we run, they seem to be keeping pace all the same." Sumie says between measured and even breaths as they hurry up the mountainside. Frustration tried to worry at her nerves but practiced breathing helped her to keep her head while suppressing the negative emotions that might only draw the chakra beasts further towards them.

"How much further until we reach your master? How much time will it take?" She asks the little dragon creature, gravitating towards the back of the group as her objective prickled at the back of her head. She should have stayed to help the jounin, should have thought up a better plan for escaping the beasts, should have done something more then run like a frightened child.

Inspiration strikes her as they run, returning the ANBU mask unto her face as they hurry up the mountain, slowing for a moment as she focused her chakra into the mask and reached out to feel if there was any strong sources of chakra close-by. At least they'd know how close their pursuers were...

Spending two chakra on low-light vision and trying to sense chakra as three levels higher with mask.

[Valgunn]

Rin

A coldness surrounded the jounin that stood there. For these moments she unrecognizable as the woman they knew. The part of her that cared about their feelings felt what it could to keep the whole, human. The other part waited as it always did. Three. Two. One.

Boom.

The deep explosion sounded out as the start. Rin -or what was Rin- readied herself to attack. A soft green glow lighting her right side as her chakra scapel hummed into life.

[ZeroNumerous]

Team Rin(-Rin)

"At this rate? An hour and a half, maybe. It's only a guess, as my master traverses the mountain at a much slower rate." Sumie's look around shows that there aren't any significant chakra collections within the 45 foot limit of her chakra sense. Whatever was chasing them remained just far enough away to be out of both visual and extrasensory perception range. It takes ten minutes, but eventually the group arrives at a small wooden gate built into the mountain side. The wooden doors are already open and the passage appears to lead into a cave of some variety. A small weak light glistens far into the distance, but nothing except pitch blackness sits between you and that little light.

OOC:
Yuu needs 10 Fort Saves.

1: [roll0] HP and Chakra Damage.
2: [roll1] HP and Chakra Damage.
3: [roll2] HP and Chakra Damage.
4: [roll3] HP and Chakra Damage.
5: [roll4] HP and Chakra Damage.
6: [roll5] HP and Chakra Damage.
7: [roll6] HP and Chakra Damage.
8: [roll7] HP and Chakra Damage.
9: [roll8] HP and Chakra Damage.
10: [roll9] HP and Chakra Damage.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu
"Ow. ow. ow. ow....ow."

Yuu focused on the ground in front of him, doing his level best to keep his emotions, feelings, and temperament under control, the only latitude he gave himself being an occasional wince and grunt of pain as the dragon sucked out his life force. Approaching the cave, he glanced at the dragon on his shoulder.

"Is this it, Dragon-sama? I can't keep this up for an hour and a half."


And here...we...go. Please, dice roller, don't hate me.
Fort save- [roll0]
Fort save- [roll1]
Fort save- [roll2]
Fort save- [roll3]
Fort save- [roll4]
Fort save- [roll5]
Fort save- [roll6]
Fort save- [roll7]
Fort save- [roll8]
Fort save- [roll9]

Edit: Crudmuffins. Spending action points. Normally, I'd use Invisible Castle, but it's blocked here at work, so the rolls will come in the OOC thread.

[ZeroNumerous]

Team Rin(-Rin)

"Yes. Once you enter through the gate you'll be safe from the beasts that roam the mountain."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"That's a relief. Still, anything we have to worry about in there?"

Yuu is breathing fairly heavily as he waits for th Dragon's response.

"Thanks for coming up this way with me, guys. Anyone hear Rin-sensei?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

A rustle of branch and bush drew the attent eyes of the group toward what most of them called teacher. She stood out against the forest backdrop as she walked into the midst of the group not saying a word. To those not experienced with the ugly side of the life of the ninja or trained in healing she seemed fine. She seemed her usual self. Usual, but without the usual warm presence.

OOC:
Hit Points: 32/64
Chakra Pool: 20/92
Armour Class: 33
Ongoing Effects: None

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The dragon shakes it's head, and when Rin stumbles out of the foliage the group is set to move on. A sensation of imbalanced movement overcomes you as you pass through the mountain gate. It feels as if gravity had oriented itself toward the wall just a second. Long enough to make you stumble, but not long enough to send you to the ground. Then you're standing before a large temple with a steepled roof and six large golden pillars holding it up. Beyond the pillars sit a pair of great double doors sit perpetually blocked open with ornate stone lions. A figure appears as you approach the temple.

The figure wore a golden robe untied at the chest which exposed a body unused to the rigors of combat or training. It's pot belly is soft and unshaped, but it's bald head is untouched by wrinkles or age. A strangely androgynous face set with two closed slits for eyes greets you with a genuinely warm smile. A medicine pot dangles from a string tied to it's right wrist, while a bottle of sake marked with the kanji for doctor hangs from it's waist. The figure nods toward you and then beckons Yuu closer. When he comes within reach, the person takes his hand in it's own and the boy feels the dragon's foreign spirit leave his body and appear curled around it's shoulders.

"You have done well. Kui does not readily accept people, and she can be very annoying to deal with I know. My name is Yakushi. What is yours young man?"

[Rogue 7]

Yuu bows formally, slightly in awe of the impressive temple structure around him.

"Nagase Yuu, Yakushi-sama. Thank you for taking the time to come and see us."

Yuu stands silently. He did not want to just come right out and ask for this person to restore his missing arm, so he figured on waiting. Presumably, this man would inquire as to why they were here, and then it would be more appropriate for Yuu to ask to restore his arm. He still wasn't quite sure it was possible.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The genin gawks at the man in front of them and points a finger at the protruding belly. His mouth stays agape for a couple moments before he shakes it loose so his face could relax in its normal position. I bet he could beat Gluttony in an eating contest. I can't believe it. One of the other inner-Hibiki's agrees, Neither can I.

Before Hibiki can comment on the corpulent man, he turns his head to see Rin. The crazed nin walks carefully wondering if the absence of her friendly aura meant she was secretly wielding chopsticks somewhere. Hibiki pushes forward and tugs gently on her earthy-toned skirt.

"Are you alright, Rin-sensei? We were worried that you'd be eaten. And when I say we, I really mean me and the rest of us...Yeah. So are you okay? I can totally help you if you want! Healing no Jutsu!" Hibiki pushes both hands forward and attempts to use his chakra to heal her; however, his purplish chakra quickly fizzles out. "Kuso! I thought I got it down...I'm sorry Rin-sensei! I'll get you a nice, big band-aid for that cut there." He jabs his finger at one of the jounin's wounds, "Oh and that one and that one and..."

Hibiki continues prodding his sensei's wounds until stopped.

[Valgunn]

Rin

With a movement faster than the eye could follow Rin grabbed Hibiki's oncoming finger. She slowly applied pressure to the finger as she spoke to apply her point. "That hurts. Don't do it." She released his finger with slow exhale of breath.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yakushi

The portly individual raises a hand to touch the dragon lightly. It's hand begins to glow lightly then it places it's hand upon Yuu's shoulder. The boy feels a little woozy as the energy taken from him flood back into his body. "I do hope the monsters around the mountain were not terribly troublesome." The person moves around Yuu and toward Rin, placing a hand to her forehead and channels a bit of energy into her body. He speaks to no one in particular as he heals the jounin. "Are you here for any particular reason, or is this just a pleasant visit?"

HP regen: [roll0] after [roll1] rounds.
Yuu regains the chakra/HP lost from the dragon.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Like the rest, Sumie stumbled when passing through the gate and a brief look of chagrin passes her features when she does. How long had she been training in martial arts, and still she could not even keep her balance? Her mother would be ashamed of her. Such thoughts didn't have a place for long as the mountain turned into an extravagant temple with fanciful columns and what looked like a most corpulent man who acted like the one that her companions had come looking for.

"Excuse me," The girl offers politely, briefly inclining her head to what she thinks to be the sage before continuing, "but they have not just come here for a pleasant village. Yuu is seeking to replace his arm."

Straight, and a bit blunt, but it got them all down right to the point. Perhaps they were safe inside of this temple after all, but that might not keep the chakra beasts from gathering outside of the gate for them all to reappear after their dealings with this man. A prospect that Sumie hardly relished, best to get this done quickly and break a few social graces in the prospect.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yakushi

A heartily laugh that shakes it's belly like jello echoes through the temple. "To the point? Very good. I like people who have no qualms with beating around the bush.."

The person moves over to examine Yuu's arm. It lifts the stub up, rubs the healed tip then gently lets the boy's arm rest back at his side. It takes a deep breath then shakes it's head at poor Yuu. "There is nothing I can do for your old arm, my poor lad. The healing used on it sealed the wound and reknit the veins perfectly. As is, it is nothing but a slab of flesh, blood and bone."

It gives Yuu a moment, then speaks again. "However, that is not to say that I cannot give you a new arm. Unfortunately, any old arm won't do. We will need a fresh arm, but naturally I cannot allow you to take the arm of another human. As such, I will give you a task. You must venture into the mountain to slay a beast then bring it's body to me. I will craft you an arm from it's remains."

It then turns to Rin and nods. "I am afraid that her injuries will require further rest, and I cannot leave this temple. As such, it will be up to you and your friends to slay a creature."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Reminded of a small shrine she had kept in her home of the Yakushi Buddha Rin remembered the many times she had sat silently at that small shrine praying. She felt hypocritical for even having it. With an exhale she relaxed her mind and body. Her lips moved as words formed behind them but as she was reminded she held one of the ten wholesome precepts: abstention from harsh language. She had failed many of the precepts many times.

She felt herself capable despite her injury. Her body disagreed, but that was never an obstacle. As she stood it was when the Buddha spoke she relented. "Yes." Letting go of the tension that kept her upright she slumped slightly. "Is there anywhere specific I should rest?" Rin kept herself polite despite her now obvious ragged condition.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yakushi

The person motions for Rin to enter the temple proper. Inside, the temple is simple and unadorned. A dark stone floor leads to a small shrine built with with wood. Inside the shrine sits the statue of an androgynous figure with a very shiny pot-belly. Its right hand faces you with fingers pointing to the sky, while its left hand holds a pot of medicine. The statue rests atop twelve golden bricks adorned with the kanji for the numbers one through twelve above another set of kanji. Each brick bears the marks of an animal starting with Hare and ending in Dragon.

When Rin looks away from the statue she finds herself sitting in a room much like the one at her home in Kazangakure. It's even accompanied by fixed surroundings, a warm fluffy bed and the toys from her childhood. A steaming meal sits atop a serving stand left behind by servants of the Uchiha family.

[Rogue 7]

It gives Yuu a moment, then speaks again. "However, that is not to say that I cannot give you a new arm. Unfortunately, any old arm won't do. We will need a fresh arm, but naturally I cannot allow you to take the arm of another human. As such, I will give you a task. You must venture into the mountain to slay a beast then bring it's body to me. I will craft you an arm from it's remains."

It then turns to Rin and nods. "I am afraid that her injuries will require further rest, and I cannot leave this temple. As such, it will be up to you and your friends to slay a creature."

Yuu
Yuu felt a sweeping relief wash over him as the dragon left his body, feeling as though he'd just taken a long relaxing soak in a hot spring, followed by a good 12-hour rest. He felt like, even with his arm, he could take on the world, but he did his level best to check that feeling. After what happened with the Mist ninja, and his argument with Sasuke the other day, it would not do good to get overconfident.

"Thank you for your guidance, Kui-sama. And Yakushi-sama, just how intact do you need the body? With my arm being the way it is, I think explosives would be the safest way to take one of those beasties down, eh Kuromaru?"

"Grruf!" Kuromaru barked his agreement with his master's analysis- they'd been hunting together several times.

"Any information about these beasts that you could provide would be greatly appreciated, Yakushi-sama- where they lair, if they travel in packs, their methods of hunting...anything would help. Though I must ask what I can do for you in return for restoring my arm. Please, you need merely to ask."

[ZeroNumerous]

Yakushi

It shakes it's head at Yuu's questions. "It already pains me to send you to do this task, and I could not help you further. I will however, need the body whole and intact as every piece removed will reduce the power of the limb proportionally. Naturally, you will need to be quick about bringing the body back here as they will begin falling apart upon death."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu sighs slightly, a bit of the spring in his step taken away at the old man?...old person's words. They would have to kill one of those beasts without severe physical damage...unfortuantely, severe physical damage was one of the only things Yuu did well, particularly since he lost his arm and lost access to Rairyuudan no jutsu.

"Well, thank you anyways." He turns to the new girl, someone he has not yet had a chance to get to know, but who seems reliable, and quite possibly stronger than him.
"I don't suppose you have any skill at genjutsu, do you Sumei-san? That would seem to be our best bet for taking one of these things down with minimal damage. A shame sensei is laid up, but I guess that's the only thing that saved our lives coming up the mountain."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"You need us to...bring you a body. To make him a new arm from one of the chakra beasts." Sumie says flatly, to hide her surprise at the request. This...must certainly be some complicated sort of process if it required the pieces from another living breathing creatures. And before she could even, wryly at that, suggest taking the arm of the one who had taken Yuu's original arm the idea had been shot down.

"No, I have no talent in genjutsu of any kind. I've always found it to be...too subtle for what we do for a living so I've never looked into it. Don't worry though Yuu-sama, I do have different specialty that should be just as suited to bringing back a beast in one piece." She reassures the other, instinct prompting her to pull her gloves tighter about her hands and tighten them into fists for a brief moment. "Yakushi-sama, would it be alright if we rest it for some time before venturing out? I know Yuu-sama must have been drained somewhat of his reserves, I don't want to attempt this at anything less then our best."

[ZeroNumerous]

Yakushi

The person nods at Sumie. "Take all the time you need child. You will find food in the temple proper, beds as well if you need them and there is a well on the other side of the temple as well." He nods to you, turns around and finally walks into the temple to leave you to your devices.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Sitting on the tatami mats of the room Rin felt her mind peacefully find it's old place. With a slow breaths she lay back against the hard floor and smiled. It's not real. I can live with that, for now. Rin was a master at illusion and deception so she couldn't help but think it wasn't real. She wished it was as she twisted herself around and scooted herself over to the meal left for her.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rin's meal consists of a entrée of a small cup of steaming hot miso soup followed by a short salad of cucumber and shrimp. The main course, sitting upon it's own silvered platter, consists of grilled brown chicken cooked in sake. It tastes lightly spicy and has a warm homey smell. Naturally Rin would remember that neither of her parents would have cooked this and instead it would have been prepared by her nanny: Suli.

A dark haired, dark robed figure leans against the open door's frame. He waits patiently as Rin eats, but the experienced ninja detects his presence the moment his eyes settle on her back. A familiar fatherly tone escapes the man's lips. "Little Nobara-chan. Did you sleep well?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

"Dad?" Rin was suddenly propelled back almost twenty years, remembering her family. Twenty years instilled in her instincts that could never be taken away. They told her not to trust the situation, they told her not to trust it. She didn't care. With that split second over she turned her head to see her father. "Yeah, it was just a little nap though."

Even though people had seen her smile before, seen her eyes lighten and dance with fire. They had never seen her before she was forced to endure hell. Now she was smiling in the way a child does. Her entire face brightened with the hint of a tear in her eyes. She wanted to lose herself in this moment, if only for a short time.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki yelped as Rin crushed the bones in his fragile finger. He tugs viciously with his hand and finally releases it from her grasp. With a little whimpering, Hibiki cradles his hand and blows on the damaged finger to soothe it. Once the pain recedes, the daft genin glares at his sensei and watches her leave them behind.

His mind thrashes about in a maelstrom of thoughts and conversation between his different personalities. What began as simple chatter soon developed into a loud form of screaming that only Hibiki could hear. He quickly claps his hands over his ears to try and block out the noise. The genin clenches his eyes shut. "YEAH I'LL GO FIND US-NO-ME A BED. I NEED SOME TIME ALONE. BYE," Hibiki shouts as if he couldn't hear himself. He stomps off to find a secluded area where he could talk to himself.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up..." Hibiki mutters to himself as he walks past Yuu and Sumie. He doesn't answer anyone who questions him, either because he ignores them or because he can't hear them.

[ZeroNumerous]

Hibiki

Hibiki finds the temple's insides to be sparse. As he wanders through doors to find a place suitable to be alone he stumbles across a door wrought of silver with a single polished gold doorknob. Beyond it lies a garden filled with tall trees bearing green ovaloid fruit heavy with juice and protected by prickly spines across it's outer shell. A small waterfall of crystal clear water cascades down a large black stone placed at the center of this garden and runs straight into a knee-deep pool. No one else is inside the garden at the time.

Rin

The man steps into his daughters room and seemingly doesn't recognize her advanced age. In his eyes she appears as the little thirteen-year-old she'd been when he saw her last. Something in the back of the jounin's mind told her that everything around her wasn't real, and yet the soft pressure of his hand on her shoulder told her otherwise. "Tomorrow is the ceremony for your graduation into the academy, isn't it little Nobara-chan? Your mother and I intend to be there in person to see you become a real ninja." Rin remembered this day now. She remembered it clearly and knew very well what would happen at the graduation ceremony.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The weirdness of Hibiki only seemed to continue un-abated, causing the normally serious girl to stare after him as he ran off before giving a brief shake of her head.

"I don't think I will ever get him." She offers up to the ceiling of this admittedly pleasant temple before casting a side-ways glance over at Yuu. "You should get some rest Yuu-sama, we have a very long day ahead of us tomorrow and you should be well rested."

With that the girl headed to the door of the temple to set her back against the doorjamb and look outside as she sat down. Best to sleep here where she could keep a better eye on anyone or thing that might approach, best to have as early a warning as possible after all. Besides, to infringe further on this mans hospitality...

"Yakushi-sama, is there someplace I could sleep?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Sumie

The person stopped just shy of the door way. A hand untouched by callouses or harsh labor extends in friendship to the tired genin. It nods quietly, then leads Sumie into the temple proper if she accepts. It leads her through a twisting labyrinth of turns until the pair stop before a door of bronze with a smooth jade handle. Beyond the door lies a pile of plushy bears, cats, dogs, giraffes and other various animals built as tall as Sumie's waist. If Sumie turns she finds herself alone in the room with the door shut, but doesn't remember hearing it close. None the less, the plushy pile points to a ceiling painted like the sky and if Sumie puts any pressure on it the pile proves particularly sturdy.

[Valgunn]

Rin

The remnants of her food lay cooling, forgotten. Her eyes glistened as emotion welled. "Yeah." She savored the pressure of her father's hand. She put her own hand on his and held it tightly. "I love you daddy." She hadn't said it to him that night or that day so long ago. She later hated herself for that. She tried to argue that she was young and too excited to say it, but, she would never forgive herself for not saying it one more time.

Holding his hand she felt the inconsolable rage she had locked inside her turn back into that grief she felt that day. She struggled to keep it within her even despite her training. "It would be alright, if you read me a story." She even remembered that; When she entered the academy she tried to act grown-up and a bed time story was one of the many things she refused to accept. "Just one last time, before I'm a grown-up. Please." She may not deserve it but she wanted it, she wanted these moments more than her next breath.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

"Shut up, shut up, shut up..." Hibiki continues his string of curses as he meanders into the garden with his fingers digging deep into his temples. He stumbles across the trees and cuts himself against the spiked fruit that laid about every which way. The genin claws at his face trying to release the pressure he felt inside as he stumbles into the pool of crystal clear water. Frigid water engulfs the poor child as he plunges down into it. Luckily for Hibiki, the water was not deep enough to drown in and he manages to find his way back up.

He wades through the pool stopping just short of the cascading water, and he stops. Inside the reflection of clear water was Hibiki joined by all Seven Deadly Sins. Each one stared at the genin with glowing eyes, all with a disappointed expression.

"What the hell, it's been months and you're still the same...Still weak!"

The sins all speak in unison as they chastise Hibiki.

"We thought you wanted to change the world. You know, so the world wouldn't be filled with people like us!"

All of the reflections rose from their feet and floated in the air; the sins began to flutter around and spun in circles around Hibiki. Everyone of them ended up merging with another until they formed into the giant, imposing figure of a man Hibiki grew up hating.

"You little ****! You think you could stop the world from having another me?!"

Hibiki twitches as he heard every syllable spoken. Old habits came back to him: biting his fingers, screaming out obscenities, cracking his knuckles, convulsing. It all suddenly ended when he ran out of energy. Defeated, Hibiki stares into the reflection that was his father.

