Kaguya vs. Kaguya, Boner jokes abound!

((I forgot to add in during my stat post, but myself and Janos were supposed to be using the two team short swords to maim each other with. Totally forgot to add it in. Janos knows I am supposed to be using it, but if you don’t want me to add it in now that the topic is locked, I understand.))

Prelude to Havoc…

A knock came to the door; a simple, soft rapping sound. Nathaniel sat on the couch with his legs crossed, reading over a large scroll on the evolution of ninja traps through the ages. Kana, Nathan’s sister, trotted down the stair and ran across the living room to answer the door. The teenage Kaguya straightened out and brushed off he kimono before taking a deep breath and opening the door.

To the Kaguya’s disappointment, it was only a shinobi delivering a scroll as he had been instructed. She sighed and took the letter without giving to much as a thanks, and shut the door loudly. The kunoichi walked behind Nathan on her way back up stairs, slapping the note down on the top of his head. The boy, who had been so absorbed in his scroll he hadn’t even realized that someone was knocking on the door, jumped and dropped his literature to the floor with a loud clatter.

“What’s this?” Nathan asked, pulling the letter from the top of his head and examining it thoroughly. He began to open the yellow envelope with care. It’s from Konoha. Wonder what’s going on?

“I don’t know.” Kana replied without any real hint of concern. She jogged up the stairs with an agitated look on her face and shut her bedroom door with more than the needed amount of force.

The young Kaguya shinobi read over the letter. “A battle challenge? Alright! This will be awesome! I have been wanting a way to test out my abilities!” Nathan was grinning from ear to ear as he read on. “Adachi Janos. No other information? Awe, come on!” Aggravated over having to go into the battle blind, Nathaniel headed up to his room to prepare. The battle wouldn’t be until the next day, but it was already late and it wouldn’t hurt to get a jump start.


Nathan woke up the next morning with an anxious temper towards the battle. He couldn’t wait to see how he did up against someone of his skill level. The only person Nathan had ever sparred with was his sister, and she usually beat him down enough within five minutes for the poor boy to give up.

He slipped on the silky white gi and tied it off at the waist. It was the first time he had ever worn the thing. He then pulled out a roll of bandage-like cloth and wrapped his right arm, from his hand to his shoulder, bunching the smooth white fabric up and underneath it. This gave him an excellent range of motion for that arm. Finally, he picked up his leaf headband. It symbolized so much. Nathan would have to try to do it justice. He tied the band loosely around his neck. Securing his equipment pouch around his waist and the holster for his dagger around his lower leg, the young Kaguya headed out to the battlegrounds.


Combat…

Nathaniel watched his opponent from across the short gap that laid between them. The forest didn’t do too much for cover, but made an excellent place to maneuver and fight. As so Nathan started it off. He quickly took off to the right, redirecting his chakra flow to his legs. The legs began to give off a faint blue glow and Nathan felt himself moving faster and with more agility than before.

Fishing down in his pocket for his ninja wire, Nathaniel dashed from tree to tree trying to get out of his enemy’s sight for just a moment. He quickly formed a loop with one end of the ninja wire and went to work setting up a snare trap. For now, Nathan was on defensive, building up his odds before getting to the actual attacks.

After the trap had been successfully laid, the Kaguya turned to face his foe. Rushing in with his enhanced speed, he activated another jutsu that he had come to know and love. The Corpse Bone Talons. He channeled his chakra to his fingertips, forming a set of razor sharp, half-inch long blades made of hardened bone at the ends of every one of his digits.

Nathan smirked as he leapt in towards Janos and reared back with his hand, twisting his whole body, using every single muscle, and slashing at his enemy’s chest with the talons. He didn’t aim to permanently injure the ninja, just to give him a nice row of five slash wounds across the chest.

He hit the ground and backed off a bit into the woods again, seeing how his opponent would respond. Nathan was truly enjoying this rush that he felt. Combat was new to the shinobi who hadn’t once even been on a mission.


Nathan’s Action #1~Activate Naibun Konoha Jutsu: Ikou Tosshin (Secret Leaf Technique: Power Rush)
Cost: 5 Chakra / 1/10th Speed Increase (1/10 of 59=6? 65 new total? 130 new dodge?)

Nathan’s Action #2~Set Kansei no Wana (Snare Trap)
Cost: Can no longer use ninja wire / Do not activate yet. just set.

Nathan’s Action #3~Activate Corpse Bone Talons
Cost: 5 Chakra / 1/25 Taijutsu added to all basic attacks (punch/kick)

Nathan’s Action #4~Slash at Janos’s Chest
Cost: Nothing / 3? Punch Damage + Corpse Bone Talon Bonus of 2?= 5?
+3 ACC

10 Chakra used out of 65 / 55 remaining
5 Possible Damage

---Pre-Battle---

As it always did, awareness came in a flash. Awakening with the customary adrenaline rush, Janos sat up with a start. His fears were soon assuaged: everything was as it should be, as he had left it, except...the clock! He had apparently slept through the deafening squeal of its alarm. How he had managed such a thing, on this day of all days, remained a mystery.

He had just under an hour to live up to his challenge.

He pushed himself out of bed, the covers crinkling as he shoved them aside. As he pulled on his usual clothes, he thought of why he had issued the cfhallenge to the much-younger Genin. They supposedly shared the same blood...blood that he had thought belonged to him alone. It was both blessing and curse that more shared his unique talents in Konoha. Though it did make learning to control his bloodline limit techniques less troublesome, they were also less unique, less belonging to him alone.

The true reasons behind this challenge were for education, to garner knowledge and technique from the young bone-child; pride would never allow Janos to merely ask. Now dressed, he gathered his equipment and quickly made his way to the battlefield quickly; he had not much time left to spare.

---Battle---

He got his glimpse of his opponent as the morning fog began to clear; why such fights must be this early, Janos would never know. He was only a short distance away from Janos, standing there tantalizingly in a white gi that starkly contrasted Janos's ripped black shirt and other ninja gear. He had gone all out for this battle, and he hoped the extra gear would not hinder his fighting style.

Instead of going for the attack, like he expected the younger, less mature, boy to do, the child dodged to the right. his legs giving off a faint blue glow. This was not a technique Janos had seen before, but it was not a bloodline technique; of that he was sure. The boy appeared to have disappeared for now, and Janos was not the type to worry about his location.

He stood his ground and smiled calmly, reaching in his bag for an explosive note. He had never seen these ninja tools before; holding such a compact amount of sheer power in his hand sent a thrill through the ninja's spine, which squirmed in place as if in response. Soon, he would have power over his very bones, but now, there was a battle to win.

He activated the explosive note, placing it on the ground in front of him and anchoring it down with a rock, beginning the slow burn that would lead to quite the spectacle, if his plan suceeded. The boy still out of sight, he stepped back and used the jutsu he had demostrated so uniquely at his graduation. It brought back fond memories, but this was no time to reminisce.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" he whispered, and, in a poof of smoke, an illusory copy of him was created; perfect, down to the finest detail. His bunshin walked over to the note, and stood on top of it, masking its presence. It was a rather good plan, but it required him to have been unobserved by the boy. And, of course, the other bonechild was surely preparing countermeasures...

Janos emptied these thoughts from his mind, dwelling only on the present. He ascended a nearby tree, thinking of nothing but putting one hand over the other, branch by branch. He found a suitable limb that would hide him and allow him to stay close to his trap right next to the area the fight began. He thought of nothing but the battle, nothing but winning, nothing but...he thought of nothing. He had gone through rigorous training to be able to enter this state of no-thought, of emptiness, of Mu.

