Starring:
Rain, Kureno
Date: July 9, 2010
Summary:
Recruitment of Kureno
"Crossroads"
Boarder of the Land of Fire and Neutral Territories
A quite literal cross roads lies where one border ends and another begins. There are many places to go from here, though travel times vary. It was at this place where many different paths lie ahead that Rain would stop and reflect on things. His lavish kimono still had the partial damage inflicted upon him by a young man who desired to see that people in pwoer did not abuse the impoverished. Even so, he did not appear to mind. It was the way of life, an unpredictable instance that can be read and deciphered, but never truly understood by one perspective. What caused Rain to wait, if he was so certain of his path as he had claimed? In his mind… he waited for anothers path to join his own.
Kureno was limping a bit as he followed the beat path towards from the Land of Fire to the crossroads. He had thought of his previous encounter, and wondered if he was really ready to leave Sunagakure. It seemed like the only option. He didn't feel at home there. He felt as if he wasted his life; For what? Nothing.
Footsteps echo in the distance as Kureno walks; they echoed in his head too. Each one louder than the other, each one farther from home, yet at the same time, towards something else.
His eyes lift up for a moment, and he sees a figure there. Waiting? He approaches carefully, feeling that something is out of place.
Reaching into his kimono without any intention to rush, Rain would withdraw three shuriken, held between his knuckles. Without facing Kureno, he would fling them all at him, the spinning blades curving around his "target" to strike the ground and tree's behind him. "If you desire to know who i am, discover that for yourself. If you desire to find your path, discover that for yourself. If you desire to gain that which you do not currently have…. discover that yourself." Rain would challenge him with that. He would give Kureno nothing, but he would offer hi mthe way, as simple as it sounded, for the teen to earn it.
Kureno would raise his arms in front of his face to shield himself from the attack, but the Shuriken fly past him and hit other targets, instead of his organs.
Kureno slowly lowers his arms, "Huh?" Was all he could say, still shocked. "Damn. You really think yourself as a smart ass?" Kureno says with a smug smirk on his face. Guess he was a smartass too. Than his hands came together as he focused his chakra. "Fine. I'll take your challenge. Let's first start with finding out who you really are! I'll find my path and gain what I am looking for eventually!" And than he charges towards Rain.
Rain slowly turned his attention to his test administrator as he closed in on him. A kunai would spin slightly into his left hand, holding it in an underhanded form as he'd spin around, taking Kureno's forward momentum and attempting to use it against him as he'd position the blade to allow his own velocity to create the cut that would be inflicted. Crossing his right arm over, his palm would attempt to smash into the side of Kureno's head with a jolt of lightning springing forth from his finger tips. Continuing to move with this rotation, that very same hand would now form a simple tiger seal as Rain leaned forward and released a small gout of flame upon his target. "My craddle was the field of battle." he would say, Kureno apparently earning one small piece of information.
Kureno charged forwards, and as the first attack came, Kureno replaced himself with a metal pole, which was electrified to the point to even give Rain a subtle jolt for his mistake; And the two other attacks only hit the flesh of a clone which puffed into a thick cloud of smoke as Kureno was practically falling from the sky, hand ready to hit the ground; and as he did two spikes made of earth sprang from it, aiming to impale his opponent on them.
"Oh yeah? Well, each second I spent living was spent in strife! Why does your craddle make you anymore special than me!?" Kureno would protest spiritedly.
As the ground erupted from underneath him, Rain seemed to side step, though the spike was awefully close to making contact. The second spike however was dashed around as Rain seemed to nearly swoop in to action, two hand seals used this time as his other hand released a few more shuriken, also moving past Kureno yet again. The sealed hand was shoved forward as lightnnig arched once again from his finger tips, this time with much more range. Should they hit, Kureno would find himself immobilized by the electrical attack. Mean while, with the shifting hos his free hand, those shuriken would come back sharply towards Kureno's flank. "As i said before, there is no such thing as better between men. My craddle was watched over by many, and should i have been weak, i would have died without a second thought. That is life. I learned from life as well as war." Rain continued.
Kureno attempts to raise a wall of Crystals but it seems that today is just not his day, as suddenly he is found bound by crackling lightning and a Shuriken curving in his path; And the best he could do was raise his arms to protect his face as he stumbled backwards.
'Damn' he thought to himself. 'This guy…' Performing a set of handseals he would look at Rain before doing anything else, "I've learned a lot too. I've learned that I was wrong. Though I don't regret my decisions, nor I ever will." And than his hand smacks against the ground as the ground erupts with Crystal shards, aimed at Rain and than followed by a massive spike;
"Do you regret anything?"
"Being wrong will happen, for you are not omnipotent." Rain would say before flickering out of the way of the crystals that came his way. He would be in the air momentarily as a variety of things fell down upon Kureno. Firstly and most noticably however, was a barrage of smoke bombs. Hidden within this barrage were a variety of sharp spikes and other hinderances that may stop Kureno in his tracks or wound him and make him sluggish. As Rain attempted to establish a mental link, he also followed up his confusing attack with another tiger seal as he exhaled a concentrated fire ball down towards Kureno. "Regret is a waste of time, suffering for your mistakes, or because of what has happened in or out of your control however… is how we all grow." Whether or not the fire ball hit or miss, it would explode as more chakra was used on the initial attack, creating a doubled assault.
