Starring:
Azur, Meruin, Sekisetsu
Date: August 6, 2010
Summary:
A ninja supplies store was raided and robbed, and a team was sent to retrieve what was stolen and apprehend the criminals
"Theft and Deception"
Outside Kirigakure
It is a little after noon, but heavy cloud cover makes for a rather dreary day. Every now and again a single drop of water will fall from the clouds above, but even though it feels like it will rain the clouds seem content enough with just a sprinkle of falling moisture here and there.
The fog around the gates seems less dense than usual as a solitary figure leans against the wall of the village, reading a partially smeared scroll and muttering something or other to himself. It's obvious he's waiting for something, but only time would tell as to what.
There was a small, sudden grouping of water moving towards the figure against the wall. It could almost have been a sudden, vagrant breeze, if it hadn't been for the sudden appearance of a seven year old boy, mostly shrowded by the fog.
He had always found moving around the village without being seen was a better approach at life. Much less screaming from the public, far fewer accidents. And so, he stood in the shadows by the person, fairly sure he'd been detected before now regardless. "Reporting."
Meanwhile, a small boy, age 7, laid prone on the ground, still smoking, the clothing on his body, flaking and falling apart. His body seemed singed black, and rather burned lightly, while his eyes, were in the cartoonish anime squigles and spirals, associated with someone who had been fainted or passed out. The boy had been a student, who had made the mistake, this day, of being rather perverted, and mischievious, smacking the butt of a fellow student, by the name of Kuroenko Sekisetsu, who now stood above him, looking down, snarling, and smiling. "And if I /ever/ see you within 100 feet of me, I swear, next time, that the burns will be third degree ones!!! You get me!!", an small and girlish fistshake being made down at the passed out boy, before the girl would stomp off, and walk toward the outer gates.
Of course, she had a mission today, one with a new chuunin she hadn't heard, of, and she would arrive, stepping in and walking up to see that she, would not be by herself. A familiar face was there. One who symbolized pretty much everything she would hate in a person. "MERUIN!!!! I'll tear you apart!!!" would be said as she would then be charging up chakra, and handsealing, preparing to do much damage to the person who just a week earlier, had put her in the hospital.
Azur lets go of the scroll and it lands in a puddle, causing the ink to leak from the pages leaving it completely illegible. He felt an urge he hadn't in awhile. There was a distinct pang of anger mixed with a certain nostalgia as the academy student who just came through the gates shouted something or other, Azur wasn't paying enough attention to readily register the words. None-the-less, he wanted to kick her in the face. However, that would be 'improper' as he has been told on many an occasion.
Calmly, but with a stern voice and apathetic face the chuunin would turn to Sekisetsu, "If you are indeed the Kuroenko Sekisetsu assigned to my team for today, I would suggest you put those hands away, and calm yourself. I don't have time for crazy little outbursts today." The mist closest to Azur would begin to become too dense to stay afloat and slowly fall into the puddle already surrounding his feet.
Meruin had not bothered moving. Having heard sekisetsu's voice, he knew immediately that she was to accompany him and Azur on the mission. It was something that the higher ups seemed pleased to do often. Simply put, there was hate between them. Maybe it made them stronger.
Of course, though, after hearing her spontaneous burst of aggressive anger, the seven year old looked at her. The set of her shoulders, the heaviness of her voice — she was readying to attack. Immediately, he flowed towards her, hoping to catch her in a moment without guard. It would be difficult to put her down without it.
Black bone slipped over his normal nails, and poison gave it a lusterous sheen. His arm darted forwards, talons flashing.
Caring less about the chuunin that stood nearby, Sekisetsu had been still unloosening a large part of the scroll that had been her main weapon of choice. It was needless to say that this girl had seen only a target in Meruin, and as such, she could not, and would not be able to disappear the color she saw in here eyes at this moment. It was red. Blood red. The color that she saw in her imagination, which dripped as hope from the beheaded and piked head of the kid in front of her. A hand was still held in seal. She furrowed, and snarled as she would peer at the Okumo brat that had just managed to engulf her in his web, and knock her, not to far after she had been bleed by his talons.