Eventually, for time seemed to slow when one focused only on the now, he heard his opponent's footsteps running towards 'him'; in reality, his clone. He allowed himself a small chuckle, muffled by the ensuing explosion. It had worked perfectly; he would never have believed his foe so easily deceived.

Fiery fluttering fingers of flame danced at the edge of his vision, whether real or imagined, as he pushed off of the low-lying tree branch with both feet. Immediately after the explosion, he spotted his would-be attacker and angled his descent; pushing off of the tree-trunk to alter his trajectory. He would land right in front of the boy as he was attempting to flee, but his attention was not to land, oh no, that would be far too easy.

"Bakuyaku Yubi no Jutsu!" Janos cried, descending from above on the unsuspecting, hopefully slightly charred, young Genin. Visualizing the wall of chakra forcing itself over the boy's shoulder, he reached out with a finger on his other hand as well.

"Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu!" he yelled, as his feet thumped solidly on the ground, and fingers planted on the boy's chest, or thereabouts. Hopefully, the combination of explosion and internal trauma would slow the boy down, at least a little. But of course, Janos was not one to leave things to chance. He leapt away as soon as his feet impacted with solid ground, trying to throw one last kick before he jumped away, landing on both feet on another tree branch.

His lips turned up in what might have been a smile, indicating satisfaction. The talons he had seen on the boy, he had been able to manifest before on his own. But perhaps, just perhaps, the bonechild did possess more advanced techniques. Hopefully, Janos would prove more than enough of an adversary to witness them. He could only hope...

---Battle Summary---

Action 1 - Lay explosive note on ground, hold it down with rock.
Cost: 0
(I am not sure if this would cost an action. If it doesn't, use the kick i'm tacking on at the end. If it does, ignore the kick.)

Action 2 - Bunshin no Jutsu (Note: Bunshin should dissipate in Nathaniels attack - will be gone next turn.)
Cost: 8 Chakra

Non-Action 1 - Enter Mu.
Cost: 5 Chakra - +1 Acc to all attacks.

Note explodes somewhere around here - damage is based on RP.

---

Action 3 - Bakuyaku Yubi no Jutsu
Cost: 6 Chakra - Acc: 2, +1 Mu - Damage: 4

Action 4 - Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu
Cost: 12 Chakra - Acc: 1, +1 Mu - Damage: 5

Action 5 if Action 1 is actually non-action (Sorry!!! it's late and no judges are on...) last-ditch kick while jumping backwards.
Cost: None - Acc: +1 Mu - Damage: 2

---

Total chakra used - 8+5+6+12 = 31. 109/140 remaining.
Total possible damage - 9 + X, or 2 more if action 1 doesn't count as an action.

---

REALLY sorry about messy summary. Unsure about these things. As I said before, DISREGARD Action 5 if Action 1 is an action! it'll be WAY neater next time, I PROMISE.

Btw, if anything there counted as a counter, I get +1 acc due to trait.

Raxona's Stats:

Ninjutsu: 5/5
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 5/5
Strength: 57/57
Speed: 64/59 (+5)
Vitality: 75/75
Chakra: 55/65 (-10)
Dodge: 128/118 (+10)

Raxona’s Actions:

Action 1: Activate Naibun Konoha Jutsu: Ikou Tosshin (Secret Leaf Technique: Power Rush)
Outcome: Success! 1/10 Speed Increase. -5 Chakra.

Action 2: Set Kansei no Wana (Snare Trap)
Outcome: Success on placement. Success on capture pending...

Action 3: Activate Corpse Bone Talons
Outcome: Success! -5 Chakra.

Action 4: Slash at Janos’s Chest
Outcome: Unsuccessful... O.o odd action set up here... But yeah, no go.

Notes on Raxona’s Actions/Roleplaying:

Ok you are a good RPer, though you may want to proofread your work before you post it. I saw a couple missing words and letters but other than that it was a good post.

Janos' Stats:

Ninjutsu: 60/60
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 25/25
Strength: 34/34
Speed: 54/54
Vitality: 52/52
Chakra: 127/140 (-13)
Dodge: 108/108

Janos' Actions:

Action 1: Lay explosive note on ground, hold it down with rock.
Outcome: Success on laying it down! Success on damage and/or Raxona's dodge pending... +1 ACC. (This would count as a counter BTW.)

Action 2: Bunshin no Jutsu
Outcome: Success! -8 Chakra

Non-Action 1: Enter Mu.
Outcome: Success! -5 Chakra +1 ACC to all attacks!

Action 3: Bakuyaku Yubi no Jutsu
Outcome: Pending...

Action 4: Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu
Outcome: Pending...

Notes on Janos’ Actions/Roleplaying:

Odd Counter setup here... Making things complicated for me neh? Anyways other than a few minor errors revolving around spelling and a missing letter or two, you were good.

Overall Notes:

Keep up the good work guys! I'm interested as to how this will play out.

Combat…

Nathan’s rush was cut short. Just as he flung his multi-bladed hand through what he thought was his opponent, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. His mind raced. Nathaniel had to mentally work like lightning just to discern what was going on. He looked down to see an burning piece of paper tucked neatly under a rock. He would have to beat himself up later for missing that. There was no time to dodge or think as Nathan simply wrapped his arms in front of his face and retracted his claws, trying to minimize the damage dealt by the explosion.

He’s got to be watching from close by! The young Kaguya thought quickly as his arms and body were wracked by the blast. Nathan gasped and shouted as he was subjected to a barrage of earth and flames. He looked up through the smoke, ready for the next attack. Curse him… Nathan thought quickly as his opponent arced down from above, hand poised to attack. Needless to say, the ninja didn’t know exactly what his opponent was doing, but he had to stop whatever it was.

Nathan’s right hand reflexively jerked down and snagged the blade from the sheath on his ankle. He stepped in with his right foot, moving towards and under his mid-air target. The Kaguya grabbed a hold of his enemy’s attacking hand near the wrist or forearm, safely away from the fingers. Nathan kept his movement below the falling shinobi, doing several things at once. He pulled the arm he had clutched, trying to re-direct the massive amount of momentum Janos had behind him towards the ground instead of Nathan. He placed the blade against his enemies chest and used it like a pivot point, attempting to send his enemy into a controlled flip sailing over Nathan’s back as he ducked underneath and hopefully wound up standing over his enemy, with Janos lying flat on his back.

No time was wasted as Nathan raised his sword and slammed it down, hoping to impale it into the palm of the hand he was still clutching, pinning the limb of his enemy to the ground upon success. The younger boy winced at the blood. He hated to do this to someone he had nothing against. It seemed so wrong, but this was combat and instincts were taking over instead of planning.

Even as Nathan was trying to pin the Genin’s hand to the ground, he was sending chakra to another part of his body. His head was pushed forward as a broom-handle sized chunk of bone forced itself up through the skin of his back. Blood ran down his spine as he quickly snapped the piece of bone off. As he raised it over his head, clutching the bone in both hands, it grew to the length of a javelin. He stabbed it downwards with all the force he could muster. He tried to impale the shoulder of his pinned down prey. As the pike connected, Nathan closed his eyes. He didn‘t want to see it.

Leaping back away from his opponent and trying to regain his composure, Nathan watched for his enemy’s next move. He was a shinobi, and a strong one. He wouldn’t die from wounds like those even if every move went off without a hitch. The Kaguya groped down into his equipment pouch and produced a small scroll. Taking off to the side, running between bare and dying trees, Nathan unrolled the scroll. He reached up and covered his fingers in some of the blood at the top of his back where the Bone Pike had been produced. He then smeared the blood across the scroll and allowed it roll back up.

