OOC:

Things unfolded quickly and yet it seemed to phase at the slowest pace, every detail of everything was crashing down onto his conscious but it didn't feel overwhelming in any sense as the masked Uchiha's eyes scoured across the field in front of him. Lady Ayakashi's infamous Alpha squad was already at the point of meeting this new chakra along with others that arrived into the scene. Nearby ANBU were assisting the scene and trying to recover wounded while maintaining the barrier at the same time. It was chaotic but from Maigo's vantage off the main path of the battlefield, he was just waiting like a spider, for some prey to fall into his range.

Despite the short moments of waiting, his mind couldn't help but feel the tension and anxiety about all of the incredibly powerful people, along with someone powerful enough to challenge Ayakashi directly. Maigo was doing his best to control his breathing while crouched at the top of the small hill that they had perched themselves on. His concentration was unwavered but with so many combatants and so much happening, would he ever find the chance to interrupt and enter combat? The concepts and situations of the fight barreling towards him and Nayoko began to spin in his mind, how he would respond and what approach he would take before his concentration was interrupted.

"Change of plans." the voice crawled next to him as a figure flickered to join his crouched position overlooking the majority of the scene ahead of him.

"There's enemy forces coming in, we're gonna pull back and try to get a message off to the encampment itself for reinforcements." the voice rang out quietly as two more masked figures flickered in behind them. Maybe it was an obvious tactic, send a message for more help and to report on what was happening thus far but it seemed... stretched. The masked figure that spoke kept his eyes not on the combatants directly in front of him but in the distance, where Lady Ayakashi would be fighting and around that, knowing that a large force was going to be making its descent upon them soon. Maigo would simply nod with a single spoken, "Alright." before turning to make sure that Nayoko were alright with their new plan and had no objections to it.

It was like a slowly building figure in the fading sun as Maigo looked into the near distance and saw the images of enemy arriving onto the battlefield, soon their descent would clash with the ANBU protecting the barrier and sabotaging their efforts in this land. Spilled blood would soak into the sand and Maigo's grip would tighten on a now empty fist as he would feel the regret of not being able to meet this enemy head on into combat. Dead comrades and dead dreams would be the only thing left in the wake here, toyed with like the very nation itself. Rolling back into the heels of his feet, Maigo would seamlessly move into standing and turn away from the scene while dashing backwards to the encampment.

More forces would arrive for sure, but to contain this, they needed a show of force and power. Messages needed to be sent and orders arrived, the squad of Hunter nin would fall back and take up some position closer to the encampment itself despite being a few kilometers away. Their specialty wasn't direct combat against a horde of enemies, it was elimination of specific and direct targets, like those that would slip through the cracks and continue the onslaught towards the village. With Nayoko's clearing, the squad would advance onwards and begin dashing through the desert in the shape of a spearhead while the sun seemed to further apex in the sky and bring more heat down upon them. Arid was beyond them but Maigo's position in the right wing gave him some buffer from any enemies that might chase them directly. With a sensory ninja in the center reading out and marking what he could at the very center, focusing his chakra and the ANBU sensory technique to feel out what he could for while they made their retreat.

Maigo drew forth his Kyoketsu Shoge though, holding the blade itself in his hand with the blade pointing down from his palm while his footsteps burned through the desert in their destination. If all went well, it wouldn't take them but a few minutes to get to their new position but the better question would be, who would contest their exit?


[772 words]

Additional Notes:

Jutsu:

Rysano felt the blast of a wave of energy disconnect him from Nova’s mind. It was becoming a familiar sensation to him as it seemed every time he attempted to enter her mind and separate Sasori’s power from her, the puppet was able to block Rysano’s access rather easily. It was understandable as Rysano was still new to this technique and not only was Sasori a very powerful shinobi during his life, but he was already deeply implanted within Nova, and it would take a lot of work to remove him from his entrenchment.

As Rysano took a moment to reevaluate the situation, a voice came from the body of the girl next to him. Although it was clearly emanating from Nova’s mouth, it was obvious the disembodied sound was not the voice of the young puppet master. “You do not know what you tamper with child.” Rysano had never heard this voice before, but he could infer pretty easily whom it belonged to, “It is fortunate that the one I live through has an attachment to you or I would have dispatched you for nothing other than silence.”

The fingers of Nova’s hands continued to twitch and move, controlling the husk they currently sat in. Although her body was still moving, it was obvious she had no control over anything anymore. Sasori had completely consumed her for the time being, and as Rysano considered the words he had just spoken, he agreed that it was quite fortunate he had befriended Nova before Sasori tightened his grip on her being. There was no way Rysano could stand in a fight against Nova herself, especially not with Sasori at the reins. He still needed to tread carefully though. Even if Nova had an attachment to him, he had learned just how erratic Sasori’s behavior could be, and as long as he still had a grip on Nova, no one around them was safe.

Rysano returned his hands to their previous resting place on Nova’s face, this time without any chakra coursing through them as he attempted to just speak with the two of them. “Well now, he finally speaks,” the words clearly directed at Sasori, “Truthfully I liked you better when you were silent.” As he finished the sentence, he once again began molding his chakra and attempting to break through to where he had Nova trapped. He didn’t need to enter her mind, he only needed to open a space large enough for her to hear him. “Nova, listen to me, you have to try and fight him. I know you said we were heading into battle, and I’d feel much better if I knew you were fighting beside me instead of this monster.”

He hoped that at least his words might make it through to her before Sasori was able to shut him out once again. He watched Nova’s face for any sign of a change. So far the eyes were just as black as they had been, the face’s expression unchanging. He could feel the extent of Sasori’s power emanating through his hands. There was no doubt this was the Sasori of the Akatsuki. Rysano had done some research on him after learning of Nova’s possession of him. He was one of the leading purveyors of human puppetry, which explained some of the things he tried to make Nova do. And even in his current state, his power was nothing to be taken lightly. He was constantly able to prevent Rysano’s access into Nova’s mind in order to interfere with him. But Rysano could feel that he was constantly able to make progress. Each time Sasori pushed him out, the next time Rysano was able to push a little deeper, sometimes being able to pierce through the veil that separated Nova from the world. He could feel her presence this time as his words reached her and he heard her response. “Rysano... I can't stop him.”

Rysano was stunned, but happy to hear the few words escape her mouth, barely audible even within the cramped confines of Doku Tsuki. He knew it. He’d been able to pierce through enough to hear her voice just before Sasori blocked him once again. Rysano laughed to himself quietly, a hint of nervousness in it, but he was genuinely happy at the progress. Every time Sasori took over, he was afraid Nova would never come back. It was good to know she was still in there. “It’s only a matter of time Sasori.” He said aloud. He knew he’d have to take a few minutes to recuperate and plan his next attempt. Sasori was smart, and he’d be able to stop Rysano easily if he tried the same attack every time.

Rysano felt the puppet they were inside of continue to move. Obviously, Sasori was still intent on joining whatever fight was happening in front of them. At least if his attention was devoted elsewhere Rysano might have an easier time breaking his hold over Nova. It was only a hope, and he had never actually succeeded in entering her mind, let alone actually breaking Sasori’s control. But he’d have to try. He didn’t exactly have a lot of faith in Sasori not turning on him after he finished with the other opponents across the field.