"Gah…" Kureno growled as he was bombarded; and than he narrowly escaped a explosion, his clone dying in a blast of fire. "This guy….." He muttered out loud as he ran across the battlefield. "This guy…" His hands clap together and a bolt of lightning arcs in a confusing route towards Rain.
"I'll make this guy pay!" And than his hands clap together again as another barrage of crystalline senbons explode after Rain.
As the lightning races towards Rain, he would have been behind himself, almost literally, as a replacement was in place, but the chaotic nature of the lightning attack caused it to at the very last moment, veer off course and come striking him any how. With a seemingly surprised cringe Rain would roll away, holding his chest as the shards of crystal rained down upon him.
*POOF*
Rain was no where to be found for the time being as his clone was done with such swiftness that it seemed nearly impossible to pull off. Focusing his chakra with two hand seals once again, he would have inhaled deeply from the tree tops before exhaling a tremendous blast of flame upon Kureno. "What am i to pay for?" he would say calmly from the tendrils of heated air leaving his lips.
Unaware of the Genjutsu link being set at him, Kureno rushes at Rain with a, hard to hide, desire to beat him into a pulp. Such weak attacks were actually beating him! Preposterous. With several handseals two spikes of crystals raise and take the brunt of the flame attack, only a few wisps of flame finding their way through to whip at Kureno's hair and clothing, but otherwise for a non-damaging effect; Quickly Kureno jumps on top of the Crystals and yells, "I'll make you pay for this!" He yells as his fingers quickly make another set of handseals, raising crystal particles all over the battlefield.
Now that Kureno was on an open perch, Rain leapt from his own within the tree tops with a flurry of shuriken within the shadow of each, was even more shuriken. As they traveled in their arcing, side winding paths, a single ram sign was formed before his left hand would fire multiple bolts of lightning, this time to harm instead of hinder. The reflections of the crystals were only a slight distraction, but not enough to break down Rain's mental defenses as ghe focused on a genjutsu on his own. Whether it was former wounds or new ones created just now, Kureno was sent the impulse to feel intense pain from them as if aggitated horribly by something all of the sudden. "If i must pay for your suffering, then you will have to learn from it, and grow stronger because of it first."
The first lightning bolt hit a Clone and it practically exploded into it, the other bolts missing wildly; But the shadow shuriken on the other hand though struck home and Kureno's chest was adorned by another gash. And he could feel the pain welling up; but thankfully, he had enough strength of will to disbelieve that he was actually hurting -that- much.
But still, the boy grabs his chest and falls to his knees. "Da— damn." He panted. "Why ca— can't.. I.. beat you." He almost growled, obviously not able to fight anymore. At least, without coercion.
Rain had landed before his opponent today after his last string of attacks and gazed at him now. "I can give you many reasons why, but what do you believe the reason to be, Kureno? You do not believe it is because i am better than you, so what is your conclusion?" Rain actually had one distinctive reason why he was able to defeat Kureno today. There were many attributing factors, but the primary reason was not one of his moves were wasted. Everything he did, every evasion and defense, attack and movement had a purpose. Should Kureno not lash out or continue this battle, he'll probably never know what that purpose truly was, but regardless, Rain had won this battle before it started, not because he was better, but because he controlled it from start to finish.
"That's simple." Answers Kureno, looking up. "Because your stomach wasn't rumbling all the way through the fight." Kureno smirks, and manages to stand up, though there is a grim look on his face. "So, what now? Are you gonna kill me?" He asks the question, not sure what Rain's true intentions are with this fight. Was it just a test? Or attempt to kill Kureno for his earlier attack?
"It is within my ability to do so… and you are already far too late to do anything about it." Rain would say blatantly, but not spitefully or even in a way to get a rise out of Kureno. "However, this … contest was exactly what i said it was. A way for you to understand me, through your own efforts, not through my mere words. What path you decide to walk, what journey you decide to take, is also up to your efforts, not my words." Rain would state rather simply as he would begin to wal kaway from the field of battle. "Just as i need no man to tell me where i am going, i will not be the man to tell you where you are either."
Kureno considers this, and remembers the words Rain had said earlier. Not when the fight starter, before that. And that guilt still lingered over him. He felt like he owed Rain a favor. Why he did the next thing was.. beyond Kureno himself. It just felt right.
"Wait!" He called out. "I think I know where I want to go. I want to follow you."
"You are free to stand with me, to follow me, or to leave me. You are free to stay because of your own desires, because of the Takokujin, or because of what you feel must be done for your honor. There is only one thing that i ask, and that is that you do not willingly jepordize the Takokujin with your actions." Flashing his Sharingan on momentarily, Rain would produce a pouch from his robes and focus his chakra for a moment. A metallic rattling would be heard before all of the weapons that he had used earlier lifted into the air and raced towards Rain's own body. They seemed to be captured by his aura as they suddenly stopped and orbitted around his form, eventually being led into the pouch that he sealed and stached back into his wardrobe. "Does this suit you?" he would then ask Kureno, deactivating his sharingan.
Kureno nods his head and follows after Rain. He notices the Sharingan and shivers visibly. "I won't jepordize these Takokujin, whoever they are." Said Takezo as he followed after Rain; literally and metaphorically.
"I am sorry about earlier. When I caught you off guard." He says.
"Then i shall take you to the Land of Rivers, and to my home, the Village of Twilight. And do not be sorry, take advantage of what has transpired to build the future. Do not dwell on the past, for it does not move for you and it will not change no matter how long you try." And with that, Rain would set off towards his new country with a bit of company for the road.
