Starring:
Kupo (emitter), Yasushi, Ryoji, Amaya, Hinotori, Ketsuki, Setsiro
Date: December 16, 2010
Summary:
Yasushi's first real challenge appears on the field! Divine power against the body mastery of a mortal!? Watch for the victor!
"First World Ninja Competition - The Beast God And The Spirit Of Earth: Yasushi vs. Amaya"
Peach Pit Stadium Arena 1 Ring - Kusagakure
The tournament is still in full swing, but reaching its climax, particularly among the high ranking division. During the Jounin matches, especial care is taken to make sure the seal barrier is correctly in place. So several Kusa nin are still scurrying around, meticulously checking the thousands of seals encircling the wide arena. The arena has been swept clean of debris. The terrain is an even balance of rocks, trees, and a small, but deep pond in the center. The proctor enters well before the match should begin, and waves away the workers. He's a man dressed in sturdy gear, and a no-nonsense face with flinty eyes and a square jaw. A forehead protector with the symbol of Kusagakure is tied around his head. He barks out like a drill sergeant, "The match between Nagayama Amaya and Kaguya Yasushi will now commence. Contestants, please enter the arena!"
For the first time since his matches had begun, Yasushi would have come to the contestant waiting area and dressed down for the battle prior to his name being called. He would have his loose pants, his blades, and little else on. Even his hair was left to fall as it may as he walked in to the arena with a noted lack of haste. There was one thing that seemed rather odd about his gear, as limited as it was. That was the fact that instead of two swords, he now had four. Two blades where sheathed on each hip, and they seemed to be of similair design atleast from saya to pommel. He would nod silently towards the proctor, but other wise wouldn't do much of anything beyond await his opponent whom he would also nod towards briefly.
A signal. That was all it took for Ryoji to string Ketsuki along with him in a mad dash from the forest on a course straight for the arena. By the time of their arrival even the Iga finds himself nearly on his last leg, sweating, and panting heavily as he slung himself over one of the few empty seats remaining in the stands. As soon as Ketsuki catches up (assuming he hadn't manage to surpass Ryoji somewhere along the lines), Ryoji would somehow wheeze out for Ketsu to find them some seats closer to the action. In the meantime, the wanderer settles on trying to catch his breath for a few minutes more before begining to chew on something…
Amaya arrives in an outfit far different from any she has worn so far at the tournament. It is basically a black leather bodysuit, with so many straps and buckles and pockets and pouches and additional ornamentations that anyone who looks at it would just >know< it was designed by Masashi Kishimoto. Amaya's long snow-white hair is bound in a low, thick ponytail, and on her face is a solid-steel mask with some padding on the interior. It looks a bit like the kinds of masks that Kirigakure's Hunter-Nin favor, but with enough differences to make it clear this is >not< a Kiri-made mask.
The Kumogakure Jounin strides into the ring, silently thinking, 'I've always hated how tight this outfit is. It makes me feel restricted. Hopefully that won't become a problem in this match…' When she reaches the near-center point of the Ring, she bows to the proctor, then to Yasushi, and then straightens up. Her green eyes gaze out of the parallel holes in the mask, but no other details are visible.
"I'm ready when you are, Kaguya-san. Though I'll let you know right away… I heard about how strong you are already. You beat Reza-san, as well as my husband. I'm going to have to do my best right from the start. I hope that won't detract from the experience for you at all."
Strolling in from outside, comes the raven haird colored Uchiha who lost his match a week ago. He did get a few acknowledgements, but those acknowledgements were pretty bad due to the way he lost his match but Hinotori was one not to get discouraged. Rubbing the back of his head as he walks up the stairs, upon finding a seat, the Uchiha sits down and yawns. He was pretty excited about this match mainly due to him wanting to see if Amaya can excell past her husband who he watched Yasushi beat. Leaning forward in his seat, and looking in the stands for a moment. He turns his attention back to the match, his sharingan activates then he uses a henge to hide them. "Alright Amaya-san lets see what you got." he says more to himself.
