Chuunin Exams: Zyxis vs Hayate

The first that the boy did when he entered the arena was check it, make sure he knew every nook and cranny of the place. It would take no less than a few seconds to get a hold on his surroundings. He tightened his mask, checked his weapons, and made sure his armor was nice and spiffy. The white-haired boy would enter and stay around the edge of the inner rings so that he would be forty meters away from the center, ten meters away from the lower, outer rings, and fifty meters away from the entirety of the water surrounding both the inner and outer rings. If he wasn't so focused currently, then maybe he would be able to admire the stage for how quaint and beautiful it was.

Zyxis flexed his chakra, stretching it out as if he was getting it ready. He patiently waited for his opponent. As soon as he came in Zyxis would be prepared for anything, and respond accordingly to whatever was thrown at him, figuratively of course.

Stats:

Stats:

Strands of short blonde hair and the fabric of black combat pants pulled to Hayate's left as he walked across the bridge, the strong wind of the day even stronger in this open pit, with no obstacle to block it.  He didn't seem to notice, taking no brace against it.  Though as a swordsman he still had to keep flexible, Hayate was beggining to show a more muscular and athletic physique than most ninja.  Combined with his only average height, this gave the impression of a more compact, powerful figure.  No, instead of trying to oppose the wind, he let the only two semi loose things about him swirl as he took solid, confident steps across the bridge.  Everything else, from the two fuuma shuriken attached to his back, to the tight fitting armor and perfectly centered kiri headband, held perfectly in place.  Hayate didn't take half measures with his gear.

His opponent was already on the field, at the very edge of the upper lip, just a few feet from the bridge, waiting.  A Kumo boy, by the looks of it.  Hayate wasn't too familiar with Kumogakure and its ninja, but then again, they wouldn't be that familiar with him.  The boy looked youthful but was tall, and had the odd combination of white hair and red eyes.  Red eyes.... Hayate had only seen those before in the last chuunin exam, where the Konoha ninja clan called the Uchiha had used them to devastating effect.  Had this dojutsu traveled to Kumo as well?

As he sized his opponent up, he came to the end of the bridge.  Passing only a few feet away from the Kumo genin, Hayate never slowed his surefooted pace nor took his eyes off his opponent, staring him down as he passed.  After getting about 10m away, he shifted his gaze lower, to the mans waist and hands, where the first attack would likely come from.  He trekked the long distance to the far side of the arena, buffeted by the wind, before taking his place on the edge.  It was only right to give his opponent full advantage of the distance, since it would be his goal to get closer.

Hayate finally took a martial stance, one hand on the hilt of his sword, the other extended forward, and formed the seal of confrontation with his forward hand.

It was time.

Zyxis was entirely at peace. He couldn't rush into this like with Kyson and use his whole arsenal; he couldn't be bested or think about what tricks would make his opponent upset as he did with Ryuka, he couldn't show off like when he fought with Hoshi. The exam was the most important thing in his life right now. If he failed the Chuunin Exams, then he didn't know what else he would do. Right now was everything being a shinobi meant to him; he couldn't fail now. Not with his goals, not with his journey, not with his life. Everything was at stake. He wouldn't fail this time.

They made eye-contact for a split second as he checked his red sclera. No move made, it would be unfair and a bad show for Kumogakure. There was more to being a shinobi than winning. He silently sized up his opponent. He nodded at the boy, a sign of good luck. He didn't trust his voice; it would either crack as a sign of nerves or come out loud as a sign of confidence. There was no in-between right here. It was better to do it than to overthink it.

His opponent settled into his stance, all the way on the other side of the arena. It looked as if he had a weapon, did he specialize in Weaponry or Taijutsu? It might've just been an assist weapon too, and he could specialize in Genjutsu or Ninjutsu. He remembered when he wanted a katana. Hayate's form was fitter and on the athletic side. It wasn't as if Zyxis' wasn't fit, he was a runner after all, but the muscle difference was there. 