Nathan tossed the scroll across the battlefield at his enemy as he ducked behind a tree and tried to cope with the massive amount of chakra he had lost. He was dizzy and lightheaded and was on the borderline of collapsing. His hand instinctively clutched his chest as he pleaded for his heart rate to slow down a bit. Nathan tried to catch his breath, panting uncontrollably. His health was still fine, but he had used so much energy in his previous assault.

The scroll tumbled through the air and burst into a cloud of smoke in front of Janos. The was a clacking noise, and forth from the smoke cloud sprung a gangly wooden puppet. It had a blank yet psychotic look on its face as it leapt for Janos and clutched at its kunai. The wonderful thing about a warrior without a soul was its absolute lack of self preservation. It threw itself at its target. The only thing it could see right now was the Genin before it. He made a mad stab to try to open one of Janos’s wounds further. The puppet slumped down onto the enemy as the kunai was aimed to be driven down into his flesh and the wooden being acted as a hindrance and distraction to his enemy.



Non Action#1~Stop upkeep for Corpse Bone Talons

None Action#2~Upkeep for Naibun Konoha Jutsu: Ikou Tosshin (Secret Leaf Technique: Power Rush)
Cost: 5 Chakra

Nathan’s Action #1~Dodge BakuYaku Yubi and counter with Short Sword slash to chest
Cost: 3 Chakra / 4 Damage (6 Critical) / Dodge Stat: ½ 128=64
+2 ACC

Nathan’s Action #2~Use Short Sword to impale enemy’s hand
Cost: 3 Chakra / 4 Damage (6 Critical)
+2 ACC

Nathan’s Action #3~Hone Yari No Jutsu (Bone Pike Technique)
Cost: 24 Chakra / 6 Damage
+10 ACC

Nathan’s Action #4~Summon Akagahara Puppet
Cost: None

Puppet’s Action~Stab with Kunai
Cost: 0 / 4 Damage (6 Critical)
+0 ACC

40 Chakra used out of 55 / 15 remaining
18 (22 with Criticals) Possible Damage



((Tried to step it up to match Janos >.o ))

Janos' Stats:

Ninjutsu: 60/60
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 25/25
Strength: 34/34
Speed: 54/54
Vitality: 52/52
Chakra: 109/140 (-18)
Dodge: 108/108

Janos' Actions:

Action 1: Lay explosive note on ground, hold it down with rock.
Outcome: Success!!! Damage is 4 from explosive note. Dodge halved.

Action 3: Bakuyaku Yubi no Jutsu.
Outcome: Miss! Dodged by Raxona! -6 Chakra

Action 4: Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu
Outcome: Success! -12 Chakra, 5 Damage to Raxona!

Raxona's Stats:

Ninjutsu: 5/5
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 5/5
Strength: 57/57
Speed: 64/59 (+5)
Vitality: 66/75 (-9)
Chakra: 25/65 (-30)
Dodge: 128/118

Raxona’s Actions:

Non Action 1: Stop upkeep for Corpse Bone Talons
Outcome: Success!

Non Action 2: Upkeep for Naibun Konoha Jutsu: Ikou Tosshin (Secret Leaf Technique: Power Rush).
Outcome: -5 Chakra

Action 1: Dodge BakuYaku Yubi and counter with Short Sword slash to chest.
Outcome: Success on Dodge! Counter pending... Dodge halved. -3 Chakra.

Action 2: Use Short Sword to impale enemy’s hand.
Outcome: Pending... -3 Chakra

Action 3: Hone Yari No Jutsu (Bone Pike Technique).
Outcome: Pending... -24 Chakra

Action 4: Summon Akagahara Puppet
Outcome: Success! Akagahara Puppet summoned!

Puppet Action: Stab with Kunai.
Outcome: Pending...

Notes on Raxona’s Actions/Roleplaying:

I don't know what you did with your chakra costs but you still have 25 not 15. O.o Anyways that Counter was excellently Rped. Good job and keep up the good work!

This post has been edited by Shinamari Kuishen on May 17 2007, 10:57 PM

Aggression, rage, the impulse for destruction that so often consumes those claiming to be civilized, revealing their cover of dignity to be nothing but a farce... It is both curse and blessing, asset and liability, power and weakness. Learning to harness one's anger can sometimes grant power beyond belief when flight is not an option. But, when one's blood boils when it should remain calm, the consequences can be dire. The trappings of civilization should not be discarded lightly...

There is a beast that craves blood inside every man; a primeval ape banging fists against muscular chest, threatening all who would accept his challenge. Yet empty threats can prove the most harmful of all, to both bravado and body of the aggressor... Thus, the advent of society.

In a perfect world, on a perfect day, people do not fear. One can walk down the road of life without threat, without danger, without the need to continuously defend themselves from whatever is coming next. Yet...this is not a perfect world. There are impurities that one must accept in a life such as this.
Sometimes, passion or pain can cloud one's judgment, and our presumptions of morality are tossed aside. Yet, though there may be explosions and curses flying through the air, sometimes, a brief moment of peace can still be found.

I should have known it wouldn't be so easy... Janos couldn't help but think as his opponent managed to react to his attack. He managed to connect with the stronger of the techniques imparted to him by that strange warrior also of his bloodline, but the younger bone-child evaded his first attack. Somehow, his opponent even managed to retaliate; not quite turning the tables, but certainly giving them a good spin. This was an opponent to be watched, not an empty threat at all. Yet, neither was he...

Even as the boy's blade edged towards his outstretched hand, he had a plan. Even as wracking waves of potent pain flashed through his body, standing his hair on end, he strategized. Even as the blood caused by the blade stained his chest, drenching his former domination of the fight, he sought for a way to make things go his once more.

The boy had drawn his first taste of blood, staining his gi, now singed black with smoke and ash, a vibrant red. His own momentum used against him, Janos plummeted downwards, impacting against the ground heavily. There was no rolling with this blow. Yet, even as the wind was practically knocked out of him, he planned. Overriding basic self-preservation instinct, his hands quested for his pack rather than his wound. There were things more of use than instinct still. Barbarity would come later, if at all.

He withdrew his hand from his pack, clutching the objects that might save him, just as the boy tried to impale one of those hands to the ground. He quickly dropped the equipment held in his right hand, tossing the newly-fetched kunai to it from his left. He stabbed upwards as his opponent stabbed downwards, action mirrored in blood and suffering. He tried to drive his kunai into the boy's bony shoulder as he yanked his other hand off of the offending blade.

It hurt..God did it hurt...but there was work to be done.

He released the kunai, hoping to leave it embedded in his opponent, or to have it clatter harmlessly to the ground; he needed his hand for more important things now. He returned the appendage to the tools he had dropped before; an explosive note and a smoke bomb, surreptitously hidden underneath the flap of his pack. He hurriedly armed the former as his opponent began to execute a far more dangerous technique than he had seen before... This was something to be observed; what the entire purpose of this battle was for.

He couldn't help but gasp; "T-that technique! How did you..." Then, he regained control of his faculties, sliding the burning note in the hollow under the small of his back, with the smoke bomb beside it. He brought his hands, injured and whole, to his chest just as his opponent grasped his new skeletal weapon in both hands.

He forced his injured hand to create the necessary seals, shouting "Kawarimi no Jutsu!" as blood added to the growing stain on his shirt. Both contestants vanished in a puff of smoke seconds before that pike would have pierced Janos's chest. But a moment later, they reappeared, where the other once was - Janos, lying face-up in the air above his opponent, quickly righted himself...while the boy's attack continued unhindered by his flesh, piercing the explosive note that remained behind.

