A brothers bond on display (Denkitiki Vs. Maku)

"No I'm not trying to be rude, But hey pretty girl I'm feeling you, The way you do the things you do."  His voice flowed through the bar, the sickeningly sweet smell of liquor filled every nostril.  It was enough to ignite the imagination into any number of situations.  His own voice expelled a hint of the vapors as his lips moved but a hairs width from the microphone.  His eyes remained closed as he sat on the stool on stage.

"Now it's like murder she wrote, Once I get you out them clothes, Privacy is on the door. Still they can, hear you screaming more, Girl I'm feeling what you feeling, No more hoping and wishing."  It wasn't that odd of a scene really, Maku had seen the criminals money spent wisely since he had worked to take over their empire.  Multiple bars, and questionable sources of entertainment had been springing up all over the city.  One might have thought this would lead to a falling out between Maku, who openly took credit for each and every one, and the clergy men of the city.......however he had often been seen visiting their temples and embracing the high fathers of multiple religions.  A certain clinking often could be heard when the fathers walked away.......however the orphanages had seen a dramatic increase in quality of living so there was that. 

Taking himself a seat on stage, and singing a melody or two had become something many of the patrons had looked forward to, and on the biggest day of the year he had made sure to give the people what they wanted.  "Hot in Hoshi" was his flagship restaurant.  It also had the finest location right next to the city square.  It was here he had stooped by on his way to one of the main events and decided to have a drink and well...........what was a showman without a stage.  As his song winded down, he stood and waved to the people in attendance.  Being a festival Maku was more impressed that they could clap despite that level of inebriation.  He assumed it had something to do with a strict religious value and not wanting to appear intoxicated in public. 

Maku's own appearance was not necessarily one of a typical shinobi.  Though it was also a far cry from any of the Queensman.  the white robe flowed from his shoulders, mostly opened in the front.  A red sash wrapped around his waist, his sword bouncing off his left hip as it hung there.  Within his right breast pocket hidden from view the demon flute sat, along with a variety of other ninja tools concealed within the depths of the robes tight against his body to prevent undue movement.  His blonde hair was slicked back and held in place by a headband.  Its golden appearance shone in the bright sunlight, the symbol of Discord in the center with a cut all the way through the plate. 

While Denkitki had met some amount of resistance, and Aki had met to much acceptance, Maku had made himself at home in a very different way.  It hadn't taken long for many of the people to discover that Maku was a shinobi, though several facts set him apart from others and led to a greater amount of acceptance.  one, he never used his powers publicly.  Everyone seemed to know he could, but he mostly kept them to himself, those who had witnessed were often on the wrong side of the table and never had the second chance.  His ownership of bars and......well "other" buildings also gave him a certain amount of popularity in a city under the heal of multiple religions.  Really they had simply been to oppressed and needed to let of some steam.  Finally, between the bribes and his winning of a contest to become Royal Chef.......Maku simply had made Hoshigakure his own.

His smile was radiant as he made his way through the crowd, feeling hands hit his back, and shaking drunk hands as he made his way into the street.  He had long learned silence was his advisory, therefor in the city that had been blessed by stars, he made sure to live loud at all times.  It was well past noon, the match had been scheduled for an hour before dusk.  The premier slot of the day.  It hadn't been easy to proctor such a position, he wouldn't doubt aside from his money Akihana had given a word to see it done.  However it had happened, it was happening today.  It had seemed like since they had decided to do this it had taken forever for it to actually happen.  Not it was here though, he and was determined to give the people of Hoshigakure the greatest show they had ever seen.  Though it would be a lie if he said he was doing it just for them.  He wanted to live loud, to forget himself and those around him even if only for an evening.  This was the best way he could imagine doing it.  There was still a few hours until the match.....he could hit a couple more bars on the way and give them a song and take a drink on his way to the arena.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The hours passed in a whirlwind, and before he knew it he was standing at the arena, staring up at the massive structure.  He had heard it hadn't been used in a long time, it had once been popular though as time drug by it had outlived its purpose.  With the queen's failing health several hundred workers had been commissioned to repair the monstrosity, and made this festival the best she had ever seen in one last attempt to bolster her spirits.  They had done a good job, she must be a selfish old bat if she didn't at least appear grateful for this, he thought to himself.

Within he could already hear a rumbling of voices, footsteps........and of course vendors selling their wares.  Chuckling to himself he walked over and ran his hand across one of the huge columns.  The smooth stone like glass beneath his finger tips.  This would be a fine place to stay......forever perhaps.  No, not this place.  No matter how nice it was.  This was but a firecracker, a brief flash of light in his life.  Though he hoped it would be one of those that split into multiple other explosions, those where the best after all.

