The Manipulator (Hunter)

The Manipulator:

Stats:

Night wraps its star-dotted blanket over the skies of Sunagakure, washing the sun-baked village in its indigo hue. The moon hangs high above, and baths the square, clay buildings in its silver light, splashing shadows between roads and alleyways. Villagers, nocturnal wanderers, mill about the silver-and-shadow painted streets, taking care to keep their face hidden, to mask their shame and their dealings. The village continues like this, well into the latest hours of the night, to a time when no decent person would dare choose to walk the streets of Sunagakure.

On a moonlit roof, nestled on a nameless building in an unknown district of the village hidden in the sand, lies an immense shinobi. This shinobi wears the Sunagakure symbol around his neck, and wears an untied, jet-black kimono over a ninja flak jacket and black pants. He sits in a small chair, next to a table with a tea-set placed on it, and an empty chair on the other side. 

He gazes at the maze of shadow and light before him, his intense eyes scan for anything that would appear out of the ordinary. His ash-colored hair is pulled back and tied, its color looks dull when compared to the soft light from the moon. His stern features are set into a stone-faced expression, his beard is groomed and gives him a regal appearance. He looks as if he's deep in thought, and tired. 

He turns his attention to the empty chair, and grabs the steaming tea kettle. With grace, the immense, ash-haired shinobi pours himself and one other a cup of green tea. The smell revitalizes his being, the drowsiness that comes with night dissipates, the man feels more alert. Though he wishes to take a sip of the tea, he waits for the person to fill the empty seat next to him.

He wouldn't have to wait long, as the soft sounds of agile footsteps fell behind him. A wide smile breaks his stone faced expression, he doesn't face the man who walks up to the tea table, instead choosing to speak.

"I'm sure you know what we're doing tonight," thrums the basso-voice of Raleth Sarutobi, "it should be simple. Reports say that an individual has been skulking the streets of sunagakure, robbing the residents in the dead of night. Those that have met this individual claim that he used illusions to coerce them out of their money, or used some form of suggestion to make them give it to this individual freely. After leaving this individuals presence, the the illusion or suggestion wore off." Raleth passes the mission report on the table, to allow his guest to review the details, and to help confirm his own suspicions. "There aren't much villagers pulling parlor tricks to pickpocket people, from how it sounds, it is most likely a genjutsu user, and a skilled one at that. I'm never dealth with much genjutsu, so I am glad to have your eyes on this mission." Raleth turns to his guest and smiles sincerely, the Sarutobi knows he can trust the man in front of him with his life. "My opinion? I think this 'individual' is in over his head. With our combined strength, we can take him out in no time. Though, there is one problem...we have to capture him alive." A hefty sigh escapes Raleth, he finishes his thought. "As such, I believe you should take point on this position, Zaine." The moonlight shines on the face of the Sarutobi's guest, the intense features of the Uchiha can be plainly seen in the night. "So, how should we proceed?"


[[602]]

A message had been received earlier in the day with instructions to "meet on 'that' rooftop, after the sun has set and the moon has taken its rightful place"- the young Uchiha was quite familiar with the poetic style of his old sensei and understood immediately what Raleth had meant and where he wanted to meet, the only question was why? Naturally, Zaine would begin to read himself throwing on a long sleeve shirt bearing the uchiha crest on its back, straight legged pants and strapped both of his blades on to him in their regular position, Benihime on his back and his basic katana on his left hip. He would throw on both weapons pouches and secure them to his lower back before tightening his sunagakure headband to his left arm and dawning his Jounin flak jacket, he was ready to depart. There was no way to be sure that he would need his full arsenal, but in the case that this became a combat situation he didnt want to show up under prepared- to be fair this sitaution was following a pattern that Raleth did whenever he received a mission last minute and wanted some back up on it. 


