Ryu had seemingly moved faster than Kei could expect, as now his right hand would snatch the thread aimed for his neck while his left was doing the same for the one meant for his waist, leaving his right arm and leg captured.  Shit, he could already tell that with his movement already he wouldn't be able to fully be able to resist Ryu's next move, and could only hope the bottom of his hand would connect so he can begin to try to gain some distance from the man before he can react in a brutal manner. Frankly, he had never even really heard of a drunken boxing style, but he didn't want to begin experiencing it first-hand in such a short span of time, not until he can actually begin focusing on ruining Ryu's balance and stand somewhat of a chance. That is, if he could stand a chance.

As Kei closed the distance, Ryu would suddenly yank on the cords with both of his hands, pulling the patchwork male in at a faster speed than before, causing him to lose his balance and leaving him open for a counter, which is exactly what happened. As the cords slacked and his fist flew through the loose strands of Ryu's hair, the man would seemingly be a blur, shifting down and back upwards, the top of his head slamming hard against Kei's jaw, making his head lean backwards and upwards as the cords would release, returning to him as he would be lifted off the ground by the impact, knocking him backwards and eliminating his momentum. When he landed on the ground, he would land on his back, lying flat on his back as his lower jaw had begun to bruise, though thankfully it wouldn't be seen due to the dark purple skin, but it would still hurt badly, with his lower jaw throbbing in pain along with some of his teeth, as they closed hard on each other.

As he laid there, momentarily stunned and feeling the hard hit's effect on him, he would see the fierce gaze of Ryu meet his own pained glare. He would hear the man ask him where his resolve is, reminding him that he lives in a village ruled by the corrupt and filled with the desperate, with the very act of walking alone at night being a possible death sentence. He gave him the option of either being strong enough to survive it and leave it behind or be more, repeating Kei's earlier comment about him, asking him if he understands his conviction before declaring how he refuses to bow down before this flawed world, declaring his refusal to stand by as another mother and child hold their dying father over a pocket full of coins or corrupt shinobi abusing their power for sport. With his refusal to turn a blind eye, he would ask Kei if he would, if he would see the suffering around him and do nothing, and that if he wishes to be a man in Ryu's eyes he needs to rise up, to summon his courage and rage at everything wrong in this world and to scream out, to attack Ryu, ignoring the pain and fight on, no matter what.

To show him his will.

There was a rising anger within Kei as the pain courses through him, a temporary hatred that was formed in the moment, with such a hatred being something that would be directed toward Ryu. He would lie there, flat on his back, glaring at Ryu, his teeth gritting as his face pointed towards the sky, and his arms would be at his sides, with one leg up and another one lying fly down. "Fuck.. you." He would say through gritting teeth as he began struggling to get up, attempting to fight through the throbbing pain. For a singular strike, this hurt a lot more than he had faced in the past in other fights. Ryu was certainly a heavy hitter. With this strike having still made Kei himself trying to regain a sense of his surroundings, he would be attempting to shift positions from rising up to kneeling before Ryu.

He would begin to attempt to stand up. "I'll become strong, and I'll take out every corrupt shinobi there is, and anyone that ever preyed on the weak after that. No matter what happens, I refuse to stay down 'till I wipe them all out. Bring it, Ryu!" He would declare while getting to his feet, his right foot having attempted to slide behind Ryu's right leg as he spoke, and his right hand attempting to push itself directly against Ryu's chest, making an attempt to push the other male back and possibly knock him temporarily off-balance. He would follow it up by spinning around once, his left leg raised and his foot shooting out towards Ryu's chest should the attempted trip work out, aiming to kick the man in the chest.

Wc 843

Twc 843

Ryu would watch the young man laying on his back. He could sense rage there. A flooding thing that threatened to drown Ryu if he wasn't careful. The distance between them was surely not great. Both in actual space and skill. The difference was that Ryu had to fight every day to keep from bleeding in a gutter. Every venture for food or capitol a threat to face an encounter. Even sleeping was a risk. In a way Ryu had spent his entire adult life so far in a war zone played behind the scenes. One the village had the comfort of ignoring. This boy though did not appear to have risen from a place of comfort. He didn't look like normal people so if Ryu had to put a guess out there that there was something more to it, he would bet on it. However there was something more to it than that. Something like a hidden power dwelling deep within this kid. Sleeping there. If he could awaken it for the young one he wondered how it would move within the village. Would it protect those who needed it or destroy anything in its path to greatness? He had no doubt given the time and training, this boy would surpass him.