Hearing a voice rang out from nearby, from the Shirayuki squad leader, Seki would roar out, not bothering to even reverance, "How dare you!! Little outburst!! You don't know squat so back off!! He's either dead now, or dead later. I /will/ have this kids head with either your help or your butting out!! You know /nothing/ of what he's done to me so butt the hell out!!!" She would then flicker into range of Meruin, not at all seeing that the boy had armed himself to attack. And though the first strike would hit against a metallic scroll, chakra released into a seal command kanji written 'iron', Meruin, had been slippery. The second talon would stab into her neck, causing the girl to first freeze, and then become docile, before long, causing to stiffen, and then drop like a tranquilized elephant. Out for the count? You bet she was.
Some might say that little girl scared Azur, others might say he was tactically minded and wanted to see who would best the other in this little bout. Truth was, the boy was lazy. He could get in the middle of the two, do some 'fancy footwork' and look really cool or just lean against his little perch and put out no effort. No effort won that coin toss. Luckily enough their scuffle ended rather abruptly so Azur could play it off as he took too long to spring into action, if he really wanted to.
"Ok. Hopefully you're done venting your hormones. I don't particularly have a reason to care if you two like one another. If you can't work together, try to kill each other DISCREETLY during the course of the mission. Weaken a branch so the other falls into a pit of hungry snakes or something. Be creative and leave me out of it. When you're ready to move one from this tiff, I'll be right here waiting." A lecture? Perhaps. Maybe it was just an excuse to not have to move. Either way, Azur was stalling long enough to not have to move right this moment.
Meruin simply stood back and waited, watching as Sekisetsu's muscles relaxed and she fell to the ground. He walked over to her, standing over her as he listened to Azur. The lecture was, truth be told, a bit unnecessary. He had only wanted to put her down long enough so that the mission could be completed. The seven year old stooped down and picked her up using his leg muscles, putting her over his shoulder. "Understood. Brief us and let us continue, then." He glanced at the girl's strengthless body. "Swiftly, if possible."
Eyes wide open, were that only things that seem to be able to attack Meruin, and boy, did they stare daggers. Though this attack, and poisoning, hadn't been completely new to her. Okumo, very few at least, possess poisons like this. The kind that just seem to numb you all over, and make it to the point that moving, isn't an option. Well, at least moving isn't. Sekisetsu still felt the pain from the sting. She still felt all her body parts. She would even be conscious enough to feel her body be picked up, and she would probably even hear Meruin's sly remarks. It was hurtful for her to now be being mocked, and carried by the boy who she had been hating even now. Her body couldn't do anything to him, and it would as an completely motionless face, would cry tears of frustration, and anger.
And though Meruin had her bound, thanks to his poison, she still had one trick up his sleeve just to keep him annoyed. He would feel one of her latent abilities. He would know it well. Heat from her body, emitted whenever her emotions had been heightened. It would be one that would be scalding to the touch, especially under these conditions. Azur would probably even wonder why it had been so hot about him, all of a sudden, the heat now creating a certain aura, about the girl, invisible to the naked eye, yet felt just as much.
With that, the chunnin lifted his back from the wall and tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans. With a slow deliberate pace Azur would start toward the woodland surrounding Kirigakure. "You'll notice I don't know much about either of you beyond your name and rank. This is intentional. How I feel about you will be determined solely by today's exercise. Tioneshi's shop was 'raided' by a couple of academy students. Your job will be to find their little hideout, retrieve the stolen goods and return them undamaged to the shop. I already know where the group is, and that they've been unsuccessful in opening the crate they've taken. I will not be assisting you in any manner other than the preparations I've already made." He would point to a nearby stump with a log behind it, creating a crude seat. "Set her there for now." Next to the stump were two small pouches, each containing a set of stone and metal binders (crude handcuffs) as well as a few different types of rope. "From here on out I will simply be observing your progress. You'll notice the start of their trail is right around here, if you have any questions let me know now."
"Affirmative."
At this point, the spider silk on his back and shoulders had already thickened and become lubricated with a heat resistance substance. It was made to do more than keep from getting burned — much more, but it was what he used it for now. So, instead of putting her down somewhere, spider silk lurched from the pores at his shoulders covering all but the girl's face, sealing the vast majority of the heat inside.
More spider silk shot from his finger tips, bringing the pouches back to his hands, even as the bundle that was sekisetsu shifted onto his back. He set off with a silk sac bigger than he was, moving purposefully in the direction of the trail, eyes examining.
