Wind vs Aaron

Posts : 730

The first round of the Annual Realms Tournament had been going well so far. Two previous matches had worked the large crowd up into a frenzy, but the announcers on the loud speaker could easily be heard. Match 3 was lined up for two different warriors from different lands. “The third match is ready to begin, folks!” says the announcer over the speaker, prompting another wave of cheering from the thronging mass. Before the announcer can even begin to call attention to her, Saya makes her way towards the center of the area. As she walks, the announcer continues, and so does the crowd. “She was born in the land of fire, and lives in the land of waves. Kirigakure shinbo, Saru Saya.”

The battlegrounds for the match were massive, and Saya was walking towards the center of it. It was 150 meters on each side, a huge square surrounded by 40 foot high walls of stone. The interior was mostly open and flat grasslands with patches of dirt and the occasional small bush. Off in one corner of the arena was a small stand of some 15 large trees, the cluster making an effective grove for those who might wish to flee, and hide. Near the the small grove there was also a lake, a long stretch of water about 25 meters long, and 15meters wide. It is crescent shaped, and a deceptive 20 feet deep in its center.

Saya waits patiently for her opponent to arrive, though the announcer had only finished calling her name out. She presents herself as she always does, dressed in a huge amount of armor. Her head is covered by a thick steel helmet and protective mask, and it didn’t just end there. A cloak covered in metal scale armor covered her from shoulders to shins, leaving few places to slip a blade past her defenses. Standing still, the cloak covers her completely, and conceals everything that lies beneath it. Only her shins and feet protrude from the bottom, and even they are plated in thick metal. Beneath her cloak her hand was already resting on the handle of her sword, all to eager to move on to the next round.

As the announcer begins to call out her opponent, she looks up, and scans the red side of the field for her prey. This was going to be a good time. The cheering of the crowd was stoking her fury as each moment passed, and she couldn’t help but think back to her childhood. Ten years previously she won her first tournament. Hopefully, she could repeat the accomplishment.

Age : 28 Posts : 2538

Akimaru waited anxiously in the changing room as he heard his opponent enter the arena. He was in the third round of the Annual Realms Tournament. No matter how many times he went out there and attempted to desensitize himself to the huge crowd, he simply couldn't. He was about to repeat one of his biggest fears. If he won, he knew he'd have to do it again. He'd have to walk out there, and face all those people cheering at him. Even though most were rooting for him, he didn't much like the attention.

"“The third match is ready to begin, folks!” said the announcer over what was clearly a megaphone, despite the fact the changing room walls were muffling his voice before it reached Akimaru's ears. "“She was born in the land of fire, and lives in the land of waves. Kirigakure shinobi, Saru Saya.” Akimaru mentally pocketed his opponent's name and location. If she lived in the Land of Waves and she was a ninja she was most likely to be from Kirigakure, and therefore know Kirigakure no Jutsu. Akimaru created a quick strategy on how to counter the jutsu should it arrive in their battle.

Knowing it was his time to enter the arena, Akimaru stood up and walked out of the changing room. His footsteps echoed around the room in a manner that made him want to stay. He took one last look at the urban room, and left. As he entered the arena the shadows changed their diplomatic stance with him and the sun was blazing in his face. It felt as if his retinas had burned. Akimaru dropped his head to the floor and walked to the centre of the arena, facing his opponent, Saya.

"He was born in the Land of Fire and he lives in Konoha, please welcome, Kiyo Akimaru!" The announcers voice was a lot louder now, and it began to make Akimaru's ears pound. It was too hot to be fighting today, but he didn't have much choice. Rising his head, he looked directly into Saya's eyes, and gave her a smile. Akimaru took up a defensive stance, and prepared himself. "You may, BEGIN!" the announcer called. Akimaru was ready.

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Saya was smirking behind her mask as her nervous opponent approached. She could only hope it wasn’t the crowd putting him at ill ease, and not the prospect of fighting. The screening process was a good one, so only the finest warriors would ever find themselves in even the first round of competition. She waits patiently as he is announced, giving him a slow looking over as she did. Saya doesn’t exactly avoid eye contact, but his eyes were the last thing she needed to get a look at.

