[Naruto ITP] Episode 10: Songs

[Frozen_Feet]

Some miles away from Amegakure, there lies an old road (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeQ1bX0Ef8Y). It fell out of use years ago, and now is barely visible through tall undergrowth as it snakes amidst huge trees that grow on both sides.

Once, between first and second ninja wars, merchants of Takumi used it to travel across Land of Rain, sheltered from the ever-present trickle, carrying goods from Land of Rivers to the Land of Wind. It was imporant for people, as important as the rivers that flowed down to other countries, and people made songs out of, songs that would then make their way to peoples and villages far away.

But times changed, and alliances changed, and the ever-growing number of bandits in the area scared them all away. Thus, what was once a bustling trade route became all but abandoned, used only by a handful of bandits hiding from the long hand of justice. No longer did songs travel either way on the road, only faint rustling of wind and the sound of raindrops striking the leaves above disrupting the silence of the dark forest.

Indeed, today one would be hard-pressed to even find a map showing the age-old course of the lonesome road. Yet still, someone is walking on it, without hesitation, following footsteps of people long gone as if from memory. How does he do it, in the pitch blackness of small hours when even the light of the stars can't be seen shining overhead through the eternal clouds of Rain? Maybe he, too, is a ghost?

Through the trickling of rain, faint singing can be heard.

"So dark is the road,
but darker would my mind be
if moon wouldn't shine it's silver
upon this lonely road
Under these blackening skies..."

Lost in thought, Mori Ryoma makes his way on the forlorn path. No depression appears on the ground where he steps, not a single bend leaf of grass is left on his wake.

Oh, if the moon just was really shining tonight! Then the wheather would be perfect! But alas, that is not the case. So sad, so sad. But such is life - you rarely get what you truly hope for.

"Along the morning dew I shiver,
Though not 'cause frost covers the ground
After walking so long with shoes made of stone
Even in the silvery moon no hope can be found"

Still, tonight is a good night. You can almost feel the secrets lying beside you, shrouded in darkness. One can only guess what secrets first rays of morn will reveal. It's a pity no-one will be there to witness them. But such is life - rarely do all things that would so deserve gain a solution, rarely does one find answer to all questions.

Lost in thought, Mori Ryoma makes his way on the forlorn path. No depression appears on the ground where he steps, not a single bend leaf of grass is left on his wake.

"So dark is the road,
but darker would my mind be
if moon wouldn't shine it's silver
upon this bloody road
at the Death's maw - under these blackening skies..."

[Silverraptor]

Something stirs, reacting to the song. Something sinister and creepy. It scuttles about in the darkness, approaching the source of the song. Then all around, more of these somethings stir. They move about in single unity. as if their minds were one. Mori Ryoma could definately hear and see many dark masses of insects, scuttling around him, but never approaching closer than 4 feet from him. Upon a brach overhead, a large swarm groups together and a dark and sinister figure emerges from the swarm. The figure then speaks out, trying and ultimately failing to stay in tune with the song.

"So dark is the road
and dark it shall it remain
for the moon shall be blocked out tonight,
from the masses of swarms
that come for thirst
to drink the bloodly road at Death's Maw."

Leech then lowered his head to inspect Ryoma better.

"Sorry. Music has never been my strong point. But I knew I recognized that voice from somewhere. To think that you are still alive after all this time. I thought the trap in the storage house we raided had killed you back then, or the very least old age would have finally gotten you. How very strange that you stand before me tonight, Mori Ryoma, and of tonight of all nights. How very interesting it is to live the life of a leech."

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma turns his empty eyesockets to regard the shifting swarm. "Strange? Don't bother lying to me." His bandaged face is unreadable, his faint voice without any emotion. "You know I've been on your heels for a long time. Otherwise, I would've found you ages ago."

The bandaged phantasm keeps walking forward, disregarding the bustling swarms scampering on his path. "If there's something strange here, it's that you consider that existence of yours 'living'. Pray tell me - you had all a man could hope for, and you cast it away to become something despicable that has to hide itself in shadows lest other people squash you underfoot. It never really dawned on me why you did that."

[Silverraptor]

Leech continues to watch him walk along the path.

"Oh don't give me that. You were on regular speaking terms with my father and the rest of the clan. You knew of all there self-interests, their hidden objectives. Grooming me for success to lead the clan? HA! They were all trying to use me so they could lead the clan themselves."

His voice turned into a high-pitch mockey of several people.

"'When I finish teaching you this jutsu, could you make me the head representative to the clan?' 'Oh, very good! You did amazing! And if you make me your assistant, I'll make sure you will always be able to do it beautifully!.' 'You certainly have come far, son. When it's time for me to hand control of the clan to you, it will be your responsibility to make me one of the clan elders so I can guide the clan with the wisdom I have gained.'"

Leech's face darkened, anger forming over his face.

"Everything they did for me had a twist in it. Everything they taught me came at the price of me giving them a position of power in the clan. Well, eventually I had enough of it. So when I noticed the trap inside that storage area, I purposely didn't inform any of you. Nothing personal, Ryoma, but I saw my chance to escape without having anbu chacing me all over the country side. It's ironic that we are now both wanted men in the world, pursued by the very same country we fought for in the second ninja war. But, it was to be expected. Once you're no longer needed, no one cares about you. Take from others everything you want for you're own gain. That is what my clan had successfully taught me. Everyone is a parasite. It's human nature. So I took the next logical step in our evolution. Pretty good, wouldn't you say?"

[Frozen_Feet]

"Logical step?"

Ryoma stops.

"You call it logical that, at the face of such conundrum, you abandoned the host you could have benefited the most from, and put yourself to a situation where you had to multiply all your efforts to just keep on existing?"

Though his voice is deadpan, it's obvious the old man is mocking the other criminal to his best ability.

"You were just like any other rebellious brat. When faced with responsibilities and traditions you didn't like, you decided to flee, thinking it'd be easier than face the problems head on. What you should've done was to grow a spine and take the reigns of your house, just like your father did before you. That's what he tried to say to you all that time, but I guess it never got into your thick head."

Eyeless gaze still nailed at Leech, the old ninja begins walking again.

"Of course, what you were then has hardly any bearing on what you are now. Now you're just an insect - quite literally, even, if I've heard right. But what have you achieved besides that? Few razed villages and a big bounty in a bingo book? Hardly something unique among my students."

