Backlash: Naruto style M&M IC

[LimSindull]

Commander Roarer stares at the odd assortment of Ninja in front of him. Three Ninja from the hidden leaf arrived, none of them Hyuuga or Uchiha like he had requested, but they are here just as well. Hashori has made good on his word and his pupil has arrived. Along with the monk, it is a very diverse group.

The chew stick in his mouth sears his tongue with the flavor of frying onions and roasted pork. The smell eeks out at attacks the nostrils of his visitors. The room is warm and cozy, but pierced by screams and yells from outside.

The festival of mud is going on outside and the town is heavily involved. Most people on the streets are plastered in bright colored mud. Many people have designs painted on them. Food is abundant and ranges from normal to exotic. All forms of entertainment await outside these walls. On the inside of these walls, the room is a contrasting red to the many greens and blues outside. It is a relic of the Land of Fire’s old outpost here.

Roarer finishes looking over the Ninja assembled in front of him. “I hope your first question has been answered. ‘Why are they looking for outside help?’ Well, we have a ton of work on our hands for this festival.”

He rolls the flavor stick around to the other side of his mouth. “Now, I am asking each of you to put your life in danger for my village. I hope that you will find the love of our village and celebration here enough payment.” He grins. Juice slurps down his throat as he swallows.

“The ninja that you are tasked with finding and bringing to justice is Akla of the Thousand Howls. He was a terrifying combatant when I was a young man. From the Land of Water, he led many assaults against this village before it became independent. His voice is terrifying and his chakra is magnificent. He was brutal in his time and was put down by Fire Assassins. It has been reported that Akla has returned, like so many others. He seemed to be laying low for a time. Now he is back to his old ways. He has attacked visitors to the festival and burned down part of a nearby village.”

Roarer rolls out a scroll with names written on it. “Thirty seven.” He stares at the scroll and pulls his flavor stick out of his mouth. “He burned thirty seven people in his last attack. It appears that he has kidnapped most of the survivors. He has asked for no ransom and made no demands.

Will you help my people, Shinobi?”

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran had enjoyed exploring the festival on his way here. There was so much going on! So much to see and hear and smell and taste! Were it not for the meeting, he might have spent the entire day exploring the place. Even as it was, he had already purchased a few snacks that had smelled just a bit too enticing to pass up.

He was all business at the meeting itself, though, greeting the others with professional politeness and perhaps a bit of an appraising eye. He did get a bit of a wan look on his face at the whole "I hope that you will find the love of our village and celebration here enough payment" bit. Keiran wasn't personally hurting for money, but he wasn't rich either, and this would take some time. It also meant his own village wouldn't be receiving any payment. This was a ninja mission after all, and while he had limited experience with them, he knew enough from his Master's stories to know that a mission where you might encounter opposing ninjas was usually a well-paid one.

Even so, he was here first as a favor to his Master, second in hopes of learning more about the resurrections and what they meant for his family's future. Money had placed a distant third.

And as Commander Roarer went more into the details about what this Akla of the Thousand Howls (They're going to have to add "of pain" to that title once I'm through with him!) had done, money's ranking dropped immediately to fourth. ...Or maybe fifth.

Stopping a threat of this magnitude was a worthy task on its face. But that he used fire in his crimes...well. It made it kinda personal. He burned thirty seven people in his last attack. Keiran could imagine it. He could imagine it all too easily. The bodies burning and charring, the agonized and terrified screams, the stink of smoke and burning flesh. Those sensations were all too clear in his perfect memory, and filtered all too easily into his imagination. His jaw was clenched as tightly as his fists.

"Commander, it would be my pleasure to help you deal with this enemy," he said.

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: Normal | HP: 0 (Or 1? I forget how many we start with)

It had been a while since Kyori actually celebrated anything. She'd spent the majority of last three years working hard to make Chuunin- She'd barely had her flak jacket for nine months, actually- and even before that, she'd spent most of her early teens studying at the Academy.

Still, it was... fun to just be near it. The steady thrum of chakra she'd been hearing all her life had a fresh, clear tone to it that she couldn't help but get caught up in. She was still a bit giddy at the start of the meeting, but once she heard about who she'd been sent after, the bubble popped, and she grew stone-faced.

She didn't remember much from when her home was destroyed, but there was a lot of fire. It would be a bit serendipitous if this Akla was responsible, but it also fit his modus operandi. At the very least, putting him back in the ground would stop this from happening again. Preventing more kids from ending up like her.

Her head snapped over to one of her soon-to-be partners as his chakra came alive with rage. At least she wasn't the only one who had some emotional investment in this.

"Same. Give me a direction and I'll hunt him to the end of the earth and back."

[LimSindull]

"Commander, it would be my pleasure to help you deal with this enemy,"
Roarer looks Keiran over. He looks at the list of names and back to Keiran. “I’d expect nothing less from a pupil of Hashori. The village is to the North East of us. That’s the last location that we know he was at.”

He turns to address the others, then turns back, “I hope that Hashori also warned you not to underestimate this Ninja. He may be rogue to us, but he may still think that there is a war going on. He will have no hesitation to killing.”


"Same. Give me a direction and I'll hunt him to the end of the earth and back."
“Thank you Kyori. You have done well in your training, but I called upon you for your… other talents.”

The commander rings a bell on his desk twice and a woman enters the room. She wears a dark dress with a neck fanning off the back that covers the top of her head. She places a sealed clay jar on the desk, salutes the commander, and stands beside him. When she passes, you can see that she has not wholly escaped the festival. Splatters of mud have caked onto the back of her dress, and the bright colors heavily contrast her drab attire.

Her voice is high and shrill, “The tongue of Akla of the Thousand Howls. Brought to this village as assurance of his demise. It is preserved as well as it can be.” She falls to attention and looks you all over.

The commander clears his throat and his gaze lingers on her expectantly. He turns back to the group. “It should help you once you reach the village.”

[Darkstorm]

Gina looks at the list with a calm, controlled look. Her eyes steady almost looking at it with boredom, boredom that grew from habit.
But inside the fires were raging, as her fire chakra started to pour over and her blood literally heated.

The war was over but still innocents were being hurt by its remains...
She talks in a steady voice, as she controls herself not to become hyper.

"Commander the land of fire is always happy to help Its friends. And punish its enemies. My first thought is for the souls that might be lost and their families. I give you, as their leader my sincere condolences.

She makes a hand movement as if making a ward, waits for a second in silence and continues.

"Has Akla any known associates in the past? Was he supported by his village or just a rogue nin (ninja) from the start?

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: Disgusted | HP: 1

Kyori practically has to bite her tongue to keep her mouth closed, and it takes quite a bit of concentration to keep a straight face.

"I'll... take good care of it."

She's had to sniff a few dead bodies before, and even a few dismembered body parts, but those had been fairly recently dead. Some undead guy's strangely-preserved tongue seemed even less appealing than that.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran gave a nod of acknowledgement and understanding in response to the warning. He wasn't much in the habit of underestimating his opponents in any case.

