Starring:
Akane, Yori, Michiko, Ryouji, Thor (emitter)
Date: February 8, 2015
Summary:
While attempting to find the Star Clan, the group instead finds a group of Silence members attempting to do the very same thing.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Star Light-Star Bright"
Outskirts of Hoshigakure
Hoshigakure. A place of mystery and intrigue. It was only by chance that the war machine known only as the Silence was here. Lead by a man named Shien, they had come this way looking for more 'volunteers' in their war with the Hidden Villages. Camped on the outskirts of the village, it is just after mid-day as a tall man with short dark hair and dressed in a crimson vest with black pants and a black calf-length duster moves through the groups of soldiers. "Now that you've had a meal, it's time to fan out to see if we can find more volunteers to serve Yuuma-sama and Tsuneo-sama. Pack up and get ready to move out in twenty minutes. After that, he busies himself with doing the same thing he just ordered, moving into his tent and beginning to pack together his small belongings into a backpack.
Doihara Akane stood on the border of the village. A local sensor had informed them of the camped silence not far away. The group had come to see if there was any chance they could get volunteers themselves to aid against the silence. While Hiei was handling things with the local Elders, Akane had volunteered to go face the threat outside. She took with her whomever would come and fight, including a few of the Hoshigakurean shinobi. She stood there, her hair up as usual, her mask down. arms folded. Her newest scar was there on her abdomen for all to see, a present from Hiei himself. "We can't let them find out why we're here." She addressed the group. "Protect that information and the village at all costs."
Michiko has joined Akane, the girl following after the Doihara close behind. She had to keep track of everything, right? The girl had also requested that Yori and Ryouji come with. "Got it," she says with a small nod to Akane. The girl focuses some of her chakra in preparation for… Well, anything. She looks at the group that joined them, not /entirely/ sure if everything will work out well… Hopefully, yes.
Ryouji follows next to Michiko. While he's not sure what to expect, he's ready for anything that is thrown at him. He nods, listening to Akane and following along, keeping an eye out for trouble. He keeps a cold weather cloak over his shoulders and a hood pulled over his head to keep warm.
COMBAT: Ryouji finishes his turn.
COMBAT: It is now Yori's turn.
Yori had been requested and so he had come. The young Saito stays near Michiko though not too close since he doesn't want to intrude on the other shinobi there. He's part of her team normally but this is something bigger and Yori isn't one to make waves. So he's a few people away as they listen to what's said and the boy gives a nod of understanding. He'll do what he can to help of course, no matter what the cost to himself.
After dispersing the group in random directions..with orders to report back in a few hours, Shien takes a small group along with him towards Hoshigakure proper. But before he can make it to the village, he is met with a small resistance force. He casually runs a hand through his black hair as his dark blue eyes survey what's in front of him. "Hmm. What's this?" He takes a moment to look as a smile comes to his face. "A masked crimson haired shinobi, kumo shinboi and the locals. And here I was going to come with an option of joining our cause. Am I to assume that this is an emphatic no?" He asks towards the group as his own grop spreads out from him, beginning to draw weapons and gather chakra themselves.
Akane nodded and made her own determination as she saw that resolve on Yori's face. She knew that look well. She took a breath and let it out, securing her mask over her face she felt her resolve grow to make sure no one lost their lives this day. None of those under her anyway…. As Shien approached Akane narrowed her eyes and activated her sharingan behind the obscuring mask, the eyes of a traitor… and a killer. Too late she realized her mistake as she surveyed Shien. Too late to stop now…
Hoshigakure is now under my protection. Name yourself." She watched the lower ranked members of the Silence fan out, preparing to engage those with her. She hoped they could hold their own. She was focused on Shien… "Any chance you'll simply leave?" One last chance for a peaceful resolution….
Michiko follows Akane's lead in this. It was her idea; her plan. The girl watches Shien carefully, though, eyes slightly narrowed as she too observes the enemy who is there. A whisper passes to Yori. "Take on only those you know you can beat, Yori-kun. If the battle gets too much, go find cover. Ryouji-kun, good luck and do your best." With those orders in place, she just gets into a moderately ready stance, saying, "It would be a bit easier if you cooperated with us, too… For both parties."