He needed to try a completely new tactic. It was a risky move, but nothing else had ever worked. He began channeling one more time, this time instead of attempting to pull Nova out or separate the bond between the other two, he began trying to merge his consciousness with theirs. He had glimpsed the empty, dark space where Sasori kept Nova trapped whenever he took over. Rysano wanted to splice into that space. It might make it easier for him to help Nova if he was there with her, able to directly interfere with Sasori. Obviously, there was risk involved. He had never done anything like this before. He didn’t know if he’d be able to leave at his own behest, or if Sasori would be able to take him over as well, but he had to do what he could to help Nova.

With one last burst of chakra, he placed both thumbs together in the center of Nova’s forehead and felt the inside of Doku Tsuki melt away as he fell into the inky darkness.

[WC 1062]

The scene that the Nayoko had arrived at was almost overwhelming with the amount of action unfolding all around him and his other masked companions. The Hattori simply crouched silently, trying to take in every detail of what was going on so that he could react appropriately when the time came, but even for a highly trained shinobi like himself the amount of activity passing by him. The Mizukage’s personal squad of hunter nin had arrived on the scene and were heading toward the emerging chakra signatures that Nayoko followed with his ANBU sensory technique. Simultaneously, a plethora of ANBU for Kirigakure no Sato and his own village were recovering their fallen comrades while keeping the barrier around the warring giants up and strong. It was exhausting, sitting in place like he and Maigo had been told to do. The Konoha ANBU captain knew that they had a purpose holding up the rear of the support ninja, but he also knew that the two of them could cleave through the enemy force alongside Ayakashi’s Alpha squad if they were told to. There was a lot of potential being wasted on holding a line when one of the other hunter nin could have easily done the same. But Nayoko knew how to follow orders; and so he waited with his ally.

In their time of patience, Nayoko watched the fight with great focus, trying to understand just who was the enemy that the Mizukage was fighting toe to toe with. He had fought against her himself in simple sparring bouts, as well as along side her in the heat of battle. To stand up against her seemed nigh impossible, and yet the Hattori could see the far off in the distance that the mystery man was clashing with her like he was almost, if not just as strong as her. But as his gaze finally passed over the threat, a shiver ran up Nayoko’s spine. For he recognized the chakra signature that he was seeing, as much as he wished he didn’t. It was that of a man that he had fought one on one before as well. In fact, the man had almost killed him in the desert, before fighting alongside him at a different time against a common enemy. He could not believe what he was seeing, and instinctively he took one step forward as if he would step into the middle of a fight between two of the most powerful people he had ever met.

But thankfully his foolhardy action was interrupted by the sound of a voice emerging from next to Maigo, telling them that there had been a change of plan. The ANBU that emerged into the space next to his friend continued speaking in a quiet, measured tone that betrayed the severity of the situation. Clearly he had wandered closer to the battle than Nayoko had, else Nayoko would probably understand just how bad the battle was going for them. "There's enemy forces coming in, we're gonna pull back and try to get a message off to the encampment itself for reinforcements.". His words were accompanied by the flicker of two more shinobi appearing beside him. It seemed like overkill for all of them to deliver a message away from the scene of the battle, but once again the Hattori found himself at the mercy of someone else’s command. He was used to making the tactical decisions ever since becoming the captain of his ANBU squad, and though he could see some merit in providing five ninja to complete a delivery mission, there was far too much going on for it to be a choice that the Leaf ANBU would have made. Even so, Nayoko nodded as Maigo turned to him for confirmation of their new objective.

As they turned to leave the scene, Nayoko caught sight of the incoming wave of the enemies arriving onto the site of the battle. The barrier that was being maintained by the ANBU forces would soon be overrun by the force that now presented itself to the forces of Kirigakure no Sato. Nayoko turned away as the blood of his allies and enemies alike poured out onto sand below them and his knuckles would go white. He wanted to turn around and plow through the criminals, but he had a mission to do, and he hated every second of it. The feeling of death was palpable to the point where it saturated the air, the taste of iron from the blood in the air overwhelming the rest of his senses. The participants in the tactical retreat moved as one cohesive unit despite their different affiliations as the hunter nin moved to send more messages and take up position closer to the camp. The squad pushed on and on in the shape of a spearhead, flying across the desert without anyone to contest their movement. As Nayoko took up the left flank he could not help but wonder…

Would anyone try to stop them?

WC:842

Chakra 300/320:

Every footstep that tracked through the sand seemed to be washed out by the intense rays of the sun as the squad tracked through the desert and began to escape away from the ensuing battle at hand. It was like crackles of noise began to fill the air as they left, the sounds of battle and the cries of dead as the lines of enemy began to crash against the fortified Kiri ninja. Blocked out with every twist and tinge of vibration that would hit Maigo's ears as they escaped away, a tightened fist regretfully pressing the shoge further into his palm. A chance to let his rage out was slipping through his fingers and leaking down into the sand below his feet away from the battlefield where the real blood and sweat flowed to the ground.

Maigo could feel the twitch in his head, as his demeanor shifted again towards melancholy, the mask on his face covered his emotions so well but the intent leaked from his body like rage. The Uchiha was contained but almost demanded to be unbridled, his footsteps felt heavy and though he kept up, each of them seemed to drain more energy from him and bring on grater fatigue than needed. His life, his anger, and his understanding of the situation was being left behind but it was a necessity that called out. His hope fled to the idea that maybe once the message was delivered they could turn and return to the fight. The very chaos left uncontrolled in their wake and though Maigo wouldn't get a chance to save those ninja left to die in his absence, he would certainly face the strongest remaining of the enemy. It was like an elixir to him, the hope sitting deep behind a melancholy stature was intoxicating and distracting the very mind that would so often sit enclosed and silent, waiting and serving his mission with purpose.

Still, in his distracted state, Maigo's eyes would wander lazily across their flank and watching for incoming ninja. The sensory ninja in the center would call out to break the short silence they made over the moment they traveled across the desert,

"Enemies behind us, two squads gaining ground."

He let out quickly with some worry, his eyes dashing between Maigo and Nayoko at the flanks before looking ahead. Maigo's eyes would turn quickly over his left shoulder while running to stay in formation and glaring behind him.

---

Two squads of elite Ryujin ninja would begin to close in on the escaping party. They had seen the Hunter ninja flee and with that, they knew they had to stop them from escaping at all costs and prevent further back up from reaching them. They all wore the standard armor afforded them and each carried weapons on their backs, ranging from simple katanas to great axes that weighed heavily in their hands. Their footsteps were light and dashing across the sand, leaving the lightest trace as they caught their eyes and began tracking down their prey.

---

Maigo's eyes would trace as each of the figures would dash back and forth in a varying formation, keeping their exact location and position changing constantly. The Hunter captain would turn his back and slow down to the main of the group before speaking up to them, "Aisu, you're with me. We'll meet them head on and try to slow them down." he nodded with a bit of confidence while drawing the katana from his back and turning sharply with the extra ANBU to meet their foe head on and slow them down, leaving Maigo and Nayoko to escort their sensory member further along and to deliver what information they had picked up. The further burning and regret in his mind carried as his footsteps continued to carry him even further away from the action.

