[attr="class","pwfbody"] As expected, Yousei's little group had some major differences in personality, but she knew that if she could get these gears working together, they were going to have one hell of a clock on their hands. [break][break]
"I like that enthusiasm, Kuma-san!" She hush-shouted quietgetically, as she turned to size up the hulking jounin from the Hidden Cloud. "Let's see...big, tough, and super built; no doubt to the credit of your ninja bear ancestors!" That was a gag, right? She didn't actually think that- [break][break]
"And you're carrying a pair of claws, very fitting. You must be a close-range specialist, right? In that case, I need you to help me get Steedy McRiderson over there off his horse. He's leading some sort of elite cavalry unit, so I'm sure he'll be a lot easier to deal with if we can get him unmounted and on foot. Just stay alert and remember to expect the unexpected, for all we know that might be some sort of samurai ninja horse!" [break][break]
That said, she next turned her attention to Norisuke and Tsubaki. Hey, was it just her, or did Norisuke seem a little different? She couldn't quite put her finger on it (a little wavy? a little wet behind the ears? a little some other water pun?), but like. Oh well, probably nothing to worry about. [break][break]
"While we handle that, I'll need you guys covering our flanks. Between the Horse Force™ (the ™ is silent, just to clarify), and all the random ashigaru running around out there, we're gonna need some serious crowd control once things hit the fan. And don't be afraid to help each other out! Teamwork makes the dream work; the dream being these Taiyou bastards pushing up daisies." [break][break]
However, it seemed their little strategy meeting would have to wrap up there, as they were rudely interrupted by the battle cry of a horseless rider who had rushed their bunker with a weird...stick? Oh wait, it was like a fireworks tube! Annnnd now the bunker was filled with smoke and embers, and she was gonna have to get her whole outfit dry cleaned to get the smell out. Suffice to say, she was less than pleased with the situation; dry cleaning wasn't cheap! [break][break]
"Don't bother wasting your chakra on small fry like this!" Yousei coughed out into her sleeve. They were in the middle of a warzone, after all; chakra was a precious commodity, and not one that they could afford to be wasting here. [break][break]
Then, holding her breath as best she could, she quickly slipped the Oto headband off her arm and pocketed it, before removing her coat as she took off running towards the exit, making sure her footfalls were nice and loud as she chucked the jacket out through the smoke ahead of her. [break][break]
Why pay for dry cleaning when you can just buy a new jacket! [break][break]
The hapless samurai on the other side had no doubt been waiting to swing at the first thing that came through the door, but he almost certainly hadn't been expecting that thing to be casual wear. Yousei herself slid out just moments later, her diminutive stature allowing her to keep an exceptionally low profile as she skidded to a sharp yet graceful halt, drawing her blade in a clean diagonal slash aimed up through their would-be assailant's torso. That shabby armor wouldn't be helping much here; not against a high-quality blade like Hatsuyuki. [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Now she was even offering to return the favor? Score! Getting to learn about a new style straight from an old pro sounded like a heckin sweet deal. "Definitely! The more you know, the more you can grow." Hey, that was actually pretty good! She'd have to remember that one; it rhymed and everything. Regardless, Yousei was super pleased by how fast Tsubaki seemed to be absorbing all of this new information. That was a former master for you! [break][break]
"Okay! Now watch this." Still maintaining the veil of chakra around her blade, Yousei subtly shifted into a striking stance. "Building off that last technique, if you concentrate excess chakra around the blade, and release it at the same time as you swing..." [break][break]
She let her words hang there for the time being as she shifted the explanation into a demonstration; her sword cutting cleanly through the air, as a crescent arc of razor sharp chakra was cast off from the edge, flying forward a short distance before slicing straight into the trunk of a nearby tree, leaving a deep gash in the wood. [break][break]
"You can launch razor sharp projectiles at your opponent! Pretty awesome, right? This way, even if there's a gap between you and your opponent, you can still attack at a moment's notice. No need to weave ninjutsu, or bother with shuriken or kunai! Very handy stuff." [break][break]
Feeling certain that she'd given an adequate presentation, Yousei then dispelled the lingering chakra on her sword with a motion reminiscent of a classic chiburi, though she didn't bother to sheathe it quite yet. [break][break]