"And you are wrong about people caring - the village we served might be nothing but a memory now, but I know I've left people behind who will miss me when I'm gone. I even know some people who care about you."

"Of course, their caring is mostly just desire to see you dead, but for that you've only got yourself to blame." At the end of his speech Ryoma waves dismissively at Leech's direction.

[Silverraptor]

A slight chuckle is heard from Leech.

"Benefited the most from them? I guess you were not on as regular speaking terms with them than I thought. There were always fights happening in the clan. There were fighting like dogs over a scrap of meat. All for the clan, that's all they fought over. I even found out about some of them planning to kick me out when I took the position of head of the clan. Just for their own gain. How so much like insects they all were. Scurrying around to take what they want."

He shakes his head a bit.

"When I traveled, I realized that this is apparent in all people. They always try to manipulate others to get exactly what they want. Even those I'm working with are using me for their own ends only to throw me away when they have no more use for me. All I have to do is make sure I get what I want from them before that happens. And it is coming along rather nicely to."

The torso disappears into the swarm as it scatters. Then another swarm appears on a branch a ways ahead so that he could keep up with Ryoma. His torso emerges from the pile of insects again so he could watch Ryoma again.

"But lets not talk about things we both know about. I am curious, however, what have you done since that fateful night? You say some from the village miss you? Do they miss you enough to call off the hunting dogs of the anbu from tailing you?"

There is sarcasm and amusement in the last few statements.

[Frozen_Feet]

The old man begins... shaking erratically as he listens to Leech's words. It might be hard to tell, as any sound is drowned by the steady fall of rain, that he's laughing.

"Fighting within a clan? In Kiri of fleeting shadows, where kages of the night die at dawn, to be replaced by new ones at sunset? Surely, you must be pulling my leg."

The old man, too, shakes his head.

"You didn't even catch a glimpse of the worst of it, boy. Don't come speaking to me as if you knew a first thing about it."

"So, you know what I did after that little trap of yours? I crawled all the way back to Kiri. I reclaimed my position. I trained another generation or two of loyal ninjas for the mist." The old man keeps on strolling, flawlessly tracing the old path without looking ahead a single time. "Of course, then a few of my students decided to give me trouble. Again. Really should've seen that one coming, considering how you turned out, but eh."

"As for the Undertakers, I wouldn't go so far as to say they miss me. But they respect me enough to leave me alone. Something I earned through my actions." The elder stops talking for a minute, as if considering his own words. "That, or they can't really believe someone titled the 'Silent Phantom' would go running around in broad daylight. Truly, sometimes the best place to hide, is in plain sight."

"But I wasn't really talking about people of Kiri when I said someone will be left remembering me fondly. I was talking more about, say, the thankful citizens of Okamura. Or Yamamachi. Or any number of other little towns and villages I've got around helping on my late days."

[Silverraptor]

Leech reacted to those names with a twitch of his head.

"I see. So it was you who was liberating my labs in the eastern area. I was worried that the anbu had found out about them. But I'm relieved it was only you. Anyways, I'm glad things are going alright for you. Well, farewell. I really have more important things to do."

(If I'm wrong with the mist country being in the east, please correct me.)

[Frozen_Feet]

"Only me? Kehehe... maybe. Though I think they might have noticed the flames in the horizon. Or maybe someone left them a message. Who knows?", Ryoma remarks, amused. He stops again as he notices the other man is about to leave.

"Farewell? Oh, you can't tell me you came all this way just to say hello", the old man wheezes. "Our discussion isn't over yet! Or am I really this boring?"

Leech doesn't seem to listen. He vanishes into a cloud of insects. Ryoma shrugs and glances at the vermin swarming at his feet, to see if they will just scuttle away as well.

"I feel really sorry for your parents, you know. They gave you such a good name", the old man says to thin air, still looking down. "Noriyuki... doesn't that roughly mean 'law and happiness'? It's the sort of a name I'd give to a good child... someone who upholds the traditions. Someone who helps people, brings joy to his parents and the rest of the world. Someone generous."

"I can see why you abandoned it. It doesn't really fit someone who tramples law to the ground, spreads around misery and death, and helps no-one but himself - someone like you."

[Silverraptor]

The insects all seemed to stop in place. It was suddenly very quiet around Ryoma. Then the head of leech stuck out of the pile on the branch once more, looking down at Ryoma. He spoke out with a deadly whisper.

"Wh...What did you just say?..."

[Frozen_Feet]

Ah, silence. The old man savors the brief moment everything is still around him. This is how it should be - like any song, or play, or other act, combat too ought to begin from silence, pure forms spring forth from stillness. It's almost a pity to him when his nemesis emerges again, breaking the scene. Sighin, Ryoma graps the hilt of his sword before answering.

"So, you still answer to your name? How does that figure? Didn't you say people throw away things that are no longer of use to them? Didn't you cast down your name as well? It should be just empty noises to you."

"Or could it be you're wrong? Could it be people cling to things dear to them, even after they're useless and broken in the dust? I know I do."

"After I was forced to leave Kiri, I had enough money with me that I could've just hidden somewhere, and not touch a sword in rest of my life. I had the choice to never fight for my life again."

"So why did I continue? What did I have to gain from all this? Was it just that I didn't feel like defying the old saying - that one who lives by the blade should die by one as well?" The old man waves his free hand in a slow circle in the small clearing that signifies the place of the ancient road, letting his gaze wander with it.

"What did I have to gain? Money? What does a dying man do with such thing? Food? Haven't eaten a bit in years, couldn't if I wanted to. Not that I'd taste anything anyway. Pleasure? Eh, this numb ol' body hasn't been up to that for ages, I tell you. What does that leave? Fame? Glory?"

The old man lets his hand slump on his side, casting two empty pits at his enemy again. "Those are just words of people, and people die. Their words might live on like a song carried by the wind, but the wind dies down too, and then there's only silence."

"Maybe I wanted redemption for my soul - a few white stones to weigh against all the black ones. But I doubt even two lifetimes would be enough to wash away the blood on this one. Or maybe I just thought road to Hell would feel lonely without someone for company. What do you think, hmmm?"

"In the end, it doesn't really matter. So, come, Kondou Noriyuki. I used to kill people for money... since you're my friend, I might just do you a favor and kill you for nothing."

