Starring:
Date: May 16, 2015
Summary:
Michiko and Kiyoshi, two powerful shinobi, face off in an intense match during the Steel Soul Tournament.
"Steel Soul Tourney - Sleeping Giant Stirring: Michiko vs. Kiyoshi"
Dammed Arena - Kirigakure
The light of the day becomes slowly obfuscated by the sun hiding behind the crest of the horizon. Lights are lit and aimed down into the arena. Lesser lights hang around the stands to give those there an opportunity to see their movements without overpowering the main show. A light aims toward a figure approaching the side of the arena under the stands. Having set up a spot under the stands with a chair raised above the floor, Tsuchikage Toujitakumi Juudai walks out across the arena floor with her jacket moving behind her as she walks. Already as she approaches her spot she is pulling out a small cigar and holding it up. As she arrives at her spot she idly points a finger to the tip and a small spark lights it up for her. Even as she does so, she looks out at the arena, seeming to assess it even as the crowd up in the stands makes their comments and speaks in various ways.
A call for silence is announced as Juudai takes up her spot. She stands before her chair and looks at the arena, "Today, we will witness a battle within the Steel Soul Tournament between one Moto Kiyoshi of Kirigakure…" THe cheer goes up heavily from around the arena. Hometown advantage is hard to deny. Juudai seems to glance around, eyebrow going up before nodding in ascent to the proper way a village should act toward their fighters.
Even as she states it, it is expected he approaches the arena at this time before she goes on, "And his opponent is Iwata Michiko of Kumogakure." A fairly large section roars up at this announcement. A look in that direction reveals that part of the stands is filled mostly with those of Kumogakure. As both of them enter and settle into their spots, Juudai settles into her seat. As she does, she leans into her left elbow with her right leg extended. Her right hand brings her cigar to her lips as she awaits the fighters to ready themselves.
Fear.
Kiyoshi gives it but a few seconds of his time before devouring the demon, and then striding out of the shadows of one of the entryways into the arena. It demanded attention with every step, clawing at his throat in its efforts to remain present in mind and spirit. He never once wavers, not even for a second. His misgivings, his concerns…. they all needed to wait.
Only once did the reflective, orange lenses of his mask turn away from the center of the arena to allow hidden eyes to view the crowd. A moment is given to acknowledge their support. Then, the spikey, blonde-haired giant's focus is back towards the center. As soon as he arrived at the designated spot, Kiyoshi folds his arms across his chest and waits patiently to size up his opponent for the first time.
Naturally, the mind refused to stay quiet. He kept hoping the display of distance, the pair of cleavers holstered at his side, or simply his physique might scare his opponent away before the match begin.
'But who am I kidding…'
Michiko saw the brackets go up, raising her eyebrows a bit when it was determined that she and Kiyoshi would fight. It's not a known fact, but she had heard rumors of the Moto's strength and even some tales of his abilities. The girl also recalls a certain file that said that it was possible he was a Jinchuuriki, though she didn't know for which beast. The Iwata got a good night's sleep before the match to make sure she was going to at least perform well. This was less about displaying her abilities and more about just winning against her opponent through some sort of method…
And now Michiko is standing at the entrance to the Arena. She had done a spar, of sorts, already against Itami, but mostly just watched until the Mizukage sent out who would face who. She takes a moment to gather herself before stepping into the area, glancing first at the crowds that cheered for opponent, then to the crowds that cheered for her. Then her gaze fell to Kiyoshi. "Hmm…" is all that she says as she looks him over, contrasting the giant to her smaller build. She was, on first glance, not much. But those of Kiri should know that size does not always equate to strength.
Brown eyes noted the swords at his sides, and she couldn't help but grumble inwardly. Swords were annoying to try and dodge. She knew that after facing a number of skilled kenjutsuists. But she wasn't inclined to run away just because of the daunting figure. In fact, she was almost more fired up, in a both literal and figurative sense.
"Moto Kiyoshi-san," she greets with a slight incline of her head. "Congratulations on your recent promotion," she then says, recalling the giant's name being called so he could receive a flak jacket during the Steel Soul's opening ceremony.