Ryouji watches the silence goons fan out and smiles at Michiko, "No worries, Michiko-chan. They don't know who they're facing." He looks back out at the silence and rests his hands on both lightning cutter and white lotus at his hips. His stance is at ease, but ready for any movement the Silence makes to attack.
Yori's lips tighten at Michiko's words and he gives a brief nod of understanding. Not that he'll probably follow it since it would put others in danger, but sure he'll say he does for now. As the folks arrive and the Silence begin to fan out Yori takes a few steps to the side just to make sure they don't try and do something like surround them. He doesn't pull out any weapons or anything yet, the young Saito just watching carefully.
Shien tilts his head to the side, as if studying Akane. "And just who the wish are you to offer protection?" He watches her activate her sharingan. It was different, tainted in some way. But it was unmistakeable. He sniffs faintly as his own eyes turn crimson…the first stage of his own Sharingan. "This is going to be interesting." He murmurs before moving his hand forwards. "Take them." Shien launches himself skywards, his hands moving into handeals before he breathes out a large fireball towards Akane.
A Shien's command, the solders surge forwards. Some of them engage the local Hoshigakurians, while a few stomp on the ground, causing a ball of earth to fly up before it breaks into pieces, firing towards Yori. Two others form handeals and open their mouths as torrents of water pour out on target for Michiko and Ryouji.
Akane's sharingan was tainted. Infact Shien would be the only one to see hers glowed acid green behind that mask. "I am Doihara Akane. It is enough for you to know the name of the one who will take your life." Her voice was hard, cold. She watched him leap into the air, recognising the seals for the fireball he was about to spew at her. She crouched, coiling her muscles to spring. His flame was met with her own, stopping the blaze halfway between them with equal force. He would not have time to be concerned about it for the second the flames were not going to harm more than her clothing, Akane leapt with a mighty spring into the air to meet Shien in battle. Her swords were in both hands as she emerged from the flames, both in a reverse grip, she slashed, spinning in midair to add momentum. Whether the first struck or was deflected she used the contact to launch herself even higher, comming down with a strike aimed for Shien's neck. She wasn't playing around and her blades were laced with poison of her own making….
Michiko raises a dome over herself to block the water, its properties absorbing and turning the dome into mud, which she promptly controls via handseals to turn it into a rushing tide of mud aimed solely at her attackers. Following very closely behind using the earthen river a sort of guide, she sends a powerful fire attack at the enemy before glancing back to make sure her comrades were fine and unhurt.
Ryouji moves off to get some room, matching the Silence's movements so he's not caught too close to anyone but not far enough that he couldn't assist should they need help. As the Silence fires off the water jutsu Ryouji shifts to his reizei blur and shifts lightning chakra to his feet. He tries to slide to the side, but the spray of water is too wide and gets clipped by it. Water sprays across him, drenching him and even smacking hard into his shoulder. Ryouji rolls around to keep his balance, keeping his center of gravity on the heel of his feet. He spins around and plants his foot down, shifting into his blur mode and launching himself at the water user who hit him. Water sprays off of as he grips lighting cutter and slices a blue streak of light across the shinobi. He grips the white and blue weapon with both weapons and shifts a food wide and channels lightning jutsu into the blade to light it up like a christmas tree. Only this christmas tree can slice, dice, and cook all at the same time. He brings the weapon back around on the return stroke slicing in a wide arc aiming from the rib cage to the shoulder hoping to open up the guy and see what he ate for lunch.
The Saito is watching as things progress quickly downhill and his eyes narrow a bit as he prepares himself. And then they attack. The boy is a little too slow in his movements as the earth ruptures at him and it knocks him out of the sky and back a few feet. He returns to his feet before he even hits the ground however and pushes forward as soon as he's stable before another attack comes. Yori rushes towards the person who attacked him, pulling out a kunai to fling towards them to try and distract them from making seals. Using his momentum the Saito brings up his arm to attack. As he does so his long sleeve falls back enough to show the metal vambrace hiding underneath and, even more importantly, the part that has been pulled down over his knuckles as he strikes.
Shien somehow forces his body to move even though he and Akane are in midair. He causes his body to spin, going upside down as he just barely dodges Akane's attacks. His legs glow with chakra as he flips and then thrusts downwards towards her shoulders, attemtping to catapult off her and send her towards the ground with a good degree of power. "Your words mean nothing to me, Tainted One." He replies to her open threat.