...He did raise one eyebrow at the delivery of the severed tongue, though he elected not to comment on it.

Also, before I forget again, gonna use Well Informed to see what information Keiran might have heard in the past about Akla of the Thousand Howls. Check includes a +5 circumstance bonus to recall facts from Eidetic Memory: [roll0].

[NineOfSpades]

In the back of the assembly room, Hibiki stood in a corner, half turned towards the wall. With the collar on her coat pulled up and the reflective lenses on her glasses concealing her eyes, it was all but impossible to read her expression. Her arrival at the village had been largely without fanfare. Large crowds and celebration made her uncomfortable, so she'd stuck to the periphery of the celebration, though she did have a very pleasant run in with some children throwing mud balls around after she got caught in the crossfire. Though she'd actually been quite entertained by the notion, the children had responded poorly, showing a great measure of fear. She'd sent them on their way with a few coins of spare change to spend on sweets, which hopefully would help them feel a bit better. Which, in turn, had inspired her to stop at a vendor and pick up snack-cakes and pork-cutlet bowls, which she'd brought along to the meeting, to share with her new squad mates.

The group discussed the situation, and Hibiki listened. Her motives for coming were perhaps more selfish than the others. Stopping this rogue ninja was obviously important, but it was at best a secondary goal. He had information that she wanted, and she intended to get it. If she could help others while doing so, then that was just a fantastic cherry on top. However, she became perplexed when Akla's tongue was revealed, sealed up in a container. If they already had his tongue, did that mean their target was already dealt with? And if so, just what was the point of bringing them together here. "Excuse me please..." She muttered, but quickly cut herself off as the other ninja spoke. Perhaps she would just have to ask later.

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: Normal | HP: 1

Kyori has a lot of thoughts as she pockets the jar. She really isn't looking forward to smelling this. Would his chakra even be in it still? Would she be able to smell any chakra past whatever chemical they used to preserve it?

There's a shift in the room, coming from the... person in the corner. They'd been trying to avoid notice, but now they're buzzing with curiosity and confusion. Well, they were always buzzing- their main chakra signal was there, but there were probably thousands of other tiny ones writhing around and within it.

They'd probably smell pretty interesting, too, but even if she'll already have to sniff a half-rotten tongue in front of everyone, there was no socially acceptable time to just take a whiff of a total stranger.

They start to say something, but then seem to think better of it once Kyori comments, anxiety rolling off them in waves.

Well, that wasn't going to help team cohesion at all, was it?

"I'm sorry, did I cut you off?"

[LimSindull]

The disgust to the tongue is expected and Roarer nods to Kyori as she takes it.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm in this mission. Our Intel on Akla is good because of the written accounts from his attacks. The fire Assassins didn’t discuss with us their attack. They took their money and left. Konaha may have some information from them, but it was before Anbu.”

Roarer clears his throat and the unnamed woman turns to him and hands him a scroll. She turns and leaves with a smile to the group.

The commander opens the scroll and spreads it before you. “He is called Akla of the Thousand Howls because of the intense chakra he produces. We believe that it is air based. Some Ninja can create large amounts of water or fire, but Akla releases waves of sounds that sound like howls.

His attacks release enormous chakra. He also can overload other’s chakra, causing it to reset. If he sees you, he will begin to hunt you and try to surround you with his chakra. We aren't sure exactly how it works, and we assumed that it had… has something to do with his tongue. It is full of holes.”


"Has Akla any known associates in the past? Was he supported by his village or just a rogue nin (ninja) from the start?

Commander Roarer puts his flavor stick back in his mouth. “We can’t say that his howling rage was uninvited. It was the middle of the war and this was a Land of Fire outpost. From here, raids into the Mist were launched. We tried to keep targets to military, but civilians always get caught in the crossfire. So, the Mist released the howls of their dead in the form of Akla.

Now? We don’t know of any subordinates, but he has lead squads before. It won’t be a surprise if he has bullied some Ninja into working with him again.”

Roarer leans back. “Is there any more help that I can offer you?”

[NineOfSpades]

Hibiki stepped forward a little, pulling her left hand from her coats deep pockets and holding it out, palm up, expectantly "The jar, may I...?" She said, before adding "Please". Whether this tongue had originally come from the Akla they were currently hunting, or from a previous life, if it had any connection to its previous owner, Hibiki was confident that her Bikōchū could trace any trail back to its source, no matter what efforts were put in place.

Well, once she had a sample to use as their 'target', that is.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran listened to Commander Roarer description with about half of his attention - which, for Keiran, was still more attention than the complete concentration of a normal person - the other half going through his mental "files". Keiran had a very organized mind, and he had learned much over the years, heard stories, read reports. He knew quite a bit about quite a bit, and all of it was carefully mentally indexed.

A fair bit of what he knew was historical, probably not critical to the team immediately, though he'd keep it in mind. You never knew what information might come in handy during an investigation. Of greater importance for the time being was the tactical information. "There's more to it than that. I've heard reports indicating that when he unleashes his Chakra on the surrounding area, it revitalizes him as well," he said, his voice serious. That was a dangerous combination. The optimal strategy for engaging a healer was to overwhelm them with more damage than they could heal, but massing an opponent with powerful area blasts was extremely risky, even for a skilled team. "The addition of hostages will naturally only complicate that further. His sonic blasts are powerful enough to shake a person apart, so fighting him in the vicinity of the hostages won't work."

"We'll also need to be on the lookout - such as it is - for sound-based Genjutsu. I've also heard reports of him breaking Genjutsu with his Chakra, up to and including tsukuyomi."

"Full disclosure, Genjutsu's kinda my specialty. And if I'm honest, I'm not exactly looking forward to sonic attacks.
I've got...pretty keen senses, but that can be a downside against an opponent like this. I'll do what I can to support and deal with any allies or minions he might have, but our battle strategy should probably be centered on you guys."

"He does play aggressive though. He doesn't seem to much care about his own safety. That demands caution, but it gives us a potential opportunity to exploit."

"His former squad was a tactician called 'The Betrayer' with a funky sword of the same name. His little brother who's a healer. And a Land of Stone buddy who seems to specialize in defense and battlefield control. No idea if any of them are still alive and/or alive again, or working with him. Obviously, a team like that would dramatically change the nature of the battle, so we absolutely shouldn't skimp on the scouting."

"One other thing," Keiran said, more to Commander Roarer than the group. "I heard his tongue was kept by one of the Fire Assassins that killed him, who retired to the Forest of Rain. I'm assuming you got it from him? If we could speak to him, it might not hurt to get a first-hand account. In particular, it would be good to know if his ability to break Genjutsu is a passive side effect of his Chakra being in use, or something he has to focus on." With the right strategy, even the best active defense against Genjutsu was of little use - because the enemy wouldn't know they needed to use it.

I'm going to Evaluate Roarer's response at [roll0], juuuust in case. Got a slight inkling he may be said ninja, and possibly less than forthcoming about it :smallamused:. If that succeeds, it may trigger Detect Truth.