He didn’t seem too impressive. He was tall, and well built, but most of his strength seemed to be situated on is lower body. His legs and midsection were trim and well fit, muscled which gave some clues to his fighting style. Unless he was going to summon some light, agile weapon, he wasn’t likely a weaponry user. A rapier or the likes might work in his grip, but he had the look of a kicker; or perhaps just a coward. Many people who had perfected the art of fleeing from a battle had legs as strong as his. Taijutsu users more often had well balanced physiques, and lacked the relative lack of power his upper body held. Even a grappler would need to have powerful arms to keep their opponent under control. No, certainly, this man must not be made for fighting.

Though this information could serve it well, it really only narrowed the field down some. Knowing he was not a warrior, didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. Chances are he was a Ninjutsu user, and one with powerful enough jutsu to not need to fight. Wind and Fire jutsu both gain advantage when coupled with high mobility. It takes Saya only a few brief seconds of studying her opponent to make these primary judgments, and a game plan to work with based off of them. Stage one was simple.

As the announcer calls out to begin, Saya has no hesitation in her action. Beneath her cloak both of her hands rise up and weave through three simple hand seals. She seals Rabbit, Monkey, Dog, then presses two fingertips against the lowest of the fuuinjutsu seals wrapped around her wrist. As she does, a small cloud of smoke pops around her, and her spear is summoned out of her storage scroll. Quickly the tiny cloud fades, revealing the seven foot long Yari, with a good two feet of double edged blade at the end of it.

“Lets give them a good show then!” She shouts, and bows her head slightly. The next moment she’s on the move, and charging forward quickly. The spear in her hand trails behind her as she runs, the sharp blade held in just one hand with ease. It was clear looking at her that she was very strong, but honestly.. she seemed a little slow. Judging by the heavy cloak she wears, one might assume Saya is slow, but that myth is banished right off the bat. Off of the line, Saya bursts forward with incredible speed and ferocity.

It only takes Saya a couple seconds to clear the thirty or forty feet between them, and start swinging her spear. She halts herself just out of arms reach, and swings the Yari forward hard. The blade cuts a wide swath through the air, trailing from behind her and aiming it’s wide arc across Akimaru’s chest. If he didn’t escape the slash he’d be dead, but who couldn’t evade such a basic attack? The first attack it followed quickly by a second follow up, the polearm being deftly swung around, and the solid cap on the end being presented, and thrusted outwards towards her opponent’s chest.

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Age : 28 Posts : 2538

Akimaru knew his opponent was weighing him up. Althought he couldn't see her eyes behind her mask, it was easy to tell she was analysing him. Coming to a such a conclusion, Akimaru decided to imitate her and began to analyse Saru, Saya. She was certainly someone to marvel over. Her body was perfectly sculpted, and she was incredibly muscular. Like usual, Akimaru had to look down at her because of the height difference. At a guess, Akimaru thought she would stand at around 5 foot, because she was quite short, even for his standards.

Because of her muscular body it was safe to assume she trained in a more physical style of jutsu, such as taijutsu or weaponry. Looking at her armour and the amount of weapons she carried around with her, Akimaru thought her style would revolve around weaponry. "No averag ninja carries around that much with them..." She was certainly well defended from physical attacks, but Akimaru had no intention of attacking her yet.

Just knowing she was learned in weaponry wasn't going to help him win this fight. She could probably deduct as much from him as he could from her. He needed to have the edge, he needed to analyse her deeper. Blinking for longer than needer, Akimaru allowed her body to flow into his eyes. He kept on analysing every hair, every cell, every curve. She looked strong, and high attacks wouldn't be as effective due to her height.

