The fight had turned into a fast and furious brawl. Chaos had ensued as the fires of war consumed the ever going battlefield. At the speed and distance Ryuu was at the moment it was impossible to employ his shadow imitation jutsu. But it didn't mean he was out of options.
As the ninken he held on to dear life attempted to attack the horse riding soldier. Ryuu attempted to follow up with a vicious slice of the jugular with his kunai in hand. If the ninken's attempt was successful at dismounting the enemy Ryuu would use that chance to flip off the large dog and and mount the horse - hopefully taking it's reins and utilizing it for a further escape attempt.
Alright, it seemed like the dust cloud bought them a few moments at the very least. During this time, Daichi would quickly form a handseal before blowing a cloud of dust into his hand, forming a single above average sized kunai made of compact dust particles. It seemed their enemy didn't have any ways to deal with things obscuring their vision. And since their job was to get from point A to B as quickly as possible, it only made sense to quickly distract their enemies instead of getting bogged down trying to finish them off. With his weapon clutched in hand, the genin watched as the mounted combatants emerged from the smoke ready for battle.[break][break]
Daichi caught the glint of an arrowhead aimed straight for his chest, his heart skipping a beat as he prepared himself for evasive maneuvers. But it seemed one of his superior officers had something else in mind for the boy. A soft gasp escaped his lungs as he was jerked out of the way by the sudden movement. Before he even had a chance to thank the rider for their efforts, he found himself lift up into the air as she leapt up and-"Wait what!?"[break][break]
A moment later he would be sailing toward his attacker, jaw clenched as a faint hint of fear entered into his eyes. He really wished he had been warned of this possibility ahead of time. Fortunately for him, thinking fast was one of the rain shinobi's strong suits. His posture shifted in the air throwing the solid dust kunai into the target's neck before he himself would impact with their side in an attempt to dismount them from their steed and take their place upon it. It was a ballsy maneuver, but it would definitely look pretty cool if they managed to pull this little combo off.
Fear and panic gripped Kaji hard as he watched the utter chaos unfolding before him. After all the pain and experimentation he had been put through, the fear of dying shouldn't affect him.
But it did. It did big time. At least in the lab there was some underlying sense they wouldn't let him die. His healing capabilities were too valuable. But here...he could die at any moment. A straw arrow or shurikan. A blade, or even the hooves of a horse. He could be killed at any time and there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn't a fighter. He couldn't utilize his chakra. He'll, even his healing wasn't controlled. Why the hell was he out here!
"Fuck fuck fuckfuckFUCK!" he yelled out, before scrambling for a nearby tree or rock for cover.
Kaji was quick to move and ran toward the tree. Kyoufu was just as quick to follow him. That said, she was a bit surprised by Kaji's reactions to the situation. He seemed pretty shaken. Like her, he'd never been in a true combat situation, that said the two of them had both been through a lot in their life times. And at the end of the day, it was her fault that he was out here, but she knew that the support he could provide to the team was likely better than anyone else, especially if they found themselves in a bind. [break][break]
She followed him until the two had made way behind the nearby tree. Kyoufu took a deep breath. She thought back to her days in the academy before she knew what real fear felt like. She knew it was still somewhere, even if it was deep down. She needed to draw upon it because she had to be strong for Kaji.[break][break]
"The three rules of medical shinobi... you've heard them right?" she spoke lightly, hoping not to draw attention from potential enemies. "Rule number 1: No medic ninja shall ever stand on the front lines."[break][break]
And it was true, and if Kaji was a medical shinobi in their platoon, then this was just as true for him. He should not feel shame for hiding behind a tree. He was a shinobi.[break][break]
"Rule number 2: A medical shinobi shall never stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end."[break][break]
She nodded reassuringly and then gently took him by the hand.[break][break]
"And Rule number 3: No medic ninja shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon," in her free hand, she drew a kunai. "However this goes, I will make sure that my death will come long before yours. I will protect you with my life, Kaji, so stay with me."
[attr="class","APP3"]Makoto’s choice to attack the flanks of the group and draw in more horseman seemed to be effective. One of her ninken took out the rider making a run towards Sayuri, who had seemed to have gotten psyched out by the prospect of combat and froze up. Other riders drew back and tried to take care of the dogs who made for difficult targets as the group approached the tree line. As they began to get much closer though, the remaining riders began to pull back away to head back towards the road. It seemed as if their mission might be to disrupt the flow of reinforcements.
A flying Daichi made for a notable scene in the final bouts of the race for the forest. Kyuu’s throw and Daichi’s dexterity made the maneuver go off without a hitch and the wounded rider was dragged underfoot and crushed by hooves.
