The Poor People are Burning [p,nk]

Damn, this was a bad spot. With one arm disable, Kozurou didn't stand a chance in this position, which meant that he had to get out of it damn fast. Seeing the man's right jab coming for his head, Kozurou would move his left arm upwards, sliding his forearm, and then subsequently his bicep along the opponent's right forearm, pushing it out to Kozurou's left and away from its head while dissipating its momentum. The first contact between the two limbs would occur while the man's right fist was still 10 inches away from Kozurou's head, effectively stopping it from coming into contact with the aforementioned skull.

Kozurou's left hand, now at a good distance from his body due to that extension of his arm, would grasp the man's right bicep as soon as the extension was finished. While doing so, Kozurou would exert force from this hand in order to lean the man to the right as soon as the diverted jab that he had thrown had dissipated its force. Since Kozurou's arm was still there, it wouldn't be possible normally for the man to bring it closer to Kozurou or move it much at all on his own.

At any rate, with this leaning to the right, Kozurou would also push up his left hip, attempting to use his core and torso while still pinned down by the man to lean Wraith to the right. With these two parts (his hand and his hip shifting and rolling Wraith to the right), Kozurou would flip the man off of him. Should everything succeed, the man would now be in a facedown position, Kozurou moving to  get on top of him in a similar fashion, his knees and body weight on the man's lower torso ensuring that the man would be pinned down. Kozurou's left hand would still be on the man's bicep, but now he would be leaning down slightly, applying sharp, constant pressure with his left elbow on the back of Wraith's neck, hoping to snap it.

When Kozurou had started the full deflection of the jab, that was the only signal Wraith needed for the intent of the boy. He was scared at this moment, and he had every right to be. Being a  taijutsu user who was pinned wasn't a very favourable position against an opponent such as himself, yet his panic would lead to his elimination from the fight. As Kozurou's arm lead Wraith's outwards, he had essentially left a big beacon on his face, something Wraith would take advantage of. Wraith's torso dropped downwards as Kozurou pushed his right arm outwards, using the momentum of that deflection to aid in the suddenness of his own drop. Now, given how Kozurou was also attempting to pivot his hips at that point, it is worth noting that Wraith had been straddling his torso, which eliminated any of the potential the boy had had of throwing Wraith off in that position, allowing him to go through with the following act uninhibited.

It was fortunate for the boy that Wraith had granted him enough mercy to only go through with the blow using the momentum of the fall instead of his regular strength, otherwise it would have been a rather messy scene. You see, Wraith was going to elbow the head of Kozurou in an attempt to 'bust him open' as was known by most melee fighters. Blood was the sign of devotion to the Mizukage, and forcing this winner to bleed for Kirigakure was the least Wraith could do for the spectacle he had put on. If the attack went through as planned, Kozurou's head would be struck by the falling elbow of Wraith, opening up a brief gash in the flesh covering his skull with his head bouncing backwards lightly onto the ground. He would likely be dazed, and he would be bleeding, but he would be fine with no significant head injury such as brain damage. This was a lesson in humility, and a lesson in strength. Both of which would be significant in the rise of this child that was before them.

If the prior events transpired, Wraith would roll off to the side of Kozurou after the single elbow to the forehead before kneeling towards the Mizukage, bowing his head in an act of submission. He lived for the Demon, and he would die for the Demon. That was the way of the ANBU inside of Kirigakure No Sato.

Xyxer, upon seeing the bloodied male, granted that this all went through, and I have a feeling it just might, would swing Samehada around himself for an entire spinnerooni as he was learning a new technique with the blade and still had to figure out how to go about it, and so a spinnerooni would be all that he could do to try and learn the new mystic technique he coveted.

Kozurou knew that there was neither space nor time to dodge the incoming attack. Maybe if he turned his head to the side a little, there was a slight chance that he could evade it, but there was so much skill and maneuverability within that elbow attack that he would be opening up the temple on the side of his head. If the elbow hit that, he'd probably enter a critical state. So, the best way to lose this fight was to take it slightly to the left of the center of his forehead, avoiding any important nerves, especially the frontal nerve. He didn't want any of his senses to be damaged, even if it was only temporary.