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: Normal | HP: 1

Now glasses individual is interested in the jar? What, were they going to track- wait a minute. Dark glasses? Trenchcoat? Buzzing chakra all over?

She nearly fumbles the jar as she shoves it into her now-favorite colleague's hand. "You're one of the bug people from Konoha!" she whispers excitedly. "Please, take the damn thing! You can track him, and I don't have to sniff some disgusting honeycomb tongue!"

Unfortunately, she only manages to catch about the last fourth of whatever infodump was going on.

She nudges her new friend. He... wasn't saying anything super important, was he?"

[NineOfSpades]

With a small nod, Hibiki introduced herself "Aburame, Hibiki". She didn't much care for being called a 'bug person from Konoha', accurate though it may be, but she didn't protest or hold it against her ally. Frankly, she hadn't been prepared for such an exuberant reaction. Based on the level of excitement, you'd think that Hibiki had offered to shower them in gold, rather than take hold of a jar. She gave small, half-concealed smile in return, happy to have brightened someones day even if she had no real grasp of what had brought about that brightening. "Thank you".

Taking the jar in hand, Hibiki held it carefully, not wanting to risk dropping their best lead. With a faint hum of stirring wings, her beetles emerged, crawling out from under the long sleeves of her coat, probing down her arms. First a trickle, than a stream, a network of lines growing in number as they spread over the clay surface of the pot, probing its every nook and cranny, moving upwards towards the lid, where which was quickly opened a crack to allow a few scouts to enter inside.

Hibiki did not experience the sensations directly, but at the same time, she was acutely aware of what each of her insects was percieving, their senses far more attuned than a human was, soaking in the multitude of aromas. There was the stench of meat and decay, counterpointed by the subtler smells of the canopic jar and its previous contents. There was the aura of chakra as well, a bountiful meal that could feed her swarm, if only a little. Through the insects, Hibiki internalized the sensations, so that she could begin to hunt down a matching signal, which would in turn lead her to Akla of the thousand howls.

At least, that was the plan.

Hibiki walked over to the window and used her free hand to open it a crack, sending out a cloud of beetles into the air, where they dissipated outwards to begin their search.

Using Insect surveillance to have my beetles probe the bar and learn Akla's scent (Analytic) and chakra (Acute) so that I can track him. Sending out a remote sensing probe (Simoultanious) to start scouting out the village (radius 4 miles). Not expecting to pick up on Akla, but might get lucky. Hibiki also benefits from these senses in the room, so I might as well check the NPCs for any useful info.

In case its needed, perception check [roll0]

[LimSindull]

Commander Roarer nods his head in agreement and pushes the scroll forward. “Most of what you said is here on this scroll. Though, his old team was wiped out before he was. The Betrayer passed her sword along. His brother ended up dying in one of his experiments. And the last is hidden, if he is still alive.”


”One other thing," Keiran said, more to Commander Roarer than the group. "I heard his tongue was kept by one of the Fire Assassins that killed him, who retired to the Forest of Rain. I'm assuming you got it from him? If we could speak to him, it might not hurt to get a first-hand account. In particular, it would be good to know if his ability to break Genjutsu is a passive side effect of his Chakra being in use, or something he has to focus on."

“Did Hashori not tell you how we know each other? We both fought Akla. Your master was pivotal in his defeat. I on the other hand, was reckless. Our leader, an Uchiha, trapped Akla in the tsukuyomi. We thought we had won. I moved in to take the final blow when chakra erupted from Akla. I barely had time to save myself, and so I could not grab my leader. Whatever it was, Akla had grown more powerful after he broke the Genjutsu.

All of us were drained of Chakra, it was Hashori that held Akla off while our medical support fixed our chakra. Without him, we would he all been killed.

I know that our leader’s tsukuyomi could not have been consciously countered. Whatever protects Akla, it is not his cunning mind.”



The beetles eat the chakra. The smell of preservatives fills the room and Commander Roarer spits out his chew stick. “Ughh, I thought I told you to open that elsewhere.”

It made sense why that one came. Roarer hadn't thought about tracking Akla. “If you send them Northeast, you might pick up his trail.”

[Darkstorm]

Gina thinks the situation through, as she pictures the team and ways of dealing with it in his head.

The metal around her starts moving from the excitment and a smile creeps into her mouth.

"All right we have part of a plan at least" she says.

She starts thinking on what she heard of any of these ninjas.


What she remembers about this:
Ninja [roll0]
Tactics [roll1]
Jutsu [roll2]

[LimSindull]

The chakra in the room is livid. Many of the ninja in it are showing higher than normal levels. Roarer’s Chakra is calm, and it doesn’t match the small amount that was on the tongue. The village outside is erupting in small amounts of chakra, the festival has people in all kinds of moods, and the mud seems to glow with a soft sense of chakra.

Leaving the main part of the village, the chakra dies down. There is a faint trace of it in the ground, but it is nothing that draws attention. The insects make it to the outskirts of town in their sweep and see nothing of interest.it seems that Akla has not been here.

A figure appears at the outskirts from the Northeast of the village! It’s a large woman who's chakra is broken. It flows too rapidly in some spots, and stops at the appendages. One appendage shows an enormous amount of chakra, but it doesn't match hers. It's a large streak that draws your insects, it is Akla’s chakra!

[NineOfSpades]

Splitting her mind between the surveying insects and the meeting going on around her was a task that at one time had been immensely difficult. It had taken countless hours of practice to learn the technique, and many more spent in the field working on refining it. Now however, it was no more a strain on her than holding two separate objects, one in each hand. So she was there, in the chamber, listing as plans were drawn and theories were discussed, but she was also above the fair, flying as a mass of barely noticeable black specks suspended against the sky, her multifaceted eyes viewing the town as it celebrated, while every smell and sense of chakra was amplified a million times above what her own human senses could provided.

Hibiki didn't expect to find anything. Akla was unlikely to arrive at a festival, and truth be told, it was her hope that he was nowhere near the village. Seeing the entire celebration at once made her feel intimately connected to these people, and if Akla were to arrive, it would likely mean nothing but strife upon them. She hoped that the coming conflict would take place far outside the boarders, where the collateral damage from Akla's screams could be mitigated.

She was growing ready to call her scouts back when the sense hit her. Akla's chakra was radiating from the edge of the town. Her stomach tightened a bit as emotions battled within her. Suprise, of course, but there was also concern and anxiety, mixed with excitement and the stirrings of a deeper anger. Akla was within her reach now, but he was also within reach of a great number of bystanders. Decisive action was needed.