"Y-y-you're right. I don't ca-ca-care anymore. No point. I just wa-wa-want an hour to myself. Fra-fra-free from all of this. I want to be Hi-hi-hibiki, just Hibiki."

The image cascades down with the water into the pool and the rest was silence. Hibiki would find the edge of the pool and sit there staring down into the water noticing that he could never find an unbroken reflection of himself in it. He frowns at the acknowledgment.

[ZeroNumerous]

Rin

A warm smile graces the face of her father. A soft pat on the head is all Rin receives in return for her request, but he motions for her to cover up and crawl into bed all the same. The man who restarted the Uchiha Clan moves with the poise and grace one expects from a ninja of his caliber. It only takes him a moment to find the children's storybooks hidden deep in the young Rin's room. Soon her father produces a gaudy and thin silver-colored book with bright yellow lettering across the front just above a crayon-colored picture of a pirate. He reads the title aloud, to both himself and his daughter. "Pirate's Treasure, by Carol Moore."

Rin's father read through the story slowly as he hammed up the pirate's voice, heightened his own for the boy and even provided barking noises for the dog. It goes quite simply: One day the pirate Bluebeard visited little John in his dreams. He told the boy of a secret treasure buried in the far away land across the street. The boy took Bluebeard's words to heart. The very next day he went out and followed his directions precisely. The boy dug and dug, and then dug some more.. But all he had for his trouble was a dog's bone, a deep hole and a pile of dirt. Fortunately the boy's mother wanted to plant a tree in that spot, and for being such a good helper she handed him five dollars. In the end, the boy got his treasure not from a pirate, but from the most special person in his life.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Should she touch the hand of this man? Sumie couldn't explain it but it seemed wrong somehow to take the person's hand when her own had done rather horrible things to people. After a moments hesitation though she nods and takes the person's hand, to be polite if nothing else, and is guided to the door with a jade handle.

Inside was an even greater surprise then she could have imagined, finding the large pile of plush animals underneath a blue sky was enough to have her mouth drop open in surprise. Good thing that none of the others could see her expression because the normally infallible expression was gone like a leaf in the wind when faced with that scene. Sumie twisted, giving an awkward nod of thanks as she stepped into the room and wades through the plush animals.

"This is amazing...it has to be a genjutsu." Sumie murmurs to herself, leaning forward to testingly press down on the plush pile before laying down atop it to look up at the sky. Deep down, where she buried her emotions when on mission, the inner-'girl' of Sumie was squealing with childish delight at so many cute stuffed animals. It even showed on her face in a small smile as she stretched atop the pile and watched the ceiling before her eyes drifted shut...

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu smiled, still feeling good after the dragon had let go of him and restored the energy that he had lost climbing the mountain. But still, a night of rest was always something worth taking, particularly before a hunt.
"I'm actually feeling pretty good- the energy that the dragon was draining from me as we moved seems to have come back once it left. But still, it's probably a good idea to get some rest. Wake up early, though, because I think we'd like to make some plans before we head out hunting."

Yuu looked around, and followed after Sumie and Yakushi.

Is there a place were Kuromaru and I could sleep as well, Yakushi-sama?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Yuu

It turns and nods toward the boy. After the trio leave Sumie in her room it guides Yuu yet deeper into the temple. A door wrought of bone and equipped with a doorknob of rough quartz greets Yuu and Yakushi. As Yuu opens the door he finds himself in the middle of a dojo. A daisho made of polished and lacquered wood holds up two black scabbards. The katana is marked with the sign of the silver heron and the tanto is marked with the sign of the golden rabbit. Yuu feels the katana's impressive aura of battle. It is not a sword meant to be wielded by the inept, or even touched by the unworthy. It is the sword of a man who stands atop his broken foes as undefeated under the sun.

When Yuu turns to look at Yakushi he finds the door to the dojo is nearly fifty feet behind him and blocked with a great wooden barricade. If he turns back around he finds the tanto gone. Instead a cot rests just ten feet away from the katana. A golden pillow sits in front of the katana in order to meditate before the blade.

Night

Night passes slowly and surely. Tomorrow morning you all awaken atop little cloth cots inside a red room. You immediately recognize the room as the first room in the temple because of the great golden statue situated opposite of the temple's perpetually blocked open doors. You do not see Yakushi, but a flesh-and-blood little girl with pale skin and pale blond hair sits praying before the great statue.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Music! (http://tales.ocremix.org/disc4.html#2)

Yuu smiles slightly, turning to thank Yakushi-sama for the most generous room. A bit of meditation in this quiet room was just what the doctor ordered after the hectic business of losing his arm, climbing the mountain, and failing his team. Kuromaru looked like he could use a break too, so, settling down, Yuu motioned for Kuromaru to lay down as he sat in front of the katana and cleared his head.

Things have been hectic lately. Ever since we left Konoha, it's been one thing after another. Sensei seems really bothered with us lately, particularly after I lost my arm. I suppose it's to be expected that she'd be mad about that, but it really seemed like she was mad that I interfered with that fight at all. I...I don't really understand why. That's not the way you taught me, is it, dad? You taught me that I have a gift, this skill with a blade, and that I need to use it to protect people. I remember you drilling that into me when I got into a fight back in the village. I only used my fists, but still...you lectured me for days on how to act, and how that you should always do your best to help other people out. Those teachings...they're a part of me, now. I don't think I could really stop trying to help people when I can more than I could cut off my other arm.

But...you look at this place, and this old...person, I can't honestly tell if they're a guy or girl...has shown us nothing but kindness and asked for nothing in return. The cynical side of me wants to be suspicious of what they're doing...especially given all the bad rumors about this place, but...he seems honest about getting my arm back. I don't really know. Once I get my arm back, I'm going to have to see what happens now that I'm a genin of Konohagakure. I mean, Haigakure couldn't really do a lot for individual villagers because they were so concerned with just keeping the basic functions of the village up and running. Maybe in the big village, I can have the opportunity to do more work that will help people...If I can wrangle it, even the people of what used to be Haigakure. I guess that's the best thing right now. I'm not going to stop helping people, even if it costs me my other arm.

With that, Yuu sat back to let the real meditation begin, clearing his mind and focusing on his breathing as he let the peace of the room fill him. He tried to gain the strength of the sword in front of him, which he would need both for the hunt tomorrow, and for getting through the life of a shinobi. He tried to hold on to the feeling of peace in this room, because it was very hard to come by in the world at large.

OOC:

Wall-of-text no jutsu!

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin slept untroubled for the first night in a long time. She wore a gentle expression as she began to wake up. The first thing to flutter open were her eyes, they did not snap open. She did not quickly rise from her near-sleeping state either. Everything about the older ninja had become less so. She was still old and a consummate surviver despite how calm she felt.

Stretching her lean body out in all directions the waking woman emitted a long groan that echoed in the temple. Her limbs stretched outward, twisting, turning and in some cases shaking slightly as she slowly woke her body in a manner she hadn't for an entire generation. "G'mornin'." She said to the girl as she propped herself up on her arms, allowing her mind to emerge from the haze of sleep.

OOC
Hit Points: 46/64
Chakra Pool: 34/92
Armour Class: 28
Ongoing Effects: None

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The poor child tossed and turned the entire night. His head was filled with a multitude of dreams and nightmares as he woke up drenched in cold sweat. Fearing that his sudden arousal would wake his inner demons, Hibiki slowly laid his head on his pillow again and just stared around at the world around him. What was once paradise had faded away into this red room, then again who cared? A lot of things were fake for Hibiki before, that garden was just another.

Across the room, he spies on Rin as she was stretching her body out, she seemed happy enough. Hibiki scrunched his face in disgust at his sensei. She had a great power in her, and she only used it for trivial things. She'd take out chopsticks to scare the poor child, but she would never try and help him out. Some teacher, he thought to himself. Hibiki swears and pounds his hand against his cot.

The silence in his head was still there and Hibiki sighed with slight relief. Maybe the sins were going to give him a quiet vacation after his break down yesterday at their terrifying true form, or maybe they were biding their time before they would drive Hibiki to the limits of his sanity. The genin couldn't guess what would happen. He rolls over and grunts at what occurred, nothing was going to go right for him today and he felt that nothing would ever turn out alright.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The rest seemed more then comfortable enough to suit the odd girl, though finding herself waking up in a red room with cots when she had fallen asleep in one chock full of stuffed animals was disconcerting to say the least. It brought to mind the idea that she really had been trapped in a genjutsu all along or that somebody had carried her here from the other room. Both were equally disconcerting thoughts and she lay in the cot for several long minutes with her eyes shut as she contemplated those ideas. Thus she heard Rin wake, cracking open one eye to watch her leave as Hibiki turned away and punched his cot.

Sumie rose from her own, working the stiffness from her muscles as she approached Yuu and the large Kuromaru, gently shaking each awake.

"It is time to wake up. Hurry, we have much to do today." She says softly, waiting for the two to rouse themselves and exit the room before turning to Hibiki and steeling herself. Nothing ever seemed to go according to plan when it came to the bizarre boy, best to be prepared.

"Time to wake up Hibiki-sama. We have much to do today, and an early start is best." She still spoke softly, as if worried someone would overhear as she sat on the edge of the cot. "Hibiki-sama, it doesn't take a interrogative specialist to tell that something is wrong. What is it? Do you have a problem with Rin?"

Granted, her motive was to ensure that he wouldn't be a liability on the mission, but it was hard to see past the calm face and worried eyes.

[Valgunn]

Rin

In her own world of normalcy Rin hadn't felt the change in Hibiki's extremely loud chakra presence. Running her hand through her hair she shook loose the her blond hair a quarter of the way down her back. With a blink she twisted her head over to face toward Sumie on the far-side of Hibiki from her. This morning the jounin seemed a separate person from before (which was partially true). Rin, the horrifying Chimera, seemed normal. "Y'mention me?" She spoke groggily her expression showing her morning confusion.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki answered Sumie with a finger to his mouth, "You have to be quiet Sumie-chan, you do not want them to wake up." In all honesty, it was Hibiki who did not want to face his sins today after what had occurred the night before in the garden. For the first time since their creation, his sins became one, and their amalgamation frightened the poor child. Did it mean his father was still with him? Would he ever be free from his parents? These would have been the questions he'd be asking himself if he was not trying desperately to keep his mind empty of any thoughts.

"I can't tell you exactly what's going on. I'd have to think about it, and thinking is the last thing I'm willing to do." Hibiki almost jumps out from his cot once Rin chimed in. "No! No one said anything about you!" He gasps and covers his mouth, he had inadvertently shouted across the room. Hibiki closes his eyes shut and waits for the inevitable voices, but all he heard was silence. He sighs with relief and says in a hushed whisper, "Oh it's alright Rin-sensei. I was just saying how you always manage to wake up before me that's all. Heh...heh..." Hibiki didn't notice, but his knuckles were a brilliant white from being clenched for so long and so hard.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yakushi

It's presence is felt long before it makes itself known, but after Hibiki's episode Yakushi coughs. "Good morning. I have breakfast prepared, but it is a simple meal." He motions toward one of the hallways you had taken yesterday and a pale, but quite alive little girl pushes a wheeled cart into the room. Four bowls are stacked on one side, while a large jar of steaming white rice sits in the center. Four sets of eating utensils and a serving spoon accompany the cart.

When Rin finally comes to her senses, she finds her stomach heavy from the meal last night. For some reason, the 'illusory' food had left her feeling rather full.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu sat up slowly and looked around. He had had a better rest than any he'd had since losing his arm, and one of the best he'd had years. Nudging Kuromaru with his foot, and looking up as he smelled the rice. He had not had rice that looked this good in ages, and his mouth was watering slightly as he sat down to eat.

After putting away more than was probably healthy for him, Yuu turned to Hibiki and Suimie.

"Boy, I haven't had rice that good in a while. So how do we want to go about doing this? I still think Genjutsu is the best way, but..."

With that, he turned to his sensei.

"Rin-sensei, we could really use your help out there. We need to kill one of these things with the body relatively intact, and I think genjutsu would be the best way to do that. Would you be willing to help?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

"Of course I'm willing." Rin smiled as she turned onto one arm to look at Yuu on the other side of her. "Not able though." Rin then flopped back down on the cot. Her uncovered upper body was a mess of bruises, cuts and large punctures, the under-layer she was still wearing was shredded and the mess by the side of her cot was all that remained of her over-layer.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu winces sympathetically.

"Roger. Feel better soon, sensei."

It felt slightly trite, especially since she had gotten those injuries to help him, but it was really all he could say. He wasn't a medical ninja and had little skill in healing wounds. Usually when he himself had gotten hurt, he'd stopped the bleeding and toughed it out. So he had little to offer one who was injured besides his sympathy. Turning to his teammates, he reached out to where Kuromaru was sitting beside him and scratched his ears idly.

"Given what happened the last time I just attacked something without really thinking...
He scratched at the stump of his right arm, still swathed in bandages.
...I'm not looking to repeat the experience. So let's put what we've got on the table, and come up with a plan to take one of these things down."

Yuu paused, looking up at the ceiling, deep in thought. He then reached into his belt pouch and pulled out his Kunai, tags, wire, and assorted materials*
Here's the gear I've got. In terms of raw combat, I'm lucky that the Gatotsu can still be performed one-handed, but I'll still be at a significant disadvantage considering I was right-handed. My injury also limits Kuromaru's combat ability. He drew a lot of chakra from me for his moves, so it's very limited what he can do right now."

At this Kuromaru glanced up and gave him a flat look and a low growl.

"Hey, it's my fault, buddy, not yours. I'm just laying out the facts here. Anyways, I've got a basic idea for a plan, but I'm still not confident. Sumie-san, Hibiki and I are pretty familiar with the way we fight, but I haven't had a chance to see you do more than trip Hibiki into a kiss yesterday. What's your area of expertise?"

*OOC- I'll update this when I get home and can look at my sheet. Work computer blocks access to Myth-Weavers.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"I did not." Sumie says stiffly when Rin returns her attention to the two, rising and stepping away from Hibiki towards the food cart that the Yakushi had wheeled into the room. Silent throughout the meal, the girl eats more then her fair share of the 'breakfast' and rises up after the meal to begin to head towards the door.

Yuu's questions stop her short, twisting her head around with a perplexed look on her face.

"Why do you keep delaying? I have already told you that my specialty is taijutsu combat. Trust me Yuu-sama. Once we find a suitable chakra-beast, I will bring it down by myself if need be." Comes the simple reply, lacking overt-pride behind the comment but holding a re-assuring confidence to it that couldn't help but raise the spirits of those around her. "Come. Perhaps if we hurry, the Chuunin exams will not be beyond your ability to take."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu gave the girl a bit of a withering look. This problem seemed to be an epidemic these days-people charging into a situation, overconfident and absolutely convinced that they would win- right until the foe dropped the heavy end of the hammer on them. He'd nearly gotten into a fight with that prick, Sasuke about it, he himself had fallen victim to it and lost his arm, and now Sumie was suffering from it.

"And how are we going to find them? What if they travel in packs? What if they're invulnerable to standard taijutsu? We don't have enough information to just charge in blindly. Maybe I didn't make it clear enough. Doing what you're thinking of doing is what cost me my arm and nearly killed me. We need to sit down and think about how we're going to go about this. Now I'm not setting out until we've got at least some sort of plan, even if it's just 'how we'll run away'."

With that, he turned to his sensei.

"Rin-sensei, you took a bunch of those on, right? Can you tell us anything that'll help to bring one down intact?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The girl returns the withering look directed at her with a steady one of her own, seeming not to mind the criticism of her 'plan' if it could be called that. But it didn't keep a bit of acid from seeping into her perpetually calm tone.

"I am not you. I observed our enemies even as we fled from them at the time. It is not groundless to assume that a chakra-beast in the shape of any particular animal will behave in some manner like that particular animal. I fully expect that the 'wolf' chakra-demons will travel in a pack that should be simple to lure into a fight. Any of us could act as bait actually. But if they do behave as wolves then they will have a social structure like wolves. There will be an 'alpha' and if we kill that one for your purposes then the others should flee or be suitably cowled for us to escape once more." Now a bit of venom flashed in her eyes with her next words, the girl bristling when she spoke next, taking insult to how Yuu described her taijutsu even if he didn't know better or even see it in action yet. "And only a fool would call what I do standard taijutsu."

Taking a deep breath, Sumie berated herself in her own mind for taking such a hostile chance. With any luck, he'll just let that go. I don't want to be drawn into a fight with him.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Sorry, didn't mean to offend you, but like I said, I haven't seen you fight. And that's what I'm talking about. You've got a plan. Find the alpha wolf, and kill him. Then, hopefully, the rest will flee. I think we can work with that. That's really all I meant. I suppose we can elaborate on a more complicated bait plan as we walk. Sorry for the delay, I just want to make sure no one gets hurt."

Yuu pulls himself up and adjusts his sword.

"You got anything you want to add, Hibiki?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin lay back in what was her cot for now her body relaxing. "Nothing you could repeat." She spoke fact and not opinion and such was obvious from her tone. The body she had come close to destroying relaxed against the stillness of the cot. She lay so still that for a moment she seemed dead until her eyes flickered shut and she rolled over onto her side. "Don't forget where we are and what that means." Was all she offered as advice before a snore drifted to the collection of young ninja.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki almost brings up his fist into a pondering gesture, but halts. His eyes grow wide with fear and he looks up at Yuu and frowns. "If there was anything to add, I'd have to think about it," he whispers, "I can't think at this moment, so I can't really tell you what to do. But if I was to think I'd probably say something like, "Trust that pretty girl over there, quit worrying side-kick, or food!" I don't think even if I could think I'd help you directly...How...useless of me..."

His shoulders sag low and a dark shader covers his face. "So useless...I don't even know any jutsu that defeats an opponent without blasting them into pieces or destroying their innards. So very useless..." Hibiki stumbles off towards the cart with food on it. With teary eyes, the genin digs into the food and eats without remorse.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin annoyed with her genins self-degradations grabs the pillow on his cot and throws it at him.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki's ears spike up when he hears the whooshing noise of a pillow slicing through the air. The genin turns his head at the noise and the pillow hits him squarely in the face. A few seconds go by and the pillow was still lodged to Hibiki's face. Finally, the pillow slowly slides off, revealing a face with beady eyes and gushes of water streaming down towards the floor as if his eyes were faucets left on. "I'm so useless, I couldn't dodge that!"

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu looked at Hibiki curiously. Motioning for Suimie to go, he held up.

"Hibiki, what's wrong, mate? You want to talk about it?"

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

He turns his back to Yuu and continues his gouging of food, "I'm fine, go on ahead. I'm going to eat some more. Nothing's wrong at all. Just a little tired..." His own pride refused to ask for help at this time. This mission was for Yuu and if Hibiki had anything to do about it, he was going to prevent himself from being the main focus of the day.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin feeling her point hadn't been made grabbed the pillow on the other side of her and threw it at Hibiki.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

There was that sound again. This time Hibiki ducked his head and dumped the bowl that he had in his hands, white rice scatters throughout the ground. Hibiki slams his chopsticks against the tray and turns around, face flush with anger. "What was that for?! All I need is some quiet time, but you keep throwing pillows at me! What? What is it?!"

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin was still lying sidelong on the cot. The sheets ruffled from the quick movements of her arms. "Come over here." Reaching out a hand onto his cot she patted it to indicate where she wanted him to sit.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The genin is about to say something else before Rin calls him over. He puffs his cheeks and stomps over to her. Hibiki flashes his sensei a stern look, but drops onto the specified portion of his cot. His body shifts a little away from Rin and he folds his arms. "What do you want?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

The beaten up jounin rises up from her resting posture. She rises up, her legs swinging over the side of the cot facing Hibiki and her eyes firmly looking at Hibiki's. "Nothing." She leaned forward and hugged the genin remembering how her mother had hugged. It was easy for her now. Easy with her happy early life at the forefront for however long such happiness lasted. "Why don't you tell me what has you so upset." Her arms still hugging Hibiki as she spoke and only breaking the hug at his volition.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

As Rin's arms completed their loving embrace around Hibiki's torso, the genin shut his eyes tight as if someone had just prematurely stuck a needle into him at the doctor's. Hibiki tried hard to remember when he was hugged like this, a hug only a mother could give. Unluckily for the genin, no such memory came back to him. Who ever gave birth to him had left early for whatever reason. All he ever had was a drunken father who ended up leaving him in the end.

His hands, which were clenched fists, relaxed and dropped defenseless towards the ground. Hibiki chokes a little and rests his head on Rin's bosom. He sniffs a little as his eyes run rampant with salty tears. The words of his father hit him again as he cried in Rin's arms. "Y-you won't understand."