Ketsuki would move through the large crowd locating two empty seats in a lower balcony with plenty of shade and privacy. Making his way back to the crowd he continuously checked over his shoulder. Two jounin, this was sure to be a fight indeed. "Ryoji-sempai there are some seats for us down here please follow me." He would say waving his hand for him to follow, "Hurry before the fight begins." Ketsuki would rush through the crowd with many excuse me, pardon me, excuse me.
Though this was the first time he announced the match, the Kusa proctor had seen several matches from the stands already. And making it this far for both of the contestants was telling, for their strength. So he'd nod to both of them curtly and respectfully. He would merely say, "Fight well, both of you." He doesn't say to fight honorably or courageously or to the end. Everyone had their own reasons for coming into this arena, and it seemed that both of them had something riding on this match. The proctor raises his arm and then brings it down like a chopping knife. "Begin!" he shouts, so loudly that it echoes up to the stands. He'd flicker from view and appear near the edges of the arena, arms folded and standing at the ready.
By the time Ketsuki would arrive back at the seats he'd found — hopefully with Ryoji in tow — the seats would have lost a bit of their privacy. Setsiro was there, the small woman's back straight, her bearing holding a regalness tinged with something haughty. She looked down at one of the two swords in her lap, stroking a small ruby in the hilt.
The call to begin shook her out of the thoughts that she'd fallen into so swiftly, and she raised cerulean eyes to the two contestants as the proctor flickered from view.
"Very Well." Yasushi would state. He was oddly quiet this time around. Not that he was always loud, but it did not appear as if he had any aggressions towards the woman before him regardless of the situation and safety precautions. Perhaps he underestimated her, or perhaps he simply did not rabidly assault anyone he had an opportuntiy to. As soon as the proctor began the match however, things seemed to drastically change. Yasushi had moved to Amaya's location immediately and a swirling of dust and dirt would have formed around her, leaving little mroe than a streak of Yasushi's presence behide just before he would have moved in to a devestating looking combination of attacks leading with a seamless uppercut and full moon style crescent kick that would immediately be followed by as full tiger palmed strike to her abdomen if she was not able to defend herself in time.
Startled by Ketsuki's sudden announcment is Ryoji that he hacks up whatever it was he was chewing on. "Ha-hai, hai~ Ketsuki~", He singsongs just before slumping onto the ground and rolling along the cold hard ground and stairs until finally reaching the seats. Just like a jack-in-the-box, or something close to it(!), Ryoji springs off the ground spining rapidly to knock off all the extra stuff he collected on his cloak until most of it is removed… and probably sticking to some poor unfortunate soul. "Oooooh-ho-ho~ You found a lovely lass for us to nestle by, eh Ketsu-kun?", Ryoji continued brightlly with a few elbow jabs to Ketsuki. "But who shall be the one too—It's begun." All traces of merriment disappears from form as he turns back to face the arena. Inadvertantly and without a care, blocking the view of those less fortunate to grab seats closer to the arena.
Ketsuki would wince at the elbow jabs and then flash a quick smile at Setsiro, "Hello, I am Aburame Ketsuki nice to meet you." Ketsuki smoothly moved to his seat sliding into it and watching the fight begin with great interest. The Kumogakure nin was very acrobatic and nimble, she would not be an easy opponent for the Kaguya.
Amaya has been training a lot in preparation for this match. She doesn't want to get 'revenge' for Jon's defeat, but she does want to show that he was not weak, and that it is simply that Yasushi is very, very strong. To that end, she has been practicing at unlocking the full potential of her body and spirit. How better to honor her husband's battle than by drawing out her opponent's full strength in turn? She doesn't know if she can handle Yasushi if he were to push himself, but she knows she'll do her damn best to make it happen.
