Yohei slammed straight through the wall with unexpected force, shattered pieces of wood crashing all around him. Seeing the manner in which his weapon was crossed defensively, it gave the impression that he'd tried to brace himself. Yet it mattered little. He was still sent tumbling away from the unprecedented attack, precious few obstacles lying within his path to slow him down.
"Urgh. Dammit!"
When the missing-nin finally got his bearings again he was forced to fall on a knee, panting from exertion. After all, it wasn't everyday he had the pleasure of getting blasted through part of a building. To say it took a toll on him was no understatement. Luckily, the damage to his body wasn't all that bad; only a few cuts thanks to the flimsy craftsmanship of the walls.
Refusing to sit idly by in a dazed state, Yohei began to spin his weapon overhead. It was an awkward motion to manage in the enclosed space of a room, but his plan was just to buy time instead of delivering a real blow. "Get back here!" The sickle swept across the room with a rattle of chain, missing the mark and lodging itself partway into the floorboards.
Yohei was too late.
His opponent - a masked Rain ninja - dove out the nearest window as soon as the opportunity for escape presented itself. Not only that but a handful of smoke bombs rolled onto floor as the ninja departed, staving off a pursuit as black fumes erupted into the building. Jumping onto the next rooftop while the Jashinist was busy with the smokescreen, the Rain ninja hurriedly studied the surroundings and began to form handsigns.
"Sumire!"
The silverette shouted as loudly as he could, hoping the warning would reach his partner. Because, despite planning for a blunder or two along the way, the target was now headed right for the miko's position. Unlike the other scum they were used to hunting, this ninja knew they were coming.
Well that's odd. This hunt was a difficult one, they both knew as such, however so far things were within calculations. So why was it that she hadn't seen the target or a signal yet? It been awhile and honestly even for a true miko this entire ordeal was bound to test one's patience. As such was reflected in Sumire's steady gaze from the second floor window of a nearby inn, an arrow twirling mindlessly between those delicate fingertips waiting for its target below. Unfortunately the sight of a familiar black haze oozing out of the nearby building made it clear that a change of plans was in order as it effectively neutralized her field of vision of the area much less the target. If that wasn't clear enough than the scream of her name was. "Like a true pest..." [break][break] There was only a few reasons that her partner would readily reveal her presence to the target and the most likely one in this scenario was that the target had already discerned her location. Losing such an advantageous vantage was a shame too. Nevertheless the rose haired missing nin wasted no time leaping out that same window onto the roof in time to evade a pair of shuriken whistling below into the room she formerly occupied. With no time to rest on her laurels, Sumire hastily nocked an arrow to counterstrike in the same direction of the attack. By now it was easy enough to see the enemy rushing towards her donning that stupid rain symbol on their mask. No sooner did the arrow fly through the sky did a kunai evade its trajectory to hit its mark - the hand that held the bow. [break][break] Withholding the urge to cry out with a wince, the archer reflexively dropped the bloodied bow that begun to splinter from impact. "Close combat it is..." A mental cue more for herself than anything else while making the proper handsigns to begin nursing the gash across the fingers of her left hand. "Guess it was bound to happen sooner or later." Naturally any aid she could give herself at this moment was basic at best as she redirected her attention to the bounding ninja's downward strike. Considering the opponent, the only thing she could do was retrieve her own kunai from her hip and defend against the attack. A sharp clang rang out as the weapons crossed blades and despite her own position Sumire could be seen smiling past it. "Our meeting is premature. You should learn patience~" [break][break] There was no overpowering this opponent though so naturally it was the false miko that pushed away first in an attempt to gain some space. It didn't seem like this ninja was giving much of an inch on that front though and there was only so long that she could hold out in this position against someone that was more familiar with it. Plus with all the commotion going on because of this she wasn't sure when her backup would get their ass up here.
Staggering through the smoke-filled room and waving his weapon in a futile attempt to disperse the air, it took Yohei longer than he anticipated to reach the window. By the time he crawled onto the ledge and cleared his lungs with a hoarse cough, the noises of battle had also reached his attention. As he feared, the target was fighting with Sumire.