"And that's not even to mention all the other applications that shape transformation has outside of kenjutsu. I've only just recently started exploring those myself! Honestly, it's actually pretty amazing how well suited the teachings of the samurai are for being incorporated with those of the shinobi. If it weren't for the culture barrier there, I'm sure we'd see it happen a lot more than it does." [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] The explosion that rang out across the battlefield would prove to be the first turning point for the engagement; dust, debris, and even several unfortunate ashigaru flying into the air as Anotsu Uchiha took the field. [break][break]
Ichinose's particularly keen hearing had alerted him to the kunai before they'd exploded and given him enough time to shield himself from the blast, but the turncoat hadn't been expecting a second shinobi to join the fray. Caught by surprise and still dazed from the explosion, Anotsu's grapple found purchase, and before the informant could properly react, he was being hurled to a more distant corner of the battlefield. [break][break]
"Tch. Got sloppy..." [break][break]
But the battle had only just begun. It wouldn't be that easy to take down a hardened veteran like Ichinose. Using his arms to rebound off the ground, the conspirator performed a perfect mid-air recovery, already in the process of rapidly weaving a number of handseals as he skidded to a halt; a testament to the skills he'd honed during his many years of service to the Sound Village's previous regime. [break][break]
Before Anotsu could close the distance again, a trio of orange spheres suddenly sprang to life around Ichinose, orbiting him like a defensive perimeter of miniature suns. This was his advanced nature: Scorch Release. With this, he planned to make sure that hand-to-hand combat was off the menu. He wasn't bad with taijutsu, but neither was his opponent it seemed, and as a ninjutsu specialist it would be better to play to his strengths. [break][break]
"But to think, the new Hokage would actually trust some damn foreigner from the Rain Village to help with our internal affairs. That's a new low, even for her! This is exactly why we'd be better off with the Taiyou running things around here." [break][break]
Meanwhile... [break][break]
Yousei jumped back in time with the explosion, putting distance between herself and the samurai as Anotsu absolutely chucked that asshole Ichinose to another part of the temple grounds. Nice! Then one of the ashigaru ended up stepping on the smoke pellet he'd left behind, causing a cloud of smoke to part the battlefield, leaving each of them truly isolated. Welp, this is what she signed up for. Fortunately, it seemed that the lieutenant hadn't managed to dodge the explosion in time, so with any luck he was already injur- nevermind. [break][break]
It was at that exact moment that Komatsu began slowly advancing from the smoke, his every step confident and deliberate, as though he were already assured of his victory. There was barely a scratch on him! Just how tough was that armor of his anyway!? Then the remaining ashigaru came rushing in, and Yousei began dancing backwards, cutting the footmen down one by one as she deliberately retreated back through the torii gate, and along the stone path that led to the shrine proper. This guy was bad news, she couldn't risk letting the cannon fodder get in the way. [break][break]
Yet strangely, he seemed all too content to let her cut down his men in droves; his own blade even lashing out as one of them stumbled back after receiving a mortal wound from Yousei, bisecting him cleanly at the torso, as a shower of blood erupted from his brutally sundered body. [break][break]
"Your blade cuts too shallow." The Butcher reprimanded her, as though casually critiquing the way she killed. "They will die from these wounds, yes...but so much blood could yet be spilled. How will your blood look as it stains this sacred ground, I wonder?" [break][break]
Damn dude, this guy had some issues! [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Yousei stared at the device curiously for a moment before it finally clicked in her head what the Uchiha had just given her; this was one of those fancy radio transmitter things that they used in the Rain Village! It was her first time actually seeing one in person, very cool stuff indeed. Fixing the piece to her ear, she gave Anotsu a thumbs up in the affirmative. She was glad the cool-headed jounin had come prepared, tech like this would definitely be handy for coordinating while they were split up. [break][break]
Focusing her attention back on their quarry once again in response to Anotsu's question, she strained her eyes and ears to try and make out whatever details she could on their conversation. "It's hard to make out. Something about Onomichi, I think. The bastard is probably going over the new defense plans that Mai-" [break][break]
Damn it. [break][break]