The Hoshigakurians are doing well with repelling the soldiers that come after them. As Michiko sends her Earth jutsu aftere the water user, they are caught in the first attack before the dragon fire envelops them. Rolling on the ground to put the fire out, she comes back, expelling more water before spears form and fly towards Michiko. Ryouji's opponent manages to doge his first strike, but the lightning attack strikes home, being augmented by the water around and hurting a lot. Small droplets form in mid-air and then fly towards Ryouji. The Earth jutsu user on Yori is caught by the flying kunai, and then tries to form handseals but the genin is too fast, the metal vambrace striking the man's face and causing his body to spin before he hits the ground. Getting back up, he causes shards of earth to spring up out of the ground, attempting to spear the genin from below.
Akane bared her teeth behind the mask as he called her Tainted One. Within her Kyoujin came forth, her aura darkening about her. Shien would find that he did indeed catapault off something, sending it to the ground, but even as the image of Akane's body being broken on the rocks below, the real one burst from the side, sliding into place just below Shien. She brought her two fingers up by the mask's lips and exhaled a fireball directly up, large and hot where Shien would most likely be 'falling' back to earth.
The entire time her body language had developed a faster smoother motion. Barely restrained violence in her every breath. Michiko had seen this before, had faced Kyoujin. But as She finished firing off the flame at Shien, Kyoujin turned, glanceing around, to see if anyone else needed aid….
Michiko tries to raise more earth around her, but it's difficult to get a solid shape for some reason. The girl ends up getting pierced twice by the water spear, getting stabbed in her arm and leg. Trying to continue with her offense, she makes the earth below her opponent start to swirl, aiming to trap her so that a clone can bash into the water user. Of course, the injury to her person isn't helping matters… It makes her jutsu weaker and more inaccurate.
Ryouji brings his second blade out, whipping both around to block and deflect the bullets, but a few hit in an arm causing blood to splatter out. Ryouji pushes his blur to his near limits, forcing his arms to move faster. He grits his teeth and tries to block out the pain which is now really starting to be a problem. He shakes his head and continues his assult by twisting one blade so it caputres a bit of light to blind the silence solder while he pushes some swift release chakra into the other arm. The weapon cracks like a bullwhip as it slashes across at his target.
Yori stares down at the man he'd hit with a stone faced expression when he goes down. He still would prefer to find another way besides fighting but that doesn't seem to be possible. Perhaps his thoughts are a little in the wrong place since the attacking spears come up and surprise him. He can't get away in time and can only shift his body to the side slightly so they less of an area to hit. Still hurt. As his opponent gets back up the boy spins quickly to aim a roundhouse kick high before letting that momentum carry him around for another metal covered punch.
Shien spins again, barely dodging the fire that comes from Akane. His lands on his feet with a thud, staring at the other Uchiha as his eyes flash again. "You're highly skilled. How come I've never heard of you before?" He's noticed that her body language has changed, though he is unaware of the cause of it. He then forms handseals and expels his own fire towards her again.
The soldier Michiko faces dives to the side, tucking her body and rolling back up to her feet, effectively dodging her attacks. She forms what looks like to be a water dragon before it moves towards Michiko. The Earth user raises a dome that Yori's initial punch gets through, causing him to stagger back. But he focuses and completes the jutsu as Yori's second attack bounces off. The dome then explodes into shards that fly for the genin. Ryouji's attacks are deflected due to a dome of water that forms around his opponent. The water dome swirls around and forms into two spears that are launched towards the chuunin.
Kyoujin laughed. It was an openly excited sound and she tossed her head back as she did so. Highly skilled, huh? The laughing slowed her down a bit and his first flames scorched her jacket enough that it was mere rags, burns on her shoulders But the next burst of flame.. had her gone. Shien would track her with the sharingan of course, but she moved fast enough now. Kyoujin disliked helping during battle but Akane's idea was a good one so it was a bit of a compromise for the two personalities. As she plucked Michiko out of the path of the water dragon she turned, the girl tucked under her arm as they flew through the air, spitting a tiny tiny fireball out at Shien. She had to get Michiko out of the way of her attack anyway. The fireballexpanded suddenly, taking in a huge area around Shien in flames.
