It wasn't all that often that Ryota and the little crew of misfits he worked with were sent out to do things. Much less often was he sent to accompany Yusuke. After all, his hotheaded nature had seen him through his fair share of combat. Of course, they had only been working together for a few months now. Still, it hadn't taken long for Ryota to get a feel for the Uchiha's general vibe.
It was too easy to say that he didn't think. But that wasn't quite true. Still, they had been sent to investigate what was going on here. So when they arrived and Yusuke almost immediately went to antagonizing the jounin with the spear.
A small sigh escaped Ryota's masked lips. He wasn't much of a fan of how this man was holding himself either, for sure. But they couldn't afford to trade verbal barbs. So he stepped forward into the crowd, slipping up next to Yusuke right as he finished talking, subtly elbowing him in the side, fairly gently.
"Relax. He's not worth it. Remember, we're here to investigate, not take names as trophies."
He said, his voice low as he spoke. It wasn't often that he got quiet like this. It wouldn't surprise him if it threw off his fellow platoon member. But still, his eyes scanned the crowd, watching people's reactions, his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. So far, the reactions were tame enough. A young girl had found her way down there, and at least one person was trying to help her out.
The animal itself looked ready to charge at the slightest provocation, though. As for how people were reacting to the spearman, he could hear a fair number of comments that were all but making fun of his grand, sweeping statements.
If he had wanted people to take his claim that this was Iwagakure's business seriously, he had most certainly thrown that right into the trash with how he had decided to follow it up. It only took Ryota a few moments to look around at how people were reacting before he found himself looking back down at the animal that they had surrounded, only to glance at the uchiha he was standing next to out of the corner of his eye.
"You were pretty determined to get here before me. What do you make of things so far?" He asked, pulling a hand out of his left pocket to bring it to rest atop the simple steel pommel of the sword that hung off of his waist.
He knew this was likely to turn into a clusterfuck, given how many people were here vying for the same thing. But he had only just caught up to Yusuke. He had probably missed a few key visual cues. It was worth seeing what his erstwhile partner might have seen, and hear his take.
[attr="class","APP3"]The carrion oft' attracted vultures, more meek birds of prey -- but birds of prey regardless of the grandeur married to their gaits. It was hard to tell what Seiichi Koji was--in that regard--just as it was difficult to tell where these numerous shinobi fell as the space soon seemed abuzz with activity. These musings, though, mattered not as things were bound to reveal themselves, as they often would, when the action began. There had been faces he recognized with mild ease and others he had not known at all, the benefit of being active in his village's militia provided him with intel of the world around and Her numbering agents. Already there were taller blades of grass among the rest, commanding in their attention as they acted of their own volition while others were simply present and had to also be noted. The Kumo Jounin seemed the largest among the lot, taller and wider than most as he appeared on the scene with a gi stained in sweat and earth and the pelt of a great beast felled by his own hands christening his crown of disheveled hair, worn as an achievement as it should have outright been seen. A hook, along with pouches that housed varying ninja tools were also on his person as he had chosen to not neglect in preparation; from the hook hung his dangerous claws, frightful blades that spanned the length of his own great forearms with a sharpness that was useful for little else save crippling or maiming. For the duration of the journey, as he had not arrived alone, was spent on the backpedal as the genin of their merged group had advanced ahead at their own pace while Seiichi relegated his position to the back of the group and Kegawa somewhere in the middle of it; his positioning was as strategic as it was fitting to his own persona.
He listened as Kegawa commanded his great ninken forth, the beast low to the earth as it slithered around the massing forms that crowded to catch an eyeful of the great beast that had awoken, hopefully in time apprehend their genin before her fate could worsen. He liked her spirit, but it would take time to mold it into a proper mallet as to shatter the world with. Seiichi watched it with those sea-green eyes, a shadow cast over a portion of his stony visage as he analyzed the beast: it was more hulking than it seemed tall, however, the horn worn on its muzzle was stained darkly, a foreboding sign for those in its skewering path. It hadn't matched the reports given as the threat it commanded was enough to summon forth this battalion of active combatants, all specialist in a variety of disciplines with an itching to play in roles yet decided. The beast, though a sole rabble rouser than a venerable tsunami, was surely no monster to under mind. It had remained, hadn't it? Surely the expectation of responders coming to mollify the grievances of victims--be it in blood, life or property--bore as a possibility in its mind and, if only for that reason, a greater air of care was required in acting before it.