A small fuck you was muttered from that glare. To that Ryu clicked his teeth as he was pulled from such thoughts. His own inner beast stirring. He knew not to let it loose lest he put this boy in the hospital or worse the morgue. His drunken chakra was not something he was willing to use against someone he wanted to remain alive and healthy. Last time he had touched it that dark thing had ruined him as well as three other boys. A relentless presence awaiting within him he refused to unleash. Everyone had their demons but Ryu had reached out once and let his take over. Rage was a blinding thing and it had cost him everything. He would not allow it this time. However Kei was struggling to rise up. Moving slowly from the blow he just received. Hardly an ache on the back of Ryu's thick skull but one that he could feel all the same. He had clocked the kid in the chin pretty good. No wonder he was pissed. But that was fine. Come sparring it was natural to be driven to anger.

The kid spoke then. How he would grow strong enough. Strong enough to take out the corrupt, strong enough to take out the vindictive. Most of all a solemn swear that he would be strong enough never to be knocked down and stay down. It was a solid conviction. Pride or no it was a thing this one intended to live up to. Ryu would just have to make sure the kid lived through it. He didn't want to see a good person like this one become a martyr. Still a leg sweep was surprising. However instead of avoiding it the sweep caught ryu hard and shifted him as did the palm to his chest. For the moment it appeared Kei was getting the upper hand. However Ryu had warned him about the dangers of fighting drunken boxing. Even as Ryu fell his hand slammed down to the ground as if to slow his fall. However instead he lifted his other foot as Kei moved forward and slammed it out in a straight kick to attempt to kick off the kids chest from such a strange angle hard enough to kick dust off both his feet and the kids clothes if he succeeded. Using the kick to not only push Kei back but push over his arm in a somersault and land on his feet again a couple more feet back. Grinning at Kei as he did.

"You're gonna take them out? And who will stand by you right now? What can you change by yourself? You wanna start somewhere? Start here. Start in the slums and you start takin on those who prey on the weak because they too are not strong. You take down all the punk as bitch shits you can as you grow. Until you can take me down, you can't do shit to the main village or the western slums."

724

Kei was pleased with how his attack was going. Looking back on it, it wasn't exactly the smartest move to use in the heat of the moment, but honestly, it was either that or to keep thinking on what to do, and with his lack of experience thinking too much on a single thing would entail losing focus on the task at hand, which in turn could lead to him getting destroyed as well. To his surprise, he would get a taste of this drunken boxing the gang leader had mentioned previously, as his other foot would kick off of his chest in such an unorthodox manner that he didn't even know it was possible, adding onto the light cloud of dust that came off of his feet and his clothes from the kick as well. He could feel a rib crack slightly, and his chest already beginning to bruise as he was knocked back a meter, with Ryu himself ended up a few more feet farther away than before. Kei himself would fall, landing on the side of his left leg, only for him to try to scramble back to his feet.

He would hear Ryu respond to him, asking in an almost mocking way about him taking them out, and essentially pointing out the lack of people standing by him right now. He would shoot down the idea of him changing things by himself, only to ask if he wants to start somewhere, further telling him to start here, in the slums, where he will start taking on those who prey on the weak because they are not strong either. He will take down all of these little bitch shits as he can while he grows, and until he can take him down, he can't do shit to the main village or the western slums. "The hell was that move? I've never seen anyone move like that." He would respond with, still taken off guard by Ryu's attack, which had left him breathing more heavily than before, with the bruising making each breath hurt slightly. His left arm would be holding onto his chest, while he was slumped over for a few moments.

Actually, now that he thought about it, what made the eastern slums so weak in comparison to the western? In comparison to the main, even? What exactly was lurking in those territories that posed such a threat? "What made the western slums and the main village so dangerous in comparison? What is over there?" He would ask. He originally intended to start out his little crusade in the Eastern slums anyways, though if there is something there that's dangerous enough to make him be told not to go there, bed at least would like some information on what exactly that would be, not to mention that keeping Ryu talking should help him be able to build up some strength. If it weren't the forbidding of techniques within the fight he would have just numbed himself and continued on, but he just had to improvise instead.