When the impact came, there was an instant of "silence", then the pain and concussion rushed over him as he gasped slightly. There was a not so subtle ringing in his ears as his vision went white... or did it? No, this was something else. Sometimes, when people undergo head trauma, they "see stars". This time, for Kozurou specifically, there was only one. A star... its beauty and brightness was irrelevant. But the sheer power and energy generation that came from a star... yes, this was what he needed! In his confused state of mind, he inwardly thanked the Mizukage for having him come here to get beaten up by a senior. He'd gained just a bit more experience today.

As the fuzziness and pain began to clear, Kozurou noted that the man's elbow drop had left a rather bloody gash on his head. Oof, he was probably going to feel that one tomorrow as well. Still, that was a good thing. Dosages of pain like this kept a Kiri ninja lucid and focused, which is what he needed to be more and more nowadays.

While Xyxer watched the spectacle come to it's close, he noted one thing in particular; Kozurou may have just suffered brain damage, which was pretty ironic given what had happened in the Blood Games just a few moments prior. Regardless, the tired boy had still fought the ANBU Operative which was interesting enough, although it wasn't exactly like he could have refused the will of the Mizukage. Now, with Wraith kneeling before the desk to pay his respects to the Mizukage, he waited on the dazed boy to do the same, with his patience only being allowed to stretch so thin before actions were undergone.

The boy would quickly recover soon afterwards and bring himself upright, putting himself in a kneeling position facing his kage. The gash on his forehead would continue to bleed, the red liquid flowing down his face. The pain itself was easy to ignore; now was not the time to show weakness. Any lesser ninja would apply pressure to it, some might even cry, but Kozurou was beyond that already. Now that he was here though, his slightly dazed mind considered shouting something like "JUNIOR THANKS AND PAYS HIS RESPECTS TO LORD KAGE FOR THE POINTERS", but decided that it would be too disruptive and disrespectful. So, he waited.

After a short period of waiting, Xyxer witnessed the boy soon correct his behaviour, moving himself into the kneeling position to truly pay respect to the Kage. While doing so, Xyxer couldn't help but notice the gash that had been lifted in his forehead, and the large volume of blood that seemed to steadily be draining from it, trickling the crimson ichor over his eyebrow and into his eye if he had not closed it in response. He was not attempting to suppress the pain, nor was he speaking out of line. Xyxer decided to wait a little longer to see how long he would persist with the pain, and whether it would be intolerable for the already dazed male. All the while, Wraith remained stationary by the boy with his head bowed, almost as if he had become an inanimate statue before the gaze of the leader.

While he was of a durable lineage, there was only so much he could handle. Simply kneeling there beside the ANBU was one of them. Because the activity of the fight was over, his heart rate slowed, so the loss of blood coming from his wound would be a lot less than one might expect. In addition, the clotting factors would already be working, since the ANBU's elbow strike had (probably) not been poisoned. Wouldn't it be funny if it had? How would that even be pulled off? Were there random poison chakra effects? Blegh, either way, Kozurou's mind was still fuzzy, and there was still a slight ringing noise, but other than that, he was stabilizing. There was no way he'd lose enough blood to cause anemia or anything serious other than slight dizziness. He had the factors in his blood to thank for that. Leafy greens in a misty village? Ha! Guess they really did help after all.

Xyxer was actually unaware on whether the boy had gone unconscious while kneeling before him, but regardless he was impressed by the boy's commitment to the serving aspect of the routine. Nodding his head, he pat his hands on the table, already knowing what he planned to do with the boy, yet he wouldn't tell him outright yet. "Very well, Kozurou. You've shown your worth, go get patched up and we'll meet again one day."

[Exit]

3253/6000 WC for SSS+

Since it's 8000 WC normally I'm assuming it goes down to 6000 WC with the -25% reduction, but I probably fucked up since I remember doing something along these lines with Yousei

"Yes, Lord Kage", would be the boy's simple response. Standing, he would leave to go get himself some care. Going down the elevator and out of the building, Kozurou would feel the fresh air and world elements entering his system. What a splendid feeling. Despite the pain and the daze and the blood loss, the world seemed like such a good place at that moment. Now... it was time to REALLY grow.

[Exit, closed, TWC 3448, that's
3448 WC toward Mystic Soul Star
17 stats
Memorized Xyxer's and his ANBU's chakra signatures]

@ Xyxer I don't see any mention of you using Samehada, so you can claim Ap, but not the skill.

@Kozai link to jutsu please.