The cheers go up around her as the participants are announced, the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning cheering in turn. From her seat near the front Yuriko leans forward, her lithe weight supported by the railing. Rather than cheering she watches quietly, bright blue green eyes intent while the anticipation for spilled blood rises through the crowd.
Sitting in her rather relaxed position, Juudai looks at both of the warriors as they speak. She siphons off a bit of smoke from her cigar. A release of it that follows has her simply gesture with the cigar toward the arena, "There are no dampners here. There is nothing between each of you other than your misgivings, your hesitation, or possibly your fear." She nods to each, "This fight will be real. True wits, skill, and strength facing off against each other. What you use is up to you and how you fight is yours as well." She then takes another drag of her cigar.
"I see no point in delaying this further. Fight well or die well. Your choice." She then settles back and looks to a shinobi stationed up in the stands who sets off a sound of a gong that signals the start of the fight.
»Its a little girl…«
'Shut up.'
»Your one weakness, Geki«
'Shut Up!'
»Whatever shall you do?«
'Shut. Up. Shut. UP!!'
Throughout the entire argument, the Moto could not help tapping a set of fingers against arm, or grumbling for that matter by the end of it. The unfortunate timing of course just had to coincide with her congratulating him for his promotion. Belatedly does he realize the rudeness on his part, but rather than take it back, he chose to roll with it. It was better that she thought of him as a brute, or… so he dared considered. To that end, the arms are unfolded and left to hover close to the weapons at his side while Juudai played up the role of proctor.
»My, aren't we adapting quickly to change now.«
Kiyoshi does not answer with words, but with action. The instant the gong sounded off, the Kirryu vanishes in the blink of an eye. The more adept can still track his highspeed movement, and it is this the Kirryu sought to confirm from Michiko by rushing blindly forward. At the last second he changes course, slowing for that one instance before disappearing again to try and get around her. The moment he is behind the smaller girl, a taloned hand reaches out to try and grab her by the head, neck, or shoulder, then slam her head first into the ground!
COMBAT: Michiko defends against FLING(58) attack from Kiyoshi with a EARTH-DOME…66
Ryouji sits amongst the crowd, his face is worried as he watches Michiko about to go up against a kiri nin. His hands white knuckle as he grips the arm rests of his chair. A half eaten box of pokey rests on his lap, jittering on a bouncing leg. He mumbles, "Get 'em, Michiko-chan."
Michiko takes notice of the grumblings, but she decides it doesn't quite matter. His reasons for grumbling are his own. If the tails of his status are true, they make sense. Otherwise, he may just be dissatisfied with the fact that he was a Chuunin. Whether that was due to his desire to be a higher or lower rank was unknown… Her response was just a small smile, the girl amused. When the gong sounds, she sees the Kirryu disappear and reacts almost immediately, throwing up a dome of earth to protect herself from all sides. Whatever it was Kiyoshi decided to do, she could at least keep herself mostly shielded from his onslaught. A thud from Kiyoshi hitting the dome or his footsteps along the ground traveling around the barrier would indicate that he was done, and she would allow the barrier to lower. "Mm… I could barely see you…" she says with a sigh. "And attacking right away like that… At least let me prepare," she grumbles, chakra surging suddenly as she gathers quite a bit.
Watching the boy react, Juudai taps her fingers of her left hand on the arm of the chair. She watches him seem to have some sort of internal conflict. When he disappears in a burst of speed she whips her head over, seeming to follow his movements when that dome of Earth goes up around the girl and she focuses her chakra. Juudai takes a drag of her cigar and then removes it slowly. Smoke fills the area before her as she lets out a slow yawn.
Despite temptations, Kiyoshi yanked his hand back instead of attempting to claw his way past the barrier. The time just wasn't worth it. Finger joints pop audibly as the hand is withdrawn gradually back to its owner side. "I needed to access your abilities, Iwata-san… And besides, if you weren't prepared to defend yourself from the start then, you got no business being here." He states cockily while gradually building up his own chakra reserves. As soon as he reached the desired amount, the Kirryu takes a gamble in removing the giant scroll strapped to his back and summoning two oversized weapons: A Zanbato and a spear. It seems the cleavers were just for show.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi focuses 6215 stamina to turn it into 7700 usable chakra!