"I mean, that the Hokage issued last night. One of the main reasons we've been ordered to take him alive is because we have no idea how long he's been feeding information to the Taiyou like this. The intelligence division needs to interrogate him and find out just how much the Empire knows, otherwise we could be at a serious disadvantage in the coming battle. Being able to extract information from this lieutenant too would just be icing on the cake." [break][break]
Just then, Ichinose pulled something from the pouch he'd been carrying; a scroll bearing the seal of the Hokage. That gave her an idea. I think this is our cue. Follow my lead, Anotsu." She shot out of the bush like lightning, pushing every bit speed she could muster as she closed the gap, making it nearly half way to them before they alerted to her presence, at which point Yousei was already drawing her blade. [break][break]
A crescent arc of chakra was cast off by the slash that followed, and taken by surprise as they were, the projectile somehow managed to meet its mark, striking the back of the lieutenant's bracer. It barely left a scratch on armor that heavy, but the force managed to knock the scroll out of his hand and into the air, which was exactly what she'd been aiming for. [break][break]
Leaping into the air, she then intercepted the scroll herself, flipping over the pair before landing gracefully in front of the torii gate that led to the shrine, and spinning back to face them with a smug grin as she tucked the document away. Now the samurai would have no choice but to fight her, if he wanted to get his hands on whatever secrets lay within. That meant that Anotsu simply had to draw aggro from Ichinose, and splitting the duo up should be simple. [break][break]
"Hahaha!" The traitor's laughter echoed through the clearing. "I figured that sorry excuse for a Hokage would find me out sooner or later, but is this really all the manpower she could spare? Some kid pretending to be a jounin, who thinks she's hot shit just because she got some fluke promotion?" Yousei's expression tightened, but she kept her cool despite the emotions bubbling up in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't about to let this bastard get to her, she had other things to deal with. Namely... [break][break]
"No matter." The samurai finally spoke, drawing the lower, less impressive of his blades as the ashigaru rallied around him. "Simply more blood to spill." His voice was cold, like frosted iron; the kind of voice you'd expect from a coldblooded killer. This wasn't going to be an easy fight, that much was certain. [break][break]
But with all their attention focused on Yousei, this was the perfect chance for Anotsu to make his move! [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] "Yousei Shinkiro! Pleased to meet you, Anotsu." She replied energetically, as the stoic Uchiha offered his introductions. She'd never met an Uchiha before! Guess that was another box to check off on the Meet Every Ninja Clan list (which she didn't actually have, but that would be a pretty cool hobby if it weren't metaphorical). [break][break]
"Ah, sure thing! Let's move while we talk, should be plenty of time to catch you up before we get there." Yousei set out first, taking point as she darted through the trees like a red-headed squirrel. This mission was time sensitive, so they had to act swiftly. [break][break]
"As I'm sure you know, our main objective is to capture a certain jounin from Oto, and bring him back alive for questioning. Real hardass named Ichinose, who's been selling our secrets to the Empire. He's not just some ratfink informant though, this guy is a battle hardened veteran with one of the longest service records in the village. Tons of high-ranking missions under his belt. And if that weren't enough, he's also a ninjutsu expert specializing in Shakuton. That stuff is nasty, by the way; whatever you do, make sure you don't get hit by it, unless you want to end up looking like dried squid." [break][break]
They were getting closer to the border of the Northern Fire Country now, it wouldn't be much longer until they reached their destination. According to the intelligence report, the meeting was set to take place at an old temple dangerously close to Taiyou lines, that had lain abandoned ever since the Empire had first solidified its hold on the Land of Fire. Still, there were a few things left to discuss before they arrived. [break][break]
"Ichinose's contact in the Empire is a samurai lieutenant, but the report didn't have much to go off of in terms of identity or combat ability, just that he's likely to be accompanied by a full platoon of ashigaru, and that he seemed "extremely dangerous". Our secondary objective is to capture him alive too, if we can, or to eliminate him if capture becomes impractical." [break][break]
That just about did it for the briefing, and sure enough, after a short branch hopping interlude, they'd arrived! Crazy how these trips always seemed to just fly by in the span of a short conversation, huh? [break][break]