"Contact: Village's edge, Northwest" Hibiki relayed, speaking with a greater firmness to make sure she was heard. "Female Target, large in stature. Signs of physical abnormalities suggesting some sort of external modification or grafting. In addition to her own chakra, there is defiantly Akla's as well. I'm currently monitoring her movements". Hibiki gave a quick description of what she was seeing, as well as a more precise map of where this strange woman was located. Her tone was matter-of-fact and brief, though she did struggle slightly when attempting to translate the non-visual information that she was receiving in a way that could be easily understood by those without the same sensory palette. When she finished, she added "I suggest we move to intercept. If she gets any closer, then she'll be in a position to attack the festival before we arrive, and if she gets much farther, she'll move outside my range for direct observation". Hibiki's face might not have shown it, but anyone looking could see she was eager to move. Other than the small number released on the scouting mission, Hibiki had not shown any of her beetles. Now, however, they were beginning to move, crawling out from under her coat and along her body, stirring in greater numbers as they anticipated their next feasting. As an afterthought, she added "Sorry, I interrupted...that was rude."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"He had said you were friends, and he mentioned fighting Akla in the past, but he didn't say specifically that you were involved," Keiran replied, with just a hint of a smile cracking through his features as Roarer described the fight. Yeah, that sounded like Master Hashori.

It also sounded like he had indeed been affected by the genjutsu and broke it, so hopefully he'd have some tricks to play.

He might have asked more, but the woman who had sent the bugs out (now that was a new one) reported contact. Through the bugs...? Handy. A flick of a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as she apologized for interrupting. "Agreed," he replied, giving a respectful bow to Captain Roarer and heading for the door.

I didn't want to just jump all the way there in case anyone has preparations or anything they want to make, but if everyone's good to go I am. As we get closer, I'll keep to as much cover as possible, using Stealth to complete the approach at [roll0].

Perception in case there are any other hidden threats. I'll Routine the first check for 28, and for any that's not high enough to detect, my Second Chance roll is at [roll1]. Various Senses apply, the most important probably being Extended Radius Vision, Vision Counters Concealment (Darkness), Vision Counters Illusion, Extended Accurate Hearing, Hearing Counters Concealment (Background Noise), and Hearing Penetrates Concealment (Limited to only going around obstacles, not straight through them). If I do detect any other potential threats, that may alter my approach.

[Darkstorm]

"Let's go them and find this woman" says Gina as she starts moving her hands and activating her jutsus - the metal around her armor melts into her flesh and in the inside her blood heats, as a massive amount of fire chakra is moved in her inside.

The sensation is familiar as refreshing. The fire within clashes with the calm she feels and her fast movements in rithym with the beat of her heart.

"This is going to be fun." she says as she vanishes - her movements faster than the eye can follow.


Gina will activate the Blood of steel and Boiling Blood.
Then she will activate the Outer armor and the heat vision that counters illusion and concealement in 1000 mts.
Them teleport move towards the place Hibiki pointed.

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: A Overstimulated TBH | HP: 1

Kyori smiles as Hibiki introduces themself.

Kyori. But my friends call me Kan-chan.

She offers her hand to shake, but then roughly a thousand beetles swarm their body and fly off, and she can't help but shudder until they leave.

They get a lead very quickly, though, and one of her squadmates seems way too eager to follow it, teleporting away with a nearly wasteful burst of chakra. Luckily she was far enough away that it didn't affect her too much.

She mutters a curse under her breath and speaks up as the rest of the group follow.
"Okay, in the future anyone who wants to do some flashy nonsense like that needs to give me some kind of warning unless they want me going blind or deaf or... whatever they call not being able to taste or smell... in the middle of a fight or something."

On the way there, she settles in pace near Hibiki.

"Hey, Biki-San, I just to clear something up, that whole reaction back in the office wasn't an 'I think bugs are creepy' kind of response, I just literally heard all of them at once. Imagine there was a thousand people whispering nonsense in your left ear at the same time; it was just really disconcerting, you know?

[LimSindull]

The team rushes out of the room, barely able to hear Roarer start yelling orders to people outside of the room. The team moves past the festival. Sprays of mud are flying into the air and it’s difficult to dodge the hand tossed rainbows.

The crowd is ignorant to the approaching danger and their spirits remain high. The festival stretches out and engulfs the village. People from many lands laugh and dance together.

In contrast, towards the edge of the village, the woman moves closer, and the beetles get a better view. The reason her chakra is interrupted at her arms is that they ate badly mangled. The tears in them reach the bone. Blood pours out from her wounds.

As you approach her, the woman's voice cuts in like a shrill howl. The pain she feels is unimaginable. As you all approach the adrenaline in her body gives and she falls to her knees. “The… the… others. Please!”

She falls forward. Akla’s chakra slowly leaves her body out of the wounds. Her own chakra begins to fade. Behind you, the woman from earlier approaches, “I am Yuki.” Her mood has soured from your earlier engagement. “She’s a lumberer that lives on the outskirts of the village.” Yuki points the way down a forest path, to her knees and begins focusing her own chakra through her hands. Slowly, the woman begins to breath again.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran stepped out of cover when it was evident that there were no threats. His jaw tightened with anger as it became clear exactly what had happened. Such needless violence.

Yuki fortunately seemed to have caring for the injured woman in hand. Keiran nodded to her gratefully, not wasting time with discussion. All he said was a quiet, "We'll save them," to the injured woman, although he wasn't even certain she could hear him, before heading towards the woods. As deep as her injuries had been, she would almost certainly have left a clear trail on the way here. With any luck, they could follow it straight to Akla.

Routine Perception for 28 to follow her trail with Tracking. I'm not entirely sure but it seems sensible that his Quickness 6 might be sufficient to negate the speed penalty for tracking, since he wouldn't have to actually spend any appreciable time looking for the trail. Not that it likely makes a practical difference either way, really.

[Darkstorm]

"Is she going to be alright?" Gina asks looking into Yuki's eyes.

If Yuki looked back, she could see the raging fire in Gina's own. Literal flames, that grew as her anger for Akla grew. In her state, she was more open to emotions. Her rage was deeper, her sorrow darker.

She follows Keiran her heat vision, distorting colors into a miriad of lights and patterns, a kaleidoscope of heat and cold, atentively looking for any sight of danger or Akla himself.

[LimSindull]

“Thank you.” Yuki replies. The woman remains unconscious and requires all of Yuki’s attention. She neither looks up or offers any other words of encouragement.

The blood trail is worrisome and easily followed. This trail twists and winds its way through the forest. The trees are thick as you go deeper through the woods.in clearings you can see replanted trees slowly growing. They will grow to replenish the destroyed parts of the forest.

The smell of water hits and then the sound of running water follows.. On the wind is a faint smell of soap. The chakra in the earth begins to to glow slightly brighter and the blood trail grows stronger. Akla’s Chakra is slowly fading from it.

Around the bend there is a bridge that crosses the river. Some might call it a stream. A man stands in the water and uses the bridge to dry his coat and shirt. His red hair is covered in soap and he dips his head under the water. His brown eyes are bright and there is a smile on his face.

He puts on his dark shirt and lighter overcoat. He climbs up onto the bridge and looks up to a break in the leaves overhead. His hair and clothes rapidly dry.

His chakra is swirling around him. This is Akla, very calm and composed, and clean.