Janos was mostly shielded from the blast by the body of his opponent, turning a human weapon into a human shield. Though the boy unwittingly did him a good turn, providing cover if nothing else, this ninja was not one to let a strategic opportunity pass him by. He whirled quickly, facing his opponent, as smoke, released from the bomb in proximity of the blast, filled the air.

"Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu!" He whispered, reached out carefully to press his finger about the boy's quivering body. It was like a punch to the gut; internal organs feeling the pain of the technique. Janos felt the impact through his finger, and almost felt a pang of sorrow for the boy, but the battle was nowhere near over yet.

Thus far, the battle had progressed simply; the boy attacking in a frenzy, seeking ways to draw blood at every opportunity, and Janos neutralized the majority of the attacks, dealing damage in fairly novel ways in return. They both knew these games would not last long; Janos's sleeves were feeling rather light, new tricks nowhere in sight. Under the cover of the smoke, he retreated a safe distance, hoping for a small respite before the real combat began.

It was short-lived and bittersweet, just like the last time he had had the luxury of safety. The boy was pulling some funny business with a scroll clear across the battlefield, then threw it so that its arc would leave it near Janos's position. In mid-air, it burst into a cloud of smoke, revealing an unsightly wooden contraption. Though Janos's wounds provided an unfortunate distraction, he would be more than able to deal with this sad excuse of a technique.

It drew a kunai, moving slowly towards him. Its speed was a joke; Janos danced around it like it was standing still, dashing across the close-cut grass. Yet, the shambling creation threw itself at the ninja with reckless abandon, making a stab with its kunai towards Janos's wounds. He lept off of the ground, focusing a small amount of chakra into his legs, landing atop the wooden beast; out of range from the limited motion of its arms.

"You think this thing will stop me? Come out and fight like a man! Fight like a Kaguya should. There is more to us than bloodlust, 'brother'. There is more to us than hate. Surely, I have proved that much to you by now."

Leaping off of the puppet, Janos ran across the field towards his cowardly opponent, anxious to resume the battle, to fight out what other secrets were hidden in the child's bony frame.

I had wondered if there were many others like me, if I was perhaps the last of our kind. I had wondered how powerful my abilities, my...kekkai genkai...truly were.

I guess violence does answer some things, after all.

---Battle Summary---

Non-Action 1: Pay upkeep for Mu
Cost: 5 - Effect: +1 ACC to all attacks.

Action 1: Stab Nathaniel's left shoulder with kunai in right hand
Cost: 1 Chakra - ACC: +1 from Mu - Damage: 2 (3 crit) (or four? 1/12 of 34 x 1.5 is four, rounded down, but 1/12 of 24 is two, rounded down, and 2 x 1.5 is 3)

Action 2: Lay explosive note under back, use Kawarimi no Jutsu (Counter, I think. Me and Raxona talked and assumed that because note + kunai = one action so should note + this. It's the same idea, basically, as using note + kunai for a counter.)
Cost: 8 Chakra - Effect: -10 ACC - Damage: X - ACC +1 from Mu, +1 from trait (?)

Non-Action 1: Smoke bomb explodes due to Exploding Note.
Effect: +5 ACC to next attack

Action 3: Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu
Cost: 12 Chakra - Damage: 5 - ACC: 1, +5 from Smoke Bomb, +1 from Mu

Action 4: Dodge puppet's kunai slash by jumping on its head, out of the range of its arm mechanism.

Sorry for double-post, forgot to add up damage and chakra!

Total Chakra Used: 26

Total Damage Pending: 7 (8 crit) + X

Raxona's Stats:

Ninjutsu: 5/5
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 5/5
Strength: 57/57
Speed: 64/59 (+5)
Vitality: 66/75
Chakra: 25/65
Dodge: 128/118

Raxona’s Actions:

Action 1: Dodge BakuYaku Yubi and counter with Short Sword slash to chest.
Outcome: Success with Counter (since Janos made no attempt to dodge)! 6 Damage to Janos! (With Critical)

Action 2: Use Short Sword to impale enemy’s hand.
Outcome: Success! 6 Damage to Janos! (With Critical)

Action 3: Hone Yari No Jutsu (Bone Pike Technique).
Outcome: Unsuccessful...

Puppet Action: Stab with Kunai.
Outcome: Unsuccessful!

Janos' Stats:

Ninjutsu: 60/60
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 25/25
Strength: 34/34
Speed: 54/54
Vitality: 40/52 (-12)
Chakra: 83/140 (-26)
Dodge: 108/108

Janos' Actions:

Non-Action 1: Pay upkeep for Mu.
Outcome: -5 Chakra

Action 1: Stab Nathaniel's left shoulder with kunai in right hand.
Outcome: Pending... -1 Chakra

Action 2: Lay explosive note under back, use Kawarimi no Jutsu.
Outcome: Dodge Successful! Counter Pending... Dodge Halved. -8 Chakra

Non-Action 2: Smoke bomb explodes due to Exploding Note.
Outcome: Success. +5 ACC to next attack.

Action 3: Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu.
Outcome: Pending... -12 Chakra

Action 4: Dodge puppet's kunai slash by jumping on its head, out of the range of its arm mechanism.
Outcome: Successful!

Notes on Janos' Actions/Roleplaying:

Well I went back and editted in that you got the dodge based on the staff's desicion. Congrats. Sorry Rax. XD

This post has been edited by Shinamari Kuishen on May 21 2007, 01:55 AM

Combat…

((Reverting back a bit so that I can RP Nathan’s reaction to Janos’s attacks))

In the instant that the blade jabbed through the palm of the shinobi that Nathan had come to find as his enemy, a new feeling of pain wracked his body. His shoulder was lit on fire as a Kunai was jammed into its depths. Nerves screamed in agony as the blade remained wedged into the arm. The young Kaguya shouted in agony, but wasn’t to be stopped.

He continued his attack, pulled the bone pike from his back and prepared to impale his opponent. The spear was thrust downwards, though Nathan’s body screamed for relief from pain, but something happened. As the spear raced towards its target, Nathan felt his body give an abnormal balk. His stomach lurched as he stumbled forward onto the various items left behind by Janos. He had moved through space, a victim of the basic Kawarimi jutsu.

Doing the only thing he could before the explosives discharged, Nathan once more shielded his face and turned away from the blast, allowing his back to take the brunt of the attack. And so it did. Everything from Nathaniel’s ankles to his shoulder blades felt like it was being torn apart. His whole body was rocked by the blast, shifting his bones and tenderizing his flesh. Blood spurt from his mouth. Once again, the young and naïve Kaguya had fallen for a trap involving the explosive note. His body was enveloped by smoke.

Despite not being able to hear or feel, the genin could still easily see. As he looked up, taking his hands off of his ringing ears, he saw Janos in a familiar position. Flying down from the sky through the misty grey smoke, hand draw, Janos forced Nathan to remember the last time one of the finger jutsu was used on him. It was only comparable to being skinned, then someone getting to kick you in the bared organ. The pain was intense and it wasn’t something the Kaguya wanted to relive. He dove to the side, tucking into a roll to avoid the outthrust hand of his opponent. His body naturally pulled itself up into a run from the roll, and Nathaniel retreated for a bit, using his enemies smoke against him.

((And here is where my last RP left off…))

Nathan had his back slammed against the tree, keeping it between him and his opponent. The grey and dead plant acted as a buffer against the chaotic world of combat that Nathan was seeking only a moments reprieve from. He clutched at his shoulder, blood running down his arm from the gaping wound as the young Kaguya plucked out the kunai that had been embedded there by Janos earlier. He tossed it aside without ever opening his eyes or wincing. His body was already so tired.

