Re: Where the Road Takes Us

Tue Jun 26, 2018 11:59 am

Ryal would nod hearing his partners words. "Agreed." He would say aloud along with the nonverbal action. The blue haired male would be in thought trying to calculate what might happen but there were way too many variables to factor in. When Taishi asked his thoughts on the situation the male, sitting, leaned back against a tree and looked up to the greyish sky. "I don't know honestly." He would start. "For now I guess we just milk it until circumstances become unfavorable." He said matter of factly, he couldn't think of anything else. The male was pretty laid back so this would be the best course of action, unless of course he was suddenly overcome by some need to be evil. Which wasn't that far of a stretch considering his Yuumei seemed to be pretty dastardly and who can refuse a voice in your head? Ryal would continue looking at the sky until either his portion was ready or the other two returned, whichever came first. He would also engage in any conversation that his partner might start.

WC: 179

Wed Jun 27, 2018 3:07 am

It would seem as though Ryal was on board with the plan to work with these newcomers for now. Taishi really couldn’t find much reason no to either, and so it would seem as if their minds were made up on the matter. This would be an interesting opportunity for everyone involved to get a whole lot richer really fast. “Yeah, I think you are right. No reason to waste an opportunity like this. And if things go sour we can always walk away.” Taishi would crack a grin, knowing that if all went well here he would be set for at least a good while. He didn’t really have any long term goals besides the desire to live to see the next day and make a whole lot of money. These new compatriots of theirs could help with both of those goals.

Alice and Roku both returned, bearing the gift of meat. The steaks that were cooking on the makeshift hotplate were now done, and Taishi would pass the food out to those that were hungry. “No use trying to think on an empty stomach!” He would say loudly to his compatriots while looking around for a way to “plate” the steaks. Holding a hot slab of meat with ones bare hands was doable, but not something he would want to do. Taishi would then consider dabbling in his newfound abilities to manipulate the earth around him. Maybe he could make something that was at least plate-like. Taishi would place his hands on the ground in front of him and begin channeling his Earth Chakra into the ground, which would then begin shifting form. Arising from the earth were things that looked like plates, and cups, and utensils. They weren’t pretty, that much was for certain, but they would work well enough to use. He could only manage to create three sets, so he would pass them out to those that wanted them and simply eat his steak with his bare hands if he had no plate. He didn’t need to impress anyone here with his table manners.

This wasn’t a lot, but he was working on preparing and cooking the rest of the meat that Roku had told brought to them as well. They would have full bellies and plenty of time to address the matter of a plan of action regarding their mark.

“I’m in.” Were the only words Taishi would say in response to Alice. He wasn’t the thinker of the group, simply someone willing to be a little extra muscle. He’d let one of the brainier folk create the plans and he would simply follow. Taishi would take a large bite of his meat, chewing it thoroughly as he considers trying to expand his chakra based techniques. While Doton did come naturally to him, he would have to work on trying to expand on what he could do. He tried to use one of those jutsu that he saw Ryal use while he was alone in the woods taking a dump, but he simply could channel the wind around him like the Golden eyed one could. Was he simply not good enough to do it, or was something else at hand here?

WC: 537

Wed Jun 27, 2018 8:57 pm

The light of day was fading quickly, which meant Alice and her new team were quickly running out of time. She needed to know exactly who was going to come with her to take on this mark, and she needed to know soon. If she had to do it alone, she would, though it definitely wasn't preferable. The three new potential members of the team were good, but obviously green. Even though R and Taishi had never worked with Roku before, they're teamwork against Alice was exceptional. They were smart, and had good instincts. It was, for now, the makings of a potentially dangerous team to anyone they went up against.

Roku was smart, but it didn't seem like he was really picking up the hints Alice was laying down for him. Sure, those threads of his would definitely get the job done for moving the beast of burden back to the camp, but it wasn't what she meant. The boy had taken her words too literally, using the threads in his fingers to pierce the poor, dead animal and lift it into the air. It would seem her normal approach to teaching wouldn't work for this one. She would have to be very specific with what she said, and intentional with her actions if she were going to get Roku to think in new ways and expand upon his already useful skill set. "That wasn't exactly what I meant, but it will definitely get the job done. You're a puppet master, right? The way you manipulated those earth golems earlier, it was with chakra threads. Sure, they're easily broken, visible to the naked eye, and their main function is for manipulating puppets...but that's not all they're good for."