He would see what he did and respond accordingly. The match had begun as soon as Hayate took his stance. Zyxis began to walk forward ten meters; his feet seemed to echo on the material of the floor. It was weird. He couldn't hear the crowd although they were screaming. Zyxis silently chuckled to himself; it had been a while since he settled back into this zone of his. If he were able to finish walking the ten meters without any interruptions, he would come to a complete halt. If Hayate were to move or make an attack, he would respond accordingly, but his main priority was his first attack.

If not, then the silence surrounding him would seem to vanish. In a single movement, his hand swiftly reached into his weapon pouch and left his hand with a single throw. The split second he had to touch the handle, his muscle would visibly seem to loosen as his chakra picked up in pace, and Wind Glaive was activated almost immediately. If Hayate looked close enough, he would also see three Sharingan spinning in his ruby-red eyes as well. Like a hurricane that appeared out of nowhere, Zyxis seemed to power up.

The blade thrown had two jutsu used in conjunction with it. Wind Release: Blade Cutter, which increased the speed and the sharpness of the weapon itself, and then Raiton: Swift cutting, which boosted the power and speed of his throw, although halved since he activated a booster. The blade would cut through the wind, aiming straight at Hayate's gut. With his Sharingan, he was able to see exactly where it was heading and made sure that he didn't hit anything fatal. If this hit, he might be out of the running already.

If he tried to stop him from throwing the kunai, he would respond accordingly to avoid getting hit, but one of his priorities was to send the blade flying to test his skill. He would end Wind Glaive unless attacked by his opponent.

Spoiler:

There it was.  In an instant the perfect calm of his opponent was replaced with a deadly serious blur of motion.  The way a ninja should be, giving nothing away until its was time to strike with everything.  His opponent was fast, deadly fast, and wouldn't be a pushover.  His victory would have to be earned.

The faint hint of a smile played at Hayates lips, indiscernable under his half mask, as his eyes found the cloudy, turbulent sky above.  This was because at the first sign of the speeding metal sliver approaching him, Hayate had tilted over backwards off the ledge, allowing his head to fall backwards first, his feet only pushing off when he was horizontal to complete the low backflip onto the ledge 10m below.  He landed in a crouch with one hand on the ground in front of him.  Without a pause his legs smoothly transitioned from landing to pushing back off and he was gone, dashing out of the stance like a sprinter to his right (zyxis's left) around the lower ring, out of sight of the other ninja.   Hopefully the wind would help cover his footsteps against the hard stone as he approached.

Assuming no new developments Hayate would continue to dash around the ledge until he was roughly 30 meters from the last known point of Zyxis.  Fingering a small smoke bomb into his hand, he would jump up and grab the ledge with the smoke bomb still in his hands, crushing the smoke bomb as he pulled himself up in one smooth motion, his head above the expanding smoke for only a moment to briefly glimpse his opponent before the smoke enveloped him.

Upon spotting his opponent, Hayate would dash to the right under cover of the smoke cloud for two steps (staying within it), pulling out and throwing a shuriken at the kumo genin's navel from the smoke.  After throwing the shuriken, he'd immediately hop back down a level under cover of the smoke, attempting to avoid retaliation and heading in the direction to make the distance between him and Zyxis closer.  He was always attempting to sharpen his senses, to mimic the blindfighting masters of the mist of old, but for now he was no more capable of sensing anything through smoke than most opponents, and significantly less so than some.  

OOC:

The white-haired boy watched with a raised eyebrow as he dodged his kunai. It was fast, almost fast enough to hit, but the distance between them gave him the advantage to move quickly and efficiently. If only he were a bit quicker, that would've met his gut. Good to know, he kept that as a little side note in his head. He wasn't sure what Hayate was doing, but he knew that it wasn't a good idea to remove your vision from someone who's faster than you. Zyxis instantly created two Shadow Clones as Hayate leaned backward and flipped to the lower level. They were created right behind him so once the boy flipped and was able to glance at the arena, he would only see Zyx standing there as both clones had also used Chakra Suppression as soon as they were created. When there was no way Hayate could see nor sense them, both clones sprinted twenty meters to both left and right of the arena, prepared for when the boy came out.