Seiichi stepped forth and moved beyond his group a few paces, the first time he had done so during the whole duration of their travel. He had been earshot of a man with a healthy statuesque, a Jounin of Iwagakure he gather, though his suggestion fell upon his ears as deaf mumblings as it had onto the pair of others. Dust had picked up around his bare feet when he had stepped forth, calloused thickly from the earth and immune to the discomfort rocks and uneven ground doled out. He eyed Kure and expected the extraction to go well, but was prepared to act with his weapon worn on his waist if he sensed anything other than success in the ninken's mission.
Thus he stood: stalwart and silent as if it were all he knew, only and forever. Though, where his mouth was inactive his mind was just the opposite: activity was taken by eyes that were both curious and jaded as they were tasked with assessing and noting while learned and dutiful ears listened and speculated-- even eavesdropping if he were in range.
Last Edit: Sept 11, 2021 14:10:29 GMT by Seiichi Koji
Deep in the forest a call was sounding... he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it.
Sniff. Sniff. Korogaru urged her bear forward as she followed the familiar musk of the man she respected above all others, her teacher, Seiichi Koji. On her approach, she could see there were a lot of people here; more than she was really comfortable with, even if those from other villages seemed more focused on their prey than settling turf disputes. She did a quick scan of the participants for village symbols belonging to the Hidden Mist. She had a score to settle with those contemptible pirates but everyone else was tolerable as long as they didn’t threaten her people.
Nomi skidded to a halt at the edge of a massive quarry next to Seiichi, claws gripping the ledge as his rider stood astride to stare into the shadowy expanse. Looking down she spotted the rhino on the move- and a young girl who’d found herself in the path of danger, a genin from her own village. As she considered leaping down to scoop up the girl, she spotted a familiar ninken attempting to do the same. It was her brother’s dog and she glanced about. Her stomach sank as she spotted Kegawa and she swallowed a lump in throat as standing beside him was her younger sister Kyuu. She wasn’t on great terms with her family but she didn’t like seeing them on a dangerous mission like this.
The young Uchiha’s hollars echoed around the quarry and Korogaru squeezed her legs tighter around Nomi’s thick body. There was no way she was going to wait on the sidelines with Kureiru and Kakimaru in danger. She urged the brown bear forward weaving hand seals as her mount leapt from foothold to foothold, picking up speed on the descent. Her stark white hair turned auburn at the scalp, her nose elongating into a thick snout, and her shoulders widening, and her fingernails sharpening into black claws. There was a feral look about her as the transformation took hold and she pushed up into a crouch on Nomi’s back until she could leap ahead and to the left to run alongside the beast on all fours.
In rehearsed synchronization they pushed off into a spin, hoping to capitalize on the distraction provided by both girl and dog, as the two whirlwinds of fang and claw aimed for a slam against the rhino’s side.
Notes: Fang Over Fang (I never said she was smart. lol) LOTTERY PLS
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Removed from the rest of the shinobi, there stood a lone man wearing a loose kimono. A pipe extended out from his lips as he stared out with his one functioning eye. The other was marked with three gaches, as if it had been horrifically mauled by a large beast. Meanwhile his left hand would run over his smooth, bald head to give it a gentle rub. It was an unfamiliar man to be sure, one that not a soul from among the other shinobi would recognize. And that was because the seasoned older man standing before them didn't really exist at all.[break][break]
Transformation techniques were certainly a useful tool in a nukenin's arsenal. The constant chakra drain meant that it wasn't efficient to keep it up all the time, but it wasn't severe enough that she couldn't keep it up for a bit before a hectic battle was about to begin. With any luck she would be able to drop it the moment the battle begun and rely on the chaos to keep any would-be bounty collectors from trying to snatch her. And if they did? Well it wouldn't be too hard to slip away in this environment.[break][break]
It was definitely something of a gamble to get mixed up in this, but how could she pass up such an opportunity? How often did hulking beasts like this show their faces here? As eager as she was to test her mettle against it, she had to remind herself that she wasn't who she once was. Trying to take that thing head on in her current state would be a death wish. She almost had half a mind to just sit the whole fight out and watch from the distance to see what happened. But that didn't seem like nearly as much fun.[break][break]
Or at least that was what she thought. But the moment that crazy Inuzuka threw herself at the monstrosity, the disguised shinobi burst into gravely, masculine laughter. The shinobi dropped to one knee, resting her good arm on her leg as she squinted to get a better look at the scene unraveling down in the pit. "Yeah! You gettem' you crazy mutt! Show em' what you've got, you bloody bear-dog freak!" She knew that technique anywhere, but seeing an Inuzuka with a bear? This whole thing was gonna be one hell of a show.