If Ryu would respond, Kei would wait a few moments, listening to his response while he continued trying to work the pain down, where then, at the end of Ryu's response, Kei would quickly whip out his right hand, the black threads in between the knuckles of his fingers already loosening, almost as if he was about to make an attempted attack with them once more, but instead this would be just an attempt at a ruse, a distraction of sorts, as he would actually reach outwards with his left, having his threads shoot out of his fingertips, aiming to wrap themselves around the nearest leg of the table, where he would use all of his strength to move it, essentially knocking it over and dragging it towards Ryu, where the piece of furniture would attempt slide over to him, hoping to slam itself against him. Due to the pain of his chest though, Kei had to stop before he could truly make it move towards the gang leader, causing it to fall short and for his arms to wrap over his chest, where he could cough, with some small drops of blood coming up and out of his mouth, where they would land on the ground.

'Dammit.' He would think to himself as he would fight through the pain. He was hoping his symptoms wouldn't appear so soon. It would only be a matter of time before the rest of them would come as well. Wiping the blood from his mouth with his right forearm, he would glare at Ryu. "Well, the sucks." He would merely say, showing a lack of interest in his small coughing fit that had just occurred. Instead, this time, he would detach his right hand, shooting it towards one of the two chairs that fell over from the table, where he would attempt to swing it from where he stood at Ryu, letting it go and allowing it to fly towards his body while Kei's right hand would withdraw, attempting to return to his right arm.

Wc 862

Twc 1705

Ryu would shift as he rose to his feet expecting Kei to already be charging right up on his ass. Truthfully he didn't see that he was going a little hard on the boy. While the kick was meant to be a solid one he for one was never good at judging the differences in power unless there was a huge margin. To him he was only more experienced than Kei was. More used to combat. He didn't consider himself physically superior by much. So when Kei wasn't rushing at him with a battle cry he was a little surprised. Instead he saw Kei getting to his feet a little slumped over and holding his ribs. For a moment guilt took a hold of Ryu as he realized how hard he was going on the boy. He didn't like bullies towards people that didn't have it coming so it was a sad moment for him to see himself in that light. He would let out a sigh and lower his guard as he ran his right hand through his hair. Brushing it back until he heard Kei speak. Questioning what that movement was just now. Something he had learned as a young kid and practiced even as an adult. His clan may have stricken him from memory but his was still clear.

"That was an example of drunken boxing. Giving ground at times that would appear damaging and advantageous to our opponents only to turn it on them. Your leg sweep and shove had actually caught me off guard and was good but those who practice this martial art specialize in falls and trips being turned into counters. Simply put I shifted my balance with the fall and used you as a shove off point to control the end result of the movement I didn't voluntarily start."

It was then that Kei would move onto another question. Commenting a curiosity as to why the western slums and the main village were so dangerous. It was an odd question to Ryu, especially regarding the main village, but he assumed that given Kei likely wasn't local to the west side or its borders he might not know of it. People didn't like talking about it after all lest it draw unwanted attention. Still Ryu would turn his eyes to the west. Contemplating what was there and the one king he had met. The woman who was so beyond his power he couldn't dream at this point of laying a finger on her. If all the kings were like her he would be in for a struggle. If only Kei would join him and help him grow, then he would have a chance. He spoke then, not paying enough attention to his opponent mid spar as he should have. Forgetting that Kei was still trying to hit him.

"The main village speaks for itself. Throwing its weight around. Those corrupt in office having allies within the shinobi. One can't force obedience to station without the threat of enforcement being clear and present. I assume they have a collective of powerful enforcers not to mention the village on the pay roll. As for the west side. It's controlled by four gangs. The four kings in a constant war over that entire half of the slums. Each one powerful as a Jounin or more so. In the east rarely do you find someone who even knows what chakra is but rumors have it every soldier on the western side knows jutsu. To step onto that battlefield as we are is suic---"

Ryu would see movement out of the corner of his eye and duck back as black threads and fingertips shot across in front of his face. His eyes shifting to Kei as he considered this a chance to continue. If Kei was attacking he was ready. However the sound of a table dragging quickly caught him from behind. He shifted and prepared to move only to see it drop. He could hear Kei coughing as he glanced to him. Blood was there in the cough. He could see it and smell it. The table coming up short of him. Had he truly been so rough with the boy? Ryu would frown and realize that not everyone had to suffer to achieve power as he had. They had time for the moment. Still he would duck down as a chair flew over his head. His two knives on the floor now. With a sigh he would glance at Kei as he retracted his right hands while Ryu kept in mind the left hand was still open. He would step away from those threads and speak again.

