First Impressions [P]

Taking stock of himself, the young Iouchiryo decides to take her up on the offer. So it was that, from that moment forth, Koutaku was ready to change tacts, maneuvers, or actions to adapt to even the subtlest shifts in his opponent’s position or actions. With great vigilance he would denote any alterations in his own intended actions such that--should the diverge from the expected path--he could immediately react and adjust accordingly to the change in his situation.

“Well, since you insist,” Koutaku replies, giving her a small grin, his eyes filled with mischief as he takes his place 15 meters from the middle of the training grounds. Since she’s given him leave to start, the genin observes the grounds for a moment, taking it all in and noting her chosen weapon. Unbidden, almost unconsciously, a part of his mind begins a detailed analysis, its voice that of his elder sister: Kaiu.

‘A chained sickle, a complex and masterful weapon. Anyone wielding such an implement should be treated with a measure of fear and respect. The former to keep you cautious, the latter to temper the former. It is a cunning weapon, an artful instrument, its blade and chain designed to fool the unwary into forgetting the weight at its end. Watch, brother, look at her stance, the way she moves, how she spins the chain. Focus.’

So he did, drawing in an almost clipped breath, the action nonetheless filling his longs, before exhaling. The thoughts, his actions, they took only the briefest of instants, but as the air left his lungs, emotion drained from his features. They replaced only by a steely blue-eyed gaze, and an expression of complete focus. “Kusarigama, good choice,” he commented idly, using the armoury seal to summon his equipment onto his person. Blinking once, Koutaku took one step forward, and flicked his right hand downwards and out to his side. Wires glinted in the air, and his Demon Wind Shuriken spun off from his back and into motion as it blurred downwards in a pendulum swing that ended as his fingers snared its handle. With the light as it was, the truly masterful observer might notice wires already around his forearms, right hand, and harmlessly threaded into certain mechanisms of the massive shuriken.

Sizing up the kage, Koutaku eyed the distance between them as he rapidly considered his options. Recalling his bout with Travin, his failure at the arena, and missteps beforehand, he had to admit that he was ill-prepared for such an exchange. Nonetheless, he had to try. That considered, it didn’t mean that things had to be totally one-sided, it also didn’t mean that he could reasonably allow Murata to set the tone and cadence of their engagement. Planting his feet, Koutaku maneuvered his fingers within the wire he’d placed such that the shuriken sat on the back of his hand as if it were a very large buckler shield. That done, he took one last breath, and performed handseals at the same time as he thrust forth with a tremendous burst of acceleration to immediately reach his maximum velocity. Before he’d moved even two feet, he’d already finished his two sets of two-handed seals.

For the first technique, nothing appeared to happen except that Koutaku’s blue-eyed gazed became ever-so-slightly luminescent. The second jutsu however, well, as he held the snake handseal with his left hand--returning his fuma shuriken to a more proper grip in his right--it immediately activated. As it did so, Koutaku crossed the 1 meter mark, putting him precisely 29 meters from Murata.

To the kage’s right and left sides two spears of earth erupted from the ground, rising at 65 speed to their max height of 7 meters. Each of these spears was 3 meters to her left and right, and 3 meters in front of her, making the distance between the spears 6 meters. 3 meters in front of these spears rose another two, mirroring one another in their exact position--this would put them a total of roughly 6 meters from Murata and one another. The final spear rose from the ground at an angle, stabbing out from the earth 3 meters in front of her such that at its full 7-meter length it would strike the kage if she didn’t move. Koutaku would continue running for 5 meters, careful to pace himself. He’d not be running into any attacks this time, not if he could manage it at least.

Spoiler:

"My natural inclination is to polearms, but I enjoy the flexibility sometimes," Murata calls back. Koutaku is in short order fully armed, in contrast to Murata, who only boasts her Salamander Kusarigama and casual dress. Seven seals from Koutaku as he moves forwards.

Murata notes the disturbance of the earth in front of her from the emerging earth spear and steps two meters to the direct left in response. The earth spear, being two meters at its base and narrowing to a point, pierces the air next to her. The remaining spears rise into the air directly upwards as stalagmites, presumably to set up for a later technique.