[Silverraptor]

Leech watched Ryoma during his entire rant, but stirs as her hears his whole name. He then lifts himself entirely out of the bug swarm, and stands on the branch looking down at Ryoma.

"So... there is still someone alive in this world that still knows my former name. I should've known it was you, Ryoma. I had almost assumed that old age would've made you forgetful."
Leech's hand tightens into a fist at his side.
"Well... It seems my task started so long ago is not quite finished. It seems that there is still one more person I have to kill. That name will never again see the light of day. And how fitting that it shall be I that will finally bring you your death. The longest living person shall die at the most far evolved human in existance to date!"
Leech's suddenly starts yelling out the words. His hand suddenly pulls out a scroll from his sleeve and unravels it with amazing speed. At the same time, the insects swarm around him in a large sphere, allowing Ryoma to see inside, yet be unable to get to Leech directly. Any excess Insects start rushing at Ryoma, trying to force him take some steps back.
"Summon!"
He makes a hand sign, and a man poofs onto the branch, bound and gagged. Leech then makes a couple of quick hand signs in a blink of an eye, before slamming it down onto the man's back.
"Summoning jutsu: Maggot Swarm!"
The man suddenly convulses for a brief second before something moving inside causes him to rupture entirely. Many 6 feet long white maggots shoot out of him and fall to the ground. These things have a circular mouth with rows and rows of razor sharp teeth.
"And now to finish!"
Leech jumps down and seems to sink into one of them like water. The maggot flinches and convulses, before it suddenly changes shape. It grows to eight feet long and suddenly turns purple in color. Spines grow along it's back as do it's teeth become sharper and jagged.

From the maggot, Leech calls out to Ryoma, wherever he may be at this point.
"Thank you for waiting patiently. Now the fun can begin!"

[Frozen_Feet]

The swordsman doesn't move an inch as the insects swarm at him - at least, so it seems. The air around him flickers twice as something blurs through it so fast eyes can barely follow, cutting the vermin into pieces and splashing their ichor around him in a neat circle. Only faint swing of his silver chain reveals his sword left its sheath at all.

The old man doesn't give much weight on Noriyuki's arrogant words. Evolved or not, "human" is not among the things he considers his former associate to be. He's just another link in the long chain of lunatics who have abandoned their humanity to become cold machines or raging beasts, as if there was any inherent worth in either choice.

Just like Ryoma himself.

Before Noriyki concludes his ritual, Ryoma jumps off the overgrown road - briefly, his enemy can see him standing horizontally against the bark of large oak. Then he vanishes amongst wet leaves and dark of night, leaving no trace as to where he's gone.

[Silverraptor]

The giant maggots all turn about in confusion. Trying to locate where Ryoma disappeared to. From inside the giant purple maggot, Leech's voice speaks out from it.

"Ah, yes. I forgot that you would dissappear like this in combat. It has certainly has been a while since we were last together, hasn't it."

Many beetles were then seen escaping from the maggots mouth.

"But, did you know that wet cloth gives off an unmistakable scent. A scent that the bikochu beetle can easily find."

The swarm of beetles then take off towards a direction. At once, all the other maggots follow them towards their prey, hidding in the rain.

[Frozen_Feet]

Ah yes, scent. The old man had hoped for the ever-falling rain to obscure his smell, but it seems he underestimated senses of the small, diligent insects.

However, when the swarm of beetles only finds an old, tattered frieze overcoat hung on a lone tree branch, Leech might want to consider whether shouting it out loud was a wise move...

In a moment, the sense of mortal peril washes over Leech, as if Death itself is holding a blade against his throat. He isn't given much more time to react before Ryoma's bandaged form lunges at him from above, his sword a silvery blur as it slashes towards the purple, bloated maggot...

[Silverraptor]

The sword slashes clean and true through the maggot. Both halves writhe in a grotesque manner, before eventually stopping. However, the other swarm of maggots all converge on Ryoma. Some coming at him at ground level, others jumping into the air and arcing down on top of him. Cracks down below will alert him that some are coming at him fromg below ground. Everywhere he would look, a large maggot would be shoot straight at him.

[Frozen_Feet]

(Music) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7w08OQpAZU)

As he feels the ground move under him, Ryoma gently steps aside, as if in a well-rehearsed dance, causing it to miss him by mere inches as it bursts from the ground. A quick kick sends another worm to the side, giving the old man's sword enough room to move in a wide arc, smacking aside another two, creating the opening he needs to jump out of the fray.

Using one of the maggots as a stepping stone, he springs upwards, grabbing a tree branch with his free hand and hurling himself on top of it. As the maggots try to follow, he stabs towards them, blades of wind chakra shooting through the air and piercing their tough hides.

Of course, there are more to come, and Ryoma has no idea if he's killed his nemesis for good yet. But that's nothing he hasn't faced before - why should it deter him? He lifts his blade before him in a mock salute to his hiding adversary, before leaping to the next tree, out of the aproaching swarm's way.

[Silverraptor]

The Maggots follow Ryoma, most of them...

One maggot stays behind, curling by the dead purple maggot's body. Slowly but surely, Leech emerges from the dead maggot's body and proceeds to step onto the other maggot's body. He looks off into the distance of Ryoma hopping from tree branch to tree branch, smiling.

"Okay, enough warm up with such weak summons. Lets up the difficulty, shall we?"

He makes several hand signs, before placing his palm on the maggot under him.

"Summoning Jutsu: Roach Summoning!"

The maggot recoils for a moment as summoning runes quickly spreading across it's body, before it explodes from something rapidly expands from inside it. A two story tall cockroach looking thing stands where the maggot once was. It's roared a load bellow, showing it's long curved fangs. Leech was standing on top of it, admiring his work.

"And now to finish it."

His body sinks into the roach, which then nearly collapsed, kneeling with what looked like pain. Suddenly, several more limbs burst out of the roach, revealing long metal like curved blades at the end of them. It's armor carapace hardens even more as many spikes start to grow out of it. It's face has two long horns built for ramming stuff. It looked up, eye's glowing a murderous green as Leech's voice calls out.

"Now, come Ryoma. Your body will make excellent food for my family."

The maggots all dive underground, out of sight.

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma gives no sign of being intimidated by the turn of events. He doesn't feel the need to correct Noriyuki's obvious mistake - if he can't see the old man's little but skin and bones, it's his own darn fault.

