Starring:
Date: August 18, 2011
Summary:
A "Battle Royale" concludes the Bloody Mist Cup tournament in Kirigakure. Some surprising, disturbing, and devastating abilities will be unleashed in this three-way match.
"Bloody Mist Cup - Deep Dead Sea: Tsun vs. Nori vs. Kanami"
Dammed Arena Floor - Kirigakure
As the sun sinks down toward the horizon, the blazing dusk sky blackens and it overtaken by the darkness of night. The last of the arena lights are switched on, lighting the arena floor completely for the upcoming battle. Appearing in the center of the ring, Onryou Maikeru looks around as the crowd cheers, their thirst for blood not yet satiated, even after the cataclysmic match that took both Mune and himself out of the tournament and landed them with some hospital time. A dark smirk crosses his face as he waits for them to quiet down.
"Ladies and gentleman, the main event of the Bloody Mist Cup has finally come!" he calls out with satisfaction. "These three warriors have carved a bloody path through the brackets and landed themselves at a chance to take home a championship and bragging rights. Only one can walk away victorious. The other two can only lay on the ground, their hopes dashed. Now, let's introduce our contestants!"
He brings his formerly possessed, yet still powerful hand up, pointing it toward the fighters' preparation area. "Please welcome your contenders! Seishino Kanami, Kaguya Tsun, and Kaguya Nori!"
"Carved a bloody path?" Tsun would humor to her selves, she only completed one match that didn't really become too dramatic. 'Mmm… Tsun-chan~' Poor Tsun's behind was frozen, having the wonderful idea of making her ice coffin a seat while she waited for her match-up. 'Tsun-chaaaaaaaan~' With a small grunt, the small teen pops up into a standing position and lock the coffin into place.
People now mildly acknowledged who Tsun was thanks to her last match as she soon comes to realize. Right as her name was called, multiple people turned to look right at her and all they'd get in return is an uneasy look as she makes her way down the stands and into the arena with a few hops.
'TSUN-CHAAAAAAAAAAN!' Tsun's diminutive figure visibly tenses as her face turns a shade of angry red, "WHAT?!" The shout is quickly hidden away by her hand covering her mouth. Of course, it was out already she'd get some strange looks. 'Hi. Eheheheheehehehee' "Eh…" Inhaaaaale… Exhaaaaale…
Tsun just approaches Maikeru with a grim look, glancing up at him, there seems to be a look of (help me) in her eyes as she verbally greets him with a, "Hello." She… sort of wished she watched the fights of the other two. 'I know what you're thinking. Well it'd be much more ex-'
Communications were cut, Tsun would like to pretend she is sane just for a few moments before her match.
Nori had been sitting in the stands, speaking with a snack vendor. The man was selling fried squid on a stick, one of Nori's favorites. When his name is called, Nori glances over his shoulder and grumbles. "All right," he says, paying the man and taking the fried squid. A quick leap brings him to the edge of the railing over the arena. He puts his fried squid in his mouth, and then springs out into the air. He flips once, and then drops like a rock onto the arena floor. "Oi, oi," he says. "Everyone's always in such a hurry." He bites into the squid, and begins to chew thoughtfully as he considers the others. Nori seems all too relaxed compared with his last two fights.
Seishino Kanami has been called to enter the arena. Tsun is already present, and now so is Nori. But Kanami appears not to have arrived yet… Or at least she has not stepped forth onto the stadium floor. Eventually, however, Kanami DOES show up. She has made a habit of arriving last so that her dramatic entrances are not overshadowed by the arrival of others.
A tanto — a sort of 'long knife' — thunks into the ground, point down, about 30 feet to the south-east of Maikeru, Tsun, and Nori. Where did that come from? Looking up at the sky would reveal no sign of the perpetrator. It is night time, so if there is someone up there in the dark, it is unlikely he or she would be especially visible. However, when a second tanto does the same thing as the first, landing 30 feet to the north-west of the center of the arena, and there is STILL no sign of who did it, people may start to grow… Concerned.
A third and fourth tanto hit the ground in the same manner as the first two at the same distances, only to the north-east and south-west positions. Then more start to rain from above, forming lines that gradually work inwards towards the center of the arena from each of the directions one would find on a compass. What the hell is going on!?
Thunk thunk thunk thunk. The knives keep on hitting and sinking into the dirt, forming a gradually closing 'web' of blades. Inevitably, they will hit the combatants — and proctor — at the center if this continues. Is this an assassination attempt? The battle starting before it is officially begun?
When only a few feet remain between the ring of knives and the three ninja at the center of the arena, the thunking blades suddenly cease. For several tense seconds of waiting, there is no sign that more tanto will appear — but if they do, it could be lethal to not be paying attention.