Akane's feet hit the dirt and she skidded, giving a little hop she ended up planting her feet against a rock, shifting Michiko to a bridal style hold. Then she launched herself forward again, landing them both beside Yori. "Help the boy. The Medic says you can heal." And then Kyoujin headed back toward Shien's location.
Michiko defends against one dragon, or at least attempts to, but she's overpowered by the water dragon. Akane/Kyoujin comes, though, and she's safe for the time being. Then she's near Yori, nodding to Kyouji. "Hai…" she murmurs, turning to her teammate. "Yori-san, stay still for a moment." She works quickly, chakra flaring up around her as she focuses on healing his injuries almost completely. Once that's done, she would do a quick self-check and decide she should take the time to heal her own injuries. … Once she was safe from further attacks. "Go," she tells Yori, indicating the battlefield so he can continue fighting. So he doesn't get caught in the line of fire.
Ryouji pushes his blur to the max at this point. The blurred form of his body fades and instead of the crackling of lightning from a type two or the stillness of a type three, Ryouji's eyes light up and seem to be smoking. But it's still not enough as a water bullet hits into the shoulder and causes a line of blood to run down his arm. He ignores it for now and decides to let it all go at this point. The swords slide back into their sayas as he smirks at the silence and starts beat boxing? He's even bouncing to the beat, "You jerks known as the Silence only speaks your ideals with violence. Your jutsu techniques are fine, but way behind mine. Go home. Go away. You'd better resign! If you don't, I'll make you choke. Then I'll send you to visit the divine!" He makes the hand signs - tiger, boar, dog - before grabbing his wrist and begins to channel chakra. It swirls around him as he charges up lightning chakra into the hand. He glares at the silence solder, almost daring him to do something.
Yori pushes off of the wall of dirt after his last hit barely touches it and just before it explodes at him. With the extra distance he manages to get away from the man and has time to jump back away from the bullets. It's there he lands looking a little bedraggled and Michiko and Akane come over. He still thinks it's Akane, what does he know? When she tells him to stand still the Saito merely nods slightly without taking his eyes off of the earth user. But then Michiko tells him to attack again and, well, he can see she's not doing wonderful herself. "Heal yourself Michiko-san." He says as he stupidly puts himself between her and her attacker while also watching his own. Not the smartest thing he's ever done but Michiko will be much more useful in the battle anyways.
Shien still has that smirk on his face as the ball of fire engulfs him. Able to follow Akane's movements, he appears next to her before she can actually reach his location. "Such a disappointment." He says as he attempts to drive his fist into her gut before hopping back a few steps to give himself room to operate.
Meanwhile his crew continue to assault the other shinobi. The water user creates water spears again and launches them at Michiko. The Earth user forms gauntlets of earth on his hands and swings at Yori. The other water user forms those dragons and launches them at Ryouji.
Once Michiko was out of her arms, Kyoujin slipped completely out of her jacket, letting it fall to the wayside, ignored. Her back and arms were littered with scars from past battles and all displayed proudly, including a distinctive mark across her back similar to a whip lash but it was burned into her skin as much as cut and at her hip was a black brand of a clock set to a minute to midnight. She did not seem to be affected by the pain of her burns and was in fact quite excited at the challenge ahead of her.
Shien wasn't he only one who could track others with the sharingan, though. Hers might be tainted but it's just as strong. She easily saw what he was aiming for… His fist, aimed for her gut, went through flame instead and fromt he side and behind Akane launched another attack, spitting several condensed fireballs at her 'cousin'. She twisted and leapt sideways then, still moving, and doing so erraticly. She was trying to keep him on his toes. But Kyoujin couldn't help purr at him. "You still haven't given me a name…."
Ryouji watches the dragons rear up and roar down on him, he uses a tiny bit of chakra from his reserves and skids away on crackling bolts of lightning. He shifts sideways to avoid the second one as he lifts his blazing hand up high. Lightning arcs out to crash in front of him to build a form of a giant daemon bear. Ryouji points the open clawed hand at his target and directs the bear to move. It rises up on hind legs to tower above before crashing down onto all fours. Its great paws rip the ground up behind him as it charges the silence solder. Ryouji calls out, "Lightning beast, ONIKUMA!" With a speed belying its massive size, it quickly reaches its target and lifts a paw for a swipe. When the claws come down the whole bear explodes in a huge blinding flash of light and sound. Ryouji slacks just a bit as the chakra leaves him for a moment and he surveys his first time ever using that jutsu beyond practice.
