He was right
"An unbridled flame"
---------
It was hard to imagine that twelve months ago, she would have refused to believe those words. That, back then, she would deny them. Try to fight them. Waste breath, arguing again and again against all of them. How the Sotsuji female would swear that
'she wasn't like that'. She 'wouldn't hurt anyone' [/i]because it wasn't who she was
. 'I promise. She would say
Please believe me. Please...' But that person who she was.... was gone. Stuck in the past. In that different time. In that different place. In that slowly fading space in the back of her mind. That suffocating little ember from back then stayed in the
burning forest while the rest moved forward to stand before him now. Holding her own as an
unbridled flame. Raw and exposed daringly dancing her way down along the line to the fuel littered floor. Staring him down from behind the mask with those glowing tangerine eyes and heat waves rippling across her slightly reddened, tanned skin.
But oh yes, almost a year ago now everything was different. Everything had been holding her back. Her fear of what she knew and didn't know. Fear of herself, fear of them... of her fate and the world she was trapped under. But now, here in this moment... in this second the only thing standing in her way was Kenji Chikara. And that was
not allowed to happen any more.
Every move she made, came as easy and as effortlessly as her next breath. The perfectly performed pirouette that sent the wave of scorching heat, rolling off the woman's leg like water over the shoreline. The swift shift of momentum that propelled her after it. She was so completely focused on him... on the chakra that bloomed in her hands and the fleet footsteps tracing their line to him, that she almost missed it. Those words taunting her as she ran. The mocking tone telling her that she was
too slow for him. That she wasn't
good enough for the Kumogakure Sanin
. Perhaps, even now she
might have believed him too had she not witnessed the male's folly as he seemingly tripped up mere moments after he spoke, and was about to fall over, giving the Sotsuji the easy option to end this fight sooner than she had expected when.... when....
Nothing. Everything stopped.
Her focus was shattered. Broken. Gone. Done.
What....
What happened? How?
Time slowed as her mind raced over time to keep up.
Think. Concentrate. What happened? Her attack had been
flawless. Tenmei could recall the orb had partially formed in one hand, while the other coiled back for the unforgiving blow. Feet moving as fast as the wind that she chased, her heart beating a little faster with every centimeter that she drove closer. But then something caught her attention. Caused her to hesitate. He fell. Yes, that was it. But there was something else. He changed. In the space between those quietly passing seconds, something about him altered. And
that was when things turned. In that one tiny fleeting moment, the Sotsuji's attention shifted enough so that her resolve trembled. Leaving her wide open. Open enough to get caught by a tree that had
clearly not been there before. And just like that she was trapped. Unable to move. Unable to grab for her sword. But not even this could stop her panic fueled chakra from exploding out of her being with a fierce roar that echoed through out the prison hallways. Tearing though the '
tree' and scattering what was left of the scarred corpses that littered the ground. Nothing directly around her would be left untouched by the scorched wind..... well. Everything but the tree.... which disappeared a moment later.
What the hell is going on?
The thought barely crossed her mind as time cruelly resumed it's normal pace just as the first bullet of lighting shot straight for the female's feet, illuminating every darkened corner for a mere moment before colliding with the newly cleared ground. Throwing up stone dust and gravel in to the already smoky air; raising an arm to protect her face was all the female could do to protect herself against it's carnage. But there was
nothing that she could do to defend against the next that pierced straight through the lingering shadows of the first and struck the female hard in the forearm.... At least, that is what it looked like... That was what was supposed to have happened. But instead, she was simply gone. Replace by heavily charred torso of a deceased blacksmith with nothing but a puff of smoke..... and the suddenly chilling feeling of
possibly not knowing where she would end up. Where would she appear.....
"You were wrong. Kenji Chikara" It didn't matter if he saw her movements. It wouldn't matter if he reacted fast enough. Within that same moment the kunoichi would appear behind him with her twin bladed dagger poised at the steadily pulsing artery. Not quite touching. Not too hot. Just... there. So only the thought, the presence, and the quiet crackled words would brush against his skin.
"In the forest that day. You told me that they wouldn't blame me. That they would forgive me. Even after all I had done" She would say, her position whatever it may be, holding firm.
"They were lies. All lies. I was stupid. Thinking that those Kiri could forgive me after I marred their home and scarred their people. That Konoha could simply forget how I fought their Kage and threatened to burn down their forest. I am forever grateful that you saved me from back then but perhaps it was better for me to have burned with the rest of them" If everything had gone to plan, the female would slowly draw the weapon closer. Only so it's obsidian tip would press against the skin but not drawing blood. At least not yet.
"It doesn't matter right now. Listen to me. Your Kage has crossed the line. Imprisoning Kirigakure citizens just for being in this country. Making demands and unreasonable threats for what? Because one of his own people turned tail and walked away on their own accord. I may have done things that I am not proud of and I will face punishment for it but these people have no right to be held by some bitter child in charge of a country. I will give you one last chance Kenji Chakara, sanin of Kumogakure. Right the wrongs of this so called leader and see those people to safety, or I will give another country another reason to not forgive me" The land hidden in the clouds had taken a lot from her. They took the people she once called family. They took the oppprtunity for her to make this place a home.... and most of all, worst of all.... they took away the last person that she was close to. Her one last remaining friend.
Whatever his choice, he was dealing with a dangerous person. Someone who had nothing left to lose and would go out and take
everything.
-------------
Words: 1207- Chakra 160/250:
Name: Heat Repulsion
Canon/Custom: Custom
Rank: B
Type: Offensive/ Defensive
Element: Katon/ Fuuton
Range: 2m
Specialty: Taijutsu
Duration:1
Cooldown: 7
Description:
The user rapidly accelerated the burning potential in their bodies causing a huge heated wind distortion around them, capable of knocking someone back forcefully as well as defending against up to B rank techniques and dealing third degree burns to people in the immediate area. Though as the user accelerates their heat so quickly, even for themselves, they receive tender first degree burns over 1/2 their own body which heal in approximately one hour.
Name[/b]: Subtitution Technique (変わり身の術 ~ Kawarimi no Jutsu)
Canon/Custom: Canon
Rank: E
Type: Supplementary
Element: N/A
Range: N/A
Specialty: None
Duration: 1 post
Cooldown: 5 post
Description: With this technique, a ninja replaces moves at high speed and switches with a nearby object at the exact moment an attack lands. This creates an optical illusion, making the enemy think the attack was successful; experienced ninja can even make it appear that their Substitution is bleeding. From this, the user can use the lapse in the enemy's attention to attack or flee from the battlefield. Explosive tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise. It's a basic ninjutsu even taught at the Academy, but it's a useful art that can be applied in variety of situations.