The formation quickly shifted so that the sensor took the lead with Maigo and Nayoko at the two wings, carrying away quickly past the ANBU that were engaging behind them. A quick shifting of sand below them caught his attention as the flicker of his eyes to the space below his feet immediately began to bring a flurry of questions and concerns on him, wondering if the enemy had been able to slip away others or bring their jutsu underground to cut them off. Maigo's left hand would instinctually reach to his back pocket as he would stop to pivot on the balls of his feet and face the quick disturbance.

"Below!" the quick shout would come from Maigo as an alert in case the others hadn't noticed it and with his arm pulling out two kunai from his pouch among the assortment of others, he would press off his feet and jump up and away from his spot. Leaving several meters distance in his position and holding the two knives across his chest while eyeing the desert below himself in a short chance to catch whatever was below before descending back to the ground.

The continuing ninja wouldn't have made it any more than maybe 30 meters past where the others broke off to engage the enemy directly who would be catching everything from a cozy distance approaching. It would put them in an awful spot for a brief moment, tactically broken up and no sounding of where their enemy was or would be heading. Maigo's eyes would scan desperately across the plane of his vision, everything seeming to slow down before him in a brief moment as he tried to piece it all together.


[939 words, 1711 words total]

More OOC notes:

Rysano had never attempted to enter Nova’s mind before. He had spent some time hypothesizing a technique that may allow him to peer into her mind to use in situations like this, when Sasori took over, but he had yet to actually use it. He had no idea what to expect as he forced himself through Sasori’s barrier and felt the inside of the puppet melt away as he began to spiral into the darkness ahead of him. As his consciousness began to merge with that of Nova and Sasori he could tell he was somewhere else entirely. His body felt different, like he was in some sort of dream state, but he still had total control over himself, and this was no dream.

His body twisted and turned as he fell through the abyss. Featureless as it was, it was difficult to tell where he was going. In the pitch blackness, he could see nothing around him. For all he knew, he could have been suspended in one place. It was terribly disorientating. He began to ponder whether or not he had made a mistake coming here to save Nova. When he had enacted his new technique, he had acted without thinking about the possible consequences. He wanted to free Nova, and he’d do whatever he could to help her. But now, alone, free-falling through nothing, he began to wonder if he had made a mistake. He had never been here before, and he wasn’t exactly sure how he would return to his physical body even if he was able to break Sasori’s hold over his friend. He didn’t know if, by merging his mind with Nova’s, if he had somehow given Sasori a way to control him as well. These were all consequences, but they were ones he would deal with as they arose. He was here to help Nova, and he wouldn’t have made a different decision even if he had considered all the issues first. He was here now, and he had different problems to solve now.

His planning time was cut short however, when his form collided with what felt like the surface of a body of water. As he crashed through it however, it didn’t feel as if he dropped into a lake, but more like he and run into a wall that was now deforming as he strained against it. He felt a force pushing him through, no matter how he strained against it. He was finally able to see something as it slowly began to part in front of him. The darkness quickly gave way to a dimly lit area as the wall completely fell away around him. As he finally emerged into the new area, he looked up to see Nova and Sasori within his view.

Within the dark expanse, the two figures in front of him were the only things visible in the light that seemed to originate from nowhere in particular. It was dark here as well, but nothing like the absolute black he had just experienced. He could see Nova’s body, slumped in resignation that she had no control over her actions. Glowing chakra strings attached to her in various places traced back to the ever moving fingers of the man he came to stop. Sasori’s face was as void of emotion as ever, his attentioned seemingly elsewhere as Rysano arrived. It was good to see Nova still in one piece. Rysano had been fearful he may find her in a similar situation to the time he had found her alone in the woods with a blade in her arm. She didn’t seem as pleased to see him however, as she whispered hoarsely to him, “Why... why did you come here....”

He had hoped she might be a little happier that he came to save her, but he could understand why she felt the way she did. She realized everything he had thought of during his fall through the abyss. Rysano could have just opened himself up to Sasori’s control as well. He had no time to respond however, as just as quickly as he had been distracted, Sasori’s attention returned to the mind space to recognize the new presence that had intruded. “You have made a grave mistake....” His voice would growl from inside his hollow shell. Rysano could feel the rumble of multiple explosions in the real world as Sasori said this. The battle was still happening even as Sasori was distracted by him. “I recommend you stay where you are, lest something happen to your physical form” Rysano looked back to Nova as he said this and saw the pleading look she was giving him. It was true, maybe this wasn’t the best time to try and separate the two of them while in the middle of a large battle. Sometimes Rysano’s judgment wasn’t the best. Sasori continued to talk. “The battle has already begun, and any distractions you cause me will only result in harm to yourself and the girl.” He had a point. He was not only in control of the combat puppets, but he also had dominion over the one which housed their physical bodies. They needed him to continue the fight for them for now. Sasori’s voice now betrayed the emotions his face could not show. A smug tone began to creep into his voice. “Would you care to watch?” He asked as he removed the chakra strings from one of his hands. Gesturing above them all, the darkness of the ceiling began to roil and move to reveal a to-scale version of the battle happening in the physical world. It showed the explosive attack they were able to feel and its effect on the other ninja.

“Neat trick Sasori, but Nova would be able to handle this just as easily on her own than she would with your help.” Rysano would speak up for the first time since entering Nova’s mind. His voice sounded foreign to his own ears as it echoed around their chamber. He began to walk slowly around the perimeter of the room, keeping the same distance between him and the two puppeteers. “So why don’t you just let her go so she can handle her own puppets, huh? You wouldn’t like it if someone used your puppets without asking, would you?” Rysano would pose the question in a purposefully condescending way. He knew he stood no chance against Sasori in a fight, so he needed to convince Sasori to relinquish control willingly. Rysano thought of all the angles he could use to pressure Sasori’s personality. “I’m sure it’s been quite a while since you really interacted with the physical world. If you give Nova back her body, I’m sure she’d be willing to unseal your body for you.” Rysano would smile confidently at the red-haired figure. “Would be nice to finally control yourself again instead of others, wouldn’t it?”

He was pretty confident this was a decent avenue to try with Sasori. Since it seemed like the largest goal for him was to turn Nova into a human puppet like he did himself, Rysano could assume Sasori’s own body was his most prized puppet he had ever created, and would relish the chance to inhabit it once again. “You may even be able to convince her to let you control yourself, but of course, you’d have to loosen your grip on her first to even let her answer your question.” Rysano would stop walking after he said this, having positioned himself now to the side of the two puppeteers so Nova was on his left while Sasori was standing to his right, the chakra string connections directly in front of Rysano. He would hope perhaps that Sasori would take them up on the offer and release Nova willingly, but if it seemed like he was adamant about maintaining control over her or perhaps controlling Rysano as well now that he was here, Rysano would have to act accordingly.