Zyxis stayed on high alert, also keeping track of his clones so that they could alert him when he showed up.

The Clone instantly saw Hayate's hand when it appeared. It was the first Shadow Clone. Chakra Suppression ended as It's Sharingan spun furiously, and as soon as movement was made, the Clone was ready to throw a kunai attached with an explosive tag handed to him from the original at any time The Clone was also boosted with Wind Glaive, activated when Hayate's hand was placed. It had been prepared in time since it moved faster than Hayate and also had more reaction time. Once he pulled himself up from the ten meters, which would need a good force of momentum to do, he was locked in place. There had to be somewhere in that duration of time when he went mid-air to get his feet onto the platform Zyx was on.

The Sharingan caught that and took advantage of it, attacking him in his most fragile moment. The kunai flew straight at the part where his chest and gut met, his center mass, his torso. Attached to the kunai was an explosive tag, also given to the clone by his owner. Hayate would be hard pressed to move since you couldn't just lean out of the way of something flying at you, especially in mid-air. The move was swift and clean, the only thing alerting Hayate of the blade was the sound it made when it cut through the air since he was looking after Zyxis after all and the clone's chakra source had only just been unsuppressed.

If the kunai hit him, his armor would be in shambles, not to mention the explosion afterward which would send him flying and disperse the smoke. If somehow Hayate had dodged, if the kunai was close enough it would still explode and hit him with shrapnel too. If the attack did hit, it was safe to assume that Hayate wouldn't throw the shuriken. Although if he did, Zyxis would be ready and dodge to the left (Hayate's right) ten meters [145 Speed] and prepare himself for the boy's next attack.

The clones dispell no matter what happened.

The other clone would have dispelled as soon as Hayate had appeared, no longer needed for the lookout.

OOC:

Something was wrong. He knew it the moment his eyes rose above the top level and saw the torso of a Zy standing not ten meters from him, facing him coming up. Hayate barely registered the real zy 20 meters behind that, and the clone 20 meters further away poofing out of existence, since the closest clone wasdirectly in Hayates line of sight to where the real Zy was last seen, and his reflexes assumed it to be real.

He had somehow been predicted. His plan of surprise attacking foiled, and rising to see something drastically different than what he thought he would (namely, a close enemy aware of him with other figures on the platform instead of one far enemy still looking), all thoughts turned to surviving. It would be death to vault up this close to a prepared foe. As momentum pulled his shoulders and then his chest into sight over the edge of the platform, he was busy channeling chakra into the toes and soles of his feet, desperately kicking them against the side of the platform to halt his movement before they too would rise above the platform, while forming the ram seal to get anywhere but here.

Surface walking started to catch as his waist came into view, and held fast before mid thigh rose above the platform. As kunai were released against his now visible gut, his ram seal finished. While the kunai approached, he shunted back down to the ledge below using the body flicker technique (speed 135), his after image appearing to fade like bad tv static. He began dashing away from the spot, back the way he came, gaining some distance and looking over his shoulder for pursuit.

It was too close. The hint of a smile was gone. This was not longer a game, no sporting prey to be hunted by a predator. This was actually a fight. And damn, the guy was quick with the throws. Hayate would have to figure out how he was predicted. And had he seen more figures than one on the platform in that brief second? Thoughts swirled as he tried to make sure death wasn't about to come flying over the ledge at him.