Murata then shimmies forward through gaps between the emerged spears, ending at a point five meters directly in front of her original position after stepping around the angled spear and forward between the upright ones. This places her two meters in front of the centre point of the base of the angled spear and three meters from the spears on either side of her. With Koutaku stopping six meters from his original position, the pair now face one another at a distance of 19m.

Judging by the velocity of his technique, he likely did not need to use all of those seals to muster just those spears, unless it is remarkably inefficient. There may be a second technique at play that she does not see yet. An infusion, perhaps? Murata's eyes turn scarlet as she activates her Sharingan, her sense of the chakra around her now supplemented by a visual component, and she awaits further action from her opponent. If she plays defensively to start, she will be better able to gauge his fighting style and provide feedback.

286
TWC 1483

Sharingan Three Tomoe -10 AP
Murata AP 891/921

Remaining vigilant to any adjustments in his opponent’s actions beyond what he already knew--that she had dodged his spears, and continued until closing the distance between them to 19 meters--Koutaku was ready at any instant during his actions to change course or alter his response should one be necessary to continue.

Until then, Koutaku continued to run forwards after covering the first five meters of distance, watching closely as Murata displayed her full speed, easily evading his initial foray. Of course, by doing so she’d also closed some of the distance between them, and put some of his earth spears outside of her field of view. Given her positioning, the two spears closest to him were now also closest to her. Of course, given the disruption of her chakra making it impossible for him to form techniques so close to her person, he couldn’t entirely abuse that fact. Nonetheless, he decided on the positioning of his next five spears.

Taking a step to his left such that he crossed a meter of space diagonally, Koutaku initiated the next phase of his plan. So positioned 18 meters from his adversary, Koutaku’s single-held handseal caused the next five spears of earth to erupt from the ground. The first two appeared 3 meters in front of those currently closest to Murata, mirroring one another as their predecessors had. The next spear rose 6 meters in front of Murata, stabbing straight upwards as the others had. Finally, the last pair of spears rose from the ground 3 meters to the sides, and 3 meters forward--further out from Murata--of the pair of earth spears closest to Koutaku.

Continuing his approach, Koutaku moved another 5 meters forwards.

Spoiler:

When the spear rising in front of Murata blocks line of sight between herself and Koutaku, she puts her Kusarigama at her hip (quickly tying the chain around her hip so she can easily use the weapon later, positioned without risk of hurting herself or tripping on the chain length) and flashes through handseals - Snake, Hare, Monkey, Bird, and Ox.

A flash of light silhouettes the earth spears in front of Koutaku, and the smell of ozone floods the air. CRACK! - Murata's False Darkness technique (Power and Speed 45), narrowed into a powerful beam, smashes through the two earth pillars and sends them crumbling to the ground. The bright beam of lightning chakra barrels towards Koutaku, having been aimed directly forward by Murata. It won't seriously harm him if it comes into contact, due to Murata pulling her punches with her Tender Hands skill, but it will give him a bit of a shock and reduce his HP.

After firing her attack, Murata maintains her position, keeping eyes, ears, and sensory abilities on the lookout to see where Koutaku heads next and react accordingly. 

False Darkness -26AP
Sharingan Three Tomoe -10 AP
Murata: 855/921

184
TWC 1667

Events proceeded, and as they did, Koutaku--as ever--remained ready to change tacts at any moment should he need to in order to react accordingly. Eyes widening fractionally as he notes the silhouette of light rapidly growing in brilliance--and the crackling static of electricity in the air--Koutaku acts. Repositioning his right hand such that the Fuma Shuriken was once more held on the back of it like a buckler--he did this at max speed. Now, with his hand free, Koutaku was able to perform a single handseal to initiate a technique, even as he swiped with his left hand such that he created a spiral starting a foot in front of the center of his chest, and ending when it was 1 meter in diameter. Due to his speed, the action took mere moments, the unseen beam of lightning traveling a scant few inches by its end.

