Starring:
Date: September 28, 2013
Summary:
Katsurou takes Aishio out to the Kirigakure wilds to test her skills in order to become a Genin
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Aishio's Test"
Kirigakure Blood Marsh
Katsurou cautiously walks through the mist that blankets the mossy floor for the swamp. It has been almost a decade since he was in this area last. It has changed a lot since he was young. Even the the smell seemed a bit more…harsh. Everything about this area gave the Shirayuki a bad feeling. He couldnt help but to be a little tense as they traveled through the marsh. He just wanted to find a target for Aishio to take down, then get out of there. Something didnt feel right.
The jounin that was accompanying them earlier had went on up ahead to scout. Katsurou could tell that the jounin wasnt particular fond of him. He could only assume it was because of the whole spy/traitor thing. He was glad to have that double life put behind him and start making a better name for himself. Starting with raising a prized student. He looks over at Aishio to see how she is taking the situation.
Good news! Aishio has been here, on a few occasions, honestly lucky to still be alive as it wasn't as if she had some supervision, just her and some other kids her age. Of course, one eventually got attacked, lost an arm… or was it a leg. "Mmmm, maybe both." Aishio was handling the situation just fine it seemed, as she was quite happy with this whole tree walking thing, never having this before now she didn't have to touch the Marsh at all!
"Sooo, what are we looking for exactly anyway, Capo?" She'd flip from tree to tree, making use of both atleticism and chakra control just to have fun at the moment, though hopefully that sort of ability will show in combat. "Cause um, we usually watch from far away, you seriously think I can beat up one of the things in here? I heard in the Chuunin Exams, it took a bunch of people just to kill one lizard thing. Then again, I heard it was a super huge mutant thing. I wonder if it was raised by ninja to be freaky strong. Like those dog ninja in Konoha? Those dogs get huuuuuuge."
You see, she was aware of danger in this area. Though the new confidence with being picked up as an apprentice and being shot to the exam made her extra confident, her friend may of lost a limb but… that was before they knew much ninja techniques. No problems for her!
Katsurou watches Aishio leap about as she utilizes her tree walking ability. He didnt mind that she was actively moving about like a hyper kid. The more practice she got with it, the better. "Yes, I had heard the same thing. I did not personally meet this mutant lizard but I am sure it took a lot of effort to take down. You are right about the ninja dogs in Konoha. They belong to a clan known as the Inuzuka. You will get a chance to meet a few of them first hand. I know a few members of the clan personally. They are friendly people." Katsurou continues walking. "Which by the way, Konoha might be a culture shock to you. It is a bit…brighter than it is here. People are nicer and you will have to tone down your limits while sparring. Sparring matches in Konoha are not as intense as they are here in Kiri."
In the distance a set of glowing red eyes looks upon the duo as they trek through the blood mist swamp.
Aishio would continue to flip about until Katsurou starts to speak up, she'd settle down a bit so she could listen. "What no way, Konoha's pretty awesome. I think… well the people I met were awesome at least!" She then questions herself again. "Wait, only one of those awesome people were actually from Konoha… Uh, well, maybe it'll be fun?" Aishio then continues to move forwards, "All we do in spars in the Academy are basic stuff anyway, so… I dunno. When I get cool stuff, if someone tries to fight me, I might use it!" She threatens out loud to the air, yelling at the future itself it seems.
"Oh! Capo~ Hold up I see a thing." When she gets his attention, she points out the glowing red eyes in the distance. "Can I beat that thing up? Does anything in here count? Cause, I mean… it looks like it wants to fight anyway." Aishio no effort to be subtle, pretty sure that animals can't understand what's going on anyway.
Katsurou nods. "Do not get me wrong. Konoha is a pleasant place to be, and I forget that you have been there before. So no need to fill you in on what it is like there." He says with a smile.