Ryuunosuke had similar luck with taking a horse from one of the riders. The group would continue moving into the tree line. All had made it, except for Sayuri, who could not be accounted for in the chaos of battle. Perhaps she would show up soon.
OOC: Messenger team will be announced into the forest area when I go to post there! Faxadis hasn’t been around due to medical issue, so just kinda vaguely phasing them out for now.
In addition to felling the second horseman before he could recover, Kegawa’s rescue attempt was successful: two of the shuriken dug into the man’s back and one fell short and pricked the horse’s rump, causing it to pull back and cry for a moment while Yukimaru took advantage to the lost inertia to grab hold of his arm. Suzaku’s maneuver while risky managed to further wound the horse, causing it to slump over. The rider was pulled from the horse by the dog and forced to drop his weapon to break free. In desperation after freeing himself he took a wild swing at Suzaku with a fist protected by a gauntlet after pushing the dog away to try to buy time.
Kegawa’s other two units had scrambled away into the trees as one of them seemed to be panicking about the battle. As they spoke, they would notice another person in a nearby tree. It was a man in a jerkin that was shaking in fear himself and his eyes had locked onto them with teeth chattering. It seemed that Kaji wasn’t the only one who was afraid. The enemy deserter hadn’t made a mover yet, and it wasn’t clear if he intended to.
"P-please... no..." he whispered quietly.
From Makoto’s line came two more riders that were falling back. They both road straight towards Kegawa himself in a single file line that was roughly ten meters apart from one another. As each came close to passing they would make attempts to stab the jounin themselves.
two down. one more to go. the inuzuka licked the side of his lips, ruby eyes fixated towards the last living member. his gaze scanned the area, taking into account what was left on his agenda. at this rate he was going, he was expending far too much energy just trying to keep these other genins alive. at the very least, he could see that one of them was making effort to keep himself alive. one.... he paused in his counting to look around for his other genin. one. where were the others?![break][break]
❝ yukimaru! find the deserters! ❞ he commanded. the white fluffy ninken, his right side stained in a beautiful red gave a loud bark in confirmation as he stuck his nose to the ground and began searching out for the trails of the other genin had run off to. kegawa whistled, pointing to the last man as he glanced over his shoulders just in time to catch the two horsemen from the messenger double backing towards them. that's fine, he figured this was the case and found it better than the messenger team wasting their team on small fry.[break][break]
kakimaru growls, hunched over the remains of the dead horseman, blood and spit dribble down its snarling fangs. amber eyes shifted towards the last standing of the three horsemen, growling. he shoots forward as he ran low onto the ground, a growl of a deep voice emanating from the ninken. ❝ no hesitation! kill him! ❞[break][break]
the ninken went straight for the third horseman's leg, going for the tendens to try to make him unstable and cause enough pain to put the mans' guard down. so that suzuka might have the opportunity to use his sword and do some good damage, if he was brave enough.[break][break]
meanwhile, kegawa turns to look the two horsemen from makoto's squad as he pulls the large scroll from his back in one graceful movement. the base of the scroll hits the ground as he unfurls it to reveal the markings of sealing upon its surface, in a puff of smoke a flurry of dog statues ( a hundred to be exact ) came hurtling out to hit at the two horsemen trying to skewer him. they wouldn't cause much damage, but they certainly would hurt and obscure their vision maybe even cause the horses to buck them off. kegawa doesn't waste time with that and immediately jumps to the side with his scroll to stay out of range from the two horsemen's spears, using his four-legged technique to be quick and agile.[break][break]
the old ninken eventually makes his way over towards the two genin hiding by the tree line. sticking close to the ground and upon seeing them he lets out a whine, showing off his injured right side. the blood staining brightly against his white fur. while he attempted to persuade the two to give him attention, his black eyes remained fixated on the enemy deserter. he lets out a whine and falls onto his side, feigning innocence and friendliness. ( and if he got belly rubs, even better! )
[break][break]
tldr; hahaha. yukimaru hunts for kaji and kyoufu, he finds them and asks for heals and pets. kakimaru goes for third horseman's leg tendon and orders suzuka to kill the man with his sword. kegawa uses his fuinjutus to send 100 dog statues to hit the two horsemen trying to skewer him and jumps off to the side to avoid them.
When Kaji saw Koufu running over to his location, a feeling of shame welled up inside of him. Of all the people to see him being cowardly, she was the last person he wanted to see. She was the one whose opinion mattered to him the most.