Here at the gateway, he stood and merely watched as others flooded into the arena.  To busy, or uncaring of who he was.  It wouldn't be long now, not long at all.

Den had spent the day removed from the festivities, instead working the the Queensguard to ensure the Queensmen and the few high ranking shinobi they had were ensuring the festival remained peaceful and that there wasn't an attack by any of the missing ninja that still roamed the borders. Den didn't mind missing the festivities however, unlike his brother Den was a more reclusive person, and while he enjoyed the company of those close to him he never felt comfortable in a crowd. That combined with the fact that almost anyone who had come into the village for the festival had a change of being a missing ninja made Den actually glad to be in the palace looking over with maps with the knights, even though some of them didn't really seem to enjoy his presence.

As the time neared Den dismissed himself from the meeting, quickly traveling to the arena that had been rebuilt for the event that would soon take place. Den had mixed feelings about it, he didn't like that there would be so many people present to see what he and his brother could do. He wanted to fight his brother and see how they matched up, but with a crowd watching he felt he'd be more reluctant to use some of his abilities.

Even as Kokou was gathering nature energy for him Den hoped he wouldn't have to reveal that power, currently it was something he hadn't displayed to anyone, only informed a select few of, and to reveal it to a large crowd seemed such a waste of what currently was an ace up his sleeve.

Den avoided entering the arena through the front gates, though he did detect his brothers presence there and most likely his brother sensed his as he arrived. Going in through a side entrance, Den would make his way through the structure to find where he was meant to enter the battlefield itself. Even though he didn't like the setting of their battle Den couldn't help but start feeling excited, while the two had fought together when Sanctuary had become fractured they hadn't had an opportunity to really test each other.

+1 nature energy

A familiar aura hit his senses.  Almost like seeing a shadow out of the corner of your eyes.  His brothers chakra signature was as well known to him as his own.  Partly because they were so similar despite obvious differences.  It was these obvious differences that at times, made them all the more similar in his mind.  Like an artist copying a portrait, but making sure the viewer new it was his own and not the original.

As he felt his brother enter into the structure, Maku let his hand slide down the rest of the column to his side.  Taking a breath he entered into the sanctuary of battles.  How many had died here, how many had proven their mettle against the fires of combat.  All these things bolstered his own resolve, he could feel his blood pumping a little harder, his eyes darting from side to side as his senses became more and more keen....that of an apex predator.  So rarely was he given such oppurtunities.  In fact only 3 times......3 times.  The first was in Yukigakure when Youka had demanded blood.....that had been a good fight.  He had killed Echo Uchiha....that had been a good fight.  Then his own life had almost ended, a strike to his pride that still stung.  He would see the debt repaid in due time though.

Now however, the past meant nothing.  Perhaps he was taking this whole thing a bit to serious, but he couldn't help himself..........he was about to have a blast.  Though perhaps that certain technique should be saved.  Smiling he made his way through the various passageways and finally found himself at the entrance to the arena. 

A young boy offered him some water which Maku took gratefully.  This palce wasn't at all like he would prefer.  He had grown up in the jungles, and had become a man in the snow.  Now he found himself in a completely different enviroment that he still was getting used to if truth be told.  Though, he hoped it wouldn't have any effect on this.  Taking one last drink of water, he handed it to the boy and closed his eyes.

In and out, he took several deep breaths.  Each inhalation was marked by a widening of his chakra field.  Pushing outward as if he was pushing against a current.  The effect caused his own body to glow gold when he took in a breath, causing the boy who had the water to vacate.  In truth, it was more like stretching for the impending match.  As if he flushed his chakra through each teiketsu, through each fiber in his body, washing his muscles in its golden light.  Any being with chakra sensory, and perhaps even some without would be able to feel it as he prepped himself.

Exhaling hard he pushed one last pulse out across the entire arena.  His chakra if sensed would be at a level of 200.  It was time, time to give the place a show, and to find out exactly how similar the two brothers Hayato really where.

Pushing through the gates, his left hand moved up pushing his hair from his face and re-tucking into the head band.  The crowd would erupt as a familiar face came into sight.  Waving and blowing kisses to the crowd he would laugh and shout with them.  All this wouldn't reach his eyes, but the distance proved unlikely for anyone to notice to much.  Taking a stance infront of the queens box which remained high up, he would give a slight customary bow.  His right arm bent by his waist as his back extended backwards.  The motion would be quick, and he would be back upright, though he had never extended the queen all the customs she was probably used to, though so far he had gotten away with it.

His eyes would scan the box and the crowd picking up familiar faces. He would catch a glimpse of Akihana, Arthur the dragon he had met the other day, and about a hundred others he had seen or spoke with since making Hoshigakure his home.  Turning he would expect to see Denkitki, assuming he had entered and bowed at the same time, if not he would wait for his brother.