As soon as the announcer shouted to begin, Akimaru's opponent made no hesitation. But neither did he. She seals Rabbit, Monkey, Dog, then presses two fingertips against the lowest of the fuuinjutsu seals wrapped around her wrist. As she does, a small cloud of smoke pops around her, and her spear is summoned out of her storage scroll. Quickly the tiny cloud fades, revealing the seven foot long Yari, with a good two feet of double edged blade at the end of it.

Whilst Akimaru had been watching her form seals, he had been using his own, using only a fraction of his mind to do so. His jutsu was now ready to defend before she had even launched an attack. "“Lets give them a good show then!” Saya shouted as she charged forward at Akimaru, seemingly defenceless now he had let up his stance. He doubted she had seen him form his hand-seals because she was concentrating on her own. No-one with such physical prowess would have time to hone their mental skills to the level Akimaru had.

Saya bowed her head slightly, then took a burst of speed towards Akimaru. She had to be using some sort of jutsu to increase her speed, especially considering what she was wearing. This jutsu meant she must be spending chakra already. Akimaru's plan formed wonderfully in his mind as he dropped prone to the floor on his chest, his heart smashing against the warm ground.

He had dodged her first swing of the weapon by a fraction of second, considering the headstart he had had to do so. Akimaru could have sword he felt a hair fall off of his head. Her second attack which was obviously backing up the first was aiming above him again. It was as if she hadn't seen him drop to the floor. Rather than swing out with his leg and attacking, Akimaru rolled backwards, but he still wasn't out of her reach. The speed she could go, it was lucky his mind could work quickly under pressure.

Saya's second attack had obviously been used to back up her first, as part of a combination attack. The swing was harsh, but Akimaru was safe. But only just. Rather than attack himself, like most ninja would have. Akimaru waited patiently for her next attack, whilst backing away from her slowly, trying to make as much distant between them as possible without her twigging to what he was doing. With such speed, he needed the most advantage he could get.

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Ha, a patient warrior! All to often Saya played this same game. Time taken on the defensive allowed for one to learn the finer details of their opponent's style, while also concealing the finer parts of her own. Saya wasn't typically one to rush in with little knowledge ahead of time, but this was a tournament match. Competition was in her blood and her soul, and in front of a crowd, Saya was in a furious frenzy. Fueled by the cheers of the crowd, Saya would push herself to new levels of offensive action.

There's little hesitation from one attack into the next, little respite given from her constant assault. Her grip on the bamboo shaft loosens just enough to allow it to slide freely between her fingers. As she draws the weapon up for her next attack, she slides her hands down all the way to the brass pommel she just attacked with. Her next swing takes full advantage of the spears impressive reach, and swings it like a baseball bat. The razor edge of her spear cuts through the air as easily as it cuts through the earth Akimaru had previously rolled through.

The evasive skills of her opponent certainly left her impressed. While her spear was her slowest weapon, it was rare that her enemies were so fluid, and ready to dodge. No doubt this was his specialty.. perhaps he intended on simply wearing Saya down. Behind her mask, Saya smirks. That was a loosing strategy against Saya. While her opponent was quick, Saya was fast. She was a speed demon, and only the massive weight restraining her body kept her from making that obvious.

Perhaps surprisingly, her assault takes a drastic change in tempo. Her direction changes, and instead of springing after her opponent, and closing distance, she takes a single hop back. Instantly there's space between the two, and saya swings her spear once more. Though a thrusting weapon by its nature, the Yari was a very versatile weapon. It leaves her hands in an instant, and soars through the air like a massive, seven foot long kunai.

Saya comes to a stop, her cloak once more falling to cover her form. She goes from active to stationary in the blink of an eye, and begins playing the waiting game herself. Uncharacteristically, she speaks some. Talking during a fight wasn't her thing, but she still managed some threats.

"You're good at running away, but I hope you have more. You force me to select a different weapon to deal with you.. and you will not be pleased with the outcome. I give you these last few moments you have, to attack me. Use the moments I give you however you please.. but this fight will end shortly afterwards." she says loudly, her voice steady and strong. She wasn't exactly screaming with anger, so much as speaking with authority, and power.