At any rate, Yousei had stopped just before they'd reached the clearing where the aforementioned temple was located, signalling Anotsu to follow her as she took cover behind the plentiful vegetation that accompanied the break in the treeline. The scene before them was as expected; a grizzled shinobi in Sound Village attire, meeting with a group of samurai led by a man of imposing stature, clad in red and purple armor, and wearing the mask of an ogre. [break][break]
His name was Kaneshige Komatsu, known infamously among the Taiyou as "Kaneshige the Butcher" due to his penchant for wanton slaughter; killing women, children, and sometimes even his own men indiscriminately. There were even rumors that he was affiliated with the Cult of Jashin, though it was hard to say whether there was any truth to those claims, or if they were merely a byproduct born from his bloody reputation. [break][break]
The report's description made perfect sense now. Yousei could tell with just a glance that this was no ordinary samurai. "That guy is going to be trouble..." She muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing as she caught sight of the swords at his hip. Rather than the typical daisho pair, he was carrying two full-sized katanas...on the same side? And while one of them seemed rather plain, the other was downright ominous; its sheath and wrappings black as midnight. [break][break]
It gave Yousei a bad feeling. This mission may have been even more dangerous than they'd expected. "Our best bet will probably be to split them up. Samurai are my specialty, so if you can deal with Ichinose, I should be able to handle the lieutenant." A risky play perhaps, but far less risky than fighting them together in her opinion, and having personally sparred with a jounin from Ame herself, she was sure that Anotsu would be able to hold his own in a fight. "Just remember, we need to take him alive." [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] "Onward, then!" She shouted with renewed vigor, pointing off into the distance dramatically as she did, just for good measure. "The taiyaki awaits!" Yousei really did love taiyaki; oshiruko too! Pretty much anything with red bean paste in it, honestly. Maybe red was just her color, she did have an awful lot of it in her general aesthetic, didn't she? Oh, maybe they could get some dango too! Just imagining it was enough to make Yousei's mouth water. [break][break]
At any rate, the street vendors were calling, so without further ado she took her new kouhai by the hand and took off with all hate towards the entrance that led to the village's commerce district, the gentle breeze and autumn leaves their constant companions, as they made their way towards what would no doubt be a night to remember in Otogakure. [break][break]
Even if the underlying circumstances were dire, Yousei was glad they'd gotten to meet like this. She didn't know what the future held in store, but for right now, she planned to make the most of the present, and forge a bond that would transcend borders, stand the test of time, and all that other good stuff you always see in weekly shounens! [break][break]
And that's the story of how a certain fairy met a certain butterfly. (Stay tuned for the sequel, coming in 20XX!) [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] It seemed Ryota wasn't listening anymore, too lost in the focus of battle for Yousei's words to reach him, but that was just fine, wasn't it? He certainly seemed to be following his instincts more now, if nothing else. It was just like she'd told him: the less he thought, the less he'd hesitate. He was caught up in the flow now, coming at her with everything he had, hellbent on trying to grasp even the faintest chance at victory. This kid definitely had promise; a little rough around the edges still, but Yousei was convinced that with a little polish, there might be a diamond waiting just below the surface. [break][break]
As his rising slash aimed to catch her flank, she simply turned to the side, evading its arc entirely, though it seemed he wasn't done yet. Yousei couldn't help but smirk as Ryota followed up by converting his swing into a lunging thrust; now that was more like it! Yet even that clever play ended up missing its mark, as she pivoted back in the opposite direction like a piece of paper dancing in the wind. [break][break]
Oh, but he was relentless! No sooner had Ryota recovered from his thrust, than he decided to go for some swashbuckling action by trying to punch her with his guard of all things. It was certainly an unexpected maneuver, but one that worked well to his strengths, or more pertinently the strengths of his weapon. After all, when you got down to it, the guard of his cutlass wasn't really much different from a pair of brass knuckles. Not bad at all! [break][break]
Almost made Yousei want to get a little serious... [break][break]
There was something different about the hand that caught Ryota's attack this time. Even compared to the last time she'd intercepted his blade, this chakra had a far more definite shape; more condensed, more refined, like a neon outline tracing the silhouette of her hand.