[attr="class","wassup1dangerfoot"]
[attr="class","wassup1dangertag"] @all
[attr="class","wassup1dangernotes"] Can never have too much chaos
[attr="class","addybody"] Sawako sat perched near the edge of the quarry, just a few feet to the left of Higa Toshio and his puppet. Blue eyes scanned the surroundings, noting the faces and relative positions of those who had also gathered, before locking on the rhino below. Unfortunately, the animal gave no hint toward its intentions or emotions - at least none that she could parse, being a human. Her main concern was that rumors included a whole stampede of the creatures, whereas now a single one remained. The others had either moved on or disappeared, meaning this rhino was either too weak to keep up or strong enough to be unconcerned with its location. In this case, it seemed prudent to assume the worst case scenario: they were dealing with something outside the norm.
It was exactly like Shoichi to start an argument with his flashy antics, so she tuned out the bulk of the conversation. None of the shinobi gathered here appeared hostile, even those from Amegakure, though she was wary of them. While keeping her senses open to their movements, she stood up and turned to glance at the familiar voice that had spoken up. Sound Chuunin, Uchiha. While she would not call him a friend or ally, Sawako considered that he might be a valuable asset in navigating this tense situation alive. She inclined her head toward Uchiha Yūsuke, but did not interrupt their conversation.
Instead, she turned toward the quarry again, watching the action unfold below. "Careful, Toshio. I suspect the animal is not just an animal. We need to be on our guard here, not rushing in like.." she flicked her wrist toward the bear and rider that charged headlong toward the rhino. Slowly, the pink-haired Chuunin drew her katana, holding it ready at her side.
tl;dr: standing near higa, sword drawn. keeping an eye on the shinobi and rhino. not makin' moves yet.
The beast was unimpressed by the display it was given.
A girl darting around on a sugar rush, men and women moaning for their station - a hoof cratered itself forward as the beast became visibly impatient with the growing crowd, killing intent pouring off it in waves. Before it bothered to make any action, one of the smarter shinobi took the moment of it's stillness to attack.
"NOT BAD!" the beast roared, a leg slamming down with ripples of chakra. Before the spinning bear or woman could come close, two pillars of stone would slam into their approach, shooting them off of their path and away from the soon-to-come chaos. "YOU! You get to live."
As the stone raised, another leg slammed down, chakra rippling around the rhino. Any dojutsu owners in the crowd would be able to notice something before it happened, but the rest would be lucky to rely on instinct. It spoke, but the words seemed to ring in everyone's head more than out loud; "The rest of you cowards get to die."
The ground shook, the sky sang, and the air choked - cracks in the earth appeared in front of the beast, spreading fast enough to swallow the ground in an instant. A chasm appeared, filled with the flesh of dozens of the beasts' brethren rampaging forward and onto the shinobi. It would be unreal at the rate they'd pour forth, starting a stampede that'd chase anyone who dared run. Anyone who made contact with the initial rush would be flung back, bruised and possibly broken, but not dead.
The danger came with the undertow. Anyone caught underneath the herd would be instantly turned to mush, their bodies unrecognizable husks of meat and blood. If anyone cared to try and find the original rhino, it would be impossible to discern from among the group, although the ones furthest away from it's original position would notice something off. Regardless, the heave of flesh and horn would not be stopped easily, and the shinobi would have to think fast.
Far be it from Anotsu to have allowed much to force him to relinquish his undivided attention.