Once his brother was next to him he would extend a hand.  "It's about time we had this out aye?  Probably not where we expected to do it.......but I'll try to have fun all the same."  he would say with a half grin at odds with "trying" to have fun. Turning after giving his brother a chance to respond he would say over his shoulder, "I know you like to keep things close to your chest..........but don't old back, I don't think I will be, its just not in my nature."  With that he would walk away from his brother before turning, putting 15m between the two shinobi. 

It wasn't a stretch to say they two where the strongest shinobi within the village.  It wasn't a stretch to say that the two of them could keep the village safe from almost any external threat.  It was a stretch to say either was stronger than the other.  While no friendly spar could ever truly determine an outcome of life and death, it still was exciting to see how they measured up toe to toe.  Electricity seemed to fill the air as the crowd shouted and yelled, only to die down watching the brothers.  It was time to begin.

As Den awaited the proper time to open the gates a chakra signature quickly entered his senosry range. It was more familiar to him than any other chakra signature, his fathers. Den faintly heard his father step from behind the corner of the passageway behind Den as he exited his Body Flicker. Turning to look at his father Den instantly noticed he wasn't in a pleasant mood, however he already knew why.

"So when were you going to tell me that you found him?" It was the first time in a while that Den had detected a hint of annoyance in his father’s voice. The elder Hayato approached until he was about a meter away from his son.

"He doesn't want to meet you and mom yet... for some reason he doesn't feel ready to talk to you two." Den started to turn away from his father, thinking the matter closed, but his father gripped his shoulder.

“And you just decided that his desires were above the family? Don’t think just because you’ve gotten stronger you can simply do as you wish. I sought to unite our family for a reason, it’s not your call to jeopardize that. I expect to see him after this battle between you too…. I expect you won’t be foolish, but I want to see what he can do, don’t hold back to much.” Den’s father knew Den wasn’t the type to reveal all of his abilities unless he had to, and that with a large crowd he was less likely to use some of his more powerful or attention drawing abilities.

As he walked away though he hoped that Maku would force Den to use most of his abilities, though he did hope that Den didn’t have to use his bijuu cloak, the last thing they needed while hunting these missing ninja was bijuu hunters trying to find Den, or even an entire village threatening Hoshi for the bijuu.

Den turned away as his father left, brief conversations like this were common between the two. Realizing it was time for him to enter Den opened the gate and waled into the arena, seeing that his brother was doing the same on the opposite end.

It was as they drew near that Den noticed something, his brother’s chakra was incredibly dense. Slightly more than Den’s were he to take on his Power of the white dragon form in fact, and yet he didn’t seem to be physically changed by this dense chakra in any way?

Den continued to contemplate this sudden rise in his brother’s chakra as he also bowed towards the Queens box. Could it be part of a genjutsu, or had his brother found a way to increase the potency of his chakra without any physical effects? There were arguments for both, a genjutsu would likely cost less chakra than an ability that increased the potency of ones chakra and could be used to deceive Den into playing more defensively, but if Maku was in fact wanting them to fight without holding back from the start he might have used some sort of amplifying technique before walking out of the gate, he had enough chakra to spare to do so. The battle hadn’t begun and already Den was presented with what was either a decent illusion or a powerful amplifier, but for now was an unknown variable in the fight

As the two brothers neared Den could almost feel the anticipation in the air.,Maku’s, his, the crowds. Everyone was here to see what these two could do. Shaking his brother’s hand, Den smirked as his brother said the fight wasn’t how they expected. “Try not to have too much fun though, they might make us rebuild the arena if we break it.”

When his brother said he shouldn’t hold back Den nodded, “We’re supposed to give them a show right? Might as well make it worth remembering.”

Den’s blue eyes would become crimson and grow 3 tomoe as he activated his sharingan, if his brother’s chakra was more potent his jutsu could be faster, and Den needed to be ready for that.

The noise of the crowd died as Maku turned to face Den once more, now 15 meters away. Den stood in his normal mission attire, a jounin like outfit fromed out of manipulated fabric. His weapon pouch was at his right hip and his kunai holster on the other part of his left thigh. His sword Shapeless was sheathed at his right hip, however its current form was that of the sword Den gave to Tomoya, fortunately the swords were similar enough in size for the sheathe to fit.

It was time for the fight to begin. The arena was mostly open space, but Den could change that rather quickly. Forming a one handed seal at 130 speed Den activated the Moving Earth Core jutsu, creating a platform of max size (5 meters by 5 meters for the width/height of the face) with Maku at the center. The platform would move down at a not very impress speed of 40, but it would be slow enough for the civilians to see what was going on at least. The platform would move down the full 20 meters.