He would reach the location after leaving his home in twenty minutes time- he approached Raleth while making not attempt to mask he presence from. After listening to him explain the fact that they were going to be completing a mission and the details of it, he was relieved that he did in fact bring his entire arsenal with it as it seemed they would be needing it. Looking up at the moon in the sky he would sigh and pick up the mission summons before responding "So we have to catch some cocky kid who thinks he can get away with stealing from the citizens of the village? Seems almost like its a bit too simple. I have a feeling that the reason they labeled this a C rank mission is because of the shinobi's skill. Even if it is the two of us we should make certain that we remain calm and calculated, we cant afford to fail a mission like this if villagers are suffering." He would close his eyes for a moment before opening them again and revealing the sharingan in three tomoe state, "capturing him alive could prove to be very difficult considering that he will be attacking us with the intent to kill. For that reason I think it would be best if I leverage my speed as a distraction while you look for openings and prepare a decisive blow. We cant kill him, but paralyzing him for the time being should be within the parameters. As I recall you have a certain jutsu that works in such a way." He would say with a smirk as he rolled up the mission summons and tucked it into the side of his flak jacket- he would walk to the edge of the rooftop, his back to Raleth as he continued to speak "I have a feeling that whoever this shinobi is, theyll reveal themselves to us soon enough. This is the area that theyve been choosing to target correct?" He would say, awaiting a reply as he continued to peer down at the village buildings. 

[WC=551]

Jutsu used and Calcs:

Zaine Uchiha Stats:

Gen Jutsu, ninja extraordinaire, greatest ninja of all time, stealing from old grannies....

Yeah, things weren't going well for the once honored shinboi. His team called him a coward, his village abandoned him, and he had no choice but to leave. So what if he didn't want to fight to the death. Why waste his life against some nobodies that just happened to outnumber them. No, he escaped, and he wasn't embarrassed for it.

Ah well, its a new day and there's bound be a new target in his criminal haven. An old lady here, a young boy there, really anyone can be a target against these weak citizens. And so far, none of them posed a real challenge, and none of them had nearly enough money to make up his lost wages. He was ready to make some real cash, go against people with real money, and get the heck out of here. And even if things got rough he could use his ace technique, and escape like he did THAT time.

Alas, nearing midnight he would find his target. A well dressed man heading out of the tavern looking like a drunken fool. Maybe his wife just left him or his dad died but he was distressed. Easy, rich, pickings...

Gen would approach the man creating 2 brick walls. A mirage, but it would appear as though the man to take a right into this alley to continue walking forward. As expected.... the man would see the wall, shrug it off, and turn right into the alley where Gen was lay in waiting, giving himself the illusion of a light post, he wouldn't suspect a thing. Gen pulled a kunai on the man, grabbing him as soon he got into distance, and putting his other hand over his mouth.

"Too Easy" Gen would say, pulling out the mans wallet from his pants...

[WC]
False Surroundings(20 AP, 630)

Gen Jutsu:

"Excellent deduction, Zaine," said Raleth in regards to the Uchiha's observation on the possible power or rank of the night-time thief. "If you're correct, we would need to be more than cautious. A moment of hesitation or second-guessing can cost us our lives, but I know I don't need to tell you that." The ash-haired Sarutobi looks at his friend, his eyes twinkle as he spots the dune-colored jounin jacket. "I see they finally recognized your skill! I heard Sunagakure had gotten another Jounin in its ranks, I just didn't know it was you," says the immense chuunin, beaming, "if I would have known, I would have brought more tea and fruit! Ah, celebrations can come later, we have more important things to focus on!"

Zaine closes his eyes and opens them, revealing the doujutsu of the Uchiha, his fully matured sharingan. Raleth feels a shiver snake down his spine as the red gaze of his friend passes over him, his body can feel the many calculations Zaine must be making as he takes in numerous visual stimuli, and the sheer amount of calculations and analysis unnerve the Sarutobi.. The red-eyed Zaine would explain his plan to the ash-haired Raleth, and the Sarutobi would nod in agreement. A mischievous smirk would spread over his stone face when the Uchiha mentions a jutsu perfect for "paralyzing" their target.

"I'm glad you remember that jutsu well. If I recall, you've had more than enough experience with it."

Pride swells in his chest, the shinobi in front of him becomes more impressive as each day passes. As Zaine asks Raleth his final question, movement in the peripherals of Raleth's senses grabs his attention. He turns to face the crisscrossing, moon-lit maze of alleyways and side streets, and answers the Uchiha.

"This is indeed the Manipulator's hunting grounds...and it looks like he's found another victim."