Michiko takes cover behind a dome of earth after getting rushed by one watery attack. Now she's soaking wet and injured… The damage she sustained is healed as much as she can, but she quickly decides that it would be better to attack now and heal later. The girl straightens a bit to test how she feels, then glances to the battlefield before her gaze turns to her opponent.
Yori finds that, despite his best intentions, he can't really get between Michiko and her opponent right now. Not when he's being attacked himself. He lets out a soft curse under his breath as he dances away from his attacker before moving forward with a trio of metal covered punches to drive the man back. What a pain these people were. Where's all the love in the world?
Moving rapidly again, Shien manages to avoid the fire from Akane once more as he flips out of the way of the artillery fire to land in a crouch. As he stands up, he flicks dust off his coat and considers her again. "You're thinking that we're evenly matched, aren't you? That is so far from the case, but I will grace you with my identity. I am Uchiha Shien, formerly of ANBU and Konohagakure." He rapidly forms handseals. If it works, Akane would begin to feel as though deep cuts occur on various parts of her body.
Meanwhile, the water user on Michiko does her own handseals as she releases a torrent of water towards the Tokubetsu, attempting to batter her body from the force of it. Ryouji's lightning bear completely obliterates his opponent, crashing the water shield around him. He falls to the ground as his body jerks from the shock of the lightning, then he doesn't move anymore. Yori's Earth using opponent forms another dome of earth, which his attacks bounce off of, before the dome explodes again in shards of earth on course for him.
Kyoujin felt the weight of the genjutsu envelope her and she was forced back a pace. Pain exploded all along her body and she looked down curiously to see what appeared to be massive bleeding gashes all along her form. She bent a bit then laughed, standing up and seeming to slough off the pain. She was accustomed to pain, this was just suprising to have it sprung on her. "Genjutsu? You have to resort to mind games? This one is not impressed." She moved stiffly, her body in more pain than she wanted to admit, moving toward him, arms wrapped around her middle as if seriously wounded and in pain.. but as soon as she got within a few meters her hands came away with lightning speed and forming seals. The tiny fireball would only get about half way between them before it exploded again. She was caught in the blast herself but she had planned that. She let the real pain destroy the genjutsu and bring herself around. She ended up crouched, panting softly, watching Shien closely. "ANBU? You should know This One then, baka."
Michiko finds herself washed away by even more water. One would think she'd be able to use her earth jutsu and gain an advantage, but apparently that isn't a thing. Once she escapes all the water, she glares at her opponent and makes a few handseals, quickly trying to encase the water jutsuist in a demonic grave that would keep her pinned down for her next attack. Or Ryouji's attack, if he decides to assist!
Ryouji snorts, seeing his opponent go down and stay down. "One down." he says, before disappearing with a burst of speed. He reappears near Michiko, but staying out of her line of fire. "Need backup, Michiko-chan?!" he says, flipping through hand signs and firing out a small burst of wind before rearing back and launching an even bigger one at Michiko's target. "You've looked better. Stand back for a bit, I'll take some of this for you." he says, sounding more than a little confident and not winded.
«OOC» Yori says, "You'd lower the rolls and everything would go max."
«Medic» Akane plots, "giant fireball no one looks *giggles*"
Poor Yori, barely a month out of the Academy and in just a bit over his head. When the dome explodes out at him he doesn't have time to avoid the blast and eats it all right up front. His arms brought up to protect his face and chest don't do much help and he's knocked back, sliding a bit along the ground before he gets his footing. Despite the continued damage and drain of the fight he doesn't hesitate as he pulls out a pair of kunai to toss at the man before jumping into the air and bringing the side of the vambrace down towards his shoulder.
Shien replies. "I know of you, but I don't /know/ you. And honestly, I really don't care. My priorities are different now." As one of his team falls to Ryouji, he doesn't seem to care all that much. He does a quick check on the other's status. They're battered and bruised, but still alive. He narrows his gaze again. "Let's clear out. This village isn't worth it." He points at finger at Akane. "We'll meet again, Abomination. I promise you that." And with that, he begins to back away, his group going with him as they clear the area.