And yet, she wasn't hear to judge him, or berate him. Instead, she provided words of comfort, trying to say his act of fear made perfect sense. Dammit, after that, Kaji simply couldn't hide behind a tree, especially when she was ready to throw down her life for him.
A small smile appeared on his face as he stood up, grabbing a kunai. "Thank you," he said, "Though for the record, there's no way in hell I'm letting you die."
A small whine caught his attention. He looked over, seeing one of the Nenkin their platoon leader had. At first, Kaji was worried it was about to attack them, until it rolled over, showing the wound in its side. Well, if Kaji was to be the medic, he better do his job.
He knelt down by the hound, gently petting it with one hand, before offering his other arm to it. "Bite." he instructed.
Of course, as Kaji said... that was the idea. If she put down her life for him, and he made sure she was healed and didn't die, then it would be impossible for them to lose. Theoretically, at least. This was the intent behind the 3 laws of medical the shinobi. [break][break]
Before long, they were soon joined by Yukimaru, the platoon leader's ninken companion. Clearly, the dog needed healing. Kyoufu stayed on guard, keeping her kunai held fast in her palm. Kaji would be vulnerable for at least a few seconds while he provided medical treatment, granted Kyoufu knew first hand how astoundingly fast Kaji's medical treatment was since she had experienced it herself.[break][break]
"Who's...?" as she stood guard for her companion, Kyoufu noticed someone off in the distance. There was an older man in a jerkin who seemed to be frozen, in a sense. And he was terribly close to them... he was staring straight at them, but he had yet to make a move.[break][break]
Damn it![break][break]
Why hadn't he moved already? Things would be so much easier if he was running away. Instead, he was standing there like some kind of moron. Kaji hadn't noticed him yet and Kyoufu wasn't about to mention it. Kaji needed to give the heal. Kyoufu needed to stay on the offensive.[break][break]
"Well, here it goes," she wasn't going to sit around and wait. The man needed to make a decision of some sort: flee, fight, or die. Kyoufu was going to force him to make one. With that, she tossed a singular kunai straight for his gut. If she hit him, she wasn't sure if it would kill him or not, but he would have to react in some way, right? A strong part of her hoped that he wouldn't counter attack, but that was certainly a possibility.
Never close your eyes and attack an enemy. Well, it worked for Suzaku maybe, he should shut his eyes more often when in combat? It seemed to have a higher success rate than his other attack attempts. With open eyes, he could see that even with the help of the dog, this fallen horseman was still targeting him. No weapon yet would still have the strength advantage over Suzaku.
"Hey, take it easy. You don't want to fight someone more in your league."
A step back and a tighter grip on his sword was all he had done at first. Before he knew it, the dog was back at it aiming, for the back leg of his attacker. He would need to jump on this opportunity as soon as possible. Without hesitation, he would attempt to plunge his sword into the adversary's chest. If this didn't work, he would be in some big trouble.
[attr="class","APP3"]Off balance and bleeding like a stuck pig, the last remaining horseman grunted and attempted a desperate kick at the rapidly approaching hound. Slipping on the uneven ground, all he accomplished was providing an easy target. Kakimaru's fangs sunk deep into his leg.
Pulled down to his knees by the ninken, he offered no more fight as Suzaku embedded his sword in the man's torso. Feebly grasping at the young man's hands, he let out a gasp and fell over. With the last of his strength, he clung to Suzaku's wrist and attempted to pull him into the mud with him.
In the distance, the sounds of hooves could be heard. More riders would soon be approaching. With enough luck, Kegawa and his charges would be on their way before they arrived.
The two riders heading at Kegawa raised an arm each to shield themselves from the wave of statues, barely hanging onto their steeds as they attempted to buck them off. The first of the riders swung his spear at the Inuzuka, narrowly missing. The second followed in close pursuit, breaking off to follow her target. Jabbing at the jounin as she passed, her attack also missed. The first barked an order.
Both riders began to circle Kegawa. They made a few rounds, then suddenly charged at him from opposite sides. The male rider had his spear raised in an attempt to throw it, while the other prepared a deadly thrust.
The deserter stood shaking, watching the dog and the teenagers. Lips opening, he attempted to stammer something out but failed. Kyoufu's kunai caught him by surprise - all he could say was "Wha-" before it had lodged itself in his stomach.
Stumbling, he pressed his back to the tree behind him and slumped down to a sitting position. "Ow, ow, ow..." he whimpered. "No... I don't want to die..." Crying in pain, he grabbed at the knife and made the mistake of pulling it out. The hole gushed forth blood which he tried to stem with his hands. "Why?" he asked her, voice cracking.