If Sasori made the choice to continue possessing Nova, Rysano would pluck a hair from his head to quickly create a clone of himself to interfere with Sasori’s possession. Hopefully he would have at least loosened his grip to let Nova speak, and if so Rysano would send the clone to quickly cover the twenty meter distance between them and aim two chops directly at the chakra strings at the end of Sasori’s fingers, hopefully with enough strength to sever the connection to Nova. While his clone did this Rysano himself would move quickly towards Nova in order to scoop her body up and run with it. He knew they were in some sort of mind plane, and there might be nowhere to run, but it was all he could think to do. Whichever path Sasori decided to take, Rysano would do everything in his power to free Nova.

[WC 1481/3857]

135/150:

Nayoko had to force his eyes forward as the armies of Kirigakure ninja and criminals of the Land of Wind crashed into one another. He knew that if he looked back he would not be able to stop himself from jumping into the fray and saving his comrades. The sounds of clashing blades, exploding jutsu, and death rattles echoed across the dunes of sand that made up the expanse before the group of elite ninja. Nayoko’s fists tightened more and more until his knuckles were a solid white, the blood being completely pushed form his extremities. The anger that was boiling up within him was coming to head, and he knew that if he did not have something to act on soon, then he might go insane. Whispers of his inner demons begged him to launch himself into the fray, and it was only thanks to his training that he was able to resist the call of cruelty that he wanted so badly to set free.

The only thing that kept the Hattori pushing through the desert was the knowledge that as soon as their message was delivered, they would most likely be allowed to return to the battlefield and dish out some damage of their own. So many were already dead, and it meant that they needed to move even faster if they were going to have any people left to save. But the continued run was just beginning to wear on him physically, and that coupled with the mental fatigue that abandoning his allies brought about meant that he was not able to move as quickly as he would like. Even so, he kept pace with the rest of the squad, maintaining the formation that had brought them so far. It was then that the silence of contemplation was broken by the sensory ninja leading the way. "Enemies behind us, two squads gaining ground." The words caused Nayoko to quickly glance over his right shoulder to see the approaching threat.

There were what looked like two squads of enemy combatants headed toward the group. They had obviously spotted them, just as Nayoko had assumed they would when the plan was first presented to them. Their armor was no better than the ANBU at his side, and their formation betrayed a small level of inexperience. Nayoko’s uneven breaths finally calmed as he realized that he would at least be able to fight to complete this mission, and if these enemies died out here, then they would not kill the Kiri ninja. But his plan to turn and fight was interrupted by the captain of the squad, who instead chose one of the other members to face the approaching criminals head on. Nayoko let out a sigh as the ANBU drew his weapon and turned sharply with his partner, ready to fight to the death if need be. That left Maigo and Nayoko to move with the sensory ninja and make sure the message was delivered to the main encampment. The arrowhead formation slowly changed to a triangle of sorts with Nayoko and Maigo at the flanks, preparing to protect each other should something try to attack them.

Nayoko’s frustration with the situation was mounting in him, so much so that he would dnot have caught the first attack from their unseen enemy unless Maigo had pointed it out. But luckily for the Hattori, the Kiri jounin shouted a single word while jumping away from the attack, causing Nayoko to snap back to the moment and feel the gathering energy beneath his feet. He jumped forward and to his left, hoping to clear the area of mounting energy  as the threat from underground finally revealed itself. If not for the warning form his friend, Nayoko would have certainly been caught in the massive explosion that erupted from the earth beneath them, engulfing the area only a few meters in front of him in flame. The ANBU captain’s eyes widened beneath his mask as he caught sight of the nearly invisible threads of razer wire flying past him as well, realizing that if he did not defend himself, he would be torn to sheds. Even as he was still in the air, the jounin pooled fuuton chakra in the palm of his hand and rapidly molded it into a blade of wind. Gripping the hilt of the newly formed weapon, Nayoko spun and cut through the wire that was about to wrap around him, allowing him to react to the rest of the threat. The debris from the explosion would be nothing to sneeze at for somebody slower than himself, but thanks to his highly tuned senses and training, he was able to see the rock headed for his body. Twisting mid-air, Nayoko planted his feet on the oncoming projectile and pushed off out it to land outside of the rest of the stones, planting his feet on the blood soaked sand of the desert, crouched with his sword in his right hand and his left palm on the ground.

But even as he came to rest, a shiver ran up his spine. He was clear of the initial attack, but beneath the earth that had been blown open by the explosive attack Nayoko could sense a chakra like none other he had even felt before. It was a cold and dark sensation that seemed to overwhelm everything else. Even the battle of the giants in the distance did not contain the malice that he felt coming from whatever enemy has set themselves upon the group. Nayoko’s grip on the Blade of wind tightened as his eye scanned the area before him for the sensory ninja that had been standing next to ham and for Maigo. The smoke had yet to clear and so he could not see either of his allies, but he knew that the Uchiha had moved before even he had. He was probably safe for now as well, but the sensory ANBU had been focused on enemies ahead of them. The Hattori frowned beneath his mask and hoped for the best.

He stayed in his ready position, waiting for the follow up attack from the unseen enemy, ready to activate his Sage Mode if it was necessary, which he felt it might be if the horrible feeling from the earth was any indication.

WC:1062+842=1904

Chakra 275/320:

Maigo's jump sent him into the air away from the disturbance in the sand, bringing the kunai across his chest as he held the pointed end out from him. Popping from the ground in around them, several points burst out and exploded onto the scene, tearing through the sand and launching a flurry of earth and sand around them. Maigo would rotate his body back, letting the litheness of his figure try to bring him out from the explosions underneath, his eyes flickering momentarily as his eyes would envelop in a sea of red and three black tomoe spinning into life. His eyes turning before his body to notice the quickly closing in nets above them, the kunai spinning in his hands as he brought the second one to his other hand and charging them with chakra. There wasn't hardly anytime to think about what to do, with everything below him burning and scattering in chaos and the net above, he had to act purely on instinct.

With the bladed shoge in his hand, he would charge it full of chakra and let go two large crescents across his body in the shape of an 'X' to tear through the net above him. Rotating his hands to his side afterwards and rolling his body through the tear into the net and moving through the opening as thinly as he could make his body. Moving past the torn web and the exploding earth, his sharingan would trace the path to the ground while flickering around his surroundings. Landing into the earth on the balls of his feet, he would slide briefly and aim to control himself, the shoge in his left hand and his two kunai in his right hand. Keeping his body low and ready to react, his eyes would trace in the settling rubble and find his targets deep under the ground as four masses of chakra that shifted around slightly.

Maigo would continue to scour the field in front of him as he looked out to his right to find the sensory ANBU emerging from the dust while clutching at his arm and side. Maigo's head would turn and begin to dash towards him while keeping his eyes on the ground, aiming to rendezvous with his squad mate, unable to truly see Nayoko as the dust was settling. Sliding as he would reach the other ANBU, turning next to him quickly and keeping his eyes trained downwards to watch the chakra below him for any changes.

"Can you still move?"

"Yes, but not very well..." the ANBU would motion towards his side and arm that had obviously been broken in the blast, blood trickling down and more damage probably underneath the cover but Maigo payed no real attention to waiting for it.

"You should keep going, Nayoko and I will hold back as much as we can." Maigo would finish while leaning backwards on to the balls of his feet and bringing the shoge up in front of his chest while continue to map out the battlefield in front of him.