'Wiggle your big toe…. thats it.. come on Seki.. just alittle more… Yeah.. thats it.. now all you need to do, is breath, and inhale.." It was funny how Meruin seemed to be carrying this girl, not at all expecting that he had been in more danger at this range than he could even predict. And with a while passing on the trail sense the girl had been having enough time to 'coach' herself through trying to feel out her own movement, and perhaps even rid herself of the poison. She would inhale, and exhale, each time, deeper, her mouth seem to breath out hot breath with ever exhalation, until at one point, here lungs would began to expand and contract to an abnormal size. The webbing Meruin had been most meticulous in wrapping her in, would stress with every breath, as soon Seki, would feel herself begining to come out of what had been Meruin's costly sting.
And then would come the revenge. One final breath would be inhaled, long, and deep, and before long, Seki, even while she had been across the back of the nin, would have breath fire, showering at close range, nothing but sheets of fire balls, and doom upon the small nin, as retribution, and utter cruelty. Whether he had been slick enough to dodge it or not, Seki would have been probably dropped, unless Meruin wanted a head full of flames!!
In the gap between Meruin and Sekisetsu's face a strong gust of wind would start, although invisible to the naked eye it would be fairly disc-shaped. To douse the fire rather than fuel it, the amount of wind needed would dislodge Sekisetsu from Meruin's shoulder unless the genin increased his grip to keep her there. Azur would be seated on the branch of a nearby tree when he started to speak, "Didn't I say discreetly? Trying using your words before spitting fire all over the place. You ARE on a mission, I would expect you to try and remain undetected." He would shake his head lightly before ascending the tree that served as his perch.
Meruin set himself, thoroughly ignoring Sekisetsu the whole time. He had felt her squirming — noticed it a bit too late, in truth— but before he cold react, futile as it may have been, he felt the wind stirring at the back of his neck. And thus, it was that he simply continued to search out the tracks, seeming to completely ignore the going ons between the other two. "Two discernable sets," said Meruin as he set his stance so that he would stand firm despite the movements on and around him. "These were the ones carrying the crates. There are other tracks… but, I cannot tell where they lead. The meld with the animal tracks; so we follow the crate bearers." He set off immediately.
"Come, Sekisetsu."
Sekisetsu was sure that her victory had been lying in this breathe of flame she would exude.. But then came the interference! She would be blown back, her flame bursting back at her, burning off the webbing that had wrapped her, but yet still it seemed to be blown back at her by some unknown force. Her revenge, again had been taken from her. She would turn around, and instantly peer at Azur, and his words.. "You!! But..but… you just don't get it!!! Why?!!!", would be shouted back with tiers in her eyes, as Meruin leaving, wouldn't matter by comparison to the fact that she had been being stopped by someone she hardly even knew. An adult. Her natural enemy, and the tree from which kids like Meruin descended from. "I don't fuckin care about what the fuck this mission means.. As long as he is alive, he will be my target. Congratulations, pretty boy!! Cause just like him, you are now on my it list. You interfere again, and death will be /well/ worth a piece of you!!"
She would watch for where Meruin had went, but in her anger, she wouldn't see. However she would spot the tracks. Assuming that Meruin had saw the mix in animal and people tracks, she would go in that direction. Poor Seki wouldn't realize that Meruin hadn't discovered the same thing she had.
Not too far down his path, Meruin would come across a small crate surrounded by 2 distinct sets of footprints. The crate was poorly concealed with bits of greenery from nearby bushes and a particularly leafy branch. There would be evidence of an attempt to wipe away the footprints surrounding the crate, but the attempt was rather terrible.
For Sekisetsu, things would not be as placid. Her shouting had called undo attention to her, a kunai would erupt from a nearby bush but miss terribly and crash into a tree behind her. In the next instant, the canopy above would come crashing down as two logs swept in from the sides attempting to crush her.
Meruin stopped some small distance from what could only be an obvious ploy from anyone who would even consider dreaming about becoming a ninja. Swift sweeps of the eye brought certain truths to the fore. The crate was booby trapped. The branch covering it was connected to a paper-bomb — a lantern, nice explosions— which was hidden in the tree overhead. Paper-bombs could be seen, just barely, under the crate's lid. And… the markings on the crate itself were vaguely off. It wasn't even from the same store.