[Darkstorm]

Gina whispers "I'll be the bait, circle him." as she hoped the others would retain stealth to strike in advantage if things went south.

She waits for a second and then jumps and lands in the begining of the bridge facing the figure "Hello sir. Are you the famous Akla?" - blunt, simple but enabling the others to circle and prevent him from escaping.

[LimSindull]

Akla smiles and turns his whole body towards Gina. “Hello madam. I am pleased to inform you that I am Akla, though I would never call myself famous. What could I do for an individual such as yourself.?” He bows quickly and politely.

[Quellian-dyrae]

As soon as Keiran sensed they were coming up on another individual, he alerted the rest of the team with some quick hand signs and took to the shadows, fanning out to approach with stealth. As Gina stepped out, he made a quick scan of the area in case of other potential threats, before taking a moment to study Akla, trying to get a sense of his fighting style from the way he carried himself.

Something wasn't right here. He was too calm, too composed.

Approaching with Stealth at [roll0], although I'm also staying at something of a distance, some 150' back if possible. With my Extended senses that won't hamper me too much, but it should impose a pretty stiff distance penalty on those without them.

As before, Routine Perception for 27 (after -1 for distance) to detect hidden threats, with a Second Chance of [roll1].

Insight to Evaluate Akla at [roll2], see if I can pick up on anything weird.

I'm also going to use Assessment on him, and see what my Detect Jutsus sense can tell me.

Although if combat is beginning imminently, Initiative: [roll3].

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: Wary but Determined | HP: 1

Her good mood had been soured at the sight of the severely injured woman, but it had made her put her "business" face on as they tracked down the perpetrator.

To find him washing his hair was... odd, but to flank him was as good a plan as any. She probably would have been better to approach him, but then again, she wasn't in the mood to improvise.

Taking a second to get her bearings, she starts softly humming along with the ambient Chakra in the forest, regulating the flow and frequency of her own chakra until it matches, virtually indistinguishable- if there were any allies, they'd be hard-pressed to sense her presence. Then she nestles behind a rock, Transforming her own clothing to match its colors. Finally, she pushes her senses out to see if there are any others in the area

So that's a Transformation "Jutsu" with a Stealth Roll of [roll0] and then a Perception roll at -4 to look for any other presences within... Whatever distance that's supposed to grant [roll1]

[NineOfSpades]

Hibiki didn't really have a great sense of how to react to Kyori. That is to say, she handled the introductions fine, albiet a bit stiff. Hibiki was not a very social person, and was used to avoiding the spotlight and direct interactions, especially one on one. Shy might not be the exact right word for it, but certainly uncomfortable when it came to opening up. Kyori seemed to be like a blast of sunlight to the face, by comparison, and the best Hibiki could manage for most of the trip was silence punctuated by occasionally opening her mouth to speak, losing her nerve, and then more silence. Kyori continued to confide in her though, offering a verbal walkback on her reaction to the bugs and an explanation. The concept of 'hearing' thousands of bugs at once was, and it being distressing, actually managed to get a small reaction from Hibiki, who's eyebrow momentarily raised above the rim of her glasses in confusion. Going back as far as she could remember, and indeed even further still, Hibiki had been aware of her companion swarm. It wasn't something that she needed to think about, anymore than she gave attention to her liver. Her connection to them...it wasn't hearing, but it was an awareness. She could tell how many were in her at any moment, all quietly resting dormant and feeding on her Chakra. When she sent them out to scout, as she was doing now, her senses were split between them. She saw with hundreds of eyes, and heard with hundreds of ears. So adding a few more was something trivial, or so it seemed. Kyori, however, clearly had been distressed by it.

After a pause, one that stretched a bit to long to be comfortable, Hibiki gave a small nod "That...sounds difficult", she said as empathetically as she could manage. Though, as she gave it more thought, if she were to suddenly loose the sensation of her beetles, which had been with her for her entire life...well, it made her shudder a little to picture how that would feel. Perhaps then, Hibiki thought, that was what it was like for Kyori.

Arriving at the woman, Hibiki was actually suprised to see how bad a shape she was in, it made her stomach churn. She was no stranger to blood, but it never got easier to look at someone suffering. They attented to her as best they could, before returning to the trail, which in turn lead them to Akla.

The screamer was not what Hibiki had expected. He was calm, clean, and seemed at peace. Quite at odds with an individual who had seemingly ripped of a womans arm not an hour before. With their target found, Hibiki called her insects back, no longer needing to rely on them for her senses and better freeing herself up to act. "Maybe he'll come quietly" She said, mostly in a whisper, and not directed at anyone. It wasn't a hope she held much sincere belief in.


Setting a trigger for my insect clone technique

[LimSindull]

Akla appears to be alone on the bridge. His full attention remains on Gina. He seems calm and composed, and fully giving himself to the moment. He makes no move or look towards any of the surrounding Ninja.

The wind around him whips wildly in directions. It is a heavy contrast to his body movements. He seems to be under complete control of every gesture, but the chakra surrounding him is wild and aggressive.

The wind, his wind, lashes at the river when he speaks. While it seems to be leashed to him, it acts like a wild dog, running this way and that.

Keiran can’t place the strangeness at first, but then it becomes clear. Gates. Akla’s chakra is behaving in the pattern that someone would act if a few of their Chakra gates were open. He however is not screaming in pain as anyone would. From here, it is obvious the he uses wind, but the way it whips around and pulls the water nearby shows that he could use the water in his style with ease. His attacks will most likely be wild and unfocused

[Darkstorm]

"Perhaps" says Gina "The most correct sentence would be "The infamous" Akla."

"I think my doubts lie in the subject of "why". Why are you killing entire villages"

[LimSindull]

"Perhaps" says Gina "The most correct sentence would be "The infamous" Akla."

Akla frowns and straightens up his coat. “I merely meant that most people haven’t heard of me. I am rather surprised that you have. What exactly have you heard?”


"I think my doubts lie in the subject of "why". Why are you killing entire villages"

Akla scoffs, “Ma’am I have not killed an entire village. First, a village has no life to end, and more importantly, I need people alive, so murdering them does me no good.”

Akla walks backwards towards the other side of the bridge. “I see your excitement is towards those that I have made examples. There is a necessity in that. A great warlord offered many settlements to join and keep their ways or burn them to the ground. I am offering a similar deal. It is very practical and saves many from choosing wrong. I will not kill needlessly.”

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran waited in the shadows of the trees, watching and listening with his heightened senses. He didn't move yet; the other ninja (it occurred to him they hadn't really had the opportunity for introductions) was the one in harm's way. He'd await her signal to strike. In the meantime, perhaps she could get some information out of Akla.

He sniffed at Akla's reply. If he honestly believed he hadn't already killed needlessly, then there was something wrong with-

Hm. That was a good question, actually. Keiran went back over that answer, the tone he had taken, his body language as he spoke. Did he honestly believe that? Akla looked supremely confident and quietly ready for a fight, but it wasn't impossible that he was stalling for time.