Then the handle of each tanto begins to emit a spray of black smoke up into the air. The smoke billows and fills the arena with obscuring clouds for dozens of seconds. Inside the cloud, a pair of glowing red eyes penetrates the dense smoke. When the smoke blows away suddenly, spiralling off into the sky, it is revealed that a rather emaciated woman in a ragged white kimono stands near the others at the center of the arena. Her long, black hair is stringy and dissheveled. It hangs in her face, obscuring her features. However, her dead-white skin, with veins visible beneath the surface, protruding bones, arms dangling limp at her sides, and long-nailed fingers hanging lifeless aside from an occasional spastic twitch, all indicate this is a very…
…Unhealthy individual. Whether or not she is actually human is up for debate. Her back is hunched, with the individual vertebrae of her spine nearly seeming to protrude through her skin. She stays right where she is, motionless, and says nothing.
Glancing to Tsun as he walks over, Maikeru gives a nod. "Hello," he says, his voice smooth as ever. "Good luck." He notices that look in his eyes, sympathizing with her. His own demon's soul was recently banished, leaving him with his power. Unfortunately, he doubts it would work the same for her. That thing inside her is quite different… But now is not the time for feeling sorry for here. This is time for a match.
When Nori leaps down with food in his mouth, the Jounin quirks an eyebrow. "Don't barf that thing back up when you take a solid hit is all I'm saying," he says with a chuckle. "And I suggest you scarf it down because I'm not waiting very long." Aaaand of coruse, for the second time in the tournament, he's left waiting for a woman to arrive for her match. He crosses his arms over his chest, glancing around and waiting…
When the knives start to stab into the ground, he quirks an eyebrow again. If someone is trying to kill them all, they apparently have really bad aim… As smoke begins to spew forward from the knives, he emits a low sigh. If this doesn't get going pretty soon, he might have to call in someone to make it rain again. Those red glowing eyes catch his attention, and he looks over to spot a rather deathly looking woman, a faint smirk coming to his face. "Well, that's an interesting look. I'd like to look her up for a date some time," he says to Nori with a touch of sarcasm. "Ah, screw it." He takes a few steps back and faces the crowd.
"BEGIN!"
Well, two Kaguya have taken the stand now, we're missing the one character that is off the beat of the two other contenders. Shifting her eyes from Maikeru after the note of 'good luck' she would sigh, sad now? Wasn't she just angry? Maybe it's a mixture of the two but, Nori would get a frown from Tsun. "Hey…" She gives a light hearted wave just before the first tanto drops.
Tsun, ever so perceptive, appears to ignore the first tanto. The truth is, she simply didn't notice it. The next tanto lands clearly in her vision, causing her to look a bit confused and look upwards. Nothing at all. "Er…" Was she seeing things? Looking back down, the girl would note that not only were the original tanto there but, more had arrived and everyone was reacting to them.
In the distance, Kirigakure's ANBU in charge of overlooking the tournament and most specifically the ones in charge of looking over Tsun would grow quite uneasy preparing to ake a move as the swords close in only to suddenly stop.
"Well that was w-" Smoke begins to fill the area and Tsun begins to tense up, halting her breathing as water swirls about her to clear the air in her immediate area. Highly confused, the small teen would let the water fall, if she had watched any of Kanami's previous tournament matches, she may of been able to pick up on all of it being an act but, it was as if the battle had started before the third person had joined, was there opponent simply invisible?! Well that's just not fair. 'Tsun-chan~ Pay attention.'
"Oh great, lost focus…" Tsun does take his advice and focuses when the smoke begins to clear to spot a mess of a woman. 'There's no way she did all of that.' 'Mmmm, silly Tsun-chan! You should know better. Never judge a book by its cover, she made it this far hmm?' Whatever it was, she'd have to figure it out as she went but, these were two high level shinobi. She wasn't going to be patient with them. With a handseal, her coffin would creak open the bloodied water spilling out and rapidly spreading into a thick mist, Shukaku's chakra prominent in it as the corpse tainted water begins to redden the field below while leaving an utterly terrible smell.
Nori stuffs the rest of the squid in his mouth, and gives Maikeru a funny look. "Like em creepy, eh?" He chuckles to the jounin around the mouthful of food. Twirling the stick from his meal around in his hand, he turns his attention on Kanami first. But not without a slight distraction. Not knowing what it is Tsun is up to, Nori releases a burst of chakra from his body. The mist sworls around him, and then the Kaguya realizes that it was a stealth tactic, not an attack. "Geez," he says glancing around. "Whats so scary?" He perks his ears to listen for Tsun as he turns his attention back on Kanami.