His eyes flickered up. Someone had employed tree travel. Judging from the disrupted moss and smaller branches, they had no tree-walking abilities. They were in the treetops for a time, but soon found their way back to the grou— Meruin turned, looking behind him.
"Sekisetsu…" It was a gentle reproof, though she could not hear.
Being blown back by the dual logs, to say the least, was not a pleasant experience. It would knock Sekisetsu a couple of feet away, causing her to skidd some. She wouldn't like the landing much, a couple muffled curses and other words little girls shouldn't say, well, being said. She would come to a stand, and though for the most part, she would seem fine, she would hear a could of clicks come from the spool of her scroll. That didn't sound good at all. She would look to it, and then sigh. Could the day get any worst? It might seemed to get better, if any indication of the glowing seal on her large scroll was any indication. The detection seal, had been picking up something close. Seki would quiet down, for the first time in forever, and then began to stalk whatever it was. She would see a shadow… someone was around.. Of course, Seki wouldn't assume it had been any of the students.. no way.. "Meruin!", would be said under her breath as she would flick her wrist, a stack of tags being gathered and charged in seconds. Before long, three would be throw, hardened by chakra and then set with to either detonate, or cut who ever or what ever they hit.
By the time Meruin would arrive at Sekisetsu position, she would already be attacking some kid who tried to crush her to death. Her first tag would cut across his leg and cause him to stumble into view. The next two tags would miss, but the exploding tag would improperly dislodge another trap and cause a rotting log to drop between the boy and Sekisetsu. It wouldn't injure anyone, but atleast it would give the boy a chance to regroup and try to run away.
Meruin reached the area as said, having come to where he'd heard Sekisetsu being attacked. He did not, however, move to lend any aid. He simply sat in the tree branch he was in, overlooking sekisetsu and her actions. He did, also, keep an eye out for any others who might seek to capitalize on their attention being turned elsewhere.
Meanwhile, fully focused on who ever this way, Sekisetsu, would be pursuing, know full well that she had at least got hit. Had this been Meruin? It wasn't really certain, but one thing about it, Sekisetsu's anger, as well as her lack of any kind of self control, just didn't care. This guy, as far as she was concerned… /was/ Meruin. Even if it made no sense to anyone else. She would shout out to the person, "What's wrong, Meruin? Too scared to face me?" She would then throw another one of her hardened seals, just past the boys head, and just as it would hit the tree infront him, Seki would handseal, and say, "Kai!", releasing a load of light and sound out in a blast from the tag, to blind the boy.
And as if things couldn't get any more worst, Seki would then handseal, and proceed to charbroil 'Meruin', to ash, releasing a stream of fire at the boy, walking toward him, and reducing the poor kid to cinders.. Finally! She proceeded in killing Meruin!!!
A rustle nearby would catch Meruin's attention. Investigating from his perch would reveal another boy decently hidden and waiting for either an opportunity to strike or flee. Meanwhile, Sekisetsu's victim would writhe on the ground in pain before expiring. His burns would make his physical features and any distinguishable markings on his clothing indiscernible, although his size was smaller than that of Meruin.
"You are too hasty," said Meruin.
Suddenly, he appeared behind the boy hidden in the brush, small and silent and holding the upper hand. Spider silk poured from the whole front of his body, wrapping around the assailant, who gave a sound of surprise. The Okumo quickly trussed him up and brought him out into the clearing sekisetsu was in, giving her a direct look. "We have a mission to accomplish, girl. Disencumber your conscience."
As the small boy lay infront Sekisetsu, grilled and cajun style, Sekisetsu couldn't help thinking that this kill was too easy. All the same she would seem over joyed, as she would look to the body, thinking she had finally done it.. She killed Meruin!! She would look to the body, and the utter and small, "Hmph!", before turning around, sashaying off, and not even caring of mission. She was wanting to go home. But then a voice would call to her.. "But.. but.. you're dead!!", being shouted, as she would then see Meruin, with another kid, bound, and gaged, and looking quite tied up. Meanwhile Meruin was just looking as healthy, and untouched as he normally did. Seki's jaw would drop, before she would say, "Well, if you are alive, then who's th-..? Oh……..", being frowned out as she would facepalm, and shake her head. She killed the wrong kid… Or at least the one she didn't care about killing anyway. "I can care less about this mission or you at the moment, runt…. I'm getting tired of this.. I just want to go home ;_;…..