The swordsman disappears into the forest again, snatching his old overcoat back and carefully shaking off any bugs that might have stuck on it. Amidst leaping from tree to tree, he sheathes his sword and begins going through hand signs. Hopefully, thick trunks of the age-old trees will at least slow down the insectoid abomination on his tail...

[Silverraptor]

Unfortunately, they don't. The giant roach plows through them as if they weren't even there. The curved bladed limbs began to stab and slash at Ryoma as it catches glimpses of him here and there.

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma ducks and dodges out of the way to his best extent as the scythe-like limbs tear through his cover. Even with his considerable strenght, trying to block slashes of the abomination on his tail would only see him tumbling across the landscape.

He could just keep running, but that would hardly solve anything. He didn't came all this way just to flee. After gaining some distance to the towering roack, Ryoma drops to the ground for long enough to slam his palms against the wet soil.

In a moment, the earth opens up under the roach's many feet, forming into what resembles a horrid maw which slams shut around the roach's right foremost two legs, hopefully biting them in two and unbalancing the beast.

Meanwhile, the swordsman jumps back to the trees, to avoid the maggots that might still lurk underground. He's running in a circle around the mighty beast, hoping to get behind it before it digs itself back up.

[Silverraptor]

The roach lets out a roar as it struggles to pull it's feet out of the ground. Cracks appear in the earth, so Ryoma doesn't have much time before the creature was free.

[Frozen_Feet]

Seeing his time is running short, the swordsman makes a bold move and vaults on the back of the abomination. As he climbs towards the head of the roach, he rapidly forms a series of of handsigns, the drenched bandages covering his hands seemingly drying out. Then, he unsheathes his blade again, and plunges it between two chitinous armor plates near the insect's "neck".

Granted, losing its head will probably just slow the roach down, but hopefully loss of important sensory organs would draw his real enemy out of hiding again. Seeing that one blow isn't enough to decapitate the monster, Ryoma begins pulling his battered sword out of the wound to strike again...

[Silverraptor]

The insect roars when the blade penatrates the neck. It twists and struggles, trying to shake Ryoma off.

[Frozen_Feet]

The ancient swordsman has to cling to his sword for his dear life to remain on the beast's back, but even though he can't withdraw his blade to strike again, his methods of huring the insect don't stop there. Flesh around the wound he made begins to wither and rot, nearby armorplates bleaching and then falling off. Slowly but surely the monster is being drained from fluids and life, untill it will be nothing but a dried husk.

[Silverraptor]

The roach lets out a loud bellow of a cry as it seems to wither from lack of energy. From inside, emenating from all parts of the roach, Leech's voice calls out to Ryoma.

"Very well done Ryoma. I can feel this insect dying all around me. You certainly are worthy of defeating. A pity that the only thing my family will be able to feast on is your bones. But I understand that bone marrow is quite the liking for them. Anyways, before this roach's life is fully extinguished, lets escalate the engagement abit. Summoning Jutsu: Great Moth!"

Inside the Roach, something seems to grow with great size and speed. The armored carapace cracks and gives way as whatever inside is pushing the roach apart. Ryoma will have but a few second to react.

[Frozen_Feet]

Alarmed, Ryoma tears his sword from the dying beast's back, and leaps backwards, rolling over his shoulder to lessen the impact when he hits the ground. He leaps back to the shadows of the forest almost immediatly after, but not before giving a quick glance to the new abomination that ate its way through the previous one - after all, he still needs to know what he's up against.

[Silverraptor]

A loud, sickening crunching noice emanates from within the giant Cockroach. Then the thing breaks apart as something shoots up from out of it. Whatever it was, it was certainly much larger than the giant cockroach. It looked like it was the size of 3 and a half stories large. It continued to shoot up into the sky before it spread its wings out, blocking out a large portion of the clouds above. It turned its gaze downward, flapping its great large wings as it did so. Leech's voice once again calls out, coming from the Great Moth above.

"It has certainly been a long time since I've been able to call forth the Great Moth. A normal human is insufficient to summon it. It is far more deadlier than the cockroach as well."

The Great Moth flies around over the trees. A yellowed colored pollen spore spreads from its wings down over the forest as it flew around. As the pollen descended, Ryoma will notice that many of the insects around are scurrying away from the pollen as fast as possible.

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma he keeps running under the leaves, the rain of pollen closing in behind him. It's clear his feet aren't a match to the colossal wings of the Moth, though, but the trees are so far doing well in keeping it from touching him. He has to wonder why the insects are scurrying away from it - maybe it's poisonous? It's hard to tell.

A flying enemy. How could he fight against such an opponent with just a sword? The tide of the battle has clearly turned against him now. But there's no room for despair in Ryoma's mind - he's focused solely on examining his surroundings, determined to find something to regain the upper hand with.

There's a cluster of taller trees ahead, ancient oaks towering above lesser trees. Unseen to his foe, Ryoma makes his way there, scheming.

[Silverraptor]

The Moth flies overhead. The large wings flapping slowly, supporting the large body and swollen underbelly of the creature, Leech's voice echoes out with amusement.

"It won't be long now, Ryoma. I'll flood this whole forest with the poison spores. Theres no where you can hide!"

[Frozen_Feet]

Hide? Hiding is only a goal to the old man insofar it helps him stab Noriyuki in the back. Of course, currently that task is proving quite difficult. Under the cover of the forest, Ryoma hurriedly hacks off few straigtest branches in his immediate vicinity and begins sharpening them with his sword. Considering how dull the damn thing is, it takes significant effort and some precious chakra to achieve anything, but its not like he has better options.

Hearing the colossal moth fluttering overhead, the swordsman sheathes his sword and picks the first makeshift javelin in his hand, carefully feeling its balance. As yellow pollen begins to contaminate the natural rain around him, he glances upwards and picks his target. It's fortunate his target is so big that missing is not really a concern.

Of course, aiming at the body of the insect would be a lost cause - even in the unlikely case a mere stick would penetrate its chitinous shell, such a small weapon could hardly do any significant damage to such a big creature.

But the wings...

Ryoma can see how the wind caused by the massive appendages forces the ancient oaks below to bend and bow under the strain. He can barely imagine the strenght and durability they need to keep their abominable bearer airborne.

With any luck, even a small tear in the right place would cause their own strenght to rip them apart like a sudden gust shreds a rotten sail.