They were at a disadvantage with their opponent under the ground here, Maigo was already mapping it out completely and while they might not be able to travel underground to combat their opponent directly, they had learned a few things. Traps were going to be utmost to look out for, and that their opponent was hiding. Beyond that, the flames and explosion were large, they were widespread and attempting to catch a large radius, suggesting that their enemy might not know their exact number. It was too unknown for Maigo's liking, without any more words the sensory ANBU would nod and turn off, almost hopping along in a lazy sprint as he turned away and continued on to deliver the message, Maigo moving to block his path slightly while his eyes would continue to trace away and wait for the dust to finish settling and get a hold of Nayoko if he were alright.


[671 words, 2382 words total]

265/300 Chakra:

Rysano could feel the waves of anger pulsating from his foe. Sasori was clearly too proud for his own good, and Rysano knew it. He had counted on the puppet being to eager to join the fight himself, and with just a bit of clever verbal prodding, Rysano had pushed him to the point of conviction. Above them the representation of the battle roiled and tossed as the action continued. Two of the targets had successfully defended themselves against Sasori’s opening salvo, and were now faced with another series of attacks. But Rysano’s focus was elsewhere as Sasori’s eyes snapped back to focus on him. Rysano could feel the emotion of the area shift from antagonistic anger to a smug resolve that seemed to say ‘You just watch me’.

The young medic had steeled himself for the worst outcome. He was not yet confident in his abilities against opponents of his own caliber, with someone like Sasori being completely out of the question. There was no way Rysano could stand up against him, his only goal would be to separate the connection between him and Nova. Even if it cost Rysano dearly, he had faith that his friend could at least stand against Sasori once she had been freed. However, it seemed that the plan he had formed and the jutsu he had prepared would not need to be enacted as Sasori broke the tense silence. “I will let her be. For the time.” As the words floated throughout the abyss around them, Sasori snapped one final movement from Nova before finally releasing the strings that bound her. Watching the chakra wires slowly disappear from her body, Rysano nearly collapsed to his knees in relief, but he stood tall and remained stoic as he watched the puppet turn the opposite direction and take off into the darkness. Sasori’s body would deform the wall as Rysano had done when he arrived and slowly phase through it, removing himself from view.

Rushing to Nova’s side as her form fell to the ground, he would perform a quick examination of her body to make sure she had not been physically injured by the ordeal she had just gone through. Checking her vital signs and breathing, Rysano concluded the lavender-haired woman, who had recently taken him under her wing, was not in any immediate danger health-wise. He would carefully lift her into his arms and carry her toward the edge of her prison. He had succeeded in what he came to do, but he was still unsure of how he would return the two of them to the physical world. Coming here was a gamble all on its own, and now he would have to see if it would pay off. Clutching the girl against his chest Rysano would slowly enter the inky barrier as he had seen Sasori do moments before.

Once again Rysano felt the weightless sensation overtake him as all light was extinguished. Even though he could not see, he could feel Nova’s body still in his arms, feel her steady breathing, and he clutched tighter to make sure he didn’t lose her in the darkness. They both needed to return to the desert. A few minutes passed as they floated in the absolute darkness, the silence surrounding them was oppressive. Finally Rysano was able to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, and he closed his eyes as the pair hurtled towards it. When he opened his eyes a moment later, he was staring into the eyes of Nova, his hands still surrounding her face, as they lay inside her puppet Doku Tsuki. Surprised and relieved they had made it back in one piece, his jovial feelings were short lived as Nova broke the silence between them. “He... He is unsealed.”

As much as Rysano had hoped to avoid that outcome, he was not surprised Sasori had taken the opportunity to unseal his physical body to enter the battle above. They had traded one problem for another, but at least he now had a partner with which to overcome them. “I had a feeling that might happen, but I’m just glad I could get you back safe.” Rysano would attempt to wipe the sweat and hair from Nova’s forehead, the cramped quarters they resided in making this a terribly awkward motion. Noticing the apprehensive look on Nova’s face, he beamed the most reassuring smile he could at her. “Look, you know I can’t do much, but anything I can do to help you here, just tell me what to do.” He grasped Nova’s shoulders with each hand. “We’re in this together.”

[WC 774/4631]

As the dust began to settle from the initial assault, Nayoko’s eyes flickered back and forth between the crater and the location where his friend had once stood. He knew that he had to be alive; there was no way that the Hattori had escaped the attack and Maigo had gotten caught in it. The remains of the explosion were just beginning to fall away then, and finally Nayoko caught a glimpse of the Kiri Hunter nin that he had been fighting beside so much of late. He seemed to be helping their sensory ninja to his feet before drawing his own weapons and gesturing for the ANBU to continue on with the mission. It was a smart move, considering that the information they were carrying was so vital. That, combined with the secretive and unknown nature of the attacks that they were facing meant that there was no room for error. There was too much at stake, and it was up to the two elite shinobi of the Great Allied Ninja Villages to fend off the danger that was emerging form beneath the sand of the Land of Wind. There was a brief moment when Nayoko locked eyes with Maigo, and in that split second, the jounin knew that all that needed to be said between them was said. The ANBU captain gave the slightest of nods as he felt the ground around him begin to shift thanks to his passive perception granted by his Sage training.

It was not long after that small shift was felt that the earth opened up approximately twenty five metres away from Nayoko to his right. The Hattori immediately turned to see what was breaking through the desert and could not help but widen his eyes at the sight that he beheld. He instantly knew it was a puppet; a ninja tool that was very rare in the Land of Fire, but that had been very common among the ninja of Sunagakure no Sato. The village had been known for their powerful puppeteers; they even had a famous criminal that had hailed from their country centuries ago. The man had supposedly conquered a whole nation through puppets alone, and so Nayoko knew not to leave anything to chance. Despite having that knowledge through, he had never even seen a puppet, let alone one like this one. It appeared to be a large scorpion, bearing six large metal legs, a barbed tail, and pincers that looked threatening to say the least. Nayoko could only assume that this was what had fired the razor wire from earlier because of its positioning, and he knew that it probably had more tricks ready to be launched out of it at a moment’s notice. But the Hattori also knew that where there was a puppet, there was a puppeteer. Somewhere around them there was a person controlling these tools, and he and Maigo needed to unearth them as soon as possible.

But that was all that Nayoko had a chance to think about as he continued to crouch in place, waiting for some kind of attack. What came first, however, was not what the jounin had expected. Instead of an attack in the form of a blast of fire or more wires that would threaten to tear him apart, the puppet began to churn up the earth in from of it, causing a huge sand storm to come into existence around the tool. It seemed like Nayoko was far enough away that he would not be caught within the sandstorm, but he knew that it certainly served a purpose. There would be no other explanation for why the puppet would make such a storm. For a moment, Nayoko could hear the voice within himself welling up again, whispering to him quietly but with urgency, pushing him toward releasing his inner demon and activating his Sage Mode. He knew that with the vision granted by his Senjutsu chakra flowing freely through him, he would be able to deal with the basically invisible puppet with an issue; but the cost would be losing control once again. It just was not worth it to him in the moment; not when he knew that the battle would probably last longer than he wanted to let the beast hold him. And so, the Sage instead bided his time, waiting for the inevitable follow-up assault.