"Hey! I'm not finished with you, heathen!" the zealot shouted as he hopped from the windowsill and landed on the roof. Honestly, he was still a little bit dazed from the last clash, but that wouldn't slow him down seeing how his partner's life was on the line. "Get over here so I can paint this town with your blood!" The outburst was merely a distraction to divert attention to himself. When Yohei closed the distance a second later, readying his sickle for a slash, he didn't even expect to make contact.
But he did! Cutting right through...a blast of smoke?
The realization dawned on Yohei the instant he finished the wide swing: he'd fallen for one of the oldest tricks. It was nothing but a mere substitution, evidenced by the bundle of firewood that clattered across the roof and the absence of a corpse. No wonder the Rain ninja hadn't turned around to face him!
In tandem with that diversion, the opponent could be heard on the street below. "Landmine Palm!" A rumbling force shot from the ninja's hands, tearing the base of the building which Sumire and Yohei were standing upon. The whole thing shuttered from the impact and began to lean to one side, wooden beams snapping and sections of tile crumbling apart.
While loud enough, Sumire couldn't be bothered to take much heed to the fanatical yelling of the familiar voice below mid combat. Any lost moment could spell the end and strategist couldn't have that. Exactly why the moment Yohei appeared did the kunoichi shift her gaze to a different edge with a click of a tongue. There was no need to look knowing the result. All she could offer as the logs hit the shingles was a brief. "Bow's broken," she stated without a drop of remorse while repositioning to the opposite side of the rooftop with a shrug. "We need to old school it." [break][break] Normally this would be a bad situation for them, and it was, but their target was as presumptuous as expected for their kind. Hence why there wasn't a shred of worry at the target's movements. It wasn't in their blood to run. Almost on cue did the echo cut through the night and lead the pinkette's line of sight streetside. Still, it was beyond calculations that the shinobi would go as far as blatantly terrorizing bystanders and destroying their livelihood. That was why the trap was set here and the reason the sudden shaking beneath their feet warranted a repugnant glare. Reactively, the woman hastily shoved her partner as quickly as possible to move away from the collapse before leaping back herself and crossing her arms defensively against the resultant rocketing debris. [break][break] Planting her feet onto the ground of the nearby alleyway wasn't much issue. On the other hand the lacerations that now decorated her legs and arms were a different story. Their presence was made very much known, but there was no time to examine these new oozing injuries when she had to readjust to the fray. So much for discreet. Whatever... at least there was thrill in the chase. Perhaps their foe thought so too considering the follow-up chain blasts that reverberated into every crevasse of what remained of town. Now if you believe that nobody got time to practically blow up or get buried alive - being used beyond loosely here - then you are probably correct. That said, since she didn't know the status of her partner or vice versa... [break][break] "Call yourself a ninja?" A bold outcry posed as a question. Fear was absent in the tonality and in its place was the usual charm that the false miko could provide in her voice from the shadows. Her position was exposed with that, which is why she was quick to chug a vial from her belt and leave the place before another explosion had come to greet her. "You're disappointing your village~." Using what time she had left to weave handsigns, she made her way to meet the target halfway. Hopefully Yohei wouldn't be far behind and could focus.
With the building partway collapsed and trembling from the damages, Yohei saw no other choice but to leap to the ground below. So, shielding his face from a burst of wooden debris and leaping backwards, the zealot collapsed into the closest alley with a grunt. "Argh." No part of the landing was graceful nor did he sound very comfortable when he rose back to his feet.
At least he was ready to fight.
"Don't get hasty!"
Whether that advice was meant for the enemy or for Sumire was unclear, but the missing-nin rushed into the fray nonetheless. He was determined to get some payback now, expression hardening with anger as he gripped his weapon's length of chain. Sickle spinning a short ways to his side, he trailed only a few steps behind his partner, prepared to capitalize on whatever she had planned.
"Hmph."