Enveloping the wooden spear in wind chakra and focusing all strenght left in his ancient body, Ryoma lets loose his first shot. In normal conditions, the rain and the wind would bend the trajectory of the crude weapons long before it'd reach its mark, but with sharp blades of chakra splitting the air before it, it travels dead straight, eventually striking and shredding its way through one of the Great Moth's wings.

On the ground, Ryoma ducks and rolls back to the shade of a mighty oak, only a few drops of poisoned rain managing to hit his ancient overcoat before he's in cover again. He grabs rest of his crude javelins and stays put in wait of his next oppurtunity.

[Silverraptor]

The creature reacts as the crude spear tears through the wing. In slow motion, the moth recoils as the wing tears wider and wider, poison pollen scattering in a wide area around the moth. Then, thick strands of a clear adhesive substance shoot out from the widening hole. The substance then pulls the torn wing together. Close examination will also show that the wing starts to heal slowly, but noticably.

"You're certainly very skill Ryoma, I'll give you that. It cost me quite a bit of chakra to mend the wing. I think I should make sure you can never do that again."

The moth floats slightly higher, showing its abdomen most prominently. Suddenly, a large buzzing sound is heard as a swarm of moths quickly shot out from the abdomen. On closer expection, these moths were all about 2 feet in diameter and were all swarming in a large group.

"I bet being wrapped as a mummy isn't such a nice thing now, right? These moths can sniff out cloth in a 5 mile radius instantly. It won't be long before we find you."

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma listens to Noriyuki's gloating impassively. That man had never learned just when to shut up, did he? He should've taught him better. What all could've been avoided if he'd done that?

Would he have ever needed to kill that poor sap who had taken his place as a swordsman when he was wounded? Would the Kondou family have remained as a power behind then-current kage and prevented yet another assassination from throwing Kiri into chaos? If the new Mizukage had never risen to power, would he have ever needed to leave his village?

So many questions, that would forever remain unanswered. Noting a gap in the poisonous rain, Ryoma sprints from his cover and sends two more javelins flying. They shred trough the flock of smaller moths - the first one hits the Great Moth's other wing, while the other falls short of its mark and hits the beast in its abdomen instead.

For the first time in a long while, Ryoma curses his ascetic life as a rogue. Even a single exploding tag would make his task manageable instead of near-impossible. He had forsaken many stables of ninja life, thinking them useless for himself... he had not imagined such thinking would come back to haunt him in a crucial moment like this.

Weighing his last javelin in his hand, Ryoma looks at the approaching swarm. Noriyuki is right, hiding will not do him any good anymore. Tainted water starts drenching his bandages as he lets the last wooden weapon loose, towards the wing he damaged prior... hopefully, it'd rip through the adhesive and make it useless. Then he grabs the hilt of his ancient blade and stays put in wait for the flock of hellish butterflies...

[Silverraptor]

The javelins cause quite a bit of damage, but the same adhesive springs out and quickly seals the wound. The Great Moth begans to fly overhead while its children all swarm around Ryoma in a large circle before they all begin to dive. Leech voice is managed to be heard over the rustling of many wings.

"Oh by the way Ryoma, I hope you didn't forget the maggots as well."

The ground cracks quickly a bunch of things were coming at him from under ground from all sides. Swarms of beetles rushed in from between the cracks of the moths to join in the approach. Front, back, above, below. Everywhere, Ryoma was surrounded by many insects with an objective to kill him. The Great Moth over head spreads its wings. Leech lets out a amused laugh.

"Good bye, Ryoma."

[Frozen_Feet]

The slight tremor preceding the first burrowers alerts the swordman to dodge almost mechanically. No, Ryoma had not forgotten the maggots. He had just counted on them remaining underground to avoid the poison rain. But it seems Noriyuki's will has overridden the survival instinct of the mindless creatures. Oh well, such is life.

Time seems to slow down for him as he counts his chances. All he needs is a way out - of course, there is none, but he can always make one. What he's facing are, after all, just insects. His blade flashes faster than the eye can see, cutting a swathe through the scutling horde - before tha gap is filled by more vermin, the old man's body follows, twisting and turning in a most improbable manner for a man to weave a path through the swarm.

Noriyuki's will...

The ground is soon made slippery by putrid ichor, but Ryoma's step doesn't falter. He fights his way through thousands of claws, stingers and tiny teeth seeking his dried flesh, somehow finding a place to stand where there should be none. Eventually, he manages to break through the worst of it, escaping to a nearby tree with a strategic Kawarimi no Jutsu and timely abandoning of his old overcoat, which is promptly torn to shreds as he sprints after the Great Moth in a mad chase again. The multitude of crawling bugs follow on his heels, more appearing from the shade of the forest - it is only a matter of time before they surround him again.

However, this is not what Noriyuki sees, or at least not what he can afford to pay attention to. Despite flying in relative safety inside the Great Moth, far from his opponent, he's suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of someone, or something holding a swordpoint to the back of his head. Before he can muse on this feeling, it is replaced by a dreadful sense of falling - his transport must be flying too close to the ground! What is not apparent in this realization is that what he perceives as "up" is, in truth, down, courtesy of a simple genjutsu messing his sense of balance. Thus, trying to correct his course in this state will only send the Moth spiralling towards mighty oak trees below.

[Silverraptor]

Leech pauses with confusion. The Great Moth should be hovering high above. It should not be too close to the ground. Confusion filled as he realized both the sword point and falling sensation combined. Filled with panic, he urged the beast to fly higher above the trees.

...But the Moth didn't move...

Despite all his control and urging, the Moth insteadfell even further. Now... it seemed to be gliding forward and downward. The creature seemed to have stopped listening to him altogether.


Ryoma meanwhile, will see that the Great Moth is flying away from the battle. And he will also notice that the insects around him have suddenly changed their attitude. They were no longer swarming at him in a mass. They seemed to have stopped to stare at Ryoma. The insects eyes all rested on him, millions of accusing eyes. Eyes that made everything seem much more cold, sinister, and danger. For even though Leech may not understand the genjutsu he had been placed under, the insects sure did. For insects brains were very primative to the point that all genjutsu is useless on them.

Thus the Great Moth knew that Leech's point of down and up were reversed. The insects knew that their leader, their "father", was under attack. And they also all knew where the attack was coming from.