OOC:

What Hayate seemed to forget was the Explosive Tag that was on the kunai. As soon as it reached a meter away from him and Zyxis saw the hand seal for a Body Flicker, the speed of the kunai was faster than Hayate, even with Body Flicker activated. The explosion would hit him, not enough to damage him horribly and get him out of the fight, but his armor would be looking worse for wear. If the shrapnel hit his body-armor, it would be decimated, and seem to fall apart as more of the kunai gouged itself into his stomach and chest. [Speed of Explosion: 50 | Sharpness: 104]

The reason it hit was the proximity of Hayate, and the Clone was only ten meters, and the Clone was indeed faster and threw faster than Hayate. He would be lucky to get away with flesh wounds, but then again, he'd still be able to fight. Zyxis didn't enjoy hurting the boy; he looked like a nice guy, but if he wanted to win all emotions were put aside. Hayate's smile had faded. The Uchiha's hadn't ever appeared. Everything he did was cold and calculated. He was determined to win the fight.

The smoke would exasperate from the Explosive Tag, so would a part of the arena, a meter or two had been destroyed from the blast, marking where Hayate once was. If he were able to find out which way he was going around the arena currently, he would be able to close him off. He didn't want to get too close either, as he still wasn't sure what attacks he specialized in. Right now, Zyxis had an excellent hold on the battle right now.

If the explosion and shrapnel hit or not, Zyxis would silently move ten meters to the left, and unknowingly Hayate's left as well as he fled, and ten meters backward. Hayate was able to pinpoint his position. Right now he was near the next level where his opponent was at, but not entirely down. Zyxis was twenty meters from the side of the outer ring, ten meters in front of the other edge, which was thirty meters from the center.

The boy waited patiently.

OOC:

The kunai exploded just within 1m of the after image.  The Seal, wrapped around the hilt of the kunai, detonated the head into explosive buckshot, spraying forward in a cone due to the immense momentum, but Hayate was already headed straight down, and that would fly overhead.  The handle itself was obliterated by the explosion coming from all sides, halting momentum and raining small deadly metal shards downward that the speed of the explosion on the location Hayate was just a moment before.  The rear ring of the kunai split into multiple pieces, the momentum fighting with the explosion to prevent it scattering too far, but still going back far enough to put shards of scrap metal spread over a few meters of the top level.

Unbeknownst to the escaping Kiri ninja, as Zyxis realized the Hayate being punctured was an afterimage, he ran to the location of his now dispersed clone that attacked Hayate, then retreated parallel to the entrance bridge until he reached the edge of the upper platform, away from the direction Hayate was going (we've agreed OOC on exact locations and movements here).

Meanwhile, Hayate was rushing back the direction he came.  His fear of immediate pursuit, of a deadly attack appearing over the edge, faded with each step, and he was able to think.  Was his opponent really able to track him that well?  or was it simply good lookout and/or luck?  Either way he'd have to be more careful.  

As hayate rounded the very southernmost point of the area, he placed his sword hand on his swords handle and did a short hop right near the wall, just enough to get his eyes to peak over the edge.  His opponent was fast, but there was a limit to his speed, and Hayate figured if he got away last time with even more exposure, this should be safe.  His glimpse would find Zyxis, who traveled a similar distance to what hayate just did, just arriving at the edge of the arena farther away.   Good, he had a little room.  Furthermore, there was indeed only one figure on the dias.

Hayate formed the tiger, dog, and horse handseals as he continued to run, then removed the box of sharp metal pieces he had just coated in chakra with his Hidden Mist jutsu from his pouch.  He emptied the contents into his right hand and tossed the box aside, stopping about 10m from where he peeked.  

He counted to 5, trying to confuse any predictions of his location based on his speed, then once again jumped up to the upper level, this time without using his hands so he could have his left hand firmly on his sword while his right was full.  As soon as his shoulders cleared the top dias, he would yell "Explosive Trinkets Jutsu!"  and fling the contents of his hand as fast as he could towards his opponents knees.

About 20 small metal spikes would come flying from Hayates hand in a cone, perfectly visible as they flew (though chakra vision would reveal they were coated with chakra).  From this distance the spread of objects would pretty evenly cover 5m in front of, to the left and right, and behind zyxis, meaning the highest one would be just below his waist. (speed 130)  

As they flew he took in an out a deep breath, slowing his heartrate from the rapid dashing.  How would his opponent respond?  He waited, fixated, to see.