Alice smiled mischievously, hoping the boy was starting to catch on to where she was going. Even if he wasn't, she was going to get to her point outright soon enough. "With those chakra threads of yours, you could easily attach them to this dead animal and manipulate it to move as if it were still alive. With enough training, you could probably even make your chakra threads invisible. You could be a real threat once you hone your skills. You've got those black threads of yours that can be used for both offense and defense at close or mid range, and the potential for your chakra threads are limited only by your imagination. Think about that, and try to come up with a way to use what I've said in your combat strategies. You have good instincts, and great potential. Don't lose sight of that. Now come on, the food is probably done by now."

They walked back to the camp site together, the smell of freshly cooked meat wafted in the air and drew them in. It was nothing like a five star restaurant, but the smell was certainly tantalizing. "Whatever it is they're cooking, it smells damn good, doesn't it?" she said to Roku as they were entering the camp. Upon seeing R and Taishi sitting around the cooked meat, Alice went ahead with asking who was definitely coming with her for the ambush. Fortunately, it seemed like every one of the three new team members had agreed. "Good," she said, refusing the plate she had been offered. "No, you guys take the plates. You'll need your strength to take on what we have ahead of us." She waited then, making sure the others all got there portion and finished their food before speaking again. During that time, she used it to gather her thoughts and try to come up with the best possible plan utilizing all of the team members strengths. At least, what she knew of them.

R seemed to specialize in mid ranged combat and had an elemental affinity of wind nature. He was smart, analytical, cautious. He was probably more than capable of of knowing when he was out matched and if so, his first instinct was probably to retreat as soon as he had the chance. That was good. Alice could probably trust him to make the call if things got too heated for them to handle. The wind natured attack he used earlier against her was decent as well, though not incredibly fast. It was probably best used at close range, where it wasn't easy to dodge. Roku, he could potentially be good at both close and mid range combat with his black threads as his secret weapon. He could lure someone in by making them think he doesn't want them to get close and then surprise them with those threads. Taishi, well, he was the real wild card. It was obvious he was talented with earth style jutsu the way he disappeared as soon as he was out of Alice's sight and showed up underground.

When Alice saw they were all finished eating, she would begin to speak again. "So we're in agreement then, everybody is coming? Good. Then as soon as you all have your things together we're going to head out. First, let's talk about our strategy." She hesitated, making sure she had everyone's attention. "R. You're smart, analytical and can probably tell fairly quickly if you're outmatched. I need you to be my second set of eyes and ears on this. If you think the three of you are in over your heads, I want to know about it. I'll get you guys out of there immediately. Other than that, I want you to play to your strengths. That wind style jutsu you used on me earlier? It isn't fast enough to hit from a distance. Instead, use it only when your opponent is close enough to make it hard for them to dodge. Just remember, your primary job is to analyze the situation and decide whether we need to retreat or can handle it and should continue. Work together with Roku. I know you haven't met before today, but your teamwork earlier was uncanny. Against anyone other than me, you probably would have done some serious damage. My info says that the escort is primarily Genin. You two together should be able to take them. Speaking of Roku, I don't want you to use those black threads of yours unless the enemy gets in close and you can surprise them. It's your ace in the hole. You're a puppet master, so they'll probably think you specialize in mid to long range combat. Use that to your advantage. Act as if you don't want them in close, and when they do get close enough, finish it with those black threads of yours. Taishi, you specialize in earth style techniques. You can disappear and hide underneath the earth. You can catch them off guard and hopefully trap them in the ground like you tried to do to me. They're Genin so it's highly unlikely they have the same experience, instincts, and abilities than I do. It will probably work." She waited a moment for her words to sink in.

"You've seen my clones. You know I can make enough for one to be hiding nearby each one of you as your back up. That's exactly what I'm going to do. Each one of you will have a single clone of me hiding nearby and keeping watch until the perfect moment. Each of your goals, aside from what I've already explained, will be to distract the enemy long enough for me to disable them. I'll teleport us close enough to get into position and set up the ambush. You won't see my clones or be able to sense them, but I promise you they will be nearby ready to strike at any moment. Once I identify the Jounin in the escort, I'll be taking them on myself. You've seen how fast I can move today and what I'm capable of. That wasn't even close to the extent of my abilities. Now, get yourselves ready. We're moving out." That was it. If they had any questions, Alice would answer them. Other than that, she would wait until each of them were ready to go and then instruct R and Roku to hold onto each of her shoulders. Once they did, the three would disappear in a crimson light. A second later, a circular crimson portal would open in front of Taishi leading right to the three that were standing before him a moment before. They would no longer be in the Land of Iron. No, they were now in Fire country ready to start the ambush.

