Starring:
Kitaru, Naru (Yuu allowed use of music for background but did not participate)
Date: September 4, 2012
Summary:
Escorting a caravan in hostile land has a challenge between Kitaru and ANBU member, Naru.
"The challenge of Fire and Water"
Wilderness between Land of Fire and Land of Water
Kitaru and Naru always seemed to be at odds. Inadvertantly, their destiny was intertwined on some level, as they were constantly forced to be on opposite sides of the conflict. A different push of wind, may of had Kitaru landing within Konoha instead of Kirigakure, leading up to Kit fighting with her in the potential conflict ahead. The lands were gathering their forces. While no one wanted the conflict, they all prepared for it, almost eagerly so. Thus, we come across the caravan in the land somewhere between Fire and Water. Kitaru was hired as an escort for the merchant, considering that there were plenty of bandits around, as well as needing to get the supplies to Kirigakure. Naru, strong enough on her own it was considered to handle such a task was assigned to recover that caravan. Force was possible, although they prefered an alive merchant to a dead one and the merchandise. Ultimately, As the merchant was not exactly happy with only one shinobi, Yuu also got hired on for the caravan. In part because another person around that could be pointed at as a guard could dissuade some brigands, but ultimately due to the music genius being desired for entertainment of the caravan. So, the mid-afternoon sun finds Kitaru sitting with the driver in the lead wagon, 5 total in the caravan, as they rolled through that wilderness heading for Kirigakure. He hadn't seen any trouble so far, but in the end, that's how it generally starts, when you don't expect any trouble, it hits.
Of coruse, Naru aws out on her way to intercept a caravan heading out into the distant lands, it needed to be taken and in placed into Konoha before heading out anywhere else, as harmless as that migh thave been, it would have been a strain and whatever the shipment might be would possibly be late to its destination. A mission was a mission however, and Naru had been specfically chosen for this. Rather than wearing her usual dress her body was outfitted in white and black Anbu attirement, padded armored rather than her usual chest plates, and over her face she had donned a white fox mask.
Her blade was tucked along her back rather than her side and she revealed herself along the path with an outreached hand. "You have moved far enough, you are going to need to turn the other way and report to Konoha for inspection," Naru spoke from under her mask, slightly of course from behind that mask of hers, the sharingan was burning, and her chakra racing, especially after noticing just who was escorting this caravan… "Him…again…?"
That caravan ground to a halt as she revealed herself, the disruption in motion causing that disruption in music as well. The silence, compared to the contemplative music that had been following them before made it all the more deafening. Kitaru motioned to the driver to stay there for a moment before he'd hop off the lead wagon himself. That Dark Cloak would flicker to life about him, the purple hue even flickering in and out in that visible spectrum, the aura a dark purple that was easy to see via that Sharingan. Coming to a stop a short distance from the ANBU member, Kitaru stared at her coldly for a long moment. One hand would flip open that thigh pouch, a small hand mirror pulled out. "I am sorry, however we can not do that. This caravan needs to continue it's trip to Kirigakure at all haste. I am asking, politely, for you to step aside and allow us through. There is nothing illegal within the confines of this caravan." Slowly, the music would start up, that thread of the forecoming combat picked out with the musical notes, the prelude to a conflict as if the softest drops of rain.
Naru would have loved to reveal herself to Kitaru, but this was a mission, a mission that had to be completed no matter what. Noting the flourish of his immense dark cloak, Naru had narrowed her crimson eyes upon him, observing, calculating menacing behind the white facade. "Then…You don't leave me much of a choice…" Naru uttered quietly under her breath, her fingers flexed slightly and gradually she placed her hands together, forming a single hand seal. Suddenly the ominous feeling of his lungs caving in on itself could be felt, attempting to delibate him of oxygen, the next part of the technique had came quick, utilizing another seal and reaching a palm out to the blodne haired kiri-nin. "Raiton…Raikouhira No Jutsu!" From out her palm a series of barraging lightning bolts lashed out to Kitaru, attempting to shower him with forking bites of scaring electricity.