Age : 28 Posts : 2538

Akimaru watched in interest and Saya's hand shifts on the bamboo weapon, and she grips it from lower down. She lifted it up again for an attack, and as Akimaru braced himself, he saw her place her hands on the brass where she had gripped the weapon for her previous attack. "This weapon could be more versatile than I thought, depending on where she holds it." Making a mental note of this, Akimaru turned his gaze back to his opponent.

She threw the now spear into the air. It almost looked as if she had let go by accident, but Akimaru doubted she had. The noise the spear made when cutting through the air was unique. It sounded like atoms being split, if there was such a noise. Like chopping something in half. Akimaru had expected the spear to come to a halt when it hit the ground before him, but it was not so. The weapon cut through the earth as easily as it did the air. Rather than letting it slip through, Akimaru grabbed it and pulled it up some. Now the spear's tip was sticking out of the ground by one or two feet.

Saving the spear for later, Akimaru turned back to Saya. She began to speak. "You're good at running away, but I hope you have more. You force me to select a different weapon to deal with you.. and you will not be pleased with the outcome. I give you these last few moments you have, to attack me. Use the moments I give you however you please.. but this fight will end shortly afterwards."

Such cheek, such arragance! It was once in a blue moon Akimaru would find someone who would grate him like that. "I guess it's been a blue moon since last time.." Akimaru thought bitterly, spitting on the ground in front of him. Taking a few moments to steady his breathing and calm himself down, Akimaru changed his anger into energy. He would show this little girl, he wasn't a pushover. So far, Akimaru hadn't even touched his chakra, yet he had forced this girl to new heights, which pleased him so far.

The way she spoke as well. She spoke as if she were in charge. It really annoyed Akimaru, so he decided to change his strategy, as she had changed hers. "You're ever so good at blocking physical attacks, but l-let's see you b-clock this!" Forming the handseals like lightning, Akimaru worked a little suiton chakra to his chest, then exerted it with great force. The result was a jet of water powerful enough to knock even this girl off of her feet. Akimaru had to aim his head lower, due to the fact his mouth was higher than her helmet. Even if she did block the attack, excessive use of Suiton ninjutsu would make her armour heavier, and even rust, if used enough.

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Saya only smirks as he picks up her spear. As light and perfectly balanced as it was, there was no way he knew how to use it. It was a perfectly crafted spear, and she doubted he could do any more than thrust with it. Still, a well placed thrust could kill. She was a little bit taken back by his words when he started his jutsu, but it didn’t change her intentions. She hadn’t blocked any of his attacks yet, and she didn’t need to start. Her armor was tip top, and she trusted it well enough.

When the hard jet of water erupts from her opponent’s mouth, she shifts only slightly to the right. She leans her weight forward and takes the impact of the jutsu on her right shoulder. She’s a little surprised by the intense impact of something as gentle as water, but it’s not enough to knock her over. The soles of her boots bite deep into the ground beneath her, and her full 800 pounds of weight keep her easily anchored in place. The jet of water spatters off the scales of her armor, causing little more than a single surge of her body backwards. She looses only three feet of ground, and doesn’t go down. A few of the thick scale plates are missing from her armor by the time the blast is done, but the leather beneath remains unharmed.

Though the jutsu does little to damage her armor, the blunt impact easily sinks through it and into her body. The bone around her shoulder splinters and breaks, and her right arm falls useless for a moment. Though the jutsu did its damage, little of it shows on the outside. The pain simply doesn’t register in the girl’s head, and she simply ignores the injury. The crowd had gotten excited when the jutsu first hit, but when she’s left standing and untouched, they begin to cheer for her. “Block? Why would I need to block? You can not hurt me.” She says, remaining standing where she’d been the whole time.

