Don't Look To The Sky No More [Hunter]

Mission Info:

Stats:

Saturn zipped up his pants as he walked out of the temple. The shrill sound of the blades protruding from the two weapons attached to each of his feet as they dragged across the ground under his armor cloak Sichelmond sounded like sharp nails scraping across one of the blackboards back in Thunderpeak Campus. The eery stillness and the faint smell of sulphur lingering in the air reminded him of his nighttime strolls in the Charred Remnants of Black Forest. The grand temple behind him was exceedingly large, even more so than described in the various black books the Fortuneteller read during his time in Kumogakure's prison. Its intricate dark pillars stretched across the ominous terrain, and it was tricky to tell where the temple actually began.

Saturn's pointy nose twitched. Is that... Lamb? He wondered, but he had imagined it. He let out a deep sigh through the mouth of his horned Ram Skull Mask, and lightly loosened his grip on his Minotaur's Labrys and Spiked Kusarigama, letting out the sound of whirring gears as his Mano De Plata prosthetic adjusted to the new level of pressure being applied through his augmented equipment.

Saturn had been away from home. The Chunin was homesick, but if he were to face the Raikage, he knew that things had to change. He could not go back empty handed. He made a vow to Ichigo, and Jun, that he would complete a holy pilgrimage and return as a stronger shinobi. He found out what he could about the elusive ritual, but he was unable to gain any significant leads on the most potent version of Jashin's blessing that was described in the dark bible.

'Lord Jashin's Gone Fishing! Blessings on hold!'

The sign he had found in the temple earlier had agitated him. He clenched his iron fist. He stood in the barren dark land, nothing around him but the vague temple. He stared into the horizon. He was sick of this place. Maybe it was time to head back.

---

WC:337

Battle Info:

Saturn raised his brow behind his white mask as the silhouette of the peculiar stranger and his shadow clones interrupted the line of sight to the sun. Saturn himself often meditated with his clones. He would have his clones invade his mind and him theirs in a mental Yamanaka fucky fuck when he was bored. It was a little strange, however, that the specimen seemed to have their gaze fixed ominously on the Kumon Chuunin. His own eyes basked in a subtle cyan fire as he gauged the stranger's capabilities using a sensory technique taught to him by an ancient sorcerer in Winter Wonderland. Speed: 25. Strength: 1 His heart sank with a subtle disappointment as he spaced out.

Sensing no threat Saturn would swiftly turn his back to Tobias and candidly walk directly away at a slow and relaxed pace.

---

[Exit unless interrupted]

Gauge (C): -10 AP
+1 Nature Stack, +10 AP (Natural Berserker)

DR: 25/25
HP: 300/300
AP: 1250/1250
Nature Stacks: 2

Saturn detected the space time forcefield as it spawned, passively with chakra sensory. At the same time, Mimas who had been latching onto him twitched upon detecting it, signaling danger. He turned his neck, and his eyes immediately picked up on the speed and power of the technique that had spawned in close to him.

Acting immediately, the chuunin activated Raijins Rage and then used Instant Transmission to teleport 20 meters in the direction of the compressing space time energy at a speed of 170. Emerging on the other side, Saturn would run directly away from the center of the expanding sphere back in the direction his back had been facing when singularity spawned, at a speed of 220 until he was out of its range. As he emerged, he saw that of the three identical figured he had seen earlier only two were visible. Reacting swiftly he formed the hand seals  Rat - Dragon - Boar - Monkey - Horse to use Minds Eye Of The Kagura. The sensory technique would reveal to him the position of the third body, Tobias underground.

He would keep running at his full speed until he was out of the range of Tobias’ singularity, watching keenly for any signs of danger sensing which he would be ready to react swiftly.

If Tobias did not move, Saturn would swiftly get within ten meters of his position and stomp the ground  to use World’s Fury at a power and speed of 140 sending a shockwave measuring 10 meters in radius and 20 meters in length into the ground below his foot and then throw a kunai in Tobias’ direction.

Mimas used split second, debuffing singularity by 50 points.

Tobias would not be able to see any of the actions described above, as his shadow clones positioned near their spawning points would not be able to communicate the scene to Tobias in his circumstances.

[br]

Battle Info:

How did this happen? There Saturn was - True Fire of Samadhi 5 meters behind him, Apasam Kamui 3 meters above him, Swamp of the Underworld 3 meters in front of him and his would be assassin making the very first hand seal out of seven at a speed of 24 for Hurricane Sidewinder, since the thick black smoke had already hindered the Chuunin's sense of sight and hearing. While keeping Raijin's Rage activated, he relied on Mind's Eye of the Kagura to detect the fire, space-time, wood and water forces, as well as the assassin responsible for casting them. When was the last time Saturn truly felt happy?