The spiral of wind chakra he’d drawn out with his hand pressed forth at a speed/power of 80 passing the earth spear beside him and continuing forwards till it inevitably collided with the lightning technique that Murata had released. The technique took a form more similar to a spear than a crescent, the spiral having elongated to a projectile 1 meter in length. The two clashed briefly at a distance of roughly 5 meters from Murata, but inevitably, Koutaku’s technique won out, its greater power--and elemental advantage--allowing it to continue forth towards the Kage.

After he’d released Kazanami, the young Iouchiryo immediately designated the points at which his next five earth spears would rise, taking several running steps to cross 2 meters of distance forward and 1 meter to the right as he continued to close the gap between them. After he’d passed .5 meters, his earth spears began to rise from the ground. The first of them rose at his starting location, .5 meters back from him at the time of its emergence--its distance from Murata 15 meters. The next two rose from the earth 4 meters to sideways from his new position (2.5 meters ahead of his starting spot), and 1 meter forwards. The last pair rose 4 meters ahead of his person and 1 meter to either side. As before, the spears each had 65 health/power and rose at the same speed. As those spears began to rise, Koutaku let his hand fall out of the handseal it’d been holding and he flicked his wrist.


With his left hand extended, the flick caused him to draw a host of three wirebound shuriken to hand, which he kept in store even as he moved another meter forward. As he finished that movement he performed a series of handseals with his right hand, using the bulk of the fuma shuriken to block the nature of the seals from Murata’s view.

Immediately, two clones popped into existence 1 meter to each side of him and 2 meters ahead of him. They were perfectly positioned so that they were hidden behind the silhouettes of the earth spears. As they appeared, both clones promptly prepared their respective fuma shuriken on their right hands, wire and all, at max speed.

Spoiler:

Koutaku dashes forward immediately after casting his Kazanami. Due to it moving at a speed of 60, and Koutaku moving at a speed of 140... he regrettably near immediately catches up with his own technique and runs into it, getting roughed up for 60 damage. The wind blade then forges forth on its diagonal path, slamming into the the earth pillar closest to Koutaku and dissipating due to being unable to surpass its Health or Power.

Koutaku is saved from running directly into the path of Murata's False Darkness, as his trajectory was taking him, due to instead running face-first into his own technique, presumably interrupting his movement. Instead, he is treated to the sight of the beam flashing directly past the point he'd been running towards, making his hair stand on end from the charge in the air.

After the dust clears, whether Koutaku continues with his described techniques or not, Murata awkwardly scratches at the back of her head with a look of concern. "You alright over there?" she calls.

172
TWC 1839

Perhaps making one of the rookiest mistakes he could muster, Koutaku--rather than advancing--ran directly into his own technique, immediately causing it to fall to shambles, rifling up his hair and clothes, and exploding in his face. Catching himself with one foot, Koutaku shook off the attack in swift order and then followed through with his plans, even as he grumbled under his breath about his own idiocy. Of course, as he took his first step forward, the kage’s lightning technique streaked by a meter from his person, smashing through the earth spear just behind and to his right. A shudder went through his entire body, as he turned his head to look at the damage, and then forcibly refocused his attention on the task at hand. He couldn’t let this upend his focus, he was better than that at the very least. So, thinking quickly, Koutaku decided to utilize his mistake and turn it into an advantage. Performing the Ram handseal, Koutaku used the Basic Clone Technique, creating an image of himself within the 2 x 2 meter haze of earthen detritus created by Murata’s technique destroying his earth spear.