Saya simply stands there, waiting for more. While she may seem perfectly calm on the outside, waiting for another attack, beneath her cloak and beneath her skin a great deal more is happening. All through out her body, a network of small vines wriggle their way through her. Thin filaments of vine wrap around the broken bone. The small pieces are pulled into place, and the vines fill in cracks and gaps. They wrap around the joint, strengthen it, and within a few moments Saya’s right arm is back in perfect condition.

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Age : 28 Posts : 2538

Akimaru was a little taken aback as Saya made no intention to even move, nor acknowledge the attack rushing towards her at such a speed it would easily knock her off her feet. As the jutsu made contact with her, the whole crowd goes wild. The spar is officially underway now. Not being able to see past the water, Akimaru smirked as he saw a metal shoulderplate clang to the ground.

It looked like a victory, but far from it. On closer inspection, the leather beneath the metal was perfectly fine. "But the internal damage could be much worse." Akimaru found himself thinking. He waited a few moments, but she made no cries of pain; still no acknowledgement the attack even hit her. Akimaru was gobsmacked.

The crowd waited on tenderhooks for Saya's reaction. Finally, she speaks: "Block? Why would I need to block? You cannot hurt me." Standing there gormless, Akimaru was lost for words. Which wasn't really a change from his normally tendencies to talk. Both ninja stand perfectly still, looking at each other and Akimaru can't help but think something is going on under that armour.

"This girl is making me attack, rather than stay in my comfort zone and defend." Akimaru thought to himself, thinking up a strategy to defeat Saya. Deciding to take a different approach to attack, Akimaru formed a few unique handseals a pointed a finger at Saya. "Crucio." he said firmly, but incoherent to Saya.

"That armour will be her undoing." Akimaru thought, as his Genjutsu began setting in. He had used the E-Rank version of his own unique jutsu, but causing Saya to believe she has dry, itchy, flaky skin and head-lice could be much more problematic than it seems. She can't really itch herself under all that amour now, can she?

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Posts : 730

Behind her mask, Saya's eyes narrow as his hands set into motion once more. His water jutsu was pretty strong, and her armor had done next to nothing to protect her from it. The plates of metal were designed to be effective against weapons with an edge or a point, not blunt impact, and trauma. If not for her unique traits, she wouldn't be standing so tall. Behind her cloak Saya was safe from many things, yet vulnerable to a few others. Removing it was becoming a top priority regardless of itching, or discomfort.

Truly it was something Saya brushed off. She didn't think it was so much a jutsu, as it was a result of having been drenched in apparently dirty water. While inconvenient, much like a sprained ankle, hunger, or almost any other discomfort, Saya would just put it in the back of her mind while she was fighting. Still, even if she didn't recognise the mild genutsu for what it was, Akimaru would get what he wanted.

Beneath her heavy cloak, her left hand moves up to the single strap securing the cloak across her shoulders. Instantly the cloak loosens, and is barely hanging on her back. She grips the sturdy leather from the inside and gives it a good tug. In one easy motion the heavy cloak leaves her back, and fans out into a wide, shining circle of metal as it does. As it spins in the air she simply releases it, and lets the sixty pound drape of metal plates crash to the ground about 15 feet from her. It doesn't land quietly, the bulky peice of armor clatters and crashes along the ground, kicking up a good deal of dust, and digging a very shallow trench along its way.

Her helmet follows her cloak, clattering against the ground easily with her mask. Beneath all her armor, Saya might seem suddenly small. She's barely over five feet tall, but is built of solid muscle. Her hands are still hidden inside of a pair of well fitting gloves, the outside of the leather inlaid with enough metal to almost make them gauntlets. The shining steel matches the thick iron braces that are wrapped around each of her wrists. Her feet are protected by boots with thick plating on them, as well as solid steel shin guards. Her torso was covered in much less, just soft purple robes. Thick silk that formed to her figure was worn over her family's special chain mail, it's tiny steel links looking much like fishnet beneath it. Very little skin showed, and Saya rather liked that.