"Well," Nori says as he places the stick between his teeth. "Lets get things started." He places his hands together in front of him, and theres a flash of light, and then electricity curls around his hands and over his body. His blue eye flickers and glows, and then Nori smiles. "I was told you would be my greatest challenge," he says to Kanami. "So I think I'll deal with you first."
The scarlet mist comes flowing out into the arena, swirling and mixing with the remnants of the black smoke produced by the now-lifeless tanto that still litter the grounds — sunk hilt-deep in the dirt. The scraggly-looking woman has two masks hanging from her obi. One is of the monstrous semi-humanoid white serpent that she used in her previous match, and the other is new… It seems to be have been crafted from blue-black 'blown glass' that reflects the artificial light in a shimmering, 'watery' manner. The features of the mask are human… Ish. However, these features also appear to have been 'dripping' or 'running' when the mask was finalized — like melting wax or droplets of water.
This is not a mask that she had in her previous match. The blood-drenched fog passes over Kanami and Nori, seeming to blind the latter, but the former does not even lift her head. Instead, a sort of aura of creeping, shuddering horror emanates from her frail body. One hand stretches towards the sky, gnarled fingers clutching at the darkness like one of the damned in Hell reaching out for salvation from a place that is forever denied. Something semi-solid or perhaps 'semi-real' manifests in that hand. An indistinct 'grey' glow that gathers and gathers… And then is brought down to the obscured face of this woman-thing.
The hair is brushed aside by her free hand, only in the vicinity of the mouth. The maw revealed is not especially human. Thin, black lips that peel upwards and back beyond what is reasonable for a normal human and then BEYOND that to expose gums lined with multiple rows of jagged, nearly broken-looking teeth that would look right at home in the face of a corpse lying on the beach, rotting, and somehow 'smiling in death', as insects swarm between those fangs and pick at its decaying flesh.
This is no corpse, however. This is a person or facsimile thereof that stands in the arena, holding a muted 'glow' of grey-light, and SMILING at nothing in particular. The mouth opens wide, wider than the head it is built into, as wide as an alligator's mouth can stretch, and then Kanami eats the light whole.
Her unpleasant aura grows in range and disturbing sensations afterwards. Then she allows the hair to swing mercifully back into place, concealing her hideous face completely.
Glancing between the shinbi as they all begin to prepare for this battle in their own way, Maikeru shows a dark smirk. "Oh, yeah. That's just how I like it," he says with a chuckle in return to Nori." This one is going to be a quite interesting match. In particular, he focuses his eyes on Tsun for a moment. Really, she's the main reason he decided to proctor this match. When Nori decides to apparently try to take on the supposedly stronger of his two opponents first, the Jounin grins. That's a good way to get taken out early. Tsun's power is not something to toy with either…. He turns his attention to Kanami, watching as she reveals… some rather unattractive dental work. He would make a comment about her needing to get some dentures or something before he'd go out with her, BUT now's the time that Nori needs to focus or get shredded into pieces… Not that that sight wouldn't amuse him.
Tsun had one true objective in mind, her chakra was beginning to boil as soon as the mist began to build. Despite Tsun already giving off a hint of a second chakra, the performer may pick up in that second chakra becoming an equal to the rapidly building, natural chakra. She wanted to see her limits in a 'safe' environment.
'Threat…'
Tsun, unaware that anyone had already pinned down her location would focus on nothing more than completing her transformation. Where mist was initially present about Tsun, a crimson ice would replace it, magnetized to Tsun as they slap onto her small frame. 'Tsun-chan~ You're too slow, you're going to die if you don't focus and hurry up~ As much as I would hate to crush such a beautiful thing.'
Shukaku's taste was a bit confusing but, Tsun ignored it, she had to as the chakra continues to gather. Her eyes shifting in color and form. She was unsure as to what was going on she could feel the shifts of chakra in the mist and she knew her time was indeed running out.
Though her grip on her own self was slipping, she was beginning to take the form of Shukaku, she witnessed the large paws begin to form over her handsigned hands, the uncontrollable waterfall of saliva had begun to form too.
'Poor Tsun-chan is going to screw up already? Yes, keep using my power I will take care of them for you, then the entirety of this village. Then it'll just be you and me forever Tsun-chan~ Well at least until I devourer that adorable little soul of your… eh?'
'Focus' 'You're almost there!'