His breaths were coming in quick gasps, ragged gulpings of air. Blood slowly tricked down his chin, forming neat streams from the corners of his mouth. Using part of his sleeve, Nathan wiped the blood free. He stood more erect, pressing his spine straight against the tree. The Genin only prayed that the puppet he had cast out would keep Janos busy long enough to allow him to recover a bit of his energy.

It was odd to describe Nathan’s mindset. The Kaguya was physically and mentally exhausted despite only having fought for a short amount of time. It was overwhelming. The pain that spread across his entire body was unbearable. His stomach was in knots and the adrenaline pumping through his veins was beginning to have a disorienting effect. Nathaniel didn’t want to have to fight anymore. He wanted to run, but he couldn’t run. He had to stay. He had to fight. He had to do his clan honor.

My blood. I always think about it, but I never thought I would bee seeing it so plentifully. Nathan mentally chuckled, trying to lighten his heavy mind and body with a bit of humor. I am a Kaguya. I cannot shame that name.

In the distance behind him, it echoed. The voice of his opponent called out. It was surreal and sounded so distant in the clouded state of Nathan’s mind. "You think this thing will stop me? Come out and fight like a man! Fight like a Kaguya should. There is more to us than bloodlust, 'brother'. There is more to us than hate. Surely, I have proved that much to you by now."

Standing behind the tree, Nathan’s eyes snapped wide open. His pupils dilated as his mind frantically analyzed the statement. Staring blankly into the space of the grey and decaying forest out in front of him, the Kaguya came to the full and heavy realization of the statement.

“He… Is… He is a Kaguya as well?” Nathan mumbled inaudibly. His jaw dropped. Without Nathan making a move, the battle finally began in the backdrop.



The Puppet’s body limply accepted it’s fait as a vaulting platform, tucking his head under as Janos kicked off. His body rolled into a front flip, motions fluid and lifeless as always. As his body was inverted, the kunai that the puppet had originally been holding was thrown quickly at the fleeting target’s back, using the centrifugal force of the spin that had been initiated by Janos himself to pitch the kunai quickly and efficiently on a beeline path with the shinobi that had using him as a stepping stone. As the kunai flew from the puppet’s clutches, he went limp, his lifeless wooden body falling to the ground with a clatter. Without the skillful touch of a puppet master, the marionette had reached his expiration date and collapsed.

Nathan stepped out from around the tree with a new, trance-like resolve about the battle. He rushed in, arms held loosely to his forward defense, his posture roughly resembling some sort of martial arts stance as he ran forward towards his opponent.

“Hey!” Nathan shouted as his arm lunged out in a punch towards his enemy. It was a hook, racing for its invisible bulls-eye located on Janos’s cheek. The young Kaguya was feeling so many emotions right now, all mixed into his stomach and brought to a boil. “You were lying!” All of his anger poured into the blow. Nathan could easily perform more powerful attacks, had his chakra been replenished and had his head been on straight, but for now, he was resorting to the most feral form of physical combat.

As the hit moved through, Nathan kept his moving centrifugal, dropping a bit lower as his outside foot swooped along just about the ground. Leaves snatched up and followed the wind created by his leg as Nathan attempted to kick his enemy’s supports out from under him, stopping the target’s advance. “You just want to throw me off!” He continued to shout, never slowing up his onslaught.

The Genin’s body kept twisting even as the kick moved through, bringing the Kaguya full circle into a second punch. This punch was lower, stronger, and aimed at Janos‘s gut. It was launched from the apex of the circle, making his whole movement look like one fluid motion. A spinning attack. Nathaniel’s fighting style was more hand to hand, and more physical, but it was also now more resembling the movements of his bloodline. The Kaguya were famous for fluid attacks, and Nathan’s body was simply recalling the many hours of training it had endured in the arts.

He can’t be…





None Action#1~Upkeep for Naibun Konoha Jutsu: Ikou Tosshin (Secret Leaf Technique: Power Rush)
Cost: 5 Chakra

Nathan’s Action #1~Dodge Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu
Dodge Stat: ½ 128=64

Puppet’s Action~Throw Kunai at Janos
Cost: Nothing / 4 Damage (6 Critical)
+0 ACC

Nathan’s Action#2~Punch to Janos’s face
Cost: Nothing / 2 Damage
+3 ACC

Nathan’s Action #3~Kick to sweep Janos’s legs
Cost: Nothing / 3 Damage
+0 ACC

Nathan’s Action #4~Punch to Janos’s gut
Cost: Nothing / 2 Damage
+3 ACC


5 Chakra used out of 25 / 20 Remaining
11 (13 with Criticals) Possible Damage

Janos' Stats:

Ninjutsu: 60/60
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 25/25
Strength: 34/34
Speed: 54/54
Vitality: 40/52
Chakra: 83/140
Dodge: 108/108

Janos' Actions:

Action 1: Stab Nathaniel's left shoulder with kunai in right hand.
Outcome: Sucess! 4 Damage to Nathaniel!

Action 2: Lay explosive note under back, use Kawarimi no Jutsu.
Outcome: Counter Successful! 11 Damage to Nathaniel.

Action 3: Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu.
Outcome: Unsuccessful.

Nathaniel's Stats:

Ninjutsu: 5/5
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 5/5
Strength: 57/57
Speed: 64/59 (+5)
Vitality: 41/75 (-15)
Chakra: 20/65 (-5)
Dodge: 128/118

Raxona’s Actions:

Non-Action 1: Upkeep for Naibun Konoha Jutsu: Ikou Tosshin.
Outcome: -5 Chakra

Action 1: Dodge Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu
Outcome: Sucess! Dodge Halved.

Puppet Action: Throw Kunai at Janos.
Outcome: Pending...

Action 2: Punch to Janos’s face.
Outcome: Pending...

Action 3: Kick to sweep Janos’s legs.
Outcome: Pending...

Action 4: Punch to Janos’s gut.
Outcome: Pending...

Notes on Nataniel's Actions/Roleplaying:

That was a great post. You are both about evenly matched so this should be an interesting battle! Keep up the good work.

The memories came to him in drops of blood, raining gloriously upon the soil. It was an instinctual, primal sort of recollection, but sometimes sanity isn't all its cracked to be. The rain fell in torrents, now, glowing red as the setting sun. It was a dark day. He was cold inside and outside, registering temperature in places he didn't know he had. It was a frightened sort of enlightenment, but then, aren't they all?

The knowledge came in faster spurts now, the pressure decreasing over time. He could taste the air, smell the conflict. It was a war-zone, a battlefield; it was slaughter. With each drop of memory that fell into his conscious mind, the horrors grew fuller, expanding to fill what innocent areas of thought remained.

When one attempts to describe such a scene, the words that come to mind; animalistic, bestial, inhuman, are entirely innaccurate. It takes intellect to invent the horrors man inflicts upon himself. It takes nothing but survival instinct to kill or to maim, but it takes planning to torture and mutilate. Man is his own worst enemy; his jailer, his slaver, his executioner.

His demise.

This knowledge, coupled with all-too-vivid memories of a personal war zone, long ago, percolated slowly yet agonizingly through Janos's mind in the midst of conflict. The atrocities fell like raindrops inside his skull, reverberating against his conscience. Apparently, he was all too willing to kill, all too willing to add more suffering to his own. Yet...what was this subconscious salvation...?