"You need me to call a medic? Med nins around here aren't fantastic but they got the basics. Just too scared of actual combat to be a shinobi and too broke to gain influence enough to work in the hospitals. I myself wouldn't mind a smoke break."

1565

Before he performed his move, he would be instructed on drunken boxing, giving ground at times that appeared damaging or advantageous only to turn it on their opponent. This was actually... really useful. It basically is a strong counter-based martial art, from what he's been told, something which in its own unpredictable way as a sort of genius behind it. It was something that would keep making the opponent have to guess what was going to happen next and throw them off of what they're used to using, just like how he himself was caught off guard with his own attempted attack, which Ryu said was good and that it caught him off guard. Those that practice Drunken Boxing however will have the advantage with it, as they specialize in falling tripping being turned into counters, and this was shown when he shifted his balance, using him as a shove off point. A sound move, indeed.

The gang leader also began to speak on the main village and the western slums, with the main village speaking for itself through throwing its weight around and the corrupt in office having allies within the Shinobi. He'd mention the impossibility of forcing obedience without the threat of enforcement, and that he assumed they held a collective of powerful enforcers on the pay roll, while the west side is controlled by four gangs, whom of which are in a constant war with one another, each one being powerful as a Jounin. In the east they can rarely find someone who knows what chakra is, but the west has all the soldiers knowing jutsu. As he would further speak however, the table would finally move, seeming interrupting the man, and then the whole scene with Kei coughing up blood would occur as well, preventing the attack from going anywhere decent.

Even as he avoided the chair, Ryu seeming was concerned enough for Kei to offer calling a medic, even though the medical nins around here aren't fantastic, only knowing the basics. Just that they're too scared of actual combat to be a Shinobi and too broke to work in the hospitals, with he himself not minding a smoke break. "It's nothing, really. I'm a medical nin myself, tried every test possible on me, but I couldn't figure out what it was. It's the same deal my mom has, that's all I know for sure, but unlike her I think the fact I have threads in my body helps me still be able to move around. Go ahead and smoke, I'm gonna need a few moments." He would say once more as he would begin to cough, coughing up more blood. Honestly, it was one of the few things he was thankful to his father for in regards to this condition. It possibly could have saved his life, or at least extend it somewhat. Either way, he knew what coughing up blood usually means, and what will happen when those that do so run out of time. He just plans to last for a couple of years and at least be useful before wasting out.

He would sit down as Ryu had seemingly begun his smoke break. "All I know about it is that it affects the chakra. My mom has it and I showed signs of it when I was younger, couldn't control my chakra or anything. My dad made me what I am right now before he left, but I guess it didn't fix it entirely. Probably bought me a few years, though she's had a fever for the better part of them." He would begin as he looked away for a few moments, sitting there with his knees bent upwards and his arms laying on them, the dull pain in his chest remaining present thanks to the coughing, and his lower jaw still hurting like a bitch. He honestly would be lying if he said that he wasn't scared of it, of possibly waking up dead one day. It was something he would give his soul to fight against, and that's why he wasn't angry at his dad for what he did. Some others he heard about that had a similar condition didn't last beyond the academy, and he and his mother were lucky enough to have done so. But how long will it be until that luck runs out?

"Anyways, I still want to fight, coughing blood or not, after you're done with that smoke break, I still want to continue. Like you said, I'm not nearly strong enough for the Western Slums and the Main area, right? I want to bring them all down, so I can't waste time moaning over some sort of flu. If I did, I shouldn't have bothered coming here in the first place." He would begin as he stood up, dusting off his clothing before wiping his arm, trying to rub away from of the leftover blood. "You said the main had their own Shinobi, right? Well I'm hoping I can join your group and fight against that. You said I need people to stand by me, so if you can look past my sickness, I'd like to join in and put the scum in their places." He would essentially request of Ryu, hoping he'd accept. Frankly, he's wanted to be a reliable pillar for the gang leader to lean on in times of need, someone that he can see as of use. This was Kei's means of aiming to get a sense of purpose in his life, not to mention that he had been beginning to look up to the gang leader, despite his own dislike of gangs in general.