There was the third voice again, she hadn't noticed when it initially spoke up but, she definately heard a third… for a moment her focus would slip as she tries to discern it, so… familiar… "Nnngh…"
"KRRRRRARAAAAHAHAHAHAHA! AH IT'S KILLING TIME!" If Nori still didn't know where Tsun was, it would become evident as Shukaku cries out from within the mist, apparently she pushed too far…
Nori watches quietly as Kanami begins focusing her Chakra. "Well, this should be fun," he says watching her quietly. He begins walking towards her, closing the space between them. Suddenly Tsun's bellow from somewhere behind him echoes aroud the arena. "Tch," he says, reaching up and pulling the stick from his teeth. "Well, I suppose if you're too weak to fight on your own," he says nonchalantly to the air. His attention, however, remains on Kanami as he flicks the stick away. It plunges neatly into the earth several feet away, but by the time it lands, Nori is already sprinting towards Kanami. He springs the last few feet, landing directly in front of her. Earth sprays from the force of his landing, his chakra surging into the soil to keep him in place, and he narrows his eyes. "I dunno why you insist on those silly masks," he says as his arm draws back. "They look like they impair vision." He chuckles, and swings his fist up towards the woman's stomach.
The woman seems not to react as Nori comes to a stop in front of her, kicking up dirt and sending it scattering across her kimono's front. The impacts of the clods send ripples across the cloth, of course, and she even seems to sway slightly as though that minor force is too much for her too-thin body to resist. However, when Nori lashes out with his fist, the previously motionless actress seems to drop downwards with remarkable speed, allowing the blow to sail inches over her head and through the space her belly formerly occupied. She didn't duck.
She's just somehow partially merged into the ground itself now. Tilting her head upwards a bit to look at her attacker, the strands of hair slip aside slightly. She smiles that hideous smile again and then bares her teeth as she reaches out towards the nearest of Nori's legs as though intending to grab it and BITE DEEPLY.
However, this is not what she does. Instead, from inside of her draping sleeve, a number of vipers streak forth, and it is these new serpentine allies who attempt to bite Nori's leg instead. That is not exactly an improvement. Further, Kanami lashes out with the arm that has the snakes surrounding its wrist, and attempts to fling Nori directly at the location of the bellowing kunoichi.
Tsun's voice is different, and even her power — though greater — feels as though it belongs to someone else. Kanami does not know what EXACTLY she is dealing with, but she has fought this sort of thing before. Oddly enough, it was ALSO during a tournament… Regardless of the success of the Nori-throwing maneuver, at least one snake is sent at psuedo-Tsun independent of that maneuver. This snake is as thick as one of Maikeru's arms, and has teeth that would be better suited to a wolf than a reptile. It attempts to bite Tsun (or whatever she has become) and GROWL threateningly in the process!
The Realm of Shukaku:
Tsun focused, she put as much effort as she could to maintain her will only to slip up at the last second. Was that really a third voice? Tsun could feel herself falling, sinking into an ice cold pool, perhaps it was normal? She was covered in ice… wait… it was gone now. Tsun would remember something, her eyes were closed. Opening them would not make much of a difference all she could see was black as she could feel was the coldness of water liquid she was sinking in.
The child couldn't breathe but, she didn't need to she'd just continue to sink and sink until suddenly falling out of the liquid and dropping with a heavy thud that didn't hurt as much as it should. She felt weak, as if she lost all her chakra.
'You were so close… do not worry.'
A hand would reach out to her from with the darkness, seeming to simply slip out from behind a curtain. When Tsun takes hold, she'd be gracefully pulled through the curtain entering a world filled with yellow, the warmth almost instantly putting her to sleep. She liked this palce… a lot but, something threw her off the hand felt very familiar too familiar, as her vision begins to focus within the sudden burst of light she'd find herself standing face to face with… Tsun?
Despite this version of Tsun appearing to be a young woman unlike her smaller, diminutive self. A natural version of Tsun that lacked the contacts the wild hair colors and the tired eyes. The woman would not move her mouth to speak, though her voice would radiate in Tsun's head.
'Did you truly trust me… or did I simply bring less fear than the other?…' She does not wait for an answer, 'I already know. No need to feel ashamed, Shukaku thinks he has won. Though, it appears you have enough faith in me… I should say in yourself to step out of the chaos he tried to drag you within. Bask within the warmth and -'
Tsun did not need to be told twice, she was already drifting away into the warmth of the second world, she had completely forgotten she was even in a fight to begin with, she would finally get a chance to rest.
