Starring:
Date: December 4, 2012
Summary:
Rise and Tsiro meet for another battle, this time in the Promotion Exams.
"Second Promotion Exams - Brawler Against Brawler: Rise vs. Tsiro"
The Stream
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After coming throught he heavily wooded area of the Hidden Tropical Oasis, one reaches a small stream of flowing water. It's hard to tell exactly where it comes from and leads to, but this is one of the natural water sources of the area that flows to keep the plants green and provide clean water anyone who might be traveling through. On the other side of the stream, one can see a much less forested area that seems to be thick with flowers and bushes instead.
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Contents:
Night is close to falling over Kirigakure and all of its inhabitants. A few of which are actually taking part in the second promotion exams. There are no longer as many out there now as there was when this thing started. For some who have survived this portion of the exam it makes things safer. For others it makes it only more dangerous. Now that night has begun and the movements are hidden by the shadows of the night, things are about to become even more dangerous as activity should naturally be on the rise. At least that is Tsiro's thinking as he moves towards the stream.
The stream itself was another danger. People needed fresh water in order to survive. That meant the chances of seeing someone there or running into a trap were much higher than sitting in the woods. Still the young Chuunin moves to the edge of the woods and crouches down looking out at the water. He was not here to drink. This was more of an investigation. He was looking to spy on the competition left in the exam.
By some strange miracle Rise has managed to survive the second portion of the promotion exams, but at the price of no encounters with the rest of the competition, except Hiroshi and Ogosokomaru. When given her history with the former, Rise's resistance to the idea of even attempting to ask for his scroll should come as no suprise. Thus, here she is, meandering around the Exam area keenly alert for the first sign of any competition. Eventually, the gradually depletion of her water supplies — including what was suplimented by Hiroshi out of kindness — would eventually force Rise to throw caution to the wind and focus on the first source of water found. In recalling the how vibrant the HIdden Oasis had been, Rise makes only a slient prayer not to run into Hiroshi again before setting off for it…
"*sniff sniff*.. Well, it does'n seem poisoned at least." She mumured to her reflection and gave it a few quick prods. "Hnn… Well whatever. This will jus have to do.." She continued before digging her makeshift torch a couple of feet away from her peripherial, unslung her back pack, then parted the bandages partially overlapping her mouth before crouching down to 'dig in'.
Tsiro spots Rise as she moves out to the water. He had met her before on several of occassions. She actually had become a Chuunin in the first promotion exams. He was uncertain how she had grown, but the two had been rivals, much like Naru and himself. Things had come along way since those days. He had grown and even been promoted in several ways. Now both of them were fighting to become Jounin. A few thoughts passed through his head. Had she become as powerful as Naru had? Did she have scrolls? Would it be more beneficial to risk his own scrolls now to find out the answers?
After a few moments, Tsiro decides to step out into the open. He stands at the tree line and looks directly at Rise. He places his hands together to build chakra incase she decides to attack. If she was the same girl he knew, he was certain she'd be sending a foot towards his face the moment she saw him. Beneath his skin, his bones were prepared for it. He had just hoped they would not draw too much attention. This was survival, not king of the mountain.
At the sight of the all to familiar Kaguya, Rise's blood began to boil. Pain or no pain and consequences be damned! She owed him a debt and intended to collect on it. As she rose chakra is subconsciously built up. Some of it was siphoned off almost instantly by the effects of the soldier pill still coursing through her body. Before she could gathered up the strength to pounce upon the kiri nin to deliver a vicious kick and attempt to spill first blood, the memory of fighting Daisuke made her hesitant. "Tch… I ain't afraid." She mumured, and as if out of defiance of what the memory aroused within Rise dug out her combat knife and shifted into a stance better suited for countering whatever the Kaguya had in mind. Hopefully…
The hatred was in the eyes. They were the gateway to the soul, at least in those who still had one left. Tsiro had seen it before a million times in a million different sets of eyes. He was not evil but by no means was he the type to sit in a temple without a flame or two starting. He raised his hand and motioned for her to come towards him. "Do not tell me you have learned. I know all the beatings I gave you before could not break that spirit. What changed?" he asked. He was mocking her. He saw her stance. Something had been different. She was no longer all offensive, but defensive now.
Rise clicked her tongue. "Nothings changed." She stated angrily with a gutteral growl and subconsciously loosened her guard for more offensive purpose. Tsiro's mockings appearantly had an effect despite how defiantly she glared up at the Kaguya. "If anything, somethings changed about you… in fact, yer not quite as…" Her brows furrowed after she trailed off in thought. "Hnn, can't think of it but I guess it has somethin to do with you bein pretty petty now…. Am I right?" She asked mockingly.
Tsiro shrugs his shoulders at Rise's question. "I have grown. Not that anyone ever chose to see it. Most see what they want. That is their nature. I guess I really have nothing to fight you for. It was nice catching up to you. I am sure you have two scrolls already and we will be seeing each other in the next round, right?" he asked. It was clearly a baited question. The answer would likely not be verbal.