Hibiki looks up at his sensei and disregards the presence of Yuu and Sumie, "My fa-fa-father yelled at muh-me last night. He cussed and yeh-yelled at me. He's always there. I'm stuh-stupid and insane and I get yelled at. The tuh-turtle man said there is no good nor eh-evil. I ba-believe him now, there's only pa-pain and I can't do anything to stop it."

He brings up his limp arms and returns Rin's hug and buries his face to conceal his crying. His hands dig into the back of his sensei as he tries desperately not to let go. Hibiki turns his head to the side so he can take a few shallow breaths before continuing, "I didn't wa-want to do this during Yuu's mission, buh-but I can't escape from it any la-longer. I don't know what to do, I'm so weak...and...eeyah-" The genin muffles his scream by covering his mouth with Rin's shirt. Hibiki sobs a little bit, but remains silent as he sat there in Rin's embrace.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin let Hibiki sob and clutch and move about as he wished. She didn't wince once as he held onto her battered body. She remained calm and still as she had been taught. "Don't you ever say that about yourself again." Were the harsh words that came from her. "You are not stupid, insane or weak. You are you, but not Yuu. You are not Yuu. Yuu is Yuu, but not you." She smiled as she tried to lighten his mood with an inane joke. "Everyone gets to be young and is allowed to make mistakes. All I want is that you learn from them and not to let them consume you."

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki loosens his grip, but remains interlocked with Rin. He looks up to her to tell her more, "You don't get it. I don't ca-call myself those thi-things, my fa-father called me them. He calls me all sa-sorts of things like-" he moves closer to Rin's ear and whispers every profanity he was ever called, "I don't kna-know what to do. He'll always be there. In my head. Ya-yelling at me."

His sobs are replaced by small whimpers and sniffles; his breathing is short and rapid as if he was gasping for more air. Hibiki closes his eyes again and lays his head against Rin's chest. The sound of her heartbeat helps soothe the crying genin.

[Valgunn]

Rin

With an uneasy smile she put a hesitant hand on his head. She patted his head to get his attention. "It is all in your head y'know. Here is where you have the best chance of dealing with it."

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

"Is it? If I see him, if I hear him, if he can hurt me...Can he really be fake? I ca-can't be th-thinking of all th-this. I ju-just wa-want it to end, Rin-sensei..." Hibiki stumbles through the words, but finally manages to say it all. He looks up to Rin with a defeated look in his eyes. "It'll never end..."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Dammit, why did he have to become a liability like this?

The selfish thoughts stole across Sumie's mind before it was chased away, the short haired girl watching silently from where she had first been shushed by the outburst. For only a couple moments longer she watched, noting down some things in her head before her head swiveled to face Yuu and his pet wolf.

"Come on. We should give them some privacy. Lets go get you a new arm." she says softly, not wanting to disturb Hibiki or Rin as she tugged on Yuu's shoulder and nods out the door of the temple. The better they finished up this task and got off the mountain, the sooner she would be back to what she knew and understood. Not this sea of mysticism that baffled and laughed at everything she had grown up knowing.

Waiting nary a second more, Sumie set out at a brisk pace down the mountain side all the while keeping her eyes out for a suitably open clearing where Yuu and herself could set up a trap and still be able to maneuver when the time came. Until then, she carefully suppressed her emotions as she had before.

[ZeroNumerous]

Outside

Sumie knew time. It was part of her training as ANBU and part of her unconscious thoughts counting out seconds and minutes even now. She knew that time was the one that you could count on as it's eternal passage flowed as an unstoppable glacier. But when the pair emerge into the same bright sunlight they had left behind the day before, her sensation of time came crashing down. A quick glance to the sun brought memories of yesterday with that bright yellow orb in the same position it was in now. Either they had emerged at the exact time, down to the very second, as when they left.. or time had not passed at all. But now was not the time to think upon such unnecessicary thoughts. No, now was the time for action.

The pair travel through the mountain--always searching and seeking a place for themselves to use--but what few useful areas they find are few and far between. A canyon, merely fifteen feet wide and thirty feet long, would be a perfect area to trap one under rocks. Of course, they needed one alive and well rather than smushed. An overhang that juts out of the mountain proper would be perfect, but recovering the creature would be nearly impossible. That's when Sumie first started to feel it.

They had been careful to hide themselves, to squish themselves down to the smallest size possible and hope to slip under the extrasensory perceptions of ninja.. But their clumsy efforts were not enough to fool Sumie's battle-sharpened wits. Three of them, one far stronger than the others, trailed the duo just out of sight. How long they had been there was impossible to know, but the fact they were there was enough. Soon, the hunters would become the hunted without acting first.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu nodded and began to move with Sumie, sensing that Hibiki needed some time to work out some issues. They'd have to be more careful just the two of them plus Kuromaru, but Hibiki didn't look like he'd be in any shape to help them fight anytime soon. Besides, it was his fight.

As they travelled, a sixth sense told Yuu that something was...off. He couldn't put a finger on it, but something in the back of his head was nagging at him. That was bad when one needed to keep one's emotions under control and his mind focused.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Traveling back goes quickly, but before you're half-way there you find your path blocked by a large stone dog. If you look back, you find the path backwards also blocked by a stone dog. Both lower their heads and growl in your direction as they ready themselves for the coming battle.

Sorry about the long wait, I kept forgetting to post. Anyway, I'll need initiative checks if you don't want to try diplomacy first.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Oh bugger..."

Muttering that and other curses under his breath, Yuu turns his head and takes up a position back-to-back with Sumie, facing one of the foes. his one hand slips inside his belt pouch as he grasps a smoke bomb. He mutters to Sumie

"This isn't a good situation. They've got us flanked, and we haven't had a chance to plan an ambush. Let's get out of here, quick as we can."


Initiative- if Callos wants to try diplomacy, just keep this in reserve- I'll play along.
[roll0] (If I got that wrong, I'm sorry. Posting from work with no access to sheet.)

Readying an action. If either wolf springs, dropping a smoke bomb and releasing speed rank restraints.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"Do not panic! This is what we came here for in the first place." Sumie says sharply as the swordsman moves so that the two of them stand back to back, zeroing her gaze in on the stone-wolf in front of her and hoping that Yuu was watching the one in the rear. "If you panic, then you will likely draw even more. They have not sounded the alarm yet so lets not give them meaning too."

The girl took a short step away from Yuu, not a great enough distance that the wolves would be able to split them apart, but enough they didn't look quite as defensive and ready to fight. Best to keep things as cordial as possible before a brawl erupted that they might not be able to win.

"We have come to entreat your alpha for a boon." She says loudly, hoping the wolves can even understand the language of humans. "My pack-mate was gravely wounded in combat a short while ago, his arm claimed by a she-devil. We seek to earn a replacement for him so that he may take proper revenge on his wounder. To pay back the injury given to him ten-fold and more for the crime she has committed."

A brief pause, to let the stone wolves mull over the words if possible before continuing. "In order to replace his arm, we were told to seek out the mighty chakra-spirits of this mountain. We must bring one of you back with us in order for our task to be completed. I would like to plead with your alpha for him to aid us personally, of course I am willing to offer whatever he thinks is fair exchange for his considerable aid." A plea on pride and honor. Sumie just hoped it worked...

[ZeroNumerous]

Yuu and Sumie

A growl churns like molten rock as the creature speaks. It's voice an echo escaping it's cavernous maw. "Ha-ha-ha.. He seeks vengeance? You would do right to turn to spirits of hate. Your plight falls upon deaf ears and hearts of stone. My tee--"

The creature stops, raising it's head and ears of granite to the sky. It seems to hear something that you cannot, but you do feel the ever so slight shudder of the mountain beneath your feet. It finally turns back to you with it's obsidian eyes no longer filled with malevolence. "The Stone King has heard your hate. He tells me that he will not aid you without recourse, and demands from you three things."

The creature moves it's head to the side, and it's companion turns to leave. The large dog that spoke growls, but lowers it's head to look Sumie in the eye. "The Stone King demands the flesh of the healer god, the heart's blood of a demon and the tears of the snake king. In exchange, he swears by the sun and the moon that you will have his hate as a sword."

Yuu and Sumie can get an Intelligence check against a DC of 10 to decipher what it means by the three items. Or a Ninja Lore check against a DC of 30 for the second and 20 for the third. A DC 10 Know(Religion) check will help with the first.

The wolf waits for your answer with obvious impatience.

Rin and Hibiki

Yakushi disappears sometime after Yuu and Sumie leave. Several minutes seem to pass and those minutes drag into hours with still no sign of Yuu or Sumie. As you're about to go out and search for them, injuries and crippling emotional issues be damned, a humanoid shadow at the door stops you. It steps forward to reveal a rather young pudgy-faced girl garbed in the traditional uniform of Kirigakure. She looks around obviously confused, but strangely carries no obvious spirit guide like Yuu had.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The relief she felt was physical when the chakra-wolf spoke back to her.

Maybe this does not have to end in violence. Maybe diplomacy was the proper route. I just hope it was...

Her thoughts where interrupted when the large wolf tilts it's head to the sky and listens to some un-heard noise before gesturing for the other wolf to leave. The demands where...trying to hear, especially considering how difficult it would likely be to actually acquire such components.

"I have need of knowing more before I can accept the honorable Stone King's terms. When would he want these tithes is perhaps the most important of them." As cordial and polite as always, Sumie got right down to the point as she met the large chakra-wolf's eyes with her own steady gaze. "When could my pack-mate receive his boon? I am willing to attempt to pay one of the fees your liege demands right now, but if the Stone King wishes for all three before he is willing to help us then it would take some time and things would only become worse for my companion in the mean-time. I too will swear by the sun and moon to honor my debt to the Stone King, if he is but willing to grant my concession that my companion receive his boon now in return for one of his prices...if he deems it worthy of course."

This whole thing rang wrong to Sumie, much like this place did, but if it would accomplish the mission...

After speaking her peace, the girl looks over her shoulder to Yuu and gives a discrete shake of her head and looks pointedly at the smokebombs. The last thing they all needed was an accidental misfire to ruin the negotiations.

[ZeroNumerous]

Wolf

The stone dog waits then raises it's ears again as the ground beneath your feet shakes and trembles. "The Stone King says he will give you what you ask for and to take my body as payment. When the time comes, he will grant me a measure of his spirit in order to turn me into one of his own."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"Yuu-sama, may I see your blade? I wish to seal my word in a manner traditional to my clan." Sumie offers up as she extends a hand back to the swordsman. A look of quiet relief runs across her normally steadfast and calm expression, nodding her head gratefully to the wolf chakra-beast as she questions him once more.

"How am I to give these things to the Stone King? I wish to give him a sign of good will but my knowledge in rituals or even ninjutsu is fairly...lacking." the ANBU girl admits sheepishly, feeling the majority of her tension slipping away as a quiet and peaceful resolve filters through her mind.

[ZeroNumerous]

Wolf

"You must only bury it, for all things buried here reach the Stone King in time."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin stood and stared at this tiny intruder to find her young charges. The time she had just spent with Hibiki had done more for him than many hours in other less peaceful places. “Hibiki, why don’t you help her?” She offered the task to Hibiki hoping that perhaps through helping another he could heal a part of himself secluded from her. “I’ll... just go and see if Yuu or Sumie has returned, or if our Host has heard anything about them.” She stood with more compassion then she had even after she had turned from the true path of the ninja. It was a fact that cowed her and made her understand how far she had to go to remove the instincts learned.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Yakushi is nowhere to be found outside the temple nor inside the small entry room guarded by the great golden Buddha. Wandering into the hallway takes you through twisting empty halls lacking in doors until you step right back into that same entry room you left.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu keeps his sword in his sheath.

"One second, Sumie-san. I didn't follow exactly what this thing was saying. Could you give me some info so I don't run into this thing blind? What do we have to do?"

Geez Louize, my hate? I just want my bloody arm back!

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki had no time to wish Rin good luck as she left to check on Yakushi, "Oh wait Ri-" His sensei had already left before he could finish his sentence. The Leaf-nin stomps his foot once, mad that the jounin wouldn't wait for what he wanted to do; however, as he was about to give up Rin reappeared. "Ah! I knew you wouldn't leave before I give you this!" Hibiki skips up to the blond-haired Uchiha and hugs her tightly.

"Thank you so much for everything sensei! Especially that Genjutsu you cast on me! I bet they won't show up for at least a couple of days! Oh Rin!" Hibiki nearly lifts the jounin off the ground, "Okay! Visitor!" the daft genin storms away from Rin and runs up to the pudgy-faced Mist-nin, "Oy! I'm Hibiki! Can I help the fair maiden that has climbed a long way to get here?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Rin and Hibiki

Hibiki stops cold a few feet away from the girl. He can't explain it, but something in him yells at him that something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong with her. The irrational, emotional part of his brain screams at him to attack and kill it because it's utterly alien. But the only thing he gets in response to his question is a smile just wide enough to be inappropriate but not wide enough to close her eyes. Hair like glistening night frames a soft pale face still pudgy with baby fat. Her body is a bit wider than most, but she certainly seems older up close than she did far away. Or maybe Hibiki's mind was just playing tricks on him?

She turns eyes of crystal blue to the genin's legs and makes an obvious show of looking him up and down. Her head tilts to the side ever so slightly and she speaks in a sultry tone. "Oh.. And who might you be, Hibiki-kun? I did not expect to find anyone up here, just like last time." Her stress of the words "just" and "last" goes on a little too long, as if she hadn't spoken with another person in quite sometime or she had a terrible lisp. Her smile never subsides as she speaks, and in fact only seems to grow wider.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki stops with his foot in mid-air, about to make another step closer to the mysterious woman. The child turns his head slightly at the person, his face was plastered with a questioning look. "I'm feeling some bad vibes from you lady...Like really bad vibes. Vibes so bad, that I could stab myself with my finger and it wouldn't hurt as much as you being this close to me..." Hibiki thinks about what he said for a moment and takes a step back.

"A little better...Woah! Hold on! You look younger now!" Hibiki takes as many steps forward as he can before feeling those horrible, primal instincts yelling to attack in his head. "Old~" Hibiki steps back, "Young~" Hibiki takes a half step forward, "Middle-aged! Nah, I'm kidding. Really though, I-" That was when it happened, something clicked inside Hibiki's brain. A little delayed, perhaps, but it sent a warning throughout his body.

Parts of him wanted to attack, others wanted to flee. This whole tug o' war of decisions caused the genin to stand still in freight. The horror he was experiencing was akin to his meeting with his inner-demons, but somehow this new fear was too horrible to bear. After such an experience, would Hibiki ever again be afraid of his inner-sins? Hibiki struggled to open his mouth, it was as if a kunai had pierced his jaws together.

"Wh-who are you? How di-did you know my name..." It was probably the most coherent thing Hibiki had said sans the stuttering. The daft child's blond hair was wet with cold sweat that had crept out from his pores as if to escape the woman in front of him.

[ZeroNumerous]

Rin and Hibiki

The girl narrows her eyes at Hibiki, but her smile doesn't abate. A step forward, a shake of her hips and the feeling of oil crawling across Hibiki's skin is all he gets in response to his question. She moves forward with deliberate twisting of her shoulders and hips. Her movements only hasten Hibiki's instincts. That voice built by thousands of years of human evolution kicks and screams at the boy that whatever is in front of him is not human. It's a predator. A creature of death that devours the meat of his kind and certainly has no compunctions about doing so.

"Oh.. Hibiki-kun, you wound me. I thought you would recognize little old me. Do I mean nothing to you after all..? You cad." She stops just inches away from the boy and reaches out to touch his head, but Hibiki subconciously moves his head back. "Tssk. And I thought we were friends. Be a dear and find little Rin-chan for me, yes?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

Hearing the gibbering sounds of Hibiki and through her sixth sense feeling his utter and incomparable terror, Rin ignited. The chakra coil system emanated from a single spot and it was this powerhouse that fuelled the shinobi. Until the first split second of hearing and feeling Hibiki’s distress Rin’s incalculable generators of raw chakra remained in what she termed ‘stand-by’. In the second half of that split second that generator pulsed into sudden and tortured operation. Her body and spirit heaved at the sudden and increasing demand on it but Rin continued to stoke her own internal powerhouse. Her body seethed as her highly refined and incendiary chakra poured into every cell of her. The lines between chakra and person blurred as she did.

With her body turned to her purpose prescribed to her by decades of repetition, Rin moved. Not in the manner a human moved but of a lightning bolt. She had her target place, she had her place and she had the distance between them. Then in a flash of movement that remained uncatchable to Hibiki’s eyes appeared behind him, an ad hoc guardian angel burning with righteous flame inside of a flesh and blood body. With a calm and steady movement she placed her hands on the boys shoulder and pulled him back into her own cauldron hot body. “Orochimaru,” she tore the words from her lungs as if she were removing a poison. “What have you done with Yakushi?” She knew such devil’s work was not beyond this vile snake but for now she kept the sanctity of this holy and peaceful place. She felt such calm serenity and she did not want to diffuse it so quickly yet.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"I can not explain all of it to you. Part of it has to deal with the classified information from the scroll that your jounin decided you should not be privy to. Part of it I can handle at any time and part we must ask the Yakushi about when we return. Now I ask you again. Let me see your sword. I don't carry any kunai and they aren't suitable for this anyway." Sumie explains pointedly with a hint of irritation seeping into her tone. It was obvious, to her anyway, that she couldn't be entirely forth-coming about this matter so why was he weakening their bargaining position right here in front of the Stone-Kings emissary?

The girl half-turns, keeping her eyes on the chakra-wolf as she whispers fiercely to the genin. "Let me worry about the price, I am the one who promised to pay the Stone-King and it is well within my capabilities to do so. Now give me your sword and start heading back to the Yakushi with our guest. I do not like being on this mountain and want to leave."

Maybe a tone of command was needed...it had worked on her old team after all.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"...goddamn secrecy and security. Fine. I want it on record that I don't like this. I don't like agreeing to something this big when I don't know what I'm agreeing to, so I'm going to have to trust you on this one. Saying that, I owe you."

With that, he pulled out his sword from its sheath, flipped it, and offered Sumie the hilt, bowing as he did so. There were certain ways one had to go about this, after all.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The girl's hand reaches out to take the hilt, sweeping the blade away from the other's grasp and taking a deep steadying breath. She gripped the sword in two hands, meeting the chakra-wolf's gaze as her feet kicked small furrows in the ground all about her. Another deep breath. Sumie's free hand went to the clasps of her breastplate, undoing them and letting them clatter to the ground, the fanciful metal discarded as if it meant nothing. Underneath of the armor, something nobody on this new team had seen, was a body stocking of armored mesh that clung to her slight body like a second skin. It was, distressingly so, transparent but that's why she had turned her back to Yuu in the first place. All he could see from behind was the same lithe body she did nothing to hide normally.

"My act of goodwill. The heartsblood of a demon." She said softly, barely loud enough for Yuu to hear, but that would probably be the last thing on his mind a minute later. The katana was flipped around until the point was leveled at Sumie's breastbone, the tip poking against the mesh as she gripped the sword with both hands. A flicker of hesitation briefly clouds her eyes but then she thrusts the sword forward with all the strength in her arms.

With a flash of pain, Sumie felt the sword blade pierce into her chest and out the other side with a burning pain that had her eyes widening in surprise. It shouldn't have hurt that much! The girl coughs, vision swimming as she realizes that blood had come out of her mouth when she did, reaching up with one hand to resolutely wipe it away with the back of her hand as the crimson flow cascaded down to the ground from the front and back.

"Hah...hah..hah." It was all she could do to make the pained grunts, for one terrifying moment fearing she wouldn't make it before clasping the sword in her grasp once more. "Gahhh!!"

The anguished yell heralded a crimson fountain as Sumie wrenched the sword out of her body and fell down unto her knees panting. Blood pooled on the ground all about her and she reached out to pull some dirt over a sanguine rivelet of her life's blood.

"Is..is that satisfactory?" She asks numbly, eyes slightly hazy as she twisted her head to Yuu without waiting for an answer and held out the sword. "Here. W...We..we need to get back to Rin. I don't..I don't want to be..be laid up for a week healing from this."

The...cavalier attitude she was taking after stabbing herself in the heart was almost more distressing then the act itself...