Insight to Evaluate Akla's reply, trying to see if he honestly believes what he's saying or if he's trying to deceive or manipulate Gina. [roll0], with a Second Chance of [roll1] for purposes of detecting lies.

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: Normal | HP: 1

She doesn't like this. The way Akla's chakra stirs with unshown strength. She isn't thrilled to provide backup, either, but comes up with a solution.

She alters her transformation slightly to appear taller and bulkier, and also replacing her Stone Village headband with a kabuki mask marked with the symbol for the Village of Sand. Then creates a clone from the ground that mimics her altered appearance. It makes its way to the underside of the bridge.

Another Transformation "Jutsu" into "Hunter Ninja from the Sand Village", creating an Earth Clone, which is using Wall Walk and a Stealth roll [roll0] to get on the underside of the bridge.
Kyori prepares to attack Akla with a Kunai if he attacks Gina.

[Darkstorm]

"And what is the choice you give them? To serve you?" asks Gina looking calm and quiet "or do you have a master you serve?"

[LimSindull]

"And what is the choice you give them? To serve you?" asks Gina looking calm and quiet "or do you have a master you serve?"

Akla smiles at Gina, “There are those who serve, and those who rule. Shinobi belong to the ruling class. We are better than these peasants.”


She alters her transformation slightly to appear taller and bulkier, and also replacing her Stone Village headband with a kabuki mask marked with the symbol for the Village of Sand. Then creates a clone from the ground that mimics her altered appearance. It makes its way to the underside of the bridge.

Akla shifts his eyes back and forth. His stance widens and he whirls his coat off of his body, catches it, and folds it. He places it on the ground and says, “So, you don’t come alone. Shinobi of many villages come before me. Now I see your intent. You are slaves shackled to the peasants that we rightfully rule.”

He straightens back up and speaks again, “I will offer you the chance to join me. Without guidance, these people will do horrible things. They have no class, no pride in who they are! They merely seek out a meager existence with no meaning. Help me stop their atrocities. Take your place as a ruler who will guide these nothings into a better age.”

[Darkstorm]

In a way, to Gina, his words made sense. People without guidance were... reactive. Easily scared.

She thought for a second on herself as a leader, a ruler, helping them, turning them into something better, into a more civilized... It did make sense. In a way. His words were hard to counter.

In the back of her mind, a strange voice mutters something.


Roll [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

While even Keiran couldn't actually sense Akla using a jutsu, he could definitely feel its effects as it tried to alter his perceptions. Fortunately, Keiran had plenty of experience with Genjutsu, and was able to throw it off.

That changed the equation. Akla was already attacking, and his allies may not even be aware of it. No more time to wait. He still wasn't entirely sure how effective his Genjutsus would be against the reincarnated ninja, but even if the only thing he did was alert the team, it would be a win.

Fast and quiet, Keiran sprang for Akla's back, lashing out with a powerful flying bicycle kick in hopes of catching the air-manipulator off his guard. But the physical force of the attack, while significant, was only part of the threat it presented; if he landed the attack, while everyone else would hear the normal thwacking sound of boot against flesh, to Akla every impact would sound like a clap of thunder had detonated all around him!

"He's using Genjutsu and has his chakra gates open! Go, go!" Keiran shouted, as he landed in a ready stance.

Move: Into Close range of Akla.

Standard: Attack Akla with Shatter the Ears at [roll0]. On a hit, Toughness DC 23+Multiattack vs. [Physical] Damage, Fortitude DC 18+Multiattack vs. [Genjutsu] [Auditory] [Sonic] Vulnerable/Stunned Affliction. [b]Not likely, unless maybe by some miracle he's Vulnerable from prior Stealth.

Current Status: Normal.

[LimSindull]

Akla’s head turns ever so slightly as Keiran flies at him. Too late! Kieran’s blow lands solidly on Akla’s head, back, and neck. He walks forward from the blow and turns around. His eyes are wide and the confusion in them is followed by a shaking of his head.

Akla puts his head to his temples and looks back and forth between Gina and Keiran.

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: On the Attack | HP: 1 VP: 3

Well, there ascends the jig. Time to move.

She sheds her disguise and charges underneath the bridge, leaping at Akla's exposed back to strike at his blind spot with her podao.

Movement with Water Walk, then Athletics [roll0]to jump up there, and then a melee attack [roll1] with Podao.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran's attack seemed like it...might have had some degree of effect? Or maybe not? Well, regardless, best move against an opponent this strong was to maintain an aggressive assault. Keiran made a hand-seal, and Akla's tongue would suddenly be coated with a vile taste, which would hopefully cause him to gag or cough - for long enough for Keiran to slip a potent debilitative poison into his mouth.

As soon as he did that, he leaped away, a single spring carrying him about twenty-five yards back and left, in an effort to prevent Akla from catching too many of them in a single area attack.

I'm not...entirely sure what my prior attack did from the description. I feel like it was either completely resisted but he was kinda surprised to be attacked from behind, or it landed a Bruised+Dazed and Stunned result, but he won initiative and recovered from the Stun at the end of his turn. Or I could just be wildly off. In any case!

Standard: Attack Akla with Distract the Mouth at [roll0]. On a hit, Fortitude DC 18, or all of his defenses (Dodge, Parry, Toughness, Fortitude, and Will) are reduced by one point each per point he fails by, recovering one point each per round.

Move: 75' back and left.

Current Status: Normal.

[Darkstorm]

The rage inside her burns as hot as her blood.

"Sneaky?" she moves fast pumping fire chakra into her fists, making the metal there start to heat. She strikes as hard as she cans pumping that chakra into the body of Akla.


She'll use all out attack on molten fists (+4 on attack) - her attack has incurable, and improved critical 4 (16+ crit) - she'll use it to increase effect, DC 23 to resist
Attack [roll0]

For reference
Molten-Fists: strength based damage 2, linked Affliction 10 (Fatigued, Exhausted, Incapacitated), improve critical 4, affects insubstantial 1, Quirk: has to have boiling blood activated
Boiling blood adds incurable

[NineOfSpades]

A full on battle erupted in front of her, but Hibiki's biggest concern was less about the outcome and more about the stakes. She needed to converse with Akla, in a setting where she could be confident that he'd give her truthful answers. She also needed to him before his ambitions of becoming a full blown warlord were realized. With a full squad assembled, she was confidant that he could be defeated. Whether he would survive the confrontation was more in question.

Without any movmenet on her part, a black cloud erupted from where Hibiki stood, twisting and swirling through the air, the droning buzz of the Kikaichū becoming a backround hum to the babbling brook. The swarm split and flowed, breaking off into branches only to rejoin moments later as it closed in on Akla. That was Hibiki's victory condition, landing a swarm upon Akla. From there, as her insects feasted on his chakra, he'd be too weak to resist, and then she could get her answers.



Status: Unhrmed
Hero Points: 3

Hibiki is hanging back from the conflict and keeping her distance, letting her swarm go to work.