He was, first and foremost, a Jounin. Such a title came with responsibilities, and this would be no exception. Anotsu hadn't merely watched the spectacle before him play out without thought. No, he knew better than to have allowed initiative to escape him. Earth was not silent in its shift and wave. Every ebb and flow of gaia resounded with fury, with power. As such, the Uchiha had taken the liberty of employing Amegakure's technologies to assist in their mission. Each of the shinobi of Amegakure would find a small hearing apparatus pushed into their palms with swift ministration, the rhino's voice a troublesome affair to his ears. Anotsu had moved to kinetic energy the very moment the rhino began its countermeasures against the shinobi. They were here for a reason, each and every one of them. To have not taken measure of the necessity of so many shinobi was to flirt with an end. And so Anotsu took heed, silently remembering the terrain and the civilians unprepared for such ferocity.
The devastation left in the wake of the voluminous wave of flesh and horn was certainly a deterrent to a head on approach. But Anotsu was busy concocting a plan of action that had little to do with capture, with slaughter. Two concussive grenades were tossed beneath, timed to the speed at which he was confident his Platoon would follow suit. They weren't designed to kill the ranks of the stampede. They were meant to stall them, long enough for the hopes that such numbers would prove advantageous and pile over themselves. Even a moment of disorientation was a small victory if it gave them seconds more to carry out their plans of action.
The Jounin was aiming to save.
Anotsu's speed afforded him a certain momentum, seemingly gliding across what terra was yet undisturbed as if a wraith to the untrained eye. Toward the innocents he moved, speaking calmly through his radio. "Focus!" he shouted, loud enough for his Platoon to hear him in the event that they needed a snap back to reality's edifice. There wasn't enough time to relay an entire strategy. And so he spoke few more words, arriving at the side of a bystander and picking them up into his arms with ease. "Evade and combine Jutsu! Use the walls!" The words were simple, an encouragement to combine their talent and chakra. Alone, they were dead. Together, perhaps, they would survive the onslaught of flesh and earth to rid the people of their tormentor.
Anotsu maintained an angular escape, pools of purple surveying what he could in constant preparation for any diversion necessary to helping the civilians. He could only hope that other capable shinobi would follow suit, opting to clear the quarry of the defenseless before returning their attention back toward the rampage of thick hide and ivory.
Above all else, Anotsu's every thought was the safety of his Platoon and the protection of innocent lives coalesced.
“Brace!” Itaru yelled to his team as several of his eyes gave him an advantage in reacting to an incoming jutsu of powerful proportions. His eyes widened at a stampede of rhino, some running quickly running up the wall of the quarry. “Doton?”
He couldn’t find the original rhino but seemed to underestimate the speed of their approach. They’d be on them in a matter of seconds.
The incoming threat seemed well beyond his pay grade. He began forming a series of three hand seals and jumped back into the air above his team, turning himself into a fuma shuriken with the transformation technique to make himself easier to carry. He hadn’t been given the order, but self-preservation kicked in before the others reacted.
He hoped that his sensei or one of the chunin on his team would bother to grab him while he was transformed. If not, then well… it was a good run.
simplicity
Last Edit: Sept 15, 2021 18:37:34 GMT by Itaru Tokoro
Can't do it if I try, open your eyes because I will show you, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (x3), I will show you, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh (x3), and everything you try to say to me, you said it all before (x2), you only fuel the fire, can't you see, and now I want it more, it makes me want it more...
Kureiru was scooped up by Kakimaru and taken to safety. As the wall shot up she felt the ninken move to the left. "Thanks Mister Rhino! You're cool! Just don't kill me!" she yelled as she disappeared with Kakimaru. "Wait...Since when can rhinos talk? What the hell?" she mutters as she begins to become scared. "Thanks for the rescue Kakimaru. I'll get you treats later. Get me back to the others." she said as she heard villagers screaming.
She wanted to help them, but she couldn't do anything to help them. She heard children crying and thought of her family. "Faster Kakimaru!" she yells as she sees the earth splitting around them. She didn't want to die, since she had just become a Genin and this was her first real mission.