The boy wrapped up in Meruin's webbing struggles fruitlessly as he is carried out into the open. As Sekisetsu spoke to Meruin, the trapped boy took a moment to look around. Once Sekisetsu finished, the boy cried out an odd sound and his head went limp. The noise he made was something that would be akin to a dying bird or some kind of animal.
Meruin's hand lashed out, and suddenly, the bundled kid was lifted by the coocoon of silk and the strands attached to Meruin. More strand attached, large and rope-like, but hollow. The boy was fastened to a nearby tree, and the Okumo made a small hop away from him. "Then let me do what I may, so we can get a mission complete and depart."
He spoke to the boy, then. He didn't know, exactly what was happening to him, but the catch had been a little too simple, a little too easy. He would work on the assumption, first, that he was faking it and proximity was dangers, and second, that others were listening and would hear. These kids were under the protection of someone with power, but they were still young, and from what he'd seen, they were prone to fear from shows of power and confidence. He would attempt to use that to advantage.
Spiders traveled along the piping between the two, slipping into the boy's coocoon. They began to bite, delivering a painful, but not deadly poison. A few could be seen biting face and neck. "We are on a mission, boy. You will tell us what you know, or these spiders will continue to bite you, to poison you. And death will not be swift. It will continue, stretch out until hate the very air you breathe, even as the last one leaves your cold, bloated corpse. And then we will search for you friends…"
A pool of darkness began to spread from Meruin's feet — a garish amount of spiders coming from him, so that it looked as though it was writhing shadow filling the grass at his feet, spreading further out. "And we will find them. Kirigakure against this renegade band is slaughter and immoral, but we will do it because you rfuse to yield, and we do not take disobedience lightly." He spoke to the area at large now, "You will all die, unless you surrender. I suggest you spread the word and make your choices."
Sighing, had to admit it. Meruin was right. It was a hard thing to do but in situations like this, Seki knew that Meruin, had been way smarter than she had. It was a funny thing to behold. The boy would make his yelp, and pass out, and Seki wouldn't know how to react. She would raise an eyebrow, and look to the boy, sizing him up, and then plucking him once across the forehead before nodding a soft, yet prudish, "Hmph..", before she would then let what had happened with Meruin and his whole take, transpire, coming to a short plop on the ground, and sitting idly. She would see his spiders first, descending into the bounds of the webbin, and then hear his words.. Cold, calculating..adult. It would make Seki frown in anger, the boy seeming to make her remember just how much she hated him him, and why. His behavior. He acted like those stupid adults that seemed to want to take charge of everything, telling kids what to do without prejudice, and making them do the dirt work they didn't want to.
Just what Meruin had been doing now. He was trying to make this kid, probably a lower classmen at her academy, rat out his classmates, with threats of a spider poisoned death. She would roll her eyes, as she would try and ignore it but in the end, it was really, really hard. This agent of the adults, had been treating a kid with as much disrespect as any other self righteous adult would, and it sickened Sekisetsu. She had wanted to kill Meruin in that instant, but at the moment, fear came that fate would deny her yet another chance to actually do it. All she kep thinking about, from that damn Azur, was a 'discreet kill'. It must of meant that she had the permission, just as long as he hadn't know about it. She would think about killing Meruin, but it just seemed that all her plans, were just to straight forward. Blow up Meruin.. Burn Meruin. Cut Meruin. It was frustration!!
But she wouldn't have long to think at all about it as she would kick her legs in the grass. Her scroll would glow and make a slight vibration. The detection seal!! "Hey Runt! We got company!", would be shouted, as she would hop to her feet and unloosen her scroll. She would look around.. Not sight of them. Then the whistle of sharps would fill the air. Seki would react. She would take the large scroll, and with authority, jab the wooden spool into the ground like a pike! Unrolling lot of its paper, a perimeter of scroll would be made infront of Seki, the Okumo, and the hostage. As the sharps would come in Seki would release chakra into a sealed kanji, with the command for "Harden", causing the scroll to deflect the shuriken well. However, the release of the command was a split second to late. The Kunai would pierce her defense, sailing passed the paper barrier.. "Runt!! Think fast!!", would be shouted at Meruin.
