Michibo was attempting to increase his training regiment lately. He was flying through some old shacks on an abandoned docks near the east side of the village. Too often had it been raided by pirates so no one wanted to use it anymore. As a result the pirates eventually stopped raiding as often though would use this spot for a drop on occasion. It was a perfect place to train himself where the Kaguya clan wouldn't send him another warning letter about using their clans power. They wouldn't claim him since he was a bastard but he had that power on the edge of his fingers all the same. It aggravated him that they would try and force him to remain weak but only through politics. None of them actually stepped up to his door to back it up though. If they did he would happily jump into that fight. For now though he had traveled to one of the abandoned areas in order to train in peace. His own jutsu had been far from perfect but he was getting stronger. Now that he had recovered from that last lost street fight he could feel his muscles returning to normal. His strength coming back.

For now he was running along between the shacks after a pirate. The man had been sent ahead to check on their stash of loot somewhere near there and had the balls to threaten Michibo when he turned out to be too close to the mans loot. Now the two were racing between the old worn down shacks along the weathered wooden docks. The pirate was faster than Michibo of course so that made this difficult. Still Michibo wasn't about to give this up. His cheek still bled slightly from where the man had swung at him with a dull sword before running after a single punch. Michibo wasn't sure where the guy was going but he wanted to take him down now. His swordplay was weak but he had dared to attempt to take down a shinobi of all things with such a pathetic swing. If Michibo didn't beat his face in for that when would he? Still they were nearing the actually ship moors when they cleared the shacks and came out into the open. The mans plan was clear then as he cleared the last stretch. There sat a small ship with a pirate flag in the foggy waters. Great.

Michibo would slow to a stop as he came out from the line of shacks and looked to the crew of the ship. Three men were leaning on the railing of the ship and smiling. Four were on the docks besides the one running to them. One of them was obviously the captain. Each of them with a cutlass on their person somewhere besides the captain who sported a spear in his hand. The lot of them chuckled at Michibo as their comrade joined them and turned to grin as well. Michibo was not prepared for this he had to admit. Black boots with faded blue jeans held up by a headband refashioned into a belt with the kiri symbol as a belt buckle. A black tank top on besides that with a cross necklace dangling around his neck. A bone kunai on either hip. Michibo would look at them. So confident they could kill him. He would spit off the side of the dock before drawing his bone kunai from his belt and spinning them before holding them in a reverse grip. His hair and eyes turning from grey to pink as he grinned himself. Despite the odds against him he was clearly excited for his impossible task.

"C'mon you bunch of mutts. Who is dyin first?"

The shrouding mist had a way of working against people. Low clinging, barring sunlight and sight, and usually showing up when least expected or desired. Kirigakure's mist were a blessing as much as they were a curse. Even the shinobi that lived within this Village and who were supposedly one with it, did not easily surpass their limitations when a thick fog rolled in and caught them by surprise. The first teacher of Kiri-nin was not their sensei. It was their country. Aside from having to learn from this weather condition, it often brought undesired opportunists with it. Bandits building bridges to get easier raiding access were not uncommon in Kirigakure. Neither were fervent believers of the Blood Mist, hoping to slay the weak as the mists rolled in and colour it red with fresh blood. Or pirates, as was once again the case.

Hidden within the shadows of the old shacks that marred the docks, the mist-coloured giant wolf spider had concealed herself after having snacked upon an older member of Kirigakure's salty society. The man was a pirate having come ashore quite recently. Nothing wrong with that on its own, but his mistake was mostly the unfortunate combination of pent up need after such a long trip, having lost an eye to a misadventure and having lost his mind to a bellyful of rum. When he had laid eyes upon the lonely, white-haired teenager strolling across the docks he had made the mistake of ignoring the threatening monstrous aura she emitted and concluded she 'could use some company'. While the girl had not halted his desired to get close, she was fairly certain he had not expected the 'pretty lass' to brazenly bite his neck and inject a burning venom within his veins. A love bite like only a spider could give. The difference being that this one was the daughter of Sero Osada, the queen of Kirigakure's arachnids. Once the man had been fully paralysed, Haka had cocooned him and carried him into one of the empty shacks. Her venom continued its work as she shifted into her spider form and proceeded to drain him of his vitals and fluids.