The Rain ninja had other plans. Slamming both palms into the earth with a burst of chakra, all the ground in the alleyway began to splinter and rise up at uneven angles. "Tearing Earth Turning Palm!" The quake continue to rupture and rumble for several moments, making any attempt at advancing a difficult endeavor. It was as if that technique was a response to the earlier provocations, the foe showing no concern for collateral damage as he forced the earth apart.
Fumbling from the bizarre shift beneath his feet, Yohei rolled a short distance across the dirt, getting pummeled all the while. Despite that initial blunder, he managed to swing his sickle toward the closest wall, grabbing onto the somewhat stable surface in order to pick himself up. "W-Watch out!" he then shouted to his companion.
A flurry of razor-sharp shuriken went flying by, impeding their ability to close the distance yet again.
At least he still had energy. That was a positive that she figured she should be thankful for. Though it wouldn't have hurt to have a plan of attack first instead of running in headstrong without. The thought alone caused a self amused chuckle despite the current predicament and followed suit. Just as well, their target made it abundantly clear that they were adamant about the phrase "at all costs". A shame really as there were many helpless innocents that were being caught in the crossfire. Yes, that wasn't merely a taunt. [break][break] Nevertheless the rapidly shifting earth was immediately problematic regardless. The first response was the instinctive one, lowering herself defensively in a harsh skid across the knees. Listen closely and one could hear the mild grunt of discomfort among the rampant gusts caused by the torrential detonations set to ruin the town. Her body weight alone wouldn't be enough to ground her for long though. She knew that, but there wasn't much to do about it at this moment since she wasn't as close to another building. The best that she could manage was pinning her kunai into one of the flowing sleeves and raise her hands before her. "Raigeki!" Lighting spewed from the miko's fingertips, hearing the cries of her partner making her more aware as to what to target. While lightning generally was ineffective at deflecting metal instruments, the numerous stone and brick tumbling wildly midair served as brilliant catalysts to strike and thus deflect the shuriken in question. [break][break] "Heh, really trying to keep us away..." A brief glance was spared over the shoulder to check to see how the silverette was doing moments before another scream resulted in a much closer explosion erupting a few meters from Sumire's feet. There was no time to react this time. Seconds later, the rose haired woman was sent barreling towards the wall that Yohei had plunged his sickle into.
The next explosion that rocked the alley sent more than just rubble flying Yohei's way. To his surprise, the pinkette buffeted in his direction, the kunoichi's form thrown aside by the concussive force of the attack. In an attempt to save her from a harsh collision, Yohei jumped to intercept, catching his partner in both arms and slamming his back into the wall with a loud thud.
A fresh bout of pain rippled down his body, reawakening his fighting spirit. "You hurt?" he groaned, continuing to cling to Sumire until she could right herself. "Hang on!" Whether or not she had the energy to stand, the zealot pushed off the wall and charged into the adjacent building using nothing but his shoulder.
Thanks to all the recent quaking, the wood shattered with ease and the pair of missing-nin went tumbling inside - back to the inn, so it seemed. Another explosion shook the alley just as they fled, shooting dust and stones every which way. The loud snaps of breaking beams and strained groaning of the structure around them wasn't a reassuring change of pace, but they had a moment to catch their breath.
"Stay behind me, alright? Look for an opening in his attacks." Yohei reeled his weapon back with a harsh tug, returning the sickle to his grasp. The thing wouldn't do him much good indoors nor in the confines of an alley, as he'd learned the hard way. "We need to get somewhere less cramped." The zealot grabbed an explosive tag from his pouch and tossed it toward he hole in the wall, trying to buy another second or two. Before it erupted and no doubt caused further damage to the building, he would shift on his heels and urge Sumire to the opposite side of the room.