There are two steps to this maneuver. Both of them are exceedingly simple. They are also exceedingly difficult. It is only the Okumo employing a notable physique and sheer speed that may attempt this. Firstly, the ninja spins with the utmost speed. Secondly, they push spider silk from each pore of their body. It is the sheer quantity of the webbing that marks the reaon why only the adepts are successful. The speed of the spin propels the silk even as it is forced from their body, the vortex created by the rotation so profound that, eventually, the silk is more pulled from from the body than shot. At this level, so long as the ninja can survive the stress of creating and using so much silk, and the accelerated rotation has enough momentum, the webbing can cover up to a mile in all directions, sweeping up enemies and leaving the Okumo ninja at it's center..
Regardless of whether or not Meruin would stop that Kunai, the boy would indeed die. Plummeting from the trees would be a boy older than both Meruin and Sekisetsu. With a wakizashi in hand, the boy would land atop the tortured captive and decapitate him rather efficiently. It was a smooth, quick, clean kill, the type of ruthless efficiency you find in hardened assassins. Leaping off his falling perch (the decapitated head) the wakizashi wielding boy would dive straight at Meruin and make a quick handseal with his free hand. Just before impact the boy would explode into water but the weapon would continue to fly with added inertia. Should the water come in contact with Meruin it would begin to burn like acid, and any spiders still on the ground near him would be dissolved in the mix.
Time would not be wasted now for a full on offensive was at hand. Four children would burst into view, two from the treetops and two from directly underneath Sekisetsu's feet! Not far off, an older and taller figure would be standing in a tree watching what was taking place. He would be standing where the shurikens and kunai had come from. Upon close inspection, the two could see that it was….Azur!?! And while a smug sh*t-eatting grin was on his face!
"Leave him," said Meruin, already turning in the direction the attacks had come from. The boy didn't matter anymore. Him living could be a plus, but he wouldn't expend too much effort saving his life when he could be doing other things that might put an end to this mission. Everything that had just happened had been an advertent maneuver. The words were to draw attack, and he would follow those attacks while the spiders immediately fanned out in every other direction, in case it had been a trick. But, the chance had never sprung up.
Even as Meruin turned, the falling assassin was noted, and he went into a full spin, facing the assassin. The seven year old ignored the beheading, eyes on the weapon instead. It flew through the air towards him in short order, propelled by the exploded water clone. Acid clone? Whatever the case, it was coming at him, along with a pair of kids attacking from the trees above him. But far too slowly.
Suddenly, the genin simply wasn't there, appearing next to Sekisetsu. "Go after Azur," was his command. He had a feeling…
"I'll take these four," was said even as his arms began to flash, a blurred barrage of clawed strikes lashing out at the kids coming out of the ground, poisoned spider silk whipping at them as well. "I will join you in short order."
As two of the kids would come up around her legs, Seki would let out a long and frightened "EEEEEEE!!!", and hop out the way a smigde, just before Meruin would succeed in hitting the kids who had been coming up, and out. Meanwhile, Seki would hear the command from him, and shout, "You don't tell me what to do, remeber??!!", before she would seek the destruction of the two coming out of the tree's, handsealing, inhaling, and raining upon them, a hailstorm of compacted fireballs, smalling yet, scorching. As the jutsu would fly into the two, Sekisetsu would have been aiming to diguise and distract from her reall assault, two hardened, and sharpened tags, thrown precisely to hit, and cut at the students.
But even while this was going on, she still hadn't quite heard it the first time around. Azur was around. But then she would see the man, grining, and come up with an even more distinctive hatred of the man. Had he plotted this all, to kill them? "You!! It was you along wasn't it!! He sent those kids out here just to work for him, and now that he's been discovered, he wants to kill us!!!" Boy, was she off… But hey, Seki was confusing like that. Even to herself.
Azur watched as the children fought amongst themselves. Sekisetsu's outburst would only make him grin more, as if that were possible. He would reach upward and grab a kunai from the leaves it would seem and hurl it between Meruin and Sekisetsu. Attached to the the back of the kunai was a paperbomb that was already burning. As the ninja tool flew Azur would make a series of handseals and two clouds of smoke would poof into existence beside him on his tree-branch perch. From within each cloud of smoke something would leap into the shadows. Clones perhaps. Now the chuunin would cross his arms and continue to watch.
