The First Storm [Village Destruction]

Kaya just happened to make her way to the gates after an unknown man in a funny mask pointed her towards the direction. He was saying something about “Bend the knee for thy King” as if there was some lord from a faraway land coming to claim the seven kingdoms? Wrong world? oops. Well he definitely said something like that. The girl was almost certain.

At this point in the narrative, Everyone was off in the distance, off on one knee bowing down to this scary looking man. Knowing it’d probably be smart to follow lead, Kaya slowly approached and made her way to behind where the Chunin line was. She could sorta figure out the way the lines were working. The young girl would then follow suit, extremely confused as to what was going on.

It was only due to activating her Byakugan on the other side of the village that Queen realized what was happening. The girl who had decided to work on her bloodline, was scouting different parts of the village, testing her sight. It was doing this that she saw the events that were taking place at the village gates. From what she could see, There were unknown men (and a woman) that had come, all sporting Kirigakure headbands. The setting was intriguing indeed an definitely peaked the blonde girl’s interest. Whatever was going on, it certainly wasn’t a party; not a pleasant one anyway.

Luckily, the Hyuuga had all her gear on hand already, sporting her typical attire along with it. She hastily made her way towards the gates, her Byakugan activated in it’s typical concealed manner. It wasn’t long before she arrived. in the slight distance, she could see many of the ninja of the leaf right outside the walls. What did they all have in common? They were all bowing down to some scum from some foreign land as if her were some emperor of the dark side (wrong world again? DAMNIT) and the blonde girl just couldn’t understand why. Before she approached, she took in all their faces, some of them familiar. A lot of them she mainly just knew from them participating in the Jonin exams. Some of the notable face though were Salzem and Risako.

Queen had only recently begun to familiarize herself with the Kage Deputy, as they had come to share a friendly spar as well as competing against one another in the Jonin Exams. The blonde had truly tried to find a sense of hope in her fellow comrades, but she found herself falling back into her old ways as hatred came upon her. The hidden leaf seemed to be in danger, and Risako chose to simply kneel? The blonde understood that this could possibly result in the fewest casualties, but what did that mean for their village if they bowed down to any who decided to challenge them? This man had come to be the first, but he certainly would’t be the last,

Then there was Salzem, someone the Jonin had come to truly respect. She had hoped for more from the boy than to just kneel. She thought that he was a fighter… not someone who would just give in to the opposition. The more Queen saw the faces of all these individuals, the more pissed off she got.

Her eyes flickered to the little fox that was a few meters away from her. She quickly recognized it as one of Risako’s summons, seeing them on a few occasions before. On a more interesting note was a seal that was placed on it’s skin, underneath it’s thick coat. She had come to recognize this too. “Little fox, come.” She’d say, calling it over. If it had, she’d catch him as he jumped towards her, laying him on her right shoulder. She knew he’d come in handy if she could snap her allies into their right senses.

With water’s already boiling within the girl’s stomach, she made her way towards the group who were all kneeling towards their new ‘lord’. She made her way towards Salem, Standing a meter or so in front of him in line with the other Jonin. She chose not to address him, nor any of the others as she simply stood there… not kneeling.

“ I won’t kneel.” She’d say after a few moments after the last person would have bent the knee, her eyes on the back of Risako’s head. Her words more directed towards her than their visitor. “You all are cowards for letting this man stomp on us like we’re nothing.” She spit out the words, feeling a sense of indignation for her fellow ninja. She had nothing else to really say, but she knew her decision would stay unless otherwise completely forced. She knew there was a chance she’d fight alone, or maybe her own allies would stab her in the back to save their own hides. Whatever was about to happen, she was possibly going to die on this day… But she’d rather die standing up for herself and her village than live a coward.