Above all her armor, Saya was also armed to the teeth. She wore two katanas on her left hip, and a length of heavy chain on her right. The chain was attached to a sharp sickle shaped knife, but that was far from her only small blade. She had throwing axes and shurikens, kunai and another pair of short swords behind her. Though she carries all these weapons, her right hand just rests on the handle of one of her katanas. "You're running out of time." she announces in the same calm, but loud, voice. "If you are going to do something.. I would suggest doing so now.."

It was uncanny how she seemed to simply not notice the genjutsu. She didn't simply ignore it's effects, she never once even began to realize the illusory nature of the malady. While most observant individuals would have made the connection between the hand signs, and the sudden itchy exterior, Saya did not. She simply put it out of her mind, and moved on. Even now she was still itchy, she just didn't allow it to effect her performance in battle.

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Age : 28 Posts : 2538

Examining Saya to see when the genjutsu would start to take place, Akimaru saw her hand grip something underneath her cloak. Suddenly, the cloak became much looser, and it finally dropped off of her body. It spread our like a giant metal fan. Saya threw the now metal fan into the air, and it landed with a conquering clash about 10 feet away from Akimaru. Before it had done though, it had kicked up a lot of dust, so Akimaru could only really see Saya's outline. Normally the noise would have made him jump, but he was so focused on Saya; it didn't.

After the dust settled, Akimaru saw a deep trench the fan had made on impact. He made himself aware of it; as he felt Saya would use it as part of her strategy. The cogs in his mind began shifting faster, trying to empathize with Saya and why she would use the now lodges fan or trench. Saya lifted her helmet off her head, and threw that too. It clatter along the groud, bouncing, until it randomly reached it's destination. Although Akimaru got a glimpse more of Saya's physical appearance, there still wasn't much skin showing.

Akimaru saw that Saya was armed with multiple weapons, attached to the armour she was still wearing. It didn't really phase him as much, as he had got used to Saya as an opponent. Saya's hand settled on one of the katanas, and she began to speak again, "You're running out of time." The atmosphere in the crowd was dead silence. "If you are going to do something.. I would suggest doing so now.."

This attitude really annoyed Akimaru, and Saya could probably tell from his face, which was like thunder. But he didn't retort, because there was no point. "Concentrate on the physical battle; rather than the verbal one." he told himself, to calm down. Akimaru's thoughts turned back to how Saya wasn't hurt from his suiton ninjutsu, and how she didn't seem to be itching at all yet. "Maybe things don't register with her nerval system?" Akimaru found himself thinking.

Getting annoyed, Akimaru decided to increase the Genjutsu's hold on her. Akimaru began exerting more chakra until the jutsu was in it's D-Rank form. The change would take a few moments, but Akimaur knew it would definately noticeable. Waiting with a sick form of pleasure, Akimaru watched Saya...

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Posts : 730

The expression on Saya's face doesn't shift in the least as more of his chakra is spent to increase the levels of irritation wracking Saya's body. Her entire body would be tingling by now, but it wouldn't be enough to distract her from her goal at hand. While it was just as aggravating as the deeper wounds, stabs, breaks, and abrasions she was used too, she could still ignore it just as readily. She was still unaware it was anything more than genjutsu, so just endured it as she would any other physical malady.

She had considered her numerous options, and decided to just take the direct route. Her first assault with her spear had been less than successful, but her spear was a slow weapon. It could devistate flesh and armor alike when it hit, but wasn't best used against an unarmored, agile opponent. It certainly wasn't his best choice against Saya. Her hand had been resting on the plain black laces of one of her swords. It lacked embelishment and seemed quite plain for a great sword, but any with trained eyes could see it's inner perfection. Hidden inside the solid steel scabbard was a perfectly forged blade. That sword she left for now, and let her right hand move over to the sword beneath it.

To make a little room in her midsection she draws the sword and scabbard fully from it's resting place through her belt. Her second sword, the one she held now, had a scabbard carved from wood and painted a soft blue color. She holds it up before her as she speaks once more. No doubt the crowd was ready for action, and so was she. "Alright.. Watch close now." she says as she draws her sword from its sheath. It's curved blade shines in the light as it's pulled out and revealed to the sun, it's sharp edge glistening brightly. "Here I come..."