Ryoma now did not have to face a million insects with a common instruction to attack him wildly. He now had to face a million insects that would do what they pleased if it meant to kill the mummified ninja before them. A million minds were at work here now. And they were all bent on Ryoma's death.

[Frozen_Feet]

For a moment, the ever-present scutling stops, and only the natural sounds of rain echo in the darkness. Silence. Ryoma recognizes it and cherishes it. Silence before the storm. The tune had changed.

The old man keeps running even as he thinks. Had his genjutsu taken hold? The Moth is stilling flying steadily forwards, but clearly something had happened. Maybe a counter of some kind? It doesn't matter. The slight pause of the swarm gives him all he needs: a decent headstart.

His withered body creaks as he propels himself forward with Sunshin no Jutsu, hopping from one tree top to another, the trunks unswaying as if his body is no heavier than a feather. The Moth is already shrinking in the horizon, just barely visible through the haze of the rain, but Ryoma does his best to bridge the gap between them.

For a moment, the old man considers retreating. He woud have the chance to get away now, regroup... restock with supplies, come up with a plan. Make sure next time, a flying opponent would not catch him off-guard. It would be easy, very easy... just like in the past, he could flee now and return to stab his foe in the back in his sleep...

No.

He wouldn't do that.

He'd had enough of that. He'd already said he wouldn't return. Not because of his enemies, but because of himself. He'd stay true to those words - one last shred of honor to keep up.

Prove himself to be worhy of the tittle of Swordman of the Mist once more.

But to do that, he'd have to go faster. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NibdZQYuK4)

A resounding crack echoes through the forest as Ryoma uses another oak as a foothold, its bark disentigrating behind him. Old boots on his feet finally give up under the stress and tear apart, revealing two, shriveled feet underneath. Piercing wind and rain start scraping away the inchor-stained, frayed bandages wrapped around his face, revealing leathery texture of long-dead skin and a skeletal grin underneath.

Like Death itself, Mori Ryoma dashes forwards, murderous intent seething from him dwarfing that of the swarm now getting left behind. He would not let Noriyuki get away. He'd run through the whole night and the following day if necessary. He'd chase him to the ends of earth now, always on his heels until he'd catch him. That insect would have to descent eventually... eventually, Noriyuki would have to rest or keel from exhaustion.

But Ryoma would not give him that chance. Because himself, he could go on forever. Hunger, thirst, fatigue, pain - all but faint memories to him. Have been for decades now.

Why would a phantom get tired, after all?

[Silverraptor]

Leech's panic slowly turns into confusion. How long can he fall and still not hit the ground? Why would the moth not listen to his commands? Then the answer hits him from a long distant memory.

Of course... Genjutsu. Ryoma is preoficient with it, isn't he. Of course the moth wouldn't be affected, and it would know I was under it.
Leech focuses for a short while.
"Release!"
With a snap, the falling sensation disappears, and he is well off in a different location.
Ryoma probably has gone off by now. It would be logical for him to run off and come up with a plan. I just hope its an interesting plan and provides much more entertainment.
The Great Moth slowly lowers itself down to the ground.
Well, I better get going. THere is still much to do.

Around the nearby trees, beetles appear. They quickly swarm over a specific spot on the moth. In a moment, he will be gone.

[Frozen_Feet]

Just before the beetles reach their target, earth beside and under the Moth shoots upwards as two great walls, the wind it causes blowing the scutling insects away. Before it can take flight, hundreds of sharp stone spears emerge from the walls like fangs of some horrid beast, before Maw of the Grave clamps shut around the Moth like a giant flytrap.

Second later, Ryoma leaps from the darkness on top of the construct, ahead of the swarming beetles, and sprints towards their estimated destination. He strikes through the stone with his bare hands, pulverizing a good chunk of the stone before lunging his blade into the gap, piercing what remains of the Moth's chitinous armor.

Then he begins tearing away the beast's flesh with mad fervor, cutting and clawing as he searches for Noriyuki. Even though Leech can't see his undead pursuer, an image begins forming in his mind, of a four-armed skeletal demon blacker than the night sky rising behind the old swordman, pointing four, scythe-like blades towards his heart.

It's coming for him.

[Silverraptor]

Oh, this doesn't bode well.
Leech watches as Ryoma hacks and slashes at the pinned down moth. The deathly figure behind him made Leech pause for a moment.

However, Leech quickly regained his stature and tried to analyze the situation. It was obvious that Ryoma did not run, much to Leech's suprise. ANnd he seemed quite bent on cutting each part of the moth away. It was kind of humorous to him in a way, to see Ryoma so hard at work. The deathly figure he glanced at for a moment before diverting his attention from it. It was probably another genjutsu used to scare him.

Ignoring it, he tried to think out his options. The moth was already dead, so he couldn't use it to sacrifice for a summons. Besides, he realized he didn't have enough chakra for another Great Moth, or possibly even a Roach. However...

Leech was struck with an idea on how to get away. Though he would be cutting it close with the amount of chakra he had. He quickly traveled down to the abdomin of the moth. There he found one of the few "Children" of the moth, still in incubation. However, it was alive enough to provide him the sacrifice necesarry for the summons.

"Summoning Jutsu: Maggot Swarm!"
The abdomin of th Moth burst apart as a couple dozen Maggots jumped out, the only amount Leech could summon with the available chakra. However, these Maggots jumped, squirmed, tunneled, and moved about in every which direction. They all looked alike, no physical mutations seen as what the summons insects normally look like when Leech inhabits them. For Leech's merging mutations were an optional approach when he merges. For right now, he was quite content in hiding in one of the maggots as they all scattered in every direction. The odds were against Ryoma 24 to 1 on guessing the right one first.

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma hears Noriyuki's muffled voice through the stone and feels the tremors as the maggots burst forth. For a moment, the old man freezes. He realizes he can't catch up with all of them bu running. Any wasted second could mean one the worms would get too deep underground, and out of his reach.

Then, he comes up with a plan. He drops his sword, letting it hang from its silver chain. His hands flash through handsigns, and then he slams them against the stone contruct beneath. The ground twists and soars upwards again, torrent of moving soil scooping up the maggots as the earth divides into a small canyon amidst the forest. The shattered bulk of the Moth sinks into the crevice while Ryoma himself slides down its slope, looking for the maggots.