[potential exit]
TWC: 6,321
claiming:
31 stats
5,000 toward hakken
1,200 to purchase piercing of swiftness
memorization of Taishi, Ryal, and Roku's chakra signatures.

Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:51 pm

Approved

Thu Jun 28, 2018 12:10 am

Actually, sorry, I made a mistake,

You can't claim stats on WC you used toward items, so, you would be approved of 25 stats. My bad.

Thu Jun 28, 2018 4:14 pm

Everything felt like an errand, and that had to have played some part in the growing shinobi’s lack of particular thoughtfulness or cunning outside of direct confrontation. That is to say, his mindful nature of his own body and his tendrils as his main form of attack, as well as the wary nature of his movement with the earthen puppets he had practiced so minutely with in the past, was because of battle, and if it did not have to do with fighting other people, even fighting t survive was considered a nominal triviality.

It would appear that Roku relied too heavily on his Earth Grudge Fear, even for such small obstacles.

If these chakra threads were truly so versatile, then they would become just as helpful of a tool; the idea of puppeting about with an ox was morbidly delightful to a very high degree, especially for the exceptional child who had just imagined it, but it opened a slew of other possibilities. People puppets, obviously, were among the top theories, and that would be exceptional. But the concept of organic puppets meshed quite nicely with the ideas brewing in the boy’s mind prior to, merging the chakra threads with other existing techniques to find ways to amplify their power and change the way they were used in a fundamental manner. Roku was leaning toward a new concept of thread mastery, one that had started as an idea of becoming exceptionally talented with the pitch tentacles of his birthright which only now started to combine itself with ideas of chakra threads capable of numerous effects other than the simple application of force and control of outside entities. There was the concept of drawing constructs from the earth, as he already had with his only puppetry based jutsu, although that could be expounded upon and enhanced in so many ways. Maneuvering about with the threads may even be possible, as he knew it was with the Earth Grudge Fear, but the chakra threads could give way to a much less exhausting form of transport. Especially with his small frame.

And invisible chakra threads. With what ideas swirled around a mischievous mind already, it was enough to make a lesser child squeal with excitement. However, Roku had watched the only people actively participating in his life be brutally assaulted and subsequently murdered, and proceeded to continue living nomadically, but far more alone and broken than he was before.

There would be no squealing from him on this day.

Although his mind wandered idly around, grasping at the beginnings of potential power like a child grabbing at sand, Roku was intently focused on every word coming from Alice over the next few moments. Not hat he had any reply whatsoever to anything that she said, save for a single nod at the end of her speaking. That was far from anything he would even consider his forte. But the growing boy was well capable of listening, and quite a bit more intently than most; absorbing data and expanding upon it in his own time were very possibly in consideration for being his forte. Digressions aside, the juvenile ninja seemed to have genuine belief in him. It was a rather strange feeling that sprouted in his chest, like a suspicious pride growing sluggishly, almost hesitantly. Emotions that did not often mix were wont to rapidly encapsulate a person’s psyche. But the mind was one of the facets of humanity that Roku seemed to have a good grasp on, and it was because of this that he determined to keep the feeling rooted but stunted; if another, more powerful fighter could believe in his potential, the so too could he, and from that belief could sprout stronger convictions for power. This realization triggered a feeling of sonder in the boy, one that was far from unfamiliar but quite unexpected at the given time. What was she doing this for? Why? He had determined for himself the reasons to live already, but it was not only himself populating the world. There were other people with dreams, aspirations, goals. The most interesting, fascinating, driving part of a person seemed to be the reason for them to continue drawing breath and surviving in the harsh world. If the timing were better and he were not hefting an animal much larger than himself from only the tips of his fingers, if the female in question were not still somewhat intimidating as a figure of power and unfamiliar in so many ways, then Roku may have even posed the thoughts as a question to her. But the situation was as it was, the circumstances only changed through the passage of time.

Alas, he would just have to get on to the robbery.

