Starring:
Date: Unknown (log received May 28, 2015)
Summary:
A match of the Steel Soul Tournament begins between the land of Mist and the land of Sand.
"Steel Soul Tourney - Okumo Against Seishukuni: Naoya vs. Ginrei"
Kirigakure
Akane stepped forward, mask on her face at the center of the arena. "This is between Seishukuni Ginrei from the Land of Wind. And Okumo Naoya from Kirigakure." She looked betweent he combatants. "Give them a show but remember this is a match. Begin." And then she disappeared.
This was Ginrei's second match. By now any butterflies were replaced with some kind of false pretense that he'd been here and done this once before. Kind of made him an expert. There was no chill down the spine this time as he heard his name. He looked at the crowd as he exited the prep room. They did not cheer much for him. Likely cause his opponents had both hailed from the village hidden in the mist. For now he looks on to meet his opponent. His chakra begins to build. The crystals do not activate just yet though.
While it was his match after a clear victory, the young man didn't seem to be excited nor intimidated. A almost blank look was etched into his face when he made his way into the arena. After coming to a pause, Naoya would dip his head lightly towards Akane but then again towards Ginrei silently. Closing his hands into loose fists, chakra began to swell within the young Okumo, but at the same time it lightly began to cloak around him under his layers of clothing. 'I'll face this one.. if it comes to that, we'll work quickly.'
Ginrei saw his opponent. He was an Okumo and his jutsu had something to do with spiders. Ginrei activated a crystal in his arm. The dark taint of the crystal once more spread through his veins as he moved his hand outwards. The hand would close and the crystals would begin to form around the Okumo. Ginrei was starting off pretty heavy out of the gates. He was also making sure to attack from a distance.
Stretching out his arms, the young man soon settles into a relaxed martial stance though the sight of his opponent staying so far away causes a brow to raise. The sudden appearance of darkened and animate crystals begin to come to life around him. Relying on his speed most to to help him avoid being stuck hardly allowed him to avoid the technique as the crystals spread around him, trapping him in place with little to no warning leaving him trying to fracture the chakra fueled stone before something worse happened.
As the crystals finally take form over Naoya, Ginrei's hand open and closes once more. The crystals form shards and shoot inwards from all over looking to penetrate and damage the external portion of the body. Ginrei stands there near motionless. The crowd had seen him battle before. He was not the brawler type. His ideal battle would start and finish in the same exact spot. For now he waits for his opponents response to such a brutal jutsu.
Without fail the cage of crystal would bind Naoya until compressing inwards to crush him and leave him on the ground, unfortunately he wouldn't stay down for very long. Lifting his head upwards, the young man would begin would begin to scowl as he looks across towards Ginrei though that soon was hidden within a mask forged from ivory fibers, silk. Shifting up some, the young man never makes it to his feet before he kicks off towards his opponent, attempting to burry a flying knee into his cheek in passing before simply disappearing in a blur.
The blurry knee meets a crystal shield. Luckily the shield survives the impact. It is hit with enough force that Ginrei ponders if his opponent may have hurt his knee or not. However Ginrei is unable to track his opponent. Given that the Okumo has vanished, Ginrei prepares an attack. He holds his hand together and builds up the chakra that he needs to launch it.
At alternate angles a pair of shuriken are hurled with arching angles, one aiming at Ginrei's throat the second aiming at his left palm, trying to ruin his focus. Tracing the string back would reveal that the young Okumo had slowed down enough to more sharply control the blade, yet once again he blurs with speed, and circle around the area. What was able to be noticed was blood was left in his wake, the last attack has wounded him rather noticeably.
The worst part about using a move like the one Ginrei had planned was that the charge could be interrupted. It required a focus like few other moves. As he charged, the attacks came. The shuriken are met with crystal shields protecting the young Kumo nin. Even as the Okumo tries to hide, the crystal user senses him. Without a sound the chakra is released into the air above the two combatants. Crimson crystals form in the air and pour down upon the arena. They seem to shower most everwhere that one could be hiding. This was the Crimson Monsoon technique.