The Real World:
Shukaku would continue to cackle at nothing in particular. His arms mutating into a shield as they took on the snakes, letting them slam into his fists to know avail. "IN A NICE POT OF WATER! BOIL THE HUMAN, COOK IT WELL! SEASONING?! NO NEED NICE A FRESH! He… didn't seem all too bright though he made his motives rather clear before he took part in the assault, body rapidly being layered more and more in ice. Shukaku-Tsun claps his hands together, screeching as the mist boils hot with the intent on sizzling everyone within. "SO DELICIOUS! WHERE IS THE DELICOUS SME-"
Confusion crosses the face of the possessed as the sizzling steam kicks up and when it clears, the grotesque drooling Shukaku would no longer continue to form. His image instantly replaced with a teenager, Tsun would appear to have retained control and somehow… managed to instantly grown older. Her clothes managing to spread and continue to fit perfectly somehow. Her image fitting that perfectly of the woman in Tsun's "dream", except for the clothes. Was she even wearing clothes?! "Tch. Two seconds of glory and you've already wasted a good bit of my chakra. Ugly idiot." A dual voice would roll from the woman's mouth. "GRAH! No fair Tsun-chan~ I was going to give you back! Yeah right. Promise! We've got a match to win, shut up."
With that being said, Tsun would gather even more chakra preparing for the battle soon to come.
Nori is attacked on all sides, it seems, too much is going on at once. FIrst snakes, then a choking mist. Whatever Nori's inner monologue is, he keeps it to himself, since nobody else would know what he's thinking anyway. He growls and leaps back, changing tactics as he creates more distance between him and the other two. Rather than attempt to compete on their level, he decides something different is necessary. Producing kunai, he begins launching them rapidly at the other two shinobi.
The acidic mist sweeps over the battlefield, the already-present crimson fog beginning to super-heat and increase its 'ph' level until it just 'boils away' all that it touches. The ground, the grass, the stones… Nori was grabbed by the snakes that bit him and thrown through the air, but this may have actually saved him from worse harm by tossing him beyond the main 'front' of the boiling cloud.
Kanami does not appear to have been so lucky. The attack strikes her as she stays rooted half-in and half-out of the ground, still 'merged' with the terrain somehow, and there is much tortured, inhuman screaming of agony, and indications of arms thrashing about for several seconds before the noises trail off into a disgusting, gurgling sound like something at the bottom of a mud puddle trying to talk to someone above ground.
Moments later, however, a thin, dark shape rises up out of the ground as the searing steam passes beyond where observers may have thought Kanami's corpse had been dissolved. Chakra-coated kunai are thrown swiftly, but they strike nothing. The vaguely-seen outline of the starved-looking woman just distorts and warps in wholly unnatural ways to avoid the thrown blades.
One of Kanami's hand reaches up and seems to seize ahold of her own face. Then she just TEARS IT OFF. She stands there for a moment, with her indistinct silhouette still visible, and a hole in her head where her face used to be that can be seen clear through to the other side. Then a different face is slid into place…
A second passes before the ground gives out under Tsun and Nori. It is no longer earth, but instead WATER. If they are unable to wrench themselves free of this experience of falling into water, either one or both may find themselves sinking into an entire ocean that has replaced the stadium completely. Strength would drain away, energy to do anything other than drift gradually downwards would dissipate, and very slowly, any held breath would run out. Even if these two ninja may have great lung capacity normally, or the ability to go without air, right then, they may seem to be without such abilities. And that would be when they would start to drown. Drowning in a sea of red that seems to be gradually changing to a dull, lifeless grey…
Anyone observing would only see those affected by this technique falling to the ground and lying still.
As Tsun turns more adult and seems to gain control over Shukaku, Maikeru emits a sigh of relief. He takes a couple steps back and watches all the fighters once again. A faint smirk shows on his face when Nori realizes he is outclassed. While he didn't design this round with intent to get Nori obliterated in a match, it looks like it's going to do just that. That's rather amusing to him. However, Kanami's screams get his attention, and he looks to her, quirking an eyebrow. As the fight seems to get a little more disturbing by the moment, he just watches, a solemn look on his face.
'He is weakened, look at his toss. Hrm, let us give you a chance to evade this on your own, hmm Tsun-chan?' As the kunai begin to approach Tsun, she stares it down, the trajectory seeming to waver as it enters the radius of the increasingly overwhelming chakra. It would appear Tsun was simply trying to will it away, overconfidence latent in her normal eye.
…of course, that doesn't really stop the attack, she'd get hit square in the face with a kunai that simply bounces off with an audible *CLINK* On very close inspection there would be a noticeable chink in her already difficult to notice armor.
"Here I was thinking you trusted me with your life, you're just lazy! … SHUT UP! FATTY! YOU'RE THOUSANDS OF TIMES UGLIER AND FATTER THAN ME!" Well… this doesn't seem to be working out, Tsun calling herself names. Perhaps the kunai hurt? It's truly not noticeable as she looks fine enough to pull off a shouting match.
