Zazou landed just as the woman surrendered. The look she gave him was something he'd remember for quite some time. He let out a sigh as he looked at the bodies of the deceased... an unfortunate outcome of war that he inflicted on one of them. He wasn't entirely sure they'd have recovered from it, but the Mist seemed to have achieved what they set out to.
"Hn." A soft drone escaped from his mouth as he watched his sensei essentially try and knot the woman up with her limbs and canine like mannerisms as well as the ninken themselves. "Don't go killin' our prize too soon, sensei." He said with a toothy grin, kneeling down so that he would be on the side of the woman with her facing him.
Unsheathing his blade, he gave it a look before he twisted his wrist to make the point face downwards, lunging and piercing it into the ground beside her head - the blade maintained enough that she'd probably see her own reflection in the steel. The manner in which it was done made it a threat, but Zazou looked at it more as offering her a way out of death that was mere inches from her.
"You're gonna tell us everything you know about these zombies, the source of them and whatever intel you've got on yer forces." His hand was still firmly on the hilt of the blade, which he'd started to slowly twist. She'd be a useful captive if they got her to play ball. "Then we'll consider your surrender."
Zazou did seem to be listening intently, however his facial expression became considerably more dripping as time went by and she explained the powers of this would-be fish. He wasn't convinced, not in the slightest, but part of him wanted to see where this went.
"Sounds like an old wives tale to get people out fishing more for food." He said, folding his arms and looking the Jounin up and down for a moment. She did really seem to believe it... so surely there was something to this. Maybe not a wish granting fish, but there might have been something lurking in these waters yet.
Moving forward, he grasped his rod and pointed at her. "You better not be leading me down an empty path here!" He boomed, knowing fine well that there had been many within the Mist that were out to take advantage of the gullible - shinobi or not.
"You seem to know a lot about this Saba-Ou." He noted, "So where are we supposed to start looking? There's a hell of a lot of water on every side of us."
Zazou paid close attention to what happened before them. Whatever this woman was doing, it seemed beyond explanation of simple jutsu. She was on an entirely different level than the three of them. His first thought was to initiate a plan, something to give them an idea of her power and capabilities. As he turned to his comrades, he soon noticed that Makoto had charged in with her ninken, while Jun was readying an attack with his bow.
"Tch!" A sound of frustration. Usually he'd be the temperamental one and charge in head first, but he didn't think this was going to be so easily solved with brute force. Now he had a decision to make.
His right hand twitched, a few sparks of electrical current running through it. Zazou toyed with the idea of trying to finish it in one fell swoop, but he risked a lot if he went through with it and was unsuccessful. No, not yet. There were other things afoot, such as her absorbing energy from the two shinobi impaled on those earthy spikes.
Figuring the fate of the one who had been afflicted by her touch was sealed, he rushed forward, delivering flurries of kicks and sweeps to mulch through the zombies that would try and impede Makoto from behind, making sure she'd have a clear run back if she needed it. He leapt into the air, extending his body back almost as if he was throwing a javelin but instead - a vicious crackle of lightning flew from his hand intent on destroying the earth pillar that impaled Aiko - now he would see just how important it was for her to keep them close.
Zazou felt himself yanked downwards, the zombie below him had contorted itself into a usually impossible shape in order to try and squeeze his eye from its socket. His hand gripped to pull the blade from the undead warrior, but before he could even lift it to deliver a blow, one of Jun's arrows pierced it and stopped it in its tracks.
He gave a nod of acknowledgement to him and as he steadied himself for what seemed like the next wave, he was met with the pleasant surprise of reinforcements. They'd been holding this area down long enough themselves, and the Inuzuka was a sight for sore eyes.
The Chunin flicked the blood from his blade and sheathed it, following by the side of Jun and Makoto. "He's right." Zazou said in response to Jun, knowing that they couldn't let this figure go unattended to whip up more casualties. They'd already lost significant bodies in this zone, contributed to that woman alone. "We should deal with her before she impedes us further, and while we have her on the run. It might help us in finding the source of all of this."
While it may not have been his place, he was adamant that a piece of the puzzle lay within the individuals that were different to the zombies they had been fighting.
The two didn't seem to let down from each other and their shouting could probably have been heard some ways off towards to village. Zazou wasn't doing himself any favours getting so worked up against his Sensei, but he wasn't going to shy away from a challenge just because she held a rank over him. Though it would have been much to his detriment.
"You call that doggy paddlin' swimming!?" He blasted back at her, before his ears perked up to this fish having some sort of... power? Musings of a mad woman, he thought. Then again, what if there was something she wasn't letting on to? Zazou was gullible enough to lower his guard visibly, his shoulders resting and his body language seeming more relaxed.
He folded his arms as though he was conceding defeat in the whole fishing matter and looked at her sternly, the tone of his voice deepened as though it had become apparent he was being serious. "Oi, sensei." He said, walking over to her. "You wouldn't lead me on, right? What is this power you're talking about?"