Lightly clucking his tongue when not one but both of his blades are deflected, Naoya shakes his head gently while moving rapidly away again only to watch as much of the air solidifies. Kicking back on one heel, he quickly stops himself and begins to rapidly rotate, casting off his silk to entangle the crystals though a mix of there being too many to halt and that they shredded much of his silk, the young Okumo began to be cloaked in his own blood while not once touching his opponent. Even while enraged at his humiliation his hands rapidly begin to weave seals to use the moisture in the soil to his advantage, rapidly bathing the arena as mist for him to dance within and leave hardly more than shadows.
As the mist began to shroud the arena, Ginrei's eyes had to focus. He had not seen this jutsu, though he had heard of it. "The hidden mist technique." is muttered under his breath. It was obvious that the Okumo wanted to remove his sight from the match. Then a shadow passed by his eyes. He was certain it was the Okumo. Both of his hands moved from his side outwards as if tossing something. By the end of toss a crystal shuriken would form in each. They were launched directly at the path the shadow had been on.
Shadow after shadow was attacked and cut down yet they would simply disappear with a ripple within the mist ladened air. Rather than draw near, the young Okumo continues to by his time as he began to prepare the arena for something though before long the count of the misted figures would simply increase.
Misses. This was quite the predicament. While Ginrei seemed to track the shadows with ease, hitting them proved to be a bit more difficult. Tossing shuriken at them was obviously not working. He needed a new solution and quickly. If he was going to beat this opponent, he knew he could not allow him to sit back and hide. So Ginrei tracks the shadow once more. As he does, he reaches his hand out and closes it. It was a long shot that the move would work a second time, but he needed to immobilize the target in order to hit it.
Misses. This was quite the predicament. While Ginrei seemed to track the shadows with ease, hitting them proved to be a bit more difficult. Tossing shuriken at them was obviously not working. He needed a new solution and quickly. If he was going to beat this opponent, he knew he could not allow him to sit back and hide. So Ginrei tracks the shadow once more. As he does, he realizes that his chakra is dangerously low. He had never battled on this level before. He moves back and focuses more chakra. It was time to end this battle.
Without another set of attacks being sent his way, Naoya would begin to slow down to a crawl, lifting a hand up to his chest before then his side. Closing his eyes, he began to focus on something, those with the ability to see chakra wasn't focused in his hands or his lungs, but condensed on section of his body, namely his wounds.
Ginrei was unable to see chakra or to even sense it. However he knew that if the Okumo had stopped hiding, there was a reason for it. The reason was not directly apparent. The idea of a trap was dismissed right away. Ginrei made no effort to move from where he had been. So far his defense had proved to be stronger than the attacks. The concept of a distraction however seemed to fit the signs. At any moment, Ginrei was expecting a clone to appear or some kind of projectile to fly at him from behind. Instead of waiting to see, the Kumo nin reaches out his hands once more to summon the crystals. He wanted nothing of what Naoya was currently doing. The hand closes and the crystals move to trap the Okumo.
Once again he had slowed down too much and not even placing a snaring barrier between himself and the grasping crystals was enough to keep them at bay. Under the silken mask that hid most of his face, Naoya's expression twists several times though before long he becomes still, his gaze shifting some a bright amber to one that was dark gold. Exhaling slowly but steadily, the young man's voice raises though it was augmented, taking on a filtered rasp tone within it while at the same time seeming forceful. "Takes knee.. The match is his.. this time.. The next round is soon.. wasting it on recovery.. is needless."
And just as she'd disappeared, Akane was there again, standing beside naoya. "The match is Ginrei-san's! Congratulations." Then she turned to Naoya and bent, offering a hand, but whether he took it or walked out of his own volition.. she would jsut drag his sorry butt to the med center once they were out of te arena anyway.