Then he spots the first one - with tug of the chain he returns his sword to his hand and leaps after it, cleaving it in half before colliding against the other slope, beginning to slide down again. He sees two other worms burrowing into opposite one, and charges after them. Seeing how fast they are, he realizes he'll have to redo his jutsu to prevent the others from escaping. There's litte room for error - any needless attempts would only serve to exhaust his reserves.

Hopefully he'll be able to keep it up long enough to get his target.

[Silverraptor]

Leech watches in horror as Ryoma split apart the earth into a canyon. THis wasn't good. Not good at all. He needed to eat son to replenish his chakra, but he's lacking the amount of Chakra to keep Ryoma back. He didn't even have enough for the Transparent Wax that he knew not even Ryoma's sword would cut through easily. However, he knew that wouldn't do any good when Ryoma goes through the ground underneath. He needed a plan. He need to act. Now. It was a long shot, but it just might work...

Suddenly, Ryoma see's the maggots pop out and jump towards each other. They then start moving in formation, one in the center with rest all around it. They start to burrow into one side of the canyon together. The result is that they are able to burrow much faster then when they are alone. Ryoma has a split second to act before they get away.

[Frozen_Feet]

Without hesitation, the old man jumps after the worms, his blade striking through the air like a silver snake and bisecting the central maggot. Then he descends on top of its remains and begins tearing at the others, breaking their formation with his hands and feet and then finishing them off with his sword.

A moment later, Ryoma and three remaining worms erupt from the side of the canyon and fall outside it, even as the construct closes on itself and collapses to the ground in avalanche of torn up soil. Ryoma's bandages are torn due sharp stone shrapnel he had to go through, and his stitched-together torso shows through the garment like some gruesome armor despite being his own flesh.

However, even though it seems he's winning, a lingering doubt is creeping into his mind. He'd already slain seven out of ten worms, but there hadn't been any sign of Noriyuki within them. And the remaining three are hardly putting up a fight.

It couldn't be...

[Silverraptor]

A ways off, a small puff of smoke appears. Leech has his mouth clamped around another hostage's throat that he summoned. A maggot lay below his feet. It had all been a ruse for Ryoma.

He knew that the old man didn't notice that one of the maggots was missing from the group. That was how he made his get away. And with him sucking the blood of his hostage, he could feel his chakra replenishing...

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma slaughters the last maggot, and his suspicions are confirmed, much to his disappointment. One of the worms had been nothing more but a Bunshin.

Still, there was still hope. If Noriyuki is as low on chakra as he suspects, he could've only pulled off something rudimentary - like Kawarimi no Jutsu. That means he can't be that far away.

The old man's head swivel around, eyeless gaze searching frantically the forest around him. What clues could there be to find his enemy in the darkness and rain? His grip tightening around the hilt of his sword, Ryoma replays recent events in his head, trying to recall any point when the substitution could've taken place.

Then he remembers - the beetles. Noriyuki had priorly tried to summon them, possibly to get away. Ryoma quickly checks where the swarm of insects is headed now, and then sprints ahead of them, seeking a high place from atop an ancient fir to scan his surroundings. One last strike - all he'd need.

Where?

[Silverraptor]

Ryoma might find Leech hidden under a large leafy tree, with just enough of a gap between the leaves to see him. At this point, Leech's consumption is almost finished...

[Frozen_Feet]

Noriyuki has his back turned to the old man. That's all the cue he needs. He leans forward from his perch and lunges at the crouching form, hell-bent to settle their fight once and for all. A withered hand swings the battered blade down with all its might, intending to cut Leech cleanly in half. Rain falling on his head stopping for blink of an eye is all warning Noriyuki gets of his impending doom...

[Silverraptor]

Leech managed to finish draining his victim of his blood. As he removes his leech like mouth from the corpse, the rain ceased falling on his head. In an instant, panic raced through him. Is immediate response is to dive aside. However, it won't be fast enough to avoid the blow entirely...

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma sees his target moving. He knows immediatly his strike will not hit as intended, but it's too late to correct his course, or the swing of his blade mid-air.

So, instead of cleaving his target in halves, his blade hits Noriyuki just a bit right from his head, crushing his collarbone before biting into his flesh and slashing through his right shoulder, separating his arm of his body and tearing away both skin and clothes from his right side. It then goes to embed itself in the ground all the way to the hilt, its wielder having to crouch all the way to the ground and let go of the sword to absorb the impact without breaking his bones.

Ryoma's old joints creak omniously as he struggles to spring up, intending to turn and strike his opponent to the side of his head with a tremendous hammerpunch, realizing he doesn't have a second to waste if he doesn't want his opponent to run into the shadows again...

[Silverraptor]

The pain was intense. His entire right arm, gone! Ryoma had mutilated him! Ryoma must now die!!

Leech's eyes turn towards the ancient swordsmen. As the fist drew closer, Leech let the chakra surge through his body. Once the fist connected with his face, Leech's body will suddenly substitue into many beetles. All of which will attack him, attempting to surround his entire body.

[Frozen_Feet]

The beetles rip through Ryoma's worn bandages and bite into his aged flesh. Alarmed, the swordsman does the only thing he can from keeping the insects from eating their way to the rest of his body - he tugs the silver chain connecting him to his sword and pulls it to his free hand, then cuts his own arm off from the elbow.

No blood flows from the wound - it only gives out a sound like a branch of a tree breaking. The beetles don't have time to eat the rest of it before the aged appendaged disintegrates to dust.

Ryoma leaps over the swarm to a nearby tree, frantically searching for his enemy. Another kawarimi - where is he now? Where?

[Silverraptor]

Suddenly, Ryoma will see a semi-transparent sticky substance begin to shoot around in all directions. Once each strand has taken a hold of something, it begins to spread out. In no time at all, the wax forms a neat large sphere all around Ryoma, with a bunch of angry insects buzzing inside. Then, Leech appears on a nearby tree branch outside the sphere, glaring at Ryoma.

"Wounding me is a grave error. The time for your death has now come, Ryoma."

Leech then begins to take out one of his scrolls with his remaining arm. It will take him a little longer to spawn the victim to summon on account of not being use to his left hand so much.

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma strikes the waxen barrier with his sword, only for it to rebound back. He doesn't have much time to experiment before the swarm upon him again, and he has to leap aside, squashing few of his miniscule foes against the conjured wall as they try to bite into his flesh.