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The evil aura that permeated from "Orochimaru" filled Hibiki with a sense of coldness, and the genin thought of himself stranded in the middle of a frozen wasteland. The only heat he could feel was his inner body's worth and that small amount was now being sapped from him by the surrounding air. Hibiki breathes out slowly, his breathe visible as if the coldness he felt was truly real.

Luckily for the daft child, Rin rescued him from his desolate position and immersed him into a bath of warmth and heat. Hibiki closes his eyes and pretends he was on a beach smiling as the sun shined down onto the land. He opens his eyes to find the woman still standing there.

"R-rin...Wha-what is that thing?" he asks, his words still broken up by the immense fear he felt for the aberration. "Rin!" Hibiki turns around and clings to the jounin's body, hoping that her body could house him from this reality, from this evil.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu just stared. He had glanced over his shoulder, still keeping half an eye on the beast behind him, because he was curious about how Sumie intended to go about the typical blood offering. He had never really had much of an occasion to make those oaths- he generally considered the fact that he never went back on his word to be sufficient, but he had had a few friends that did. For those who used knives, a slash across the finger was typical, though one guy he knew preferred to slash his cheeks, creating a show of the oath that was difficult to hide. Yuu always figured, given the bulk of his katana, that he'd slash his palm for such an oath, and was expecting something similar. Slightly confused when she removed her armor, but trying to preserve her modesty, Yuu didn't realize or react in time as she plunged it into her breast.

"NO!"

Panicking, he completely forgot about the beasts guarding them as he frantically ran to try and stop the bleeding, but he hadn't gotten close enough when she yanked the sword back out.

"I..but..why..."

Taking a deep breath, he did his level best to calm down.

"Alright. Alright. Kuromaru, get gone. Get Rin-sensei, quick as you can. That crazy monk if you can, too."

He turned to the girl now bleeding beneath him.

"Why aren't you dead?! That was a sword-strike right through the heart, and I know my sword's not a fake. But more importantly, why would you do something that stupid?!

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Sumie had just begun to rise back up when Yuu had rushed the short distance to her, looking faintly surprised at his concern as he sent Kuromaru rushing back to find the Uchiha jounin. Before he could get too far with his questions though, she grabbed hold of his arm with both hands and hauled herself up bodily to her feet.

"Never ask a woman or girl about her secrets Yuu-sama. You never know when it might touch a nerve." She offers helpfully, a weak grin on her face as she regains her feet. There wasn't a chance that she was going to walk away before knowing if her blood had been enough to sate the Stone King's wants, but that didn't mean she couldn't get ready to leave either. "And it...it takes more then a heart-stab to..ki..kill me. This really hurts you know."

A deep quivering breath, eyes closed and then she opened them with that impassive look of staunch determination in them once more. "It is simple. I had one of the items needed for the exchange and I gave it. I think. I'm not sure if my blood is potent enough. Don't worry Yuu-sama..I am not in..danger right now. But I would still like to find Rin as quickly as possible and bring our ally to the Yakushi.

[ZeroNumerous]

Stone King

For a moment, the mountain itself seems to heave as an earthquake rocks the ground. Stone, gravel and dust throws itself up into the sky then tumbles down it's surface. The violent movement throws the stone wolf, Sumie, Kuromaru and Yuu to the ground like sacks of potatoes. It takes several minutes for the shaking to subside, but eventually you find yourself standing up with little trouble. You're dirty, but alive and as unharmed as you could be--ignoring Sumie's gaping chest wound of course. The stone wolf doesn't rise as it's eyes are blackened and lusterless. Poking and prodding it shows no response and you're led to believe it's dead. Strangely, however, it's body radiates the angry bloodlust of a living being. It seems you have received your end of the deal.

Yuu
A voice in Yuu beckons the boy to touch it. It whispers sweet nothings edged with the warmth of promises of power. A wraith wearing the face of that girl appears above it's body, invisible to Sumie but quite visible to Yuu. It's body of smoke hovers just above the stone without it's feet touching the body. It's right arm raises and points to Yuu with it's index and middle fingers extended as if it were using that technique which nearly ended his life. A stiff freezing wind scatters the smoke to the heavens and leaves the boy on his own.

Sumie and Yuu

When the boy touches it, a red circle forms beneath his feet. Hundreds of incredibly small symbols scribed into the very stone itself. It seems to be a summoning technique, but instead of eight tentacles of ink going outward there are eight focusing inward. The circle glows bright before it begins to move like a snake. It crawls up his feet to his legs, up his legs to his body and finally forms a limb around his stub purely out of seals. The sensation of feeling in an arm that isn't there floods his system, but this is very quickly replaced with infinite and all-consuming pain. Sumie watches on as a bone tears out of the boy's stub, bloody and white and quite human indeed. That bone becomes a finger, a hand, then forearm as it rips open his flesh to knit his body together. The boy's shirt dissolves into ribbons and the body of the stone wolf begins breaking apart into little red crystals blown across the wind like pollen.

Several seconds pass and Yuu stands there with a new arm. The flesh of his stub is burned away and all he has is bone for a short while. Then the fire comes. Billions of little red flecks from the stone wolf's body converge upon Yuu leaving little lacerations upon his exposed upper body as they swarm across him to encircle the bone arm. A roar of igniting fire fills the air as his arm is covered in burning and churning red chakra. The exposed chakra feels oppressively angry, hateful, resenting and all too alien. But the ink seals are still in place, holding the chakra into an arm shape. Soon, the ribbons of his shirt flow upward and form into a series of bandages across the fiery demon chakra. Those seals burn themselves into the bandages, into the arm and even into the flesh of his chest.

Now, he stands looking like a mortal. The oppressive feeling of the demonic chakra hidden beneath the sealed bandages of his right arm. A single kanji is burned onto Yuu's chest right above his heart. "Heaven". A reminder of what he has done. Now, he is but a man. A whole man, but a man all the same.

Yuu
"You are like myself. Your strength, your weakness.. Your very being is within stone. Worked by the hammer, shaped by fire. Come, and we will destroy those who oppose us. Our strength will be undeniable. The earth. The heavens. They will tremble at our might!"

Rin and Hibiki

The girl opens her mouth to speak, but before she can speak a tremor passes through the ground. The sky-like ceiling, the stone walls of the temple and the floor beneath you undulates like a human throat for just a second. No one is harmed or unbalanced, but you feel something is quite different. The temple no longer feels peaceful, and now it's terrifying. The flowers and grass seem duller than before, the temple walls feel paler than normal and the temple doors are swinging back and forth rather than blocked open as they had been.

A heartbeat is all the time it takes for the warm light to go dark as.. things crawl from the temple. They appear human to your eye, but your heart knows better. Their skin are shadows and sheds off their bones like small sparks of fire. Their faces are human-shaped but their eyes are not. Cold blackness reflecting nothing but the hate in their hearts and the evil desires hidden beneath their flesh. Teeth of night, sharp and insidious, form smiles far too wide to be acceptable. They crawl forth one hands and feet, swarming over the swinging doors but not disturbing the unstable passageways.

The girl looks around with one eyebrow raised. The ever-so-slight movement proving her confusion. "It seems we are no longer welcome, hm? I wonder what you'll do to live through this.."

DM

Man. Lots of stuff happening. Alright.


Need a percentile roll from Yuu. Roll low!
Also need a Will Save against a DC of 15 for Rin and Hibiki. Fail means they're shaken for [roll0] rounds.
Need a Fort Save at DC 20 from Yuu. Success means his Strength penalty is gone. Failure means it's halved for [roll1] hours and removed at the end of that duration.


Yuu gains the following template, regardless of his save/percentile roll
Arm Template
Evil God's Arm:

The still living arm of a demon grafted onto a human body using the Final Judgement of God technique. The arm is bound in cloth powered by a sealing technique to contain it's horrible energy, but it can be unraveled to vastly increase the arm's hitting power. As it's unraveled, the arm appears to be a limb made of red chakra that surrounds a skeletal human arm.

Seal Level(Su): The seal level of the Evil God Arm can be controlled as a standard action. The user starts at level 0 and can advance 1 level per standard action used to release the arm's strength.

Level 0: The arm uses the user's base strength score.

Level 1: The arm uses the user's base strength score plus 2. This level has a 10% chance of triggering Evil God Corruption.

Level 2: The arm uses the user's base strength score plus 4. This level has a 20% chance of triggering Evil God Corruption.

Level 3: The arm uses the user's base strength score plus 6. This level has a 40% chance of triggering Evil God Corruption.

Level 4: The arm uses the user's base strength score plus 8. This level has an 80% chance of triggering Evil God Corruption.

Evil God Corruption: The corrupting force of the demon's energy causes the user's arm to rebel against his body. If triggered, the user suffers 2d4 points of damage times the modifier of his current Seal Level(IE: Failure in level 2 causes 4d4 damage. While failure in level 4 causes 8d4 damage) as well as 4 points of Strength damage only for his Evil God Arm bonus. The penalty will not disappear when the arm is resealed, but can heal naturally at the normal rate of healing for ability score damage. The hit point damage can be halved on a successful Fortitude Save against a DC equal to 10+1/2 damage dealt. The Strength damage can be halved on a successful Fortitude Save against a DC equal to 20+2 per failure in 24 hours.

Demonic Energies: The demon chakra pouring from the arm into the user radically affects the user's body. The user gains the Demonic Subtype. If the user does not have a primary, secondary or tertiary allegience of Allegience: Power, Allegience: Evil or Allegience: Revenge then the user must roll on the following list:

{table="head"]Percentile | Result
1-30 | User replaces tertiary allegience with Power, Evil or Revenge. Current tertiary allegience is lost.
31-60 | User replaces secondary allegience with Power, Evil or Revenge. Current secondary moves down to tertiary, and tertiary is removed.
61-90 | User replaces primary allegience with Power, Evil or Revenge. Primary moves down to Secondary and Secondary moves down to Tertiary while the Tertiary is lost.
90-100 | User replaces all allegiences with Power, Evil and Revenge in any order he wishes.
[/table]

He can also access the following feats which he can exchange for any feat he currently knows:

Battle Ready Arm(Feat)
Benefit: The user is able to release a seal on his arm with a move action instead of a standard.
Normal: A standard action must be used to release a seal on the arm.

Blessing of Akuma(Feat)
Benefit: The user may expend 2 points of chakra that cannot be converted to stamina damage in order to increase the bonus given from his Evil God Arm by 2. This also increases the chance of triggering Evil God Corruption by 10%. This ability can only be used once per day per point of Constitution bonus of the user.

Rin + Hibiki OOC stuff
Whomever has the highest Initiative modifier can make a check for you two. Orochimaru, regardless of his check, will just wait so I won't bother giving him one.
Monsters go on: [roll2]
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/Temple.png
Key:
Yellow Squares: Demons. 18 in total, just refer to the coordinates if you're going to attack, please.
O=Orochimaru
R=Rin
H=Hibiki
Steps: Difficult terrain.
Doors: Provide cover. You can take full cover behind one as a full round action. Can be pushed with DC 10 Strength check. Success moves any creature on the other side back five-feet, deals 2d8+STR damage, and renders it prone.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Ominous Music! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60aLD2kDK90)

Yuu shook his head as the earthquake subsided. He looked at Suime, still shocked that she was alive. A voice in the back of his head- a voice he normally listened to- was telling him that she desperately needed medical attention. That voice was oddly quiet, and seemed to be shouting from a great distance away, as if locked in a tower and forced to try and shout from the ramparts. Another voice, one he could just make out on the edges of his mindscape, was screaming fit to burst that whatever was in front of him was evil, hellish, and would corrupt and destroy him utterly and unequivocally. He should have no business dealing with this thing, and instead should run, screaming, as fast as he could. That voice seemed to be coming from the same tower as the first, but instead chained in the dungeon, where only the sheer volume of its tortured cries made it even perceptible. Yuu ignored it as well, shaking his head to rid himself of the irritating buzzing in his ears. The voices that seemed to flow from the carcass were like honey in his ears, promising him the power to protect his friends, his village, the whole world even.

Then the smoke still rising from the newly dead corpse seemed to coalesce into the shape of the mist-ninja who had taken his arm. A rage like he had never known consumed his brain. This was the girl who had taken his arm, who had caused so much hardship for him and his friends, who gleefully slaughtered with willful abandon. She was a murderer. A threat. A plague. She needed to be removed, and quickly. Almost unknowingly, blind to all else but that vision, Yuu threw his strongest punch- his sword lying bloodied in the dirt. In his confused state, he didn't even recognize that this was a right-handed punch. However the shifting of his weight threw him forward, and, stumbling to catch himself with his good arm, Yuu grabbed onto the corpse.

More Ominous muisc! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGdFPcLx-vs)

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhh!!!!!"

White-hot lances of pain shot through him as the seals moved up his body. It was like no other pain that he had ever experienced before in his life. Then the second wave, concentrated in his nonexistent right arm, made that pain feel like being tickled. Too far gone to even scream, Yuu fell to his knees and vomited, covering the dirt around him in half-digested rice and bile, the pain so great his vision blurred, and strange smells began to seep into his nose as his brain went crazy from the pain. Thus he could not see as new bones shot out from his stump, and was filled over with flesh. He could not hear it either, for those voices whispering in his head had only intensified, telling him tales of the power and might he would wield with this arm, power the likes of which the world had never seen. Impossibly, the pain intensified as fire burned away the flesh of his arm. It subsided and disappeared as the nerveless bones were all that remained, then returned as the demonic chakra swept down his body and onto arm and was bound there, the binding producing pinpricks that seemed almost comforting in their mildness. Finally, after an eternity, it evaporated. One last lance of pain pierced his heart, burning itself into the kanji that Sumie could see, and then, finally, it was over.

Yuu collapsed in the dirt and lay there, gasping. He was sweating as though he had run around the world, desperately sucking in air as though he'd never breathed before. Kuromaru, concerned for his master but now incredibly wary of the evil that emanated from his new arm, hovered nearby, torn about what to do as he whined uncomfortably. After the longest five minutes of Yuu's life, he sat up, pushing himself up with his newly reattached arm.

The voices had subsided, and the white-hot pain had burned his mind completely blank, and so he began to do a basic checkup of himself. His throat was raw from screaming, his lip bloody from where his frantic spasms had casued his mouth to bite down. His shirt was missing, with a tattoo above his heart of "heaven" and seal markings leading to his newly regrown arm...an arm that was swathed in bandages, and felt...powerful. As though it could punch a god, and that god would be utterly destroyed. But that power was held back, contained for when he needed it. That voice that had screamed itself hoarse in the dungeon of his mind now returned, warning him of the evil aura that seeped through the bandages. He flexed his new fingers, curling them into a fist as he experimentally punched a nearby rock. Normally such a maneuver would leave his knuckles raw and bloody, and possibly fracture his hand, but he didn't feel even a twinge of pain as the rock crumbled beneath his fist.

"I...what? Why did I receive this? What's happened to me?"

He turned to look at Sumie, and there was both rage and confusion in his mind, that spoke of profound inner turmoil.

"This...isn't what I wanted...I just wanted a normal arm, one like the one I lost...and for you to have to do what you did..."

Yuu trailed off, clearly confused as he tried to figure out whether this was a blessing or a curse. He couldn't tell yet.

"I'm sorry....I need to get you to Rin-sensei as fast as possible. Can you walk?"

[Valgunn]

As the temple turned from a place of peace Rin held Hibiki closer to her awaiting the return of the chattering mass of voices inside his head. Rin couldn’t fathom what either of them had done and given even Orochimaru’s confusion she could not blame this on him, even if she wanted to. “Hibiki,” Rin still held him close to her as she spoke in a clear and cool voice, the peace that had made her feel so small gone and replaced by anger and terror that made her feel, at home. “Listen very closely, run away and find Sumie and Yuu. Sumie is in charge until...” She choked on the word 'until' as she spoke. “Or if I come back. Run Hibiki, run.”

OOC
Hit Points: 46/64
Chakra Pool: 34/92
Armour Class: 28
Ongoing Effects: None

Will Save!
Will Save: 30 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2154899/)
All our equipment, master-worked, seal enhanced and emotional special gear. Not to mention the Bingo Book or the mission scroll. Why Yuu, why? :smallyuk:

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The stress of the situation seemed to stretch on as Rin faced down the woman named Orochimaru, but before fists could clash or jutsus performed the entire temple turned against them. What was a place of peace and calm suddenly became a void of beauty and life as demons with inhuman eyes swarmed in front of the trio. For some strange reason, the creatures didn't bother Hibiki as much as the woman standing towards his left did a few moments ago.

Somehow the introduction of them dispelled all worry fear and worries Hibiki held just a few moments ago. The child shook himself free from Rin and turned around to look at her. Hibiki listened, but didn't understand. "What do you mean? Yuu and Sumie-chan are probably half way across the mountain by now. If I leave, I'll never get back in time! Let me help!" He turns his head to the creatures and sees them in a different light.

Their diabolic eyes and their obsidian-like teeth were just outside appearances for what they truly were. The eighteen things transformed into the Sins who have always weighed Hibiki down his entire life. "Rin, I don't think I can back down from this fight. You told me I'd have to fight my inner-demons with in my head. Well, I don't think I can do that just yet, but if I back down from the demons that plague me on the outside...I don't think I'll ever be able to win on the inside...So Rin-sensei, as you're genin I'm going to disobey your command. I can't back down."

Hibiki's nervous stuttering stopped as he talked of the creatures in front of them. It was as if something was off about the genin besides normally being clinically insane of course. At that moment, Hibiki seemed like a normal ninja to Rin. Was he finally growing up?

Without saying a word, the Leaf-nin crosses both of his index and middle fingers against each other. Three quick poofs and three exact replicas appear before the original. Each one carries a stoic expression as they face down the ranks of shadows. Hibiki himself shows no fear as he prepares to do battle.

[The Unborne]

OOC:


Hit points: 94/94 (-4)
Chakra pool: 72/78
Armour class: 20
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin (0/600)

Kage Bunshin! (full-round action)
Perform (DC20): [roll0]
Chakra cost: 6
Stamina Damage:
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Clones and Hibiki are in a diamond formation with Hibiki on the bottom corner.

[Valgunn]

Rin

OOC
Initiative!
Initiative: [roll0] + [roll1]

Initiative for both Rin and Hibiki, since they'll be doing things together and it's what Nod' wants. Threw in an action point to see if by some fluke we go before Orochimaru.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Flaps of shuriken holsters are all unbuttoned simultaneously by the group of Hibiki's. Due to dumb luck, Hibiki never bothered taking off his holsters since he wore the same outfit everyday out of his belief in super heroes and their lack of a wardrobe. Good thing too, since there was a lack of weapons on his side. Hibiki just stares forward at his enemies and speaks, "I'll test the waters and see if I can blow a hole in their ranks." His words came out a little dry as if it was their first time ever coming out in such a non-Hibiki way.

The clones draw two shurikens each and lift their arms like they would taking off their shirts. When their elbows reached their highest point, the clones whipped their arms down, letting loose a barrage of star-shaped nin-weapons. As the shuriken hissed through the air, the real Hibiki held his wrist and focused his chakra outwards. A thin layer of purple chakra solidified around the genin's hand, ready for battle.



Hit points: 94/94 (-4)
Chakra pool: 72/78
Armour Class: 20
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin (1/600)

Chakra Scalpel!
Move Action

Kage Hibiki's
Hit points: 3/3
Armour Class: 15

Six attacks, two directed at each demon (11-13,15)
If for some reason the first wave kills them (yeah right) Direct the next wave at (11-13,14)

Attack!

#1a Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

#2a [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

#3a [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

#1b [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]

#2b [roll8]
Damage: [roll9]

#3b [roll10]
Damage: [roll11]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Hibiki's Kage Bunshins successfully hit their targets--all except the last one whose shuriken hits the dirt instead. Strangely though, four out of five of the direct hits do nothing at all. They simply pass straight through one of the creatures and out the other side without any detriment to the creature at all. The first one, however, hits and causes the little black blob to burst into ooze. It quickly becomes nothing but a puddle of liquid night.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/Temple-1.png

Everything but the 3 hits their AC. You forgot your strength bonus to damage on your shuriken attacks.

Miss chances:
1- Miss on a 2. [roll0]
2- Miss on a 1. [roll1]
3- Miss on a 2. [roll2]
1- Miss on a 1. [roll3]
2- Miss on a 2. [roll4]

If it hits and deals 2 damage, it pops.

EDIT: One dead shadow.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Words defied what happened next when the ground began to rumble...defied expectations in every way it possibly could. In the world of ninjas and shinobis there were many unusual and bizarre things that utterly defied expectations and some of them she had even seen for herself, even if she didn't understand them. This was a whole 'nother grade above anything she had ever experienced or had even heard better. This whole confounded mountain was!