Michiko hums softly as she sees the weapons, the girl wondering idly if he planned to use them and the cleavers combined. His size indicated that he likely could if he truly wanted. Whatever the case, Michiko takes a step back, allowing the Moto to prepare himself even as she performs handseals. The end result? A barrage of fire billets that are so numerous that it would be difficult to avoid them all. A multitude of tiny flames that are all painful to the touch.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against FIRE-BULLET-BARRAGE(47) attack from Michiko with a WHAT-YOU-WILL…53
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against FIRE-BULLET-BARRAGE(60) attack from Michiko with a WHAT-YOU-WILL…64
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against FIRE-BULLET-BARRAGE(44) attack from Michiko with a WHAT-YOU-WILL…51
Lifting a hand to the side of his neck, Naoya would idly scratch just under his ear. The act causes the dismay of a small creature, half the side of a Ryo, causing it to crawl from within his neck onto the back of his hand before skittering down his sleeve. 'Yes, lets watch..' is softly murmured while his bright amber eyes glance around the stadium filled with familiar faces but also many strange ones and even stranger echoes of cheers for the fighters. 'Hmm.. We're late.. doubt they will notice you now then. Get into position.'
Not once did the young man move forward from the back hall, though several times, small creatures crawl from his pants legs before disappearing into the crowded stadium. Few of the creatures would stay in a large croup, often moving with a count no more than five, no less than three, but their target was the edge of the arena, easily scaling the walls only to stop a meter below to fully view the conflict. 'Good good.. now..' "Let me see.." was said a bit more clearly though it also causes his once bright amber eyes to darken to a rich golden tone "Good.. good.. This is rather interesting. Moto-san.. How much will you show us?"
Dark eyes kept watch over the Iwata's movements even as the rest of the body prepared for the fight. After confirming another expectation, Kiyoshi based on them and the balls of fire, Kiyoshi could not suppress the desire to sigh. "No.. do not underestimate her." Without a second more of hesitation, the Kirryu immediatly began walking straight into the blaze barrage of flames, hands bearing weapons at his side instead of holding them up as a shield. With but a few exceptions in regards to his clothing, Michiko faced a giant that bore no mark of harm upon him.
In hopes of capitalizing on a moment of shock, Kiyoshi launched the spear ahead with a great deal of force. The moment she moved to shield or evade, the Kirryu would maneuver to intercept and smash open the weak point with a well placed slash of the zanbato, then a hard kick to the side.
COMBAT: Michiko defends against POWER-SHARP(18) attack from Kiyoshi with a CLONE-TECHNIQUE…39
COMBAT: Michiko defends against SWORD-STRIKE-II(45) attack from Kiyoshi with a FIRE-REPLACEMENT…56
COMBAT: Michiko defends against PHYSICAL-II(33) attack from Kiyoshi with a REPLACEMENT-TECHNIQUE…32
COMBAT: Michiko loses the roll and sustains 432 damage.
Michiko continues to breathe out the flames for a few moments longer, watching as Kiyoshi just plowed through the fire with not much effort. Sigh. The girl wasn't shocked, though, as she had seen many feats of simply plowing through fire like that. Then the spear pierces through her head… To the crowd, she would seem to take the hit, but no blood would fall from the figure. Kiyoshi would feel no force of impact when he used either weapon, but his movements were fast enough that the kick to Michiko's side met its target.