So, having studied her opponent, she is not exactly ill-prepared for a Taijutsu attack — not even a very fast one. She cartwheels aside with such force that she completes two revolutions before she lands on her feet in a crouch, a fair distance away. The combination of attacks fail to strike her, though they may appear as no more than a blur to on-lookers.
Just like she said at the beginning, she has no intention of holding back. She can't against an opponent this strong. He could probably out-last her if she sticks to low-powered moves. But that doesn't mean she should waste her energy wantonly either. So she does neither. She simply clenches her fists as she remains in a horse-stance, and focuses on mixing her Physical Energy and Spiritual Energy in the exact ratio needed to create Fierce Ki. A blazing golden aura forms around the Kemonoken, but unlike the technique she used to defeat Tessen, she goes even further with this one. The aura >erupts< from Amaya's body, turning into a pillar of golden flames that shape themselves into a towering man with a long beard, a jeweled spear, and aged features. "Earthly Kami's Aura!" she calls out. Then the gigantic Kami or 'god' condenses and compacts around Amaya's body, turning into a truly eye-searing vision. In composition and density it is akin to the 'Bijuu Cloak' that Jinchuuriki can manifest. But this is not being powered by a Tailed Beast… Just Amaya herself.
Amaya stands ready, not moving from her position, even as her suddenly-larger muscles strain against the form-fitting confines of her leather outfit.
Rolling forward rapidly to land from the assault, Yasushi landed easily, but kipped back several yards away as Amaya would begin to gather her power. He would watch, but he did nothing to prepare himself for her. However, some where in the movements he made earlier, he had lost two of his swords if others were looking carefully. Just as her powering up and preparation would be completed, the heavily muted gleam of ebon metal would flash behind her. The blades would mvoe to penetrate her lower back and intersect at about mid blade on each weapon. He would test her new found power it seemed… or end the match entirely if she could not survive it.
Watching the match, knowing he can't copy a kekkei genkai, Hinotori watches the moves of the Kagyu a smile on his face. It was one to behold the use of using your bones, to fight. Granted everyone uses their bones for basic and martial use, but to eject them from your body and such was something to watch. But as he moved towards Amaya and striking at her, Hinotori eyes narrow slightly. "Impressive." he says as he watches her evade the attacks easily it seems. THough with no return attack, Hinotori looks to her and notices the building of chakra. A smile rises to his face pondering what surprises was she going to unleash onto Yasushi. Glancing to his side he notices Ryoji and Ketsuki, he bows his head to the two, "Hello." he says as they take their seats.
Setsiro's eyes remain locked onto the battle, those depthful pools held enrapt by the scene of the two powers, one blatantly awe-inspiring, and the other understated but understood. She found herself gripping the ornate sheathe of one of her swords, the weapon matching the darkening azure of her eyes. Yet and still, the Reizei had enough presence of mind to answer those who'd spoken to her.
"Reizei Setsiro," said the woman to Ketsuki. "The pleasure is thoroughly mine, Aburame. Well met." She pauses, watching Yasushi's lost blades move of their own volition. "Are you enjoying the matches, thus far?"
The rush of power that comes with this technique is still new to Amaya. She isn't used to it at all. But in the time she takes to let her body adjust to the painful straining of muscles beyond their normal limits, and the rapid firing of synapses in her brain granting her the awareness needed to actually >react< to her enhanced speed properly, the two swords that were 'lost' come flying at her from behind. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and in this enhanced state that is more than sufficient to alert her to incoming danger, even though Yasushi appears to be just waiting things out.
She moves. And when she moves, it is like she is just eaten up by those golden flames, because there is nothing left of her to indicate where she just moved to. 0.15 seconds later, even those flames have dissipated. The swords slice through air when they arrive. Amaya appears behind Yasushi with an odd high-pitched keening noise accompanying her arrival, as her Fierce Ki produces friction with the air and yet shielding Amaya from the same. Because to move at the speeds she is moving in atmosphere would probably burn her skin right off otherwise.
