Asami vs Hayate

Risako wrote:Round Three
Rules:
- We're following the 48 hour rule, but if the fights drag on too long I'll be posting to interrupt and end them.
- Don't kill your opponent.
- Be friendly with one another OOC, and discuss any problems with one another via PM before asking for a battlemod.
- Breaking any rules may lead to disqualification.
- The barriers and glass are in place to prevent you from killing spectators, by posting you agree that they're strong enough to withstand any jutsu used in the exams.
- Post your stats in a spoiler within your first post.

By this point in the day, the sun was hanging high in the sky. A few clouds had began to form overhead as well, but it didn't seem like it would rain today. Most of the village was quiet, except for the large bustle taking place in the arena. The battlefield of the arena was a circle roughly one hundred meters in diameter. The walls that separated the contestants from the spectators were roughly thirty meters high. To protect them from any stray jutsu or weapons, thick glass was implemented along the top of the wall along with several barriers erected by fuinjutsu. The glass and barriers stood another twenty meters over the walls themselves. The seating did not go above this. The arena itself was flat, with patches of grass growing here and there but no major cover to hide behind. The contestants themselves were housed within a waiting room on either side of the arena across form one another. By this point in the day, the crowd had recognized who they were surrounding and began to strike up casual conversations when they could.

In a setting that was all too familiar by this point, the contestants could clearly hear the speakers come to life once more.
"Asami Miyamoto and Hayate Seiteki, you may enter when you are prepared."

Posted with Risako's permission.

Spoiler:

Extending a trembling hand, Asami steadied herself against the wall. Her head swam, thoughts raced, and stomach churned. In the back of her mind she knew something like this might happen, but now, when faced with cruel reality, she found both mind and body to be unwilling. She considered Hayate her friend. How could she be expected to face a friend in combat? Yes, she would have much rather faced down a thousand Konohagakure shinobi if it meant not having to cross blades—and potentially hurt—a friend and comrade.

‘Asami Miyamoto and Hayate Seiteki, you may enter when you are prepared.’

The static-filled crackle of the speaker sent a jolt of adrenaline through her limbs and compelled her to forsake the support of the wall for her own two feet. Under the spell of overwhelming expectations, she put one foot in front of the other and entered the eerily silent arena for the third time in the same number of days.

Stepping out into the warm afternoon sun and to a point twenty meters in front of the door she entered through, the chuunin-hopeful surveyed the now familiar battlefield with a disinterested gaze. In her mind’s eye, she still saw the blood-soaked body of Akane, heard the booing of the crowd after her second opponent failed to show up, and tasted the days old tang of victory. Each event in her life—yes, even failing her first genin exam—all led up to this single fight, the chuunin exam finals.

Here we go.

Much like in her previous bouts, the genin sported a flak jacket clasped tightly around her chest, a pair of full weapon pouches on either thigh and the emblem of Kirigakure shining proudly around her neck. Under the flak jacket, she wore a long-sleeved shirt of sky-blue accented by black tights reaching down her calves. For all her misgivings about the coming fight, she still looked the part of a kunoichi, but only time would tell whether she had the skill to back up her appearance.

Hayate…

---
AP: 348
TWC: 341

Spoiler for locked in stats/items/jutsu:

Each kunai and shuriken in the leg pouch was perfectly in place, as was the sword at the Kiri Ninja's back, and the headband on his head.  He has spent an inordinate amount of time last night cleaning, polishing, and carefully putting everything away.  Yet Hayate's fingers danced over the deadly metal instruments again, made sure the sword released smoothly, jiggled the fuuma shuriken on his back to make sure it was secure, and shifted his headband once more.

He also tugged at his armor, and then slowly his hand reached up to finger the bit of material fraying on his left elbow.  The armor was well made, and he had barely felt the senbon connect in his last fight, continuing through the contact of the light needles.  In fact he could no longer pinpoint the spot where one had connected with his thicker chest piece.  But in examining his gear late last night, he saw just how close that needle that hit his arm was to getting through the slightly lighter sleeves, and was a little shocked.  It was a testament to his opponent that he could throw something so light strong enough to do so much damage, and it reminded Hayate he couldn't carelessly take hits.  He was glad, however, he had taken the exams seriously, ditching his normal casual genin attire for the more serious combat oriented wear he pictured he'd need on real missions.  If he said so himself, which he never would out loud, it looked good on him, the long dark pants, kiri blue belt, and black mask/undershirt outlining the grey of the armor.  It looked deadly serious and functional.  And it had helped to get him into the finals versus Asami.

