‘Desperation sharpens the talons of the raptor, the canines of the tiger, and the wit of a fool.’

”Well... you see, I just don't know when to give up. Does that scare you?" Maybe it would have provoked others, but Yasu didn’t mind fear. Fear made you smart. Fear kept you safe. Yasu smiled a little from upon his perch. Adrenaline was one of his greatest fears. Once people got a hit of it they became leagues more competent, and their pain thresholds increased by magnitudes, but he highly doubted this was one of those cases.

His clone had its back ‘pressed’(as he is intangible it’s more like his body forms to fit around the pillar, but you know) to the pillar in the moments before he noticed a form appear in the fog as he had continued to watch for Fuyuko like he’d been doing just before. While he surveyed, he would notice the form seemed to be getting closer, correction, it was definitely going in for an attack on him. The puppet’s hands would launch into the air on to the surface of the pillar that his back was pressed to.

The Fuyuko that attacked him seemed to aim to punch through him, attacking even knowing that this would cause her to disapear. The clone would feel like she had swung through air as she contacted the stone behind Yasu’s clone, and that would be because she in fact did. The issue with swinging and aiming behind your opponent as Fuyuko did before and as the clone did this time, as it swung with no regards to its own safety, was that it was easy to overcommit. As the clone approached the puppet would pull itself straight up with the tips of its fingers, imitating the Supernatural Walking Practice, squeezing its knees to its chest as it lifted itself over the clone that attempted a strike at it.

The Fuyuko beneath him, obviously not being the real one, would swing past where he had been into the stone pillar behind him. An act which would cause it to explode in smoke. The signal that Fuyuko was waiting for, the singular poof that would be made from two clones colliding. The puppet didn’t wait though, the moment it cleared the other clone, it would lift its body perpendicular to the pillar, and fo a singular backwards cartwheel to the other side to avoid any follow ups the now dispelled clone was incapable of making.

“I normally would be, but it is hard for me to believe you. You are just like the rest, just like the ninja who betray their village running away from danger at the first sign of a fight, just like those who glassed Sunagakure, just like every other chakra using, kunai wielder who thinks they understand what the word Ninja means!” The clone would now shout. As he hid on the the side of the pillar that was opposite to where he’d been attacked he continued, “You all are cowards who maim, murder, steal from, and manipulate only those you think you are better than. I’m here to represent the meek though.”

[Footnote]Almost randomly, the real Yasu would see motion to his side and would notice a Fuyuko shaped form jump into the air. It had the same stature and body shape, but was weilding two kunai (the ones she was going to throw at the clone). Though it was probably just bait he would project the trajectory in his head. ‘Hhmm,’ he’d think to himself. For a moment time seemed to freeze as he looked at her decelerating so she peaked almost at his eye level, it was almost like she had jumped to see what was at the top of this pillar specifically, out of all of the pillars. No matter.

As time caught up with his brain, he would wait until she reached the peak of her jump before he would lace Fuyuko like a pair of shoes (Though he’d never actually laced shoes before since he doesn’t wear them). Starting from the peak of her fall, for the next 7 meters he would activate his water scalpel and zig-zag his right hand as fast as he could manage following her down, trying to keep a mental picture of her center of gravity. Any strike that connected would deliver 3/4 inch cuts on her body. All the while anticipating an attack following the line of his water, he would be shifting slightly to make his placement difficult to predict. [/footnote]

He’d then jump lightly to the next pillar further from where he’d left Ogre- 5 meters away and a half meter taller than the last- his soft, fleshy, and bare feet padding his landing. Simultaneously with him jumping, his clone would jump onto the pillar his creator had just occupied, shouting to obscure any already small sound his creator’s feet might have made. To any potential onlooker, this one might as well be the real one.  “I don’t fight because I think I can win! I don’t act because I think there won’t be consequences! I fight because I must! I will meet with those who hold sway over the villages, and they will come and aid the place I call home!” The clone would stand defiantly as he gave a speech meant mostly to distract, rather than to reveal anything about himself, though there was truth to be found in it. After all, ninja weren’t supposed to wear their heart on their sleeve.  Both he and Yasu making the hand seals for the reinforcement technique again and preparing to use them.

Chakra = 45/140:

Bonuses:

Items used/ equipped:

[Footnote]Ooc: it is a little confusing to me who jumps here. If it was the clone it would be dispelled, as she claims that her character aims behind the target and seems the clone was recklessly punching (it knew such an act would end its life). Yasu -the clone- was also right up on the pillar. Therefor, under those conditions, ignore the footnoted stuffs.

If it was the actual Fuyuko, which is how it read to me, Yasu’s gonna dice her up as he would still have an actual target to perceive and swing at.