-1 ap for Byakugan

The rain drenched the snowy haired girl, soaking her pink kimonoesque top and red mini skirt to her slender body. She was thankful for the white and blue jacket she wore over her clothes, keeping her a bit warmer against the freezing cold rain. Her Konohagakure Army Katana hung on her left hip within its sheath, while her Heaven’s Sorrow Ninjato clung to her right hip, balancing each other out in regards to weight distribution. Her black high heeled ninja boots sprang up fresh mud as she ran as fast as her petite frame could take her from the Konohagakure Hospital to the village gates, hoping she would make it in time. She silently cursed herself for having taken so long at the hospital, ignorant to everything around her as she trained in a secluded room near the back of the hospital. She had missed the first round of messages telling all shinobi Chuunin ranked and higher to head to the gates, hence why she was currently running late to defend her village.

It was as if the rain was forecasting what was to come, showcasing how gloom the situation seemed to be as the sky grew even darker, thunder and lightening echoing somewhere far in the distance. Hikari pleaded to all the Heavens for her to arrive prior to any fighting or bloodshed happened, she couldn’t bare the thought of everyone being mercilessly murdered before she even had a chance to save them. As a dangerous thought popped into her mind, one she dared not think aloud lest it be reenacted in reality, she pushed her legs to run harder, determination flaring in her eyes as she sensed large amounts of chakra stationed just in front of the gate’s. Whoever had come to the Lead Village came prepared, and she could only guess it was another village wanting to take hers over.

Fury rose up inside of her like never before, the desire to want to protect those precious to her flooded her senses. She thought of her loved friends, the ones she still had alive, then her mind flashed to Kaya, her young student who was far too young and innocent to be fighting in a war, and then to her head strong, tough as nails brother, Salzem. Hikari knew without a doubt he was already on the scene, and possibly fighting with all his might to keep his home safe. The Will of Fire burned brightly within him, even if no one else saw it, she did. She had witnessed it countless times before, when he was her teacher, training her to be strong enough to handle her own, and when he consoled her through her darkest times. He was always there, wanting to protect those closest to him, and when he found out he didn’t, his resolve to become stronger and protect the Leaf had been a pact the two of them made together one fateful day in a graveyard.

By now the young woman was within eyesight of the village gates, and immediately her lilac tinted eyes widened at the sight in front of her. A man displayed a chakra aura larger than the Hyuuga had ever seen before, sending an instinctive shiver down her spine. He would be a formidable foe, alongside the army of shinobi and soldiers he had brought with him. Of all the artillery accompanying this strange, terrifying man, what truly caught her attention was the giant robot-like mecha machine, towering over the rest of the militia. She had never seen such a weapon before, unable to determine the best way to defeat it, if they even could defeat such a massive monster.

On their side of the field, she duly noted, was a pretty woman kneeling at the front of the Konoha shinobi force, her raven black hair caked to her head as she stared up at the invader, who had his Kage headpiece tied around his neck, obscuring from her sight the village he reigned from. Behind what must be the Hokage, as Hikari had never seen what the Hokage looked like nor even heard of what she looked like, were rows forming of the shinobi, almost all of them kneeling in the same regards as the Hokage had done. However, one such person seemed to refuse kneeling, a fox resting upon her shoulders. Momentarily the creature distracted Hikari from her train of thoughts, bringing her mind to her own familiar, Kuro the wolf, who was currently still stationed at the hospital, aiding the medical-nins as they gathered supplies. He was better off at the hospital, assisting them, than he was trying to protect her on the battlefield, or rather the nonexistent battlefield for it seemed no fighting was taking place, at the moment anyways.

Bringing her mind back to the woman who refused to kneel, her blonde hair cascading down her back elegantly, her face stoic and fierce, Hikari worried for her safety. The man seemed powerful enough by himself, he could potentially cause the girl harm for not complying to concede before she could even react. At least, that was what she thought until she got closer as she walked forwards until she reached what seemed to be the line she was to kneel in, the woman having what appeared to be pupilless eyes from what she could see on the side of the girl’s face, a signature sign of the Hyuuga clan. If the girl was in fact a Hyuuga, she felt as if she would stand a better chance at fending off most of the attacks the man might throw her way due to using the Gentle Fist fighting style, although she could have been completely wrong and overestimating the power of her clan.