Asami.  It almost wasn't real.  Hayates mind floated back to the final scene of his last fight, sword in his opponents shoulder and the blood dripping from allegros stomach.  In a flash the image was replaced with a similarly wounded Asami, pain and shock on her face.  Startled, he shook his head, and the image cleared back to allegro.  It was much easier when your opponent was an unknown adversary, the equivalent of a boogeyman or target dummy.   An "enemy" instead of a person.

If he wanted to win, he'd have to go all out, like he did last match.  Even in doing so, he had almost lost, so he was sure there was no room for weakness.    Asami was faster than him, and had better chakra control and more impressive jutsu.  But at the crucial moment, would he slow the slight amount needed to stop the blade before biting into skin?  Would it cost him the match?  He tried to tell himself no, he would win as he was trained no matter the opponent - wounds healed - but images of Hayate and Asami mending nets, tackling a thief under the kage stature, and dashing across the rooftops laughing rand through his head.  Then the image of Asami cut and hurt intruded again, uninvited.  Could he?


He had no more time to consider.  The speakers burst to life, announcing the match.  Hayate took ten seconds to breath and clear his head.  No thoughts but the mechanics of how to win.  Just combat math and will.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  For Kiri.  For the clan.  For me.

He steel himself, and walked out into the arena.  

It was packed, but oddly quiet.  The spectacle of two mist ninja defeating all comers to face off in the finals was apparently not to be missed, but there were no favorite to blindly cheer for, and the parallels to the recent conquest surely rang in the minds of many. We'll just have to give em something worth watching, a show they can't NOT cheer for.  A smirk slowly spread across his face and he reached his own mark twenty meters from the door and took a combat stance, left hand on the hilt poking past his right hip.  With the other he reached out to Asami, beckoning.

Asami's heart wasn't in it.

At Hayate's beckoning, her body sprung to into action of its own accord as if pulled by invisible strings. A single kunai fell from her sleeve and into her waiting left hand. Pulling her left hand up in a smooth arc, she let go of the cold metal of the kunai at the appropriate time to send the kunai I’m hurtling in Hayate's general direction. Unfortunately, in this case, 'general direction' meant the kunai would have sailed a good three meters above her friend's head if it had the momentum to do so. As it so happened, the projectile did not have nearly enough momentum and, instead of continuing on its wayward path, fell blade first into the ground some forty meters from where Asami stood.

"I'm sorry, Hayate..." her normally small voice carried well across the stadium and through the crowd where people began to mutter amongst themselves about the pitiful display of nerves.

No, her heart was in it and that was the issue.

---
AP: 348 - 10 Hidden Arms Technique =  338 AP
-1 Kunai
TWC: 512

Almost every muscle in Hayates body tensed at once as Asami began to move with her incredible speed, his beckoning hand shooting down to his pouch, his hand tightening on the sword sheath.  It was starting.  Excitement mixed with anticipation flooded through him.  The two were still 60 meters away, presumably a safe distance, but he almost dove to the side anyway out of habit of having to react as soon as she moved, or get hit.  What moves would she make here?

A.... kunai?   Asami was not weak, but definitely not the strongest genin, and certainly not able-to-throw-THIS-distance strong.  Wary of some unknown ace she had held back, Hayate took several steps to his right at about half speed, but stopped as he saw the path of the kunai, and watched as it landed far short of him anyway.

The crowd began to mutter as the two genin stood there.  Hayates initial confident smirk turned into a confused blank look, than a frown under his mask.  This wasn't right.  This wasn't right at all.  They were proud Kiri ninja, who had bested all konoha had to offer.  They were here to show off and compete head to head to advance.  The crowd was supposed to be awed and humbled of the might of the kiri genin.  He had been told they were the best, and here everything his village had told him had turned out to be true all long.  The two were supposed to have an amazing fight they could reference forever.  Konoha citizens would mutter at how strong they were, how no konoha genin could compare.  Not.... this.