The robbery. The heist. A whole bunch of money, tucked away in some apparent leader’s pockets, or likely a cart, guarded by Genin. It seemed like a fishy prospect for him to go for. There had to be high level ninja guarding this man and his ryo, and the Genin in attendance with the daimyo had to be of suitable power or ability for such a monumental task. If a government were to be well organized and the least bit intelligent, by putting so much power in one leader, the leader would need guarded with the utmost security offered by the great ninja village of the land. That only made sense, even to the boy who hypothesized about politics and the more militaristic matters that were associated with the subject. Now, ordinarily, on any other day, the course of action would have been clear; turn tail and run the opposite direction as fast as you can so as to avoid being captured, assaulted, maimed, tortured for days on end, and such things that Roku associated with the idea of running into the leader of any great power as a young, nigh on powerless ninja with a single incredible ability that painted just about the biggest bullseye a thirteen year old has the surface area to bear. Images of a blood soaked black and grey kimono lying in the mud as Roku himself was flayed alive on an isolated island by men in Hunter masks appeared in his mind like lightning, burning spots of pain into his brain where these images had to reside.

It was not the first time these gruesome and vivid pictures had crossed the river of his thoughts.

However, and this was a very important however, there were a few very remarkable differences. One of them was that he was not attempting to rob the carriage of Xyxer Gyojin, the boogeyman whom he had been warned about from an early age, flitting about the borders and ports of the Mist as he had. Because if he were thinking about doing any such thing, the notion would have long ago been struck from his mind and Roku would no longer have anything to do with this expedition or the doomed party he was a member of.

Another difference, far less relevant to the torture scene playing in his mind’s theatre but not to the idea of danger in general, was that he was not alone. This job, however improbable it was being built up to be, was going to be done with the not necessarily doomed group of rogues in this forest. His two former targets, but more importantly and more powerfully, Alice, who had better be fully capable of getting them out alive when everything turns belly up in the water.

There was a burning feeling in the pit of his stomach,a roiling raging fire that rose into his chest and filled the young one back up with determination and ambition. He would make it.

Returning to the camp with a new wave of ideas criss crossing his mind like rivers snaking through a continent left him feeling a little bit absent minded compared to the rest of the party. Roku would happily start eating what the large grey man served, a typical and filling meal for the road. His thanks would be a slight bow of his head, and nothing more. It would appear that the vast, vast majority of social interaction among this party, at least on his end, would be perfectly dealt with via delegation to nodding at different speeds and rhythms. Slowly tearing into the meat, and only barely observing the flatware upon which it rested (something he would also likely attempt to create for himself in the future), the waves of thought enveloping his mind were slowly but surely outdone by Alice’s next words.

She was a fairly adept combatant, but it would appear that she had also the mind of a tactician behind it. That was an absolute delight as far as leadership qualities went. Her analysis of every person was apt, to say the least, but also entirely fulfilling to listen to. The idea of utilizing puppets as a method of conveying his false preference for long range combat was a great one, simply not practiced as of yet. However, the concept of luring people into close combat with himself was effectively his method of survival in life thus far; Roku usually did so through a careful process of being very very weak and rather frail. Actually, not a careful process, just the standard issues of being a child. Even an exceptional one. The general assessment of Taishi and what he would be contributing was just pleasant. There was not much to be said of his demonstrated talents, there was not much to be said of his jutsu evidenced insofar, and what general orders had been given to him amounted to much the same of what Roku guessed he would do no matter what. Enter the area, do what makes some sense, don’t die and try to bring someone down. The most interesting part to listen to was the instructions given to R, as he was known, but then, this was also the second most interesting and easily the most enticing member of the party to Roku.

The overall analysis of the man was accurate, rather decent at thinking ahead and capable of using wind jutsu that were likely based around range, as most of the element were. But utilizing him as the lower class danger alarm because of his careful nature, noting that the arrow he used was too slow to be effectively utilized from a long distance, and pairing him with Roku in order to capitalize on the suitably nicknamed tree boy’s offensive talent synergizing with Ryal’s tactical mindset, that was a smart choice. It helped to reveal the extent of their newfound leader’s thought processes. Of course, Roku also found himself neatly fixated on the idea of R, his prey turned compatriot, because that was just a unique position to find oneself in.