Everything was happening quite fast between the time that the false miko was blown away and then carried off to who knows where. From her perspective the scene functioned akin to optic blurs. A disconcerting observation that she failed to mention in lieu of a harsh breath. "Thank you," she finally replied by the time they could breath. Placing a hand on Yohei's shoulder as support, not a single sound following from the female missing nin's sweeping glance around their current shelter. Chairs thrown about, arrays of upturned bed frames, unique landscape portraits... If it was any constellation recognizing the remnants of their surroundings signaled her neural circuitry remained relatively intact, but it didn't mean she wasn't disconcerted by it. The subsequent rumbling didn't make things better either. Logically the place that the bomber most recently blew up to target them probably wasn't the safest place after all. [break][break] Nevertheless the tone that sounded of orders did rein in the woman's attention, turning back to the familiar face retrieving his weapon and pulling out a new one. Rather than question that fact, she held her tongue in favor of prioritizing the more important matters. "Hold a moment." A hand was raised in an attempt to stop him and discuss. Of course, she was too late though and the tag was set prematurely. Just as well since she didn't disagree with the sentiment of moving elsewhere. [break][break] Following her partner's lead, Sumire shifted away from the explosive tag, though instead of moving elsewhere had instead opted to catch up with the man in question. As if knowingly, she then reached to grab his hand and continued before he could stop her. "His focus is on me. We should utilize that." The funny part was that she wasn't sure why. After everything that came to pass it was undeniable that the enemy shinobi had it in for the former sand kunoichi so why not take advantage. With that in mind, she pulled out another vial and tried to force it in the hand she held. Regardless as to whether he'd take it or not, she'd leave it behind with another quip. "Besides, I don't have my bow anymore so coupled with his attention I will not be as effective taking advantage of openings. You will." [break][break] Needless to say she had confidence that the diehard zealot wouldn't let her down. That or she'd die. Either way it cast a fearless smile across her lips moments in spite of the creaking framework threatening to flatten them right then and there. With a step backwards, fingers formed another set of hand seals. "Can you handle that?" [break][break] Because regardless of his answer, Sumire fully intended to play it out as she described whether Yohei liked it or not.
Confused by the vial that was pressed into his hand, Yohei's expression was tinged with concern as to what purpose it served. Did it contain a type of medicine? More alarming than any of that was his partner's suggestion that she act like bait. "What?! Are you trying to get killed?" he shot back impatiently. There was no way he'd be comfortable letting Sumire take the front unless they were completely out of options. Throwing her straight into the most dangerous job was beyond reckless.
But that fearless look on her face said everything - she'd already committed to the choice.
"Dammit!"
"Landmine Palm!"
Following a muffled exclamation from somewhere outside, a large explosion burst through the side of the building and sent a wave of debris flying at the missing-nin. Chairs and tables went flying across the room too, shattering against the walls and showering the place with splinters. A gaping hole had been torn out of the structure with ease, the Rain ninja stepping up confidently to occupy the opening. "There you are. Did you really think you could run?"
Shoving a piece of broken furniture aside, Yohei hopped to his feet at the ready. Some fresh blood might've been trickling down his face and an intense throbbing was ringing in his ears, but he relished in the pain and used it to stay standing. "Shut your mouth...or I'll rip out that tongue," he hissed between labored breaths. The threat didn't come off as especially intimidating given the cultist's ragged appearance, but at least he could still show some defiance.
"Hmph."
Scanning the broken interior of the room, the Rain ninja clasped his hands together and prepared to release yet another blast into the vicinity. The only thing stopping him from the blowing everything away was the fact that Sumire had escaped his line-of-sight.