How had she already managed to screw up her first mission by putting herself in danger. Closing her eyes she began to pray quietly to herself. She just wanted to see her family one last time. With the rhinos chasing after them she knew they might not make it back to them.
It seemed that fate had deemed it necessary to deny Ryota the answer to the question he had asked of Yusukue. The arrival of a true stampede was unexpected, but incredibly sudden. Thankfully, Ryota had always been someone more agile, so getting out of the way would be easy enough.
But when he saw the rhinos begin planting their feet against the walls of the quarry, his mind flashed back to what he was taught about wall and water walking. Users of Doton could walk along walls. Users of Suiton could walk on water, but not walls, and the opposite was true of Doton. The idea hit him almost immediately. A hand shot down to the canteen he had been carrying on his hip the whole way to this quarry, unclasping the top with one hand before he threw it into the air.
"We've gotta get out of the way, NOW. But if we can break away a few of them, that should give us more time!"
He called out to his fellow platoon member as his hands started making signs. Normally, he would only draw water from the air, as he was far more interested in learning how to maximize his ability to use suiton without needing to rely on existing water, or the need to generate his own. But right now, that didn't matter.
It took mere seconds to string together the four hand signs that were needed. As the canteen hit the peak of its arc, the water within shot out. It started as a small beam, but was quickly enhanced to a tight sheet of high pressure water as the moisture in the air around the water was drawn in to enhance the size, creating a fast, but small wave, only wide enough to hit a single Rhino. It would look odd to anyone watching, given that the beasts were clearly built to shrug off blows. But this blast of water was aimed at the feet of an incoming Rhino, rather than their more bulky bodies.
He intended to stop one from climbing, allowing gravity to take care of the rest. And the easiest way to do that against these things would be to put enough water on the ground that the technique they were using to climb the walls would be interrupted. Having the intense pressure added was just a backup measure, really.
Once that was done, Ryota was quick to leap back, breaking the seals in order to grab the topmost edge of a slab of granite that had been pulled out of the quarry. As he pulled himself up to it, something became obvious. It gave him higher ground with enough room for at least one other person, but he wasn't sure how long it would last if the stampede was determined to charge him.
It was rather unfortunate, really. Of the two of them, neither he nor Yuskue were truly built to be taking on these hulking beasts. That just meant that they needed to be smarter. Ranged attacks would be their friends here. For now though, he had to hope that everyone got out of danger. He kept an eye out for Yusuke. They could get at each others throats at times..but right now, they had to band together.
LAIKA OF GS!
Last Edit: Sept 15, 2021 23:18:08 GMT by Ryota Sadao
[attr="class","comabody"]There wasn't much subtlety when the giant horned animal moved - not that any would have served it much with its bulk and my point of view addressing the crowd opposite me. In the moment Itaru had yelled I had already begun moving my weapon to my back, clasping it with a simple strap and positioning it in such a way that it wouldn't impede movement; point up. Figures, I never did get to use the thing.
"Run. Higher ground.", I spoke abandoning my previous manner for a more serious tone. "Fan out, and stay clear of my area of effect." When my sentence finished I was already clutching Itaru in a free hand, my legs launching my body into a run. Though the beast certainly had made fools of us somewhat with its sudden attack, there was still plenty of time to put even more distance from our vantage. I allowed my muscles to burn vitriol as I pushed my physicality to its limit before my arm tossed Itaru in the direction I ran as if a mere frisbee. There was little aim and only the intention to toss the genin-turned-shuriken as far as he'd go. I pivoted, hopping as I turned my body to face the oncoming horde, beginning the series of seals required to end the farce. With a great inhale and exhale, the wind didn't choke but sang wild and free.
A swirl of wind condensed into a sphere before me, condensing, swirling, and churning before it unceremoniously fired itself in the direction of the horde. I did well with my hop and aim to make sure even if it didn't directly hit a rhino it'd collide with the ground such that it'd rend earth and detonate, and be otherwise effectual regardless.
My feet touched the ground.
"You want to fight? I'm not gonna run with my tail between my legs. Come out. Don't fuck with me, Animal."