Hikari cast her eyes away for a brief moment as she obediently took her spot in line, right next to Salzem (as a man with bright crimson hair was on his other side), and basically in front of her student, Kaya, who kneeled behind her in the Genin line. She bent her knee, copying the pose of the other shinobi on the field, and rested her arms on her bent right knee, the weight of her metal gauntlets new to the young girl. She had just received the items before she sprinted off to join the war, and possibly her death, her body still getting accustomed to the objects around her wrists. Luckily for her they were not too heavy and, thus, did not weigh her arms down.

Hikari glanced back up at the female in front of Salzem, and across from herself, who refused to kneel, terrified at what may happen to her if she continued to refuse. She was more frightened, however, at what it might mean for the rest of the village, if her actions had any consequences for all of them. As she began to think about what might happen, her heart rate quickened and fear began to settle within her, although her face and eyes remained as emotionless as possible. Hikari knew if she were to do only one thing this day, it would be to not allow her enemies to see the fear she held. It would mean the end of her short life as she knew it if they did. Strong people always loved to prey on the weak, for those are the easiest fights, if one can really call them such a thing, to win.

(OOC: I have to do this for my item whenever I enter a thread, in my entrance post, so Ima just do it anyways in case I need them. I will be using my medical-ninjutsu spec booster from my Amol Selseila item. Also I need to update my stat page from my latest training thread, but wanted to get this post done asap ^_^)

Thanks to Ita’s summon Toru, the boy had become aware of a situation, however was he too late? Ita thought of Queen. If he let her die, then that would mean he had failed both his friends. How would he live with himself, knowing that he was to blame for their deaths? If only he had been there. If only he could have achieved this power sooner. Never again would the boy lose his friends due to his own lack of ability to defend them when they need him the most.

 

As Ita continued to think about Queen, the space around him would become distorted in a swirling motion, with Ita’s right eye being the focal point. The boy’s body would reappear in the same fashion from within the village near the gate.


The boy walked outwards to join the rest of the shinobi as he saw Queen blonde hair standing up amongst those kneeling in the distance. Ita noticed several familiar faces, most from exams prior. Ita saw Yens face amongst other ninja of his own ranking and stepped forward past kneeling genin and chuunin to join their ranks.
 

Ita had all his belongings on him, with his body surrounded by a gray cloak, with the hood pulled over his head. With Ita seeming to be the last to join the party, Ita would kneel next to Queen looking up to her as she spoke, waiting to see what would happen next.

A lot seemed to be happening as both men and women streamed from inside the village to plant their knee before the Mizukage: A scuffle was unfolding at the village gates, sullen faces of shinobi harboring a passionate fury against the conqueror leaving the safety of their walls, and the storm itself seemed to be picking up the tempo. The wind lashed around the vicinity more than it had before to the point where it felt as if invisible waves were slamming against the majority with only the swaying of rain hinting at the true source of the attack. Nature was always violent, but that didn't mean that man-made duress couldn't outshine it.

It was peculiar to note that many people didn't seem to truly know the army that stood before them.. the rivalry that had been passed down from one kage to another in an effort to constantly one up the other village and prove their own principles superior to the other. That was even more confusing given how banners of Kirigakure were strewn throughout the army, as well as a a short polearm, roughly 3 feet from his shoulder to the top of the polearm, being attached to Xyxer's armour on the right shoulder with the flag streaming down behind him, yet still, the symbolism was clear - A man was depicted on a navy banner being hung upside down on a cross, with the torso, arms, pelvis and legs revealing the victim's muscles. The message was clear and created not to sow fear in the hearts of Kirigakure and those that oppose it, but rather to tell them of the possibilities that came with opposition. Beneath the nightmarish image would be the old signature of Kiri, 4 squiggles aligned with one another in rows of 2x2, which was purely for village recognition. Nobody would recognise the village itself if it only harbored the image of a flayed man.. not yet, at least, but soon people would come to understand it's significance.