The concern was expected and mayhaps even warranted, however it didn't change their situation and therefore failed to sway Sumire otherwise. "That will only happen if you fail. Come now." There was an straightforward solution if he was so worried about her demise. At this juncture it was all in Yohei's hands after all. The alternative of them both dying for naught wasn't far from the most appealing choice to be made here. Now one might ask, how could Sumire be so sure of herself or in such a dire situation? The answer was quite simple and mirrored the silverette's choice. What was despair going to do for her? Absolutely nothing. [break][break] Meanwhile the reality they were in mid combat had not escaped the kunoichi's memory, made especially so with the wave of blasts that chained and threatened the inn's already dubious stability. Luckily the source and subsequent effects had been a good ways away from the wary miko with a half decent view. Using the commotion to her advantage she leapt upwards through the broken ceiling that led to the second flood, prioritizing stealth over speed with the consideration that the target already confronted Yohei with a moronic question if she ever heard one. But we won't get into that. What was more important was how the masked foe willingly walked into closed quarters. A detriment based on the current running hypothesis after noting their penchant for concussive force after disabling her bow. [break][break] At the end of the day advanced release users had the same issue as any other ninjutsu specialist - the use of hand signs to properly utilize their abilities. Knowing this, all she had to do was disable their opponent's hands. That or the enemy would choose to blow themselves up with her... but that required self sacrifice and everyone knew how unlikely that was for the entitled. So how might she do this? First off, despite how fortunate she was being given a front row seat to a sneak attack, she had little doubt that she wasn't forgotten about and therefore made a successful strike unlikely. Back to the original idea, bringing all the focus on her. Plus if that little exchange was any judge then they could assume the brute thought little of Yohei himself, which helped. [break][break] Readjusting aloft, the kunoichi briefly glanced to her flexing fingers moments before intertwining them into the same set of seals. "Raigeki!" Thin streaks of lightning bloomed once again overhead, falling like streamers onto the newly alerted explosion user. Something akin to anger flashed across his face before countering with the prepared jutsu. It was unknown if that was by instinct or if done knowingly, but the lighting stream was no match for the larger explosive force that clashed. The resultant gust of soil and soot did provide a well needed veil for the second act - the falling maiden! [break][break] In this case it was more like diving. Sumire emerged from the cloud of dust armed with kunai in hand. The miko sleeves being in shreds and now exposed forearms bearing blatant evidence of contusion could be ignored. The important part was that she drew the attention of their target who did in fact ignore the display in favor of retaliation. One sidestep and a hand to grab her wrist was all it took to dismiss the threat the descent might have had, then a bit more effort to slam the smaller figure into the floor and allow the kunai to clatter there. Yet no scream, grunt, or outcry of any sort. That mark of satisfaction she wouldn't offer. [break][break] Dull ringing did sound out however made no better by the heavy stop into the woman's abdomen. A small breath of blood spewed yet no other sound came. And why would it? She didn't feel anything, not even when allowing the life threatening kunai to penetrate her raised defending hand.
The zealot reluctantly bided his time, waiting for the opportunity to strike as his partner took the initiative. Had he been too hasty and gotten blown back by another shockwave, then it would all be for nothing. So it wasn't until the clash of ninjutsu decimated another portion of the room that Yohei got his window, using the dust cloud to make an unseen approach. He couldn't have cut it any closer either, because the enemy looked ready to finish Sumire off by blade or by beating.
"Rrraaaaghh!"
Yohei burst into view alongside that angry shout, weapon slashing at his foe in a horizontal sweep. He was able to get close thanks to Sumire's gambit - too close for the Rain ninja to simply dodge - and when the edge of his sickle found purchase he made sure to dig deep. The end result splattered crimson across the air, a thin trail of the stuff following the arc of Yohei's swing before he pivoted back and took another.
The Rain ninja pulled back with a grunt, raising a kunai to deflect the second attack. Then a third, and a fourth, but the new wound on his side didn't make things easy. The silver-haired zealot wasn't leaving him with much room to work with, slicing in rapid succession as the length of chain paralleled each aggressive move. Even when the Rain ninja struck back and managed to land a stab here or a cut there, Yohei showed no signs of relenting.
"Damn you!"
It was like he was possessed.
The clash of steel came to a premature end when the building groaned and a cluster of broken timbers started falling overhead. Debris pelted both fighters and forced them to separate before any lethal blows could be dealt, pushing them into opposite corners of the room. Yohei was a bleeding mess by now but he kept his cool, watching the Rain ninja stumble for cover behind a broken table. In the next instant the zealot was rushing toward that very spot, tossing the weighted end of chain against the meager defense and shattering the wood.
"This place will be your grave!" the Rain ninja cried, jumping back and weaving more hand signs.