Hayate furiously drew his sword with his left hand in a wide arc, rattling the shealth as he did so.  There was nothing graceful about the movement.  He shouted as he then pointed the tip of his grandfathers blade at his ally.  "Sorry won't cut it."  The blue and black clad genin began running toward his counterpart, picking up speed as he ran (start at 40 speed, picking up 20 speed per 10 meters).  He'd angle to pass about 10 meters to the side of the kunai then head toward Asami, weaving a few steps left and right at intervals as he did so to not be an easy target.    His feet pounded furiously against the ground as his hands dragged through the air behind him, in the signature run of someone whose chakra enhanced body didn't need to pump its arms to run, a ninja.  
His voice, though, was less intense then before, despite the running.

"I'm coming for real.  Prepare.  You owe me - you owe US a good fight."

Hayate would begin to close the distance as stated.  If Hayate reaches within 15 meters without Asami acting or speaking he would reconsider his next move from there.

AP: 221

A good fight?

Hayate’s words pierced the veil of reluctance that hung about Asami; he had a point. Yes, she hated to admit it, but he was right. Both of them had come too far now to not see this final fight through. Sleepless nights, interminable days, and countless setbacks; both her and Hayate had overcome each and every obstacle in their way. It would be a disservice to both her friend and herself to refuse to fight. Plus, how could she face her village again without giving Konoha a spectacle to remember? What would she tell her parents?

“Fine!”

The fire with which she spat out this single word burned away the last shreds of hesitation that still clung to her person. Now she was ready to fight. And, more importantly, now she was ready to win. As Hayate took his first step within fifteen meters of her, Asami contorted her hands into a seal recognizable throughout the shinobi world, the seal of confrontation. If the young teen was going to fight her friend, then she was going to do it right.

The real fight was about to begin.

---
AP: 338 + 10 regened = 348
TWC: 702

Closing the distance was nervewracking.   In all three fights he had been the aggressor, hampered by his lack of ranged jutsu.  It was a far cry from the silent, attack from a hidden position tactics he favored, but there was no other way to get close in in this exam.  He had to play to his strengths.  

Yet the agonizing moments seemed to stretch for forever as he charged, exposed.  His nerves were like a piano wire stretched too tight, vibrating under the stress, trying to anticipate any attack. But Asami stood there.  It unnerved him even more.

As he approached within 15 meters shy Asami seemed to melt away like she was a layer of ice on top of the firey kunoichi now being revealed, the one he had bantered with on on those missions.  Her sudden exclamation and movements startled his already paranoid nerves and and he threw his body to the side, halting his forward momentum and leaving a cloud of dust where he just was, but it wasn't an attack.  It was the seal of confrontation.  He stood, still 15 meters away, and the grin slowly came back to his face.  He carefully raised his free right hand and formed the seal as well.

It was about to begin, for sure.

After a shared moment of the seal, Hayates right hand would flick down to his pouch as he dashed to his right, keeping his left handed sword between him and his opponent.  Retrieving two kunai, he would use a submarine pitch style throw to propel both kunai at once, one at Asami's head and the other at her chest (speed 106).  If she were to get serious too, he couldn't give her a moments break to cast her jutsu, or he would certainly be in trouble.

AP221
USED: two kunai

Moving with all the grace of a well-practiced dancer and dropping the seal of confrontation, Asami shifted her left foot back and to the right such that it slid behind her right foot. To compliment this improvised pivot, she also twisted her torso such that her right shoulder ended up facing towards Hayate—who had only just taken his first step when he threw the kunai—and her left shoulder facing away.

The two kunai soared harmlessly past their target and embedded themselves in the wall behind her initial position with a dull thud. Admittedly, the one kunai that had been on track to give her an impromptu lobotomy had come a bit too close for comfort as it very nearly took off her nose. Thankfully, she did not have time to think about what she’d look like without a nose.

No, she only had time to act and act she did.

Once more a kunai—this time with a paper bomb wrapped around its hilt—fell from Asami’s sleeve and into her chakra infused left hand as she pivoted out of the way of Hayate’s opening gambit. The blade, however, did not linger there long for the moment Hayate's two kunai clipped past her, the girl flicked her single kunai upwards and towards Hayate (118 speed). Naturally, she led her throw by two meters so that the blade would catch her friend in the left bicep if he continued along his initial path.

If for some reason he stopped, however, the blade would zip onwards in front of where he stopped and into the dirt roughly fifty meters away. Either way, Asami would not remain idle, for the moment the blade left her hand she began a string of hand seals. It was time to turn the heat up on her dear friend and give Konohagakure a real show to remember.

