A Fortuitous Meeting

Reizo would nod and acknowledge his teammate's detective work. He hadn't thought that heading to a water source would be so obvious. Of course - Komori used water jutsu, so it would make sense that if they wanted to fight they would head there. Allowing the smaller and younger Genin to get on his back once more, Reizo would head out in the direction of the lake, not wasting any time accelerating to his full speed. Only a few seconds after starting up however, he would feel something tug at his feet and to his surprise, a log appeared out of nowhere, swinging directly toward him. Reizo's initial reaction was to stop and turn back, but he could hear another large object, likely another log, closing in on him from behind. In a moment's notice, Reizo gritted his teeth and warned Max. "Hang on tight!" he would say over the sound of the whistling of the logs as they swung toward the duo. Letting go of Max with the full faith that he'd find a way to hold on tightly, Reizo wove the 5 hand signs: Tiger → Boar → Ox → Dog → Snake and targeted a nearby branch (about 10 meters away), likely one that Senshi had cut off of one of the logs while he had been setting up the trap to streamline it. To a nearby viewer, it would appear as though the two Genin had been crushed between the logs. Instead, however, they had switched places with the branch, the illusion being illuminated during the crash. (318/333 AP; Substitution Jutsu)

A loud bang echo'd through the forest. Reizo swiveled around and ducked down and backward out of panic, expecting that he had set off another similar trap, but to his surprise a huge cloud of glitter descended in front of him. Some of the glitter found its way into his sandals, which would prove somewhat bothersome, but Max who would (likely) still be on his back would remain untouched by the trap. "What a bizarre trap to set up. I wonder if he did it just to alert him as to our location. It was certainly too loud to go unnoticed anywhere in this forest. We better keep moving," Reizo would say, half to himself and half to Max. Reizo looked down at his now speckled feet. They reflected the light that cut through the canopy with ease. The Genin understood immediately the objective of the trap. It was to make it easier to find him once he was in Senshi's field of view. In fact, it would probably be even easier to see him at longer distances thanks to the reflective properties. Reizo would have to keep that in mind and try to keep his feet as hidden as possible as he proceeded.

Reizo would continue on toward the lake, returning to his previous speed in a matter of moments (50, building up to 100) after suppressing his chakra. In a few seconds the lake was in his sights, but a surge of chakra made him want to slow his advance. It would seem as though Komon and Komori had gotten there first. At the very least, Komori was there as it was his chakra that Reizo had sensed, but he expected they hadn't split up. As he got closer, his chakra still suppressed, Reizo tried his best to remain hidden, intentionally taking cover behind a tree and leaning forward ever so slightly so that his feet were still behind the tree but so that he could see the lake. He was about 20 meters out at this point, and he decided to lower Max to the ground. He could make out 3 silhouettes, but he couldn't make out which Genin was which. They were still twins, after all, and one seemed like a clone. The sun's reflection off the snow and the partially iced lake made it particularly difficult to see at this distance. This gave the twins a slight advantage in terrain, but if the two could get a proper surprise attack on Komori and Komon, the advantage would be negligible. "I don't see Senshi, but those are definitely the twins and one of the clones. I think an ambush would work well- they're pretty open. Any plans?" Reizo would ask Max for his opinion. Reizo was always pretty passive when it came to decision making, except when absolute authority needed to be exerted. This was not one of those cases, however, and he always wanted to remain inclusive in all of his actions. Reizo would ease his left hand into his weapons pouch just in case the two had been spotted to react to any incoming attacks. He didn't think they had been discovered just yet, but he was always optimistically cautious.

------------------------------
801 + 3341 = 4142 words total

Jutsu Used:
Substitution Jutsu

318 / 333 AP

Max would hear the twang of the tripwire. It seemed that Senshi had some more dangerous traps in these woods after all. Upon hearing his comrade tell him to hang on, Max would grip Reizo’s clothes with all of his might. The duo would swiftly dodge the attack, the loud BANG of the two logs crushing into one another easily being heard all around the forest. Several birds scramble to get away from the commotion, flapping their wings and taking flight out of the nearby trees.
 
A glittery explosion would occur, causing the whole area to sparkle and gleam in the sun’s rays. Clever, Senshi, very clever.
 
Heading off to the lake, Max listens as Reizo explains the situation. There were three assailants before them, one of which had to have been a clone. One of the twins begins to form odd bubbles around him, and the two seem to be ready to fight at a moment’s notice.
 
“We could try and take them out, and they are out in the open. But keep in mind our goal is to catch and return Senshi. If we don’t see Senshi yet, we haven’t achieved our goal, nor can we at the moment. If we manage to incapacitate the twins, that is just two less pairs of eyes out scouring the woods for our elusive friend.” Max would quietly whisper to his teammate. “Senshi is also a capable opponent. We might be able to use their help in besting our friend. United, we stand a chance, but if divided we may all fall.”
 
Napa just shakes his head, clearly annoyed and ready for a fight.
 

“Should you decide that an attack is the best way to go, you have my support. I would of course try to stay back, allowing my friends to do the main engagement and support an assault. I’ll suggest you to lead the attack.” Max would say, allowing Reizo to take charge. He would immediately begin working his fingers in the air besides him and the puppets would stand ready for whatever actions Reizo would suggest.