A rustle from the bushes and a shadow of movement. Initially Zazou thought it may have been the woman, but it was another one of those mindless brutes charging off for his comrade - the same time he was trying to make a shot. In a split second, he decided on the best possible move he could use to take the foe down without compromising his team-mates safety. Putting his own body on the line.
"Hm!" A bend of his knees and the Chunin darted, sword firmly grasped in his hand. Using jutsu would have only made matters worse, inflicting friendly fire wasn't going to be something he would consider. He was confident he could beat the speed of the zombie before it made it.
Twisting his wrist ever so slightly, he ramped up his speed and leapt, attempting to drive his blade down onto and through the neck of his foe and drive it to the ground. Even if it lived through the ordeal, the important part was pinning it and buying them a fraction more reaction time of whatever was to come.
Zazou only hoped that the interception wasn't in vain, and that leaving his back exposed wouldn't haunt him - though he was certain Jun would have his back as he did for him.
One thing the snowy haired Chunin and his platoon Sensei had in common was passionate, fiery outbursts. He did let her ramble for what it was worth, standing on a little mound of dirt before pointing his finger right back at her.
"Why can't you fish like everyone else in this damn village, eh!? " He yelled in return, his point now curling into his palm as he clenched his fist. "What the hell is a Saba-Ou!?" His face was contorted with confusion, he wasn't sure what kind of sense she was trying to make out of the whole thing. Somewhere, Zazou thought he was wrong and hesitated for a moment. Then he had to ask himself who the hell goes underwater to catch fish in their mouth?
Despite his outrage, he knew not to push the Jounin's buttons too much. He didn't want to end up lunch meat to her and her dog kin. She asserted it wouldn't happen again, but Zazou needed food and she was in the way. He bent down and reached for his rod, remarkably still in tract after their tussle. Reeling it in, he found the gut all tangled and out of shape, the hooks caught up in the mess.
Letting out a sigh, he threw the rod down and pointed back to her. "And another thing, you owe me a new rod!" That was something he wasn't going to negotiate on.
Zazou lifted his blade and gave it a sharp twitch to the ground, wiping off the blood of a zombie that had recently fell to the ninjato. He'd come to aid his Mist comrade, though he didn't expect the situation that they were in to escalate in such a way. Something disturbing was happening in this forest, away from their eyes, but the presence was felt through-out his entire body. It fought against their humanity in a way he couldn't describe.
"I see her." There was a calmness to Zazou's voice in the acknowledgement of Jun's question. While it was easy to get worked up over such a thing, knowing he was fighting an enemy more than likely several times stronger than him was causing a rush. With steady breathing, he remained on a level field. He couldn't afford to slip and end up dead here.
That being said, he had no plans to play dead or try and worm his way out of the intensity of the situation. Rather, he was ready to put it on the line. An unknown enemy, capable of moving like silk through shadow and largely keeping her surroundings undisturbed. Not the type of foe you wanted to let plan their attack at leisure.
His head snapped as he watched two shuriken collide, ring out in unison, one of which spiralled towards the area the woman appeared from. Zazou leapt to the trees above and clambered over thick trunks and branches, making his way so he overlooked the area the shadow sunk into, his ninjato grasped in his hand - ready to make the leap down and engage if the opportunity presented itself, but keenly aware his allies were ready to do the same.
He would make sure not to get caught in the crossfire.
His elbow connected exactly where intended and upon impact, a sadistic grin spread across his face. He could see the fish being released from the canines of the Jonin and Zazou extended a hand to grab it, but then... plop. It wriggled itself back into the water.
When he saw it, his jaw hung open, his emotions somewhere between rage and complete disappointment. There was a good few seconds before he snapped back into reality, the trigger being latched onto by the front of his shirt and suddenly dragged right into the river. Muted shouting came from him under water, bubbles ruptured to the surface as he was dragged around. He attempted to latch on to the hand of the Inuzuka, but with all her strength she tossed him back to land with no trouble at all.
Zazou rolled onto the ground, tumbling in the dirt before he got to his knees and coughed up whatever water managed to find its way into his system. Wiping his mouth he looked back towards the body of the river and with little hesitation, leaped into the air. A quick string of handseals formed, the water lashing from his skin as he did so, before with a mighty howl a bolt of lightning darted and crackled towards the water. The intent was to conduct and numb the sensei underneath and render her unable to bounce out of the water so easily.
The ninja landed on his feet, adopting a fighting stance where his body was slightly crouched, feet dug into the ground with one hand extended forward and the other flexed back parallel to his face. Some dogs weren't so easy to calm down...
Zazou's eyes followed the movements of the shadow underneath the water. They widened, perplexed by what he was seeing. Did he reel in the biggest fish in the river? A monster even? He couldn't tell, but his tongue snaked out of his mouth and licked his lips in excitement.
"Che! I can eat for a few days, maybe even a week!" He exclaimed, hand gripping the rod and pulling while he tried to reel it in. That was when he realised that he didn't have to reel at all. This thing was coming right out at him! The water bubbled, formed around this beast from the depths as it came flying out towards him. Naturally, Zazou fell backwards and was soaked, his rod tossed to the side and his arms brought up defensively to cover him.