It seemed, despite all the bloodshed and lust for battle, there was still reluctance to be found in this young mind. Though exposed to battle at an early age, he was by no means inured to its revolting nature. In fact, quite the opposite. He was repulsed, though he would not admit it, by the power held within his bones. He was a weapon by birthright, a tool by nature, his family had by all probability perished on the field of battle.

His future seemed writ in blood, punctuated by shrieks of terror and carved in bone... Always, these unique bones would be a part of his life, preying on his thoughts. His birthright would carry him to the grave; his actions now only echoing that eventuality. Bone would clash against bone before this battle would be won...

With that in mind, there was no point in holding back the inevitable. His hands twisted and twitched; an observer might think they were shaking with impatience for the battle to come, but someone standing closer still would know that was not the case. His fingers bulged, parts of them seeming to push away from his body, almost piercing the skin, as if something was trying to get out...

His hand quickly darted into his pouch, retrieving a kunai, hurling it expertly at the boy who's head was just emerging from the tree, as if only to provide a quick respite from the pain in his hands. Yet, the feeling would not last long. It would be over soon, one way or another.

With a jolt of pain, the skin tore; reopening wounds that he was sure would one day be familiar scabs, but now, the pain and the blood were fresh. Yet, already the curtain of red began to part, dripping down his hands, as the white behind it pushed further outwards. The projections of bone pushed away flesh and nail as they emerged, curving his uncalloused hands and feet into fierce talons.

His lips curved upwards in what might, in another time and place, have been a smile. Sorrow and adrenaline filled his heart at the prospect of what must surely come. He pushed off the puppet's head, spotting his opponent over by a distant tree and seeming to float a moment in mid-air before gravity asserted itself. But...something was wrong.

He heard a creak that should not have been there. He turned in mid-air to see the fiendish contraption throw its kunai at him in a last-ditch effort to draw blood. He reached out with hands becoming more claw-like by the second, and grabbed ahold of the projectile, impact cushioned by unyielding bone, for just long enough to add to its momentum and send it in the direction of his true foe. He lacked the brute strength to grab it out of the air; using his last trace of dexterity to lob the kunai at his true opponent, he played to his strengths, though they were not physical.

His feet hit the ground heavily. but not heavily enough to falter his stride. The kunai grew closer to his enemy, this adversarial being to whom he was bonded by blood. Blood which he hoped to spill... Yet it owed it to his opponent to fight well, and not be consumed by bloodlust. To use tactics rather than tactile attacks.

With his other hand he reached into his pouch; though now mostly empty, it had at least one trick left - the last remaining smoke grenade, which he lobbed overhead at the spot which he would meet his opponent; hand to hand, bone to bone.

His assailant ran towards him, obviously perturbed about something. Just as they were about to meet, the smoke bomb exploded; giving Janos a definite advantage. Yet all he did was reach out with a single bone-tipped finger, whispering "Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu" under his breath.

He HAS to be familiar with the technique by now, but you can't block what you can't see coming...

The old adage was ironically true. Just as his finger found purchase, Janos's cheek was impacted by the boy's fist, causing him to wince in pain but not to stop moving. He knew the boy was skilled in martial arts, so he backed out of the range of the smoke.

It seemed he would fall victim to his own strategy; he blocked high when he was kicked low and was almost doubled over when the next punch came. He was winded, but he bristled for the attack, drawing his taloned hands into a feral fighting pose. He had already established that his opponent was unwilling to listen to words and reason, but hope isn't always a rational thing.

In point of fact, he was stunned to realize that the boy didn't even believe that he was of Kaguya blood. Surely his silver hair stood out enough...

He raised a hand, twisted with talons of bone, so his opponent could see the cruel trick fate had played.

"Do you doubt me now? Do you question your eyes even as your mind seeks another explanation? Why do you think I chose to fight you at all?! Your prowess in battle means nothing to me...it is your blood I came to see. To pit myself against."

He curled his taloned hand into a fist, displaying his strength. "Yes, there is more to us than battle. More to us than hate. But, on the battlefield, staring in and out of blood-crazed eyes, that fact becomes harder and harder to recall..."

His voice trailed off into whisper, but his will remained solid as ever before.

He would fight, now. No more tricks, no more gadgets. He reached to his side, to the empty pouch fluttering in the wind, and sliced the strap. It fell to the ground, symbolically, signaling the beginning of a new level of combat.

Let the battle be joined...

---Battle Summary---

Non-Action 1: Pay upkeep for Mu
Cost: 5 - Effect: +1 ACC to all attacks.

Action 1: Throw Kunai
Cost: 1 - Damage: 2, 4 crit (No, seriously - 34/12 = 2.83 repeating, x 1.5 = 4.25) ACC: 1 from Mu

Action 2: Activate Corpse-Bone Talons
Cost: 5 - Effect: Adds 1/25 Taijutsu to punches and kicks.

Action 3: Counter: Alter trajectory of kunai.
Cost: Depends, perhaps 1. Judges discretion if he wishes to count it as if I threw it.
Dodge would be halved, I imagine
Damage: This can either be treated as the puppets attack like I think it should be, since its puppets kunai and puppet who first threw it, and since I didnt stop it...(4, 6 crit) Or as if I threw one of my own kunai (2, 4 crit)
Acc: +1 from Mu, +1 from counter trait, +5 due to successful counter

Non-Action 2: Throw Smoke Grenade.
Cost: 0 - Effect: +5 ACC to Next Attack

Action 4: Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu
Cost: 12 - Damage: 5 - ACC: 1, +1 Mu, +5 Smoke grenade.

Total Chakra Used: 22, maybe 23.
Total Damage: 9, 13 with crits, or maybe 11, 15 with crits.

Nathaniel's Stats:

Ninjutsu: 5/5
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 5/5
Strength: 57/57
Speed: 64/59 (+5)
Vitality: 41/75
Chakra: 20/65
Dodge: 128/118

Nathaniel’s Actions:

Puppet Action: Throw Kunai at Janos.
Outcome: Failed.

Action 2: Punch to Janos’s face.
Outcome: Success. 2 Damage to Janos.

Action 3: Kick to sweep Janos’ legs.
Outcome: Success. 3 Damage to Janos.

Action 4: Punch to Janos’s gut.
Outcome: Success. 2 Damage to Janos.

Janos' Stats:

Ninjutsu: 60/60
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 25/25
Strength: 34/34
Speed: 54/54
Vitality: 33/52 (-7)
Chakra: 60/140 (-23)
Dodge: 108/108

Janos' Actions:

Non-Action 1: Pay upkeep for Mu.
Outcome: -5 Chakra.

Action 1: Throw Kunai.
Outcome: Pending...

Action 2: Activate Corpse-Bone Talons
Outcome: Success! -5 Chakra.

Action 3: Counter: Alter trajectory of kunai.
Outcome: First half of Counter successful, damage pending on if Nathaniel dodges. -1 Chakra. Dodge Halved.

Non-Action 2: Throw Smoke Grenade.
Outcome: Success.

Action 4: Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu.
Outcome: Pending... -12 Chakra.

Notes on Janos' Actions/Roleplaying:

That was an excellent post, gives it a real sense of battle. Cool digs, keep up the good work.

Combat…

((Once again reverting back a bit for Nathan’s reaction to Janos’s Kunai Attacks))

He stepped out from behind the tree, ready to assault this fool. He wasn’t Kaguya. He wasn’t a brother. His hair was white, but so what? Many people had white hair, and a Kaguya didn’t necessarily have to have white hair. Both Nathan’s mother and sister had black hair, so why would that have been a clue to him?