Tch… Michiko grits her teeth, grumbling at being hit. She moves slightly in her spot, and the ground seems to explode with a burst of chakra sending dirt and debris into the Moto's eyes. If this works, the incoming bolt of fire would be that much more painful, and then fire once again washes across the field.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against DIRT-BOMB(43) attack from Michiko with a WEAPON-BLOCK-II…29
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against FIREBOLT(50) attack from Michiko with a TENSE…18
COMBAT: Kiyoshi loses the roll and sustains 873 damage.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against FIRE-BULLET-BARRAGE(52) attack from Michiko with a WHAT-YOU-WILL…67
Kiyoshi winced, though not from Michiko's tactics. Once more the other little voice in his head decided to try and badger him about rights and wrongs. Losing focus for just that one brief moment costs the Kirryu dearly as it turns out. With his visor momentarily covered with earth, the man panics for a second too long. A bolt of fire finds the arm trying to wipe away the muck, scorching it badly. Instead of panicking further, pain provides the focus necessary to endure the barrage of fireballs that follow.
He moves before the smoke fully clears, transforming with every step made. The changes are too subtle to notice on the surface. Most, at least, though Michiko will see soon enough that the visor seemed to glow as a result of the change in his eyes. This time it is the sword that is discarded for the sake of the spear. He snatched it out of the ground on his way towards Michiko, jabbing first with the business end before trying to sweep her legs off her feet. If successful, he meant to pin her into the earth by the shoulder, though failing that, a great deal of power is placed behind one last thrust.
RP: Kiyoshi transforms into GOBI-PARTIAL-RELEASE.
Having seen blood start to get drawn, Juudai seems to sit up a little. The match seems to draw a slight interest from her after seeing the girl take a hit, the real interest, however, falls to when she watches Kiyoshi take that blast of fire. The attack has her tilting her head slightly as that was a fairly impressive blast of damage. Even if the attack came from a stun manuver. Then the slight changes to Kiyoshi have her arching an eyebrow. None the less, she keeps her relaxed spot for now, not stepping in for the moment.
COMBAT: Michiko defends against SHARP(33) attack from Kiyoshi with a REPLACEMENT-TECHNIQUE…49
COMBAT: Michiko defends against LONG-SWEEP(37) attack from Kiyoshi with a REPLACEMENT-TECHNIQUE…32
COMBAT: Michiko defends against POWER-SHARP(38) attack from Kiyoshi with a TENSE…19
COMBAT: Michiko loses the roll and sustains 783 damage.
RP: Michiko transforms into SIZZLE-I.
Michiko's eyes narrow as she feels something change in the Moto. It's not distinct, but there's something about the older teen that is making her a bit more wary. She allows her chakra to flow, running in such a way that a faint aura of chakra radiates around her like flames. The girl makes a handseal, making earth come down to barrage Kiyoshi and keep him in place for a bit so that she can further hamper his movement by sucking him into the earth. The ground below starts to swirl and whirl, dragging Kiyoshi down into its center so that he would make a suitable target.
A faint smirk appears on his lips as he watches blood begin to be let and spilled onto the ground while flesh and hair sizzle and cook. "I'm having a feeling both of these who are going to be feeling each other out for a little longer.. but then things will get more interesting." Running his tongue along his teeth, Naoya focuses for a moment on his left elongated fang before dampening his lips. 'Yes.. she should know we're here.. why don't you tell her.. gently.' Closing his eyes, the young man crosses his arm after shifting to the side, allowing him to lean his back against the supporting wall, settling into his position.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against EARTH-FLOW-RIVER(44) attack from Michiko with a TENSE…7
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against EARTH-WHIRLPOOL(62) attack from Michiko with a TENSE…18
Kiyoshi eyes widen by just a fraction from Michiko's reaction. Of all the things he had expected from a successful combination, seeing her remain just as determined proved her worthy of admiration. Then, he sees the hand seal. Another momentary lapse of judgement is soon to be followed by the blonde-haired man trying and failing miserable to hold his ground against the shifting tides of earth. If not for his size alone, he might've sunk beneath the waves long within moments. Still, he found himself clawing at any and everything within range of his free hand to try and slow his decent into the center… but to no avail.