Den would keep his sharingan eyes trained on his brother as he activated the jutsu, waiting to see how his brother would react to the technique. It wasn’t a threat to him but it would force him to move most likely, and that when Den planned to make his next move.

Even as his chakra left his system to manipulate the ground beneath Maku Den felt nature energy enter his system and remplenish his chakra reserves, meanwhile Kokou was also gathering nature energy within Den’s body, however rather than to help his chakra reserves this nature energy was going to be mixed with Den’s physical and spiritual energies to create sage chakra should his battle with Maku escalate to that point, and from what he knew of his brother Den beleieved it could very easily get to that point.

-10 ap from moving earth core
-1 from sharingan
+10 from juugo bl
Net -1 ap

1268 AP left
2 stacks of nature energy stored

The brief interaction with his brother had left a lingering smile. There wasn't much to really say, it was time for fun. As Den's eyes he swirled so had Maku's. Though instead of tomoe, harsh black patterns had erupted from the pupil to mar the Crimson. The stolen powers of the most famous clan present he watched as Denkitiki make the first move.

His eyes commented the action to memory, the way his chakra molded andwas forced into the solid earth below. It could be usefu later after all. As he felt the ground begin to quake, before it had a chance to make much movement at all, Maku had pushed off in a quick kick. Landing at the edge of the descending earth he was already moving at full speed towards his kin.

To the civilians it would almost seem he had vanished no doubt, though some in the crowd would no doubt just be able to see the haze of him closing the distance. If he made it to one meter out, his left hand which had gripped the hilt of his sword has soon as he had touched down, would exorcise the blade from its sheath with a fluid and deadly arc. The aim of it was to hit Den on his right hip and leave the body out his left deltoid. Moving in a straight line through the sternum but under the heart. The blow of landed would only be an inch and a half deep so not to actually hit the aorta or any of the other important fleshy bits.

If this blow was indeed landed, though he doubted it, he would follow through, using his own momentum to spin on his heel to end behind Den, lashing out agiain this time horizontally across his lower back at the same depth. If this to landed he would halt his momentum sliding on the dirt a good two meters before coming to a halt his eyes still trained on his brother.

1300-5-10-20= 1265

Dynamic entry
QuickDraw (160 swing speed, 55 swing str, 153 sharpness)
Ems

When his brother turned to face him Den saw the strange patterns of his mangekyou eye. He wasn't an expert on the patterns, but he wondered now if his brother's Mangekyou was eternal, the level after Mangekyou that Kokou had informed him about. As often as his brother used those eyes that had to be the case, and Den briefly wondered if his brother's eyes could evolve further, perhaps if Den implanted senju DNA within him...

Den's thoughts would be caught short, and his attention brought back to the fight when his brother used a taijutsu maneuver to quickly jump from the earth platform and towards Den, managing to move at high speeds towards the older brother.

Quick, and his chakra still seemed quite potent. Den mused over having to release some of his power, or maybe even some of Kokou's, to increase his abilities to be on par with what he was detecting from his brother, but the longer he could hold off doing that the longer he could fight. Performing 3 hand seals Den would put his hand out in front of himself, his hand reaching the position by the time Maku had moved 2 meters from the edge of the earthern platform that still moved slowly downward. From Den's hand a barrier would expand outwards at 85 speed. A circular barrier was made in front of Den, 5 meters in radius, and a meter thick. The barrier would dig into the earth beneath it as it expanded, pushing it away. 

The distance between Den and Maku when the barrier began forming was just over 10 meters, and the barrier would finish forming a bit after Maku would have closed half that distance if he had continued his forward charge. With the barrier obstructing him now Maku wasn't likely to continue the charge, at least as far as Den knew, however the young sage was prepared to respond to whatever counter Maku had for the barrier, even if he simply tried to alter his path to go around it.

The wall was transparent but Den wasn't sure if Blink would still be able to work through an object like that, Den had never tried, but if his brother managed it Den had a plan for it, bringing his hands back together to be ready to perform  more hand seals. 

Den was eager to challenge his brother but the young sage didn't intend for the battle to become a physical one, at least not until he figured out why his brother's chakra had become so potent, he didn't want to get into melee range with that level of power until he had a better clue of what he was dealing with. For now he wanted to force his brother to use jutsu if he could. 

While this was happening Kokou finished gathering nature, reaching his limit on how much he could store.

-45 for space time barrier 
-1 sharingan
+10 juugo bl
Net -36 AP
1232 AP left
3 stacks of nature energy stored in Kokou. 

Barrier stats
Speed 85 (50+ 45 from scaling)
Power 90 (60 + 30 from scaling)
Health 115 (60+30 from scaling + 25 from stone of fortification)

[voiding this topic because Maku quit]