---
AP: 348 - 10 Hidden Arms Technique =  338 AP
Chakra Infusion +10 health to infused kunai
-1 Kunai
-1 Primed exploding tag

[Actions completed at max speed unless otherwise noted.]

TWC: 1008

She was definitely in it now.  While Hayate's movements were efficient, they were as plain as possible to get to even that level.  But his speedier counterpart not only outdid him in that efficiency, but did it with grace and style.  She pivoted like an experienced matador, daring the kunai to fly by as more deadly steel appeared in her far hand at the apex of her turn, seemingly from nowhere.

For a fleeting moment, the two shinobi were frozen as mirror images, both bodies turned completely sideways, both facing the same direction hayates left shoulder in line with Asami's right, eyes locked.

Then time sped up again and the graceful kunoichi's far hand whipped forward, reversing the momentum as quickly as she had originally dodged, and the kunai was on its way.  Watching her carefully for the counterattack, Hayate would pull in a deep breath as he flicked his sword toward her as soon as he saw the projectile, focusing his chakra along the length of the blade, then pulling the blade short but letting the chakra fly off (Rupture technique).  

The wave of pure chakra that flew toward the kunai was not fast (anywhere between 30 and 60 speed depending on how you read the rules), but it was large and sharp.  A 5 meter by 0.5 meter wave of 100 sharpness chakra, angled and tilted to be farthest forward in Hayates lower right and farthest back at his upper left, would slam into the kunai, and deflect it sharply to his left, in the opposite direction from where he was going.  The wave would continue for 30 meters toward asamis current position, doubling as both defense and attack.

As he flicked his sword for the rupture with his left hand, his right had been simultaneously reaching for a smoke bomb in his right leg pouch.  he flicked it behind the wave, intending to land about 5 meters in front of asami.  As the smoke bomb left his fingers just behind the chakra leaving his blade, he noticed asami was already 2 handseals into a jutsu.

Oh no.  this could NOT be good..... He exhaled slowly, preparing for what may come.

The entire post, he continues to circle asami at 15 meters counter clockwise, looking for an opening, and doing everything not specified slower at max speed and power (the smoke bomb throw was specified slower to not impact the rupture wave).

191 AP
prev 221ap, -30 ap Rupture
-1 smoke bomb

Ram → Rat → Bird...

Asami's hands danced through the familiar sequence in a near-mechanical manner. She neither faltered in her execution nor hesitated as she once had. For the first time in a while, she felt at ease with her position on the battlefield. In place of the nagging fear she had felt in her first two matches was a coolheadedness she had not felt before; everything seemed to move in slow motion. That said, she would be a liar if her heart did not skip a beat when a blast of blue chakra erupted from Hayate's blade.

...Boar → Tiger

Her lone kunai and his rupture would meet four meters from Hayate. However, just before the blast of chakra batted away Asami's single kunai, the single kunai became a thousand and one—she completed her hand seals in time. In an instant, her friend would find a near-impenetrable storm of steel twenty meters wide, ten meters high, six meters deep, and centered on his current position bearing down on him. Once the leading edge of the storm moved four meters (118 speed) it would erupt in an explosion of epic proportions that would rock the arena to its foundations, the chorus of a thousand exploding tags going off at once. In the immediate aftermath of the explosion, fragments of steel cartwheeled away from Asami creating a deadly rain of shrapnel that reached 44 meters outwards from the point of explosion—and away from their owner—at a speed of 118 following the initial path of the mass of kunai with the same twenty-meter spread.

Please dodge, Hayate.

Caught up in the explosion itself would be the lagging smoke bomb setting it off five meters short of its initial target.  The blast of chakra would, however, lance through the wall of steel creating a narrow corridor that would soon be shut by the subsequent explosions. Hayate’s newest projectile would meet the same fate as the first two as it bit through nothing but air and the side of the stadium as Asami shifted to her right a single meter—who'd have thought being short would have its advantages? For her part, Asami also never once dropped her hands and even went so far as to form a new hand seal when dodging the rupture blast. Her gaze scanned the ravaged battlefield, she had to be ready for anything.

---
AP:338 - 40 Shuriken Shadow Clone = 298

Explosion power/speed: 50 -- Exploding tag app for reference

[Actions completed at max speed unless otherwise noted.]

TWC: 1403