Amazement shows in her wide eyes, betraying the deep felt shock that rocked her to the core after that amazing happenings that resulted in Yuu's new cloth-bound arm covered in seals. Another thing she had never seen the like of before. When she got back to civilization, if she did, then she was going to spend a good deal of time figuring out what had just happened. Something told her that trying to sense chakra right now would likely blind her.

Yuu's words snap her back to reality and the loss of blood since when it had all begun made her wobble for a moment dizzily. But even now, she could feel the gradual process of flesh knitting back together, bone reforming, and color faintly returning to her face. It'd be slow, but with Rin's help it shouldn't be a problem. Sumie nods to the older boy, reaching down to pluck up her discarded breastplate and buckle it back on.

"We should hurry. Rin needs to examine you." She says briskly, beginning to lead the genin back towards the temple as quickly as she was willing to risk going. Wouldn't do to tear the wound now...

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"I'm not the one with the gaping chest wound. You sure you're alright?"

Yuu begins to clamber up the rocks and make his way back to the cave where Hibiki and Rin are staying. Maybe the crazy old sage could tell him a bit more about this new arm of his. It still felt odd- as if it didn't quite belong to him. But that made sense- it was an arm of demonic chakra, of course it didn't belong to him. Still, with every passing minute he could feel his arm getting stronger and more associated with his body, as a real arm would. Silent for a time, contemplative, he turned to Sumie.

You know, you've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Were you expecting this?" He indicates his arm.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"I said I was fine! Let it go." Sumie finally snaps out irritably, the fray on her usual calm showing as she begins the return trip to the temple. Something sour had settled into the pit of her stomach, a feeling of ominous malice that had no rational bias at all. Instinct, pure and simple.

This entire place seemed to be conspiring to undo years of effort on her part, and she almost hated it for that before reigning herself in.

Calm..calm. Easy now. Pain is not an excuse. It is merely a nuisance. The unexpected is not a threat, just a complication. Fear not hardship, it can always be overcome.

The credo did much to soothe herself, taking much of the bite out of her tone when she looked back at Yuu and gave him a long look before answering honestly.

"...No. I expected a regular arm, albeit the price I need to pay should have tipped me off. I am sorry Yuu-sama, but at least you have your full faculties back."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Depending on the cost, I might have preferred to keep the one arm. You do realize I'm the one they're going to come after if we can't pay the piper. So I need to know the costs. You can tell me later, but I'm not going to stop until I find out."

Yuu keeps climbing, Kuromaru still wary but alongside, following.

[Valgunn]

Rin

As Rin watched the restrained use of his clones she could not help but stare for a second and just act befuddled. The second or two she allowed herself was likely too much time given to such blatant pride in her student. When the hell did he stop being crazy, she thought idly. Without much thought Rin’s body suffered through the motion of forming her chakra into a blade around her right hand. Her face never giving inkling as to the pain such activity put her through. With a flush of speed her off-hand formed the casual half-seals of her own original technique, the final seal heralding a crackle of electricity. “Hibiki, the front-line guardians seem to be pushovers.” She spoke as a ninja.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64
Chakra pool: 29/92
Armour class: 28
Ongoing effects: Medical Spark (0/14;D3)

Chakra Scalpel!
Chakra scalpel: Form Chakra Scalpel in right hand.

Medical Spark!
Perform (DC22): [roll0]
Chakra cost: 5

[ZeroNumerous]

Rin and Hibiki

All the shadows swarm forward on hands and feet. Their grasping smoky hands proving exceptionally slow to your chakra-enhanced muscles. Only one of Hibiki's three clones is touched, and that doesn't even cause the clone to poof.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/Temple-2.png

Attack Routine:
Clone 1

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: 1
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: 1

Clone 2

Attack: [roll2]
Damage: 1
Attack: [roll3]
Damage: 1
Attack: [roll4]
Damage: 1

Clone 3

Attack: [roll5]
Damage: 1
Attack: [roll6]
Damage: 1

Turns until Sumie and Yuu arrive: 9

Key:
Yellow Squares: Demons. 17 in total, just refer to the coordinates if you're going to attack, please.
O=Orochimaru
R=Rin
H=Hibiki
Steps: Difficult terrain.
Doors: Provide cover. You can take full cover behind one as a full round action. Can be pushed with DC 10 Strength check. Success moves any creature on the other side back five-feet, deals 2d8+STR damage, and renders it prone.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki furrows his brow at the immensely weak attacks from these demon-like creatures. Would his father's sins be as simple as these shadows? His eyes scan around the dulled-colored grounds and at the humanoid beasts, his attention then looks back up at Rin. "Ninjas are never to be caught off-guard. These creatures have a unique ability for being so fragile." It was as if Hibiki's tone had taken a hint with the surrounding flora and became dry without motion.

Whatever had changed the young boy was lost as he stepped up to deliver his own form of attacks. Hibiki brought his hand that was surrounded by purplish chakra up eye-level and took a quick glance at both abominations in front of him. Deftly, the genin slashed his hand out against the demon his right. Whether the attack touched or passed through, Hibiki used the momentum from it and continued across to strike at the second.

The clones, in turn, formed chakra scalpels simultaneously took up wide stances as they unleashed their own attacks on their enemies. As if part of a synchronized dance the kage bunshins pushed their left hands out to create space while bringing their attacking hands back like they would drawing an arrow. At the exact time, each copy shot their hand forward at their targets.

OOC:


Hit points: 94/94 (-4)
Chakra pool: 72/78
Armour Class: 20
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin (2/600)

Five Foot Step!
Five foot step to (13,19)

Touch Attacks!
Full Attack Action

Attack #1 against (14,18):
Damage: [roll1]

Attack #2 against (12,18): [1d20+4
Damage: [roll2]

Kage Hibiki's
Hit points: Various C1: 2; C2: 3; C3:1
Armour Class: 15

Each:
Chakra Scalpel!
Move Action


Touch Attack!

#1 Attack: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

#2 Attack: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6]

#3 Attack: [roll7]
Damage: [roll8]

C1 attacks (12,18) if Hibiki does not kill it, (11,18) if he does.
C2 attacks (13,17)
C3 attacks (14,18) if Hibiki does not kill it, (15,18) if he does.

[The Unborne]

Screw up on Hibiki's second attack:
[roll0]

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin hated to admit it but her training in the lower levels of ninjutsu was quite lacking. It wasn’t such a huge flaw; she just never bothered with some of the more basic ninjutsu when more rough and ready ones were there. It was a time of war and she often needed to use these techniques before she had finished learning them. It was yet another hole she’d have to fill; it left her without an easy way to dispatch these shadows quickly. “We just want our things back, Hibiki. When we have them we leave.” Rin wasn’t sure what Yakushi had against them but she didn’t want to make matter worse than they were. With a move and a thrust Rin attacked them.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64
Chakra pool: 29/92
Armour class: 28
Ongoing effects: Medical Spark (1/14;D3)

Move!
Move: 5ft.-step

Full-Attack Action!
Attack one: [roll0]
Damage one: [roll1]; [roll2]

Attack two: [roll3]
Damage two: [roll4]; [roll5]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

With the introduction of your chakra scalpels to their shadowy insides each shadow suddenly explodes. It takes a few seconds to finish mopping them up, but killing the remaining shadows is not terribly hard. The girl just smiles and laughs. "I see you haven't lost your edge, little Rin-chan."

As you approach the temple, you sense the arrival of someone or something behind you. When you turn you see both Sumie and Yuu entering into the cavern hiding the temple. A head both double doors swing to and fro with a slight creak in their hinges.

Not even two seconds behind them is a white haired woman with the most vibrant red eyes you've ever seen. Her hair is parted to the left and tied into a ponytail that cascades down her chest. Her body is wrapped in a snow white kimono of the purest silk decorated at the legs and sleeves with red wolves dancing in the snow. An finely crafted obi is tied around her waist and secured with a jade pin. Her arms dangle freely at her sides with her hands hidden behind her kimono sleeves. "Orochim--Oh. You saw them. I came to warn you that two more were coming up the mountain but I guess that's irrelevant now, isn't it?"

The 'girl' looks toward the snow-white newcomer with disdain. "I expect more work from the mercenaries I hire, Hime of the Garou Clan. Do you intend to--" "Ya-ya.. Hey, want me to kill them so we can get off this mountain? This place creeps me out."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin responded to the comment as jounin often respond to threats on their life given by unknown people. “Might I give a suggestion?” Rin inquired with a sickly sweet smile mocking those of Orochimaru. “Don’t, you’ll live a longer and healthier life. Trust me, I’m a doctor.” With her one and only warning to the girl mercenary given she turned her attention to her two other wards. “You two-” It was then her supernatural vision registered a lack of something that should have been there. A lack of Yuu’s missing arm. “You’ve got your arm back? What happened?” Rin’s voice wavered as she began to make a dreadful connection between her genin’s new arm and the sudden shift in the temple’s atmosphere. Oh, ****.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64
Chakra pool: 29/92
Armour class: 28
Ongoing effects: none

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

"Or what? The big bad Chimera will lock me away in a genjutsu? Ha. I bet a warrior whose killed as many ninja as you have has a particularly tasty heart. I wouldn't mind--" "Our fight isn't with them. I just want what's in the temple, nothing more and nothing less. Until I give you the order to kill them I want you to sit there like a little school girl and keep your mouth shut, got it?" The obviously annoyed woman opens her mouth to speak, but then the dark-haired girl just raises an eyebrow. The white-robed woman closes her mouth and grumbles while the dark-haired girl turns back to the group.

"I'm afraid I'll be forced to act now. Please stand aside as the Yakushi and I have things to discuss."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu is slightly out of breath as he climbs the steps to the temple. Clearly the strain caused by attaching this new...arm to him took quite a bit out. Such a climb normally would barely register. He noted the change in the mood of the area without a great deal of surprise. The two newcomers, on the other hand...how did that woman get behind him without him noticing? And there was that other one...something about her made his skin crawl, and a twinge of fear shot through his stomach.

"why is it always someone trying to kill us?"

When he hears Rin-sensei's question, he looks evasive.

"That's...a long story. I'm still not really sure what happened, sensei. But I'd kind of like to get off this mountain fairly quickly."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin’s iris’s swirled around their respective pupil’s. A blood red colouring filtered in, followed by black and then as the mix slowed her perfectly formed sharingan showed through. This woman standing before him holds a direct link of blood to the two Uchiha that had caused him incredible pain and for a moment their three faces blurred together. Despite the age gap and the gender difference the likeness is uncanny between Rin and her father. “I don’t care too much about you just talking to him. However, you being you, Orochimaru, I doubt you just want to talk with him. I’m nowhere near strong enough to stop you if you want to go in, but I’ve got to make the effort. I’d hate myself.”

OOC
Hit points: 46/64
Chakra pool: 29/92
Armour class: 28
Ongoing effects: none

Sharingan Eye!
Attack action: Activate the Sharingan Eye

See Chakra!
Move action: Activate see chakra

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The girl smiled a smile just a little too wide. "I have simply a.. proposal to make. An exchange. For him to heal my body and for me to rid him of these.. Nuisances. Surely you can't mean to bar my decidedly peaceful and non-violent passage?" The woman known as Hime of the Garou Clan just huffs at that.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin smiled broadly making sure he eyes stayed wide open part to keep Orochimaru in her sight, but mostly so she could annoy him. She figured she was alive by his whim anyway so she should at least enjoy it while she can. “Oyo~, if you just said that then I’d have had no problem. Sure, go ahead and talk to him. I’ll be right beside you, waiting to see that face when he tells you ‘no’.” She smiled even broader; if the Yakushi was anything like the Buddha of Healing then he would reject such a choice. Even so Rin wished that he would say ‘yes’ since it would likely be her standing between them when things go bad. Why me, she thought.

Without waiting for him to answer or to even acknowledge her she turned her enhanced senses to her genin and chuunin chores. “You two, here, now and tell me just what the hell is that arm.” She had felt that arm and now saw that arm. It was a wrong thing in such a way as to defy her quantification, but she still knew that his new arm was a wrong thing. She felt the little happiness for her genin’s revitalization slip as she began to turn the implications over in her head. Still though she tried to see the bright side: He had an arm, he wouldn’t feel useless and maybe she could in some way help him mitigate that Arm’s wrongness, maybe.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64
Chakra pool: 29/92
Armour class: 28
Ongoing effects: none

Sharingan Eye!
Attack action: Activate the Sharingan Eye

See Chakra!
Move action: Activate see chakra

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Oh, this is not gonna end well. Sensei's going to explode.

Yuu walked over to his sensei and stood next to her, rather nervously.

"Well, here's the short form. Um...we were out hunting those beasts, like we planned, and we got trapped by a pair of 'em. Sumie-san tried talking with them, and...apparently cut a deal for my arm. I..well...I couldn't make heads or tails of what they were saying. And, so she asks for my sword, saying something about "an act of goodwill"...and...well...she, um...stabbed herself through the chest."

He tossed a look up at Sumie, still wondering how in blazes she survived that.

"Well, after that, there was an earthquake and one of the beasts looked like it died...after that everything's kind of a blur, but I remember touching the corpse, and then a lot of pain, and, when I came to, well...there was this arm."

He doesn't mention the arm's obvious evil, nor the voices he had heard. They already had one crazy guy on their team, and those were something he'd have to deal with on his own.

"That's really it, I swear. please don't hurt me."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

By the time that Yuu and her had finally returned to the temple, Sumie's condition had improved...well...amazingly. And inexplicably. The blood flow had all but stopped, insuring the scarlet trail that she had left behind stopped about the same time they got back to the temple. She'd even straightened up and aside from panting and wiping trickles of blood from the corner of her mouth now and then seemed to be fine.

Sumie wasn't though, she could still feel the damage to her heart even now and knew it needed treatment right away. It was a constant stabbing pain that made her wince...

And when the snow white stranger came up unexpectedly from behind her, that was what she blamed her lack of awareness on. Eyes widened in surprise then narrowed with laser-like intensity on the one who had followed them. And the 'girl' she had spoken too.

Orochimaru!

Sumie's lip curled in a brief snarl and it took a moment for her calm to re-assert itself and stopping her from committing what she knew would be a suicidal rush. Instead she walked over towards Rin with as much dignity as she could muster.

"I have ripped several muscles in my heart. I would like some medical attention." She requests stiffly, having 'accidentally' interposed herself between Rin and the snake-man. Then, in a soft voice, she continued so hopefully only the jounin could hear her. "I negotiated with one of the stone wolves and their leader, something called the Stone King, for one of them to come back to the Yakushi willing for Yuu-sama's purposes. I've fulfilled one of the three prices I need to return to the Stone King but Yuu-sama has his arm back. The mission was successfully completed and the chakra wolf became Yuu's arm."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The girl steps forward toward Team Rin and the temple behind them. The white-robed woman moves to follow, but is quickly stopped by a glance over the dark-haired girl's shoulder.She only clicked her tongue in response and crossed her arms over her chest. "Bastard."

The girl is strangely quiet in her steps, and unless stopped she walks around Team Rin, up the stairs to the temple proper and stopped just in front of the door. She extends the index and middle finger of her right hand then raises her hand to her heart. "Shunshin no Jutsu." A whirl of wind encompasses the girl and she disappears only to reappear in the hallway leading north. She turns around and seems to wait for Rin, almost as if she was going to honor their bargain. Then just waves her left hand like someone throwing away trash. "Kill them, Garouhime. I'll be back soon."

A wide grin spread across the white-robed woman's lips. "Kill 'em he says! Ha! I knew there was some kind of monster in that little girl exterior of his. But damn. Just up and used and thrown away. Makes ya feel kind of bad, huh? No matter. I'll make my self feel better with your flesh." She forms Hibiki's memorial T with her fingers. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Five white-robed women stand in a plus sign formation. The classic genin defensive position. It's obvious to every ninja there that she's not any good at defending. "Lets be sure to get this overwith quickly, ne?"

OOC

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/Temple-3.png

Damage Dealt:
1- [roll0]
2- [roll1]
3- [roll2]
4- [roll3]
5- [roll4]

Initiative: I'll let Team Rin use Rin's old initiative or roll a new one if they want. Garouhime is going on 29. Either way, her surprise round is to use Kage Bunshin.

Key:
O=Orochimaru
R=Rin
H=Hibiki
C=Clones
S=Sumie
Y=Yuu
G=Garouhime
Steps: Difficult terrain.
Doors: Provide cover. You can take full cover behind one as a full round action. Can be pushed with DC 10 Strength check. Success moves any creature on the other side back five-feet, deals 2d8+STR damage, and renders it prone.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Orders, sensei?"

Yuu, despite whatever demonic energies that now swirled within his new arm, was at least glad that he could perform handseals again.

His hands flickered through the motions for the jutsu he had learned with the Inuzuka clan a while back. As he finished, he dropped to all fours, his features becoming more animalistic as his nails and teeth lengthened. He took up a defensive stance, relaxing his body as he felt the unconscious restraints releasing. Behind the screen of Hibiki's clones, Kuromaru growled at this new threat and crouched, readying himself.


Nagase Yuu- HP 79/79 CP 36/40
AC 21 vs. Main wolf-woman, 20 vs. Clones.

Initiative- [roll0]

Perform- Shikakyu no Jutsu!- DC 16 [roll1]

[Valgunn]

Rin

With a sudden shock of air pressure Rin released the restraints on her body. She figured she could hold out long enough, she just hoped long enough was enough for her genin. “You three go and find Orochimaru. Hibiki, get a clone to bring me my Scroll of Seals and my Belt Pouch. Sumie, you are in charge and I expect you to do the right thing. Yuu, do not overuse that arm, it is wrong.” Rin did not sound like she was in any mood to be trifled with. Her red eyes locked tight around the group of shadow clones she didn’t budge an inch. “I have faith in you three. I’ll come find you when I have dealt with Mrs. Garouhime Sow.”

OOC
Hit points: 46/64
Chakra pool: 26/92
Armour class: 33
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1), Speed Rank Five (1/1)

Ready Action!
Readied action: If Garouhime or her clones move to attack her genin, kawarimi into the way.

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

The middle woman just shrugs. "I don't care. He's already paid me, so why should I interfere with a bunch of tadpoles? No, I want to spear the big momma frog instead. But she looks so beat up.. And that's lame, ne?" She reaches down the front of her kimono and pulls a thin glass vial with green liquid inside from within her cleavage. "A chakra amp potion. I know you're a medical ninja, so your physical injuries should be readily healed, ne?" A flick of the wrist sends that glass vial toward Rin. "Go ahead, I'll wait until it's finished."

Rin gains some craps(Chakra Restoration Amplifier Potion, Supreme). It works as per a normal CRAP, but functions for 2d4+2 rounds and regenerates 4 chakra/round as per greater CRAP.

[Valgunn]

Rin

With an incredible flash of speed none of the assembled genin or chuunin had yet seen her display Rin grabbed the vial. In her tight grip for a passing moment it seemed as if she would crush the glass, however after a moment of examination Rin instead choose to indulge her hubris. “You’ll regret giving me an extra edge.” She swallowed the potion without her eyes removing themselves from the clones and the real Garouhime. Rin sighed as she felt her reserves of chakra rocket upward. “You three have your order, so get on with them! You’ll be nothing but a hindrance to me here.” Rin knew if any of them stayed she would end up protecting them too. “Go on you three. Now!”

OOC
Hit points: 46/64
Chakra pool: 54/92
Armour class: 33
Ongoing effects: Speed Rank Five (1/1)

Move Action!
Grab CRAP, Supreme.

Move Action!
Drink CRAP, Supreme.
Duration: [roll0] 7 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2157978/)

Free Action!
Suppress her Sharingan Eye.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The order to kill didn't come as a surprise to Sumie, how could she have expected anything different from the slime known as Orochimaru? No, she just gritted her teeth with pain and gave a terse nod to the Chimera.

"Understood." Sumie says as the jounin gave her the orders, a brief flash of annoyance before her body flickered and vanished from that spot with speed that was impossible to follow with un-augmented eye. She reappeared by the golden statue, crouching down and sprinting around the shadow towards the almost oily presence that was on the other side. As she rounded the Buddha statue and caught sight of Orochimaru, the girl takes off towards him as chakra floods through her body and weights fall off of her ankles to the ground with a ear-rumbling clang.