The Chunin bounced up, hand on the hilt of his ninjato to carve up this monster among fish. That was when he saw, well, quite the opposite of a sea creature. His hook was still firmly caught in the locks of a woman, hunched on all fours with a fish in his mouth. Wait, wasn't that...
"Makoto Inuzuka!" He shouted, pointing his finger towards her accusingly. Never had he met her, but she was the Jonin sensei of his platoon. That thought wasn't even in his mind, given how upset he was. "Oi! That fish is mine! No wonder I can't catch anything with you lurking in the water scaring them away!"
Without another word, he leapt into the air, adjusted his elbow and aimed to drop it on her head to make her release the fish while she was distracted by the bait, but more likely than not, his howling voice gave him away.
"Damn it." Zazou muttered under his breath. The sun had only came up a few hours before, but with the density of the mist it was hard to determine the exact time. Not that he cared. There was a stillness; no wind, no noise. Silence.
A wooden pole extended out into the river below. Akin to a fishing rod, but it was more put together and rough around the edges than anything that could be bought in a store. The line on the end of it extended into the calm water below, as Zazou sat atop a mound, hunched over waiting for a bite. After all, it was the perfect time to fish.
"Damn it." His voice had become more irritated but he was calm, a flick of the wrist with the rod in his hand trying to bait a fish into a bite. There was nothing. Zazou was relying on catching a fish for a meal, yet here he was, wasting his time instead of improving himself. How infuriating.
Again his wrist flicked, unwilling to reel in. Perhaps he could have cast out, but he had a feeling. Any minute now, he would get a bite. He had to be prepared, have the strength to reel it in. All he needed was silence and concentration. He took a deep breath.
While not known for its storms, Zazou was born under dark clouds, booming thunder and crackling lightning. It raged for a full night, before gently settling into a drizzle in the morning. The Amanatsu family welcomed a new face into their home upon sunrise, intending on having him follow the family tradition of being raised as a shinobi. Trained under the tutelage of his father, Zazou became disciplined and self sufficient at a tender age, which developed him to be more mature earlier on in his life. Lessons on morality and keeping himself in the best physical condition he could be in, so that he could handle any situation, were the forefront of his fathers teachings and something he took into his teenage years.
The loss of his father caused a shift in him. His death was a result of war wounds and illness that had caught up from him with the war between Kiri and Kumo in the Land of Whirlpools. Through this, he developed a personal distaste from those affiliated with the Cloud. Zazou was getting into more fights within the ranks, became more reckless on assignments and was increasingly more eccentric and erratic in personality as he grew without his father and mentor. Eventually, he had garnered a reputation in the village for always trying to be the first to engage in battle and putting himself on the frontline, which subsequently gained him the nickname 'Yagi' meaning goat - in reference to his charges and the shape of his hair looking like horns and his means of going 'head first' into fights.
Now with the rank of Chunin, he is trying to take a more rational approach to things. There is a part of him that wants to protect those he is with, but he is a closed book. Too afraid to let anyone in should he have to lose them and go through the same emotional trauma as losing his parents. This is why he can come off as arrogant, dismissive and generally unfriendly to those around him - which can make him hard to work with. None of it is personal, and mostly comes down to wanting to keep relationships at a distance.
Proficiencies
Raiton [Journeyman]
Zazou's Raiton release is at a more developed level, capable of manipulating bolts and spreading an electrical discharge over a small area. He is also capable of utilising stronger piercing techniques at the cost of a considerable amount of chakra and energy. This extends to being able to use the Chidori technique, albeit at the significant cost of only being able to utilise the technique once in the period of a day - with considerable rest required afterwards.
Taijutsu [Apprentice]
Zazou focuses on using strong methodical punches, kicks and elbows in order to break down an opponents defence. His stamina and durability reflects the good shape his body is kept in, capable of acts of flexibility in order to give his attacks a more dynamic range that what would be expected of an amateur.
Stealth [Apprentice]
While running at the enemy with all his might is usually the first thing on his list, Zazou is aware how important stealth is to a ninja. His footsteps are light and he knows how to conceal himself amongst shrubbery, objects and shadows. That being said, he is still easily exposed by sensory techniques and other ninja with a keen eye - and his hair doesn't help those matters of keeping hidden.
Kenjutsu [Apprentice]
Like most ninja raised in Kirigakure, Zazou is able to use a sword, his preference being a Ninjato strapped to his back. He isn't capable of complicated strikes and forms, but he is able to justly attack and defend himself to a basic standard of control and footwork.
Zazou landed just as the woman surrendered. The look she gave him was something he'd remember for quite some time. He let out a sigh as he looked at the bodies of the deceased... an unfortunate outcome of war that he inflicted on one of them. He wasn't entirely sure they'd have recovered from it, but the Mist seemed to have achieved what they set out to.