From the vantage point of the lone roof, Raleth can see a well-dressed man stumble drunkenly from a bar. As he walks home, he pauses, as if seeing something that isn't there. He turns, and walks into a closed off alleyway. Raleth stands, the small-wooden chair creaks as his weight is removed from it. He inhales, and forms the clone handseal. Chakra smoke bursts from his body, and two identical Raleth's appear to his left and right. In the next breath, the three Raleth's slow their chakra flow, suppressing its circulation in their bodies. 

"I'll head down first, and keep an eye on you," says the original Raleth as the other two keep eyes on a strange man walking down the alleyway the well-dressed drunk went down. "I'll place myself in strategic positions, and keep a 15 to 20 meter distance from the target. On your command, I'll strike."
The three Raleths turn to Zaine, a bright smile plasters their stone face, and each gives Zaine a hardy thumbs up.
"Let's make this quick, Jounin!"

The three Raleth's leap off the lone, moon-lit roof. One goes high, and hops from roof to roof, hugging shadows and crevices to keep hidden. Two go low, and hug the streets and walls, making careful and quiet steps forward. The two traversing the low ground position themselves on opposite ends of the alleyway the rich drunk and the unknown shinobi walked down, and make sure to block off all street-side exits. The one that went high would find a roof opposite the alleyway's entrance. With his positioning, Raleth has blocked off all easy-access exits, and has made the Manipulator's potential escape that much more difficult. 

All three raleth's extend their senses to a maximum range of 20 meters. Based on their positions, the three Raleth's cover an area that is 60 meters in diameter with their senses, more than enough to perceive the target, and Zaine. As the Raleth's get into position, they await their signal from the jounin, Zaine, to strike.

[[650/1252]]

Jutsu/AP/Skills:

His right hand would extend as his friend created his clones and leaped away, the words not able to leave his mouth before he took off to execute a plan- his hand that extended out in an attempt to stop his teammate before he leaped away. "He's always just jumping into action. Well atleast hes using a bit of tact. I dont think were going to be able to force our way out of this one." Zaine would note the positions of Raleth, the well dressed victim and the target- he would leap to the position of whichever Raleth was located on the rooftop opposite to the alley way, making sure to keep his movement silent and suppress his chakra simultaneously.

He would have liked to take a slightly less engaging approach for now but maybe this one would prove to be just as effective- he would act as support for Raleth as he took on the foe with his shadow clones. In a voice level that would be impossible for anyone without a heightened sense of hearing to pick up on he would speak to Raleth, "He has already enacted a genjutsu, that brick wall is made completely of chakra. That must have been how he got this guy to walk the path into the alley. So, send in one of your clones for a physical attack so we can feel him out and if you see an opportunity, use the technique. If not, just keep him on the defensive" He would focus his vision on the target specifically as he watched his hand reach for the man's wallet- it seemed he was only resorting to petty theft. 


He would look at Raleth and nod giving him the que to start the assault and rescue the victim to the best of his ability- he would form the handseals Tiger, Ram, Boar, Dragon and Horse before expelling earthen material from his mouth that would take the form of an identical clone of him at a speed of 75 after it shifted in color from a brown and hardened stone to match his skin tone along with his accessories. The clone would have sharingan active in the same fashion as the original Zaine and would stand at the ready for a counterattack if the situation were to go in an unfavorable direction. 

[WC=391]

Jutsu used and Calcs:

The Raleth on the roof peeks from the shadows and observes the machinations of the Manipulator in the alleyway. He notes a rotund civilian, whose face is lush from alcohol. The missing ninja picks the man's pocket, ryo flashes in the darkness of the alleyway.

A simple cutpurse? What a waste of potential...

The Raleth on the roof looks to the other two on the opposite sides of the alleyway's entrance, he nods to the Raleth on the right. He extends his hand, and lets the moonlight illuminate it in the night. He opens his palm and gestures.

Get Ready

The Manipulator counts his coins in the shadows of the alleyway, and he feels that fortune smiles on him. He tucks his spoils in his pockets, and believes that he will escape easily. Unaware of the situation he's in, he prepares his quick exit.  His chakra begins to spark, the three raleth's with their senses extended, feel this surge as the manipulator begins to form the one-handed ram handseal. Before it could be completed at the Manipulator's full speed, the Raleth to the right of the alleyway steps into the entrance at 75 speed, and extends his left arm out. He lunges forward, and slams his outstretched limb into the Manipulators body at 30 strength, more than enough to knock the air out of him and carry the small missing ninja a ways back. Because the Manipulator was in the middle of a body flicker, he would not be able to see the attack coming, or stop himself from running into Raleth's extended arm. 