A match that would be stopped abruptly when the assault from the unknown would continue. "Water?" Apparently someone was using an impressive display of water creation. Tsun didn't care much for it though, this was her specialty she'd lazily try to flicker out of the rising tide. 'It's still… interesting.' Tsun would feel as though she was in the same exact place, perhaps the water was moving her around?
She'd attempt an alternate solution of freezing the water around her. 'What?' Her power was gone. "Kekekekekeke." 'Stop wasting our breath!' "Oh, what, this breath?!" Shukaku was aware on what was going on yet, he didn't care to share, maybe she'd figure it out on her own, he doubted it but this was entertaining. "Poor Tsun-chan, all of that and you're going to die. I'll simply step out of this water once I take control of your body. How exciting!" Tsun would start to flail about, attempting to swim out of it but, she lacked the ability to get anywhere.
"Maybe try swimming down instead?" The lack of oxygen left her voice strained, as she actually attempts this, the same effect. "Oh… sil-ly-tsun-chaaan…." She was starting to suffocate.
Even as Nori pulls further away, there is little he can do. The link of their minds has already come, and when suddenly the earth ruptures beneath his feet, he recognizes it as bizarre. He can't stand on the water, and as he begins to fall, he realizes what it must mean. They had warned him what the snake mistress could do, and he'd though to end it swiftly. He should have hidden away and let the other two fight, but that was not his nature. Desperately, he smacks his has together in a focus seal, and says, "Kai!" His blue eye flickers briefly, but to no avail. Nori falls into the water, and begins drowning. Though, what the crowd sees is Nori simply standing still staring into space, kunai still grasped loosely in his hands.
As both of Kanami's opponents fall to her techniques, the Nogakujin finally steps out of the gradually fading mist and reveals she has undergone a radical shift in wardrobe and appearance. No longer is she an overly-thin and ghost-like figure. Instead she appears to be her normal self — as in, Kanami without a mask. Not that most people here in Kirigakure have seen her real face so far during her stay, but there is a difference between that awful corpse-woman and that snake-thing or the ceramic mask with the ever-changing designs…
Instead, Kanami's black hair seems to be tinted somewhat blue as it floats and drifts in the air about her. Her skin is still pallid, though with the bright lines of light reflected upon water rippling and shifting with the regularity of the ocean's tide upon her face. Her eyes are closed, her lips blue from lack of oxygen, and her kimono likewise seems to roil and billow about her as though she is underwater instead of standing on solid ground.
Then she opens her eyes, and reveals that they are the eyes of a dead-woman. The pupils are dialated and grey-white — almost like a Hyuuga's eyes, but without the indications of life that members of that Clan possess. Kanami places her hands together, though they are concealed within the long sleeves of her grey kimono, and focuses her energies further. This mask is new to her, and its power is yet untested. She will need Chakra and plenty of it if she intends to fight with its abilities.
Within the Genjutsu, Nori and Tsun continue to descend. Inclines in the ocean floor start to become visible in peripheral vision, with important people from the lives of both standing there — standing on the bottom of the ocean like only they are untouched by the water, and as though gravity is fully in effect for them. Surrounding them are long, thin, ornate blades that grow wider and sharper the deeper the victims go. Hopefully they will not actually FALL onto any of those nasty-looking weapons…
As Kanami steps out, Maikeru looks to her, a faint smirk on his face. Well, that look is a lot more attractive than the one without a face. He glances between the Genjutsu'd fighters, now more amused than worried about Shukaku breaking free. His dark blue eyes seem a little more relaxed. His arms cross over his chest as he continues to watch, glad to be able to stand back and not have to restrain Tsun from the fight… so far.
Holding her throat, Tsun would drop to he knees, "Gack!"'You're so cute when you're on the verge of death Tsun-chan!' If Tsun really fell into the trap of the genjutsu fully and completely stopped breathing, Shukaku would come out on top. If she managed to pull herself together, there was always the option of waiting around for his future vessel to become stronger. 'A win win Tsun-chan! For me at least.'
Then her struggling would stop, she'd simply fall over. Possibly dead or, passed out. It was a rather lame strategy in her mind but, maybe if she played dead the technique would be released before she actually did drown seeing as they weren't supposed to kill their targets.
Relaxing while completely out of oxygen was a bit difficult, though she lucked out on being a Jinchuuriki, the chakra itself being a support system for the time being. She knew she couldn't die all too fast, ninja training and a never ending flow of energy would go against that.
That's what Tsun would think at least, 'Just keep positive thoughts.' All the while Shukaku continued his death threats, trying to force her mouth open all the while.
'Don't go sleeping on the job Tsun-chan. There's someone here to see you.' She felt, compelled to open her eyes.