It wrapped around the guard of his sword and held it steady, while Yousei just smiled at her battle drunk student with the sort of dangerous glint in her eye that made it obvious that something was about to happen. That "something" was currently localized in the palm of her other hand, which was now pointing directly at Ryota's stomach, having moved into position as she grappled his punch. [break][break]
Yousei had been trying to perfect a certain technique lately, but she still only the force and rotation down; the problem she kept running into was containment. But that in and of itself had led her to create something of prototype technique, which she still hadn't had a chance to properly test yet. She'd take it easy on Ryota, though. Didn't want to rough him up too bad, just enough to bring him back to his senses a little. [break][break]
That "something", you see, was a swirling vortex of chakra; a white whorl, like a small hurricane that was rapidly accelerating. And then, all at once, it exploded outward as a spiraling shockwave, not particularly destructive as such, but packing enough force to easily blow away anything that wasn't nailed down within its relatively short range, like a pneumatic cannon of pure chakra. [break][break]
She called it Rasen Kaidan (Spiral Staircase). [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] "Oh, Jigen-Ryu! I've heard of that style before. Never had the chance to see it in person, though; no dojos that practice it here in Oto." It was a shame there weren't more kenjutsu schools in the Sound Village, Yousei was always interested in the different techniques and principles that other schools taught, and how they contrasted with the samurai teachings passed down by her own family. New perspectives were essential on the path to growth and evolution, after all! [break][break]
"Ah, yes! Shape transformation is a cornerstone of many traditional samurai techniques. It could definitely be handy if you can only use one of your arms too, no hand seals or anything required!" She explained, as she once again drew the blade that had been an heirloom of her family for generations. "Just keep in mind, it's definitely not as easy as it looks." [break][break]
Holding the sword at a perpendicular angle so that Tsubaki would have a good view of the action, a veil of white chakra once again once again surrounded the blade. [break][break]
"The basic principle is simply to use your weapon as a central axis and overlay it with a body of chakra, in order to extend its range and enhance its cutting ability. That much you should be able to manage before too long, with a little training and elbow greese. The difficult part is refinement." [break][break]
Taking another deep breath to center herself, the veil once again compressed around the sword until it was little more than a thick neon line that hugged the katana like a glove. [break][break]
"Something like this, for example. By better defining the "shape" of the chakra, you can further enhance the technique's efficacy. This method I'm using obviously sacrifices the "range" aspect, but it significantly improves the "cutting" one. Of course, with enough skill it should be possible to hone both aspects simultaneously, and even mould the chakra into larger and more complex shapes that extend further from the focus point, but I'm not quite that skilled yet, haha!" [break][break]
Then Yousei turned to her new companion with a smile so pure and bright that she was probably about to start attracting the local fauna like some sort of D*sney princess (look, there was a non-copyrighted deer right over there, chilling with his equally fair use lagomorph and mephitidae companions). [break][break]
"There's some other pretty awesome stuff you can do with shape transformation too! Wanna see?" [break][break]
Making a few changes to Yousei's starting weapons while I still have the chance (her old sword just didn't feel like a good fit), and updating the description of her Shape Transformation to reflect both those changes, and how she's actually been using the proficiency ICly now that I've had a chance to play her.
Kenjutsu (Samurai) [Veteran]: One of Yousei's greatest passions; the arts of the samurai, passed down in her family for countless generations, until she finally came to inherit them herself. She is extraordinarily skilled with both classical swordsmanship and iaido, and is also fluent in kenjutsu-based shape transformation techniques.
↳ Hatsuyuki (First Snow) An heirloom of the Shinkiro family; an exquisitely crafted katana that serves as an excellent conductor for chakra. It possesses no extraordinary abilities.