Was it in Mikadzuki Beach, surfing and shooting PG films with Baruga? Or with Goro, fending bears off the streets in local towns? It wasn't in the Haunted Mansion with Majima and Rizuke, nor was it in Winter Wonderland with Jun Shibasaki. The last time Saturn truly felt happy was in Warmonger's Arena, taking the heads off of human beings with his axe. His reaction was swift. It happened in a blink.

Standing tall, he kept running forward at a speed of 220, his hand around the hilt of his one meter long, fully extended Minotaur's Labrys, its crescent blades dragging on the ground in front of him as he infused his Ram Skull Mask with chakra and signed Tiger > Boar > Rat > Dragon with his hand for Flying Swallow, infusing its three-foot long horns. While on the move, Saturn tilted his neck up and used the slashed with his horns to strike the descending Appasam Kamui with an amplified Quake Release: Green Light, 30 points added to its power by his amplifier. A spherical area of effect would expand from his right horn at a speed of 220 to a radius of 35 meters, destroying all techniques in its path that have a power lower than 250, thus protecting Saturn. When the blade of his dragging labrys in front of him made contact with Swamp of The Underworld, the Jade infused within the weapon would simply seal the technique, rendering it ineffective. Its Senju Wood would steal 50 AP from Tobias and add it to Saturn's reserve, and its Thallium would add an additional 2 posts to the cooldown of  Swamp of The Underworld.

He would be able to, and would in fact run another 3 meters before Tobias fired Hurricane Sidewinder, at which point they would be 9 meters apart. "Hang on, Mimas, don't die, champ!"

"Mi! Mi! Mimas! Mimi!" It wept from inside singularity, but Saturn would not hear it.

While maintaining a minimum distance of 9 meters, Saturn would wait for the water release technique to be fired before then immediately picking a spot 5 meters directly behind Tobias and teleporting there with Instant Transmission.

Once his teleportation was complete, Saturn who had not yet figured out the Genjutsu, with his eyes closed would stay alert, ready to react appropriately should any sudden threat arise. He would immediately sign Dragon > Boar > Serpent > Bird with his left hand for Splashing Carp, adding 30 points to the speed of his next technique and infusing it with the water element before then immediately swinging his Minotaur's Labrys slashing through the air making a wind current pick up as he used Sky Shredding Dragon. An area of effect measuring 10 meters in radius would expand outwards from his body at a speed of 250, dealing 250 damage to Tobias unless he got out of the way.

Spoiler:

OOC Note:

Saturn was 5 meters behind his assailant. Relying on Mind's Eye of the Kagura to navigate as he had been, and having been passively protected from the freezing effect of Apasam Kamui by the health of his enhancer Raijin's Rage (Health: 220) Saturn's actions had remained the same until he safely teleported 5 meters behind Tobias. Tobias, who had seen Saturn's labrys seal Swamp of The Underworld would have noticed that Saturn had swung his horns and casted Quake Release: Greenlight (Power: 240 | Speed: 220) before the swamp that spawned 3 meters in front of him was sealed. It would not be possible for Tobias to fire Hurricane Sidewinder before Saturn's weapon touched the swamp, because the Chuunin who had his 1 meter long axe fully extended in front of him, at a speed of 220 would have moved forward a distance of 2.75 meters plus 1 meter after accounting for the length of Minotaur's Labrys, and more counting Saturn's arm, towards the expanding swamp in the time his assailant could perform 3 hand seals at a speed of 24. Since Saturn was in fluid motion, he had already finished performing the 4 necessary hand seals for Flying Swallow and swung his 0.9 meter long horns to cast his technique, which did not need to make contact with Apasam Kamui to spawn, by the time he had covered 0.4 meters.

Saturn had continued with his teleportation exactly when Tobias fired Hurricane Sidewinder. His own quake technique would have provided cover while Saturn came no closer than 9 meters to Tobias up until his teleportation as predetermined earlier . The quake release technique would, Saturn hoped, place Apasam Kamui and True Fire of Samadhi on cooldown before losing its clash to Hurricane Sidewinder. Either way, he continued with his actions nonetheless.

Since the first Genjutsu was dispelled and the second one casted in the very instant Saturn had begun his teleportation, he would not notice that his hearing had come back until after he re-emerged 5 meters behind his would be assassin. He noticed with Mind's Eye of The Kagura that Hurricane Sidewinder was well on its way to clash with True Fire of Samadhi (if it had not been dispelled by Green Light), and if Apasam Kamui were still expanding towards its full radius, the sphere would still be contained within a region in front of Tobias, with the user of the Kamui technique between Saturn and the expanding sphere of immaterial chakra. With his back turned to Tobias, he saw the black smoke disappear from around him before he had gone on to close his eyes, as he had, having made no changes to his manoeuvre. He recognized  Demonic Illusion: Ultra-Lightweight Fabric Smoke  as it was a Genjutsu known to him, and noted to himself to be wary of illusory techniques although he would now be under the influence of the second Genjutsu unbeknownst to him despite the guidance from Mind's Eye of The Kagura.