Noriyuki's gloating is lost upon Ryoma. Noriyuki had said the exact same thing earlier, when the battle had begun - repeating himself only serves to reveal the shock his injury must've caused.

Ryoma loosens his grip on his sword's hilt, then lets it falls from his hand and grasps the silver chain. Holding it he twirls his blade around like a ratchet, driving away the angry insects. Ryoma knows holding the beetles at arm's length will only buy him some time, as it does nothing to stop Noriyuki from calling yet another of his abominations.

It would've been easiest to bypass the wax completely by tearing up the ground again, but with only one hand, performing such complicated handseals is out of the question. Ryoma would have to rely on techniques that would not require any.

As Noriyuki draws the scroll to his hand, he'll feel the swordsman's killing intent lashing against his senses once more, a towering skeletal figure rising above the wax dome. While he is distracted, Ryoma bats away the beetle swarm and lunges against the transparent barrier, stabbing it with his sword with all the strenght he can put behind only one arm. Initially, it only makes a small dent, but then the transparent wax turns opague, and starts to flake off as rot begins spreading along it. Ryoma's blade pierces through like a hot knife through butter, before he pulls it off to ward off the swarming beetles again.

Few more blows and he'd be out. Just a few...

[Silverraptor]

Leech glances at the skeletal figure, than back at Ryoma. He was suprised that Ryoma could actually damage the wax. Then, Leech shudders, as the pain of his missing arm reappears again. He banishes it from his mind and continues the summon. After calling upon a female human sacrifice, he then prepares to summon.

"Summoning Jutsu: Maggot Swarm!"

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma watches as the poor girl wakes up, only to shriek in horror and pain as she's torn apart from within and devoured as the maggots burst from her. He himself is finding it hard to squash all the insects scuttling around him. His bandages are gone, and his sickly bronze, dead skin bears multiple bite-marks from their tiny jaws.

Seeking an opening in the swarm, Ryoma jumps towars the weakened portion of the wax barrier - it gives away and bursts like the side of a soap bubble. But before the age-old swordsman can reach Noriyuki, the maggots are already upon him, and all his effort is poured into kicking them away or slashing them apart with his sword.

His killing intent is still focused on his opponent - Noriyuki can feel it burning at the back of his skull, horrible visions of what the old man will do to him flashing past his eyes. However, each moment, it starts to look less likely that any of those images will come to fruition...

[Silverraptor]

Leech stares at the images with an almost bored, irritated expression.
"You can stop the show now, Ryoma. I've won. I have all my chakra back to full. Which means, I can summon this..."
A maggot comes over and he places his hand on it.
"Summoning Jutsu: Roach Summoning!"
The maggot twists and reacts and bursts into a gigantic cockroach. Leech then jumps onto its back, watching Ryoma with and amused expression.
"Because you cut off my arm Ryoma, this will not be over kill at this point."
He places his hand down onto the roach.
"Summoning Jutsu: Great Moth!"

(Fun fact: I almost said mana instead of chakra.:smalltongue:)

[Frozen_Feet]

Ryoma keeps fighting like a rabid dog, kicking and cleaving worms left and right as he tries to fight his way closer to Noriyuki. He gives his boasts no acknowledgment whatsoever, not a word leaving his mouth, no expression gracing his flayed face.

Still, the fight is taking its toll on him. Years of abuse his undead body has accumulated are coming back to take their share, each move and each new bite causing irreversible damage to age-old tendons and muscles. His spirit burns bright as ever, eyeless gaze all but searing holes through his chosen opponent. But as much as he hates to admit it... he's losing.

Time slows down to a crawl for the ancient swordsman as he struggles to prevent his enemy from summoning more opponents. All other banners, all other flags he'd ever carried... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQqzQ87sZF8) they'd gone down in flames behind him. As his final failure becomes imminent, Ryoma replays all things that had crumbled to dust during his life... only he had remained, and now he would fall as well...

... no. One banner would prevail. He'd given it to Shiro, one of his trusted pupils. Yes, his students had failed in the past, but there's always hope... the swordsmen would prevail, even after him. That legacy would remain, unswayed by Noriyuki and his crimes.

Only thing left to do... would be to carry that banner proudly to his last fight. His last act of honor as a Swordsman of the Mist, before finally letting the younger generation take reigns.

It's about time, after all.

Using one of the maggots as stepping stone, Ryoma charges forth as a new moth begins eating its way through its lesser brethren. He'd been caught off-guard by such summon once, he'd not be fooled by it again. Wind chakra gathers around his sword, sharpening the rusted blade to its keenest once more. With only one arm, that'd be the only way to ensure a clean hit.

Just as the moth bursts from the roach's back, Ryoma swings his sword in one last attack, cutting through its wing before it can fully open and shredding it to four pieces. Ryoma's momentum carries him through the severed membrane, and he hits the ground two dozen feet behind it, his leg breaking even though he tries to roll with the blow. Behind him, the great moth tumbles to the ground, one wing not being enough to keep it afloat.

Ryoma turns to look at the massive, maimed insect. Had he killed Noriyuki? Probably not. Smaller insects are already crawling over the moth's bulk, intent to devour the undying blademaster. Ryoma knows he can't flee, not any longer.

As the first beetles catch up to him, he places the silver chain under his knee, and pulls with all his might. Even as the insects begin eating away his damaged leg, he strains to sever that last lifeline keeping his mummified corpse moving.

Slowly but surely, links of the chain give away under the stress.

Ryoma would not give Noriyuki the satisfaction of delivering the last blow.

A mournful jingle signifies the severed chain falling to the ground before the aged swordsman. With what remains of his strenght, he flings the sword away from himself, and it sinks to the mud good dozen feet away. Simultaneously with that gesture, the ritual jutsu sustaining the old man gives away, and what's left of his body disentigrates and dissolves into the rain-soaked ground.

Noriyuki's insects are left with nothing to bite besides air. Deprived of prey, they slither away.

Silence.

[Silverraptor]

The moth gives a pitiful noise. Leech slowly emerges from the creature and steps to a branch. He looked at the sword that was all that remained of Ryoma.
"Pffh! So that's the end of you, Ryoma."
A buzzing is heard, and Leech turns to see the insects carry his decapitated arm to him.
"I must get back quickly. There might still be a chance to get my arm reattached."

It was then the insects swarm over Leech and his arm. Afterwards, they scatter, leaving nothing but the devistation, and the sword behind.