As surely riveting as the scene of clashing steel and scarlet streaks was, it was a shame that Sumire didn't see any of it. No, she was too busy trying not the bleed out from the kunai still stuck through her hand. Not to mention the general weakness and possible bone fractures she couldn't feel at the moment. While she was glad that the poison worked as expected and had plenty of time to course through her body, it did make it difficult to tell the extent of the subsequent injuries as she laid there. That was kind of the point though so there were no complaints... aside from the ones the rain shinobi was screaming at the top of their lungs. Numbness didn't drown out the sound unfortunately. [break][break] Figuring it was about time to sit up lest that threat become a reality, the kunoichi slowly forced herself upright with a heavy breath that didn't feel like her own. One look and she could tell she was in no shape to move her hand much less form seals anymore. So that unfortunately very much limited the options. The best she could do was wrap the hand like a present with what tatters remained of the priestess garb and try getting the hell out. Otherwise she'd only get in the way. At least it sounded like their target was on the backpedal. Had to count for something right? [break][break] Not really, unless they accomplished their goal, and Sumire knew that. Therefore she instead of dragging herself out of that sorry wreckage of the once upon a time inn, amethyst eyes scanned about to find openings and more structural weaknesses. Let's not make any mistakes here - Sumire wasn't suicidal, just objective. Nevertheless it likely didn't seem that way when kunai flew towards the remains of the ceiling, clattering off the stone for a minor distraction. Honestly the kunoichi didn't believe their target had the balls to blow up the building with themselves in it, so making use of the fact that one of them was a sitting duck [break][break] Well its either that or hubris will get to her before Yohei did.
The sharp noise drew the Rain ninja's attention, giving Yohei the chance to strike. He wasn't precise or calculating when it came down to the heat of the moment, simply driving the kusarigama down with as much force as he could muster. All he cared about was interrupting the foe's jutsu, the edge of his weapon slicing against the Rain ninja's arm and yanking it downward.
"Landmi -- AGH!"
Abandoning his ninjutsu without hesitation, the Rain ninja retaliated with a swift kick, pushing the zealot back a short ways. "Enough!" Despite the new injury decorating his arm, it didn't stop the masked chuunin from grabbing another cluster of smoke bombs and tossing them into the air. Dark plumes began to spread around the room before the objects hit the floor, reducing visibility as the structure around them continued to creak in protest.
Sensing that something bad was about to happen, Yohei jumped back to where his companion laid. The fact that she hadn't stood up yet was worrying, so he grabbed the miko by the shoulder and hoisted her up. "Hang on! We're not out of this yet," Yohei's gaze snapped back to the growing cloud of smoke, unable to ascertain where the enemy had gone to. Although, if his instincts were anything to go by, he figured the foe was just biding time for something big.
"DIE!"
There was no better cue than that! The zealot took a firm hold of his partner and leaped for the hole in the wall. If nothing else, he planned to shield her from whatever was coming.
A flash of light then emanated from the center of the building before a raging blast erupted in all directions. Both missing-nin were tossed through the air like helpless ragdolls as the building shattered around them, the powerful boom heralding the end of the inn once and for all. Walls came crashing down, floors splintered, and roofing collapsed, shooting a burst of rubble into the surrounding streets.