[attr="class","APP3"]Far be it for Seiichi to possess advantages for the mere divinity of his birth, given something unattainable by standard means by the virtue of his family name. Both his eyes and ears were mundane, but his mind was sharp and the thrumming heart in his chest dauntless as adrenaline brought it to a quicker drum. His platoon and its partner were two gears turning, each primed to support the purposed turn of the other. His worries of the genin, a spirited girl with a penchant for recklessness, were dissuaded as she mounted Kakimaru and could now forge her own manner of escape upon the mighty beast's back; on the other, Korogaru was dismissed from the arena entirely from the opposing force, large and sturdy pillars of earth tore through the cracked crust of earth in a manner that personified the beast's volition. However, this move afforded the Kumo Jounin a buy into the action.
It was apparent that the veteran shinobi, some of which he recognize from internal squabbles during his own militant tenure, were on the move as their independent actions would be the sum of this beasts demise. It was here that Seiichi allowed himself a brief moment to dismount the claws that hung from a hook woven into the belt that gave his gi its shape. Then, when his grips were secured around the handle of his claws, Seiichi broke forth into an incredible run. He moved so quickly that his speed betrayed any natural premonitions forged by the lumbering appearance of his beastly statuesque, the Jounin achieving a ground speed that did well to expose his area of focus if his stalwart form hadn't already done so. The rataplan of his calloused feet could be heard as he thundered along the ground with crashing steps, circling around the back of the gorge they had been overlooking as he moved to prime his approach. This had only been possible for his starting position as anything further would have made his terribly normal ears incapable of distinguishing those voices that chimed with dissent that had been bubbling before the situation had turned. Upon reaching his destination across the pillars, of which were willed by the stomp of the rhino, Seiichi briefly backed up before...
He untethered himself from the earth with a supernatural leap, reborn a bird of prey as he flew through the sky.
He ripped himself from the ledge of the gorge with a superhuman tension in his legs, a few steps back taken to prep his jump. The jounin's claws were brought forward as he'd use them to catch himself on the side of the pillar for any miscalculation in his jump. All the while that this occurred, it seemed as if the orchestration of a great ninjutsu had been completed. He watched, from above in the sky, as dust was kicked around and the vague shape of a sphere revealed to him by the suggestion of the dirt that swirled around it, fitting it sveltely as if it were chiffon for scant moments. It was a glutenous technique, propelling forth with the intention to destroy, although it would leave the pillars he sought unscathed and no less erect than before. He braced himself for the impact as he approached, an unbelievably insurmountable tension was seized by his form as he braced for the collateral of any impact against the pillars, which were eight meters tall. He succeeded, sliding only briefly before he scaled it and stood tall upon it.
The rhino's avoided it, maneuvering around the pillar of earth as any sensible being would-- despite the little natural sense about them. He was prepared to abandon this post if it became a danger to grand for even he to overcome, but now he watched on until his battle sense, forged by plentiful encounters, could afford him more of the situation. This was far different than fighting a man, men, or even wrestling a beast as finer details--the twitch of a shoulder or the shifting of feet--were lost in this sea of gray flesh. Should revelation be granted to him by the aid of another or by a mistake of the rhino, Seiichi would move to strike. But for now...
"FIGHT ME!"
His cry for battle boomed forth like a thunderclap, that stentorian quality to his voice heralding the challenge to wherever the rhino hid. Tact would not serve him here.
Deep in the forest a call was sounding... he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it.
In the instant that Nomi got close to the rhino, the bear would attempt to mark it as his own; letting loose a sudden torrent of clear liquid with a rather distinct odor to splash upon the rhino’s leathery hide just before attempting to slam into its side. However, neither bear nor master would reach the beast before bouncing off an earthen wall and sliding backwards claws digging into the ground.
Korogaru’s chest vibrated with a low growl. She barely registered the rhino’s praise. The hunt was on and the chunin was far beyond reason or self-preservation. Her quarry’s threat echoed around the quarry and back to rattle through the Inuzuka's empty head. He had threatened her family; a big no-no as in her mind. She was the only one allowed to mess with her kin.
The ground began to tremble and split around her as both she and her bear sprinted back towards the newly formed walls and leapt up, scurrying to the top to look over at the creature. Korogaru would not remain there for more than a second before attempting to leap onto the Rhino’s back while dozens of its brethren poured out from the cracks in the earth. Korogaru gasped a little, her mouth hanging open stupidly at the sheer scale of this jutsu.