Xyxer, standing under the banner of the flayed man, continued to watch as many shinobi lined up to take their position on the ground. Many of them were unprepared when it came to attire, Xyxer duly noted when he saw a girl wearing a mini skirt during a storm, before he turned his attention towards the rest of the kneeling shinobi.. but that was the problem. Not all of them were kneeling. There were no S-Ranked shinobi here from the way the shinobi had lined up, but that could simply be trickery.. he'd have to keep an eye out for that. Few ANBU, little Jounin, yet they didn't seem to be too bad when it came to Chuunin and Genin. Now this is where different possibilities come into play. If Tatsuo was to finally kneel, Xyxer's attention would be redirected towards the sole girl that stood defiantly, her blonde hair billowing in the vicious storm like a liberating Boudica. A small smile formed on the lips of Xyxer as she spoke, insulting her own peers in an attempt to rouse their fire inside.. the revered flame of Konoha. Yet.. fire didn't fare too well when confronted by the watery embrace of a storm, that was a lesson that was to be taught.

For a moment, Xyxer contemplated killing the girl on the spot in front of her peers, forcing them to react to his bold, brutal action. To force them to listen to her screams and yelps of fear and pain mangled together in a twisted cacophony.. no, this girl wouldn't scream out of fear. She seemed better than that, something that needed to be broken.. but there was no time, yet Xyxer couldn't help himself. His hands lifted up from his sides before striking one another, repeating the motion multiple times as his gauntlets rang out from the clapping. She deserved a round of applause. "The valiant shinobi stands among her village, facing the storm with a fire in her eye." Xyxer paused on that word.. because her eyes seemed to be completely white. This was a Hyuuga. Perhaps Aryll would be fit to deal with this one, "I don't believe I caught your name, but your attitude.. inspires me. It warms my stony heart to see you stand against the odds, to the detriment of your peers, because it is your way. A lighthouse to guide your friends, and family through this bleak time. Inspirational." Xyxer paused at this point, his clapping having died out and his arms now casually resting by his sides.

Only the harsh howl of the wind and the ruthless rain pattering over the vicinity would be heard for the passing few minutes, unless of course found it appropriate to break the silence before Xyxer moved on from his praise, "Pretty reckless thing to do if you value the safety of your village though. Thus.. you're pretty fucking stupid." He attempted to explain, before he continued on, "I don't want to punish the many over the action of a single person. They all accepted and understood the suicidal nature of what you're attempting, and if I let this pass without any repercussion.. well, I wouldn't even be able to respect myself, let alone expect it from my army. Thus, I find it appropriate that you fight someone in my ranks to the death. Give your beautiful village something to believe in." Xyxer suggested, as he believed a fight between the two sides would be heavily one sided in his favour.. and he didn't appreciate an easy battle.

Now, granted that she wasn't attempting to force her entire village into a suicidal move, as well as assuming nobody else stood, Xyxer would make his own way back towards his people, walking backwards initially for the first 10 meters before turning around to face his own people, his voice louder as he explained the ruling, if Queen wished to earn her village a chance of survival without submitting, "My man against you; I don't know your rank, so I can't take it lightly. One of my Operatives will be your combatant. Kill him and you'll secure the safety of your village. If anyone else interferes, this becomes far simpler and we erase any existence there is, was, or ever could be of Konohagakure. Stand 10 meters apart in the center of the gap between both armies, and then begin. Konoha, rise and stand against the strong walls of your village to provide ample room for your champion to engage my own." Xyxer ordered as he walked back towards his army, nodding towards Altar should he be walking to the aforementioned spot upon passing, as it was rather clear that he was the one implicated with their recent talks. Of course, if an attack is made, then Xyxer's actions will differ due to reacting to said moves. Of course, there'd be roughly 50 meters of space between the two sides if Konoha was to oblige his request.

However, another option existed. If Tatsuo was to remain standing, or anyone else was to stand up in unison with the girl, Xyxer would clap a few times still. He admired their spirit and willingness to embrace death, yet respect would not earn their survival. His hand reaching over his shoulder, he'd grasp the hilt of his revered blade, Samehada. At the same time, Xyxer would declare before any other action was completed, remaining at whatever distance he was at during that time, feel free to make it up if you go this route, "Let the slaughter begin!", ordering the glorious massacre of the once great village.