He looks to the direction Aishio is pointing and spots the eerie looking eyes that glow in the distance. "I suppose so. It is your test, and also the only beast we have come in contact with so far. Go ahea-" Katsurou's words are cut off by a primal howl from a small mound close to them. The howl belonging to a beast like humanoid. Upon closer inspection it resemebles a werewolf as hit continues to howl while standing on its hind legs. These beasts werent common in the marsh but they have been seen enough to have people worried about them. They had been named "Crimson Hide Werebeasts" or "Red Wolves" for short. Its said that their coats took on the color of blood due to the urban legend of the blood mist swamps. The beast finishes its howl and looks down at the Kiri nin with a hunger in its eyes.
"Are you sure you can defeat that thing, Aishio?" Katsurou asks the girl even though he does not take his eyes off of the beast.
"Uhhh…" Aishio seemed a bit shaken, mouth hanging open lightly. "It's.. standing." Her head tilts to the side as she observes it. "I dunno. The Academy doesn't give out tests you can't pass right?" Aishio then glances at the forever unhelpful Jounin for a moment though can't ge tmuch from him. "Maybe just." She'd shift to the side of the swamp's tree, she was going to have to get into the gross water soon. "Oh well. I'm gonna go and finish it in one shot. If I can't.. whelp. Wish me luck?" With that, Aishio's hands come together and she gathers chakra at a rapid pace. "Okay." Her hands shift into another hand seal. "Kirigakure no Jutsu." As the mist begins to gather, the last that's seen of Aishio is her falling from the tree.
There is a light plop and then she yells out, "Monster slaying time!" With that she disappears into the mist, silent enough among the other ambient noises in the swamp as she closes in on her target. Thankfully, this being was strange, and very monster like, making it easy for her to justify killing it. It'd probably eat her otherwise! If it were a human… that'd be a different case.
Katsurou frowns as Aishio calls out just before she goes all stealthy. The mist thickens due to Aishio's jutsu, but the native beast doesnt seem bothered by it. It snarls and locks eyes onto the image of the young girl hidden in the mist. It falls down on all fours and takes off at the girl to meet her half way.
"So it begins." Katsurou says to himself. He was a bit nervous for the girl, but he was ready to step in if need be.
The beast leaps out at the girl and swipes at her with his full set of claws.
"Stupid!" Aishio poofs, replaced with a 'Caution! Wet!' sign. Which, mostly held true. Her bottom half now soaked from the water, the young ninja hopeful was now in the air above the wolf. Twisting over with augmented speed and her heel comes slamming down aiming at the wolf's back. Though on closer inspection it's obvious the foot was chosen to strike with for more than one reason.
Her hands were together in yet another seal. Her mind raced back to a time not so long ago, her spar with Sei, the thought of it alone causing her to relive the burning pain of all the spiders biting into her. Though she learned something valuable from that, "Straight forward attacks never learn!" Never learn? Well, she probably was going for the word work. Though this random announcement comes clear as a pillar of water rises from the swamp right after the kick, aiming to drill into the back once more.
Her brain was on autopilot right now, shifting chakra this way and that without much thought as chakra level adjustments were rapidly made to aid her landing and her quick follow up to punch the werewolf, monster, thing… right in the eye.
The beast lets out a growl when Aishio's foot slams into its back. Then the pillar of water slams into its back as well which pins it against a nearby tree. Just as it was turning around to attack the girl, her fist meets its eye and it lets out a yelp. Its hand raises up to cover the injured eye while swiping wildly at her with its free hand.
Off in the distance Katsurou notices a few more sets of glowing eyes that seem to be watching Aishio's fight with great interest.
"Haha!" Aishio was too caught up in the whole one wolf thing that she didn't even take in the others gathering. The swipe is met with a grabbing arm, twisting the swiping limb and dragging the wolf in to what seemed to be another punch. "Gotcha." Her sleeve shifts to reveal a kunai and she was looking for the other eye, seeming to want to really mess up its vision to gain an advantage.
"Sooooo lame." Aishio, taking this relatively easy as she launches backwards, aiming for a backflip kick before she goes spiraling away into a bunch of hand springs. When she lands, "Hiding Kunai Technique!" Her hands come together once more, a simple wall of mist appearing in front of the wolf. She'd then throw two kunai into it, hoping to catch the thing off guard. She was winning she thinks but… this thing was taking such a beating, she was getting tired from knocking around a punching bag.