The music started to pick up pace. As the chakra of both fighters was summoned, the notes on the yoto came faster. That initial clash was deflected with the dark cloak repelling the attempt at hostile chakra. Kitaru flicking the mirror up, to catch the lightning spheres that came toward him in it's silvered surface. The reflection would leap out, striking the original to have both cancel in mid-air. As Kitaru moved to the side, pulling Naru away from the caravan, that swell in the music continued. Kitaru's own attack was to catch red hues that were hidden behind the mask with that mirror's reflection. The attempt at forcing the ANBU member to go suddenly still, while a sphere was rolled towards her feet. That sphere's seal would set off, the chakra absorption triggering to attempt to drain some of that very precious power that Naru had already focused away, to be dissapated within the silvery sheen of the mirror in the sphere.
It wasn't going to work, at least on Naru for the time being. With her sharingan activated she was easily able to see passed the stillness of the ever so familiar technique, defending it made it even easier for Naru to manuver herself around the remainder of the attack, using her speed and agility to make a path way toawrds him and instantly close the space between the to of them. " One last chance… Give up," Naru spunk bluntly from behind her mask, her raven locks flowing at the tip while the mask held the rest of her hair static. With a single hand seal Kitaru could suddenly feel a wraping energy overlap him, attempting to paralyze him into place while Naru took a giant leap back, using a familiar set of hand seals "Raiton… Raikouhira no Jutsu!" The streaks of lightning escapes her finger tips, attempting to bombard him with a large amount of muscle spasm balls of lightning…
Not quite able to get that mirror in place. Kitaru was unfortunately caught up in those bands. The creshendo of the music culimating with the lightning burst that would slam into Kit, sending him reeling under the electrical strike. Cursing softly to himself, Kit would shake his head slowly. Kitaru then stared at the ANBU member, a small smile touching his lips. "Same choice. Last chance.. give up." Kitaru moved then, a half dozen spheres that were half the size of what he normally used got tossed out to surround Naru. The purple glow within them intensified as the explosive tags would go off in that firecracker type cascade of explosions. The music picked up it's beat, mirroring the motions required of the shinobi as they squared off. Kit's second strike once again being that genjutsu as the two spheres would form above Naru, orbiting her as her reflection was caught. Every detail of her image was held there for a moment, before she'd reach out of the mirror, the reflections twisting to latch on to her, trying to drag her down, pinning her to the ground to get caught within the explosions. Or at the very least, make every motion she did to try and get away take three times the effort to do so.
The mirrors were in place as Naru followed through with her movements, her eyes carefully disecting away at his genjutsu, pulling away at the subtle details to break her back into reality, though fataly, Naru had fell back to the ground anyawys, being pulled into the massive explosion which eluded after wards. The explosion charred against the ground floor and as the smoke began to clear a single log was left in its wake, battered and beaten. The real Anbu operative was visible further down along the road, blade drawn and eletricity emitting along the blade. With a sudden leap forward her blade was trained into both of Kitaru's sides, attemping to catch her lightning sword along both sides of his flesh. "There won't be anymore giving up…"
Kitaru's eyes narrowed as he spotted the ANBU further down the road. That lightning on the blade.. Interesting, very.. At the charge, Kit moved as well, having that dozen mirrors form around the field. The first strike almost knicked him, the electrical surge reaching out to frizz some of his hair, the second would shatter the mirror, leaving him revealed off to the side. Kit himself flashed through those seals for his move, eyes narrowed in concentration. The beat of that music was rapid, flowing almost as fast as the attacks between the two. Naru would suddenly see the world around her take on that silvery sheen, the genjutsu striking out to attempt to catch her within it, it would make the whole world that mirrored hue, fading away everything else as walls would form up about her, the roof that use to be the sky collapsing in towards her. That maze that had the ANBU reflection all over, looked to be endless. At a clashing cascade of notes, the mirrors behind Naru started to shatter, the shards flying towards her as it'd force her to flee, or be lacerated as the mirror maze started to collapse all about her.
Catching Naru within the confines of that mirror maze, it'd bring the music to an almost hushed stillness. Naru was stuck standing there, while mentally she dealt with the maze. To add to that chaos, Kitaru would pluck two spheres from a pouch and throw them towards the standing ANBU member. One on each side of her, the seals activated with that purple sheen, the suction from within the tags attacking at Naru's chakra itself, attempting to drain her of that precious power, quite forcefully, to collapse it within the mirror of the spheres.