↳ Yosuzume (Night Sparrow) An ominous black blade forged from rare chakra conducting steel; one of the ten "Maken" (cursed swords) of samurai legend. It has the ability to draw out the darkness in its wielder's heart, and empower itself by giving shape to their twisted emotions. Ordinarily, this would cause whoever draws the blade to go completely berserk, but Yousei's compatibility with this particular Maken is abnormally high. As a result, whenever she draws Yosuzume, it instead causes her white clothes to turn jet black, and radically alters her usual personality, making her far more eccentric and unpredictable (or in a word, dangerous). The sword then takes on a haunting crimson glow, bathed in an aura of sinister chakra that significantly enhances its cutting power, as well as the weight behind its strikes; a property which also extends to any kenjutsu or kenjutsu-based shape transformation techniques performed with it. However, even with Yousei's current level of affinity, the constant drain that the blade places on her chakra reserves makes prolonged use exhausting and overall inadvisable.
(Attaining greater proficiency with Kenjutsu and Shape Transformation will further increase Yousei's compatibility with Yosuzume, allowing her to bring out the cursed sword's true power.)
Shape Transformation [Journeyman]: A cornerstone of many traditional samurai techniques, Yousei is quite skilled with the art of applying shape transformation to raw chakra. While she primarily utilizes this proficiency in conjunction with her kenjutsu, lately she's also begun exploring several other potential avenues for its application, including one technique in particular that she's been working on perfecting.
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Yousei chuckled sheepishly as Mai complimented her fighting style, running a hand through her hair as she tried to mask her embarrassment. It wasn't often that she had people praising her like this, so it definitely felt weird to hear. [break][break]
"That's probably because my style doesn't have a whole lot of defined techniques!" She explained, giving Mai some further insight into her Dance of Autumn Leaves. "See, rather than ingraining specific motions through repetition, Kouyou no Mai is focused on achieving relaxation by overcoming your instinctual tension. How you apply it from there is mostly a matter of adaption and improvisation!" [break][break]
That probably wouldn't make a whole lot of sense, even to someone who'd just seen her taijutsu in action first hand, but she couldn't really explain it any more concisely than that. It was just super visceral, you know? Something you really had to feel before you could understand it. [break][break]
"Haha, you're welcome to try! I'll gladly take you on any time, Maimai." The smile Yousei returned was positively radiant. She hoped she really could give Mai a hundred more tries; a hundred and one, even! This had been some of the most fun she'd had in ages, there was no way they could let this be a one-time thing. [break][break]
"Oh, I don't mind!" She responded jovially, clearly not the least bit concerned by her companion's six-legged friends. "As long as they're not all ordering, that is!" The laugh that followed had to be one of the purest, more carefree sounds in the whole world. What a great day this had turned out to be! [break][break]
"What're you in the mood for, anyway? Any preferences? I don't really know what the culinary scene is like in the Ame, but we've got ramen, gyoza, takoyaki...oh, and I have to show you my favorite taiyaki stand!" [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Team leader!? Now that was unexpected! Yousei definitely hadn't been anticipating that Mai would put her in charge of an entire squad, but here she was, suddenly thrust into a position of prominence once again as the leader of Recon Team 1. Well, if Mai had faith in her then she wasn't about to let her down! So what if she'd only been a jounin for like a month, and she'd never led a unit in a large scale military engagement? There was a first time for everything, right? And trials by fire built character! She totally had this, no worries. [break][break]
It seemed her team was comprised exclusively of foreign mercenaries and shinobi; a swordsman from the Hidden Mist (hey, she'd actually met that one before!), a Hozuki from the Hidden Rain, and an anthropomorphic bear from the Hidden Cloud. Wait, so even bears could become jounin in Kumo? That was pretty awesome! The more you know, huh? Anyway, while their group might've been a little rag-tag, Yousei was totally digging it. It was always the crazy teams like this that ended up being the protagonists in those shounen manga, after all. [break][break]
And speaking of shounen manga, it looked like their big bad evil guy had just arrived! Peeking out from their patented Sound Village guerilla warfare bunker (seriously though, they had so many of these things), Yousei regarded the smug bastard for a long moment as he sat on his smug horse, looking out smugly over the town, where- woah what the heck was that thing? Was that a fire-breathing bat doing strafing runs over there? [break][break]