WC: 348

OoC: Sorry for delays folks. Been having trouble getting time in to post.

Senshi blinked as the clones puffed into smoke realizing that he had been duped by the shadow clone technique. He was glad that Komori had taught him about the technique because it made him cognizant of the danger that he was in. He took off towards the clearing that bore the lake at his best possible speed and found a decent hiding spot. As he was doing this he simultaneously heard two more of his traps go off. He didn’t know how many clones Komori and Komon had made, so that meant that he had no idea who had fallen into the traps or even if they had been taken out by them. He felt a bead of sweat rolling down his face as he maintained his cover.
 
This was the exact type of thing that he lived for. A fight where he got to match his wits against others, it had been so long since he had been able to do this. He wouldn’t take it for granted either since this would only increase his abilities as a shinobi. Focusing on the area around him he couldn’t help the small grin that split across his face at the glinting of the glitter in Komon’s hair and on Komori. It seemed that they had fallen into one of his fake exploding tag traps. He rather wanted to point out that they two of them would be rather injured if that he been a truly lethal trap, like they would probably encounter in the real world.
 
But doing so would only give himself away and he wasn’t quite ready for that. He regretted that he couldn’t see Reizo, but despite the amount of stealth that he was moving with, it was hard to be stealthy when transporting not only Max but also his two puppets. Thus Senshi heard the very slight sound of footsteps. It took him several moments of looking around before he finally spotted the other boys bright blond hair peeking around a tree. He was also almost in a perfect position for one of the traps that Senshi had set up. Reaching down he pulled one of his daggers from its sheath quietly and cut the nearly colorless wire. Reizo and Max would hear the sudden whoosh of blunted Kunai and Shuriken headed towards them.
 
While they were a bit to the left of the actual kill zone there were enough of the weapons to force them to move into the clearing. A thing that Senshi was hoping for, since it would put both opposing teams together. He quickly moved his hand cutting two more of the five total wires he had near him. This would leave him with only two more traps left to set off on the teams before he was forced to either continue running or enter the fray and battle it out. Since he didn’t think they wanted to hunt him through his death trapped forest he would probably just enter the fray and start a battle. The two wires he cut would send logs flying at Komon and Komori, forcing them closer to the lake, while the second wire would send a hail of senbon at both teams.
 

If it had only been a few senbon they would have been nearly invisible due to the suns positioning and just how small they were. However there were over four hundred Senbon sent flying at the two teams, and they literally blackened out the sun for a moment as they reached the height of their flight path and starting in on where Senshi had predicted that Reizo and Max would land. At the same time some were also in Komori and Komon’s path blocking their only other escape route, making it clear that heading towards the lake was their only clear choice. Senshi waited calmly to see not only how the two teams would react to the traps but also how they would react to encountering one another directly. It was almost time to make his grand appearance.  


WC: 673
TWC: 5661

After his body flicker technique Komon found himself and his brother in a bit of a pickle, it seemed that senshi had yet trap in store for them, and was growing increasingly irritated with the cheap traps. Frustrated he’d raise an earth wall in front of him wide enough to keep the two logs from causing any damage to him. This would work rather well until he saw the ridiculous amount of senbon heading his way. Apparently senshi didn’t understand the term non lethal, Komon would quickly with his lightning javelin still active hop over the earth wall he had just created and hoped his brother would either do the same or liquify.

After evading the attack Komon would then order his brother to get to the lake as he would do the same, they had a better advantage if his brother was near a body of water.

WC: 2909

Reizo considered his teammate's advice. It was true that it'd be hard to find Senshi on their own, given his great experience in stealth and laying traps. He wouldn't be able to consider it for too long, however, befere a hail of kunai was upon them. More traps... how lame. Guess we'll never get to find Senshi. Oh well... Maybe I can still get something out of this yet though, Reizo would think to himself, hoping to maybe catch the twins off guard. Reizo was extremely reluctant to relinquish their prime position, and so he instructed Max to use the largest puppet to block the barrage of knives. "Max, handle the kunai. I think I might be able to take out one of them, even from this range," Reizo would say. Assuming Stein would be used to block the rain of weapons, Reizo would snatch up a blunted kunai and thought about throwing it, but then had a better idea. At this range, a thrown kunai would be far too easy to react to, especially if they could see him throwing it. Instead, Reizo decided to do a $wag $$ combo. Tossing the kunai up to about a foot over his head, Reizo would rotate his hips and flip through the air, parallel to the ground so that his right heel would connect with the hilt of the kunai. He would kick the blunted kunai straight toward Komon's head in an attempt to knock him out (190 speed; Leaf Strong Wind).

Reizo was getting somewhat bored at this point. The traps were interesting at first, but it was clear they weren't intended to cause harm, and it disappointed Reizo a little that Senshi wasn't getting involved himself at this point. Was he just scared, or did he really want to drag this out for another 3 hours? The snow crunched under Reizo's feet as he landed from his acrobatic stunt. This snow would've been perfect to go skiing on for a weekend while other people were waiting for him to fulfill some important task. The perfect way to blow off his friends.