Just as predicted, the answer was neither verbal nor delayed by further banter. Instead, it was a straight forward chucking of her combat knife at the Kaguya's throat — the only place she considered their weakness — followed by a makeshift shuriken being flung to try and force him into a more compromising position if not to wound. Soon after a shadow would descend upon the Kaguya from above. One that bore one eye of emerald and the other, the color of blood, and both of which were merely the prelude to her lashing out to try and kick tsiro in the back of the neck after passing far enough overhead.
At the last second Tsiro tilted his head to the side to avoid the knife. He then twisted his body and twirled away from the shuriken. He continued to pivot on his foot to avoid the kick. As he turned around Tsiro spit a bone needle from his mouth towards Rise before rushing in and making a slashing strike across her mid section with a bone from his hand. This was followed by another needle. He was hoping to keep her busy and moving. He had her answer. She was not in the third round yet, and he was not about to lose his place there for her.
As soon as she could make out the sight of the needle, Rise tried to crouch down to evade the projectile; only to end up nicked by the weapon in passing. A curse is mumured but quickly forgotten due to Tsiro pressing her defenses further. In piercing the armguard she raised to try and ward off the bone hand, Rise drew back and began to spring away. His persistance hwoever kept her from barely making a step before another needle pierced through the same opening left behind by the first. A mistake on her part, but one she tried to remedy by sweeping around to try and sweep Tsiro off his feet. Then send him flying mid-fall (if not retreat) with a series of successive kicks and a horizontal chop that fed off the momentum of her spins.
There it was. This was the girl he knew and the battle he had remembered fighting. If the location had been different, he could have imagined it being part of the same fight. Tsiro jumped over the leg sweep before stabber her leg with a bone from his elbow as she tried to kick him. Tsiro then twirled back. "Come on, I've not even broken a sweat yet." Tsiro was holding back. This time he moved forward spinning and attempting to hit her with bones from his elbows. While he did not fear her, he felt it was better to put her away now than risk her coming back later.
As painful as it was being skewered in the leg it was nothing compared to being burnt alive. Still, this did not mean she did not feel anything. In fact, if not for the adrenaline and the timely clenching of her teeth this fight might have very well been over at the sound of her outcry. "I ain't finished yet," She growled out as she stepped forward to meet Tsiro's charge. At the last instant she spun about to add more momentum behind the backhand meant to turn aside Tsiro's first strike. And while successful, She underestimated the force behind the first attack. As a result, Rise barely had enough time to deflect the second strike, and even then, not without a new fracture in her armgaurd being born. Undaunted, Rise rolled with the impact to add more power behind her next spring forward. "Leaf Severe Whirlwind!", She called out, lashing out with both legs even if it meant placing her limbs in danger once more. She pressed on even further by sweeping herself up into a handstand and pursue, sweeping her legs about once more to break through Tsiro's guard long enough for a point blank headbutt tornado to the gut!
Once more Tsiro pivoted on his foot to back out of the range of Rise's attack. Not much had actually changed between the two of them. Her hostility was great as ever and yet again she was about to fall down. "When will you learn? Yes there are ways to change but this is a losing battle." Tsiro states. His only thought was that she could hope to draw attention from someone else. Maybe she had an ally in the area. Bones from Tsiro's chest and stomach begin to protrude as he spins directly towards her. "This will be the end of you."
It did not exactly take a genuis to figure out that the lack of contact meant that Tsiro managed to evade her once more, so it should come as no suprise why she sprung away from where she saw Tsiro last and landed in a crouch. The sight of him just a few meters away, unwounded and still 'arrogantly' looking down upon her infuriated the Shirokiri to no end. "Stop understimating… me..", She replied breathily with a fist outstretched to him. Even if the soldier pill kept her from feeling tired her wounds were making it difficult to focus without pain blinding her thoughts.
"This will be the end of you."
Even as those words reverbrated through that thick skull of hers, Rise shakily got right back to her feet anyways and braced herself for the worst. In a matter of seconds her armguards, much like the flesh and a bit of muscle beneath it, were shredded by the onslaught before the Kumo nin is forced back all together by the attack and slammed right into a tree. "… Uugh.. grrr… even now…", she mumured weakily before looking up towards Tsiro.
"Underestimate?" Tsiro asked. Why did she care if he of all people underestimated him. No one liked to be judged, but Tsiro did not care if she underestimated him. In fact he wished all of his opponents had. It made it easier to rise to the challenge. Tsiro turned and pointed in the direction of the temple. "There is a temple in that direction and a healer. Go there. This fight is over. I will not further shame you by carrying you there." Truth be told, he did not care if she went to the temple or not. The young Kaguya was also not dumb enough to touch her and risk her biting him or something. So he decided to walk off back into the woods. This battle had given him some information. The line of competition was somewhere between Rise's level and his own.