That was kinda concerning, but her team's job was to deal with things here right now and make sure this guy and his Taiyou dogs couldn't take control of Zone 3, so she'd just have to trust the rest of the coalition to deal with the chiropteran horror. [break][break]
Turning her attention back to Smuggy McSmuggerton, Yousei then quietly addressed her team, making sure not to give away their position. "Our main objective is going to be taking out the commander in the fancy armor over there. Do that, and the rest of his cavalry should rout." She explained calmly, laying out the game plan. "Be careful though, this guy is no ordinary samurai, and his troops look well-trained too; they're definitely no run-of-the-mill ashigaru." [break][break]
Yousei may not have subscribed to the Taiyou Monthly Newsletter, but she knew enough about samurai that she could tell even from a glance that Hatori Kurosawa (whose name she didn't actually know, mind you) and his men were no pushovers. These guys meant business. [break][break]
"Most importantly, remember to watch each other's backs out there. We may be from different villages, but right now we're all on the same side. Let's teach these good-for-nothing Imperials a lesson, and make it back home alive." [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Landing back on her feet with mustelid grace (that's like, weasels and otters and stuff, which are way cooler than felines, or other graceful-type animals), Yousei looked over to see Mai down for the count. Yes, direct hit! Positively beaming at the confirmation of her victory, she quickly skipped over to help Mai up, but Yousei quickly noticed that the Ame kunoichi was looking a little out of it, and oh, sweet cinnamon rolls what was that! [break][break]
Yousei immediately began shifting her stance back as the mass of black insects suddenly rose up behind her fallen opponent, right hand drifting to the hilt of her blade, ready to loose the steel at a moment's notice. But before anything could happen, Mai finally came back to her senses, and the pile of bugs just sort of fell over and scattered across the ground. [break][break]
Yousei just laughed as the sense of bloodlust and imminent danger vanished from the surrounding atmosphere. Oh man, Mai got her good that time; she really had her going for a second there! As her new friend extended the sign of reconciliation, Yousei wasted no time responding in kind, completely ignoring the bugs as she bent down to wrap her fingers around Mai's, smiling like the summer sun all the while. [break][break]
"Good fight, Maimai! Senpai, huh? I like the sound of that!" It had been a while since someone last called her senpai, but it was definitely something that she could get used to. "I'm guessing you must be an Aburame, right? First time I've ever met one in person! Very cool stuff with the bugs. You've seriously got a ton of tricks up those sleeves of yours, don't you?" For real though, what a diverse skillset; aikido, medical techniques, entomancy...and who knew what else, at this point! [break][break]
"You hungry, by the way? I could eat a house right now, not gonna lie. If you wanna come with, it'll be my treat!"[break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Yousei grinned deviously as Ryota decided it was time to switch things up, a cool breeze passing through the clearing as the swordsman-in-training prepared to go on the offensive. Yousei fully planned on indulging his recklessness, of course; sometimes that was just the best way for people to learn. "Think you're up to it?" She chuckled mischievously, taking no particular precautions to shore up her defense, even in light of the assault that was soon to follow. "Come on then, let's see what you've got!" [break][break]
Ryota seemed to take that as his sign to begin, for no sooner had the words left her lips than the boy's cutlass was already careening towards her; but the blade would find no purchase, cleaving naught but open air as Yousei effortlessly dodged to the side, her body gliding along like a leaf in the wind. There was no wasted movement, no unnecessary tension...it was another perfect example of the concept of "relaxation" that she'd been trying to convey to him. [break][break]
The next strike wouldn't fair much better, with the fairy easily reading his conversion and intercepting the blade with two fingers, the chakra that surrounded her hand being far less amorphous this time, instead beginning to conform to her hand like a glove. She was getting better at this; just like with kenjutsu, a definite shape made the transformation more efficient while improving its efficacy. [break][break]