Michiko considers Kiyoshi for a moment, wondering… What to do with the helpless giant. He would not stay in place for long, likely, so she would have to act quickly. Recover? Or continue and hope that she can withstand the rest of the fight without too much injury. She decides upon the latter, seals forming so that Kiyoshi would feel a powerful, yet broad, flame wash over him. Its heat was extraordinarily intense; much more than the typical fire. As hot as dragon's breath, many had said, though it wasn't likely they faced a dragon and survived. Michiko then follows up with a spray of fire-lit oil that would coat Kiyoshi in such a way that he would continue to feel the flame's burning effects long after he escaped the heat.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against DRAGON-FIRE-TECHNIQUE(35) attack from Michiko with a TENSE…12
COMBAT: Kiyoshi loses the roll and sustains 1295 damage.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against FLAME-BULLET(53) attack from Michiko with a TENSE…19
COMBAT: Kiyoshi loses the roll and sustains 1022 damage.
Though she leans against the railing at the front of the stands, Yuriko is distracted by internal thoughts. The stands go wild as blows are exchanged, blood is drawn, yet she remains still and quiet. However, something snaps her out of her meditation as her bright blue green eyes blink with mild surprise. Her snowy head tilts slightly, pondering movement. "Hm." Once more she glances away and instinctively Yuriko reaches up to cup a hand along the curve of her neck. A habit that had developed.
If any expected the Moto beg for mercy after realizing there would be no escape, they are sadly disappointed. The same can be said of those that figured, or dare it be considered — hoped — to hear some cries of pain after seaing the man get set ablaze by flames hot enough to melt the earth nearby. No. Not even a peep left the giant's mouth, though his nerve endings certainly screamed at him to do so. He chose instead to try and throw the spear away and shield his as much of his face as possible from the flames before being consumed by them.
An eternity in hell passes before the first signs of the heat dieing down to genuinely tolerable levels breach his senses. He wanted to… needed to rest. Just for a while. The thought leads to the smoking husk slumping forward. Unfortunately for Michiko, he does not remain in that state long enough for Juudai to declare her the winner. Chakra potent enough to be visibly seen surges up and shatters the cocoon of ash and broken skin, revealing fresh new flesh already growing to replace it. Mechanically, he dug himself free of his prison, blissfully ignorant for those first few moments of chakra surrounding him in a cloak with two tails.
Another transformation had overtaken him…
RP: Kiyoshi transforms into GOBI-TWIN-TAIL-STATE.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi heals kiyoshi for 2092 with ADVANCED REGENERATION.
Juudai is about to sit up and say something when she watches chakra flow out over the one known as Kiyoshi. She stares for a moment and then hmms as she watches it. She then nods softly and then sits up more straightly in her chair now. Things just got interesting and as such she now is sitting up to watch. As he heals, she nods softly and then takes her cigar to half as she draws yet another breath from it.
COMBAT: Michiko heals Michiko for 1220 with RAPID HEALING.
RP: Michiko transforms into METAL-JACKET.
A light snarl flashes across his face as the trapped Moto was not subjected to one blast of flames but a second while remaining nearly helpless at this point. Leaning forward from where he rested, Naoya began to grumble, "Just how long are you going to play dead you fool.. It's not like it's Kiji-san or Yu-chan.. Are you seriously planning to play dead just for a young.."
Silence..
Not another word is said at first as his golden eyes darken, though his expression twists, trapped between a snarl and a grin as he watches chakra begin to materialize and wrap around the man within the arena. "..Yes. This is what we wanted to see. Just a little bit more now.. we want to see just what you limits are Moto-san." The spiders around the arena's edge begin to spin ever thickening constructions, small domes before hiding within as a weak of at least attempt at protection from the radiant chakra and flames flickering around the damp arena.
Michiko blinks once, then her eyes narrow when it seems Kiyoshi has turned into something that looks quite a lot like Kumogakure's resident Jinchuuriki. Minus the exoskeleton that sometimes comes with it… The girl takes a breath, her chakra aura dying. At least, that is what appears to happen, as her chakra had actually started to imbue the metal armor that she now tends to wear as a sort of security. This armor is not visible, hidden under her clothes, and the only people who would think much of it would be sensors that could tell that Michiko was storing chakra inside of it. For all they knew, though, it could be made of pure chakra metal.