Someone important? She felt as though the person in front of her was important yet, it was just a wavering silhouette. Her mind, simply couldn't full remember that important person, all she could see were eyes that matched her own, self-absorbed much?
Nori narrows his eyes as blades and shapes, shadows and people. "Noo!" Nori roars the word, the first action he's taken for moments, and a brilliant pulse of electric energy flows out of him. His blue eye flickers and glows, and then suddenly he drops to his knees. He chokes as he finally takes a breath, gasping for air that he'd had all along but could not feel or sense. With an effort, he regains his feet, and narrows his attention on Kanami. "Your foul games… what glory is there in what you do?"
As Nori comes back to his senses, he may see what was about to have happened to him if he had not done so. All around the arena floor, there are masses of serpents coiled with their mouths pointing upwards, and a blade extending from the open jaws of each. What is their purpose exactly? Well, given that Kanami is wrapping Tsun up in snakes colored like sea-serpents and preparing to dangle the limp kunoichi over these heavenwards-pointed blades, it can be assumed that she intended to drop both of her opponents onto the snakes and their weapons. How… Creative?
Kanami seems to be somewhat surprised by Nori breaking free. Her features that so closely match those of one already drowned seem to give indications of life, though only barely, with the arching of slender eyebrows over dead-white eyes, and the pleased curve of half-parted and blue-toned lips. Then she offers in a voice that has that odd quality of sounds that emanate from underwater but are heard through a barrier — such as a window looking out into an aquarium, "Glory is for those who revel in their own egos."
She then looks up the suspended, transformed ninja girl, and then bubbles out the words, "I am just putting on a show." Then the snakes let go.
Within Tsun's version of the ocean, she descends amongst the swords, floating downwards into a world of midnight… She passes by Yuri. She passes by Ryuutai. She passes by Mitsuo and Hikan. Everyone who has remotely mattered to her, even as a source of antagonism, is down there in the dark. They all watch Tsun from afar… And if she can not break free of this Genjutsu…
She drifts right down onto a sword that goes through her back and out through her stomach. It wouldn't hurt like a dream. It would hurt more like a real injury — a mortal wound, infact. And then would just be left to lie there, impaled, bleeding into the deep, dark ocean…
Outside of the Genjutsu, the floating actress does nothing against Nori. She simply lets him watch — or try to stop her.
As Nori goes into his self-righteous questioning, Maikeru chuckles a bit. While Kanami's method of taking her opponents down is rather cruel, she is not directly attempting to kill them, so he does not interfere. However, he does stand prepared to stop the fight, or at least pull one fighter from the mix if they become too injured to go on. Continuing to watch the battle, he simply waits.
If she didn't have the chakra to move or shift the water's state, why wasn't Shukaku taking over? Why was she still living? She should've drowned at this point given her loose attempt of living. Then, what are all these people doing here, one should be missing completely.'The heck?!' Her hands come together, she was in too much of a panic to completely the technique in time. 'Time's up!'
Before she could perform the kai a mind splitting pain would shatter her senses, something that had never been endured before here hands clenching together as her chakra bursts outward, dispelling the remaining hold that the drowning technique had on her. Though Tsun is disappointed to find herself impaled with a sword. "Ow…" /Ow/?
She gets up, looking unamused at what just happened with the sword still sticking out of her. While she should've been out right confused and crawling about from a mortal wound she simply became… angry.
Water would form about the hilt of the blade and slowly pull it out from her person, the girl bleeding heavily from the wound that actually had the little light that remained at night shed through it, if anyone's eye was that keen.
"Pain… it's rare, new everytime… interesting. I don't like at all too much though." She seems to be mumbling to herself. "You shouldn't of done that… no… no no… yOu ReAlLy SHOULDN'T HAVE!"
From that point she'd begin to spew water from her mouth the arena floor starting to fill with it, looking as if she were vomitting up the very ocean she was drowning in. It would appear she was fully intent on ending this now.
Nori grins at Kanami. "Oi, oi. I can't say I'm too keen on your combat style, but if you're too weak to have a real fight I suppose you make due, aye?" With that he begins charging towards Kanami, reaching behind his shoulder to withdraw an ivory sword. It appears as if from nowhere, sliding out of the flesh of his shoulder as if from a sheath. Its as broad as his palm, sharp as death on one side, and serrated on the other. He twirls it, and then throws the blade with all of his might towards the woman, as he continues closing the gap between them, Tsun's water momentarily forgotten as he keeps his full attention on the crazy woman before him.