"Your speed isn't half bad, but your attacks are too predictable. I can read you like an open book." She stated matter-of-factly, prefacing the subject of their next lesson. "Imagination and creativity are both key elements when it comes to combat; be it taijutsu, ninjutsu, kenjutsu, or genjutsu, being able to improvise and adapt to the situation is essential to victory." [break][break]
Hopping back a few feet to put some distance between them, Yousei smirked at Ryota with barely veiled anticipation, eager to see what would happen next. "Try getting more creative with your approach this time, but don't think too hard about it. Just let your instincts guide you, you might be surprised at what you come up with." [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Yousei had just been enjoying her morning cinnamon roll (did that count as cannibalism?) when she'd suddenly been called in to a meeting with the Hokage. Looked like there was a mission that Mai needed taken care of urgently; apparently one of their jounin had gone rogue and started selling secrets to the Empire, and with the attack on Onomichi just around the corner, they needed that security breach dealt with ASAP. [break][break]
The perpetrator in question was Hiroshi Ichinose, an older shinobi who'd fiercely supported the village's previous regime, and like many of the last generation was vocally dissident of Mai taking over as Hokage. Yousei couldn't see it. In her eyes, Mai had been doing an amazing job. The past year had been like a breath of fresh air! Were people really that stubborn? Were they really that afraid of change? [break][break]
Regardless, the report had also detailed that this Ichinose character was no pushover; a field-tested veteran with numerous high-ranking missions under his belt, who utilizes the rare advanced nature Scorch Release to deadly effect. Furthermore, intelligence seemed to indicate that he was currently on his way to the border of the Northern Fire Country to meet with his Imperial contact, who was noted as being a particularly fearsome looking samurai lieutenant, accompanied by a full platoon of ashigaru. [break][break]
This mission was starting to sound more dangerous by the minute, and to make matters worse, Oto was currently spread so thin by preparations for the coming battle that they couldn't spare to send any more of their own shinobi to assist her. Luckily, Mai had found someone who could; a jounin from the Hidden Rain Village, who'd come to help in their efforts against the Empire: Anotsu Uchiha! Yousei didn't recognize the name, but after her chance encounter with Mai Aburame the other day, she was sure any ninja from Ame would be a great help. [break][break]
And so, with no time to lose, they prepared to set out immediately. Objective: Subdue the rogue jounin and take him back alive for interrogation if possible. The lieutenant too, if they were feeling feisty! [break][break]
[attr="class","pwfbody"] Oof! Thrown completely off guard by Mai's tenacity, Yousei ended up getting thrown flat on her face, hitting the ground like a...well, not a ton of bricks exactly. More like a pillow at a slumber party or something, but you get the idea. She really needed to work on dealing with impacts like that; while the offensive and evasive aspects of her style were already pretty well developed, instinctively relaxing the entire body to dampen kinetic energy was still a work in progress. [break][break]
The throw hadn't really been that rough though. It was clearly intended more for creating space than anything, as evidenced by Mai's immediate retreat thereafter. Hopping to her feet like a feather suddenly caught by an updraft, Yousei dusted herself off before promptly squaring up again, not really any worse for wear all things considered. [break][break]
On the other hand, she could tell that Mai was definitely not in the best shape right now, as the younger kunoichi continued holding herself together through sheer force of will. Yousei couldn't help but admire her resolve; those Ame ninja were really built different! "So you're a medical ninja, too!" She reaffirmed the girl's earlier declaration energetically. "That's great news! It'll definitely be reassuring to know that there's someone like you backing us up out there." [break][break]
That said, Yousei figured it was probably time to finish this, and out of respect for Mai, she was going to pull out all the stops. Once again the fairy flitted across the field, closing the short gap between them in an instant, but as soon as she began to enter her opponent's range, something strange happened; before Mai had time to react with her Aikido, Yousei suddenly slipped away, her upper body falling backwards...because her feet were no longer on the ground! [break][break]
Yes, just before she'd reached the winded butterfly, she'd converted her momentum into a backwards somersault, her right leg completely relaxed as it carved a path upward with incredible speed, aiming to whip directly into Mai's torso like a miniature wrecking ball. She was already looking pretty bad off as it was; if she took this head on, determination alone might not be enough to keep her standing.[break][break]