But she stops before reaching him, keeping some distance between the two since Orochimaru's tricks were practically legendary. If it came down to a fight then Sumie knew she would lose, but hopefully just following him wouldn't be too taxing on her heart as it was right now. "Come on! We have to follow him."



Shundou: [roll0]

to 12,7

then move action to 12,4.

Activating 3rd Speed Rank

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The clone in front of Rin turns around and nods at her command, "I'll retrieve your equipment, the real me and the other kage bunshin will chase after Orochimaru." Weird. When did the Uchiha ever expect one of Hibiki's replicas to preserve the original's personality? As the clone said that, the other ran pass it and up the stairs with Hibiki following close behind it. The pair followed Sumie who had disappeared into the temple via Shundou.

The previous clone who was assigned to grab Rin's scroll of seals and belt pouch lagged behind the others and entered the temple proper. The final Hibiki takes a spot on the stairs and watches Rin from behind, "Rin-sensei, I know it's not the most appropriate time to ask this, but is it possible for me to watch? I haven't seen anyone besides myself use Kage Bunshin, and what better time to watch than in a real fight?" Depending on Rin's answer, the bunshin stays put ready to study the fight between the two Jounins.

Inside the temple proper, Hibiki and his untouched kage bunshin stand less than ten yards from Orochimaru. None of them say any words, and they wait for Sumie's command. The other clone searches the fuutons for Rin's belongings and finds everything he was ordered to find, but he also spots Rin's light vest. Not wanting to have his sensei fight any less than her best, he grabs the vest as well.

OOC:


Hit points: 94/94 (-4)
Chakra pool: 72/78
Armour Class: 20
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin (3/600)

Full-Round Action
Double Move!
Move to (13,5)

Kage Hibiki's
Hit points: Various C1: 2; C2: 3; C3:1
Armour Class: 15

C1
Move Action
Move!
Move to Rin's gear, comes back if it can this round.

C2:
Full-Round Action
Double Move!
Move to (11,5)

C3:
Move Action
Move and Sit!
Move to (11,13)

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

"Understood, Sensei."

Yuu dashed up the steps of the temple, Kuromaru hot on his heels. Normally he'd have drawn his sword and charged- his more bestial form giving him an edge, but watching Sumie's caution gave him pause, and he stopped just behind her, sword drawn and at the ready as he watched his enemy for any sudden movements or attacks.

"Anything we should know about this girl? If sensei was nervous about taking her on I can't see how we could."



Nagase Yuu- HP 79/79 CP 36/40
AC 21 vs. Orochimaru

Ongoing effects- Shikakyu no jutsu round 1/9
Speed rank 2 round 2/5

Double move to 11, 6, draw sword as part of move action. Kuromaru at 11, 7

[Valgunn]

Rin

With a flicker of her eyelids her sharingan had vanished. Rin intended to conserve strength as she slipped, clicked and shoved her gear into their places. “Thank you, Hibiki.” She said as she made the final checks to the straps and buttons that held her things in proper places. “Yes.” She said bluntly as the genin made his case. “I’ll give you a one-on-one tutor session on shadow clone use after this is over.” The truth she didn’t speak was she intended to use several techniques that constituted a war crime. Without more words she clapped her hands together but did not close her eyes. A faint green glow outlined her and she stood without motion, the highly refined manipulation rendering the task insignificant.

Her wounds clearly visible through the patched together remnants of her once proud clothes, the genin behind her clearly seeing the deep lesions on her body boiled away. The thought occurs to the cloned genin that Rin might have done this at any time and was not as previously thought incapacitated. To another jounin the thought would occur that such time away from her would breed independence and through such create stronger genin. Pulling her praying hands apart with a crackle of healing chakra Rin pulled her right hand up to form another seal. “Release.” She said in a formal tone. In an instant her trademark metal gauntlets appeared and in that instant it seemed as if her chakra scalpel flared. “One, two, three.”

Rin spoke some count up to an unheard beat but then with a flicker of her eyelids her sharingan swirled into existence and with another blast of blistering air she released the anchor weighing on her body. Rin seemed more jovial as she stood and stared with calculating red eyes. “You don’t mind my genin’s shadow clone? If you win he’s sure to come seeking revenge, after he grows stronger of course.” Rin justified letting the genin attend the event to the newest addition to a growing list of people that try to murder her. I have the worst luck, she thought. It’s like these kids suck up all my good karma. She sighed with a heavy look on her face. “Ready or not?”


OOC
Hit points: 64/64
Chakra pool: 59/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

Set-up Actions:

Full-Round Action!
Suppress Speed

Move Action!
Don Ninja Vest.

Move Action!
Don belt pouch.

Move Action!
Store Scroll of Seals.

Drink CRAP, Greater(Move Action)!
Duration: [roll0]

Healing - Third Rank (Three Rounds)!
For the sake of ease I assume average hit points healed. Three rounds would heal 22.5hp, more than enough.
Perform (DC25): [roll1]
Chakra Cost: 10
Covert Cost (DC28): [roll2]
It's amazing to note: Converting the chakra cost to stamina in this way is amazingly good. I heal 12 stamina over those three rounds which covers up my cost nicely.

Seal Release!
Perform (DC18): [roll3]
Chakra Gauntlets

Sharingan Eye!
Activate the Sharingan Eye

Release Restraints!
Activate Speed Rank Five

Declare!
Declare dodge against the real Garouhime

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

As Rin and her genin move around the central Garouhime just stands there. The other four spread out a little and meander around. Two of them play a short game of Cat's Cradle with kousen, one plays with a yo-yo and the other just sits and stares at the sky inside the cave. As Rin's chakra regenerates the center white-robed woman raises her right hand to her face and cups her chin lightly in an open palm. A weak but steadily growing tint of pink blush spreads across her cheeks and nose, and by the time Rin's ready to fight her face is that of a high school girl staring at a crush.

A grin, far too wide for normal people, spreads across the left side of her mouth when Rin asks for her genin to stay. "I don't care Chimera-chan. His heart doesn't have the same smell, so I'll be sure to kill him after I've made a meal of yours. Maybe he'll become cruel afterward.. Ooh, I might get two for one out of this!" At that, nearly her entire face becomes a deep crimson as her eyes glaze over and she imagines something invisible to you all.

Finally she shakes her head then motions for her kage bunshins to knock it off. Her hands clasps together and she sighs a very girlish sigh. "Oh.. I haven't smelled a heart this cruel in a long time.. I hope you give me an enjoyable battle too, or I won't be in the mood afterwards~!"

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/Temple-4.png

Key: Same as before.

Damage Dealt: 11.

Rin goes first.

Genin

The girl just kept walking. She ignored the genin and ignored the jounin behind them. After a bit of walking she raises her right hand and disappears in a whirl of wind from a Shunjutsu. She reappears further ahead in the middle of a wide opening for the temple. A smile creeps across her lips. "I guess you're going to follow me for awhile then, hmm? Listen, I'll give you a shot. Turn around and go home. Or go help your sensei. Or do whatever you want, frankly I don't care. Just don't follow me."

[Catch]

Mysterious Woman

As the white-robed woman and her now-healed challenger square off, soft footfalls could be head by those with sharp ears, the scrape of sandals on stone echoing a slow and indolent gait. A figure emerges from the mouth of the tunnel complex facing the temple, crossing the grass to where the jounin and her adversary now stand.

Her body (http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/5984/shuura.jpg) is thin, frail-looking and the girl wears the tattered raiment of a genin scout, torn at the hip to free her legs. Tied around one thigh is the familiar cloth of a forehead protector, though the metal plate is marred by a large burn, brown around the edges, so the village symbol underneath is unreadable. Hair the color of dry grass brushes her shoulders, framing a girl's tired face. A whisper of wind sweeps her loose bangs in front of homely brown eyes that survey the two women with unaffected curiosity, as a cat would examine a stranger.

Her voice is a soft drawl, syllables slowing susurrating from thin lips. "Hime no Garoubatsu. Orochimaru. And the last daughter of the Uchiha. Many powers gathered here."

The girl's eyes drift past the white-robed clones, up the temple steps and beyond, to where the three genin and Orochimaru had disappeared. She seems to look beyond what can be seen from the temple's foot, eyes seeming to glaze over, if only for a moment. "And beyond that hall..." she muses aloud, "lies another."

She merges back with her surroundings as if waking from a reverie, and addresses both the jounin and her adversary with a single half-lidded glance, approaching with a step.

"I have no quarrel with you. Allow me to pass."

OOC:

Location: 12,20

[Valgunn]

Rin

The dry grass topped girl took her newest dead beat step and in response Rin pushed her sharingan’s bitter gaze further. The chimera of change came across her for a moment before things resettled and her eyes remained the same. Over her usual sight though lay the flows of chakra in capricious vividness. “You’ll get no opposition from me, girl.” Rin had again turned her attention to the authentic Garouhime but from the quality and approach she spoke in it was obvious who she had spoken.

With a flicker she shook off imagined dust from her right gauntlet. The burden and impediment they gave made seals harder to perform but with practice they proved to be a little barrier. “You’ll really regret that edge.”

Now the medical jounin spoke to her antagonist before her. Her manner and method of speaking making the antagonistic nature of her state very unambiguous and hopefully insulting. With a simple mote of focus she cast a simple genjutsu. Without trouble or obstacle the master of genjutsu ran through several dozen seals, the skill and speed making whatever technique she was completing indecipherable. The subtle and unchallenging genjutsu provided this cover to her technique as she stepped back. “Ding, ding.”

OOC
Hit points: 64/64 (-5)
Chakra pool: 59/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

See Chakra!
Concentrate for a move action.

Hand Motion Confusion
Perform (DC15): [roll0]
Chakra Cost: 1
Convert (DC13): [roll1]
Conceal (DC23): [roll2]

Free Action!
5ft.-step

Grand Fireball!
Perform (DC21): [roll3]
Chakra Cost: 4
Convert (DC21): [roll4]
Conceal (DC27): [roll5]
Save DC: 15

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

"Who the..? Ugh, what-ever. Your heart smells like trash, so I don't give a damn. Just get out of here." A sudden rush of flame causes the woman to explode into a burst of smoke. The fifth clone, caught in the same burst, explodes as well. When the flames clear and the grass turned to dirt and ash there is only one white-robed woman left. She's utterly calm, complacent even, and holding a strangely made straight-edged bone-white sword without a hand-guard or hilt in her right hand. "No mercy, hm? Or you just used the fire to clear me out of my hiding spot. No matter.."

Suddenly, Rin is face to face with Garouhime. No blur, no movement, not even her Sharingan sees the woman move. Not simply super speed, but close-range instantaneous teleportation utilized for battle and she pulls it off flawlessly.. Rin doesn't have time to analyze it as that strange bone-white weapon lashes out with a sudden strike aimed at the jounin's sensitive, but non-vital, arms. She misses wide though as Rin jerks her arms back close to her body.

DM
True Blinkstrike!
Charge!
Attack #1- [roll0]; PA for 2.
Damage #1- [roll1] chakra-enhanced piercing + [roll2] Warp Charge damage

Declares Dodge on Rin.

EDIT: Forgot, but damage dealt so far is still 11. She succeeds on her ref save on Goukakyuu and Evasion reduces her damage to 0.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Without time to do anything but react Rin darted her body around the ghost-like projections her battle formed mind created through her sharingan. The deep gash that would have been driven into her arm instead leered at her from the floor. Without hesitation Rin initiated her counter-attack with the blue blade of chakra formed around her hand.

OOC
Hit points: 64/64 (-5)
Chakra pool: 57/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

Attack of Opportunity!
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin’s body jerked back up the steps as if yanked by unseen strings. She hadn’t the time in the milliseconds Garouhime’s attack took to finish to think about it. The deep gash in the steps showed the penalty she would earn if she was hit. Gnashing her teeth together she made the choice to take her time and examine her attack in her mind.

OOC
Hit points: 64/64 (-5)
Chakra pool: 57/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

Free Action!
5ft.-step.

Move Action!
Think deeply.

[Valgunn]

Rin

“A femur? You really need to update, dark iron is so much more reliable.” Rin again devoted the least of her motes of concentration to casting the simplest of genjutsu on herself, hidden from view by her mastery of her chakra and her mastery of genjutsu. With a one-sided toothy grin Rin slipped through another several dozen seals in meagre seconds. This time instead of a sharp intake of breath she instead locked eyes with her opponent as she slammed the final seal together. “Ding.”

OOC
Hit points: 64/64 (-6)
Chakra pool: 51/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

Hand Motion Confusion!
Perform (DC21): [roll0]
Chakra Cost: 1
Convert (DC13): [roll1]
Conceal (DC23): [roll2]

Tree Binding Death!
Perform (DC15): [roll3]
Chakra Cost: 6
Save DC: 21

[ZeroNumerous]

Clones

As soon as Rin starts her hand seals all three clones quickly pull and fling a single kunai a piece.

Readied action against technique use:
Clone #1
Attack- [roll0]
Damage- [roll1]

Clone #2
Attack- [roll2]
Damage- [roll3]

Clone #3
Attack- [roll4]
Damage- [roll5]

EDIT: Well that's two hits and a miss. Rin will need a Concentration check at DC 10+Damage Dealt for every hit.

[Valgunn]

Rin

OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 43/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

Body Substitution!
Perform (DC52): [roll0]
Chakra Cost: 8

Body Substitution!
Perform (DC52): [roll1]; [roll2]
Chakra Cost: 8
Covert (DC19): [roll3]

Please, please and please!

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

"But I do love my little bone. He's kept me warm on cold nights and is quite fun to chew on." With that the woman steps forward and lashes out twice with her bone-sword.

OOC
Full Attack!
Attack- [roll0]
Damage- [roll1]

Attack#2- [roll2]
Damage#2- [roll3]

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin flashed through the seals as quickly as she could but they flew upon the wings of death as they came. Another moment in time was defined by pain as they tore through her body. A faint blue outline focused upon the entry point did what it could. It wasn’t enough. The blood-ridden throwing knives flew past the shadow clone with a trail of blood in quick pursuit. The hot sanguine liquid that had been tore free behind her hit her genin, the flow from the wounds themselves already slowing and the small stream from her mouth was gone. “Fu-.”

Rin barely had time to bleed as Garouhime stepped forward to attack again. Rin smiled.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 37/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

Body Substitution!
Perform (DC43): [roll0]; [roll1]
Chakra Cost: 4

[Valgunn]

Rin

This time Rin flashed through the seals fast enough and appeared as far back away from her genin’s clone as she could with the technique. “It just occurred to me that you might be wasting your time.” Rin still smiled. “Since I adopted Hibiki, I promised myself I’d be a good person. So I'm trying really hard not to kill.”

OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 37/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

Ready Action!
Kawarimi if Garouhime or her clones attack.

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

"Wasting my time? I'm not here to get killed. I'm here for all the beautiful hearts in Kirigakure. You just happened to have the most beautiful one around. I can't wait to bite into it and experience all that blood you've spilled~!" With that, the clones move closer while Garouhime swings at Rin.

DM
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/Temple-5.png

Key: Same as before.

Attack- [roll0]
Damage- [roll1]

[Catch]

Mysterious Woman

As the predatory princess and the Uchiha jounin clashed on the steps of the temple, brown waifish eyes followed their swift, violent and frantic movements, staring out of a head half-cocked in a fleeting moment of curiosity, as a child would examine the fluttering path of a butterfly. She hadn't leapt back when the burning plume of flame seared the grass before her, and now she padded quietly between the white haired clones, to wait at the foot of the temple where the two adversaries blocked the path, herself the model of unconcerned patience, despite the apparent tension.

OOC:

Location: 11,14

[Valgunn]

Rin

As Garouhime moved in again to attack Rin began to form seals with her hands. However the attack aimed at Rin missed and the clone just stared for a second before it burst into white smoke. A stone frog falling and cracking against the floor, the real Rin had moved over to the side, she looked a little sheepish. “I didn’t expect you’d miss, wow.” With a shrug of her shoulders she again drew a sharp intake of breath as her hand formed a single seal.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 30/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

Ready Action to 9, 14!
Perform (DC12): [roll0]
Chakra Cost: 1

Grand Fireball!
Perform (DC16): [roll1]
Chakra Cost: 4
Conceal (DC27): [roll2]
Save DC: 15
Angled toward Garouhime's clones, avoiding Catch.

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

The wolf princess only smiles. "Trying to limit my options huh? Well it doesn't matter! Even if it's just me I'll make sure that I'm the one who gets to kill you!" Her strong muscles tense and she leaps into the air. She easily clears the distance, spins in mid-air and slashes at the jounin with one quick cut.

G1 and G3 fail their saves, exploding. G4 succeeds and takes no damage due to evasion.

Convert Blinkstrike.

Attack #1- [roll0]
Damage #1- [roll1]

[The Unborne]

Clone

The replica of Hibiki stands motionless with Rin's blood splattered all over his pale face. He tilts his head in confusion at what the jounin said previously. "Uh...Rin-sensei, didn't you mean, "Since I adopted Hibiki's ideals"? Right?" Due to only being a kage bunshin, he was restricted in how much information he could process through his mannequin-like brain. "You...you don't mean that you're..." The shadow clone held his tongue for what he was about to ask, what would the implications mean? Should he poof right there and let Hibiki know? Would Hibiki want to know? "You're our...?" he leaves the ending blank hoping that Rin wouldn't fill it in with the word he was thinking of.

Hibiki

The genin halts once Orochimaru spoke. It was thanks to him/her that Hibiki found a different reserve of courage within him and by doing so made the man/woman less frightening. Such is the complexity of Hibiki's mind. The Leaf-nin's response came from a careless face, "Our jounin-leader gave us a direct order to follow you, and I don't feel like betraying her and our village. Besides, I doubt we'd be able to harm you in any way, so what is the problem with us following you around? We would also like to have a word with Yakushi concerning my partner's new arm."

[ZeroNumerous]

Genin

The girl levels an annoyed look at Hibiki. "Why? Because if I wanted to be followed around by children all the time I would have them near me. No, you rather annoy me. Were you actually worth anything I might be inclined to take you and use you for something, but seeing as you're still following an obviously suicidal command I can not say you would be any use to me alive."

The girl's annoyed look rapidly transforms into a big, wide toothy smile. "But I'm feeling generous little Hibiki-kun. I'll give you one more chance to leave, or I may have to do something I regret."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"The Yakushi is in danger Orochimaru-sama." Sumie says, snapping a hint of a glare over at Hibiki as she said it. Why would he just come out and say that? Lingering for a moment, her gaze turned back to the abomination made flesh and blood before her with a resolute look in her eyes.

"The Stone King, the mountain, seeks the Yakushi's death and unless you strike swiftly at it, the Yakushi will be killed. What use will the Yakushi be to you then? You will have been cheated of your goal by the mountain with nothing to show for all of this except the bill for whatever you pay the blood-thirsty wench outside." Sumie says evenly, meeting Orochimaru's gaze no matter how much it sickened her to do so. Every part of her wanted to strike out at the white snake man, or at the very least escape from him but right now following Rin's orders allowed for her own as well, and so she kept staring at Orochimaru. "We can protect the Yakushi while you deal with the mountain, insure your deal will be heard instead of you arriving to find a corpse."

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Clearly Sumie's words had something to do with his arm. That was some sort of catalyst that might ultimately result in the death of the Yakushi, who was clearly far more important to the world than he was.

Taking his eyes off of the snake, he glared exasperatedly at his teammate.

"I..but...You need to tell me these things!"

[Valgunn]

Rin

“Mother,” Rin said finishing his sentence for him just as Garouhime impaled her. The dark red substance of life spurted from the wound and a cough produced more as Hibiki’s mother was killed.

However with a pop and flush of white smoke what everyone thought was Rin turned out to be, a stone frog. “If you intend to kill me, you should know that there is a line.” With a flash of white smoke Rin appeared where she had stood before. “Well~, it’s only one person but with you it’s two people, the other one being Mizuki.” Rin looked at her with a stern expression. “I’m not going to kill you and you’re second in line, unless you kill Mizuki first.” Worst luck ever!

“Oh, Hibiki.” Rin turned around and smiled at her son for a moment. “Bye.” With a simple (but chakra enhanced) punch she popped the clone.


OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 22/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

Kawarimi no Jutsu!
Perform (DC42): [roll0]
Chakra Cost: 6

[The Unborne]

Clone

The shadow clone's confused face suddenly becomes fear as the jounin's punch came flying towards him, "Rin! Don't-" Too late, the punch solidly connects with the replicas chest and digs deep into the fake bones and internal organs until it popped out of existence, but the memories it carried could not be simply destroyed. No, the memories and experiences that clone had were in a one way cab towards the main HUB that is Hibiki.