"So the rumors are true… I won't go easy on you, Moto-san. And knowing your kind, you should be able to endure quite a bit, especially in this form…" Her words are meant exclusively for the Moto's ear, though Juudai may be close enough to hear. It is with those words that Michiko displays just how much experience she has when it comes to fighting a Jinchuu.
As she speaks, her chakra is focused internally, tendrils turning to fingers as they work to heal her injuries. The kick she had suffered earlier was strong, but not unfixable. Good. She made sure that was repaired as she readied herself for the true fight.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi is poisoned (3 rounds) and loses 82 health.
Ryouji looks fascinated at seeing the tailed beast. He's never seen one in action before, even the one in Kumogakure hasn't shown this much to Ryouji before. His mind almost can't comprehend it and he's rocked back in his seat from the amount of chakra being put out by the creature. The pockey slides off his leg and scatters on the ground, which snaps Ryouji out of it for the moment. "Huh? Awww man, my pockey." but he looks back up again, seeing the fight is much more interesting. He hurms to himself, "Maybe I'm over my head, if that's what they've got here…"
»Geki—«
Kiyoshi sweeped his arm about as if to ward off a fly. He understood instinctively what the Bijuu meant to warn him about. Again, Kiyoshi found himself straining against impulses for a few moments, knowing that one slip up now might mean a renewed hunt. As much as he wanted to believe that Kirigakure offered plenty enough protection, underestimating the determination of the Land of Earth's Kage was one thing he did not intend to allow to happen.
After a few moments of silence, Kiyoshi finally begins to lifts himself up again, stirred into awakening by Michiko's sudden lacking in presence. No, not lack, but change that only instinct took note of. His new muscles complained with every movement, but not one are listened to.
"If your intent was to do so from the start…. You truly did not belong here." Kiyoshi states gruffly while removing the melted remains of his helmet. Ceruelean tinged eyes now cleared at the Iwata, testing her resolve one last time before truly acknowleding her claims. Immediatly after, Kiyoshi roaring Kiyoshi slams his hand straight into the scorched earth.
'One final test…'
From the earth around and even beneath the girl's feet, dozens of chakra arms come flying out of the earth to try and grab her. Even should she manage to evade the first wave, more quickly branch off the stalks of the first with the intent to finish the job.
COMBAT: Michiko defends against BIJUU-BRANCHING-ARMS(46) attack from Kiyoshi with a FIRE-REPLACEMENT…60
"I never intended to hold back. But … I really hate wasting energy," Michiko tells the Kirryu. Which means that she'll only go as far as she has to in order to win. Overkill is never on her agenda, especially when killing someone may …. start a chain of unpleasant events. "I came here to win. Or rather, go as far as I can." Then, after creating a chain of handseals, Michiko finishes the final sign: snake. It is with that burst of chakra that the ground explodes to life, a hand of earth speeding towards Kiyoshi in an attempt to grab him. It weaves through the chakra arms of the Bijuu cloak, which happen to grab nothing but flames that Michiko left in her place. If the hand manages to get ahold of the newly-made Chuunin, it would drag him into the earth as a coffin surrounded him, stone ribs forming to keep him there for a bit.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against DEMON-GRAVES(57) attack from Michiko with a HONED-ESSENCE…88
A blood vessel in Kiyoshi's forehead visibly throbs from Michiko's initial response. Fortunately, an embarrassing death by anuerism is avoided due to the follow up, though her motivation again garners some scrutiny.
»Losing focus again, Geki«
Kiyoshi bit back and retort for the sake of preparing for the hand weaving through the forest of arms. They wouldn't retract fast enough to halt the earthen hands movement. Even so, the Kirryu grinned grimly as it rapidly approached his position. What the cloak doesn't taint once the hand makes contact, Kiyoshi's ossified flesh shatters or chips away at after morphing into crude horns. With one threat out of the way, Kiyoshi got down and all fours, absently summoning a third tail into the mix. Unlike its brothers, it does not merely sway in the wind, but instead stretched out to grab the man's discarded zanbato. The moment the weapon is grabbed the cloaked giant becomes a blur of motion. Michiko has but a moment to defend herself or risk losing an arm in his attempt to run it through with a spear hand.