As he moved, he heard the familiar, near silent, sound of a Kunai whistling through the air. For someone who had trained as a shinobi or someone who was in the heightened state of tension that Nathan was in, this sound was so loud one could hardly bear it. He saw the metallic object flying towards him and twisted his body away at the last minute. It was extremely close as the Kunai actually brushed and cut a tad of the silky fabric Nathan was wearing.

His heart was racing as he ran in to perform his planned attacks, but he was slowed once more by a second kunai, this one came from Nathan’s own puppet that had been turned against him. Once again, only his basic instincts took over and he dashed to the side, contorting his body away from the path of the blade. It was nerve wracking. Adrenaline was pouring through Nathan’s veins in such high quantities that he was sure that if this hellish battle ever ended his heart would simply cease to beat.

Smoke erupted from between the two ninja as Nathan charged in, rearing his fist back in preparation for his punch. He wouldn’t be deterred from his target by such simple tricks. He had already seen this once, so he should have known what was coming next, but he didn’t. He was too preset on his own movement to recall past attacks that Janos had made.

His body moved fluidly as a Kaguya’s should. The boy was more focused on his form now and had ceased to simply attack wildly and in an feral manner. Nathan’s punch, aimed for Janos’s cheek, found its intended target, but as the Genin felt his fist connect with the jaw of his enemy, he experienced a familiar pain that shot through his body. Emanating from Janos’s finger, the excruciating pulse radiated through his chest, leaving an unbearable ache that nearly caused Nathan to stop and throw up. He forced himself past that urge with sheer willpower, continuing his planned attack without slowing up from the painful internal blow.

((Now to where my last turn and Janos’s post left off))

Nathan stopped, panting as Janos leapt backwards out of the smoke cloud. The smoke thinned and dissipated, revealing the forest that they had been in all along. The Kaguya’s vision was fuzzy with patches of grey that could have been remnants of the smoke cloud or signs that he was on the verge of passing out. Either explanation was plausible.

Either way, Nathan was nearing the end of his rope…


Cold. Weakness. Confusion…
The human body was something that had fixed limits, especially the body of a young boy. Nathan could hardly stand from blood loss and energy consumption, and yet he kept on fighting. He could barely breath his body had become so weak, and yet he screamed with every punch he threw. He could barely see Janos standing in front of him through the grey clouds and dizziness, and yet Nathaniel was glaring so hard at his enemy that he was certain it couldn’t have gone unnoticed.

He was bruised. He was battered. But Nathaniel Kaguya was a different sort of person. Pride was something that he always held close to his heart, not pride of himself, but pride for his clan, his bloodline. Nathan cherished that and considered it the utmost gift any one person could hold. He had to do that blood proud. No matter how weary and disoriented he was, he had to fight and show his own worth.



"Do you doubt me now? Do you question your eyes even as your mind seeks another explanation? Why do you think I chose to fight you at all?! Your prowess in battle means nothing to me...it is your blood I came to see. To pit myself against."

Nathan simply stared at the hand. It was something that the young boy was so familiar with, he could have never even hoped to deny the fact now.



Sorrow. Doubt. Hollow…
This display struck Nathan far harder than any punch ever could have. Time didn’t just stop inside Nathan’s own mind, the battle stopped. Nathan just stared on at his opponent in disbelief. His mouth couldn’t form the words that his mind screamed.

He is my brother! This is wrong! We shouldn’t fight! But we have to. We cannot stop. I cannot stop. This is our fight. But he is family. The same blood courses through our veins. It doesn’t seem right. It isn’t right. But we must! His sanity fought against itself, arguing over what must be done.

But deep down, Nathaniel knew what must be done. Inside the young boy’s heart, he already knew he had to fight. No… he wanted to fight. He wanted to defeat this man, not only because it would prove his worth to his family, but because deep down within the Genin’s soul he knew… He liked it.



"Yes, there is more to us than battle. More to us than hate. But, on the battlefield, staring in and out of blood-crazed eyes, that fact becomes harder and harder to recall..."

Janos didn’t have to speak the words. Nathan could feel it. It was consuming, the feeling of combat, the rush of thoughts and actions. The urge to continue… That sickening desire that was welling up within Nathan couldn’t be denied.



Resolve. Hate. Energy…
He didn’t understand it, and yet at the same time he had known it all along. He didn’t know what to do, and yet everything was crystal clear. Nathan’s heart was set; devoured. This battle would continue. An eerie calm set over the Kaguya’s mind. It was odd. Every emotion within him screamed for the fighting to continue, but at the same time, he had a peaceful resolve. It was like he was living in a world of controlled chaos…

A second wind seemed to fill Nathan’s body with energy. The Kaguya clenched his fists and stared ahead at the man before him. He still hurt. His body still was on the brink of simply falling over, but somehow that was so far from him now. Nathan couldn’t feel the pain in the same way anymore. It was distant. Exhaustion went unnoticed. It was like being in a different world altogether. It was a trance-like state. Nathan was tired, bleeding, but iron willed.



Nathan spoke no words. He simply glared on at this new threat. This battle was something the young boy would have never expected. Janos. He was a Kaguya. He was family. He was a brother… but he was also an enemy…



Power. Focus. Bloodlust…
Nathan rushed ahead, his legs still lit with the dim glow of the first jutsu he had ever learned. The chakra running to those legs was coming in weaker doses, as Nathan himself was running dry on that Chakra, but the simple thing was that he didn’t notice. He didn’t care. The finite budgeting of chakra was gone. Nathan’s mind had been taken over by the will to fight… it was something no nine year old boy should ever be put through.

Once so innocent, the very blood that ran in small streams down Nathan’s arms was corrupting him, his mind, his soul. He didn’t think of the outside world anymore. He didn’t think of his family or his worth. The only reality that existed was presented directly before him. It was real. Nathan could feel it.

It was like a switch had been flipped inside of him, or some sort of caged beast had been released. He had awakened in a way that most people go their entire lives without discovering. Every warrior knew this feeling. Many tried to suppress it. Many simply embraced it. However strong Nathan’s heart may have been, his mind wasn’t. He allowed himself to be consumed by the primal feelings and fought by them.

Distance was nothing. The boy’s mind was working at speeds and in ways that he didn’t even understand. He didn’t plan ahead, but it was like his body knew what he was going to do before he was going to do it. Everything played out like a well organized symphony, and yet, he didn’t think. It all just happened. Instinct was a drive hard to overcome.

Nathan twisted his body down, ignoring his many injuries that wailed at being forced to move. His hand clutched onto the handle of his short sword, safely holstered onto his leg. The Kaguya’s movements were smooth and low. He was almost crouching, but he moved like water. His bloodline had a tighter hold over him than he could have ever imagined.

Pent up energy released as Nathan swung his entire body into an upwards strike that slung the blade of the sword vertically against Janos’s chest. This steel would hopefully cross over the previous cut and capitalize on damage. His everything was loosed onto Janos.