Kyoujin smirked behind her crumbling mask. He was taunting her! "This One looks forward to it but take a present with you. In return for the power Yuuma-chan gave This One last time we met…" She moved then, leaving an afterimage behind her, reapearing closer to the encampment, between Shien and his men…. And took out as many of them as possible with another expanding fireball…She would take as many lives from Yuuma as possible.
COMBAT: Akane attacks target 1 with INTELLIGENT-HARD-WORK with a roll of: 93
Michiko doesn't show much mercy once she has her enemy trapped. She sends dragon-hot fire at the trapped enemy, burning the person likely to a crisp and leaving them near death if not actually dead. She sees that the person Akane was fighting was fleeing, but… Was that good? She frowns a bit as she considers what she ought to do next.
Ryouji shifts back, limbs slacking and even shrinking just a bit. He nods to Michiko and says, "Good job, ah wait…" he pauses, seeing her roast the captive and he looks away for a moment. It's war sure, but killing them when they couldn't fight back just didn't seem right to him. He sighs and walks over towards Akane and says, "So, did we win?"
Yori watches as the man he was fighting flees after he actually connects with him. It only took one hit? That's a good thing. At least Yori didn't have to kill him. The Saito is breathing a little heavily as he straightens up, a hand going to his stomach where it had been blasted by that dirt only moments before and resting there. He glances over at Michiko and Ryouji when Akane goes all homicidal, wondering if they should help or not.
Shien watches as Akane came for him even as he called a retreat on his people. His body warps as he dodges the blast, though it does kill his squad. He shakes his head. "Lashing out like a child now are we abomination?" He had tried to retreat, so he made sure this time. He forms hand seals before an oppressive force would affect everyone in the area. "Now stay, like the good little shinobi that you are. And don't follow me." The water jutsu woman that Michiko had trapped before is burned to a crisp from her flames, leaving no one left from Shien's group. No one to question about Yuuma's plans either. Such is life. The Hoshikagurians cheer as they drive off the attacks and now that they see what they face, odds are they will throw in with Akane and her group in the battle against the Silence.
Kyoujin growled as she felt that aura press down on her, forcing her to take a knee. She glared but as her mask finally crumbled altogether, she undid her eyes before Michiko and the others could see. But she was unable to follow after Shien. "This One WILL find you!" Once Shien was gone and his genjutsu faded she growled at herself and looked over those with her. "Anyone need the medic?"
Michiko doesn't give into the genjutsu, but she doesn't pursue the target. "I … might have need of a medic, but I think I can heal myself," she says, green chakra forming around her hand as she begins to heal herself. "And I don't think that anyone else took as much damage, but I could be wrong…" She shrugs a bit, looking to Ryouji and Yori to make sure they were okay.
Ryouji feels the genjutsu take over his body and leave him unwilling to do anything. It is like a great weight presses down on him and he takes a knee, unable to even move. His head is down and eyes to the ground as he struggles to even talk. It all comes out as grunts and heavy breathing from the effort of fighting the genjutsu. Eventually though, it wears off and he collapses from the strain before he's able to pick himself up. "No, I'm hurt, but it's not bad." he says, checking out his puncture wounds, which are not deep. They just liked to bleed and looked worse than they really were after the fight. He looks over at Michiko and walks over, "So, what now?"
Dream genjutsu in all of it's trickery. Yori finds himself on his hands and knees, limbs shaking beneath him as he tries to fight off the effects of the thing. It's not until the caster is gone that he's free enough to move and the young Saito pushes himself back into a kneeling position. He's got a number of injuries but after his poor showing he doesn't say anything. Instead he reaches up to wipe a bit of blood from his mouth and pushes himself back into a standing position. He remains silent as he tries to keep his hand away from that part of his torso that hurts. His punishment for not being able to help more.
Kyoujin shifted then withdrew, Akane's eyes fading back to jade as shesighed. That was.. not pleasant. She lifted her hand to her own shoulders, green energy surrounding her hand as seh began healing the burns she had sustained. "Now we hope that Hiei-san gets them to agree to the plan. Yori-kun… come over here please.." Yup, Akane's back.