Believing the fake apparition of Tobias, which was directly overlapped with Tobias himself, to be the real deal, upon finishing his teleportation Saturn had immediately went on to perform Dragon > Boar > Serpent at his new speed of 190 for Splashing Carp, however, he would make the only change right before he performed the last hand seal. He realized as he weaved his hand seals that his speed had been lowered by the familiar Genjutsu. Thus, instead of adding 30 points to Sky Shredding Dragon's speed, he would now choose to add 10 points to its power and 20 points to its speed instead, bringing its new power to 250 and speed to 210.

He would wave Minotaur's Labrys behind him, towards his assailant, and cast Sky Shredding Dragon immediately after signing the last hand seal for his water infusion amplifier, causing a spherical area of effect to expand from his weapon up to a radius of 10 meters at a speed of 210 from 5 meters behind Tobias. Saturn would perform a second subtle swing of the same weapon in Tobias's direction when the area of effect extended an inch from the weapon, summoning a 'dragon' of air current from the outer edge of the expanding area of effect. It would be a cylindrical shape measuring 15 meters in radius tethered in its spawn point on the outer edge of the expanding current that would expand 40 meters forward towards Tobias, with Tobias centered in the middle of its path.

If Tobias did not move out of the path of Sky Shredding Dragon, he would be struck with the currents and dealt 250 damage. The augment materials on Minotaur's Labrys would also come into effect, draining 50 AP from Tobias into Saturn's AP reserve with Senju Wood and adding 2 posts to the cooldown of the assassin's barrier technique with Thallium. 

Saturn stayed alert and simultaneously as the area of effect spawned on the edge of his blade, he dropped his Spooky Doll from his person onto the ground behind him, letting it stay upright its face facing Tobias while he wove hand seals for his next technique with his left hand, Dragon → Snake → Monkey → Ram → Tiger to use Sage Art: Reduction (Power: 120 | Speed: 120 ), causing an intangible area of effect to expand from his body to a radius of 25 meters. Should any immaterial or intangible technique touch this area of effect, Saturn would debuff the jutsu's power by 50 points. Otherwise, Saturn would pay close attention to determine his decision while the field would linger.

Unless the circumstances change meaningfully enough for him to decide not to, after casting Sage Art: Reduction, Saturn would immediately perform four more hand seals Snake → Monkey → Rat → Dragon to use Third Eye, manifesting three human sized eyes on the face of his spooky doll - one in the middle facing directly forward towards where Mimas had been stunned, one 90 degrees left and one 90 degrees right respectively from the middle eye. These eyes being unable to detect Genjutsu would not see Tobias' apparition although Mind's Eye of The Kagura remained fooled. Saturn, eyes closed ever since he shut them earlier, sensing something aloof would immediately use Genjutsu Release without hand seals paying 40 AP to free himself from Genjutsu Clone.

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Battle Info:

OOC

Since my opponent has indicated to me that he wishes to call in a BM at this point, I would like to humbly request that the BM take into consideration the following points in defense of the decisions made by Saturn:

1. In my previous post, I strongly implied that actions were happening at full speed as a direct response to the circumstances, describing Saturn's actions in chronological order.
   
   
2. In the same post, I did not leave distance metrics completely abstract and up for interpretation. With respect to this I wrote what would happen after sealing Swamp of The Underworld: "He would be able to, and would in fact run another 3 meters before Tobias fired Hurricane Sidewinder, at which point they would be 9 meters apart."
   
   
3. In his last post, since Tobias wrote "He noticed his Swamp of the Underworld had been absorbed by Saturn's axe as he drew it along the ground." followed by a new remark before "He continued to form the correct handseals for Hurricane Sidewinder", instead of "He had continued to form the correct handseals for Hurricane Sidewinder', this seems like those two events happened one after the other, opening up a new timeline for himself from the point where Jade had sealed Swamp of The Underworld. 
   
   
4. In my last post, I depicted when the sealing would have occurred taking into account Saturn's predetermined moving speed and measurements of his fully extended weapon to show that some calculations in Tobias' most recent post may have been inaccurate given the way his response is written and because speed is relative.
   
   
5. Most importantly, even if Tobias' calculations are completely correct and Saturn's wrong no actions taken by Tobias or change in distance metrics seem to be sufficient to stop the actions taken by Saturn up until my last post, which is the second post describing the teleportation that had already happened from Saturn's point of view. The trigger for the teleportation was the firing of Hurricane Sidewinder throughout.
   
   

I also request the BM upon making a decision to clarify what happens to the durations and cooldowns of the techniques that are in play once an anchor point is established.


All that said,  I would like to thank the BM for their valuable time, and Joro for the opportunity to do this hunter. I hope a fair decision can be made so that we can resume 'cause this has been fun!