Fighting to get her body to react as fast as her brain, she wastes a precious half-second seemingly floating behind Yasushi before she strikes, trying to claw him with both hands across his back, in two quick swipes, followed by two claw-toed swipes with her feet. Then, without even touching the ground, she vanishes again with an ear-piercing noise, only to reappear a few feet in front of Yasushi, and try to bring both hands with clawed fingertips down in a double-raking maneuver.
Ryoji all but ignores Hinotori for the time being in favor of carefully lowering himself into his seat. "Ketsuki. This will serve as another lesson for you so I would suggest you use everything at your disposal to analyze this match." He states calmly, and unhurried despite his insides writhring in the sweet agony from the discharge of energy coarsing through the arena. He could needed not chakra senses inorder to feel the grandoise rise in Amaya's power, determination, and overall competitive desire to not hold anything back. Not, against someone as strong and legendary as a seven swordsman of the mist.
In the end it all becomes too much for him to bear it all any longer. To bear having to rely on, in his current view, mundane every day senses just to witnesses this match. Thus, without visibly forming a single hand sign the Iga draws upon the sensory organs he hacked up earlier, assigned them to different areas around the arena, then finally dispatched for the simple purpose… of enhancing his experience. Only one word is uttered once the feedback from theses organs return to him; yet it is uttered in barely above a whisper, "Mag-nificent."
How Ryoji expected the young boy to keep up with a fight he could barely even see, his eyes focus yet the strikes come before the movements. "Yes sempai, I will do my best." He says intently focused, his communication with his insects had not yet improved to a point that he could use them to gain a better view. "I've been enjoying the fight's Setsiro-sama. Though I have missed quite a few I've been training very hard as of late."
The Kaguya continued to remain rather motionless as Amaya would seemingly disappear. "Had I had known I was to fight a "god"…" Yasushi would begi nto say as the full body clawing of Amaya would tear in to his back, but find also that they were heavily resisted just beneath, unable to go too. Yasushi took a step forward, seemingly walking in to Amaya's follow up attack, but those two delinquent blades slid in front of the claws, holding firmly against them. "… I would have made it clear that beasts do not fear gods earlier." The blades would seem to attempt to keep Amaya at bay as Yasushi leapt hard in to the air, gaining dozens of feet as he'd lean forward. Bones throughout his body would crack and churn beneath his flesh as he had one hand outstretched towards Amaya and the other was behind his head. His features wouldn't apepar to change much at all. After the rapid movement beneath his skin stopped, he appeared to take time to focus chakra as he decended back to earth with a controlled, but notably heavy thud.
Hinotori isn't phased that he was ignored for now, his attention is thoroughly engrossed in the fight that was happening down below. His eyes picking up on every move made, though he was able to tell that Yasaushi chakra is low. Frowning a bit, 'What are you thinking?' he asks himself, but as Amaya flickers and reappears, even his eyes had just a bit of difficulty tracking her, though her movements at the last moment was slowed for him to see how she executed and where she appears. Grinning, Hinotori is impressed so far. Now it was time to see what was to happen……wincing slightly as one strike manages to land against the Kaguya and the other missing. Hinotori leans back into his seat, a soft hmmmm escapes him as he continues to watch the match. He does glance in Setsiros and her companions direction for a brief moment, then back to the match.
Ryoji couldn't help, but snicker at a few side-bar conversations he picked up in the crowd; tempting him to cause a bit of havoc here and there. Luckily for them, this was not to be the case due to his focus being drawn once more back to the purpose of his arrival here. Part of it anyways. "Don't, just do your best. Go beyond it whenever you can, and trust that you'll succeed… no matter how arrogant it may make you feel.", He told Ketsuki with finality before refocusing back on the match, and especially Yasushi's strange transformation. "….What was your name again miss?", He asked after twisting his head towards Setsiro. "And… are you into a bit of a gamble?"