He did not have to wait long, as the sound of the shell being launch from the underground puppet twenty five meters away from him opposite the sandstorm tool came to him lound and clear thanks to his apex perception. The moment it was launched, Nayoko sprung up into the air straight up, moving at speeds worthy of a Konoha jounin. But he heard the second firing of the razor wire as well, at which point the Hattori knew he was caught between a crossfire that he could not simply dodge. With a quick series of hand seals using his free hand, Nayoko moulded the required chakra in his body and released a torrent of water from his mouth that formed itself into a barrier around his body in a six meter radius. The razor wire collided with the barrier first, stopping dead in its tracks against the chakra enhanced water. The shrapnel from the explosion below him was a different story though. The ration enhanced pieces of metal scatter across the barrier as well, and though he was protected from any damage, Nayoko felt the chakra that fortified his barrier react to the ration chakra that ran through it, overwhelming the defensive technique and causing it to dissipate much to the jounin’s surprise.

It was because of that dissipation that Nayoko was not fully prepared for the harpoon that he heard fire at his from the puppet within the sandstorm. With his suiton shield destroyed, the jounin’s only hope was to get out of the way of the incoming projectile; but there was no chance he would get completely out of the way in time. Gritting his teeth in the moment of realization, the Hattori braced himself for the impact that would come as he exhaled a futon enhanced breath to push him even slightly out of the way. The result of the move was slightly better than he hoped, as the massive harpoon shot above him while he headed toward the ground, now facing up toward the sky. The harpoon did catch his left his, cutting into him around one and a half inches and causing his leg to become extremely warm with blood that began to flow over it. But Nayoko was not a jounin for nothing, nor was he an ANBU captain that could not hand pain. In that split second that the harpoon passed over him, the jounin reacted with speeds befitting his title. With his left hand, Nayoko reached out and grabbed onto the shaft of the projectile, latching onto his with all his strength. With his right hand, the jounin swung his Blade of Wind at the chain that was attached to it, severing the metal with ease while he was pulled along with the projectile.

With his extra weight now on the harpoon, it descended for the earth a faster pace, giving Nayoko the chance to finally go on the offensive. He knew where at least one of his targets was, and he was not going to let it escape him. Throwing his momentum back, the Hattori pulled himself into a backflip that saw him landing on the ground not very far form where he had started; his back facing the puppet that launched the shell and razor wire and his front facing the sandstorm. As soon as his feet were planted, Nayoko took the harpoon in his left hand and threw it with all of his might at the location where he knew the scorpion puppet was making the sandstorm. He hoped it would de enough damage to it that it would disrupt the process of creating the storm, but he was not positive that it would work. Regardless, he then turned toward where the shell and wire had come from and ran straight for the source, now seeing the small tail of what he assumed was other puppet sticking out of the sand. He moved toward it with all haste, not worrying about another attack as he readied himself to react to whatever the puppet might throw at him.

But it was in that moment of charging that he felt something else. Something that sent a chill down his spine. It was a disturbance of dark, evil chakra that did not require Senjutsu to sense, but it was all the more potent thanks to his Sage training. He turned toward the source, looking away from his objective for just long enough to see something that would make his skin crawl. There, on the sand dune near the edge of the crater that was the result of the initial attack, was a man only recognized by his cloak and the books he had read. Being a history buff and a bit of a book worm, Nayoko had read all about the savage criminals of centuries ago: the Akatsuki. They were evil S-Rank nukenin that had nearly destroyed the Leaf. It was one of their number that Nayoko had been thinking about but mere moments ago, and now it seemed that nightmare had become a reality. For on the sand of the Land of Wind for the first time in hundreds of years stood the greatest puppet master to ever walk the ninja world. Sasori of the Red Sand was here.

Without thinking Nayoko called out to his comrade, hoping that Maigo could hear him. “On the dune Maigo! That enemy is EXTREMELY dangerous. Do not engage without me!” He prayed it was enough to stop his powerful, and sometimes arrogant friend.

WC:1657+1904=3561

Chakra (345/420):

The short gap left hardly any time for Maigo to think after sending off his ally and his eyes meeting Nayoko's. It was in that short moment that everything was passed between the two of them, and while their opponents unveiled themselves on the opposite sides of each other, Maigo readied himself and let his sharingan spin further into life, taking the measurements and stance of the creature that popped out of the ground near him. Shaking sand off of itself like an animal might and similar to the one that was even further across from him near Nayoko. Maigo's eyes only flickered and the details of the far one were mostly ignored but it was this one that would get his full attention.

Everything around them was shifting and as they set themselves up, various tails shot up from the ground around them as Maigo's eyes watched the puppets under the surface and the glimpses of chakra that pushed the beings around. Leaning into the balls of his feet as Maigo's hand wrapped tightly around his Shoge, the knife's blade pointed down now so he could slice more effectively, he knew it was all prepared to come undone soon. But before more attacks were made, the two surfaced puppets would begin to agitate their surroundings and unleash a billowing cloud of smoke and dust, his eyes obfuscated but the chakra itself wasn't. Several steps back as Maigo began to try and separate the distance from the puppet before flickering back towards Nayoko and the other scorpion puppet that was following suit.

The dust spread quickly and Maigo's steps backwards away from both the puppet and caddied outwards away from the tail wouldn't accomplish much in the long run, Maigo's free hand raised to cover his eyes from the sand as he squinted and lowered his frame a touch. Keeping his knees bent and looking around the dust, focusing on the chakras around him and flickering towards Nayoko's as well as he had the chance. It seemed like a small weight, the clicking as something burst into life and through the air towards him. More projectiles like before? Using the sand cloud as cover and a rather clever tactic.

Maigo halted his movements completely and instead of jumping out of the way, quickly slammed his hands together into the snake hand seal with his shoge in between his palms. Pressing his chakra quickly together and outwards from his hands in a sphere as the grenade would land and explode at his feet. It was quick as his chakra pushed back and cleared the area but his left foot and ankle felt the small scores of heat and a few bits of shrapnel that fell into him and burrowed almost all the way through his flesh. Tingles of electric energy as he held his palms and gritted his teeth to knockback the rest of the grenade and hold himself in a sphere of energy to protect himself while he fell to his right knee and held his weight up on it. Looking with his eyes towards the wound, his sandal was torn in a few places and blood rolled down just above his ankle. To describe the pain as an annoyance against the thin flesh and ligaments would be an understatement and yet, it only further drove his energy and rage up.

For the instant, he would keep himself locked in place and feel the net scrape across the top of his chakra sphere. In this position, looking outwards into nothingness, Maigo would wait for something to happen, marking the various areas around him and waiting out his time as he began to practice putting weight back onto his foot. From oustide, Nayoko began to shout something towards him about a powerful enemy on a dune. With the sandstorm though, Maigo couldn't tell where Nayoko had ended up or what he was talking about. A grin would crawl across his face as he reached to standing while still holding the snake symbol and maintaining his barrier.

Any enemy powerful enough to scare Konoha's ANBU captain straight would be a fun enemy, and though Maigo didn't know where Sasori had emerged, that it was Sasori himself that emerged, or even who Sasori was. He felt the anticipation welling up within him as he began to mentally map out where the dune was and began to think about his options to dispel of these other creatures that surrounded him currently.