As she finishes her last few words she extends her left arm outwards, and holds the now empty scabbard out to her side. She spends only a moment gathering up her chakra, then forces a great surge down into her feet. When Saya wanted to move fast, she was surprisingly capable of doing so. She releases the grip on her scabbard as she forces a great surge of chakra down into her feet. The next instant, Saya all but vanishes.

The speed of her Shunshin jutsu is remarkable, and almost too fast to follow. Before the scabbard has fallen halfway to the ground Saya has rushed past and behind Akimaru. Before it strikes the ground, Saya swings her blade upwards towards her opponent's back. She manages not one, but two wide cuts, her sword slicing through the air with well trained precision and speed. Both attacks would be made before the scabbard landed, and she wouldn't even be done there.

Saya was always one to follow up an attack with another attack, but the battlefield is a rough place. Her expression is one of blank confidence. Her lips seem to be stuck in the same amused smirk no matter her condition, but her eyes blaze with the desire to win. She keeps her sword held gently between both of her hands, the extra leverage allowing her to put great power and grace into each swing of her sword. She wouldn't be at rest long, as she's already preparing to lunge forward and attack again.

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Age : 28 Posts : 2538

Both opponents stood on the battlefield, standing off against each other. Akimaru was becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of reaction from his opponent. The thing that frustrated him the most was he didn't know if his genjutsu wasn't powerful enough, whether she couldn't even feel the pain or whether she was just ignoring it. The genjutsu could have been cast away, but he just simply didn't know. Wanting to scream with frustration, Akimaru kept a cool face and stared at his opponent, just as emotionless as she was.

Akimaru was still thinking up strategies in his head. This girl was incredibly fast, and Akimaru was sure he hadn't seen her true speed. It was too hard to defend against her, she could probably dodge his defences and hit him directly anyway. He was forced to attack. It wasn't really his style, so he was slightly apprehensive. He was about to take a step forward when he noticed Saya's hand resting on her sword.

"She could slice me up before I could even get a punch on her; and my taijutsu's nothing to be proud of." Akimaru thought to himself. He had to change strategies now. But there was simply no time. For the second time, Akimaru was about to execute his strategy and something stopped him. Saya drew a scabbard with presumably another sword inside. However, it wasn't the one Akimaru had seen her resting her hand on. "Hmmm, I wonder why she chose another one?"

The scabbard of her drawn sword was made of wood and painted blue. Saya held the sword infront of herself, and began to speak again. "Alright.. Watch close now.". This prepared Akimaru for action, and she drew her blade from it's scabbard, the metal glinting in the sunlight. "Here I come..."

Akimaru automatically prepared himself to defend, but then he stopped himself. "No! Why should I always be defending? Maybe it's my turn..." Forming handseals as fast as he could on borrowed time, Akimaru slammed his hand down to the floor and a large pillar of earth started to raise rapidly out of the ground. Not stopping there, Akimaru formed even more seals, and slammed his hand to the ground once more. The earth beneath his pillar began to cave in on itself, and Akimaru had to concentrate a lot of chakra to keep his pillar intact. The pillar was still rising, and looking down, he could only guess what had happened to Saya...

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Posts : 730

The fact that he dodged was just dumb luck, in her opinion, though she would't make mistake of attacking high again. She narrows her eyes slightly as he deftly ducks beneath the rapid stroke of her blade, and slams his hands against the ground. Before anything happened she assumed it was an earth technique, that was the most likely explination for touching down like that. As his jutsu is begining, Saya's blade lifts up high over her head to deal a killing blow to his back. However, she never quite gets to swing her sword.