Nori charges in and swipes at the actress as she drifts limply in the air as though it were water. Kanami seems to swirl into herself like a whirlpool and vanish just before the ivory sword can make contact. A moment later, she has reappeared, nearly-hovering over the massive amount of water that continues to fill the arena floor. There is a lot of water and Kanami is NOT a strong swimmer. Without her masks, she is more or less doomed to grow fatigued swiftly and then die. It almost happened to her once, even. She was swept up by a powerful maelstrom off the coast of the Land of Whirlpools. If it had not been for Shinji…
This is not a safe battleground. It never was, really, but now it is something she could easily be defeated in or accidentally killed in. And with the kind of power that Tsun is unleashing, 'accidental death' seems more and more likely. Kanami is already tired. She wasn't TRYING to conserve energy, of course. This was a performance for her, and nothing more. So she does as any good actress does and shows that she knows when it is time to bow out.
The water that Nori and Kanami both stand upon is tossing them about like ships on a stormy sea. The irregular movement aids the Nogakujin as she places her hands together inside of her sleeves and then casts a jutsu. The water in a circle around Nori, at close-range, BURSTS upwards, seemingly EXPLODING into tall geysers that may obscure his vision just long enough for the actress to vanish from sight.
Towards 'Imperfect Tsun', a figure made of pure Chakra that has stood idly by throughout the entire battle suddenly detonates a load of smoke bombs right next to her. Invisible to normal eyes, the Kouken (aka 'Stage Hand') simply discorporates afterwards, the Chakra used to compose it returning to its owner.
When the various distractions fade, Kanami is out of bounds and without any Mask upon her face. She is 'normal', and in her red-and-gold kimono with the autumn leaves pattern. She raises one hand and says, "I forfeit. My role in this performance is concluded. The stage is now set for a final confrontation between the Beautiful Beast and the Flesh-Garbed Skeleton. Good fortune to you both!" Then she bows formally and respectfully.
As water begins to fill up the area, Maikeru flickers and ends up sitting on the banister that separates the crowd from the fighters. "This tournament has been full of people that like to attempt to flood the arena," he says with a chuckle. When Kanami forfeits, he blinks and shrugs his shoulders, calling out to the crowd. "Seishino Kanami has forfeited…. Now, ladies and gentlemen! The battle is left up to the two Kaguya! Who will become our champion?!" His dark blue eyes still focus on the fight, waiting to see what happens next.
Where exactly was that all coming from? More and more water continued to gush out of her as the bleeding from her gut stopped, though it continued to gape. The water begins to rise and take shape until Tsun simply starts to spew out ice.
A head climbs out of the water, no not a human head that'd be weird, instead it was the head of a mythical serpent, squid-like tentacles spreading from its face like outlandish facial hair. Bursting out of the neverending water that begins to swell, taking on a full form of a lengthy sea serpent. If Nori ignored the ridiculous amount of water earlier, well he probably wasn't going to ignore this as the leviathan curves up and towers over the arena letting out a ground shaking screech.
Tsun was ready to crush both of her targets, "It's been a while since I've added to my collection." Her arm curves like an S, rising into the air, the Leviathan imitating the movement. The snake begins to hiss and it was just about to strike until Tsun is encountered by another, she takes a defensive stance and the, smoke bombs are simply dropped
Tsun herself takes to the air, a chunk of ice forming beneath her feet as she looms from above with her summoned pet to avoid the smoke only to find Kanami gone. The announcement from Maikeru hits her ears and she sighs.
Tsun looks to the leviathan and the leviathan to her. It's eyes shift down to the tiny human below it's head slowly curving and then suddenly-
Well it does nothing, Tsun halts, "Hmm, Tsun-chan? What are you doing exactly? Finish him!" Tsun looks down below, Shukaku having forgotten that his bloodlust and the lackadasial former lifestyle of the Genin were seperate entities at the moment, she really didn't feel the need of slaughtering anyone… just kidding.
The ground rumbles as the Leviathan bursts into a twist, moving freakishly fast for its side before carving the floor with its open maw, intending to gobble up what Tsun could find. If it did manage to capture anything it'd begin to flail around in the sky, tossing them around within its ice spine filled body.
"That's enough!" Maikeru calls out after Nori is pretty much eaten by a giant aquatic creature. He vanishes into thin air, reappearing beside Tsun with a large golden trophy in the shape of a huge goblet with the symbol for Kirigakure carved into it. There is a small plate at the bottom that says 'Bloody Mist Cup Champion'. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the Bloody Mist Cup and your champion, Kaguya Tsun!" he calls out, going to hand her the trophy and then lift her hand that is closest to him as a sign of victory. An enormous roar rings out from the crowd. Her name will now be known for this victory around Kirigakure and probably around the world due to there being many people from other villages her.
Turning to Tsun, the Jounin gives a wink. "Enjoy your time in the spotlight, kid," he says before vanishing into thin air.