This Genjuts uwas something Naru had never experienced before, a technique which something her sharingan attempted to break through, though it almost seemed to offer a reflection of herself. For a moment she blinked, telling herself this was a genjutsu but her mind wasn't able to pick away at the details, and finally as she began to rush away from the mirro rshards he became enveloped in a sea of breaking mirror shards, slicing and cutting against her body, followed by the sudden rupturing of her chakra network, she couldn't even see it because she was still stuck in the maze… Her standing body dropped to a kneel, her eyes glowing darkly as she peered into the ground, of course she aws still a mess within that mirror world of his at the moment. " This…Genjutsu…" Naru spoke quietly under her breath, her energy was depleting, and sweat dripped from her brow… Was she really going to lose here…?
Kitaru continued his actions. That wall, the final mirror that Naru would run into within the maze was one that had her reflection within it as a minute size. It seemed to suction at her very soul, drawing it into that mirrored world as the darkness of the Dark Cloak became real. The vivid malice reaching out to rip Naru apart, shred her. Leaving her finally back in reality. Kitaru was panting softly. Yes, he was putting everything into this combat. This was a mission and any that stood in his way was going to be put to sleep. That was his method. The music was starting to slow now, the stillness of the battle broken by Naru's movement as she was able to return to reality. Kitaru watched the ANBU member. He was going to need to end this soon, as he was running low on that power.
Naru could see that Kitaru was begining to waver, his chakra depleting while his body was become quite heavy, Naru however still had quit a bit of fight left inside of her, forcing her to suddenly rise to a stand as she broke through his genjutsu. "I'm… I'm going to have to kill you…" Naru spoke fairly bluntly, even more chakra began to flood through her body as she began to prepare her own jutsu, her chakra wouldn't be nearly as visible as his but it was obvious she was preparing for something, her hair fluttered with the sudden burst and her eyes began to glow behind that mask of hers… She panted lightly, feeling her own stamina beginign to deplete but this wasn't going to be the end…
Kitaru gritted his teeth, that wavering about him with the Dark Cloak flaring back into full strength. Kit pulled two spheres from one pocket, the mirror from the other, his eyes locked onto Naru with that intense frown. "Hai. Because my mission says it must go through.. So it will go through, or I will be in a grave.." Kit was getting low and they both knew it, but he refused to back down, this wasn't the first time that he'd been pushed to that edge, and if he survived, it wouldn't be the last.
The mission was at hand, and with the both of them drawing their energy to a close Naru had to end this now or else she would be forced to retreat, or worse… With that she utilized one hand seal, her eyes catching Kitaru's gaze pulling him into a deep trancing hypnosis. Her sharingan swirled and began to construct the genjutsu. A torrent of black energy ruptured from around him, engulfing him in a towering box of dense chakra, the light from around him had become blocked out until he was deeply enclosed… If he didn't break out of the genjutsu at that point things would become quite terrible. Within the massive black construct blades of chakra would form from within, space cuting blade that with each peirce sliced and split on every inch of his flesh, the tugging and spliting of gravity from within the blx would help lacerate his body from head to toe, slicing him into a bloody pulp… It was continous, not giving him any ability to move from the power jutsu.
With a sudden massive explosion Kitaru could feel the prism begining to break and disspitate, offering one final laceration to leave him still on the ground covered in blood… Of course this was just the lasting effects of the genjutsu, his entire body would feel painfully sore. Lastly Naru finished off her attack, stabbing a blade towards Kitaru's shoulder blades, for some reason careful to not strike any vitals. " Maybe…another day…" Naru whispered with her muffles voice, the slice was plain, but the shocking aftermath would further spasm Kitaru's senses…
Kitaru would get messed up, both between the sword strikes and the genjutsu, he'd be left a bloody mess on the ground. The music was coming to a close as the fight drew towards it's end. There wasn't going to be anything left for Kit to do, he just still didn't match the capabilities of Naru. So close and yet, so so far.
With Kitaru down for the count she let out a tired sigh, despite being victorious she had drained a considerable amount of chakra and stamina, she could still feel the pain from his genjutsu… Looking up at the Caravan driver she peered up at him. " We are going to a Konoha outpost to have these goods taken care of…Take this shinobi and put him in your care for now," Naru spoke softly, she sheathed her blade and moved along quietly, taking her place at the top of the caravan… They could go to Kirigakure only after everything was accounted for…
The music drew to a close. Kitaru was indeed out. There wasn't anything that the chuunin was going to be doing for a while. How Konoha handled Kit, would really determine if he was even going to survive or not. The boy was dead to the world, lost within his own mind and dealing endlessly with the pain from the lightning strikes.