Wc 973

Twc 2678

[learned vocal ignition]

2678/2500

Ryu would listen for a moment as the kid explained something akin to a genetic disease of some sort. Either way he was a medic himself so paying that pocket full of cash up to one of the hypocritical healing bastards that wouldn't save a dying puppy they just ran over with a meat wagon twelve times in a row without cash in hand just wasn't necessary. Still he was partially responsible to leading up to the situation at hand. Still it seemed the threads in his body helped him move about sufficiently. Ryu wasn't sure what would lead such a person to become a shinobi and probably die in a battle field but he wasn't one to judge. After all when it came to impossible goal setting he wasn't just the topping on the cake himself. He was the frosting salesman. Still he would dig into his pants pocket and pull out a pack of smokes. His eyes looking over the boy as he pulled out a Newport and stuck it between his lips. Putting the pack away as he sparked from his index finger some raiton chakra and lit it. Taking a deep drag as the sparks faded away.

Still as the young man described how his threads kept him mobile and alive Ryu would stick his toe under one of the toppled chairs and flip it up onto its legs before planting his rear on it. Sitting backwards on the chair with his arms crossed over the back rest and his legs on either side. The kids mom having a fever the better part of his life left Ryu with his own guesses about the lifestyle choice. Probably some effort to raise his financial level through the only job that really accepted kids. Something to keep paying for a roof and medicine and maybe there was more to it. Medical schooling was usually expensive unless someone went to Iwa. A shinobi however had access to all the medical jutsu. However that theory struck an interesting cord. If this kids mother was still around...was he going to leave her behind when he tried to leave? Maybe She had passed at some point but he wasn't using any past tense terminology. Certainly was a darker side to the kid than he had imagined. Ryu wouldn't hold it against him obviously. His own parents had disowned him a long time ago. Probably dead by now.

Still his right hand would lift to ash his smoke before he would click his tongue against his teeth as the kid spoke again. His eyes shifting to the smoke and then back to the kid. He went on to state that he wouldn't give in simply because of some flu. However his eyebrows would raise as he heard the kid offer to join him. He would grin and speak up at that. His words carrying casually. "Well aren't I just the king of fools." With that he would sigh and stretch a little before rising from his chair. Taking another drag from his cigarette before looking at the young man. Ryu would sigh before his free hand rubbed the back of his head. Speaking wasn't really his greatest pro about him. The kid certainly had balls though. The idea of taking down corruption in the main village was even further than the west side was. He still had to conquer the eastern block. Still he would grin as a thought occurred to him. Speaking once more in a casual tone but with some mischief in it.

"Actually a man from Iwa once taught me a taijutsu that might be more beneficial to you than it was to me. Pay attention kid and let me know if its something that might interest you yeah?"

With that Ryu would smile and place his Newport between his lips and free up his right hand. He held it up for a moment. His hand simply held open in the air before chakra began to gather over his right hand. A small bit or a blue swirl before his right hand was entirely coated in blue chakra. With that he closed all but his index finger and focused all that chakra into a single point. The blue chakra shifting to the tip of his finger and shining there. With that done he would shift his hand over to the chair he just rose from and simply tap the top of chair. The chakra would blast out and rip the chair in half. Sending both halves flying across the roof to slam into the raised portion. The ground beneath the chair cracked slightly as he grinned an looked to Kei. His eyes studying the young man hoping to have impressed him. Not a mark left on Ryu though his grin made him seem like a child proud of having destroyed something.

"So this is something people in Iwa learned to do I guess. Taijutsu is a big thing there. There is a couple other moves but that one is the one I figure is useful to you. All your offensive power can just be shifted to a single touch you know? Tip of your finger just decimating. With your threads I figure that's dangerous as fuck. You try it man. So how I learned it, you gotta focus your chakra into your hand or foot right? Then you Shift it into whatever part of your hand is gonna touch and all that chakra just bursts out and decimates anything on the other side. Lets see here, not too attached to that table anymore and to be honest I jacked it out of a yard sale. You destroy that table and I will let you join me. How bout that?"

2536
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1875/1875 Perception C - C-3