'Can't lose to something that doesn't fight back… that'd be so embarassing!' That thought in mind, she takes in a deep breath and focused, she'd have to finish it off next strike.
The wolf lets out another yelp as his second eye is taken out by the young student. Her tactics were leaving this poor wolf defenseless and unable to fight properly. Katsurou smiles at the way Aishio was dominating the fight. However, the other wolves were drawing closer now. One even coming up onto the mound that the previous wolf had started at.
Aisiho's onslaught of kunai attacks hit their mark through the girl's thick mist. Blood was now trickling from a number of wounds on the wolf's body. It was now at huge disadvantage with a poor eye sight. The eye that had been stabbed by the kunai so no longer functional. While they eye that had been punched earlier was only half working. It stood there panting and whining from the pain it felt from the wounds. As if attempting a dire attack out of desperation, it leaps forward and snaps at Aishio. While at the same time the wolf from the mound before leaps down at her with furious swipe.
"Aishio! Behind you!" Katsurou calls out from the sidelines as he sees the second wolf enter the fray.
Aishio was pretty sure the finishing blow was coming here, though the sudden warning prevents her from a counter attack. With panic she assumed he meant to watch out for the oncoming wolf so she does her best to get out of the way, quickly moving back. Yep, back, right into the other wolf… it was then that the word 'Behind' really clicked. Water kicked up into the air, splattering on the assassin wolf, as she attempted to change directions. With a heavy kick off the ground she shoots back forward at the other wolf, taking a harsh cut to the back of her left as she makes her escape.
"Tch." She squinted at the wolf darting left and right as she closed in and then cut low, almost submerging herself. Her eyes full on serious now as she intends to upper cut the wolf. She'd press on, whether the uppercut opening was there or not, moving in to grab onto it. "HrrrrgRAAAHACHA!" Strange noise, whatever she gets over it now the moment of truth, can she actually pick this thing up and launch it at the new wolf?
The injured wolf is unable to get out of the way quick enough to avoid Aishio's upper cut. It yelps as its head snaps back from the force of it. Then it is grabbed and slung over at the new wolf that had arrived. The new wolf leaps over the tossed wolf and with an amazing show of athleticism, it make it to the girl in a single leap where it comes down with flurry of claw swipes.
The previous injured wolf hits the side of a nearby tree and seems to be down for good as it lays there in a bloody mess.
Katsurou's attention moves from the downed wolf to the wolf that was now attacking his apprentice. "Need help, Aisiho or can you take it? This one looks stronger than the last one."
In that moment of wolf intervening other wolf, another step of seals were made. "These wolves." The wolf claws at Aishio, tearing straight through her just for the child to go up in smoke. "Underestimate me! SUPER NUT CRACKER." The next set of events are… far from classy. She charges at the wolf from behind and hopes to take advantage of its confusion, moving in with speed only chakra can give her at this stage in her career. The Super Nut Cracker? Well, it wasn't just one flat out strike.
Nope, she pulls back her leg and kicks the wolf between the legs. Quickly pulls back and strikes again. Then pulls back a third time and strikes so hard that it actually sends her off balance, causing her to awkwardly hop back on one foot.
Katsurou raises an eyebrow as he sees Aishio reappear behind the beast and connect with her…nut shots. He almost feels bad for the beast as he listens to the screeching howls let out from it. So it would seem Aishio may not need much help from him with this new arrival. Aishio's last series of attacks seems to have intimidated the rest of the pack as they were now all starting to slowly back away from the fight. The wolf itself is now currently on its hands and knees with one of its hands tending to the injured area that the young girl had just assualted. It seems as though he is in too much pain to do anything with the girl right now.
+.+
Another kick between the legs for good measure, looking to kick its own hand into the already tender area, though it seemed to be more on guard for something like that now, didn't matter. "Aishio Express is a go!" She reaches to grab the beast but it slips out of her grasp. "Ehh… I only needed to beat one right?!" Aishio clears her throat and then, with this self assurance she starts zipping away towards Katsurou, she was getitng exhausted and well. The thing was probably neutered at this point. Splishing and splashing she makes her way to dry'er' land and shouts out, "Halphalphalp!"