It was but when she hit the last of his meal, leaving only bone and fleshy husk behind that the huntress caught the sound of a skirmish of sorts between two people. One person chasing another. Running towards the docks. Then a moment of silence as the tides shifted, and a boisterous reply. Were it not that Haka cared less for the business of others, the presence of the pirate she had just fed on and the skirmish would only lead to one thing - the duty to intervene should it be so that pirates had once again come to mar her father's beloved country. His judgement, she the blade. Stepping outside as she shifted from spider to human, grey hairs turning into snow-white hair draping over a black spidersilk cloak, the Hunter-nin took to the roofs and quietly made her way to the origin of the sound.

Taking on the form of mist, she would observe the bold claim of the young man who was supposedly taking on the pirates. Was it his right to claim such power, or was he just another fool out to find a miserable death at the hands of his superiors? His resolve would soon give her the answers.

---

576

330/350:

Michibo could feel something on the air. Like a stagnant death waiting to claim him. For most it would be enough to start running the other way. To flee for a chance at survival. For him though it was so much better than that. It was exhilarating. Bringing life into his blood as he grinned wildly. Walking forward as they laughed at him. Let them laugh. He was going to cut them anyway no matter what they did to him. He could see their flesh, could see their bone structure. All things bound to break under his whim. Perhaps he was just looking for a good fight. Still he would begin walking forward. Steadily at first as the docks creaked under his foot but quickly picking up pace into a run. He wasn't very fast though. The whole thing was far from impressive. Still the man was running straight at a group of pirates despite his apparent weakness. Kunai in hand as he charged forward with a roar ripping out from his lungs. However what was truly odd was the fact that he was smiling. Despite likely rushing towards death he was happy. Enjoying himself even. This was the life.

Two of the pirates would grab their cutlass and draw them. Looking to their captain before getting a nod. They would look to each other with a smile before they too would charge forward to meet the boy. The archer in the crows nest drawing an arrow and taking aim at the boys legs. The two pirates clearly a level above the man charging them in sheer speed. It was going to be a slaughter. The pirate in the crows next would let one off with good aim to time it right before the other two would be on top of Michibo. It all looked like they were about to easily put down the wild child. However the bow seemed to hit the side of the thigh and bounce off. Cutting the pants but revealing some sort of white plate where the arrow had scratched. The two men charged forward and swung their cutlass too. However the cutlass for both would hit the boys chest and bounce off there too. Shock was overtaking them as he grinned in response. However it was too late for them to simply withdraw and reassess. He was among them now and their stance was off.

Michibo would duck down before coming straight up under the chin of the one and stabbing his bone knives into the sides of the man. The other would try and stab him in the back only to do no more than shove Michibo further into the other man dragging the kunai into a wound line along the mans sides. Michibo would turn as he released his grip on the kunai and grip the mans wrist only to pull him into an elbow to the face. Making him stumble back before Michibo made a series of hand seals. From his back his coat rippled as two skeletal arms of varying size but much more lengthy than his normal arms would slip from beneath his coat. One reached out to back hand the mast and shatter it while the other would grab the pirate he just elbowed and lift him up into the air before axing him straight down through the side of the boat. Disabling the mast and the rudder. Knocking the sniper down into the water. However as he turned to take on the others he barely managed to cross his skeletal arms in front of himself as well as his own in front of his face when a huge burst of lightning lit up the mist from the captain. Shattering the bone arms and the armor jutsu as it sent Michibo flying through a shack. Blood ran down the side of his face as burns dotted him now. He would cough up a little bit of blood before shakily stumbling to his feet. The remaining crew walking towards him. The captains right hand smoking still from where he sent off the B rank jutsu. Michibo would grin with a mouth full of blood before grabbing a chunk of wood. He was so fucked but he was still grinning stupidly.

1343

The fight was a dull one but provided a hint of insight in the boy's skills. Firstly, he was a shinobi. The way he fought, the hand seals and the techniques betrayed his martial arts prowess. Secondly, he was a Kaguya. The clan of bone users were not unknown to the spider-nin, having met one of his kind briefly in the past. She had come with two others, potential students of the Ahoban. One of them had been dragged off to Spider Island as the ice princess had allocated the broader man to the frail-looking girl. Believing he'd survive the terrors of Sero's island. It had been a while since she had heard of him, not sure if he was still going about his own way or had been eaten by the hungering arachnids living there. But the Kaguya... Verdandi had taken that one under her wing. Of all the three members of Ahoban, one would easily believe Verdandi was the easiest to deal with and yet there had been no word from the bone girl either. Haka cared none.

Neither did she in this situation. The apathetic spider was merely observing the unfair fight. The boy obviously held back an advantage they could not anticipate despite Kirigakure's reputation with mists, and he was slowly chipping down on them as he made use of his chakra to mold his bones into shape. It looked like he would win this fight eventually. Survive the encounter. Like every Kiri-nin should do, if you asked Haka. Only... things seemed to take a turn for the worse when his eerie indestructibility was shattered at a whim's notice by raiton chakra. Splinters of bones scattered around, his bone technique the only thing that had kept him alive in an assault that should have slain him right on the spot. Perhaps he had more potential than she had credited him for.

However, while dealing with pirates was more of a chore than challenge at her rank yet an excellent choice of missions for chuunin, the moment the captain had used a B-rank equivalent jutsu he had pretty much signed his death pact. As a Hunter-nin, it was her duty to hunt down potential threats to Kirigakure. A disadvantageous necessity that came with her desire to be Sero's knife in the dark. The mist wraith would move down the building it stood on, move through the streets and across the waters. A direct path under the ship, towards the captain. It would glide up the ship and over deck to the point where her monstrous aura would cloak the captain and those around him. Hairs would raise up as their instinct betrayed the presence of a natural predator, a couple of men looking around as they tried to rationalise why they felt discomforted when nothing was around them.

The answer revealed itself soon.

Chakra claws ripped out flesh and spine from the captain, the mist surrounding Haka dissipating as she slew the man on the spot. Revealing a spindly, short girl. Her long, white hair mingled with the black hue of the cape she wore. Her apathetic red eyes not in the slightest disturbed by the gore she had unleashed. As if tearing through flesh and bone was what she grew up with. Around her neck hung the blue headband bearing Kirigakure's kamon, the only emblem of power visible as the rest was hidden under the spider silk mantle. The captain fell dead before her feet, Haka's disinterest lead her to the man nearby who had fallen on his back and was shuffling away in pure terror. The men in between the young genin and the trained Hunter at a loss which one of the two they had to attack first. Haka's words would quickly give them cause to snap out of their confusion as she directed her gaze at the wounded Kaguya.

"Leave none alive."

Whether the boy would help or not would not make much of a difference but although he was wounded, Haka was putting him already to the test. How well would he cope with his wounds? What was his combat prowess when he was at a disadvantage as this? Would he seek shelter and survive? Would he seek destruction of him and his enemies? He'd bring her the answers as her chakra claws snapped the legs of the pirate cowering on the ground like twigs.

---

748
Total: 1324

OOC: It's standing policy to state both chakra pool and used techniques when you spend chakra.

300/350:

Michibo would stare at them with rage and enjoyment in his eyes. He was likely about to die but he was enjoying himself. Whatever happened to him didn't matter. The blood in his mouth, the pain in his body and his shattered defenses just made this more fun. He could still stand and grip the piece of wood in his hands so he was ready to keep going. It didn't matter to him that he was outnumbered and outclassed and all of his jutsu had been wiped out. Or that all he had left was a chunk of wood. This was a fight with everything on the line. He could at least take another crew member before he went down. At least that had been his thought process until suddenly there was a sickening noise as the captain went still. Blood trailing from his mouth before his body jerked and he slumped like there was nothing left to hold him up. A sack of meat. Likely because there wasn't. There stood a young girl with a headband on that marked her as one of the mist shinobi. A bloody powerful one at that. He could feel her menace rolling off of her and feel his breath catch in his throat.

She was marvelous. Everyone around him was suddenly stricken with fear but not Michibo. He was afraid of her but that put him in awe of her. He wanted to fight her. To die under her power slowly. To just struggle to make her acknowledge his strength. He was to weak right now to move though. His body damaged and his weakness apparent. Shameful. He wanted her power. Wanted to cast fear on fools like these pirates. He had killed two of them and it took everything he had but there she stood having just slaughtered the man who one shot him. Ripped him apart like a meat puppet. It was beautiful. He was just as frozen as the two between him and her for a moment until she acknowledged him. A simple phrase demanding he comply. None of the pirates were to leave here alive. Hell, he wondered if he would. But that was beside the point. The pirates seemed to remember he was there but as they looked unsure Michibo was already rushing forward laughing. His club smashing over the head of one of the men making him stumble forward as the club broke into a jagged piece of wood.

The other of the two grabbed at him with one hand around Michibos shirt collar and the other reach for his cutlass but Michibo was quick to react with what he had. As the man drew his weapon the broken piece of jagged wood thrust upwards. Jamming into the mans throat as it pushed him back. Blood spluttering out as his eyes widened with shock. His grip however pulled Michibo to the ground with him. Still Michibo laughed as he held the spike in place with one hand and used the other to hammer it down. At least until a cutlass stabbed into his shoulder. He roared out in pain before spinning around. The other he had knocked over the head was already preforming another swing. Michibo stuck his hand up and the blade cut deep into it before he clasped down on it. His hand holding it by the blade tightly as he reached down to his side and grabbed the fallen guys cutlass before driving it into the flesh right above the other guys knee. Driving him down as they wrestled on the ground. Michibo biting and clawing with everything he had to gain the upper hand. A wild thing under this pirate. Even managing to claw one of the mans eyes but quickly losing the upper hand.

1978

The man with the broken legs yammered in pain and fear as his arms dragged him forward and mostly away from the little terror next to him. Above him, in the crow's nest, the pirate eyed the situation with mild fear but as he considered him mostly out of reach, his mind rationalised his fear away and nudged him into knocking an arrow again. Shooting the girl seemed out of question as she stood too close to the mast, his target changing to that of the boy as the Kiri-nin called out to slay them all. Easy targets first. Smart. But not as feasible as he had hoped what with three of his friends already running over to deal with the boy. What little advantage he had was with that instantly robbed off him, and pushed him into a corner instead as his only exit was going down. Into the spider's web.

Haka's eyes shifted up, meeting his. She jumped up, setting her feet on the mast and running upwards with no effort. A spider on the crawl. Her chakra claws scraped across the thick wood, carving its mark and throwing down splinters and pieces all the while until she reached the man in the crow's nest. Placing her hands on the bottom, she swung herself over the edge with an athletic flip and as her feet briefly kissed the railing of the crow's nest the snap of bow, arrow and more bones followed. The six arms of nigh-invisible chakra milling through wood and flesh. Wounded, he'd stumble back as one free arm grabbed the deep slashes in his face, the other arm broken along his weapon. Granting herself no rest, Haka's feet pushed her off the railing at the same time as the man hit the railing, lost his balance and fell down screaming.

The light-weight shinobi landed back on deck, rolled to break her fall and as she rose to her feet, not even one second later, the man in the crow's nest hit the deck as well. Dead. The few pirates who saw it happen grabbed their cutlasses and ran in, fear fuelling their suicidal tendencies in a mixture of madness, vengeance and the drive to survive impending death. Their swings would cleave through the air, cutting strands of mist as the shinobi had already moved well before their weapon was even halfway their trajectory. Their eyes unable to register her speed properly, their mind too slow to process perceived knowledge to adjust their attacks. Wide open in their defences, chakra claws found no difficulty ending their lives. In a matter of seconds, all that remained from their foolishness was blood and body.

At certain distance, the Kaguya was still fighting his opponents like a crazed animal. Wounded but not dead. Outnumbered but not defeated. As Haka contemplated the idea of letting him finish, she ran her hand through her white hair, closing her eyes for a mere moment. Outweighing the idea of helping him out and potentially robbing him of the opportunity to prove his strength, or leaving him to his skirmish just to see how far his limits went. As she opened her eyes, she had decided - she would test his limits. See to what point he could handle the situation, watch him fight until he won by surpassing his limits or fell unconscious to his wounds and exhaustion. Survival of the fittest, searching evolution at all times. The Way of the Spider.

---

589
Total: 1913

290/350:

Michibo was having the time of his life. This fight was not going well for him and it was exhilarating. He couldn't even break his focus to see what the mystery girl was doing simply because if he did he would likely die. This right here was exactly what he lived for. The fear of dying right on the cusp of his mind. Threatening to overpower him with fear and yet he was grinning as he fought for his life. The man wrestling him and trying to choke him was stronger than him and winning but Michibo was wildly fighting back,. An animal cornered and his life threatened. Quickly Michibo could see himself losing. However the enemy was getting tired. His attention breaking at the sound of a scream from his ally. The archer and those on board the ship all screaming. It broke his resolve for just a moment. Enough for Michibo to raise his right hand and use a puppet string to snag one of the cutlasses into his grip. The enemy noticed but it was already too late as it drove up into his side. Digging in deep there as Michibo used it for leverage to gain the upper hand. Driving it in as he rolled on top.

Yanking the cutlass free he would begin to wildly slash with it without grace but with a savage fervor. Each slash splashing blood on himself and across the dock until the enemy combatants hands fell and even then he would drive the cutlass deep into the mans throat and through into the wood beneath. Panting there as he could feel the adrenaline keeping him going. Using his remaining strength he stumbled to his feet before stumbling over to the one bleeding out from his two kunai in his sides. There he would drop to his knee's next to the guy and grip the kunai handles before ripping them free as the man beneath him jerked before his eyes rolled back. He liked those bone kunai. They were his. Still pretty much everyone was dead now besides him and the girl. The one who had slaughtered pretty much everyone. He wasn't sure even now if she intended to kill him to. Instead he just grinned at her covered in blood with wild pink eyes and pink hair blowing in the slight breeze. He looked wild and despite his wounds happy. Still he would speak in turn now that everyone was dead or dying.

"That was a bit of fun wasn't it? Mind if I keep the ship? Cheap rent and all haha"

2414

It had been a close call but the boy had chewed through his opponents and trying to stand tall despite wounds and fatigue. Red eyes would shift towards the morbidly slain men. The work of a mad monster on the loose. While the boy felt no need to deal with those who were alive and suffering, Haka moved to end their lives wordlessly. Mercifully killing those who stood no chance of surviving, finishing the task of slaying the invaders. As the last man was finally put to rest, only the ship remained. The construction was mostly intact safe for the crow's nest and a couple of deep marks within the mast, and perhaps for that reason exactly the Kaguya asked if he could have the ship for his own use. With some basic repairs and a skeleton crew, the boy could use the ship for his own adventures. Intercept other invasions, maybe.

"Take it. I do not care for empty vessels.", she thus stated with a voice as soft and quiet as the mists of Kirigakure themselves. One swift jump later, she was off the boat and on the docks, walking towards the Kaguya until she halted a meter before him. Draping the monstrous aura of the natural predator over him. Her eyes would assess his wounds, noticing they were deep enough for a fresh genin to bleed out or otherwise quickly make short work of him. Remembering that his techniques were pretty much the one thing that had prevented him from suffering mortal damage. Moving her hand she would cup his chin and lift it up with spindly fingers until her gaze could bore itself in his. Then she would speak again. "A sloppy approach but you survived and thus earned my respect. You have a lot of potential but you are in need of refinement. Meet me on Spider Island if you desire to learn. Until then I expect you to take care of your wounds, a cold night is coming."

She'd let go of her grasp, her fingers strangely warm despite her arachnid apathy, and took a few steps back. At a mere nudge of her will, a mass of black fluid would spill from under her cloak and shape a circle of Fuinjutsu symbols around her. Then, both the circle and the girl disappeared as if consumed by shadows.

---

395
Total: 2308
-2000 Suiton: B -> A
Discarding rest


[EXIT]

OOC: Feel free to learn Body Flicker, if you want it. The Fuinjutsu is just a thematic version of it. Also: -10% wc reduction.

280/350:

Michibo would Wipe his kunai off reverently almost across the unstained portion of the pirates shirt he had been fighting. Blood had seeped out but that was fine. Cloth was still available. He would shift his shoulder and feel a bright shooting pain from doing so. That cutlass had done its damage it seemed. Still he would sheath his weapons as the mystery woman would go about finishing off everyone. When she returned to him as the slayer she was he would smile to her. Bleeding like a fool as she mentioned she had no use for an empty vessel. He certainly did. With a couple decent repairs he could live on it. Free rent was great and eventually he would learn to sail it out and meet the pirates. When he was strong enough like her he would become the bane of the seas. Until then however she gave him an offer to come to spider island and be refined. He had heard of it but it hadn't interested him until now. Still he would give it some thought. A simple nod was all he managed before what appeared to be some sort of ink would spill from her dress and she would flicker away. Interesting.

Still she wasn't wrong about him needing to treat to his wounds. He would grunt before setting about ripping some cloth off the body in front of him. It wasn't clean really but it wasn't soaked either. Most of the bodies she had dealt with were hardly anything but stained at this point. He would set about ripping lots of strips before wrapping them around his torso and shoulders repeatedly. Letting it stack up before it finally wasn't soaking through. It felt tight and hard to breath but it would keep him from bleeding out. Carefully he would rise to his feet and head for the nearest medical station. He knew it was going to be one hell of a walk but they would be capable of fixing him up in a jiffy. For now the bodies could rot. He would drop them all in the waters later before going to sleep on his new ship. The captains cabin at least was warm and dry. No wind piercing through there. Even a captains coat hanging on the wall he might use occasionally. Still even after being healed he was tired and sore. Spider island huh? Neat....

2822
Exit thread
Using the christmas wc reduction of 10 % on this thread
1800/1800 taijutsu C-B

combined the two ten percent reductions for learning Body flicker a D rank technique
600/600

405/405 reaction time E - E-3

17 wc tossed