So she's literally a sitting duck that poison is gonna wear off :)
I'm the champagne that'll quench your thirst
[attr="class","itsover"]
With the beating she took, it was a wonder that Sumire could still process sounds. Yet when a pained outcry bounced off what was left of the walls, the unfamiliarity of the voice offered the rosy haired maiden a morsel of entertainment. Nevertheless all of that dissipated the moment her vision started to cloud in smog, an arm instinctively raised to shield herself from inhaling it. An obvious sign of panic, but made the kunoichi all the more wary given the circumstance. Had it not been for the sight of Yohei jumping backwards towards her then she couldn't have been certain that she wouldn't have retaliated from being moved as she certainly didn't feel the hand that grabbed her. Turning to affirm who it was that was moving her, Sumire instantly gave the silverette a look of confusion. "Out of this?" She repeated it in disbelief because she was. He can't truly be thinking of bailing out now after having gotten this far, did he? "We can't leave until he's dead or else all of this was for nothing." While her breath and tone were level and even, her brain raced for an alternative. Had their target escaped then they would definitely be more heavily targeted in the near future - not to mention losing the element of surprise on any other targets that learned their modus operandi. [break][break] Not that she had much of a choice in the matter for she couldn't actually tell how well she could move on her own. Amethyst irises could only dart to the daring declaration whilst whisked in the opposite direction. It begged to question who here was the villain. Nevertheless the new position she had taken gave her a proper view of what was to come but not enough time to properly defend. Mere seconds was all it took for the two to be sent flying. Luckily the numbing effects of that vial were still in effect even as she took the form of a shooting star - streaking across the night sky silently before crashing down violently into a self made crater. Naturally there were some attempt at minimizing damage, however no amount of repositioning and dexterity did much when combatting against sheer force. [break][break] A grumble later and the exiled kunoichi sat up to looked down to her impaled hand, realizing it lost all range of motion. "Heh... I must be in worse condition than I thought," she murmured softly as if to make a mental note. First her hand, now a dislocated shoulder at best? Night kept getting better and better. Actually had it not been for Yohei... [break][break] Not even a second after the name crossed her mind did she quickly taken in the scene around her. Nevermind the ruined town. Out of all the problems she had at the moment, that one actually wasn't her problem. "Yohei! I'm here!" She called out as loud as her lungs would allow. It served two purposed. One was to allow her partner to locate her whereabouts. The second, the more foolhardy one, was so that their enemy could do the same. In this position, who would turn away a bounty? Sumire couldn't which led to her using her only free hand in retrieving a smoke bomb and an explosive tag.
Once the incessant ringing in his ears began to subside, the silverette became acutely aware that he wasn't dead. Not yet at least. His body ached when he shifted to the side, resisting every inch of movement down to the slightest of breaths, but there was no choice but to power through it. Shoving a large plank off his legs, Yohei slowly rose to stand in order to survey the building wreckage.
"Agh...that crazy --"
"Yohei! I'm here!"
Upon hearing the call, he grabbed for the length of chain that was wrapped around his arm and hopped over the nearest pile of debris. Wounds be damned, because he was suddenly able to move again! He would thank Jashin later for sparing his partner's life, but her voice was like a beacon in the worst way possible. The enemy would surely be drawn to Sumire's position and try to finish her off, while in her current state she wouldn't be able to put up much resistance. With that grim thought in mind, Yohei reached into his pocket and grabbed a familiar vial as he continued to race toward his partner's location.
"Yes. Go on, cry for help."
The Rain ninja gave a delighted chuckle as he emerged from the smoky ruins, the sharp edge of a kunai glistening in one hand. Much of the man's gear had been reduced to tatters, including the flak jacket that now hung limp at his shoulders and the gas mask that'd broken to reveal an angry gaze. It appeared his clothing wasn't the only thing that'd been damaged in the blast either, as there were also dark blotches and streaks of red across the ninja's chest.
"Worthless assassins! You're going to suffer for the trouble you've caused me!"
Following that declaration, the Rain ninja took a short leap and descended over Sumire's position, intending to plunge his blade right into her midsection. However the attack never quite reached the kunoichi, stopping short when the zealot's form rushed into view. Yohei had used the opening to simply tackle the ninja to the ground, wrenching both of them away from Sumire and into a pile of shattered straw and wood. In the midst of their violent tussle the Rain ninja's kunai dug deep and embedded into the zealot's left shoulder, quickly following several punches straight to his gut.
The damage should've knocked him out cold, but thanks to a little concoction he drank he was quite capable of enduring the beating. He was still sapped of energy as the punches and kicks rained down on his body, but not once did his grasp break on the opponent. The zealot wouldn't let go, purposefully biding his time until the strikes slowed down and the ninja expended more stamina. At which point, all he did was grind his boots into the floor and shift around, twisting the way the Rain ninja was oriented.
An orientation where the foe's exposed back was now clearly facing Sumire.