Amaya is breathing a bit faster than normal as her claws of Fierce Ki clash with the blades. That probably makes sense considering the maneuvers she has made so far. Clearly no mortal could sustain such levels of activity without tiring! But Amaya is, appearances aside, nowhere near tired yet. It is more that she feels something gradually fading inside of her. This is not the bodily damage that she suffers with the Pain to Power technique, nor even the suffering that comes with the Ama no Iwato Ken (Cave of the Sun Goddess's Fist) technique. What is fading within her is her very life. Even if she is never touched once in this match, if she does not win before her life force is used up… That will be the end of the fight. Maybe these barriers will keep her from dying from physical damage. Maybe they will even save her from death by exhaustion. But can they keep her very soul bound to a shell that is no longer able to sustain it?
She doesn't know, nor does she want to find out.
"All animal life are types of beasts," she calls out even as Yasushi lands somewhere behind her while she continues to deal with the two self-wielding blades. "That includes human beings. I won't claim to be a 'god'…" Then she turns aside, rotating so that she winds up behind the two swords she was previously fighting against, and attempts to grab each by its grip and simply spin at such a velocity that she becomes like a miniature tornado of pure sunlight. She doesn't expect to be able to wield self-aware or at least independently-controlled swords that are not loyal to her. So she simply used centrifugal force to hold out both arms and hang onto the swords tightly.
"…If I should fail to win, even with the guidance of Sarutahiko Okami, then that will simply be my karma! As will your defeat be Divine Judgement if I succeed!" her voice echoes out of the vortex of golden fire, before she streaks towards Yasushi and attempts to dice him up with his own swords! She doesn't hang onto them though, making only about one-hundred revolutions before letting go, and hoping that the blades didn't poison her as a defense or something. Then she leaps into the air, stopping her spinning so suddenly that a shockwave rips outwards from her and flattens the nearby terrain. In mid-air she tries to kick Yasushi in the face and then flip backwards via that foot. Just a kick. Nothing special about it other than the fanciness. But powered up as she is, it might have a bit more impact than a 'hit and run' attack would normally.
There was no denying that what ever Amaya was doing, what ever power she had access to, she was far beyond the scope of normal human capcity even at the levels of shinobi. All that Yasushi could truly do was grin at that fact. Her words of karama, and the usage of his blades turned out to be a sacrifice for that belief. She believed that her power was stronger than Yasushi's will and his determination to dominate the blades that served him. She would be proven wrong this time, as one of the blades escapes her grasp and seeks to remove theo ffending limb, though cannot do such easily in this mitigated environment. The other blade however was captured, and it does offend it's master with a cut in to his own flesh. It was one he was prepared for however, plates of bone moved and created to take the heavily enhanced impact as it came. The beautifulyl executed and powerful kick would be planted in Yasushi's face, but he seemed to not even register the attack at all.
As Amaya leaps backwards from the attack, maintaining her hit and run style combat manuvers, Yasushi swiftly moves in to action. His spine would be removed and snapped at her body near instantly while she is still in the air. It would move to tighten harshly around her neck and upper body before she had a chance to land if he could help it. He had paid close attentino to her attacks thus far, and side from the obvious, it did seem that she was over straining her entire body to maintain these abilities.
Amaya releases a blast of golden Geki when she becomes aware something is coming at her. She is propelled away from the spinal whip thing faster than it can land. Just as the whip breaks the sound barrier, so to does Amaya. But apparently it hits her anyway because, due to being arched in a bow-like shape and her eyes being directed >away<, she misjudges the angle the whip is coming in at. Still, even as it coils around her, the speed at which she was dodging the super-undodgeable-whip means she may drag Yasushi a couple dozen feet before her momentum is depleted and she finds herself wrapped up painfully in a spinal cord. Ew.
"Well, that's disgusting," she comments. The spine even has tiny shreds of bloody flesh on it still. Gross. She doesn't sit around observing, however, when she hits the grounds. She immediately starts straining not only with all of the muscles in her body, but also all of the Geki she has available to her. She doubts she can actually >break< these bones… But she might be able to force them apart enough to slip free.