Before Nathan could have even possibly previously thought out his move, the unused fist chambered at his side fired, aimed to slam into Janos’s gut. He wanted to make this person hurt. Nathan poured his all into these movements. His thought. His speed. His strength. His skill. His training. His soul. His blood…


“Even if you are searching for something with all of your might, remember this, my brethren. That it is far too easy to become lost in the darkness; and then far too easy to lose sight of the light…”~ Kaguya Damos


-----------------------------


None Action#1~Upkeep for Naibun Konoha Jutsu: Ikou Tosshin (Secret Leaf Technique: Power Rush)
Cost: 5 Chakra

Nathan’s Action #1~Dodge Kunai thrown by Janos
Dodge Stat: ½ 128(At time of dodge)=64(For next dodge)

Nathan’s Action#2~Dodge Kunai redirected by Janos
Dodge Stat: ½ 64(At time of dodge)=32(For next dodge)

Nathan’s Action #3~ Uppercut with Short Sword to Janos’s chest
Cost: 3 / 4 Damage (6 critical)
+2 ACC

Nathan’s Action #4~Punch to Janos’s gut
Cost: Nothing / 2 Damage
+3 ACC


8 Chakra used out of 20 / 12 Remaining
6 (8 with criticals) Possible Damage

Janos' Stats:

Ninjutsu: 60/60
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 25/25
Strength: 34/34
Speed: 54/54
Vitality: 33/52
Chakra: 60/140
Dodge: 108/108

Janos' Actions:

Action 1: Throw Kunai.
Outcome: Unsuccessful.

Action 3: Counter: Alter trajectory of kunai.
Outcome: Successful! 2 Damage to Nathaniel!

Action 4: Ketatamashii Yubi no Jutsu.
Outcome: Success! 5 Damage to Nataniel!

Nathaniel's Stats:

Ninjutsu: 5/5
Taijutsu: 55/55
Genjutsu: 5/5
Strength: 57/57
Speed: 64/59 (+5)
Vitality: 34/75 (-7)
Chakra: 12/65 (-8)
Dodge: 128/118

Nathaniel’s Actions:

Non-Action 1: Upkeep for Naibun Konoha Jutsu: Ikou Tosshin.
Outcome: -5 Chakra.

Action 1: Dodge Kunai thrown by Janos.
Outcome: Success!! Dodge Halved.

Action 2: Dodge Kunai redirected by Janos.
Outcome: Unsuccessful...

Action 3: Uppercut with Short Sword to Janos’s chest.
Outcome: Pending... -3 Chakra.

Action 4: Punch to Janos’s gut.
Outcome: Pending...

Notes on Nathaniel's Actions/Roleplaying:

Wow... Best post from you so far! That was an awesome read! As for the second dodge, you did a semi-good job of RPing the dodge, but the numbers were against you with it, he had +7 ACC. :\ But keep up the good work!

Every day, a man must fall.

It is easy to stand tall when victory is in sight, even easier when anger clouds judgment and rationality. But every battle has a victor... There are the conquerors and the conquered; those who triumphed and those who faced defeat.

Yet I...I have no way of knowing which I shall be today. It is much easier to fight in ignorance than to be truly aware of the odds... Yet, fight I must.

It is far too late to willingly choose defeat.

He brought his hand to his face, wiping the sweat from his brow.

This battle has become harder and harder; a test of minds as well as skill and strength. Though my muscles may well prove inferior...my bones will never break.

It is a most difficult thing, to be brave in the face of uncertainty. Every single day, a man will fall; Janos would do everything within his power to make it he who would remain standing. He had fought for higher stakes before, for what is death to one who has experienced the horror life can bring?

What is death but rest and respite to the weary soul?

Everyone needs to rest sometime.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts; his focus was waning, and he could not win unless he fought with everything he possessed. Every ounce of strategy and might would be necessary to walk away from this battlefield alive. It may well end up rest would come to one...willingly or not.

He sometimes wished he could see the future. Not seriously, of course; it was foolish, something that just wasn't possible. But...when he let his mind wander...he thought it would be nice to know he had some sort of future ahead of him. That there was more to his life than what he had lived. More than war, more than fighting, more than poverty and hunger.

It would be nice to know if there would be a time where he could do more with his life than make sure his life kept going, one more day. He was used to taking life one day at a time, because that was all he was sure he would have. One day. It could all end tomorrow, or the next day, or the next...

The uncertainty was worse than the hunger, worse than the pain, worse than the loneliness, but it had prepared him for this day. It had prepared him to place his life before his life; to fight to the death to avoid just that. Futile though it may be, he would much rather die striving to live than to surrender to the inevitable.

Even now, as they stared at one another in tragic incomprehension, he prepared for action; prepared to give his life to save it. It was not fury, it was not rage; it was a cold, grey acceptance of the price that might need to be paid. It was grim resolution; an antithesis to surrender. Yet, was it not another kind of surrender, all the same...?

The moment passed; there was no more time to think. He had to act before the boy attacked...He was weakening, strong will not reflected in body, not for long. He pivoted his hips, striking with a foot adorned with brutally sharp talons of bone. It was a simple, basic move; but his arsenal was running dry.
Without waiting too see if it would connect, he swung his body forward, and focused his chakra reserves...what was left of them. He had expended over half of his chakra in this fight, and this was even more. He didn't know whether it should be conserved, but if he had a chance of winning, any chance at all...

Back at the Academy, his chakra control had always been exquisite. The instructors only had to tell him how to do a thing, and it was done. He very much doubted he would be able to use either of the techniques taught to him by that other Kaguya, in the building in the forest. He had to focus his chakra in the smallest possible part of his body: his fingertip.

He concentrated, chakra flowing faster now. Though not as much as he would have hoped for, power gathered in his finger. He reached forward, brushing his opponent's face with his outstretched hand, imagining a wall of chakra spreading out across his opponent's exposed cheek. He touched his opponent again, gently, and sent a small pulse of chakra to where he touched.

As he whispered the words, "Bakuyaku Yubi no Jutsu," the damage was already done. He could see the expressions spreading across his opponent's face; shock, pain, anger, as he looked on impartially. The boy quickly began to recover from the attack, but not before he met Janos's clawed fist heading straight for the other side of his face.

The boy reacted adversely to this, bringing his weapon to bear with surprising speed; the blade moved towards his body, seeking blood and reparation. He brought his hand towards his chest, right above his heart, to block the sword. It bit into his knuckles, but there was hard bone underneath; harder than the finest steel. The pain would pass, the moment for attack would not.

He grabbed the wrist holding the sword and pulled; swinging his taloned foot into the body's path. Bone met flesh; blood fell. He could smell it...but the moment was not over. He shoved the sword aside and breathed deeply through nose and mouth; it was a glorious calamity.

He felt elated, his spirits raised; the blood made things right again. This was how it was meant to be; predator versus predator, the loser the prey. His Kaguya blood boiled. He felt it through his whole body as tension waiting to be released; his pulse quickened, his heart raced.

He smiled.

It was a feral thing, terrible to behold; the smile of a hunter who knew his kill was near. The sort of smile you would expect to find on the other end of two twitching ears and a striped orange-and-black tail swinging in tall grass. It was a thirst, a hunger, all of them in one. He craved battle now, craved blood, stronger than any man craved drink or drug.

All the fear had gone, now, whisked away by this new emotion, save that small kernel of doubt wondering where he had mislaid his humanity. He was panting, now. He took a blow from his adversary, but it didn't matter anymore. It was gone.

All that was left was the blood.

...and the bones...

---Battle Summary---

Non-Action 1: Pay Upkeep for Mu
Cost: 5 - Effect: +1 ACC to all attacks

Non-Action 2: Pay upkeep for Corpse-Bone Talons
Cost: 5 - Effect: +1/25 Taijutsu to punches and kicks

Action 1: Kick Nathan in the side.
Cost: None - Damage: 4 - Acc: 1

Action 2: Bakuyaku Yubi no Jutsu. To the face.
Cost: 6 - Damage: 4 - Acc: 3

Action 3: Punch the other side of the face.
Cost: None - Damage: 3 - Acc: 4

Action 4: Counter sword strike with talons on left hand, and kick.
Cost: None - Damage: 4 - Acc: 7

Total Chakra Used: 16
Total Damage: 15