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352 + 4142 = 4494 words

Jutsu Trained: Leaf Strong Wind 2494/3250 words

Claiming:
Chakra Suppression 1000/1000 words (taught by Senshi)
Chakra Sensory 1000/1000 words (taught by Senshi)

Max would hear the sound of approaching kunai and shift his fingers slightly. The titan of a puppet known as Stein would spring into action and defend from kunai, just as Reizo had asked. The other skeletal puppet and Napa would also ready for an attack on Reizo’s command. Stein was massive, and he would launch into the air directly between the kunai and the team and proceed to get bombarded with the blunted kunai. If they had been sharp, Stein still might not have been in a bad spot. He had been surprisingly sturdy compared to the skeletal puppets Max had, and since he wasn’t exactly alive it wouldn’t matter if his “vitals” were struck either. The blunted weapons would bounce harmlessly off of the puppet before falling to the ground.
 
Then, almost seamlessly Reizo would launch a kunai at Komon with an immense speed. Rocketing it forward, it seemed like it would strike the young Hyuuga. Their position was likely compromised, so Napa and the other skeleton would rush forwards and ready to engage the twins. Reizo was likely stealthier than he had been, so maybe they wouldn’t see him (Max doesn’t understand Byakugan yet Lol) while Max posed as a distraction. His puppets would only hamper his hiding so he was going to “take one for the team” and present himself. A bold move against the more capable opponents, but his determination wouldn’t falter.
 
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Max would say using “Puppet Art Ventriloquism” directly next to where he sees the twins, hoping that his meaning would get across to the them that he was suggesting that they work together to bag Senshi.
 

Rushing forwards until he was within 70 meters of the twins, his puppets would be ready for whatever they threw at them. The nameless skeletal puppet would dash forward, flinging tons of the blunted kunai at the twins. If one were to hit, it wouldn’t really hurt much, further suggesting his plan.

Senshi watched as all his diabolical plans came to fruition, forcing the twins closer to the lake and even Max and Reizo found themselves being pressed that way. They were right in his line of sight and now it was time to unleash holy hell upon their heathen butts. That’s right Senshi was going to give his fellow Genin a baptism by fire, time to learn how to dodge my little target dummies. This was also an outstanding time for Senshi to get to put in some target practice against real live opponents. He had not yet had the opportunity to use twin rising dragon against real people yet and he thanked his lucky stars that he had brought blunted kunai and shuriken scrolls.
 
He really couldn’t wait to see what kind of havoc he was about the wreak upon their poor tiny souls. As such, as soon as everyone was in position Senshi launched out of the tree he was crouching in pulling two scrolls from his weapons pouches which immediately began to unfurl around him. He then began to immediately throw the weapons as they appeared, splitting the eighty kunai and shuriken (forty of each) between his four targets evernly. Each boy would have ten kunai and ten shuriken headed towards then. The  majority of which would be aimed for their mid sections in order to cause the post damage.
 
Because Senshi was just nice like that. Each Kunai and Shuriken would be moving at a speed of 200 with a sharpness of 50 behind them due to their blunted nature. It was unlikely they would be able to pierce any of the boys, but they would leave behind some pretty nasty bruises should they connect. On top of that every Kunai had a wonderful piece of paper wrapped around it. But fret not dear readers, it wasn’t a normal explosive tag. It was simply a glitter bomb, meant to simulate an explosive tag and tell the Genin when they could have been hurt by an explosion.
 
As Senshi came down from his jump landing in a crouch he formed a single hand seal, forcing every single glitter bomb to explode, likely showering every Genin they were near in the annoying brightly colored pieces of confetti. Senshi’s hand whipped up to grab his sword but his attention was drawn by the annoyed clearing of an adults throat. An adult who was wearing a Chuunin vest. An adult who just so happened to have been caught in the cross fire of Senshi’s Glitter bomb attack of doom. An Adult who looked very, very irritated at the dark haired Genin before him.
 

“Kobayashi Sesnhi, Yamaguchi Maxiillian, and Shoyu Reizo you are being summoned to the mission office. You have twenty minutes to arrive for your briefing.” Senshi blinked in surprise as the Chuunin turned, the annoyed look on his face clear for all to see. Senshi looked over to his two teammates and the twins before shrugging slightly. “I guess our training is being cut short. Max, Reizo I shall meet you at the mission office. Komori, Komon the training was excellent thank you for your assistance.” With that Senshi would offer a slight bow to the twins before heading towards the mission office at his top speed.  


WC: 548
TWC: 6209


Requesting:
Knowledge of Komon's Chakra Signature
6209 Words towards Guretobastuodosodo

Komon was fucked, there was simply no other way to put this, as reizo’s blunted kunai soared towards him he managed to tilt his head placing the headband towards the kunai, and effectively tanking the blast. It would still hurt like a bitch however as the force of the kunai sent him flying down into the ground. He was knocked unconcious immediately and wouldn’t be awake to feel the onslaught of Senshi’s blunted kunai.

Instead he would dream of a nice place where his friends didn’t try to impale him.

The end.
--exit--
WC: 3001
Requesting: 30 AP