COMBAT Kiyoshi is poisoned (2 rounds) and loses 82 health.
RP: Kiyoshi transforms into GOBI-TRIPLE-TAILED-STATE.
RP: Michiko transforms into SIZZLE-III.
COMBAT: Michiko defends against ABSOLUTE-PROGRESS(76) attack from Kiyoshi with a EARTH-STYLE-WALL…73
COMBAT: Michiko loses the roll and sustains 1102 damage.
The fact that Kiyoshi had to resort to his cloak concerns Yuriko, her brow furrowing harder as she watches with worry. For many reasons. The secret that had been kept for so long was now revealed to everyone, hidden no longer as he literally becomes a beast on all fours. Tails growing, splitting behind him. Exhaling a small sigh she leans back enough to shift her weight, hands gripping the railing while she watches intently.
Michiko watches the tail spring forth, distracted enough that she cannot erect a barrier in time to avoid being damaged completely. The result is her arm, the right, getting a deep enough slash in the upper half that it renders it useless. The girl winces, feeling her arm completely deaden as pain makes it too unbearable for her brain to analyze. Thus, it is, to her, gone. Now the limb simply hangs there uselessly, a bloody mess that should probably be tended to on risk of losing it. Michiko isn't … really a fan of losing an arm… So she shifts tactics a bit. Instead of a hand emerging from afar, it tries to spring up from under the Moto. It isn't accurate, though, as Kiyoshi's speed is so great, and she can only form half-seals with her useless arm.
COMBAT Kiyoshi is poisoned (1 rounds) and loses 82 health.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against DEMON-GRAVES(63) attack from Michiko with a HONED-ESSENCE…81
From her spot beside the field of battle, Juudai is now sitting up a little more. She has her cigar still in between her fingers as she watches the battle. Her eyes go from one opponent to the next as she now gets to watch a jinchuuriki battle it out against this Michiko who has proven to be quite the tough little thing. She taps some ash off the cigar as she now wonders just what this girl will do against this opponent.
Kiyoshi spun about after hitting the ground as if ice had abruptly formed on the field, sliding for several meters until instinct drove him to dig his talons into the earth. Even then, a great deal of earth is displaced before the giant truly stops. But he did not care. Distance meant little when one moved fast enough to turn miles into inches within a matter of seconds.
No, the closest thing he showed to caring about anything else is the blood and bits of flesh coating his fingers. The way he turned it about in the air and even sniffed at it conveyed a sense of wonderment over the stolen matter. He remained truly blissfully unaware of how odd he looked on all threes, behaving very… not-Kiyoshi-like. Just as he began leaning in to try and taste the mess, seeing the earth turn into a hand beneath him jolts some self-awareness out of the Kirryu.
Once more, his flesh take on characteristics of the beast, reducing the hands ability to grasp him before ultimately shattering the thing. He moves on thoughtless while trying in vain to keep his breathing even and calm. "I… should… no.. I.. need to do this." Slurred words are all too swiftly followed by action. Without warning or mercy, Kiyoshi maneuvered at high speeds again to try and grab Michiko by the damaged arm, drag her by it a few feet, then ultimately toss her into the nearest upturned piece of stone.
COMBAT: Michiko defends against FLING(75) attack from Kiyoshi with a EARTH-STYLE-WALL…72
COMBAT: Michiko loses the roll and sustains 318 damage.
Michiko grumbles softly when Kiyoshi is able to resist the earthen hand again. She is starting to feel a bit uneasy as the pain starts eating at the edges of her vision, and it makes it so her reaction time just isn't enough to block the Moto's attempt to fling her away. A hiss of pain escapes as she's grabbed by the injured arm, then thrown, almost blacking out from the pain as it just hits her. Then she finds her stomach dropping as she gets to experience flying. As an earth user, it was disconcerting, part of her senses completely gone. The sixth sense of a shinobi is that which is through chakra, and her own was completely sealed off for the brief moment.