[760 words, 3142 words total]

230/300 Chakra:

Now back in the cramped darkness that was the inside of Nova’s puppet, Rysano had no way to know what was happening outside on the actual battlefield. He knew Sasori had been released and was probably engaged with the other ninja, but any details eluded him as all he could see was the young woman in front of him, still illuminated by the faint glow of the chakra strands. He knew she was able to feel what was happening above them through her connections with her puppets, and it was clear from her expression that it was not a comforting event. She looked at him as she spoke, her voice frantic as she whispered, ”What.. what do I do though? If I do not aid... him... then I fear our fate might be worse than what it would be if I did. I.. I doubt that those men are planning on taking captives, and if they are then imagine what they will do to us when they have us just for having Sasori with us?”

Rysano thought about this for a moment. He still was not sure who it was they were engaged with, or how powerful they were. He had been otherwise distracted with trying to rescue his friend from her own mind, but it was clear the enemies must be very powerful to have one of the two strongest people he knew in such a concerned state of mind, although have Sasori unsealed was probably a big part of her anxiety as well. Rysano tried to comfort her as much as possible. “Look Nova, you know I can’t do much to help you, and we just spent a lot of time trying to separate you and Sasori. Now, you never told me who we’re fighting up there, but they sound like some bad people, so if you need to work with Sasori in order to win this, you do what you need to do. I’ll be right here next to you the whole time, and if you need anything, just tell me.”

Rysano laid back against the wall of Doku Tsuki and thought about how quickly his life had changed after he met Izumi and Nova on guard duty that night long ago. He was just a fresh genin, no real experience out in the field, now here he was, fighting battles in foreign lands, opposing a powerful ancient ninja to help his friend. He had a feeling this wouldn’t be the end of his time with Nova, and it also wouldn’t be the wildest thing he would end up helping her with. He just hoped she and Sasori would be able to win this fight or at least be able to escape unharmed. He wouldn’t be much help at all should they be broken out of the security of their puppet fortress. For now, he would just need to let Nova work her magic and wait.

[WC 490/5121]

[Exit Thread]

5000 WC for S-rank mission
100 WC for extra 25 ryo
21 words wasted

Under any other circumstance, Nayoko would have been paralyzed by the awe of Sasori of the Red Sand standing on the dunes before him. It made no sense that his puppet form had survived all this time, and now for it to be in the middle of the desert during a war that was springing up made even less sense. Nayoko could not figure out the series of circumstances and coincidences that brought him to be on the same battlefield of a legendary S-Rank Nukenin from the distant past, and every fiber of his being wanted to sit down and try to understand the madness that was occurring in that moment, but the Hattori had other things he needed to worry about. Not the least of these things was the fact that he was charging headlong into a battle with puppet while his friend was likely fighting against a member of the Akatsuki. But Nayoko had never been one to concentrate on more than one task at a time; and right now his task was destroying the puppets before him. In his right hand, the Sage could feel his Blade of Wind losing its composition. He only had a short amount of time to make use of it before it would disperse. Narrowing his eyes, the ANBU pressed forward.

He moved with the purpose of a trained assassin; he was not about to fall against a couple of tools without seeing the puppet master as well. He would show the hidden figure that was controlling everything around him just ow strong he was. But as he moved forward, far faster than the puppets could move, the Sage realized that the weapon behind him was closing the distance, as was the one before him. Because of his own movement, he would reach the one in front of him before the one behind him got into range to do any serious damage, and so he pushed forward. But he also knew that with the movement of the puppet behind him came the sand storm that it was whipping up around it. He needed to see his targets if he was going to destroy them, and it was then that the whispers in his mind returned. Everything seemed to slow down around him as the whipping sand approached him from behind. The small click of the harpoon compartment son each of the false beasts opening reached his ears again, just as the voice whispered words that he knew he needed to surrender to.

Sasori will kill Maigo without you. You need me Nayoko. End this fight with my power, that your friend might live for another battle…

The truth behind the words of his inner demons were terrifying to think about, and so Nayoko chose not to think on them. Instead, the young Sage simply nodded to himself and allowed the nature chakra all around him to enter his body. It flowed through him with a force unlike that of normal chakra. This energy burned bright within him, and anyone who had not seen a Sage before would have a hard time comprehending what the Hattori was doing. In that moment of the chakra entering his body and filling it, Nayoko entered his Sage Mode. Silver symbols glowed all across his body as his eyes changed from their dark brown to a shining blue. His hair lost its darkness and became silver like the butterfly wings of pure chakra that unfurled around his back and the antennae that formed over his head. The Butterfly Sage of Konoha had entered the scene, but he was not done there. He needed to ensure that there would be no more slip ups. The pain in his hip reminded him of that. But that pain also reminded him of the last person that injured him there; a man from whom he had learned a few tricks. And as the two puppets launched their harpoons at him, the Sage’s eyes began to glow with a blue mist round him. His chakra channeled into his eyes made the world around him seem to slow down. Nothing could stop the rush now.

Now that Nayoko had activated his Sage Mode, he could feel everything around him. The fact that the puppet behind in was in a self-created sand storm meant nothing when he could feel everything around him within fifteen metres. Between that and his enhanced reaction time, it was trivial for the jounin to sidestep the harpoons that had been launched at him at the same time. Stepping to the right, the Sage felt the wind of the harpoons moving past him before striking the ground. Still he moved forward. Next came the opening of the maws of the puppets. He would not be able to dodge the torrent of flames that erupted from the weapons, but understanding that the flames were not enhanced by chakra thanks to his Senjutsu sensory abilities, Nayoko simply raised up his left hand and created a barrier of futon chakra around him. He felt a little bit of heat as the air around him warmed, but he was not deterred from his goal. He was moving at blistering speeds now, and the small gap that the puppets had left between him and them took nothing for him to close. When he reached within two metres of the puppet in front of him, the Sage left the ground and jumped forward and to his left, lowering the Blade of Wind in his right hand to carve through the puppet as he soared just over it. The weapon would slice into the caprice with ease, and when he finally reached the other side of it, the Sage would allow his sword to dissipate.

The moment Nayoko’s foot hit the ground he pivoted toward the other puppet while weaving hand seals and inhaling. He was done with this fight, and he would not waste a second more ina  battle with machines while their master hid. If he or she was inside one of these tools, then they would be destroyed with this attack. As he released his breath, a large sphere of wind chakra bored through the air with no regard of what was in its path. It was a weapon of pure destruction that would undoubtedly be able to destroy the final puppet. Regardless of the outcome of his attack, the Sage would then turn toward his friend who was quite a distance away from him. With his brow furrowed, the ANBU captain would wordlessly leap forward and begin sprinting directly toward what he knew was the most dangerous part of the battlefield. Sasori of the Red Sand was engaging his friend there, and they needed to move on. Their messenger had escaped, and to say and die would be a waste of their lives.

It was time to leave to fight another day.