What really struck a chord, one that echoed through the cavernous depths of the Tau’s mind palace, was the feeling that there was a reason behind this besides wealth, something planned by their young, conniving commander that may have just required a few extra bodies thrown in the way. That the fallacy of this scheme was not hare-brained nature, but the same strategic thinking clearly demonstrated with a healthy dose of misinformation and a sprinkle of malice.

‘Something in my brain works in just a little bit of a strange way.’

The statement flashed across the front of Roku’s mind like a star, a reminder that he thought far too much and that power was the largest necessity by leagues anyway. It was the jolt that reminded him where the conversation was headed just as it reached its end, and the thought that led him forward to place a hand on the taller female’s shoulder. A realization vocalized itself as though the boy were merely a vessel for a brain, just before he touched her. It must have been drawn from her attire or the proximity from which Roku saw her, or maybe just from pure dumb realization indeed.

“You aren’t even that much older than me, are you?”

{Exit}

WC: 2018

Total: 825+322+964+431+283+449+630+818+262+2018=7002

Claiming 2000 for Soul Expulsion (C), 1000 for Hiding Like A Mole, 2000 for Chakra Suppression, 2000 for Incomplete Performance of a Hundred

And 35 stats

Pretty sure I did that all right

Thu Jun 28, 2018 4:56 pm

Specify how much words are going where por favor

Fri Jun 29, 2018 12:11 pm

Fixed

Sat Jun 30, 2018 12:45 am

Approved

Wed Jul 04, 2018 4:48 am

Taishi was quick to devour his meal, eating the steak quickly to avoid any wasted time. He would listen to the battle strategies of Alice, who had seemingly had a pretty smart brain in that head of hers. Taishi didn’t show off a lot of things in their little battle before, and so his orders were to use the same kind of tactics against the genin targets since it may work a little bit more effectively on them. “Sounds like a plan."

The warrior would set his plate, now empty, on the ground beside him. He would make sure that he limbered up a bit, as he just ate a decent meal and wanted to stretch out a bit to avoid “food laziness” to settle in. He would check all of his tools, making sure that they were all there before finding a whetstone and sharpening his kunai. “So the clones will be added security. Sounds like we will outnumber them by a great deal then. Assuming they don’t have a great deal of backup, I’m really starting to like our odds.” The man was a warrior who didn’t fear death, but he had no desire to walk into an ambush if it could be helped.

Ryal seemed quiet, but that wasn’t unusual for the golden eyed compatriot. He didn’t seem like a man of too many words, instead analyzing the situation and speaking only what was important out loud. Taishi would continue sharpening all of his tools in preparation for their attack, the kunai now sharp like a razor’s edge. This would then be done to all of them.

It would seem as though they were all ready now, and would begin to travel. Taishi wasn’t entirely sure about whatever strange technique that Alice was using, but he really didn’t have much of a choice. His first real test now lies before him, and the other three had vanished in the blink of an eye. An odd portal would appear, the view of the others clearly seen through it. Taishi had no time to think about what could go wrong here and so he would step through into the land of the leaf.

The Land of Fire was beautiful and lush, a big difference from the lands he had been accustomed to. The ground wasn’t covered in a layer of snow, nor was it scorching heat like in Wind Country. The trees towered before the group, their magnificence easy enough to be seen by any that had the eye for it. Taishi would hold his blade beneath his cloak, the blade staying ready but out of site, just in case it was needed while they readied their ambush.

Hopefully they would not stumble across any shinobi from the bloody mist. Perhaps they would be lucky enough to have completely missed them, and their journey would not provide opportunity for the Kiri ninja to swoop in and cause difficulties for them. If the rumors about them were true, they were warmongers that loved to kill and fight purely for sport. Taishi was a warrior, but they were monsters.

---Exit---

WC: 518
TWC: 6005

Claims:
Roku and Alice's Chakra Sigs

30 Stats
3850/3850 WC Towards Swamp of the Underworld (Meijin 4th Stone discounted)
450/450 WC Towards Earth Tools (Meijin 4th Stone discounted)
1194 WC Towards Keijūgan no Jutsu (finishing it when combined with the WC I already have coupled with the updated WC and Meijin Discount) [total 2700/2700]
94 WC Towards Head Hunter Technique (900/900 after this thread is approved)

417/2000 WC Towards Meijin 3rd Stone BL (since I now have at least 4 Earth Jutsu)