Meruin forced chakra into the bottom of his feet and immediately, wind reduced the friction between him and the ground to practically nothing. He slid away from the tagged Kunai on wind skates, knowing full well that if he tried to touch Sekisetsu, she'd fight him and probably get them both hurt. So, he left her, keeping himself facing her even as he avoided the boy that threw himself at him. Skating backwards, he moved, looking past sekisetsu to Azur and the shadows near him. He gave a slight nod, and as she seal on the Kunai exploded, the spider's that'd disapeared after he avoided the acid explosion suddenly coalesced on the spot, attacking Azur and whatever it was within those shadows.
"Take the boys from the trees," he commanded, not checking to see how Sekisetsu had dealt with the explosion. She could take care of herself. He, on the other hand, would take the two from the ground that had been just in front of Sekisetsu. He would deal better in close range than Sekisetsu, and she would deal better with the other two, long range, than he.
But something came as a surprise. The kunai's explosion contained nothing but smoke, and it turns out it had been nothing but a henged kid, who decided that killing the boys fighting Sekisetsu would be a good idea. Behind him, he could hear the same happening to the guys from the tree. A quick glance revealed that only one of them had died — because the one still standing was the one who'd done it.
Things were becoming unclear far too quickly, and getting outmaneuvered would get you killed in combat. So, he decided to attempt to buy himself a little time to think, hopefully, and to apprehend the two who'd turned on their comrades, so that he could make sure they wouldn't do direct damage, at the very least. His arms lashed out and spider silk flew from both of them, attempting to grab and entangle the two newcomers. He could not be sure what was happening, but he could be sure he was going to find out.
As for Sekisetsu.. well, call that girl bewildered.. Cause that is what the hell she was!! Confused as all hell! Kids were flying around her like a bad dream! And what in the hell was Azur doing here, just grinning like something was funny. Things were /not/ funny!! Things were exhausting, horrible, really really messed up, but not funny!! And what was even worst? That bastard chuunin was contributing toward it all. He throws a kunai.. "Hey, what the hell is the fizzli-Oh no its a bomb!!!", would be shouted right before the girl would scream, "EEEEEEEE!!!!" She considered herself, pretty much doomed at this point. And it would be by the hand of who she had hated most. An Adult..
But something really unexpected would happened. Nothing. Not a boom insight, nor a fire that would burn her. Instead, she would have a kid fall on her. It would be almost by instinct that the kid would find himself, if Sekisetsy had been lucky, a few of her hardened tags, stabbing himself to death. Other wise, she would probably panic, and flicker from beneath the kid, leaving him behind. But then even more mayhem would ensue, that would go /way/ over Seki's poor comprehension. The kids around her, were being dropped like flies.. Meruin commands to her would only get a, "Are kidding me or something? I mean look, stupid! Someone else is around here, and it looks like their helping!", the girl saying this just before flickering up into a nearby tree.
Confusing, just the way Azur liked it. Or so it would seem, with the way he was smiling. Although he wouldn't be smiling for long, spiders would soon be raining down all over his face. This unexpected turn of events would have the chuunin flail and the branch under him would break, causing him to fall out of the tree! What a joke, can't even handle some spiders. Just as Azur hit the ground there would be a poof of smoke, and once the smoke cleared there was someone else there. A boy who looks to be the same age and height as Azur, but clearly different. Must've been henged and he picked the right person to do it. He would stand up and make a handseal, his skin would explode outward in a shower of rocks. Harmless but it got the spiders off him.
Meanwhile the spiders directed to the bushes would only nip at leaves, discovering no person or persons to attack. The boy that had tacked Sekisetsu would be caught up in Meruin's web, just in time to keep him from being skewered by Sekisetsu's sharpened tags. He'd still get stabbed, sure, but he wasn't going to die from it atleast. Luckily enough for him, the tags cut enough of the webbing for him to free himself. He would scowl at Sekisetsu but turn himself toward the fake Azur and lunge in that direction, only to be tackled into the brush by some mysterious figure.
Now all that remain in this fight would be the supposed chunnin who had pretended to be Azur, Meruin, Sekisetsu, and the masked boy that attempted to tackle Meruin. Now that he is revealed, the fake Azur makes a series of handseals which causes parts of the ground to break up and hurtle at Sekisetsu, stone shuriken. Meanwhile, the boy near Meruin would lunge again, this time firing off a taijutsu combo at the Okumo genin.