As soon as Raleth feels his attack connect with the missing ninja, chakra would surge and flare from him. The manipulator would feel a sudden and crushing increase in gravity, so much so that his feet would sink into the ground. At this moment, after Raleth's Heavy Weight Boulder activates, Raleth would take his free hand and grab the back of the Manipulator's shirt. Wrapping his extended arm around the manipulators neck, and using his free hand, Raleth would lift and body slam the missing ninja into the ground, with such force that a small crater would form. The impact would send the missing ninja reeling, and would knock him out. If he was still conscious, he would find himself restrained, as his strength was not enough to move while under the effects of the Heavy Weight Boulder Technique.

The Raleth in the alleyway would stand and loom over the missing ninja, his open palm would hover above the Manipulator's forehead. His right hand would be closed in a fist, and would be poised to release a furious punch. He would tense, and a wave of chakra and pressure would burst from the stone-faced, ash-haired Sarutobi. A strength that could cleave summits would threaten to shatter the skull of the manipulator, and splatter his brains on the ground should he make an attempt to react. Poised like this, he would be an intimidating site. 

The other two Raleth's keep their senses extended during the assault, in case of any change of the situation.

[[516/1770]]

AP/Jutsu:

Zaine remained perched atop the roof with his rock clone and one of the three Raleths- he had no intention of dumping all of their resources into a frontal assault in case this mission did not conclude with their first strategy. Still, he would look over to his rock clone and give a nod as he saw Raleth make his move- the thief had just finished collecting the sum of money from the man and tried to make a hasty exit utilizing the body flicker technique. Zaine was able to see as he made the ram handseal and funneled chakra at a low density through his body to execute the technique- there were quite a few plans that the two had come up with in the event that they found themselves in a variety of unfavorable situations and if his guess was correct, the superb sensory capabilities of Raleth would allow him more than enough time to sense what was going on and intercept the thief with "That" plan. He would smirk as he watched his teammate step out in front of the perpetrator and exercise his superior strength to stop his body flicker in its tracks- having waited until the jutsu was activated was the perfect timing to ensure that he would be unable to cancel it or shift his movement. If all went well, the next phase of the plan would be executed immediately and Raleth would use his heavy weighted rock technique to lower the speed and raise strength of the target beyond his natural capabilities- this however would end in the opposite effect rendering the target unable to move if he did not have enough strength to withstand the technique and having been handed reports of their target being primarily a genjutsu user, his strength being up to par was highly unlikely.

Assuming the attack connected from Raleth, their foe would be sent to the ground and would be rendered unable to move- Zaine's rock clone would take this time to leap from the building as he reached into his left weapons pouch, pulling from it a 4 meter roll of ninja wire. Upon landing he would look at Raleth "Our orders are to bring him in alive so we need to make this fast or things could stand to get a bit tricky." He would motion over to Raleth indicating that he needed the perpetrator turned over so that he could bind his hands and feet with the ninja wire- assuming he was able to do so, he would follow up by pulling two senbon from his weapons pouch and grabbing each of the thief's hands one by one, stabbing a senbon through his fingers on each hand and pinning them together to prevent their movement so that even if he were to overcome the heavy weighted boulder technique, he would be unable to weave handsigns. This was sure to be painful but it was a price this man had to pay for their safety and his life- he figured that Raleth would be the one to carry the perp in and maintain the jutsu on him but the rock clone would keep close watch on him and Raleth, maintaining a 2 meter distance behind the large Sarutobi once they would begin making there way with the subdued enemy.


The real Zaine would continue to watch and remain on the roof incase the need for a counter attack was necessary- it would stand to reason that if another jutsu was utilized by the perp in the passing time, his sharingan should be able to pick up on it and a response would be executed in a timely fashion.

[WC=613]

Jutsu used and Calcs:

It was clear that this ninja assailant was indeed fast but he wasn’t too fast. In order for him to get into position, Raleth would need to respond instantly to the marvelous Gen Jutsu making the technique, and give him enough time to respond accordingly. It was a good move, to block the nearest exit, and make sure that he couldn’t escape. Unfortunately the alley was just wide enough, about three meters from building to building, to give Gen the means to escape, and be warned about the man's presence. With the burst the speed that the body flicker technique gave him Gen would hug the left side of the alley to make sure that it was outside of the man's wingspan. Since Gen was posing as a lamp post on that side anyways there really wasn’t a whole lot of his trajectory that was changed. The master of the would be able to slide past Raleths wingspan by about a foot and continue on his designed route.