Quick Ruling: Yasubei is more than capable of conceling their sounds as a trained ninja who is able to see the ground theyre walking on as they approach it,

but based on the speed and space available, i dont see the E rank clones avoiding one another and based on their wording i think they clash. With the space available and the speed involved there is no way Yasubei's clone could have avoided Fuyukos.

Continue.

There wasn't an answer to her question there was just silence until another shadow would make its appearance near the pillar. Not that really broke silence, no that part would remain. But at least now Fuyuko was able to see something happening, but it would still only be vagueness to her. She just quietly stood there waiting to see or hear something happen in the area of the pillar. Anything that would give her enough information to 'safely' make her next move.

A scenario like that would present itself, well a scenario where something happened she was unsure however if it was enough information to safely move forward or anything. Two bursts of clouds appeared and the figure she had been seeing had disappeared. Fuyuko assumed her clone had managed to hit whatever might have been hiding at the pillar, however it would simply turn out as a clone as well. Making her non the wiser about where the real one was. She quietly listened for any movements but was unable to discern anything concrete. Would she wait patiently now as Yasubei might move towards her or would she continue pressing forward. She had been going for a more safe approach from after having "healed" from her wounds, but only because she had a clone with her to 'back' her up. Now she was all alone again and it made her uncertain what the best course of action would be.

"You know, to me it certainly looks like you're scared, why don't you come out of your hiding place?" she would yell again. Surely he would still be close enough to be able to hear that. So she would wait motionless, she had revealed her own location. It was time for Yasubei to come to her, instead of her going to him. She held her hands in the snake seal, prepared to mold chakra at a moments notice while keeping a watchful eye to her surroundings and her ears fixated on the slightest noises that would be made in the area.

Chakra 30/150:

Stats:

Items:

"You know, to me it certainly looks like you're scared, why don't you come out of your hiding place?" Fuyuko would say. It wasn’t untrue though. Without Ogre, Yasu was in a bit of a predicament. He’d never realized how much he’d relied on his puppet for defense. The hulking man normally was enough of a physical presence where people wouldn’t just screw around near him. The same was not true for the meek Yasubei. This ninja kept trying to provoke him with things he already knew about himself. He would choose to wait as pressing forward at this particular moment would do him no good. He needed to wait just a little bit longer, so he would remain frozen with his hands making the seal for the reinforcement technique under his cloak. He would lower his cloak with a tilt of his head, and watch his sureoundings carefully. He regretted only making a singular clone. If he had to use the reinforcement technique, he was prepared to follow up with water scalpel. That is assuming he could see his target.

Her question left her with no response. It was really the last chance she had in figuring out Yasubei's location before she would start having to watch out herself. She wasn't sure how much longer he'd be unable to control the puppet. While she asked if he was scared of her, it wasn't unreasonable to say the same about her own situation. Although it wasn't really that she was scared of fighting two to one, it was more the fact if she'd be able to pull it off. The puppet had a decent amount of strength behind its punches, but was slow. Yasubei himself wasn't faster than her either, but whatever he used to cut her with was quite troublesome. While she did have the possibility to negate it's damage it would leave her without the option to still destroy the puppet. It was quite the predicament. So it was better to be on the safe side. Make him waste chakra whilst he would search for her again and eventually just run him out of chakra through that method. So it had been decided. She dashed off again at full speeds to the right side (from her starting position point of view) of the arena at full speed, slowing down to about 5 meters per second after about 7 seconds so that she wouldn't accidentally fall off the arena.

Chakra 30/150:

Stats:

Items:

In a flash of Thunder and lightning, the proctor appeared in the middle of the arena. His voice boomed out over the area, declaring the match over. "Your time is up! We declare Fuyuko the winner. Both contestants fought well, but Fuyuko held the advantage throughout most of the match, dealing significant damage to the puppet, which by all means was used as a second individual. Both contestants have a similar amount of Chakra exhaustion as well. Fuyuko had a response for all the actions Yasubei took, be it dodging, use of defensive jutsu to mitigate damage, and even able to shut down the puppetry technique."

With that declaration, he disappeared in another flash of lightning and thunder.

Yasu would hop down from his pillar mildly disapointed, but so be it. He would walk back to Ogre sealing him before he exited the arena. If he sere to see his opponent on his way out he would say, ”That was quite aesthetic,” before heading back to his home to go train some more.

[WC= Too many to count]

[Exit Thread]

Fuyuko rushed over to the entrance that Yasubei would've used to enter the arena, she assumed he would end up using the exit he had used to enter the arena in the first place. It wouldn't take long before he'd appear. He would speak only 4 words to her as he walked past her. She felt like it was slightly rude of him to keep on walking, then again, she could understand as well. It's never fun to lose so she decided not to hold it against him. "I really enjoyed it!" she yelled with an honest voice. She waited a little bit and waved around at the crowed that was high up above before disappearing from the arena herself.

[EXIT]