OOC:

Hayate's first mistake was even speaking. Zyxis's head snapped over to see the boy peeking and the spikes flying at the same time. Quicker than he felt as if he had ever moved before, Wind Glaive would activate and Zyxis would drop his eyes to knee level, staring straight into Hayate's eyes. Since he was faster, he would force Hayate to look at him. If he weren't to gaze up at Zyxis to see if his attack hit mid-way through, then there wouldn't have been any chance for the Genjutsu to take place. The split second that he had, the Sharingan Genjutsu would be placed on him, and he would start to slur, not even being able to throw anything. Hayate would freeze and only be able to look forward. He'd be under Zyxis' complete control. In reality, Zyxis would mentally command him to pull himself up from his peeking point and come over to him as fast as he could. Once there, he'd tell Hayate to hand him his sword.

Once Zyxis equipped it, he would grab it and hold it to his throat. "Call the match, I could end his life right now, that's terms for victory."

The Genjutsu would only have taken a glance to set on the unsuspecting boy, so he still had time to react to the Makibishi spikes if they were thrown. If the Genjutsu for some reason didn't affect him or wasn't set, Zyxis move out of the way at [175 Speed], faster than the Makibishi spikes could reach him. To dodge he would run to the left twenty meters before he stops, quick enough to where he didn't get hit or surrounded by the spikes.  If somehow Hayate hadn't been affected with the Genjutsu and went to attack him, Zyxis would make sure no attacks were coming at him.

If not, and he was all out of the clear of an attack, and Hayate was hypnotized with a sword to his throat, then he would win. Zyxis would drop Hayate's blade and walk out. For his first real match, it was a blur; he wasn't even sure if the crowd was aware of what happened. To them, it could've felt like forever when in reality it was just a short blur of attacks and counter. He hoped the boy the best and thanked him for being his first opponent, feeling strangely closer as he walked out of the arena.

[Claiming Victory]

OOC:

[Denying victory until match is actually over, since you dont claim victory on a kunai throw, you claim it on confirmed hit next post]

As Hayates head bobbed above the topsurface, his mouth beggining his clever ruse, he saw that white hair duck low, and then his vision was just his opponents eyes.  Two red eyes, growing larger, becoming all that he saw, swirls forming into tomoe.  Those damn eyes.

A moment stretched for eternity as mid yell and throw he lost all motor function.  He raged at his body to move, but a strange chakra held his own chakra system prisoner, vastly overpowering it and using it to control his body.  The words choked off mid sentence, the throw cut off.  When he landed, the spikes spilled uselessly from his hand behind him, safely out of the way.

Then there was a command.  So this was the famous sharignan genjutsu then, no attempt at stublety, just pure control, brute force of the strong chakra against the weak.  He was no longer to stay still.  He was to rise, to march to his opponent as fast as he could.

He rose, teeth gritted, and jumped up.  He started walking forward.  His chakra flow started to rise against the opposing force, but onwards he came, to just two feed in front of his opponent.  His opponent who stood there, unarmed, in calm control.  It boiled Hayates blood

Once there, he was commanded to give up his sword.  The worst dishonor for a swordsman.  He willed his body with all his might to just swing forward and end this.  But as commanded, as indeed he had done everything as his opponent had laid out and instructed to this point, he placed his hands on the hilt and scabbard of his sword to hand it over....

And then as the rise in chakra from his chakra stabilizer finished rising, his wish became a reality.   As it broke him from the genjutsu his hands instantly followed what he had been trying to force his body to do while under genjutsu.  From two feet away, dancing blade risk was unleashed.  The sword escaped the scabbard at 175 speed as Hayate dashed in further, slicing into his opponents midsection.

The release surprised even him and he pulled back as the blade entered flesh, stopping it just below the surface. He stood there in shock, shoulder pressed against the other genin's shoulder, blade in his opponents stomach, before taking a step, then two backwards, as the blood dripped from both his sword and the wound.

OOC::