Only swift reflexes kept Meruin safe from the boy's sudden onslaught. The seven year old's hair was scattered by a forceful punch as he ducked, and this allowed him to see the roundhouse kick coming at him. He vanished, reappearing in the exact same spot, with the attack moving past him. By this point, he had his balance renewed and it was an easy spinning pivot that took him away from the final uppercut.
And then he vanished again… And reappeared in a backwards flip, low to the ground. Meruin's legs lashed out, feet aiming for the chin of the person who attacked him — and even as he did this, his clothing suddenly seemed to be torn to shreads at his lower back, and shuriken arced through the air towards the one who'd been attacking Sekisetsu with stone shuriken. Meruin was sure he was the stronger of the two — the more important of the two. He was not sure Sekisetsu could take him on her own, and besides the fact, he'd want to do as much as he could as swift as he could, to end this as soon as possible. Maybe he could be takenn by surprise.
This was getting even more confusing. Just why did Azur want them dead. Seki, just could not figure out for the life of her, that this guy was not him. It was an annoying mental block that seemed to be clouded by the fact that he denied her chance to kill Meruin on the spot, or at least let her injure him some. She still was made at him. And she wouldn't let that go. Especially when she had to defend what would be this guys next attack. Stone shuriken would seem to fill the air, and when Seki would see them, she would move into action just to save her own hide. Two hands would move to the tree branch for which she stood on, and then the words, "Summoning!", would fill the air. A wooden figurine, common to temples and old noodle stands would come to block those attacks, and shield her before disappearing in a poof of smoke.
And that poof of smoke would reveal someone else. Not Azur, but another guy. So this wasn't Azur? Strange. She would look and not even ask question. Just being pissed off along, was enough reason for her to send all the explosive tags she had in her hand, flying at this dude.
As explosive tags and a shuriken flew toward this mysterious opponent he would chuckle. Three quick handseals followed by, "Earth Style: Mud Shield Technique!" would summon a wall of flowing mud to rise up infront of him. The shuriken would hit it and be buried inside, and two of the tags would explode on contact while the last would make it inside the wall of mud and cause it to explode. Although their opponent would no longer be standing behind the wall of mud. Now he is beside Meruin mid-handseal. "Earth Style: Crocodile's Burrow!" Suddenly the ground beneath Meruin would turn to mud, acting much like quicksand, and if the genin didn't move in time it would threaten to suck him under.
'Swift,' thought the seven year old in alarm, eyes flickering to the side and seeing the chuunin's readiness for attack, his hands flashing through seals. The man was fast, yes, but Meruin acted faster. In the Interum of seconds, Meruin was simply gone, the mud sucking at the air, the imprints of his feet rapidly vanishing.
He genin hadn't fled, though. He reappeared directly behind the man, his hand becoming slick with a neurotoxin that would render the man helpless for a long while, should the strike hit. His eyes flickered to Sekisetsu for a brief moment, her hair still swirling from the explosion… and he struck.
"Man… I hate this guy already.", would be said in reply to all of their attacks, even Meruin's, being blocked by earth. It was as if this guy had been really just wanting to annoying just as much as kill the kids. She had to keep in mind that if Meruin can get in, and do his Spider -Stingy thing.. then just maybe, just maybe, they could have a chance. And then she would feel the air pass by her, knowing full well that the air that passed, was Meruin. And she would have timed her own flicker with his own, as just when Meruin would have made his own sting, a large fire ball, would be blowing down upon the ninja vast insize, and just a violatile, not ending until the man before then, had been ash.
Meruin's thrust would find a home right into the small of the man's back, and almost instantly the man would collapse in a tangle of limbs. Sekisetsu's fire would stop just before hitting the collapsed ninja and simply swirl into a cone of wind, becoming nothing but a plume of black smoke. As the smoke dissipated, Azur would drop down behind the trio with a large, open crate resting on his shoulder. "Should probably wait till after you get any useful information from a downed opponent before you scorch them. And in this case, it's a good idea to bring him back to the village. He has been using genjutsu to manipulate the minds of these children. It would be nice to find out if he acted alone, and if he has any more brainwashed children deeper in these forests." Turning back toward the village the chuunin would add, "Good job you two. As a 'reward' I saved you the trouble of having to get the crate, and I'll even carry it myself. I'll let you drag your prey home Meruin."