WC:1153+3561=4714

Chakra: 260/420:

Stats:

Maigo's eyes flickered around within the sandstorm, once knowing he was safe in his bubble by bringing his hands down and the Shoge in his hands in front of his chest. Luckily the cloud of debris wasn't infused with chakra so he could make out distant happenings with his eyes but nothing in great detail, like burning masses of chakra being chased around by smaller ones. He knew Nayoko was in the thick of combat and he was stuck surrounded himself as well. It was as Nayoko began to make his moves that Maigo's eyes would flicker to another chakra that entered the scene and rapidly descended upon himself.

The burning mass closed in with ferocity and killing intent to match beyond Maigo's own but as the burst of the sandstorm faded and a new challenger appeared with arms in grip, striking into Maigo's zone of safety with speed he could hardly keep up with, coming down to hug him with what seemed like a wing of blades before him. Maigo instinctively threw his knife to his left hand to catch the edge of the swords and block it while his right hand reached for the nearest safe zone to grab his opponent's right arm and hold it back. For all the challenge in the world, his bubble hadn't seemed to stop his opponent for some reason and the blades began to dig gradually into Maigo's side just above the bottom of his ribcage, grinding for a moment as Maigo's arm grabbed hold at the lower end and fought ferocity with ferocity trying to push it out and away.

It was here, that Maigo fully realized he was only against another puppet, seeing the speed and power behind it he wondered how skilled the puppet master themselves were. Typically they were much weaker physical opponents and that gave Maigo an advantage but one that hid underground and within their own puppets to fight only exacerbated that thought in Maigo's mind but with this speed, he wondered if they were actually so weak.

Maigo's eyes would change in his fury, letting his palpable rage and chakra flare up again as he would begin to close his eyes, grimacing under the weight of the blades that had cut deep into his side. Maigo took all the energy he had and pushed with his right arm and left hand to create an opening in the attack. Bending himself at the waist while holding his grip on each side, he would kick himself up and backward away from his opponent, leaving his Variable Sphere behind in his stead as he would let his eyes spring open with a new pattern emerged. The four-armed pinwheel carrying itself as he spoke the words aloud. "Amaterasu."

With a spinning in his right eye, the black flames would leap forth and douse the puppet's right half that had cut into Maigo in black fire. As Maigo would continue to be moving back, his feet would land on the ground and he would make sure that the fire spread across the puppets right side and the arms that had cut into Maigo, then with the remainder of the fire he had created, he would gaze a line across the field in front of him while taking another leap back with all the energy in his system, going away and ignoring the intense burning pain in his side as blood would drip out.

Maigo's Mangekyou Sharingan would continue to spin as he would continue building a massive wall of black fire to separate himself and his opponents. A second dash backwards, Maigo holding his gaze on the scene in front of him as the fire would create an intense heat he could feel more palpable than his own anger. The first time he had used that technique and it would be merely to escape him, the very heat from it was more intense than he could have imagined. It was weird to see it in reality and not in that hellscape, but he knew how hot those flames actually were. Holding his gaze on the scene and maintaining his technique if he needed to, he would pause for Nayoko to arrive next to him. With strained words and Maigo's right hand clutching at the wound on his side,

"If we continue this fight, we'll win but it will be costly. Our mission is done, there's no reason to be here any longer."

Maigo would keep his strained eye that would now how blood trickling down from the corner of its socket trained on the field in front of him, stoking the fires on and ready to expand the black flames in any direction that he needed to send them further. If Nayoko was in agreement, he would be prepared to immediately cut off his technique, turn away and begin to continue their retreat back to the base camp. The blood at Maigo's side would grow steadily despite his hand plugging up as much of the wound as he could. It was a deep cut, feeling it into the flesh and avoiding pressing to see how deep it really went into his ribcage. He'd had far worse injuries than this and by now, this pain was nothing he hadn't experienced over many times in his life but he couldn't watch out for Nayoko and everyone around him and as the field of battle expanded in front of him in the distance, he couldn't afford to get caught in a long-winded battle. Not in this condition, not unless he wanted to bleed out and die on the battlefield.

It was time to go, and with Nayoko to cover him, the Hunter ninja and the ANBU captain would make their retreat and Body-Flicker away from the scene.


[988 words, 4130 words in this thread]
+921 words from Here
[5051 words total]
-5000 words towards mission, 51 words discarded
[Exit Thread]

270/400 Chakra:

Although Nayoko could not see his ally with his own two eyes thanks to the sand being whipped up by one of their enemy’s many puppets, the Sage could feel him. The nature energy that permeated the air around him meant that he had a perfect view of everything going on in his immidiete vicinity, and as he closed on Maigo and Sasori, the scene that came into view was one that surprised and worried him. Sasori was moving extremely fast. Fater than Nayoko could move without some kind of enhancement. Even as he felt the puppet of the long-defeated member of the Akatsuki moving toward the Uchiha, the jounin knew that his friend would be in trouble. The clash between the two entities resulted in an injury on Maigo that Nayoko never thought he would see his friend experience, and it caused the ANBU captain to stop in his tracks. Pulling his hands together, Nayoko began to weave hand seals in hopes of releasing a technique that would help his friend escape. But it was in that moment that he felt something he had never experienced before.

One would think that when the flames of the most potent fire based jutsu known in the shinobi world were unleashed, the people around them would feel heat. The sheer immensity of the chakra being released by Maigo in the moment that the black flames of Amaterasu was enough stop Nayoko from completing his hand seals. His senses were overwhelmed in that moment, but not with the heat that he could feel on his skin. No, the true sensation that was drowning him was the cold. The cold feeling of the black fires of Amaterasu permeated his Senjutsu sensory perception with such a force that the jounin could feel a small shiver roll up his back. The cold only lasted for a moment though, as the flames grew higher and higher with Maigo’s gaze. Then the heat on his body began to be the most prevalent sensation. But Nayoko knew that he would never forget the cold chill of death itself that he had felt in that moment. The heat soon snapped Nayoko out of his trance, and as soon a she snapped back to reality, the Hattori dashed toward his now injured friend. He could not remove his eyes form the wall of black fire as his comrade addressed him, claiming that it was time to leave the scene.

• Hesitate and look at sasori for a moment before leaving

The thought of retreat was not one that Nayoko had considered in a very long time. He had always been told that there was no shame in tactically removing yourself to fight another day, but the jounin knew he would certainly feel shame if he left then. It was only as his gaze moved from the wall of Amaterasu to his friend that hap produce dit that the Hattori knew retreat was the right call. Blood ran down the side of his friend, as well as out of the corner of his eye. The hatred that Nayoko felt for the person that would do that to his friend burned within him just as the black flames before him, but that rage paled in comparison to his wisdom that he had gained over the years fighting for the Leaf. It was time to leave. Nayoko could hear the taunts from Sasori as he turned to make eye contact with his friend and nodded slowly, the crimson eyes of the Mangekyou Sharingan that had decimated the landscape before him staring back before the Hattori slowly nodded. And in that instant, the pair were gone; the body flicker technique had removed them from the scene of the battle, where they would tem reunite with their other allies to ensure their mission was completed.

[Exit Thread]

WC:641+4714=5355
+964 from here.
Total:6319
Mission complete! (5000/5000)
Strength from A-1 to A-2 (1150/1150)
Unused WC: 169