Inside this metaphysical cab was a very tiny box wrapped with a single, brown paper-bag, and inside the box was a hydrogen bomb. The cabdriver, unaware of what could bring down the entire city that Hibiki's head contained, sped up down the highway. In his passenger's seat was two cases of beer, one was empty and was knocked to the ground as the driver swerved every which way. Unluckily for the nonexistent man, there was a checkpoint ahead.

Being a-couple-of-drinks fearless, the cabdriver shot his foot down and sped up to mind-boggling speeds. The poor policeman wouldn't notice the driver until he racked up at least a couple million dollars worth of damages. Once he passed by the check-point, the drunken driver ran off-road as a shortcut and dove off the nearest cliff. The taxicab tumbled towards a very big and very round dome which was conveniently placed in the middle of the entire city. Once the automobile punctured the top of the building, the package inside accidentally slipped from it's seat belt and grazed the side door. A huge explosion occurred and the entire city died.

Hibiki

Hibiki stood there speechless. He had learned many things from one clone: how to effectively disrupt techniques by using clones, distracting the enemy with clones, and that he was now an Uchiha. The genin wiped furiously at his face expecting blood to be all over it, but there was none. "No..." He turns around so fast that an average person would've snapped their neck in half. "No, no, no..." Hibiki stamps his feet violently, wanting to leave, but failing to actually move. "Guys! I don't think Rin can survive this! We need to go save her, but...No the enemy would kill us...No, no, no..."

The Leaf-nin bites at his lip and looks at Orochimaru, "I'll stop following you if you call of Garouhime, please, we did nothing to you." Hibiki turns his head back to Rin's direction and then back at the pale white woman, "My friends made a deal with a devil it seems, and I'm willing to make one now. Please I don't want Rin to die, I don't want to lose another...I don't want to lose my mom!" His bottom lip quivers a bit and his eyes tear up.

[ZeroNumerous]

The girl

A raised eyebrow is all Hibiki gets in return. "Is that so..? Your mother is an Uchiha, yes? Then I suppose it's best I kill you now, if only so she can live through the agony of holding your broken corpse in her hands knowing full well that it was on her order you were even here."

With that, the girl's smile fades to a quiet smirk as her hands rapidly flow through hundreds of hand seals. Finally, the girl ends her series of serpentine hand-signs with the seal of the Dog."Edo Tensei." A rumble spreads through the ground as a stone coffin shoots out of the ground with lightning speed. A single symbol is etched upon it, and that is the symbol of Sunagakure.

The coffin led falls forward and out steps a gray-skinned woman not much younger than Rin. She steps forward with arms hanging loosely at her sides, but soon seems to regain consciousness as she pulls her arms up and crosses both over her chest. "Hmm..? To be revived in such a state.. This hasn't happened since my father's time. Is.. Hibiki? Yuu? My, you boys have grown haven't you?" She smiles a smile edged with sadness, then touches her fingers to her forehead. "You boys probably don't remember me, do you?" She breathes in deep and suddenly tendrils of black glistening sand erupt from her body. A whirlwind covers her entire body with a single sheet then coalesces into the form of a great black gourd. You remember her clearly. Sabaku no Yusa.

The girl behind Yusa just sighs. "Why do people waste my time with this technique.. Yusa of the Sand, I've revived you from the dead to kill these fools." Yusa, in a picturesque pose, pouts at that. "And here I hoped that medical ninjutsu had done it instead.. Yes, "master"." Yusa raises both of her arms and expands her sand into a defensive cloud while the girl continues north into the temple. "I do apologize, but I cannot let you pass."

Garouhime

"Oh..? Someone's trying to horn in on my territory? And if it's someone who wants to kill you then I bet her heart is just as tasty, ne?" She seems to take a moment to weigh the options while tapping the tip of her bone-sword against her chin. "Alright, lets say I help you. Do I get her heart? Or if that's too much, can I have yours when she's dead?"

DM

Genin:
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/GeninBattle-1.png

Key:
A- Yusa
H- Hibiki
K- Kuromaru
Y- Yuu
C- Clones
S- Sumie

Brown squares are walls, and thus cannot be moved on to. Light gray speckled squares have iron sand in them and are difficult terrain and potentially lethal.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

snap

Yuu suddenly looked angrier than anyone has ever seen him, angrier than he himself could ever remember being. The culmination of absolutely everything that had happened over the past couple of months- nearly being killed by the jinchuuriki, being forced to betray the woman who now stood before him, dead and forcibly revived by some horrible jutsu, her betrayal at the hands of the village whose headband he now wore, the loss of his arm in attempting to defend those weaker than him, the subsequent trek to get it back, the apparently horrible cost for the demonic arm now attached to him, and now these sinister people who thought nothing of human life...it all forcibly hit him at that very moment. The white-hot rage that engulfed him was almost tangible, and the seals present on his new arm glowed as fire began to leak from between the bandages.

Yes...destroy, kill! End the existence of those who have wronged you, eliminate all those who could threaten you!

Yuu's eyes suddenly lit up as the voice in his arm spoke to him, offering a clean and simple solution to the giant cluster&*#$ that had been his life lately.

"Alright, that's it. EVERYONE DIES! I'll kill all of you and sort the rest out later!"

The bandages on his arm seemed to explode as the demonic chakra burst out, engulfing Yuu's entire right arm in flames as his extended teeth made the growl he shot at the woman in front of him even more intimidating than it would be normally. He ignored Kuromaru and everything else as his arm swirled with more and more power.

OOC: Crunch to come in 3 hours when I'm home with a copy of the rules and my sheet- I really just needed to put this down. I had been planning on having that arm activate soon, just needed the right trigger. This was most definitely it.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Edo Tensei? What sort of technique is that?

And then she had her answer and it couldn't have been more shocking then what stepped out of the stone coffin that had erupted from the ground. Yusa of the Sand..as Orochimaru said it, information she knew on the person practically flew threw her mind but it kept settling on one very important fact.

She's dead. She's dead. She's dead. She's dead but still moving. Still...speaking.

"Monster." Sumie says simply to Orochiamru, as if her condemnation would have the snake-Sannin burst into flames on it's own but no such thing happened of course. No, instead her team-mates seemed to completely lose it. Hibiki began to rant about the jounin while Yuu seemed to have flown into a homicidal rage at everything finally building up to much. Well not if she had anything to say about it...

One hand reached out to grab a fistful of Hibiki's shirt and haul him around to stare her in the face, the steely expression chilling on someone younger then he was.

"Hibiki-sama, do not worry about Rin. If you run back to help her, then the only thing you will accomplish is to get her killed. Now focus! We have a mission to complete and I refuse to fail it!" Sumie snarls at him, letting him see the frustration this damnable mountain has brought up in her in the grand two days she has spent on it. Holding the stare for a moment, she gives the older teenager a bit of a shove when she lets him go, turning her attention to the wild-eyed Yuu.

Just as the demonic chakra began to flare out from him, her hand was rearing back to slap him across the face to try and knock some sense into him. Unfortunately he had already sped off towards the woman, leaving Sumie dumbfounded before turning back to Hibiki.

"Quick! Did you fight this woman? How did you defeat her before? Hurry!"

[Rogue 7]

"Aaaaaarghhh!"

The flames licking up his arm seared at it, rendering patches of flesh blackened and charred, which only seemed to add to his rage.

OOC Post with crunch.


Yuu Nagase
HP 77/79 (2 Stamina)
CP 36/40
AC 17 (-4 thanks to Frenzy)
Ongoing Effects-
Frenzy Round 1/7
Shikakyu no Jutsu Round ?/9
Speed Rank 2 round ?/5

Entering Frenzy, Utilizing 2 move actions to release seal up to level 2. Which means a retroactive change from my last move.

Demonic Corruption- if I plan to take it up to level 3, do I have to roll each level?
Level 1- [roll0]- Triggers on a 1.
Level 2- [roll1]- Triggers on a 1 or 2.

I must apologize for Yuu's suicidal actions that are most likely going to put me on a one-way trip to negative hit-point land, but I stand by the actions.:smallbiggrin:

[The Unborne]

Uchiha Hibiki

Hibiki's eyes keep looking back down the corridor they came from expecting to see a bloody Garouhime emerging from the shadows. He did this even when Sumie lifted him from his collar. Slowly, Hibiki was brought back to the present by being held up by Sumie and her cold stare. "Fine, we'll get through this mission, but the second it's over I'm going back for Rin," he spits out at the kunoichi. Once he's let down, Hibiki's focuses his attention on Yusa. Due to all that was happening, the genin found it hard to feel regret for her death, but he suspected he'd be affected once everything was over. Now was the time to carry out his duty.

Unfortunately, Yuu had already snapped with the introduction of the resurrected Suna-nin. Hibiki shakes his head at his comrade, blindly rushing into the black sand user would be suicide. Hell, that's what she tried teaching them before she was captured. "We never fought Yusa-sama. No, we were escorting her away from a group that consisted of the Bearer of the Shukaku or whatever the hell they called the thing. Basically they can control the sand pretty good to the point that they have an impenetrable defense. The secret lies in successive attacks," Hibiki stares at the iron particles scattered around Yusa, "The sand can't keep up with a large number of attacks, which means my bunshins will distract while someone goes in for the heavy hits..." His eyes shift from the black sand to Sumie, "Yuu won't be able to fill the position of attacker, but I'm sure you can."

Hibiki does his classic "T" formation with his fingers and four more kage bunshins appear in puffs of white smoke. Each with a stoic expression on their faces. The original nods at the clones in front of him and they move up to take their positions, "Attack after they throw their shuriken."

OOC:


Hit points: 94/94 (-10)
Chakra pool: 64/78
Armour class: 22
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin 2-3 (~10/600), Kage Bunshin 4-7 (0/600)

Initiative!
[roll0]

Kage Bunshin! (full-round action)
Perform (DC20): [roll1]
Chakra cost: 8
Stamina Damage:
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]


Clones
Hit points: 2:2; 3:3; 4:3; 5:3; 6:3; 7:3
Armour class: 17

Clone 2
Move Action
Move!
Move to (9,12)

Ready Action
Draw and Attack!
If Yusa performs a technique or attacks, she triggers the clones to draw a shuriken and throw it at her with a -2 penalty due to range.

Clone 3
Move Action
Move!
Move to (11,12)

Ready Action
Draw and Attack!
If Yusa performs a technique or attacks, she triggers the clones to draw a shuriken and throw it at her with a -2 penalty due to range.

Clone 4
Location: (5,7)

Clone 5
Location: (15, 7)

Clone 6
Location: (9,2)

Clone 7
Location: (11,2)

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"Look, I know you are worried about Rin, but her orders come before everything else. Once we finish up here, then you can return to her and try to help. Just remember, she sent you here for a reason." Sumie replies evenly in the face of Hibiki's anger, now that at least one of them seemed back to himself, the kuniochi had regained her cool and focused on the battle ahead.

Following his advice, she hung back far enough that this...'Yusa of the Sand' would be within range when she went she went charging forward and took a deep steadying breath. The girl readies herself for the barrage of shuriken that Hibiki planned on launching at the woman, waiting for the last one to be thrown before dashing forward as almost nothing but a blur.

At the last second she focused her chakra, igniting her fist with explosive and fiery chakra that covered her plated gloves in fierce flames that licked at her face as she cocked her arm back for a devastating straight punch.

"Oni Genkotsu no jutsu!" Sumie growls out softly as her fiery fist dives towards dead flesh.


Holding action until Hibiki clones attack, then using Demon Fist
Perform: Meibi Kochou Ryuu - Oni Genkotsu no Jutsu
[roll0] Spending 16 chakra on it.

Attack roll: [roll1]

Damage: [roll2] regular [roll3] fire. DC 15 to halve it.

Rolled on Invisible Castle to confirm critical, did not confirm.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yusa

The movement of her hands triggers attacks from all six Hibiki clones. Four of six shuriken attacks are effortlessly deflected, but the last two strike her body. Yusa continues on with her technique as if nothing had happened. She finishes her flurry of hand seals with a loud clap. "Tsuchiryuu no Jutsu!" The stone tiles beneath her feet raise up and begin collecting together in a great serpentine form. A mouth of stone rears back and roars as a great stone dragon stands before Yusa. It charges forward and smashes into the ground right on top of the genin and Sumie.

The leaf-nin are left standing atop a broken floor, but this doesn't deter Sumie at all as she charges forward and places a mighty punch on Yusa's face. Unfortunately the fiery chakra and fist prove ineffective against Yusa's Sand Armor.

Damage: [roll0]
Ref Save against a DC of 21 for half.

Yusa fails her Ref Save against Demon Fist, but her Sand Armor lowers both physical and fire damage by 10.

Damage Dealt after Sand Armor: 20.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/GeninBattle-3.png

Addition to Key: Dark orange specks = Difficult terrain.

EDIT: You guys are back up, though Sumie goes after Yusa now.

Initiative Order: Hibiki/Yuu/Yusa/Sumie

[Valgunn]

Rin

“I’m not expert on how tasty hearts are, but she went through the same things I did.” Rin quickly answered in the time it took Garouhime to weigh the options. The next thing Rin heard took her slightly by surprise.

“Help me?” Rin’s red eyes widened as she heard the words. “I’m not giving you my heart and I’m not really in a position to give you Mizuki’s.” Rin looked down and a little sheepish as she continued to speak. “Since Mizuki can still kick my ass.” Rin didn’t like thinking about what she saw as the gap between them.

“I suppose if you helped you could have my heart if I died, I’ve got a son to look after. He’s an idiot you see.”


OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 20/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

The white robed woman seems to mull this over. "Alright.. I got six months left, so why not? 'Specially if this chick is stronger than you. 'Sides, if I keep fighting then your little kiddies will get themselves killed by that bastard, right? And anything that's a thorn in his ass is fine by me."

[Catch]

Mysterious Woman

While the two combatants discuss a tenuous allegiance, the strange girl takes the opportunity to slip through the temple doors and trot down the hallway where Orochimaru and the three genin disappeared, following with a patter of soft, quick steps.

[The Unborne]

Uchiha Hibiki

As the sand armor surrounded Subaku no Yusa and after Sumie's flaming jutsu was dissipated, Hibiki retreated to his inner mind to find some clue for battling against the Suna-nin. The Leaf-nin shut his eyes and found himself in an empty room. Scattered throughout the room were seven futons neatly made, but whoever owned them were mysteriously absent. Hibiki shrugs his shoulders at this and meanders towards a corner of the room where there were eight file cabinets as tall as the child lined up.

"There has to be a file or something..." Hibiki pulls out each drawer and searches its contents for files under "Lamani Village," "Yusa," and even "Princess;" however, he found nothing about the woman and her jutsu. Dumbfounded, Hibiki threw every file to the ground. Once littered, the genin searched haphazardly for anything that would give him a clue: "Sand," "Black Sand," "Hibiki Drill." Nothing seemed to contain any helpful information until he stumbled upon a file named "Breasts." Hibiki rolled his eyes and opened the file- which was much larger than any other file- to find an entry on Yusa. He took the page out and read it.

"Once the Sand Cocoon has been assumed, you are best restricted to ranged attacks using Hyouton, Suiton, or Raiton attacks. Doton can be turned away by Sabaku no Hitori without trouble at all while Katon cannot penetrate a sand-shield."

"Why the hell was that under breasts? Damnit Lust." Hibiki read more until he came upon Rin's section. A shaky hand grabbed at the page and nervous eyes read through it. "...Well...all of that happened before we were...fa-fa-...It doesn't matter now, hopefully."

Hibiki reopened his eyes to find himself back on the battlegrounds. He took a deep breath and looked at all of his clones readying themselves for the next wave of attacks, he couldn't but sigh. With the sand armor up, none of them will be able to scratch Yusa...No they'll keep up the attacks and allow Sumie and Yuu to attack. Seems like...I can't be the showoff. The clone in front of him crept up a little giving Hibiki its previous spot. The original jumped over the rubble at his feet and made it clear over the rugged terrain. Hibiki took up his position and waited for his clones to attack. Each brought out two shuriken apiece and let them loose at Yusa.

Should we be fighting Yusa? She's supposed to be dead, what are we supposed to do? I can't talk to Sumie about it, I can't talk to Yuu about...How can I kill the person I wanted to protect so long ago? His hand shook a little before he drew his own shuriken and threw it.

"Sumie!" he calls out, "Fire won't work against her, neither will earth jutsu! Try another element or try something really fast and really strong!"

OOC:


Hit points: 94/94 (-10)
Chakra pool: 62/78
Armour class: 24 (28 with Soft Cover)
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin 2-3 (11/600), Kage Bunshin 4-7 (1/600), Rank 2 Speed (0/5)

Free Action
Nidan Kousoku!

Move Action
Move!
Move to (9,12)

5 feet Jump Check (DC10): [roll0]

Free Action
Draw Shuriken!


Clones
Hit points: 2:2; 3:3; 4:3; 5:3; 6:3; 7:3
Armour class: 17

Clone 2
Free Action
Five Foot Step
Move to (9,11)

All
Free Action
Draw Shuriken!

Attacks in Order
Wave 1 Attacks!

Clone 2
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

Clone 3
Attack: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

Clone 4
Attack: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6]

Clone 5
Attack: [roll7]
Damage: [roll8]

Clone 6
Attack: [roll9]
Damage: [roll10]

Clone 7
Attack: [roll11]
Damage: [roll12]

Wave 2 Attacks!

Clone 2
Attack: [roll13]
Damage: [roll14]

Clone 3
Attack: [roll15]
Damage: [roll16]

Clone 4
Attack: [roll17]
Damage: [roll18]

Clone 5
Attack: [roll19]
Damage: [roll20]

Clone 6
Attack: [roll21]
Damage: [roll22]

Clone 7
Attack: [roll23]
Damage: [roll24]

Hibiki
Attack: [roll25]
Damage: [roll26]

[Valgunn]

Rin

“We have a deal then?” Rin stretched herself back up despite her body complaining and even despite her mind complaining that this wasn’t a good idea. “You help us out and if I die, you get my heart. Deal?” Rin held out her right hand.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 20/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

The princess of the Garou clan, those hungry cannibals who consumed human flesh, did not immediately reach out and grasp the leaf-nin's bloodied hand. Instead, she raises her sword and carefully cuts open her palm. She extends the bloodied appendage to Rin and motions for her to grasp it. "We have a deal then: An oath made in blood and paid in blood--mine or my foe's."

[Valgunn]

Rin

With hesitation Rin looked at Garouhime. Why some people have to be so dramatic is beyond me, she thought. “Deal.” This time without hesitation she leaned forward and grasped Garouhime’s hand with hers.

The blood intermingled as the two stared at each other. “This is going to be a very interesting six months for us, isn’t it?” She asked idly. Rin entertained the thought of using this moment to destroy Garouhime's mind. I’m trying to be nice though, she thought.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 20/92
Armour class: 38 (39 versus Garouhime; 40 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects: Sharingan Eye (1/1) and Rank Five Speed (1/1)

[ZeroNumerous]

Garouhime

"I've seen with weirder." Garouhime pulls forth a roll of gauze from the folds of her kimono and quickly wraps her wrist up. "My name is a secret as it is not our way to tell outsiders that information. You may refer to me as Garouhime, or Hime of the Garou Clan, I care not which." She throws the bone sword over her shoulder and it fades into dust while in the air. Her hands come down to her hips and she shifts her weight imperceptibly away from Rin. "Don't you have children to take care of?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

“A good point...” Rin stood there with her finger pointed at Garouhime as she came up with a nickname. “Ruby!” She smiled at the nickname. “Calling you Garouhime is such a pain, ergo, a nickname.”

Rin tensed her body and pulled upon the coils of chakra around her eyes. Over a few seconds her sharingan faded. Her speed had been removed too as she concentrated. “A waste of chakra,” Rin said. With a twitch she stretched her hands against the metal confines of her gauntlets. “Come’n, Ruby.” Rin smiled wide.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 20/92
Armour class: 28 (29 versus Garouhime; 30 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects:

[Catch]

Garouhime

"That's acceptable."

The white-haired woman's nose twitches slightly, though the source could be irritation or simply a rogue scent. A pregnant moment passes and the white lines of her brows knit into a frown. Garouhime's red eyes suddenly flick toward the north hallway, chin tilting up as she sniffs the air.

"I smell... burning. Hope that's not one of yours."