Seeing unmerciful this girl was, the wolf pack had completely retreated back into the mist. Leaving this one to fight on its own. Katsurou chuckles slightly as he sees the girl retreating back to him herself. He shakes his head and cross his arms at her. "So you anger it first then you expect me do your dirty work?" He looks over to the wolf that was now standing back up and frothing at the mouth as it growls in Aishio's direction.
"Very well then." Katsurou sighs as he uncrosses his arms and steps forward. Needing to make quick work of this one before the pack of wolves decide to come back with more numbers, Katsurou closes his eyes and concentrates. He establishes the link to his ancestors in the spirit rather easy considering how much training he has put into this task alone. Once the link was established, various patterns of seals that glows blue suddenly appears on his bare upper body. A fiery aura erupts from his body that also glows in that bright blue color. He opens his eyes and looks upon the werebeast that was still just as angry as before.
Aishio had weakened him enough, now it was time to deliver the finishing blow. Katsurou weaves together a series of hand seals at an amazing speed. "Freezing Whirlwind Technique!" Soon the beast would feel a chilling breeze wrap around him. It tries to struggle free but the technique is just too much. The wind grows so intense that it causes the wolf to hover up off the ground a few feet. The ice crystals inside of the whirlwind begin to pelt its hide and soon rip and tear the flesh off of it.
Now with the wolf trapped, the Shirayuki goes into his follow up technique. The deafning sounds of the beast's painful howls ring out around the area as Katsurou weaves together another series of hand seals. Slamming his palm onto the surface of the ground, a trail of small ice shards jut out along the ground and race towards the beast. It travels from the ground then on up to the suspended beast. After just moments of waiting, the ice forms around the beast and encases him within a large ice crystal. The Shirayuki brings a hand seal in front of his chest and shouts, "Kai!" The shards of ice implode within which turns the beast into a pin cushion within. Sharp shards of ice pierce through his body then the ice crystal itself explodes due to the force of the implosion. The beast falls to the ground along with splinters of ice. The wolf itself does not move as it just lays there in a bloodied mess.
Aishio was too busy running to see what happens next to the wolf. "Course I expect you to do it! The wolf cheated!" She scurries up a low hanging tree and clings to it, finally turning around to see a rather disabled werewolf. "Oh… you did it already." Aishio slowly turns to look his way, he didn't even really move as far as she could tell. Yet now he was glowing and there was a very dead pin cushion of a wolf.
"Ahah! Knew I didn't pick a deadbeat!" Aishio moves his way, "Highfive! And how do you do that whole glowy thing. Is that just to look cool or are you I dunno? Doing…" Her hands snake around in the air, "Stuff…" Her hands start coming together, fingers between fingers, "With it?" Now even she wasn't sure what was going on with her hands. "Eh forget it. Do we have to beat more things up? I think some swap stuff got into my cut which…." Aishio was ignoring it before but, just talking about it causes the wound to burn.
Frowning, Little Miss Hozuki looks up to Katsurou, "Reeeeally hurts."
Katsurou awkwardly puts his hand up to recieve the high-five from Aishio. He just smiles as he Aishio asks him about his transformation. The aura fades and the seals vanish as he reverts back into his normal form. "It is a Shirayuki thingy." He says trying to put it in the same language that Aishio uses. "And yes, we are finished. Let us go get your cut tended to. Though, one thing first. Go grab both those carcasses and take them with us as we make our way back to the village. I have a…farewell gift I want to give someone." A mischievious grin forms on the Shirayuki's face.
"Both?!" Aishio slumps, though she does drop from her perch and heads towards the corpses, "I'm smaller and hurt and stuff. I dunno what this has to do with a gift either." She looked a bit bugged, "Guess it's part of the exam?" She was lost but, hey after this she gets to leave dull Kirigakure! That's what she's telling herself at least.