She sensed her Sensei and her bear companion on the wall above and if she was able to mount it she would do all she could to remain on the beast’s back, grasping onto the folds of its neck with one hand and an ear with the other. “You want to go for a ride, Big Guy?”
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Cowards, huh? Is that what the pissy old brute thought? Just cuz they weren't all charging in head first into a crater where the thing would have an obvious advantage? Tsubaki simply shook her head, standing up to her full height. The wrinkled facade she wore creased further as he lips remained pulled back into a grin, not at all bothered by the creature's words. It seemed confident, which was understandable. She was confident that this thing could take on any of the shinobi here one on one without issue. But so long as everyone was working toward the common goal and not bothering too much about squabbling between villages and all that bullshit? She was sure things would be fine.[break][break]
At least that was how she felt right up until the stampede formed and started charging up the wall toward the cluster of shinobi who gathered near the edge of the crater. Just to be safe, Tsubaki distanced herself further from the group, moving swiftly to ensure that she wasn't anywhere near that stampede. She would keep an eye both on it and the stampede's place of origin, keeping a close eye out for any signs of where the head of the herd may have been hiding.[break][break]
As she did, her hand would tuck into her kimono, hands working quickly behind the folds of fabric. A moment later her disguise would vanish in a puff of smoke, revealing her wild pink hair and feminine form. She didn't spot any hidden mist folks from the crowd, so she was confident she wouldn't be immediately recognized by a familiar face. At the same time as her true form appearing while everyone was distracted by the rhinos, the cork would pop off of her gourd, a stream of water flowing out from within. The fluid would quickly mold and shift beside her until a perfect duplicate of herself was standing directly beside her. Now all that was left was to see how many of these shinobi survived to decide if it was worth sticking around for the fight or if this was simply a lost cause.
[attr="class","wassup1dangerfoot"]
[attr="class","wassup1dangertag"] @all
[attr="class","wassup1dangernotes"] Not much to do but prep for her time to strike
The group only had a small window to collect their bearings it would seem. From Koma’s own curiosity about the rhino, to Hoshiko taking the initiative to activate her Byakugan. Aiko would follow her sister’s suit as Daichi proposed the question of taking a different approach to the beast. A fair one that Aiko genuinely considered. As they talked, her focus was more on the beast in the distance though, watching how it reacted to the girl that dared to get too close for comfort. [break][break]
To which she got the metaphorical front row seat to the child and bear being tossed carelessly to the side by the Tsunami. Though she couldn’t make out what was spoken, she could see the girl being predictably tossed… Just before the beast reared back with a clear annoyance at the situation. Aiko opened her mouth to declare a warning, but the rhino’s hooves slammed down before she could speak. [break][break]
“The rest of you cowards get to die.”[break][break]
The very ground they all stood on trembled to life. The deafening roar of the ground tore apart, opening up to the rumble of a stampede. The scene spiraled from there, and the stampede was coming. With time bought from Anotsu’s explosions, Aiko stepped forward as “Focus!” rang through their ears.[break][break]
She grabbed Daichi’s arm, determined to get his attention as Anotsu’s orders came through.[break][break]
“We’re going to hold our ground, you need to make a ledge for us to get our footing on” she instructed, letting him go to turn to Koma. “Koma! Secure Daichi’s work once it’s up. Hoshiko, stay near me.” It was a gamble, but that girl was tossed aside for a reason. Cowards were going to be trampled.[break][break]
As the boys worked to get the ledge, Aiko would buy the next allotment of time they’d need with a switch of her arrow. Following Anotsu’s usage of concussive force, she aimed an arrow with her own explosive tied to it into the oncoming horde. Firing off the shot into one of the rhinos to hopefully cause a stumbling domino effect for however temporary it would be. Once the ledge was made, she'd make the leap onto it, ready to ride through the stampede.
[break][break]
TLDR: Ordered Genin to create a ledge the rhinos would run around at the edge of the bowl. Fired off an explosive arrow to deter the rhinos from that path long enough to get the ledge made. Jumped to the ledge.