OOC:

Taking over Garouhime for now, handing the Mysterious Woman off to Zero.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin’s expression lengthened as she held her gaze at Garouhime. “Yeah, best pull them out soon. I prefer them bloody.” With a twist she turned her long face into a smirk. With a smack of bare feet Rin turned around and began running slowly, waiting for Garouhime to follow before running with fervent and sedulous movements.

OOC
Hit points: 46/64 (-14)
Chakra pool: 20/92
Armour class: 28 (29 versus Garouhime; 30 versus Garouhime in melee)
Ongoing effects:

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Perhaps it was a bad idea to wait. Of all the thoughts to dance through Sumie's mind as the earth dragon reared, that was the least helpful of them as the ninjutsu battered her about like a rag-doll when she failed to duck out of the way of it. Grimacing at the pain of it, actually worst then when she had stabbed herself, Sumie still hadn't stopped herself from delivering that explosive punch only to feel the texture of sand underneath her fist rather then flesh.

"At least my information is correct." Sumie remarks aloud with a bit of a dry tone, feeling frustration pulling at her with the in-effectiveness of her attack against such defenses. There was no time to dwell on that though, waiting for Hibiki's assault like she had the previous time before launching her own strike. Nimble as always, Sumie did a small somersault from the standing position, swinging her leg around and bringing it crashing down towards Yusa's head.

"Taihouken!" Even as she named her assault, Sumie felt disappointment well up in her. Even if her attack got through Yusa's defenses, this one was even weaker then her last and was sure not to penetrate the other defenses.


Taihouken:
Perform: [roll0]
Convert to Stamina (1 for 1) DC 12: [roll1]
Attack Roll: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3] [roll4]

Waiting until Hibiki's clones attack before going.

[Rogue 7]

Reflex save- 11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2165233/)

Kuromaru's save- 18. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2165235/):smallfrown:

"Now you've really done it! No one hurts my dog! Not even a friend!"

Yuu dashed forwards, the flames licking up his arm now consuming his blade as well, wreathing it in fire. He blurred, flickering in closer to the sand ninja as his left hand dipped into his thigh holster, whipping two shurikens at the enemy ninja as he blurred into place closer to her.


Yuu Nagase- HP 25/70 CP 32/40
Actions- Shundou to 10,11- [roll0]
Draw 2 Shuriken as a free action,
Attack-
[roll1]
Damage- [roll2]
Attack- [roll3]
Damage- [roll4]

[ZeroNumerous]

Sabaku no Yusa

All but three of Hibiki's shuriken are deflected. Yuu's shuriken and Sumie's punch both find their marks with the second even sending Yusa back ten feet with the force of the blow. The woman's gourd bursts into a cushion of iron sand to stop her from falling to the ground. A smile spreads across her face as she raises her right hand with fingers open toward Sumie. "Sabaku Kyuu." The iron sand beneath Sumie's feet begins grabbing at her legs.

DM

Damage Dealt to Yusa: 20
Damage Dealt to Sand Armor: 78

Sumie needs a DC 17 Ref Save or her legs are caught by Desert Coffin and she becomes Entangled.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/GeninBattle-5.png

Turns until Mysterious Woman arrives: 6
Turns until Rin and Garouhime arrive: 7

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

What's wrong with me? Why am I fighting Yusa? Hibiki shakes his head at how things ended up on the mountain, what began as a mission to heal Yuu's arm escalated into a battle with demons and heretical manifestations of the dead. This isn't Yusa. It can't be, she was so much nicer. She was my Princess! Damnit why would that woman do such a thing, it goes against all nature to bring back the dead, to force them to fight at your whim. The genin punches at the wall blood seeped out from his knuckles as he draws it back.

"This can't be right! Yusa-hime! I'll save you from this evil technique!" Hibiki sends out orders through his mind and watches them unfold. Most of the clones reposition themselves and draw their shurikens for another barrage; however, one of the northernmost replicas moves towards his right getting clear for some unknown reason. Once positioned, it flings its own star at the resurrected Sand-nin. The clone in the east rushes head first, straight at Sumie, and tackles her. With all of its speed backing it up, the shadow clone tried desperately to release the kunoichi from the iron sand's grasp.

Watching the ensuing tactics, Hibiki waited for his opportunity. Once the clones were all in position, the daft Leaf-nin leapt into the air. His lungs became a vacuum for all the air surrounding him, and his rib cage creaked as his upper torso expanded to unnatural sizes. "RENKU..." he managed to say as the air in his lungs mixed with chakra and other bodily fluids, "DAN!" The compressed air bullet shot from the genin's mouth and caused a great explosion of wind and raw energy. Hopefully, the insane child thought, his Yusa would be spared from any pain.

OOC:


Hit points: 94/94 (-15)
Chakra pool: 57/78
Armour class: 24 (28 with Soft Cover)
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin 2-3 (12/600), Kage Bunshin 4-7 (2/600), Rank 2 Speed (1/5)

After Clones Move and Attack*

Full-Round Action
Renku Dan!
Perform (DC24): [roll0]
Origin: Top Left Corner of (14,5)
Damage: [roll1]
Reflex DC: 20

Convert to Chakra 1:1(DC17): [roll2]


Clones
Hit points: 2:2; 3:3; 4:3; 5:3; 7:3; 8:3
Armour class: 17

Clone 5
Move+Standard
Bull Rush Sumie!
Move to (12,8)
Str Check: [roll3]

Clone 7
Move Action
Move!
Move to (8,4)

Clone 2
Free Action
Five Foot Step
Move to (9,10)

Clone 8
Free Action
Five Foot Step
Move to (9,3)

Clone 8
Free Action
Five Foot Step
Move to (6,6)

All
Free Action
Draw Shuriken!

Attacks in Order

Clone 3
Attack: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

Clone 3
Attack: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]

Clone 2
Attack: [roll8]
Damage: [roll9]

Clone 2
Attack: [roll10]
Damage: [roll11]

Clone 4
Attack: [roll12]
Damage: [roll13]

Clone 4
Attack: [roll14]
Damage: [roll15]

Clone 8
Attack: [roll16]
Damage: [roll17]

Clone 8
Attack: [roll18]
Damage: [roll19]

Clone 7
Attack: [roll20]
Damage: [roll21]

[The Unborne]

OOC:

Critical Confirmation: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Sumie only avoided the swirling clutches of the iron sand by providence alone, desperately diving forward to try and close the ground with Yusa once more even as she struggled to keep out of reach of the sand. Luckily she proved successful in her endeavor. And then Hibiki came barreling out of nowhere trying to tackle her to the ground.

While she could understand the thought behind it, him trying to save her, it was slightly annoying to have someone leap at her from behind trying to barrel her over when she was trying to focus on combat. "Get off me, I'm fine!" She snaps at the clone as she barely avoids it's clumsy attempts and closes the remaining distance between her and Yusa once more after the explosive blast of wind-chakra from the actual Hibiki. Instead of trying to knock the dead woman back though, Sumie stepped to her side and with a quick rotation brought her heel up to strike at Yusa's chin to try knocking her into against the wall where there'd be no place to hide.


Str. Check to avoid bull-rush: [roll0]
Assuming it works.

Another Taihouken
Perform is an Auto-success
Attack Roll: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2] [roll3]

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu blurred, disappearing once again to appear this time next to the Sand Princess as his fire-wreathed arm drove his blade at her head, hoping to split it open and rip apart what remained of her corpse around the ground. The voices in his head and his own anger encouraged this course of action.


Yuu Nagase- HP 23/70 (6 Non-lethal) CP 26/40
Frenzy turn 3/7
Shikakyu no Jutsu 5/9
Speed Rank 2 5/5
AC 17

Move Action- Shundou next to Yusa (wherever she is, I should have the move with 40 feet of it depending on whether or not she passed the fort save.)- [roll0]

Attack Action- Attack! [roll1]
Damage- [roll2]

Kuromaru is stable at -8 HP.

[ZeroNumerous]

Yusa

Several kunai are deflected by Yusa's quick-reacting iron sand. Three break through the iron sand defense and bounce harmlessly off her iron sand armor. Yusa just smiles at the great big burst of air and chakra about to come tearing out of Hibiki's mouth. She raises her right hand up to her chest with her index and middle finger pointing toward the ceiling. "Satetsu no Muya." A cocoon of iron sand envelopes Yusa mere seconds before the explosive burst of chakra strikes. Miraculously, the cocoon is undisturbed when the dust(and iron sand) settles. Yuu's sword and Sumie's fist connect with the iron sand cocoon and find it rather resilient.

That is, it's resilient until Yusa commands it to fall apart. The cocoon becomes a lump of useless iron sand at her feet. "You've certainly become stronger. Orochimaru hasn't given me much energy, so I guess I'll have to go all out in this next one.." A blur of hand-signs collects all the iron sand from Yusa's armor and the cocoon that had defended her into a cloud that covers most of the ceiling. "Satetsu Shigure" Hard pellets of iron sand drop into the area, smashing little holes in the rock beneath your feet. Yusa smiles. "That's not all. Satetsu no Shouakete."

The iron sand spread all across the area suddenly begins to form little hands that start grabbing at Yuu and Sumie's legs.

DM

Sumie, Yuu and the two Clones caught in the area of effect suffer [roll0] piercing and [roll1] earth damage.

Sumie, Yuu and anyone who enters area where iron sand is on the ground will need Reflex Saves at DC 16 or they're considered entangled as per Sabaku Ryuu.

Damage Dealt to Yusa: Still 20
Damage Dealt to Sand Armor: Destroyed.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/GeninBattle-6.png

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu grunted as the bullets of sand hit him, and he looked just about ready to drop. Surprisingly, the hits seemed to calm him as he looked around, calmer than before.

"I'm...not...done...yet!"

He swung his sword as hard as he could at the woman in front of him, still bleeding freely and heavily.



HP 2/79 CP 22/40

Ongoing effects-
Shikakyu no Jutsu 6/9
Speed Rank 2 1/5
AC 16

Renzuki- DC 17-
[roll0]

Attack 1- [roll1]
Damage 1- [roll2]

Attack 2- [roll3]
Damage 2- [roll4]

Attack 3- [roll5]
Damage 3- [roll6]

If I can't use Renzuki thanks to entanglement, ignore the 2nd attack roll and add 3 to the rolls for 1 and 3.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The ANBU-girl instinctually raises her hands to protect her head as the iron pellets come falling down, taking the full brunt of the assault before the iron sand begins to coil and shift under foot. Black hands reach up from the sand to clutch at her legs, holding her in place as eyes narrowed in frustration. Would the sand ever cease trying to grab her?

"Yuu-sama, can you get free?" Sumie asks calmly, though with much tenseness behind her voice. Waiting until Hibiki and his clones had attacked once more before letting chakra flood through her muscles, empowering them as she throws an off-balanced punch that falls short of Yusa.

Can only go for the basic melee attack but will release up to the 4th Strength rank.

[roll0]
Action Point: [roll1]

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Hibiki's mind wanders back to the night before. Standing there in the pool of water with his sins visible in the waterfall's reflection, the daft genin felt as powerless as the Deadly Seven claimed. Watching his clones disappear so easily in the rain of black sand further proved his inept skills. He ducks his head down and his hands rush up to pull at his hair, "Wha-what's wrong with me?" Nothing seemed to come to his mind as he watched the arms of black sand inch their ways up Yuu's legs. "Why can't I help?" His hands pull tighter at his hair as he silently curses at his inability to take action; however for some reason, thoughts of the Turtle-hermit came flooding back to the useless ninja.



"Good? Bad? These are mere labels to justify the one thing that ties them together. The choice of action over inaction. Whether you are labeled as good or evil is irrelevant, but what truly matters is that you did something with the life you were given."

Slowly, Hibiki lets go of his hair and stares aimlessly forward. Is that it? It doesn't matter if we win or lose, if good triumphs? All that matters is me saving my friends, whether it be selfish or not. If only I could do something? Clones? Renku Dan? Rasengan? What do I do? There's not enough time! He grinds his teeth together and concentrates. Blue chakra spirals above his open palm and compresses into a sphere. Hibiki growls a little bit and rushes forward; he plows through the first five feet of black sand and leaps into the air to land next to Yuu with his empowered Rasengan firmly held in his hand.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, the kage bunshins drew their shurikens and threw them. As the shurikens strike Yusa's hovering, iron sand, Sumie unleashed a haphazard kick that missed the undead Suna-nin. To the daft genin all of these actions froze in place, to him the world had stopped.

"Huh?"

Hibiki blinked, and then he blinked again. Everything was frozen still: the kunai's stuck in the lively sand, Sumie's kick inches off of her target, and the Suna-nin staring in Hibiki's general direction. For a fleeting moment, the genin reverted back to his old self and hit his head with his hand, "Aww, I'm broken!" He shook his head and thought about the situation in depth. Hibiki moved his hand and saw that it was still moving, "Hmm, if this is a genjutsu, then I should just act as I would and maybe my body will follow along outside of this illusion..." It seemed plausible, so the insane kid shifted his weight back and unleashed the Rasengan on the unmoving Yusa.

The concentrated ball of chakra dissipated as it touched the Suna-nin, leaving behind a confused look on Hibiki's face. With a bite of his lip, he whipped out a fist and attempted to hit Yusa. Seeing no reaction, Hibiki formed more seals with his hands and sucked in the surrounding air. The genin pumped more chakra into the jutsu than usual in fear that whatever was happening would weaken the attack. "Renku Dan!" The compressed air bullet zips past Yusa and dissipates.

Once everything was done, Hibiki waits to see what would happen next.


OOC:


Hit points: 94/94 (-23)
Chakra pool: 38/78
Armour class: 24
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin 2-3 (13/600), Kage Bunshin 4-5 (3/600), Rank 2 Speed (2/5)

Round 1

After Clones Move and Attack*

Standard Action
Rasengan!
Perform(DC27): 1d20 20=32 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2176245/)
Convert to Chakra 1:1(DC24): [roll0]

Move Action
Move and Jump!
Move to (9,8)
Reflex Save (DC16): 1d20 8=21 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2176137/)
Jump to (9,6) (DC10): 1d20 14=17 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2176143/)
Second Reflex Save (DC16): 1d20 8=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2176144/)


Clones
Hit points: 2:2; 3:3; 4:3; 5:3
Armour class: 17

All
Free Action
Draw Shuriken!

Attacks in Order

Clone 3
Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

Clone 3
Attack: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]

Clone 2
Attack: [roll5]
Damage: [roll6]

Clone 2
Attack: [roll7]
Damage: [roll8]

Clone 4
Attack: [roll9]
Damage: [roll10]

Clone 4
Attack: [roll11]
Damage: [roll12]

Clone 5
Attack: [roll13]
Damage: [roll14]

Clone 5
Attack: [roll15]
Damage: [roll16]

Swift Action:
Supercharged!
1d2=2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2173172/)

Round 2

Full-Round Action
Rasengan!

Touch Attack: [roll17]
Action Point: [roll18]
Damage: [roll19]

Punch!
Attack: [roll20]
Damage: [roll21]

Round 3

Full-Round Action
Renku Dan!
Perform(DC24): 1d20 22=23 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2176248/)
Wow...Fail, I'm so sorry Yuu. :smallfrown:

[ZeroNumerous]

Yusa

Yuu's sword finds nothing but sand beneath it's blade just before the next wave of shuriken come in. Only two of the little black blades strike Yusa, and Sumie brings a poorly aimed kick that hits nothing but sand. Suddenly, without warning Sumie is looking straight at the real Hibiki standing in the sand beside her. She distinctly doesn't remember hearing him run up, nor does she see or hear what he did but Yusa is suddenly thrown backwards by an incredible force. Her iron sand catches her and keeps the ex suna-nin from flying too far away. "Wh--what was.. Damnit!"

Yusa raises both arms level with the ground, palms open and fingers curled like claws. "Satetsu Daisousou." In one swift movement she closes both hands and the entirety of her iron sand convulses and squeezes anything caught in it. Yuu feels the bones in his legs splinter and break under the pressure.

DM
Poor Yuu. Everyone entangled by the iron sand requires a fortitude save for half of 6d6=11 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2176347/) damage. Yuu, regardless of success or failure, will be reduced to dying status by the attack. As such he suffers 9 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2176363/) strength damage and has both his legs broken as per Sabaku Sousou. His move speed is reduced to 10ft. Hopefully Rin can fix that..

Yusa's HP: 13 remaining

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/GeninBattle-7.png

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The crazed genin stares as life returns to everyone who were recently inanimate. It seemed that the Rasengan he had attacked with had affected Yusa with a short delay. Hibiki opened his mouth to ask what had occurred, but before he could utter one syllable he heard the sound of bone being crushed and blood being spilt. He looks across from Sumie and sees the iron sand caving in on Yuu's legs. "No! Yuu!"

As if ordered, two of Hibiki's clones raise there hands with their index and middle fingers pointed towards the ceiling. With a quick slashing motion, both clones send a slicing air current towards the undead Suna-nin without remorse. All thoughts of saving the woman were lost as Hibiki ran to save his fallen comrade.

Once Hibiki reaches Yuu, he scrambles around his waist and panics. "Rin-sensei never bought me a kit! Dammit! Don't die! I can't let you die!" With all of his might, the crazed genin tends to the broken-legged Leaf-nin. At first he pulls Yuu's head up and rests it on his own back pack. Next, Hibiki rushes to straighten out the now deformed legs. "Uh...I need Rin-sensei."

OOC:


Hit points: 94/94 (-23)
Chakra pool: 30/78
Armour class: 24
Ongoing effects: Kage Bunshin 2-3 (14/600), Kage Bunshin 4-5 (4/600), Rank 2 Speed (3/5)

After Clones Make their actions*

Move Action
Move!
Move to Yuu after Yusa is killed hopefully.

Standard Action
Stabilize!
Stabilize Yuu (DC15): [roll0]


Clones
Hit points: 2:2; 3:3; 4:3; 5:3
Armour class: 17

Action Point for Chakra
[roll1]

Double Zankidan

Clone 4
Perform(DC17): [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
Reflex Save for half: 17

Clone 5
Perform(DC17): [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]
Reflex Save for half: 17

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Both wind blasts tear clean through Yusa. The graveyard soil maintaining her body disperses into dust which scatters under the wind-based attacks. Hibiki successfully stabilizes his companion mere moments before Rin and Garouhime arrive to a scene of utter carnage.

Even if she halves both of those with the Ref Saves she's still taking enough damage to die. Yuu, Sumie and Hibiki get 2333 XP apiece

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The genin looks over the fallen Yuu and smiles once he sees a steady breathing pattern. He then places his ear next to his fellow Leaf-nin's chest and listens to a weak, but very alive heartbeat. Hibiki falls onto his back gasping for air. His eyes shift from the ceiling to Yuu, who was also lying down on the cold, black sand. His focus returns to the ceiling where he imagined how bad it could have turned out, if Hibiki didn't take action. Thank you Turtle-sama. Thank you.

Tears started pouring from the genin's eyes as he remembered the Yusa he knew before this battle. He had done the best he could to save everyone, but at the cost of her new life. Hibiki sniffs a little and sprawls out with his arms and legs. His whole body ached from the battle, more so than any other time he remembered. Was it the feeling of victory or something else?

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu didn't even get a chance to cry out as his legs snapped like dry twigs, instantly sending him into unconsciousness.

...floating...pain...what?

Yuu found himself floating in a black void, untouched by color, light, sound, or smell. He didn't know how long he had been there, only that his legs, left arm, and general body were in considerable pain. He couldn't feel anything in his right arm.

"Am I...dead?"

In the distance, a red light appeared, which quickly grew in size as it approached Yuu. Though it writhed and danced like flame, it still maintained the same general shape- that of a right arm.

It chuckled. Without mouth, eyes, or anything resembling a head, it chuckled.

"Oh no, my boyo, you're not dead yet. And you're not going to be for a loooong time if I have anything to say about it. But we need to talk, my boy. That showing was pathetic."

"What are you? The spirit of my new arm?"

The flame chuckled again.

"Good, good. You're not that dense. And the rage was good. But it needs to be more controlled, boyo. You need to focus it, channel it, use it to strike out. That's how you can gain the power you need."

"You know, I really shouldn't listen to you."

"Oh, but you will, boyo. Because you can't stand your own weakness. You need to get stronger, and utilizing me is the best way to do so. I'll be seeing you around, boyo."


tl;dr: *bleed, bleed, bleed*

And do you know how much of a pain in the ass it is to keep track of all these different changes to my Strength score? I think I've had 6 different strength scores in the past day (gamewise)