Of course, either way she'll be vulnerable to a follow-up attack for a few moments. She'll just have to hope that the blessing of Sarutahiko will be enough.
Had it not been for the Kami-shrouded feline girl's own hit and run tactics, Yasushi could see that his whip like spine would have had difficulty catching her. Her being in mid air simply didn't give enough ability to move, no matter how fast it was, to get out of the way of an attack that surrounded her before closing. This was especially true as with his power, abilities, and the customized creation of the spinal whip it was easily able to near the speed of something like a lightning strike, let alone merely breaking the sound barrier. He had leashed the cat it seemed, and now it was time for him to discount humanities assumption of presence beyond themselves.
Yasushi would yank the spine towards him, causing Amaya to fly back at him harshly. "Karma?" he would say as his body would lock in to a heavy straight punch in to her gut. She would fly back with great speed, only to be dragged back down at the end of the line with even more momentum. "Do not make excuses for victory nor defeat." he would state as he slid forward, sendign both fists at her face and abdomen once more, the spine still currently intact around her.
Amaya is punched in the stomach after being yanked over to Yasushi, and then punched in the face with both fists and then her stomach is hit too! She was already losing her grip on life in the first place, despite the brave front she was putting up. This match is not worth dying over. Before Yasushi can do anything else, she allows the golden glow about her, the 'Shroud', to diminish and then vanish.
"I give up," she lets out in a pained voice. "I could keep going, but I don't think I'm destined to win. I did what I came here for. I forced you to actually push yourself. That's good enough for me."
"Reizei Setsiro," said the woman, absently repeating her name for Ryoji's benefit. "…And I'm afraid there does not seem to be much to gamble on, here." She wasn't sure that she'd blinked throughout this match, blade gripped between slim fingers.
"This… was a beautiful showing."
The spine would uncoil, the blades sliding from her flesh rather easily wtih his control over the weapon. "A shame. I wanted to see if you could take what you dished out." Yasushi would state as he looked to Amaya. "You are very fast, beyond my own bodily flesh even, but speed is simply not enough to survive everything. If you wish to face me again in the future, i suggest that you find a way to last. That jutsu of yours is very dangerous to your body, for all of the ability it grants you. The only reason you were not destined to win, is because for the time being, you have to nearly kill yourself simply to have a fair chance. Karma aside, you are trained to win swiftly. If that cannot happen, your lose is inevitable." Yasushi would shake his head. "Aside from that… you have fought very well, the strongest i have faced thus far. You should be proud. Next time… i want you to face my true power. I apologize for merely testing you. It will not happen again."
Ryoji simply sighed after a time from Setsiro's answer; admitting internally that his timing wasn't quiet the best for what he had in mind anyways. That still didn't stop him from feeling a little down about the whole mess. The next thing he senses is the sound of something shattering in the ring followed by a surrender. "….Uugh..no…noooo…I didn't even—", In the end he just couldn't put words to what he wanted to say, and so simply slumped back into his seat. Somewhat annoyed, a little confused, a tinge jealous of both combatants, and finally, overall overjoyed that at the very least he was able to experience such an event. Albeit without actually being in the ring for an even better vantage point… and a suicidal one. "A shroud of chakra though…", He muttered before pushing himself out of his seat, pat Ketsuki on the shoulder to get up and follow, then finally giving setsiro one final bow preceding his about face to meander out of the arena. All of his sentries are of course eliminated via acid self destruction.
When Amaya concedes defeat, the proctor promptly steps forward as if to intervene. But he merely listens to Yasushi and Amaya's exchange of words. He says, "You concede defeat," just to confirm it, before raising his voice. "The winner of this bracket match is Kaguya Yasushi! Both contenders will advanced in different brackets. Please show up to demonstrate your support in the next match." After a moment the barrier of seals would lower, and the proctor gives a curt nod to Amaya and Yasushi before departing as well.