Move action to feint as a rushed action (-5 penalty), using the swarms ability to split up and attack from multiple directions to box Akla in and catch one of his flanks

Deception Roll
[roll0]

On Success, Akla is Vulnerable against Hibiki's Attack.

Standard Action: Attacking with Kikaichū.

Ranged Attack roll
[roll1]+2 favored enviroment

If The attack hits:
DC 23 Toughness Vs Damage
DC 17 Fortitude vs Affliction (Impaired/Disabled/Powerless)

If The Attack Misses:
Homing 6, attack will attempt again Next turn.

[LimSindull]

Kyori leaps onto the bridge and connects her Padao to the side of Akla’s head. He stumbles towards Gina and turns around.

That’s when Keiran lunges forward and traps his poison in Akla’s mouth. He jumps back and sees Akla spew the poison out. It had been so close to taking effect.

Gina lashes out, locking Akla’s shoulders with her metal fist. The impacts are craters in his skin and he howls in pain at the attacks.

Hibiki’s bugs have no trouble racing to and latching onto Akla’s energy. However, they feed happily without a noticeable impact on his chakra levels.

Akla begins to move again, his eyes unfog and he quits holding his head. His feet and arms spread out in different directions and he drops to a lower stance.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran darted back in as Akla seemed to get his wits together again. He might be better prepared this time, but no sense in not giving it another try. The best way to deal with an opponent as powerful as Akla was to keep him from fighting back as much as possible. He rushed past Akla with a flurry of rapid strikes, attacking on the move and continuing past. Once again, to Akla's ears, every blow would come with a deafening, disorienting crash of thunder.

Move: Into Close range of Akla.

Standard: Attack Akla with Shatter the Ears at [roll0]. On a hit, Toughness DC 23+Multiattack vs. Damage, Fortitude DC 18+Multiattack vs. Vulnerable/Stunned Affliction. ...Okay, thinking it might be time to swap to Inflame the Skin.

Move-by Action: 75' ahead and right.

Current Status: Normal.

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: Fightin' | HP: 1 VP: 3

Akla was still somewhat reeling, though even taking several direct hits didn't put him down. He probably wouldn't get a chance to do big Jutsu if everyone stayed on him, but she still wants to get clear.

She flares her chakra to signal her clone, and then swings the butt of her weapon at Akla's knees in an attempt to knock him off of his feet, then leaps away. At the same time, her clone enters the fray, landing on the surface of the river and reaching into the cloned facsimile of her sash to pull out a marked Kunai and hurling it at him. In flight, it emits a puff of smoke, taking its true form as a thick metal net with a Kunai at each corner.

Kyori attempts to Trip Akla and then runs along the river for the rest of her movement allows.
Trip Attack Roll: [roll0]
Acrobatics Roll vs. Akla's Athletics (Improved Trip): [roll1]
Clone's attack with Weighted Net: [roll2]

Basically Kyori and her clone should end up on opposite sides of the bridge.

[LimSindull]

Kyori swings at Akla’s knees and hits, however, the ninja flows with the hit and spins to land back on his feet. That’s when Kyori clone throws the net. A perfectly executed strategy lands the net directly on Akla. A blast of energy flares from Akla and he rolls out of the nets way at the last moment.

Keiran charges in as well! Akla is moving and gathers himself from the last attack. He manages to strafe and dodge Kieran’s attacks.

[NineOfSpades]

Hibiki's insect swarmed about her body, and acted as a platform for the ninja of the hidden leaf. Alone, they might have been physically unimpressive, but in mass, they possessed enough strength to carry her aloft. In doing so, she quickly relocated to a tree branch several dozen feet above the forest floor, where she could better survey the progressing melee. Meanwhile, her beetles continued to flow out and attack at their target, an engulfing black wave of buzzing, hungry mouths.



More Bugs. MOAR!

Attacking with Kikaichū: Parasitic Insect Destruction Technique, power attacking this time for -4.

Ranged Attack Roll: [roll0]

If hit, Fortitude DC 21 vs Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless, then a DC 27 Toughness Vs Damage.

If it misses, swarm will attempt to attack again next turn via Homing.

[LimSindull]

The blast of energy around Akla keeps the bugs at bay, slinging those that come near away.

[LimSindull]

Gina continues to attack Akla

[roll0]

[LimSindull]

Akla moves swiftly around Gina’s attacks. “This fight is highly unfair, you should present yourselves one at a time like noble warriors.”

His words slip into the ears of those around him, then he launches forward, lashing back at Gina!

Akla strikes true and currents of air rip across Gina as Akla connects with his fist.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran raised an eyebrow when Akla spoke. While he recognized that his words were being backed up by a jutsu and meant more as a compulsion than an argument, it was still just...

"Dude...ninjas."

I mean, seriously. Honorable warriors. Please.

Fair fights were for corpses.

The others seemed to be handling the melee well enough, so Keiran hung back for now, making a hand-seal and focusing his chakra energy. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Akla would feel a powerful blow hammer him in the back of his head! But nobody was there!

Move: Nah.

Standard: Inflame the Skin on Akla, since my dice seem to hate me. Perception range attack. Toughness DC 23 vs. Damage. This effect is Incurable (since it's not really causing injury, it just feels like it).

Current Status: Normal.

[NineOfSpades]

Hibiki, being far enough away to avoid the direct impact of Akla's hypnotic voice, was grateful to see her companions were able to resist the influence and remain in control of themselves. As for her own efforts, Akla had thus far managed to evade her attacks, though her swarm remained on offense and so long as she kept the pressure on, could still incapacitate him. As such, that was what she endeavored to do. A new swarm emerged from her. While her beetles were black and smokelike, this one was made of several dozen larger, hornet like bugs, though white as snow. They darted through the trees towards Akla.

As he complained about fairness, surely he would understand that turnabout was fair play. Perhaps he would appriciate the irony in the few moments he had before the paracitic wasps enslaved his thoughts.



Attacking with Saikaichū: Parasite Insect Possession Technique

Attack roll: [roll0] Multiattack

If hit, DC 18 Will Vs Entranced/Compelled/Controlled (Progressive).

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: On the Attack | HP: 1 VP: 3

Well, she's definitely not about to get into close range against that. Or, at least, she doesn't plan on staying in close range.

She keys her senses in on Akla's chakra signature until she can hear its melody over everyone else's (and the bugs'. Especially the bugs'). Then she surges forward, almost as if to strike at him again with her weapon, but instead she stops directly in front of him and slams her fists together.

A surge of chakra bursts from her skin, keyed in at a frequency designed to mess with Akla's system alone. Because she, at least, was considerate of how others might feel about being bombarded by foreign chakra, thankyouverymuch.

Then she holds her hand out as her clone races over to grab it, tossing her back out over the water. Not the preferred exit strategy, but she tries to roll with it.