As the earth beneath her opponent suddenly tears upwards, she's left facing only a growing column of stone. Saya reels back only a step as she looks upwards, gritting her teeth and moving to chase even as he forms his second jutsu. She can feel the ground beneath her begining to shake as she jumps, landing against the rising collumn and sending chakra to her feet to keep them stuck well. She watches as the earth she'd been standing on cracks, shatters, and begins to churn in on itself. Had she been standing there still it looked like it would have hurt, but she'd avoided it easily enough with her desire to chase Akimaru. She grinds her teeth down, however, as she realizes he's driving her off once more. Even with her heightened speed, she wasn't going to be able to get above the jutsu and continue her attack.

Holding her sword with both hands, she growls a little softly. Over the sound of the earth moving beneath her, it wouldn't be heard, but it helps her focus her strength as she squeezes the sword tighter in her hand. She crouchs against the rising stone jutsu and slams her hands down, driving the steel cap at the bottom of her sword's handle down into the earth beneath her. Saya strikes with remarkable force, fracturing the rising earth, and injuring her sword as she does. The bottom of the handle bends and some silk lacing comes loose; the steel cap is crushed and ruined, and even the tang of her sword is bent, but she drives a deep, wide crack down through the core of his rising stone pillar.

The next moment she jumps, soaring up and outwards out beyond the reach of the earthquake jutsu he'd cast. She lands well enough on her feet, though her sword is baddly injured. She holds it to the side with one hand, turning to stare once more at Akimaru.. his defenses were just to solid. He always seemed to evade her assaults. Saya was doing well enough on the defensive, but only her speed allowed her to maneuver as deftly as she did. She rolls her right shoulder back once, feeling the patched up wound flow easily enough. Slight tinges of pain told her she'd been injured previously, but she could ignore that well enough.

Not wishing to damage her sword any further, Saya slings it downwards. The sharp blade easily sinks into the earth, and lodges itself there. Even without that sword, Saya still had another. Watching the cracked earth pillar grow, however, Saya does the one thing that seems best. She pulls a kunai out of the pouch behind her, and slings it at the earth pillar. While a kunai on stone had little effect, the exploding tag trailing behind it would work. If her single strike hadn't done enough to topple it before, she hopes a good explosion would finish the job.

Age : 28 Posts : 2538

The pillar reached full height and Akimaru stopped heightening it with doton chakra. Instead, he concentrated on maintaining it's shape and formation. The roars and rumbling of the earth collapsing on itself slowly died away. It was safe to say the affects of his jutsu had died away. "Now, time to check she's still breathing..." Akimaru exhaled sharply and peered over the edge of his pillar. He saw Saya stood somewhat defiantly, just out of the range of his jutsu. He wondered how she had got there, but there was no time to wonder.

Akimaru face dropped in horror as he saw the kunai with an exploding tag attached to his precious pillar, about to explode. Wasting no time, he leapt off of the pillar gracefully. He heard the blast and even airborne he felt the shatter as the pillar came crashing down just as face as he was. Forming more handseals, Akimaru yelled out loud. "Takitsubo no Jutsu!" Water gushed down alongside him and the collapsing pillar. Being much lighter, it fell to the earth much faster, and formed a small lake beneath him.

Plunging into the ice cold water, Akimaru's body was immediately covered in goosebumps. Even underwater, he was shivering. The sudden temperature change had been a shock. But he could waste no more time. Forming yet more seals, Akimaru summoned his friend Gamamaru under the water with him. The lake was quite deep, and Gamamaru stayed hidden under it's murky depths. Feeling the need for air, Akimaru clambered onto Gamamaru's back, and they leapt out of the water in unison, Akimaru on Gamamaru's scaly back.

"Violent Wind Jet!" Akimaru shouted, his lungs gasping for oxygen and his throat burning as he was granted it. Rummaging around rapidly, he pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch, and threw it at Saya in unison with the wind blast coming from Gamamaru beneath him. "Mixed with fuuton ninjutsu, kunai are even more deadly." Akimaru was really upping the anti of this battle now. Whilst he wasn't aiming to kill, he wanted to impress the crowd. He wondered if he was doing just that...

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Chakra used:

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