With that done, he’d move 3 meters forward and 1 meter to the side at an angle so he ended up 12 meters from Murata. Two of the earth spears he’d summoned previously blocked his and Murata’s line of sight--obscuring her view of him entirely--and he used that fact to his advantage as well. Quickly performing a series of handseals--Tiger - Horse - Ram - Clone seal--which promptly resulted in the creation of two shadow clones.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Koutaku said, channeling chakra in order to throw his voice back to his prior location attempting to give her a false idea of his position. This action would be reinforced by the thick cloud of earthen dust and detritus caused by her earlier technique. The result was Koutaku’s silhouette within the earthen mist, which was drifting very slowly to the ground, and would probably take another minute (2-3 posts) or so to clear. Meanwhile, his two clones had appeared 2 meters in front of him such that each one of them was positioned directly behind a spear of earth. Koutaku didn’t stop there though, he utilized Hidden Arms to swiftly draw 3 wirebound shuriken into his left hand. At the same time, his two shadow clones prepared their Fuma shuriken in an identical way to their creator--wire and all.

From there, he waited, wanting to see what she might do in response, his ears peeled, ever primed to react.

Spoiler:

He's fine? Wonderful. Murata begins to move forward to close in, tracking the production of Koutaku's clones and techniques with her chakra sensory, when the pair hear a call from the other side of the training field.

"Lord Third," a jounin calls, "You're wanted at the Estate, the Yuki need something - Ah, should I tell them you're busy...?"

"Erm," Murata calls back, at first tempted to say 'yes', but she relents. "...I suppose I need to talk to them before I leave, yeah. I'm sorry, Koutaku, I've got to cut this short."

To provide a more formal farewell, Murata heads forward, walking directly to the real Koutaku (stepping around the rock pillars). With a grin, she gives him a gentle tap on the forehead - and immediately memories flash through his mind, providing him the basics to develop a technique that may be useful for a weapons user such has him in the future, the Perfect Body. Mostly, the memories consist of Murata getting blown across the room by a frazzled-looking Jounin apologizing for repeatedly wasting her Kage with wind techniques, the same one lingering awkwardly at the edge of the field. Looks like Murata isn't always a quick learner.

"See if that helps you out, huh?" she says. "Glad to have the chance to meet you, Koutaku. I'll be in touch with your clan."

With that, Murata departs to see what the Yuki clan wants.

Ninshu: Commune -30AP, allowing Koutaku to learn Perfect Body


235
TWC 2074

Claiming:
Training 40 AP
2074/2,500 words into Parry
memorizing Koutaku's chakra signature

Suddenly an outside element broke his concentration, and he turned his gaze to the newcomer, a jounin it seemed. As he turned back, he noted Murata had abandoned their fight--well, that was a shame--and was approaching at a measured pace. She seemed to have been entirely aware of his clones, which made him immediately reevaluate the tactic and realize that the clones were just barely within her sensory range. Grumbling to himself, Koutaku dismissed the shadow clones and stowed his fuma shuriken in its rightful place on his back. That done, he recalled the several shuriken he'd been planning to use--or had thrown--and by the time he was finished, Murata had reached him.

Giving her a curious look, Koutaku began to take a step back, only to find that her finger had already made contact with the center of his forehead. Instantly, his eyes glazed and images roiled through his mind, banishing all other thoughts and even the subtle sense of brief terror he had begun to feel. As he processed the rapid influx of sensory, and other experiential information, he found that any fear he'd felt swiftly began to diminish as he came to understand precisely what was happening. Then, all the sudden, it ended and he was left staggering back several steps before he stabilized and came entirely back to the here and now. Blinking and shaking his head a bit, Koutaku stared right through Murata for a moment before his eyes focused once again on the kage.

Still more than a little confused, Koutaku offered up a rather weak, “Thank you?” By the time he’d said it, Murata had already moved onto the next thing, and he found himself blinking in surprise.

“I--I’ll let them know...and likewise. See you around?” His voice lilted upwards at the end in a way that he immediately regretted afterward. It just made him seem... ill-suited for such situations. Even if that was in fact the truth, that didn’t exactly mean that he’d wanted to broadcast the fact in any capacity. Shaking his head as Murata and the jounin walked away, Koutaku waited till their line of sight was broken, and then let himself begin to relax. It was at this point that he rubbed his temples and let out a long exasperated sigh. Shaking his head again, Koutaku made his way off of the estate grounds and headed for his hidden spot up on the cliffs.

He needed to think…alone.

Spoiler:

Approved