So that's a Movement into range, unleashing Chakra Disruption, which is a DC 21 Will effect. And it's selective, so it'll only affect Akla.
The clone is going to move, grab Kyori (Kyori doesn't make any opposed check) and then throw her back out onto the water. With Strength 1, it should throw her anywhere from 15 to 30 feet away. It Will either poof itself or suffers Fatigue from its second action.
Kyori then uses Acrobatics to recover from being thrown and land back on her feet [roll0]

[LimSindull]

Gina will continue to attack.

[roll0]

[LimSindull]

Kyori releases the chakra blast at Akla, it calms the wind around him, but his chakra slowly begins to build back up. This distracts her as she performs a complex maneuver with her clone. The river is slick with mud and clay where she lands, and she catches herself before fully submerging.

Kieran finishes his hand signals and Akla stumbles forward from an unseen blow to the back of his head. He puts his hand to his head and draws it back and wipes it on his robes, however nothing comes off it.

Bugs swarm around Akla, again the majority are pushed away and the few that land feed happily with no notice from Akla. However, larger white bugs are able to make it through the calm in the wind and land on Akla. He stands up straight and relaxes.

Gina leaps forward and lashes out at Akla. He manages to raise his arm to block the attack too late. Again Gina’s attack leaves marks in his flesh.

[LimSindull]

Akla covers his ears and closes his eyes. Aburame's white bugs have all planted themselves into Akla and are pulsing.

[NineOfSpades]

"He is subdued for now, do everything you can to restrain him" Hibiki shouted after she felt the connection to the queen bee through the drones, the parasitic hooks overriding Akla's own nervous system.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran took a moment to kinda eye Akla as he just...surrendered. And the white bugs that are pulsing on him. That was...unsettling. But Hibiki didn't sound certain how long it would last. So Keiran took the opportunity to teleport a debilitating concoction into his mouth, distracting his tongue with a sweet taste to try to keep him from spitting it out. Hopefully that would help ensure he couldn't muster the strength to break free.

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: Really Hoping Nobody Saw That| HP: 1 VP: 3

Well, so much for looking cool. Kyori picks herself up from the surface of the river and tosses out another net Kunai.

[LimSindull]

Keiran plants his poison and sees Akla swallow it, the fees take hold, though he doesn't drop.

Kyori's net easily falls over the still body of Akla.

Hibiki’s swarm lands on Akla and really begins to feed. She can tell that they are only eating his flesh and his chakra has withstood their hunger.

There's a moment where you can all see the bugs feeding, the net hanging over him and a little bit of blood trickle from Akla's mouth. He looks a bit ridiculous and beaten. As the bugs continue to eat there is a change in his chakra.

The flow in Akla changes. The small amount moving through his gates flood open as his fourth chakra gate opens.

Energy explodes outward from Akla. Wind whips up and blood pours our of his mouth. The shock wave is intense and the wind is violent.

An are of 75ft around Akla must make a Dodge save DC 20 to half the DC 19 toughness.

[NineOfSpades]

Hibiki was disheartened to see that her insects were having trouble eating enough of Akla's chakra to meaningfully impact his fighting ability. Just how much deep of a reserve of energy did Akla have? The answer came almost as soon as Hibiki finished thinking the question, with a tremendous outpouring of energy erupted forth from Akla. This was not good.

Sending forth more of her insects, Hibiki hoped that now she would be better able to drain Akla's chakra, on the belief that since he was more readily expending it, it would be easier to tap and drain than when he was keeping the majority of his strength shielded. She also still had her parasitic wasps, which might yet seal a hold on his higher functions and render him defeated. Multiple routes to the same end.



More bugs.

Kikaichū: Parasitic Insect Destruction Technique

Ranged Attack roll: [roll0]

If Hit, DC 23 toughness Vs Damage, and DC 17 Fort vs Impaired/Disabled/Transformed To Powerless.

[LimSindull]

Gina lashes out again,

[roll0]

[LimSindull]

Akla was now almost covered in insects, his scream was off, blood flooded out of his mouth. He charges Gina with new speed and strength.

[roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Keiran was taken just slightly off-guard by the sudden blast, but he rolled with it and came up unharmed. Even so, the last thing they needed was for Akla to come at them again with increased power. He reached out for the murderous ninja again, attempting to make a hand-seal directly onto his chest.

Genjutsu was an incredibly flexible skill. You might not think it at first. At the end of the day, it was just illusion, creating false impressions. Something that could be used to good effect by a creative mind, of course, but not necessarily what one would consider particularly versatile.

But then, perception was everything. Literally. Every aspect of our reality is defined by what we perceive, and not just with our eyes and ears. Oh, sure, Keiran could make people see things, hear things, and used well that could influence them in any number of ways. But he could just as easily change what they smell, what they taste. And what they feel.

When most people thought about illusion, their minds first when to visual images, hologram-like constructs of light. But the most powerful sense in our lives wasn't necessarily vision. Vision told us what was in front of us, not what was within us.

Emotion was perception. There was no sense more important, no sense that could be better manipulated to influence a person's actions and behavior, than the sense of self.

Keiran reached out for Akla, and cast an illusion of passive calm directly into his heart, to hide whatever anger, or hatred, or fear, or exhilaration he might be feeling as surely as most ninja could hide their bodies behind a veil of invisibility.

(Then he darted back into hiding, just in case Akla's heightened power was enough to throw off their own. Because, you know, still a ninja.)

Standard: Attack Akla with Unleash the Heart, Variable Descriptor: Calm, All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5, at [roll0]. On a hit, Will DC 23 vs. Cumulative Vulnerable/Compelled/Controlled (this might cumulate with Hibiki's Affliction, not sure how you run multiple Cumulative Afflictions). This attack carries a Secondary Effect, and is Limited to one command: Surrender. Vulnerable can be ignored in any round that at least a move action is spent in accordance with that command. It's Contagious if he ends up Compelled or Controlled, but I'm gonna use Precise to basically shrink down the parts of him that are Contagious to just over his heart, so as long as nobody specifically touches him there it won't matter.

Move: About 90' away and into hiding. Stealth: [roll1].

Current Status: Normal, -5 Defense this turn.

[John Cribati]

Kyori Kanjiro Status: Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope! | HP: 1 VP: 3

Kyori was no stranger to melee combat. She knew when she was outclassed. And if the overwhelming strength of whatever chakra gate he'd just opened wasn't enough of a deterrent, his chakra is loud enough to almost give her a headache from where she's standing.

She wants no part of that.

Thankfully, she doesn't have to be.

Her clone is still alive. Well, it won't be anymore.

She gestures toward her clone, and it unleashes, almost unwillingly, a burst of chakra the same frequency as the one she'd used against Akla. It's a bit weaker than a real one, but it's something. She feels more than heard the clone disperse as the chakra holding it together vanishes.

She then rushes to hide along the rocks, creating another clone as she does.

Yeah, it's the tactical equivalent of a hammer, but Akla is starting to look a lot like a nail.

Clone is going to Chakra Burst, DC21 Will save to avoid Damage. It disperses.

Kyori moves to shore, slightly away from Akla, used Transformation "Jutsu" and then Stealths to hide: [roll0]