Kirigakure's Flag:

[Risako gave permission to swap our position order for now, so they post after me. If Queen & Altar accept the conditions, I'd appreciate it if Kiri returns to their observation thread and Konoha to theirs after another round of posting and exiting back into those topics, so that their fight isn't cluttered in this thread. Gl both of you]

[And ofc, exit into the observation topic for Kiri unless situations change such as two people standing, in which case this turns into a village destruction]

Risako had yet to return to kneeling, deciding to be the last one to do so. Returning to the spot where Xyxer brought her back to her feet, she would stop and turn, walking two meters to the right before turning around with Konoha to her left, and Kiri to her right. As the Konoha Shinobi poured out of the village, she watched as most of them began to kneel with her peripheral vision. Her focus was still mostly on Xyxer, however. One by one, they dropped, by rank and order. Except for Queen and probably some little twat.

The plain expression on her face changed into one of discontent, with her brow and eyelids drooping. Her eyes didn't move off of Xyxer's shoulder, as she wondered what would happen next.

Seeing as she would be the last of her people to kneel this time around, Risako remained upright. If this would cause Xyxer to commence the fighting, then it would. Her left hand would creep to her lower back out of sight of Kiri, grasping Mako's sword by the handle. If the declaration of slaughter would continue, she'd be ready.

If not then her hand would drop back to her side,

[Still too lazy to post proper and add up my AP. Should be 150 used at this point tho.]

The Senju boy had avoided a well aimed slice by simply angling his body so that his right side was facing the idiot child and grabbed the boy's wrist tightly, while looking into his eyes. He might not be stronger than this passionate shinobi with the adrenaline no doubt coursing through his veins, but Jason wasted no time in pointing to his own headband and saying one word: "Konoha". That should settle the  boy's actions to the point he was willing to listen by now. If he still refused, then Jason would just have to let him go. They had already been seen arguing amongst themselves by the enemy by now, no point in hiding it and creating false images. Either way, no matter what Tatsuo decided to do, Jason would still make his way quickly over to his appointed section and kneel. 

Others began to appear as well, each taking a knee as their leader had instructed. At one point a single blonde female strode past Jason to the section where the Jounin were supposed to kneel, Queen by the looks of it, the woman that had helped Jason to learn the genjutsu release technique. However, unlike the others, she refused to bend the knee, even going so far as to assert herself to the enemy commander in front of this mass of fighters. He had to admit, he agreed with her opinion. Still, even though he agreed with it, and respected it to some degree, he had been ordered to bend the knee and that was what he would do. The tension in the air grew heavy, like a forty pound bag of sand had been placed on either shoulder of everyone here. What was going to come from this unfortunate turn of events?

[I genuinely have no idea what Jace is doing, but I don't want to derail the topic by spending time to go through flaws for something irrelevant.]

So the boy was magically able to teleport to right next to him. Seemed about right. Tatsuo shrugged. Didn't matter that much. Turned out he was from Konoha. Made Tatsuo wonder why the guy tried to assault him in the first place really.

Tatsuo put the kunai away and went to go kneel, he'd already lost faith in Konohagakure ever being legitimate contenders anymore.

Then some random shit happened who even cares.

[Exit to the observation topic of a fight or something my motivation's dead.]

Salzem didn't acknowledge the rest of his comrades coming to kneel nor the debocal with that kid and the other two ninja, too far into his own head to even get a grasp of the outside. Well... that was until word of Queen's defiance reached his ear... The lycan's head suddenly jerked up as he saw the Hyuuga standing before the mist entirely on her own, looking down at her village with contempt... While her resentful eye met his as well, he couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in his chest, that someone would stand up for them... that someone had the guts... His pride for this girl only grew as she called them all cowards, remarking how utterly sinful it was that they were just allowing themselves to be stomped on like that... It made him smile... Oh... how right she was...

Her words of disgust actually fed a piece of the lycan... Perhaps a true ninja's spirit within him he had yet to notice up till now... He rose to his feet, shaking off the numbness that had nearly consumed him a few moments before, grinning at his friend with the widest smile. She had reminded him of someone he wanted to be some time ago... someone he had craved to be... Maybe... Maybe that all started here...