Looking over at Kaji, he saw him healing the ninken. "Hey! Help me! Please!" The desperation was clear to see in his eyes.
black eyes watched kaji quietly as if peering through the boy as he petted and offered their arm out to the ninken. its lack of response and inquisitive eyes showed that there was a clear train of thought for the ninken before its eyes tore away to glance towards the cowering enemy. pulling its lips back, the ninken sunk his teeth into kaji's arm as directed. the surge of chakra surged into the ninken's body and at once it could feel the wounds at his side mending. yukimaru lets out a whine, jumping up to lick kaji in the face before get back to all fours as the elder ninken looked to the now bleeding and pleading man. a growl escaped from the ninken's chest, as its lips pulled back to display an impressive array of sharp fangs. with a vicious bark, yukimaru positions himself before kaji to ensure the boy couldn't get hurt from the enemy deserter. he leaves the decision up to kyoufu and kaji on how they want to handle this situation.[break][break]
kakimaru jumped back from the falling horseman, ears twitching and swiveling as he listened intently to the sounds of the battlefield. he lets out a bark of warning, amber eyes moving to glance towards the two horsemen going after kegawa. the inuzuka merely grins, his body moving out of the way of the attempts to skewer him. whether he was enjoying this or not, the jonin knew that prolonging this would fair poorly for himself and his charges. he let out a sigh at the thought of his two missing genin. maybe he should just eat them.[break][break]
ruby hues glanced towards the two horseman as one barked out an order, the two circling around the jonin. kegawa lets out a whistle of his own, kakimaru rushing towards the three. lowering himself down to the ground as he tucked his scroll onto his back, one clawed hand poised behind his back as he watched them carefully. as kakimaru came into range, kegawa's getas pushed off the ground. [break][break]
❝ gatenga! ❞[break][break]
claw raked against the ground as the two twisted their bodies, a cyclone formed around them as kegawa blitzed out of the range of the jab and went towards the horseman attempting to throw the javelin before they had a chance. his form arced, attempting to get the javelin thrower at the side. kakimaru's own form head straight for the jabbing horsemen at blistering speeds to get them at their side, hoping to blindside them as well. whether they hit their marks or not, both kegawa and kakimaru land onto the groundas their feet dig in. kakimaru's ears twist as he registers the bark of yukimaru, offering a bark of his own as he points his nose towards the direction of the other sound. kegawa nods his head, looking towards suzaku.[break][break]
❝ let's move it pup! ❞
[break][break]
tldr; yukimaru is healed thanks to kaji, and then proceeds to move to defend kaji. kegawa fang passing fangs the horseman in the side before he can throw the javelin and kakimaru fang passing fangs the jabbing horseman in the side as well.
In all honesty, being bitten didn't really phase Kaji anymore. In fact, this time it almost felt good. Maybe because he actually had a choice in the matter. He petted the ninken's head as his wounds healed. "There we go. Good boy," he said with a smile.
And as soon as the hound was healed, he wasted no time in protecting Kaji, standing guard before the dying, pleading man. Sure, the man was an enemy, but he simply couldn't let someone die like that. Besides, he rationalized to himself, a prisoner could prove useful.
"Cover me," he said to Kyoufu and to the ninken, making his way around to the man. He wasn't going to let the man bite him, he was saving those for his own squad mates. He could at least stabilize him until the battle was over. "Hold still," he instructed, pulling out bandages to start binding the wound.
------ Kaji's trying to stabilize the deserter with the intent of capturing him.
He didn't need to hear that twice. Not after almost being pierced by the horseman. To be honest Suzaku was lucky to be alive. If it wasn't for this Jounin and his companions Suzaku would be going back to the Mist in a box. He was even luckier that the ninken had prevented him from being buried under the now dead body. He placed his sword back in its casing. Covered in blood now he would have to be sure to give it a thorough cleaning after this. Although if they endured any more battles it probably would only get worst.
He raced behind the captain watching as he and the other pup turned into damn near hurricanes to attack the now approaching enemies. He would not make the same mistake twice. This time he was running behind hoping that the same type of hole that was made previously for the team to keep running would be the same result that he got this time. It was simple in his mind. Stay close to Kegawa at all times and his probability of surviving increases tenfold.
The fight had turned into a fast and furious brawl. Chaos had ensued as the fires of war consumed the ever going battlefield. At the speed and distance Ryuu was at the moment it was impossible to employ his shadow imitation jutsu. But it didn't mean he was out of options. 