Shit, how did they find me, ME?! Gen thought to himself as he arrived in the pavilion. He knew he didn’t have long before these sand goons would be back on his tail. He had to make for clean getaway, pack what money he had back at the safe house, and hightail it out of the village. It was time for Gen to prep his ace. As Gen was running through the pavilion and across the other side of the fountain Gen would weave a few hand signs in succession: Ox, Snake, Ram, Tiger. The elite mist hidden ninja would create a thick mist that spawned from around him at a speed of 40 as he continued running. Using this thick mist as cover the coward would wait at the edge of the pavilion right outside the small road that leads out of it. He knew he had to time it perfectly if he was getting out of here.

[Hidden Mist: 30 AP - 590] (Hidden Mist is a B Rank tech not an A Rank so I am considering it un-mastered)

327/914

(BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CONTACT, HEAVY WEIGHT BOULDER DID NOT ACTIVATE)

The Raleth in the alleyway extends his arm, he lunges forward and expects his attack to connect. He senses the chakra of the Manipulator fluctuate, the missing ninja alters the path he travels, and steps a foot away from the Sarutobi's outstretched limb: avoiding the clothesline from the immense, ash-haired chuunin. The instant this happens, as the Raleth in the alleyway is perpendicular to the Manipulator, the shadow clone bursts into a cloud of white chakra smoke. The information from the clone's senses, the speed at which the missing ninja moves, the location he wishes to arrive, and the direction he is going to go is transmitted to the real Raleth Sarutobi that sits on the roof facing the alleyway. He looks to the red-eyed jounin. Zaine darts his pinwheel eyes to Raleth, the Sarutobi nods his head in affirmation to the Uchiha's telegraphed plan. 

The shadow clone poofs into smoke, the manipulator continues body flickering, the Raleth on the roof claps his hands: releasing a massive amount of earth chakra. The air around his body is manipulated, density is altered, and the effect of Gravity on Raleth is lessened. He hovers inches above the ground, and bursts forward after completing his Ultra-Lightweight-Boulder Technique.

He flies down at 155 speed and blocks the Manipulator's path, and prevents him from running toward the pavilion. As the mission-ninja completes his body flicker, he meets with the stone-faced visage of Raleth Sarutobi, and would know that his escape has failed.  Raleth senses chakra sparking in the missing ninja, and feels the push and pull of the tides, the sensation of a water based jutsu. Before the missing ninja could string a handseal at 60 speed, or react to the change in his situation, the hovering Sarutobi, trusting Zaine's plan, would exhale sharply, and release a furious jab at 155 speed while bringing his left arm up in guard, to the face of the missing ninja, at 35 strength. If it connects, the missing-ninja's head would snap back, the force of punch would break his nose and leave him dazed. As his right fist connects, Raleth would inhale and snap his right arm back in guard,  and exhale, releasing a devastating left hook to the missing ninja's side 155 speed, and 35 strength. If it connects, the missing ninja's ribs would crack, and he would slump over to his right. As his fist connected, the Sarutoi would inhale, and snap his left arm back in guard, and exhale, letting loose a calamitous uppercut at 155 speed with his right hand, at 35 strength, to the jaw of the missing ninja. If it connected, the frame of the Manipulator would rattle, his teeth would crack, and he would be knocked out and launched back. 

Because of the close proximity between Raleth and the Manipulator, the missing ninja would find it difficult to react accordingly, the Sarutobi's speed and strength being more than double his own. But, Raleth will ensure the mission's success. If any of his fists make contact with the Manipulator, earth chakra would surge through the Sarutobi's body. The missing ninja's feet would sink into the ground, and he would crumble to the earth as the Heavy Weight Boulder technique would take effect. If this happened, Raleth would stop his assault, the missing ninja would be unable to do anything at this point.

The Raleth at the far end of the alleyway would keep his chakra suppressed, and would slowly make his way forward, keeping hidden in the shadows.


[[596/2366]]

AP/Jutsu: