It had been a long few days in Kirigakure, the missing ninja reports had soared through the roof of what she had expected, as if overnight, the entire missing ninja population of the ninja world had arisen with an undertaking to destroy the land of Kirigakure. The increased guard had been helping in the meantime, but the mysterious red cloaked men and their minions, be they strange foreign soldiers or missing ninja branded with the mark of the Daimyo, it seemed that the land of water was going to be going through a hardship like they had seen before. But, this time, Aya was not able to tell them the name or the face of the enemy they fought against. Like wolves the men in red were circling, not striking at the nation, but nipping at its heels in an attempt to draw out a retaliation so that they might strike at the throat of the country from a flank... strike at Aya from the flank... There was simply no way out of this than to think, and Aya did not have the support to do this on her own. Aya on her own was not strong enough to fight the men at her gates. She needed ninja who would be able to help her, and fight under the skin of the country with her once again... But there was becoming vastly less of them. Once upon a time, she would have called on the Aid of her sister... Tenmei... But... she was gone, and Aya had heard little word from her since she left the land of Kirigakure no sato, other than she had boarded a boat to reach the land of fire... Second was the notable members of the Aisu clan, yet Strafe had left, and there were no other members of the Aisu clan strong enough to help combat what Aya had to... Kaguza and Sero were dead, leaving behind the son of Sero who was too young to be a meaningful help in the fights that were to come...

Aya was ready to explode with the frustration until...

'Do not give into despair pupil of mine, something comes across the breeze, it seems fate, is giving you a hand to play...'

Before Aya could question the ephemeral voice, barely beginning to talk until someone dropped onto the sill of her door, holding out a letter and kneeling so that Aya might recieve it... Looking sketchily at the ANBU member, Aya took the scroll, reading its words only to find a familiar scrawl upon them... "“Dear MizukageI’m sure Dameon told you about my leaving the village. For not coming and talking to you personally, I am deeply sorry. I will be traveling to Kiri tonight, and hope to be able to speak with you about returning. I know I do not deserve this second chance, but I ask that you find it in your heart to at least hear me out. I do not mean the village harm and will not resist if you choose to take precautions. I hope this letter shows you that I am serious in my willingness to do whatever it takes to return home. Your Cousin..."

There was no way this was a coincidence... Grabbing all of her equipment Ayakashi began to pack herself, taking everything save for the Armour of Tobirama which stood upon the armour stand in her room... Taking her mask and pulling down the clasp to cover her entire face, determined, she was about to meed the ghost from her past which was knocking at her door. And though a fury began to well up within her, Aya was not ready for this, her frustration about everything that was happening around her pushed her over the edge, and so running at full pace for the boarder where the entrant to the city would be making his appearance. Charging down the main road Aya did not draw her weapons, though it seemed that the one of the criminal ninja which had abandoned the country hidden in the mists had returned, at a pivotal moment, a moment which if he had not left in the first place Aya would not have been left alone. Everything was welling up, breaking her, threatening to come out, like a volcano of repressed emotion and tension which was once suppressed by alcohol no longer able to be held back a moment longer... It was not long until she saw him through the brush, darting from tree to tree, kicking off each of them so hard the bark compacted, fracturing the trunks of the great tropical pines as she finally arrived at her destination.

"STRAFE!"

Aya Called out in a warning before she would strike, coiling her fist and kicking from the last tree intending the land a blow to the side of his head, one that, were it not to be avoided, would have a very real chance of simply killing the S ranked ninja, though her warning would give him more than enough time to react to her movements. Aya wanted him to react, deep down she had no desire to kill her cousin, perhaps that was the inner reason for her warning... She just wanted someone to fight, she wanted someone to release all this anger and hate towards, and right now strafe was the only person who was able to shoulder this burden, the only ninja in the VILLAGE strong enough, and skilled enough to heal the wounds which Aya might be able to inflict upon him, and avoid or absorb the blows which would be strong enough to kill any other ninja in the country. Ayas world was like living in a world of cardboard, everything was so fragile, so easy to break, she always had to hold herself break in fear of breaking something... of breaking some-one. Though what she had here was a real chance for her to be able to cut loose, and show Strafe, show the world just how powerful she really was, and finally be able to blow off some steam in a meaningful satisfying manner.

Throwing her fist like a comet as Aya soared through the air toward her opponent, should he avoid the blow, Aya would land not too far away from strafe, bending her knees as she hit the ground and spinning back around to face him with a leg outstretched, hooking her leg and intending to kick out strafe's legs at ankle height with the back of her heel, and failing so, her leg grinding across the hardened earth would kick up dust and dirt in Strafe's direction in order to cloud Aya and her following movements... With ferocity, Aya's moves so far would have been readily avoidable, but coming through the dust bank, she would cut the grainy fog in two with a jumping roundhouse feint for the head which Aya would twist, and turn into a straight Kick for Strafe's gut, under the cover of Dust, hoping to score him and throw him backwards, relatively unharmed as Aya would kick backwards off his chest to gain some ground...

"Defend yourself, Cousin~" Aya Spat. "You left the land of mist for the leaf... so show me strafe show me that will of fire I hear so much about!"

As the small boat came ashore, the mist around Strafe and Momaru seemed sad. It was thick and heavy to Strafe, which could be because he had lived in Konoha for a time, but it seemed like something else. Like a dark cloud was hovering over the land, hiding what was to come. He shook his head slightly and focused back on the ground around him. With a simple step, he was finally on the property of his homeland. With that realization, came the anxiety that had been building up for days. Momaru immediately saw the expression in his comrade, nudging him with his head. "She will not harm you while I am alive, you know that right?" Momaru spoke as calmly as a wise sage as he tried to comfort his friend. "I'm not worried about a fight, I'm worried that she turns me away." He said with a look of fear in his eye. "If she does attack me, i want you to stay out of it. The love that comes with blood relation does not extend to you, I fear. If she hurts you, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." He spoke genuinely as a single tear welled up in his right eye. The lion sighed and shook his head. "I can't stand by for long. If it gets serious, i will intervene. Until then, you have my word." His tone spoke volumes as the Lion met eyes with the ninja. A nod of understanding was all that Strafe responded with, not knowing what to say at that point. It was just a matter of waiting. He didn't dare go any further until a response from Kiri came.

The man that steered the boat held out his hand with a smile. Quickly, Strafe moved his hand to his wallet, pulling out some ryo and handing it to him. "Keep the change." He spoke kindly and smiled at the man, who turned and took off once again into the vast ocean. He didn't blame the man for wanting to leave. The storm to come was one that only he should have to deal with. Strafe would turn back to the forest and simply wait. His mind raced endlessly with the possibilities of the next few hours. What they held would certainly change his life forever. The idea of Solstice turning him away, of being shunned from his home was one that broke his heart. Still, he had to face whatever punishment Solstice deemed fit. The scene seemed like it was out of a story. A man waiting for the sins of his past to catch up with him as he tried to make it right. He just hoped the story had a happy ending and didn't end up becoming a tragedy.

It did not take long for the response to come at full force. A scream of utter rage resounded through the trees in the area. The only word that was spoke was Strafe. If she had not screamed, he would have never have seen her coming. The speed that she moved at was incredible, blistering towards him with movements that showed nothing but pain and anger. He had to be fast, which was a relative term in comparison to Solstice. He dove to the side, dodging the punch and rolling onto his feet all in one motion. His eyes caught further movement as a leg came sweeping around to catch Strafe's feet. He had just enough time to jump once more, going high into the air. Without a movement to signal it, a disk of almost transparent ice appeared below his feet, allowing him to land on it without missing a beat. He would raise up further in the air immediately, hopefully giving him enough room to see if she launched another assault. He didn't think he would be as lucky a second time. The problem that came with fighting Solstice was that she knew him better than anyone else. She knew what he was capable of, save for one detail. The pale green pupil in his left eye was the only ace in the hole he had, and he needed to make sure it was not discovered by getting close.

A dust cloud appeared where he once stood, covering the movements of his cousin. The words that she spoke cut deep. His face instantly change from an expression of surprise to one of shame. Despite the words, his hand immediately went to his staff, pulling it from it's place. "I know i should have expected this, but it's a little hard to witness. I am sorry for what I did." He didn't think that the words would change anything, but he felt the need to apologize a thousand times for what he did. He could have went about it so many ways that would have been better, but it was not time to dwell on that. He had more pressing issues in front of him. From nowhere, a voice spoke up that he did not expect. "Remember what I said Strafe. Please be careful." Momaru's voice was not peaceful like before, but alert and worried. He understood why, the ninja in front of him was probably the most powerful he had ever met.

Post Wordcount: 892
Strength D-2>D-3 Training: 450/450 Complete
Strength D-3>C Training: 442/575

Strafe's Chakra:

Strafe dodged the blow, he was faster than Aya had remembered him being, though, she could only expect as much from one of the men which she had deemed to ordain one of the legendary Sannin, as well as one of the legendary seven swordsman. Though he had hung up both mantles when he left the country, Aya had trusted strafe with so much as he was highly considered her second when it came matters of the state. She worshiped his opinion once, she relished his company, remembering the times where they were but children, Aya wishing and dreaming to become only like her mother, a famous weapon smith and chakra worker when it came to steel, rather than a warrior, and Strafe with his childlike dreams as he joined the ninja academy at the same age as almost everybody else. Every memory of strafe was being recalled by Aya in the fleeting moments between each of her harrowing attacks added nothing but volatile fuel to the enigmatic fire which did nothing but burn in shades of blue ice as Aya persisted her onslaught. Her first punch soared through the air, meeting nothing as Strafe took no chances, rolling out of the way as Aya hung low and swept for his legs, forcing strafe to jump up and backwards, creating a tool of his own from his chakra in order to evade Aya further, calling down for her as her next two attacks ripped through the grey clouds, blowing them away with the force of her blows and effectively drawing the curtains on Strafe's position. But all Aya saw was a ninja trying to run away, and that made Aya even more furious, she didn't want strafe to run, she wanted him to stand and fight her for his ideals, she wanted to see his resolve, she wanted Strafe to give Aya the fight of her life before beating her down and forcing her to accept what he had done, and giving the best reasons, leaving nothing for Aya to feel hurt about...

But there was no such scenario.

Aya's strength had cemented her suffering in this case, and As Strafe levitated upwards on his disk, Aya looked to the canopy of trees, darting to one of them, she was little more than a blur shooting across the ground, leaping and kicking off a branch she ascended the tree rapidly, leveling off at strafe's height, staring down the Aisu on his levitating disc... Aya barely noticed the pet which he had at his side, the pet which Aya remembered very well from the Seven bells war, having charged with strafe to attack that deadly opponent, but, somewhere in between that war, and the peace and the rebuild which Aya had been working so hard for after that war, Stafe had left, leaving Aya with all of the hard work, all of the rebuild, all of the fallout of an entire war on her own to deal with...

"I don't want to hear your apologies 'cousin.' I want you to raise your fists, or your swords, and defend yourself! Not run away! You've already run away from me once!"

And with that Stab, Aya lunged at her cousin a second time, this time with the intention of knocking Strafe down from that floating disc. Bending her knees, ready to spring, she jumped, obliterating the branch she was standing on with the force of her jump, turning the bark into shrapnel behind her as she burst toward him at her own full speed with a flying lariat. Her Arm held out to the side to catch Strafe in the torso with the crook of her arm, and with a shrug of her shoulder launch him toward the ground hard enough and fast enough to create a small crater with the force of the strike, once again throwing herself backward with the force of the blow. Though, should she miss, Aya would have plotted her course to reach an adjacent tree across from her, swinging around one of its many branches and planting her feet balancing on the tree once again....

"First it was my father... then Sero... Then it was Kaguza... Then it was YOU... Then it was Tenmei... One by one everyone who I loved exited my life like a procession when I NEEDED THEM THE MOST! Do you have any idea how hard it has been to rebuild a WHOLE COUNTRY after a FUCKING WAR Strafe!? It's not eassy! So many people died, but oddly enough, it wasn't the ninja, NO, it was the people in their homes which died, the families, the children, which our ninja didn't stop, it was the residential areas which were destroyed strafe, and I HAD TO REBUILD THEM! ALONE!"

Tears streamed down the face of the Mizukage, as unknowingly the imbalance from her entropic sorrow caused her to activate the lowest level of her demonic ice corruption, which began to run down her hands, a cold mist beginning to raise off her as her tears were hidden by her mask, the tears freezing and crumbling into nothing but a salty dust as they rested on her cheeks... Strafe had not seen the warrior solstiec had become in his absence, he had likely only heard rumours about what she possessed. Stepping forward she pulled the two blades from her belt, Aya wanted to make Strafe sorry... to make him afraid... to make him wish he had never left her in the first place... She wanted him to feel her pain, to cry, and anguish as much as she did...

Aya wanted revenge...

Aya drew the trishula which was the Raijin sword, activating its chakra cost as the raiton energy crackled from the end of the blade, flaring to life as the legendary weapon of the second hokage was tight in her grip, as she drew the second of her two legendary swords... the sword of Kusanagi. The second chakra blade flickered to life as Aya fed it her chakra. Each of the blades taking on a blue hue thanks to the techniques which were flowing through Aya's body. Aya was, without doubt, the most powerful swordsman in the ninja world with her skill, and these two legendary blades. She wanted strafe to see it, she wanted him to marvel at the strength she had attained through her solitude before she attacked him with these swords, either of them were considered enough to be the APEX weapon for a legendary ninja, but, wielded together, by a single ninja, created a status...

With some hesitation, Aya threw one of them spinning for the Disc which Strafe stood on, knowing that the Raijin sword, should it stike at his ice, would be good against the formation which supported him. Lightning was just so good at breaking down ice, and with the Raijin sword at Aya's disposal, there was very little that Aya could not accomplish. Following up her throw wwith a jump in the direction which strafe would attempt to move, or straight forward failing that with a straight, samurai style drawing slash. One strike, directly for his neck, not with the intention of killing, but merely cutting into the flesh at the side of his neck, little less than a millimeter. A show of speed and precision with the Kusanagi which was intended to take strafe off guard, and make him worry.

Spoiler:

The words she spit back at him cut deeper than he would have thought. He winced at the idea that he was running from her again. He didn't even have time to respond before she took off, getting to a tree in such a short amount of time that he could barely see her. There was no way that he could fight her, and he knew that. She took off once again, shattering the wood below her as she moved at full speed. Strafe didn't have much time to react, which was why he grabbed his staff. A simple point of his staff sent a whirlwind of fuuton chakra blasting towards the Mizukage. He knew she was more than capable of absorbing it with her glove, if she still used it. That wasn't the point of the attack though, as it was a simple distraction. He would dispell the disk immediately after the attack launched, dropping to the ground gracefully. His eyes met her figure once again as she started to cry. The rage and sorrow she felt was obviously taking over her mind, as her signature jutsu started to appear. One that he had healed her from several times himself, Demon Ice Corruption.

The words she spoke were ones of pure despair, but suddenly Strafe stopped feeling sorry. He was quickly becoming angry, which was a rarity for him. As soon as she finished speaking, Strafe spoke up in a rage of his own. "Do not tell me about the hardships of this village! I helped rebuild this village the first time it was burned to the ground by Hao. I lost Kaguza and Sero too! I was the one who made sure the villagers and ninja survived their wounds from that war! I have rebuilt this village on more than one occasion. I ALMOST LOST MOMARU BECAUSE OF MY LOYALTY FOR YOU AND THIS VILLAGE, OR DID YOU FORGET THAT TOO?!?!" His rage was building as rapidly as he could think. His heart raced as the memories of all the faces he lost started to flood to his mind. The tears that Solstice cried seemed to be contagious, as the started to flow gently down the former Sannin's face. He knew this would probably make it worse, but he didn't care. His body shook with anger as he spoke again. "The only reason Tenmei is alive to leave the village was because I saved her life after Seven Bells left her for dead! My former sensei died fighting in that war! I NEVER KNEW MY FATHER! DO NOT SPEAK TO ME OF HARDSHIP SOLSTICE!!!"

He was past the point of wanting to hold back now. He looked over to Momaru and nodded. This caused the lion to walk over to his side, sliding into a battle stance as he took his position. Solstice then pulled out two swords that made Strafe feel a shiver of dread. The Raijin and Kusanagi swords were in her hands, which meant that she was much more powerful than he remembered. He wished this changed things, but it didn't. He would loose regardless, but he would fight until he could not move. As soon as she started to move, Momaru opened his mouth to release a roar of immense power. Enhanced by chakra, it ripped in a straight path headed for Solstice. It would do some damage if it landed, but he doubted it would. Someone known for their speed wasn't going to be caught by a straight on attack like that. She was much to skilled for such a maneuver to work. Momaru and he would both move instantly and without a word as the quickly ran to another angle. This was just in case she used a stronger projectile to overpower the attack, something she was more than capable of. He would grasp his staff sternly and prepare for for her next move. "No more running, Solstice. I will fight until you either kill me, or let me return to this village. Your choice." Those were the only words that he could say. There was nothing left for him to do but survive the next few moments, if he could.

Post Wordcount: 706
Strength D-3>C Training: 442+133/575 Complete
Endurance D-1>D-2 Training: 400/400 Complete
Endurance D-2>D-3 Training: 173/450
Thread Wordcount: 1598

Strafe Chakra:

Momaru Chakra:

As Aya darted towards her opponent, she was surprised to see a staff flip out from it holster, and within it, chakra began to swell, a nature which she recognized, fuuton, in the form of a small tornado stretched out like the phantasmal arm of god to smash her out of the air with enough force to crush a concrete structure. With Very little time, Aya bought her legs to her chest, and with a single thust of hyouton chakra, she changed the direction of her movement, vaulting upward and over Strafe to land on the ground as opposed to the tree. Standing there she rose, and continued the series of attacks as had been pre transcribed. Her body began to steam lightly as the hyouton chakra imbalance at its lightest form ran through her body, like a light chill, though Aya knew it was just the beginning of so much more... She had not even noticed the Demonic ice Venom running over her skin in a subtle aura of cold which began to freeze the ground at her feet outwards slowly in tendrils of creeping ice which spread in outstretching fractals for more dominance and presence over the land that it was being beset upon. Aya was not about to submit to her opponent, so still, she followed through with drawing the two legendary swords, while simultaneously Momaru it seemed had decided to become a part of the fight, fighting on behalf of his master, Aya could not help but snicker, though the Lion was large, and imposing, she was no mere jounin which would have issues with combatting the powerful combat trained pet of another Aisu. And so when Aya threw the Raijin sword, Momaru roared, knocking the sword off its course and the  came for Aya, though, without missing a beat, having leaned forward to hurl the blade at all her strength, something incredible happened.

As Aya rose, there was a very subtle flow of fuuton chakra to her hand, not able to be seen by the naked eye as Aya rose her wrist to the sonic blast which was fired from the proud beast. And simply, with a flicker of her own chakra, casting the blast aside as if it were nothing but a trifle... the onlooking ninja would not even think that Aya used a technique as the sonic roar was deflected by Ayakashi's bare hand, sending the roar cascading into a nearby tree, ripping it in two with relative ease... Aya looked up at the two of them as they parted, the breaking of the fuuton technique caused her coat to billow with the wind force chaotically. Her one good eye tracking Momaru as she paid no heed of strafe for the mean time, but still continued to listen and use her other sense to ascertain what he was up to... Stepping forward, Aya left an ice sculpture of herself in place where she once was, a little trick that she knew, but nothing more, the perfect statue was three times as heavy as herself and made from a B rank technique, making it hard to break through strength alone in the mean time, until the chakra faded from it, which would leave the figure little more than its weight in natural ice. From this point Aya could see either of them, the words of Strafe lingered in Aya's ears, as she could not bring herself to compute that there could be another person suffering as much as she could be. Strafe had suffered, he had almost lost his friend and companion, he had lost his teacher, he saved one of his friends... But in Aya's mind, in her current state, they came across as poultry sacrifices, short term, almost selfish to be bringing up, and offensive to her ears to comprehend. But when it came to him mentioning the life of his lion... Aya had to interject

"I ALMOST DIED IN THAT WAR! I didn't see you reviving me!!! I helped rebuild homes and lives with my bare hands after Hao AND Gan Ning, I've murdered, and put aside EVERYTHING I AM to run this country. I've had to become heartless, and cruel to make the choices that no body else could stomach... 'no more prisoners' remember? Does that SOUND LIKE ME!? Did you think I ENJOYED, MURDERING dozens of people with a wave of my hand!? There is so much blood on my hands Strafe, I don't think you could ever understand. First it was the Serial killer of the Graveyeard, then it was the schichiouza... then it was Gan Ning... and now even the Daimyo is baying for the blood of this country... Every life, that has been taking in six years i can feel their lives resting on my shoulders...

AND WHERE WERE YOU!?"

Solstice had, had enough for the moment, coiling more chakra into her hand than she thought she would have to in this fight as her two opponents circled her about 15 meters away, her fist shone as bright blue as the moon as she crashed it to the ground, creating a wave like explosion of hyouton chakra which spread outwards, turning the tropical landscape into little more than a tundra with the S rank power of her fist of the Yukki Oni. But Aya was Certain Strafe would be able to avoid it, the visual cue, as well as him having seen the technique before, would be more than enough for him to jump the ten meters it would take him to be out of range of the technique before it hit him, freezing even an Aisu clan member to the bone. After the attack, Aya dashed in with the sword of Kusanagi Aiming a slash for Strafe's side, not fearing Momaru, aiming her blow for the staff strafe was holding, using her strength as a tool to overpower him and send Strafe flying back into a tree with the force of her one handed blow. Should she be successful, she would grimace at the fact that his weapon was able to maintain itself after taking a direct blow from the Kusanagi with little more than the tiniest of notches into its steel, while any other weapon would have found itself cut in two instantly. Raising Aya's foot to step inwards, she was about to move in for the kill when something caught her senses. The fight had calmed down to the point that she was able to think a little clearer if she had managed to land her blow, as well as expending her energy in one of her more powerful techniques calmed the Hyouton imbalance in her body, expelling the excess energy...

~Panting~

Zhao Yun:

---

"It's such a shame that you decided to bring the Daimyo into this fight, for a moment I thought i was just able to standby and wait for a winner to be determined, then pick them off, hopefully one of you would kill the other, but, it seems that I'm not able to do that, now, am i...?"

A voice spoke out of the darkness, as a man in red stepped out, behind him was a beautifully crafted winged spear with a jade tip which glistened with baleful malachite fire, crackling and popping as it devoured the air around it, sucking it into to its infernal vacuum. The man in red wore foreign silks, and under an iron plated Chinese shade his eyes seemed to be dead, and lifeless, without any meaningful colour other than blacks and deep greys. Zhao smiled like the devil as he stared down the two, though he was not the strongest of the Assassins, he was however one of the most lethal. With the spear of heaven at his side he was unstoppable. His stride out from the shadows forewarned a deep confidence as he began to trail the tip of the spear behind him along the ice of Aya's technique, leaving a long lick of green fire which began to spread its more normal orange counterpart quickly even across the demonic Hyouton which covered the surface of the earth around them. Zhao had his eyes locked on Aya, moving his gaze only to accommodate Strafe, and then Momaru, snickering a little at the pet. His eyes moving to take in the tree which had been torn in two by its roar technique earlier. Aya seemed to be somewhat stunned by his appearance, not saying a word to defend herself, though Zhao did not mind, he was simply happy to be here, delivering the judgement of the sleeping dragon

"I thought the whole point of having a Lion was that its bite was better than its bark..? But, I don't suppose you're just going to kneel and let me kill you, are you?"

Aya looked back at strafe...

"Strafe, there was never any chance that I was not going to let you come back, but, you're going to need to prove your loyalty to me again... I've fought this guy once before, but, that weapon is strange to me... he didn't have it before... so, be careful, it looks powerfu~ "

Zhao smiled like a shark as she spoke, but didn't let her finish, a burst of chakra enhanced speed threw himself at Aya with a powerful stab, aiming it for her chest. Raising Kusanagi to block the green fire caught on the blade, spreading the orange fire around it rapidly, threatening to overcome the blade as Aya was pushed back by the force of his thrust, grinding backwards before her foot caught on a root, sinking in her stance as she grunted, holding Zhao there for a moment and waiting for Strafe's actions.

Strafe should have expected the fact that Solstice could simply wave off a technique Momaru's jutsu. With a simple movement of her hand, she threw the technique into a nearby tree, mangling it in the process. She would then step forward, leaving what seemed to be an ice clone of herself. Strafe wasn't quite sure about it's purpose, but he made a mental note to stay away from it.  The Kage responded in full force, obviously hurt that Strafe wasn't there more during the Seven Bells War. She continued to pour out her heart, which had a lot pain and sorrow in it. Strafe would let her finish before responding. "If you hadn't faked your death without telling your own cousin and second in command, I might have been able to do more for you. Don't blame me for not being there for every major event. I have many tasks in this village, you must communicate with me if you want my help. I'm not a mind reader, Solstice." His anger had subsided now, but his determination was there still. He wouldn't back down, regardless of what came his way.

The Mizukage's hand started to glow, which made Strafe's eyes open. he knew this technique, and had to act quickly. "Jump backwards Momaru, now!" The duo manage to move just in time to dodge the ability, but Strafe knew it wasn't the only move Solstice would make. He landed outside the range of the technique, only to have the Mizukage rush him with the Kusanagi in hand. His staff would whip around to meet the blade in a clash of glorious weapons. With virtually no effort, his staff started to glow light blue as the two ninja tools met. Thankfully, Strafe had manage to use the Item Reinforcing Technique to make sure his staff would remain in one piece. However, the force behind her blow was too much, causing Strafe to be sent backwards into a nearby tree. Momaru instantly moved in front of him, crouching down into a pouncing stance. This all stopped suddenly though, as a man started to speak.

He spoke of the Daimyo and how he was waiting for one of the two kiri ninja to kill each other. He spoke with arrogance and obviously thought highly of his abilities. Not many would look at a Sannin and Kage and be happy they had to fight both of them. He stepped into the light with a spear in hand that caught Strafe's eye. The green flames that flowed off of it was incredible, and probably dangerous. Strafe immediately caught the glance of Momaru as he got off the tree, which had a bit of damage from the impact. he would move beside the Lion, wondering what was going to happen next. Once again, the man spoke, addressing Momaru and Strafe. "You would be correct. Think carefully before you make your move." He spoke very genuinely as he was not going to hold back. This was perfect, as he needed to fight someone that wasn't related to him by blood. Solstice then spoke, which caught Strafe off guard. So she was going to let him return the whole time? She always did manage to surprise him. He nodded as she started to speak about the man, but she didn't talk very long.

The fighter rushed in with incredible speed, lunging at Aya with his spear. She moved her Kusanagi to block the move, though she slid a bit before locking into her stance. Strafe's eyes furrowed in anger that the man would attack without her attention on him. He stood perfectly still as little flakes of snow started to fall all around him. Momaru took off at high speed, getting to Solstice and the mysterious man quickly. He swiped his right paw at the man's head, but this was just a distraction. The real purpose was the lion's tail, which had connected with Solstice. The feline would transfer chakra into the Mizukage, causing the Arctic Soul Jutsu to be complete. Now any Hyoton techniques she would use would cost less chakra. Solstice was already well aware of this ability and would feel the transfer. Strafe then moved in from the other side of the spear wielding enemy. He would flourish his staff one time before a quick strike was aimed at the man's knee. If it landed, he would mangle the man's ability to walk. It was now this man's turn to see if he could face 3 people at once.

Post Wordcount: 774
Endurance D-2>D-3 Training: 173+277=450/450 Complete
Endurance D-3>C Training: 497/525
Thread Wordcount: 2372

Strafe's Chakra:

Momaru's Chakra:

The mysterious assassin clashing with the Mizukage grinned as the tip of his blade was almost touching the chest of the Mizukage, the natural fire which was breading down the length of her blade was being held back by Aya's C rank Hyouton running through the weapon, but it was becoming too much. With thunderous steps Momaru rushed to the Aid of the Mizukage, swiping at the man while touching his tail to the Mizukage, flowing chakra into her body. Using Aya as a pedestal, gripping the end of his spear he thrust against Aya with all of his weight, not to push her away, but to push himself away with the full length of the winged spear. The bat from Momaru's claw pushed down his weapon as he retracted it, leaving a long trail of green napalmic flame along the ground which would begin to spread at a meter per post, like he was corrupting the earth with powerful katon... Aya felt the push of his thrust, but could to little to avoid it, as giving in would cause the tip of his blade to penetrate her skin, and then it would be her which went up in a fireball, though, with the aid of Momaru, she felt the surge of power run through her body, pumping her up... While Aya personally believed it would have been a better idea for strafe to empower himself, she appreciated his support... Looking to strafe and nodding as Aya believed it was time for the three of them to work together to burst this guy down, and finally teach him who exactly he was dealing with when he messed with the Aisu clan. Deep down Aya wanted to scream and cry, but, wiping away her tears it was no longer the time for her to show her weaknesses. So, in the brief moment she had, her hand whipped down to her side, grabbing her mask ready to put it on. Becoming the Mizukage that she needed to be, with a sleek, steel face which never wavered against whatever odds she faced. But first...

It was time to show strafe just how strong she was now...

Gripping a hand around her eye patch, Aya coiled her fingers around its edges, she felt her chakra be drained for a moment as blue fire exploded from her face, an event which even interested the Assassin long enough for her to perform the deed. Ripping the eye patch from her face what lay under it could only be mistaken as a Doujutsu, the Hyouton chakra which emanated from her enchanted eye was radiant, palpable and even visible to those without looking at chakra on its own spectrum. Putting her mask on, the fire could be seen burning through one of the two glassed over eye slots, although they were covered by a colorless crystal, the fire could be seen burning through it as if it were an open hole. The mask released down to cover her face in its entirety and Aya was more or less ready for war... The presence of Aya was something for others to fear or look up to, the mask forever representing that the monsters which lived in the dark of Kiri could be defeated, that they could be killed, and it seemed that once again another monster stalked the forests of Mizu no Kuni... One that Aya found herself once again needing to end.

Zhao ran chakra through his spear, creating a swathe of flame down the full length of the pole as he began to spin it and rotate it around himself, picking up speed and momentum as, like a fire dancer the fire consolidated into two large fireballs at either end of the staff. Leveling the blade horizontally he swung, sending a massive arc of B rank fire at the legs of his three opponents which would on hit rip through their clothing and deliver third degree burns. Following it up immediately with the orb on the other end of the staff, launching the second arc of the technique at head height in hopes of catching them should they have only made a calculated jump.

Aya charged in as he was preparing his jutsu, reaching out and diving over the first of the waves in such a manner that she rolled out as the second went over her head, the fire barely catching on some of her cloak as she held Kusanagi to her side, activating the more powerful aspect of her Demonic Ice corruption, all but the green fire on the sword of Kusanagi completely vanished, but still leaving the jade green fire flickering against the resonating blue blade. The effect was mysterious, and it even caused a shudder of fear within Aya, it seemed like the green fire was almost impossible to extinguish on chakra, it fed off chakra, it devoured it like any other tinder for a flame, and used it to spread its normal flame like a seed spreading its roots and growing into a tree of pluming flame which stretched out in every direction. Raising like the phoenix with her Kusanagi in toe, she rose to clash with the Assassin, who, stepping back aimed his spear in her direction, thrusting forward with a perfectly executed blow in order to cut her off. Guarding against the blow, Aya parried the tip of the spear to a side and entered combat, spinning to a side of the point and attempting to bridge the gap between them, but her opponent was not about to give her the chance.

Recoiling the spear form the thrust rapidly he spun, swinging the pole for Aya in a wide sweep, which Aya ducked, but only allowed him to gain momentum once again as he began to rotate and traverse the weapon spinning around his body, keeping the weapon close and aiming dozens of spinning staff blows for Aya, half of which were bladed and covered with the green flame. Stepping in further, Aya met them, two hands on her katana as the sheer speed of the staff, which may as well have been two weapons could put out more strikes than Aya's single blade. What turned from an aggressive move, found Aya quickly on the defensive against the speed of her opponent, forcing Aya to recoil from her aggressive stance, though she watched as her blade having blocked so much of the Green flame, was now simply green fire coating the blade of Kusanagi from the guard of the weapon upwards.

(1096)

Strafe couldn't help but be happy that Momaru had caused the man to retreat from his aggressive attacks. To think that someone had the confidence to take all three of them at once, it seemed absurd. He was either dense or more powerful than he was letting on. The flames from his spear littered the ground and spread like a forest fire in summer. Solstice simply looked to Strafe and nodded, signaling that it was time to go on the offensive. He simply nodded back and moved beside his comrades. Snow flakes still fell from the sky around them, slowing anyone who was not an Aisu or Momaru. The Mizukage then did something that surprised the Sannin. She reached for her mask, which was normal, but reaching for her eye patch caused Strafe to become a tad curious. Had Solstice acquired a Dojutsu like Strafe had? Which one was it? The possibilities were endless, but he would soon find out he was wrong on all accounts.

Blue flames burst from her face as she exposed the eye. It was a truely beautiful sight, and with a closer look, Strafe had a guess at what it was. While the chakra acted like a flame, it was not katon chakra. This was a large amount of Hyouton chakra compressed in a small space, or so he guessed. What abilities did the new technique hold? He would probably soon find out. Solstice put on her mask, which signaled that it was time to fight. Without missing a beat, the assassin sent out an arc of fire at their feet. Momaru and Strafe jumped at the same time, getting in a line in air. The second wave of fire was dodged beautifully by Solstice, and they would soon follow behind. Without a movement from strafe, a thick layer of Ice appeared in front of the two of them, causing the flame to hit it. Strafe would allow the signature jutsu of his clan to fade away, allowing him and Momaru to focus on following up the Mizukage.

Solstice rushed into close quarters with Kusanagi in hand, only to find that the assassin's speed was incredible. Using a series of spinning attacks, he made the Mizukage start defending, which made for a perfect opening. Strafe and momrau split, going on either side of the man at full speed. With a thought, chakra surged from Strafe's feet into the ground. Seconds later, three spears of ice plunged out of the ground at the attacker. The Sannin place them so that Solstice would be in no danger of them, but all three aimed at the man's chest. Momaru then dashed in, hoping that the spears would be a good enough distraction to throw two powerful swings of his claws. The first was aimed high, just in case the man decided to jump upwards. The second was aimed at the man's chest, hoping to knock him backwards if it landed.  This was far from the end of the Sannin's plan though, as he then threw a chakra string towards Raijin, which sat on the ground from the earlier fight.

"Solstice, catch!" Strafe said with a jerk of his wrist, causing the sword to fly handle first towards the Mizukage. There was no need to let such a legendary weapon go unused, and this would be a further advantage should Solstice get into close range combat again. Momaru then backed out of the close quarters fight, returning to Strafe side with a few strides of his long legs. The two would eye teh man with eyes that said everything that was running through their minds. Solstice would not be hurt while Strafe lived and this man would die for attacking the Mizukage.

Post Wordcount: 629
Endurance D-3>C Training: 497+28=525/525 Complete
Perception D-2>D-3 Training: 450/450 Complete
Perception D-3>C Training: 151/525
Thread Wordcount: 3001

Strafe's Chakra:

Just as she felt her guard slip, Aya could percieve everything as if it was moving in 1/100th of real time. She watched as one of the wings from his spear expertly twisted knocking Kusanagi off to a side, forcing Aya to let go with her left hand while opening Aya up for his next spin... There was no way that she was able to move her sword back to guard her chest, a blow which would strike hard against her skin, no doubt covering her body with flames which would combust her. Aya looked past the blow to look at the eyes of her opponent, as chakra ran through his arm and legs as he was using a technique to ensure that this would be the last strike of the match, though, it was a familiar voice which pierced the laters of the world around her, a weapon soaring through the Air toward her off hand side. Slipping the weapon into her fingers, Aya's chakra pre-emptively flowed through her hands to activate the weapon as soon as the weapon connected with her hand. The lightning of the blade soared through it, expanding into the long lethal edge of the Raijin sword which with a flick of its weightless blade, and with a spin from the force of Strafe's throw, Aya managed to catch the side of Zhao's spin veering it ever so slightly off to the side as the blade of the spear cut through the chakra which rose from Aya's eye, the jutsu he had flowed through the spear seeming to extend the range of the spear with an additional chakra blade which became overwhelmed with the green flame which covered the end of the weapon. Aya was thankful, and now with her second blade, Aya was ready to go back on the offensive.

And the look in her eyes was something special.

Rushing in, Aya believed herself to have the upper hand. Weapons held out to either side, she bought in the first for his left hand side, only to see it blocked with precision from the blade end of his staff. spinning her blade she veered off her attack, parrying Aya so that he was able to also block the next attack from the right. Aya entered a death-spin-flurry of blows striking high and low, exchanging her blows, speeding up and slowing down as she changed her combat pace not allowing her to fall into combat patterns as she struck high for his neck, to meet the side of his pole as then Aya span low with a power swing for his legs. Thrusting down the otherend of Zhao's pole was already there, but alas, the faint as Aya thrust her second sword on the other end of the spear. Throwing his full weight down on his spear Zhao lifted off the ground, flipped faster than even Aya's eyes could see, bringing the pole down for Aya's head... The mizukage even faster still, side-stepping the blow and pinning the weapon to the ground, sliding one of her swords up the top of his blade in order to decapitate her opponent, But Zhao stepped in, raising the spear vertical just in tome so that Aya's blade shot past his head at the last moment, instead severing nothing but air as her blades sung like the nightingales floors of the Daimyo's palace, humming through the air with small sharp chirps as Aya Sped up and slowed down... The dance continued, Aya throwinf everything at Zhao, and Zhao countering with what seemed to be equal finesse... Aya had hoped to overpower him with her speed, but it seemed that she was not able to do so as much as she had originally thought. Although Aya had no trouble blocking his blows, being physically stronger than him, Zhao was not hard blocking any of her attacks, but, instead using the spin force of his weapon to parry and redirect her strength away from him with but the softest of suggestions.

This man was a master weapons-man...

Aya, flowing Ice through her blades, readying one of her own terrifying pulses of her Demon Ice corruption, she was certain her opponent was too close to evade her, Almost roaring as she lunged forward, but rather than bring his weapon up to block, Raiton flowerd through Zhao's Arm, creating what seemed to be an orb of Raiton, and with a quick wave of his hand being much faster than Aya's advancing sweep with her swords, Aya found herself blasted in the Chest from the basic orb of Raiton which slammed into her chest, electricity wracking over her body and throwing her back two dozen meters and through a tree. Ending the exchange as the man looked to Momaru and strafe. Throwing his staff backward Zhao bought his two hands together in front of his chest, coiling his chi into a single orb before releasing it in their direction, the blast he released pushed himself backwards another 5 meters, the orb spitting into 30 Raiton spears which split from the orb, stretching out in every direction before curving and converging on their location, the A rank jutsu would pierce through their bodies if it landed, the spears moving at 40mp/s. He knew that the orb which he had smashed into the chest of the Mizukage would have done her some bad second degree burns, but the main aim of the technique was to give him strategic distance, and, as she slammed into a substance as she was knocked back, she was stunned by the force for the next few seconds. And without her support, there would be little chance for her to come out on top.

Skidding back faster than he had thrown his staff, he caught it on the way back, grabbing it and activating a speed jutsu, raiton surrounding his body as he dashed in faster than the lightning spears, blunt end first Aiming to crash his weapon into the neck of Momaru simultaneously as the spears would begin to meet their targets. Though the spear jutsu was blatantly inaccurate, it was something that 'could' hit them if they did not move. The blunt strike was meant to be stunning, with enough force to allow him to vault over the lion, and allow him to close the gap on his opponent and allow the spears to do the rest of the work when it came to the Massive Panthera. His real goal was the master of the lion, the one who pulled the strings and dared to attack him when it came to his speed. He could feel the ice seizing up his joints making him slower, and that was unacceptable...

Meanwhile, Aya came to a stop, feeling the burns across and within her body, she could barely move, knowing that she had to however. Flowing chakra through her body, she undid the damage. Mastery of the Perfect Form, was a technique which she had been developing for some time, though it was far from perfect, expending far too much chakra than she would normally, she rose from the ground, barely able to stand physically, but, with this technique, she was able to use her own chakra flow to physically puppet her own body with her willpower rather than her muscle and tendon structure. But, the technique was not ready, it was unpracticed, and she needed to do better, the jutsu broke, dropping Aya to her knees as she struggled with all of her strength just to stay on her hands and knees, almost gasping for breath with every waking moment...

She needed to get up, needed to help Strafe...

If she didn't, and he had more chakra...

She feared for the Land of Kiri.

Thread Total: 6519
Perc: SS->SS1 2468+1506 (graves of traitors)+1026 (Willing Captive)= 5000/5000
Speed: SS->SS1 4051/5000

The Raijin Sword quickly rotated in the air until it reached Aya's hand with incredible synchronization. Despite that Strafe had been gone, it was like he never left. The Aisu would not fall this day. Solistice went in for a fury of attacks from her two incredible weapons. The only problem was that this assassin had an impressive weapon as well. They danced in an almost beautiful fashion as they dueled in close combat. His mind was racing for a way to get better into the fight when he saw the raiton chakra start to crackle. He wasn't quick enough though, as the raiton orb built quickly and sent the kage flying backwards. Strafe's first reaction would be to rush to her aid, but he didn't have anyone to cover him and Momaru was low on chakra. Strafe simply said "Go Momaru." The lion then took off toward the Kage, rushing to her aid in case she needed to be removed from the field of battle.

With quick thinking, water began to spend in his hand almost instantly. His arm moved in a flash, flinging the ball at the enemy. The man would slap his hands together to create a raiton orb. He then launched it, causing it to break up into spears, which were hurdling towards them. By activating the water jutsu's effect, Strafe caused the orb to explode in time to make contact with the spears. Even if the spears made it through, the explosion would knock them off course and weaken them to the point of no concern. Strafe barely saw the spark of raiton as the man dashed towards them. With the lion gone, Strafe was the only target in the area. Strafe tried to time his jutsu perfectly, as he rushed Hyoton chakra into the air and made rapid hand signs. A layer of ice covered his body as the jutsu was activated, which meant that if the man didn't divert his path, he would be much slower and would freeze very soon. Something told him that this man wouldn't be so easily tricked, but Strafe was ready to defend his country.

Momaru was by the kage's side by the time her jutsu failed. "My lady, let me help you." He nodded softly and lowered his head under Solstice's body. He then raised his head, settling her on his back. "If you are able to swing a sword or use a jutsu, I will be your legs until you are able to move." He then turned to see how his young friend was doing in the fight. He could not let Strafe fight such a man alone. He feared it would not go well. He just hoped that the head of the Aisu clan would be ready to fight again soon.

Post Wordcount: 476
Perception D-3>C Training: 151+374=525/525 Complete
Thread Wordcount: 3477

Strafe Chakra:

Everything seemed to be moving so quickly, the man they had been attacking was like a demon striking out from the very maw of hell at the living. He fought with no regard for himself, having noticeably trodden on the ground which he had set aflame, causing burns on his own legs that he did not seem to care for. Aya, in the brief moment she was removed from the combat, had a small time to think to herself, to think of everything that had happened to think of her attacker and his strengths and to remember the chakra she had already coiled into her fist, brimming with power as Strafe seemed to have prepared a trap of sorts for the assassin. Each of them were fighting at their hardest, but something more needed to be done, this man was about to end her friend, and so, from her hands and knees, the Mizukage of the village hidden in the mist rose. Running her fingers through the hair of the noble creature before her, pulling as she ascended once again to her feet. From here she knew what she had to do as she stored but a flicker of chakra into her fuma shuriken for a well known technique. The fire at the man's disposal was acting as a warmer to Strafe's technique, the green jade flame traling his weapon was giving him some respite from his cold, though not enough to be able to protect him completely.

though the pain never seemed to grave his face.

The frost-burns began to extend from his extremities, from his feet the glossy strings of fractal formations froze elegantly like a venom seeping into his very veins, slowing down his mortal speed, though doing little to slow him from the raiton speed jutsu which crackled across his very skin. With his spear in reverse the man planted a single foot, what looked as though it was going to be a strike with the pommel was a feint, a wind-up to a far more lethal strike. With a single stomp and both hands upon his spear no more than a couple of meters from strafe, the foreign fighter let out a full swing with his weapon, hoping to strike strafe with the blade at the point of the spear... The blade was getting close, aya's eyes flared with the passion of her love for both her country and her cousin, willing for the power to move, she found the chakra within her acting along-side her will, as if it wee an independence entity. The beast within seemed to agree with her plight, aiding what was to come as Aya simply ceased to exist at the location she once was.

And like the calming echo before a violent storm, there was a brief, yet deafening silence.

Aya appeared between herself and strafe having used her own combat shunpo technique, a weaponised variant of the body flicker to close the gap in a straight line, moving faster than any ninja would be able to see as she lined herself up for her defense, raising one of her gloved hands, the chakra repulsion nature of her gauntlets protected her against the blow, holding off the flaming tip of the spear centimeters before making contact with her glove, but the flurry which came next would be outstanding. For once, in the entire combat, this man was open to an attack... Aya coiled a leg back and let out a single strike for the side of the man's knees, finally connecting with something worth-while as she felt his first leg give way. Following through with the strike, Aya spun a full 360, launching her assailant off his feet in a spin as Aya, like frozen lightning, whipped out her hand like a viper, snatching her enemy from the air and pulling him down as she fell back. throwing a kick into his gut Aya head the satisfying sound of a crack, at least one bone fractured within the assassin's rib cage as she threw him high into the air spinning toward and above strafe.

"Strafe!"

Setting Strafe up for a follow up on their enemy as Aya well expected the to of them to juggle him for a brief moment as the Mizukage would use this time to prepare her finishing blow. Following through with her backward roll, Aya would draw her fuma shuriken and prepare for the next strike in case she needed to re-position herself, still holding onto the chakra of her pulse and trying her best to ignore her injuries. This would paint the first victory on their path to taking down the adviser of the daimyo, this would be the first nail in the coffin of all those who would oppose her nation as well as her rule. Fury boiled within her blood almost giving her a normal temperature as she braced for what was to come next, the ground cracking and fissure under the weight of her chakra pressure as she built up whatever she could to bring this enemy of hers down.

But something wasn't right, was this all the mighty warrior of the Daimyo had to offer? much of his power having come from his skill with a weapon and the weapon he was wielding. This was not the first time she had fought one of these people and they each seemed stronger than him. That being said he was a potent and legendary fighter. more than on par with some of her own sannin and seven swordsman. But there was something missing, the chakra reserves of her opponent from what she was able to tell from her sage mode showed more development and greater deopths rivaling even herself. There was a chance that this was a test, a chance that he was holding something back and Aya was not sure about it... But if he was, and if that were true, he would be more than just an opponent rivaling her Sannin, he would become a threat that would be able to rival her, and that... was a risk that was not able to happen. Which meant that this deciding action was all the more important, to not only discover the truth, but to end him in the one time they had the, on the possibility that this chance never came again...

These were the final moments, of the first battle that could be won.

[1091 words]

As the man readied his attack, Strafe could tell he was starting to slow down a bit. Knowing Solstice, she wouldn't be down for long, so all he had to do was keep him busy. As the man lunging, Strafe prepared to reveal one of his techniques that the Mizukage had not yet seen. However, in the blink of an eye, Solstice appeared before him, intercepting the attack. Her glove, a powerful weapon he knew well, neutralized the attack. A kick sent the man flying, followed by a simple call of Strafe's name. He couldn't help but feel rage pulse through his bones. He looked up and jumped as high as his body would take him. On the way up, he focused chakra in his hands. Snow and a field of ice circled his body like a living snowstorm as he flew up towards his opponent, who started to decent.

The Chakra Scapels on his hands were dangerous, and he reserved his use special occasions such as this. He would grab the man with both hands, one on each thigh. Would he connect, this would surely mess up his legs to a considerable degree. Should he be successful, he would then spin in mid air, throwing him further up as Strafe shot back to the ground. Momaru jumped in silently and caught his friend. "Make him pay Solstice" Was the only words he had left. The man had not even begun to see what the three of them are capable of. Between the the three, there was no man that they feared.

[265 words]

Strafe Chakra:

[In another Time, at another place, something was preparing to move.]

A faceless figure, standing tall mounted an equestrienne being looking back at those he was near, he knew that one of their followers had made a sleight, the boy was a fool to think that he would be able to fight the Mizukage on his own, no matter how skilled he was. A smile crossed his face, for once, it seemed, the tides of the battle were where they were supposed to be. Looking to his master for commands however, he was dismayed that he would be sent to aid his compatriot. And lo, once again that dark sensation hit the pit of the warriors' stomach... He thought about how long it had been that he had fought in the wars of other men whom he had no allegiance to. He thought about how long it had been, since he had free will... The answer was always the same, but his master was not someone who would allow the serum placed upon him to wear thin. For that, he would need some outside help. But in a nation like this, with vastly lower numbers, with vastly lower resources, he doubted the strongest of warriors of these countries would stand a candle to the strongest warriors of his own, much larger continent.




Upon his steed the man in red tore through the brush far faster than any other being could possibly match, he was black lightning, stomping through the forest and leaping over rivers, ducking branches as they came one after another with expert finesse as he could feel he was approaching his destination. The presence of his comrade could be felt on the horizon, as smoke rose in the distance. Where there was smoke, there was undoubtedly fire, and the emerald flames of the jade spear were not known for relenting. So it would be that his destination was marked, meaning that it would be but mere moments until he would be upon his unfortunate victims once again. The soul of the horseman had been fragmented one to many times, splintered into nothing as no opponent or enemy hoped to match him while he was on the back of his horse... as he rode deeper the lights dancing beyond him only seemed to get brighter and brighter as he broke the forest wall into an opening, pulling the reigns of the harnes and kicking to signal his steed to leap!

Ma Chao:

---

Ayakashi watched in awe as her former Sanin leaped high over her, drawing chakra scalpels and beginning to hack at the legs of his opponent, each blow was made with equal parts desperation and equal parts surgical precision. Ayakashi could feel the chakre within her boiling, waiting for the chance to be able to leap in once again and deliver her finishing blow. But even in the air she could see the movements of the opponent were apparent. Though he had no control of his destination, he was moving his body some-what in the air. He was angling himself to avoid the worst of Strafe's blows, not taking the blades to the long thick arteries in his legs and instead receiving severe flesh wounds in their place which would bleed slowly due to their depth. Giving the man much more time to organize his retreat. As Momaru jumped to catch the ninja and pull him away from what came next, Ayakashi hurled her Fuma shuriken for the inevitable destination of her opponent, her strength pushing it faster and harder, allowing it to arrive far before the man would hit the ground.

-Then the transition. -

The Mizukage would appear at his destination, the fiery pulse of chakra in her fist radiating like a living sun as it was ready to be plunged into the assassin's chest. Nothing survived the pulse of the demon ice venom, jounin from konoha wearing legendary armour had met their end from the strike. Powerful men and women had attempted to overthrow her position in the past, and been unable to push past the terrifying wave of what was yet to come. The blue star in her arm shot forward on its interception path as Ayakashi gave out a roar of victory...! To be met by a flash of light, blinding to behold. Stafe would lose track of Ayakashi as the light seemed to drown out all sound and all movement for the moments that it had occurred. Only proving to cover what would transpire, the roar of Ayakashi would be drastically cut short, and no pulse of corruptping ice would spread over the land...

[something quite different would occur.]

As the bright light dimmed Ayakashi would be a dozen meters away from the battle, a rock that she had slammed into shattered by the force in which she was thrown and ice spread out around her, having missed with her technique considerably as she staggered back up to her feet, wiping blood away from her lips as she looked to the intruder of the combat. Shining brilliantly, with the wielder of the jade spear laying unconscious on the back of his horse, was another man in red cloth, but also adhorned with golden armour depicting dragons from a foreign land. Another spear in his hand, but seemingly more of a weapon intended for mounted combat rather than martial prowess. The horse he rode on however, was a sight to behold. An Ebony black war-horse far larger than the ones they had been used to, saddled in royal purples, reds and golds. Intelligence and wisdom even twinkling in its eye with equal portions of fury, might and pride. The chakra of the man upon it would rival that of Ayakashi's but, even more worrying, the chakra of that of the steed... seemed to be oddly congruent.

Looking back at the man on the rear of the horse, seeing the wounds that were upon him, the mounted fighter looked to Strafe and Ayakashi, thusting his spear in their direction as he prepared a declaration.

"Follow us not today leader of this lands warriors, and take this time to prepare for what is next to come, In your state, you could not hope to stand against myself and hexmark. It is not my mission this day to claim your life, but my situation will compel me to should you force my hand. Heed my words and take my warnings. You will need all of your strength and allies if you are to defeat us. May you go with the speed of your gods! And live well, while you are still able... ... ..."

With his good-byes, as Ayakashi prepared an attack, Chakra exploded from the Horse and the warrior was gone, his cargo in tow. Leaving the battle-ground around them as the only evidence of their combat. Ayakashi looked around, listening for any signs of their return, but none came nor would come no matter how long they waited... The only sounds that came were the heavy bounding sounds of white paws on dirt as Bai, the white Tiger of the Mizukage charged head-first into the arena, roaring with warning pre-emptively towards an opponent that had already left. Ayakashi found it humorous at the nature of both Strafes and her own companions, but, it seemed for now, that the two of them were safe. Ayakashi and Strafe had taken their fair share of damage. But she was certain, that she would have been far worse off, should her former Sanin have not been here to help her. Standing up, Ayakashi used changeling to support her weight in its bo-staff form as she moved forward to check if strafe was okay. While needing some medical attention herself.

"Strafe, how fares you...? I feel like I've been smacked by a boulder... But, in other news... It looks to me like we have our work cut out for us... huh?"

She spoke with a feint smile, waiting for his initial reply, before pulling out a scroll with a symbol on it, the symbol was a simple one. It was the basic sealing technique, placed upon a scroll of parchment which she happened to keep on her person. After listening to everything strafe had to say, she would pause, promising that she would answer all of his questions in a moment, but first:

"Would I be right in assuming that you're here, returning to the village hidden in the mist for good? Never to leave my loyalty again? Short of any other reason, I doubt that you would set foot here... and plus, I need your help, I don't think I can do this alone, and, you'll need this... again." Once again Ayakashi would await his reply, should he agree, she would present him with the scroll, the weapon sealed within it, would be familiar to Strafe, Raikiri, one of the legendary seven swords of the mist, and a powerful ally in combat. Aya wanted her cousin back... No...

she needed her cousin back.

[2300]

[all jutsu trained for pet. 3000/3000 (for 3 A ranks.)]

Strafe didn't manage to land quite where he wanted to with his attacks, but regardless he was done fighting as an equal with Solstice. Strafe landed softly because of his longtime friend jumping in to help. Momaru's face showed pride as they quickly met eyes before Mormaru found the Staff of the Hurricane and raced over to it, allowing Strafe to jump off and pick it up. He saw the large shuriken fly and the Mizukage activate some sort of jutsu. Blinding light glowed around her until she was obscured from vision. Until she wasn't, sent flying to the side by a man that rushed in on a black horse. Momaru let out a low growl and Strafe clenched his staff as he eyed the man's own weapon. Strafe and Momaru were at the Mizukage's side in seconds as the man pointed his weapon and spoke. His way of speaking was odd and he thought quite a bit of himself from the sound of it. Strafe was obviously the weakest person on the battlefield and it made him question how well he could fight the man before him.

Strafe glanced over to see Solstice preparing an attack as the man finished. Strafe looked back to see chakra explode from around the beautiful beast and then they both were gone. Momaru looked to him and nodded, signalling that they were indeed gone. Strafe immediately turned to his Kage with a worried expression, but he was distracted by a tiger running into the clearing with a mighty roar. Momaru immediately moved in front of Strafe before realizing it that it was the Mizukage's companion. Momaru bowed with respect to the creature, deciding to walk over and explain what had happened. Strafe looked to his Mizukage, immediately activating the Advanced Recovery Method and sending it's aura to Solstice. It would immediately start healing her, which would also make her glow icy blue as well. "I'm okay besides a few minor things. Nothing that needs immediate attention. You however should be feeling better any second."

Her comment that they had work ahead was so true. "I am embaressed by how much stronger he was. I will become stronger, that I promise you Solstice. The next time we meet them, I will be better than him." He spoke honestly as he thought back to the battle. If Solstice had not been there to save him, there is a chance he could have died. He looked down and sighed before noticing the scroll that held his once familiar weapon. His sword of the mist, marking his rightful place in the seven swordsmen of the mist. He couldn't believe his eyes, his expected a lot of things from today, but this was not one of them. Solstice then asked a question he knew was coming, was he here to for good? Was he a part of kiri again? Of course he was going to say yes. He wouldn't have came here for any other reason. He started to tear up at the last section of her sentence. "Dear Cousin, I'm here to stay and I am here to help you however I can. I'm so sorry this is happening, but you do not carry this burden alone. I promise my loyalty to Kirigakure and you once more." He bowed slightly before accepting the scroll and storing it away safely. "Now that the official stuff is over, I wanted to say i'm sorry for leaving. It didn't work out and now i'm just glad you still want me here. I won't ever do anything like this again. That's a promise too." He couldn't bare the thought of her fighting alone against people this strong. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her again. Not like last time, no never again.

Strafe couldn't help but also wonder what just happened. Who was the guy that attacked them and why did he attack? "Solstice, now that i am back, can I ask who that was and why he attacked us? Is there anything else I need to know about?" He didn't like asking these questions, but he didn't particularly want to get caught with his pants down again. The warriors were opportunistic, so he needed to be aware at all times. He just hoped that there were only two of them.

Word Count: 744 + 265 = 1009

Strafe Chakra:

[Aya felt something hit deep in the pit of her stomach]

She didn't want to regail him with the falure of everything she had to deal with so far, but with all of her other duties surrounding her, there was little else she was able to do. Strafe was one of the best medical ninja in the world, if not THE best, bound by blood he was one of the few people in the world that she knew she could honestly trust not to spill information to others. The Mizukage sighed in relief when the healing palms were pressed against her. A wash of pulsing healing chakra satiating her burns and cracked bones. While she allowed herself to be healed for some time, she thought about what she was going to say to her cousin. She didn't want to throw this burden on his shoulders, she knew that were she to ask, he would gladly accept any weight she would place upon him, yet still, she hesitated.

"There have been... complications, with the Daimyo... The boy, or the boy's advisor, doesn't believe I'm fit for service any longer... Those men who left, are but two of the assassins that have been being sent to me over the past few months in order to ensure that I'm stood down... for good. But now, with you here, I hope to start moving against them once again. I'd begun to have a foot-hold but with Dameon, Yuzu and Gin not here currently, I've been handling it on my own..."

Ayakashi stood after her healing, motioning her head back to the village, it was time for the two of them to go... They had a lot to catch up on and training to accomplish. Bai watching Momaru all the while as he hadn't seen many other ninja with combat pets quite like himself. He wondered where he had come from and how he had come to be in the service of another human. While Aya was just happy that she was still able to walk.

"We need to put men on watch at the Daimyo Compound.... but everything I tell you on the way home, you must swear to me, is said to no-one other than those I have personally approved of. A head on conflict would assure the mutual destruction of the village and the Daimyo... certainly. We have to do this quietly, and announce it afterwards. "

With that, Aya began to make her way back home with strafe, there was planning to be done, and Aya thought she had an idea of how to do it... ... ... There was a new ninja in town who no doubt was looking for something to be able to do. And no doubt a favor from the Mizukage she would find difficult to decline.

Her name was Shitai...

[exit thread]

:)

(we can move onto the next one.)

Strafe listened as Solstice explained the recent happenings of the village. It seemed like another enemy had risen and threatened the village. Sad that it was the Daimyo, or his clique, but he was an enemy nonetheless. Apparently, the two men were assassins of immense strength whose purpose was to make sure Solstice didn't become a bigger problem. Strafe grimaced as Solstice described the absense of all her high ranking ninja. Where did they go? He had fought alongside Yuzu against the Kraken, knew Dameon personally from a mission long ago, and Gin was as legendary a person as their was. He didn't think all three would stay away for this long, and it only worsened his guilt.

The Mizukage then gestured that it was time to leave. Strafe couldn't agree more, as he was long overdue for reunion with his home. He couldn't wait to see the familiar buildings and even his own house. This moment was one that he had thought about for many hours. Solstice then mentioned that everything that she said on the way home was confidential. She explained the consequences of this information getting out, to which Strafe nodded. "You have my word, your ears will be the only ears that hear me talk about this." He spoke earnestly, he didn't really want his village to be at war once again. A quiet and efficient approach was preferable. She would then start the track back to the village, to which Strafe followed closely behind. He could also hear the padding of paws behind him, meaning Momaru was along for the ride. It was time to go home.

[Exit Thread]

Word Count: 277 + 1009 = 1286