"You're right." Salzem agreed. "We ARE cowards. But I'm not going to let that be me any longer. I stand with you, and against these... raiders. For my family! For Konoha!" He didn't bother giving everyone else a glare... It wasn't his place after all, not since he was among the kneeling folk a moment ago. He clenched his fists and got ready for combat, his blood boiling in anticipation...

Sal, You okay!? Please tell me you’re okay… I am coming, alright!? I’ll be there as fast as I can!”





Salzem blinked as Kira's voice rang through his head, begging for some kind of update... He considered telling her he was fine, that he was alive, but chances are that wasn't going to be true in a moment... Instead...


Kira... His voice echoed through the sand-ninja's mind, a gentle whisper... calm... sweet... happy like a cherry-blossoms in the breeze


Remember... when you saved me from prison...? How you took me back to Sunagakure and asked me to stay...? You'll never know how much I wanted to say yes... How much I wanted to be with you like I do right now... Do you remember... when I said I loved you...? I said it far too late... I should've told you right when I met you fore that was the day I fell in love...



And... do you remember... that night we had together...? *sigh* You made me the happiest person in the world that night... My sweet, beautiful Kira... You'll never know how much I love you... How much I'd give to kiss you one more time and hold you in my arms...


He'd pause a moment, glancing down at Hikari, Yen and everyone else around him before smiling widely at Queen... He'd honor her right up into the afterlife as she gave him the gift he needed: Courage.


I am among friends now, Kira... They kneel before evil but I won't... I won't let my village be subjugated by these mist-freaks or anyone else.


His tone seemed to grow more enraged... but after a moment it calmed once more... softly, gently, he whispered a thought into Kira's mind, almost as if he were standing behind her right now, resting his chin on her shoulder.


I love you, Kira Uzumaki... I love you more than anything in the whole-wide world...

With his goodbyes said and Xyxer opening the gates of hell, Salzem's form shifted, his muscles bulged AND, to make story told over and over short, at a speed of 100 and in the span of a few seconds, the lycan shifted into his 8-foot monster white-wolf shape, his claws bared and his teeth snarling from under his woven mask... He was as ready for combat as he ever might be...

AP: 1012
-30 Packleader form

Kinzoku was caught completely off guard when one of his fellow Jounin walked up beside him as she had been asked to. What caught him off guard was not the fact that he had never seen the girl, rather it was the fact she did not kneel. One defiant shinobi out of their ranks decided to not heed the words of their leader and stand up to the invaders. Her words did not surprise him as she spoke of her fellow shinobi to being cowards. She was right of course. However maybe being cowards had been the right play for the safety of the village. Too late for that now. Simply looking over to their leader Risako, Kinzoku noticed she too had proceeded to not kneeling. Why would she kneel on her own, but refuse to do so when her own shinobi were with her? Whatever the reason was, she made no attempt at swaying the other Jounin from her actions. It looks like they were taking a stand.

The Jounin's words seemed to have worked as it stirred up one of the Chuunin who had been kneeling behind Kinzoku. He could no longer bare to be seen as a coward as he rose and stood with his leader and the Jounin giving a brief but motivational speech. Things were quickly changing. The sudden arrival of this treacherous storm, the army waiting behind to do its duty, the leader of these invaders displaying his grotesque image of a Leviathan, everything had accumulated and done its work on the spirit and moral of each individual of Konoha. They had nearly vanquished the last bits of Konoha's fire. But the actions of a single female seemed to be reigniting the Flame within, and it was spreading like wildfire. This storm would no longer hold us down from doing what needed to be done, no matter the consequence. 

"Well" Kinzoku said as he raised from his kneeling position back to a standing one, fixing his hat yet again due to the storm picking up even more. "I can't accept being called a coward and do nothing about it" he said, a slight grin on his face. He wasn't even sure why he was smiling. They were still looking right at an army ready to obliterate the village. Maybe it was the Fire beginning to burn brightly within, or even the thought of not letting it happen without a fight was one that pleased the Nazar. He hadn't done it back in Suna, he couldn't let it happen a second time without a fight. With his leader also standing, it was his duty to fight along side her. He only wished he had gotten one last cigar before all this. With that, he slowly began surging his chakra throughout his entire body, preparing for the inevitable.