The slam against the wall hurt, but she had enough sense of mind to not pass out. Though she was close. She was also stuck against the wall, the force of the fling giving a nice Michi-dent to the poor stone that was behind her.
Michiko is only given the time it takes for the Kirryu to reach her new position to try and sort herself out. That time is not even remotely long at all, seeing as how that over powering urge to examine her sooner rather than later took over. After bounding on all fours for most of the distance, Kiyoshi returns to being a bipedal creature for the last few feet.
Until he heard the crinkle of leather in his hands, Kiyoshi did not realize his zanbato bearing tail had handed it over. By then the blade has already been drawn down in two-handed stroke meant to sever if not severely damage Michiko's one remaining good arm.
COMBAT: Michiko defends against CLEAVE(49) attack from Kiyoshi with a TENSE…12
Michiko winces as the Zanbato comes down, her arm getting injured, but not rendered unusable, if only because of the fact that she was literally in the earth. The wall that she was in slowed the path of the sword in a passive manner, making it cleaving weapon lose part of its effectiveness, though it still was a lot of damage. Michiko only sinks further into the wall, disappearing completely into the earth and making her way to a spot in the underground, just a few feet below the surface of the arena. Hopefully she can hide long enough that her chakra, focused hard enough, could be used to heal. First the badly wounded, then the arm that was half sliced through.
COMBAT: Juudai focuses 5106 stamina to turn it into 6300 usable chakra!
RP: Juudai transforms into BAKUTON-III.
Upon seeing that attack, Juudai stares for a moment and then stands up as the second attack soon follows. The girl is being beaten to death and as such Juudai stands and her body begins to crackle with power. Even as she watches the fight, she watches as Michiko sinks into the earth. She glares down at the earth and takes a breath before watching how Kiyoshi reacts to this. Her gaze goes to the area where Michiko went to where Kiyoshi is. She for now keeps her power flowing around her body as she watches this, arms crossing before her as her cigar disentgrates as a spark of power flickers out of her and hits it causing it to burst into ash.
COMBAT: Kiyoshi defends against HIDDEN-AMONG-ROCKS-TECHNIQUE(77) attack from Michiko with a PERCEPTION-III…60
The blow had been far too shallow. Sensing the much even before drawing back the blade from stone, Kiyoshi withdrew from the wall and reconsider his next plan of attack. However, any and all consideration are quickly dismissed after the thick scent of blood finally gnaws at his conscious too much too ignore. He turns from the wall, growling at first, then sighing after a brief moment of silence. Wordlessly, the giant made his way to the exit, caring not in the heat of the moment about honor, pride, or blood lust.
He just needed to lay down…
With that thought in mind, the cloak is gradually shedded until nothing of it remains by the time he reaches the exit. That is, if he's given the chance to do so. Either way, the Kirryu was done fighting for the day.
COMBAT: Michiko heals Michiko for 1147 with RAPID HEALING.
Michiko manages to recover both arms in the time that it takes for Kiyoshi to come to his senses. The girl feels his footsteps as they make their way towards the exit, and she resurfaces from the ground. Both arms are bleeding, but without the intense pain, she's no longer in danger of passing out. She would recover from the damage in time for a second match in the future. After a bit of recovery time. And some healing. It's likely only because she knows medical jutsu that she survived that long against the Kirryu. That and a tinge of luck. She winces a bit in pain as she starts to feel the large bruise forming from the impact against the wall earlier. The Iwata's eyes are on Kiyoshi, but she doesn't make a move to stop him. "Good match…"
Standing there, she takes in a breath as Kiyoshi seems to choose to leave. She watches him start to walk off and then shakes her head a little. She then simply gestres with her left arm toward Michiko and states, "Winner, Iwata Michiko." She nods to the girl before she turns to walk off as those from Kumogakure cheer. She idly pulls out a new cigar and shakes her head, "Pathetic." Is all she states to herself as she is walking off toward the exit.
