Making his way through the grave stones of those long since passed as there were even members from his academy class in this group of dead bodies. He was meant to meet with her here in a time when unrest ruled the lands as people had became nervous with the prospect of war.

The first war that happened in his life had created many disasters and an opportunity to get stronger as he had met many great warriors, like Nanashi from the hidden earth. To the fateful encounter with the legendary White Star training him in the arts of fuuinjutsu.

In all the years that he had trained he understood only one thing and that was that he was truly weak. He had grown stronger over the years and knew only five people he felt he could not beat, although he felt that way for different reasons.

The first person was Ayakashi, who no matter how strong he had become seemed to be in a place which he could never reach. An unattainable power like that of the Goddess, but having been looking up to her all this time he never understood her true power other than when she supposedly died in the Seven Bells War. It was at that time he learned that she was not unbeatable, and that he would need to become stronger to match her.

The second person was Gin, who adopted him into her family. She was known as Shinobu in public and was close with another man who was on a level beyond him. Gin was once known as the strongest shinobi in Kiri, or in a sense she was the strongest physically though rumors were that Ayakashi even took that title away from her after training.

The third person was the one who taught him the special sage arts, the some what comical kage of Kumogakure, Sanosuke and his adopted father. Though at this stage they may have to go to war as the time was drawing near for change to strike upon this world.

The forth person he felt he could not beat was Akira, from the hidden earth. He knew almost nothing about that place and as much as he knew he was strong. The man who ruled the hidden rock Akira had since vanished from power, like a ghost. As if that was not enough even his teacher who was known to be on a level similar to Ayakashi had vanished as well. His teacher known as the White Star had trained him and even saved his life in the Seven Bells War.

However now the new war was going to begin and he would need to reclaim his swords once again to rise above the doubts he had before and become a sword more polished then any other


Words 469

OOC Comment - Hope this was not too short

Ayakashi was about ready to leave the village and be on her way when she passed the graveyard, only to see a face that she recognized, a face of a kirigakure ninja and Sanin of the country. Ayakashi some time ago had thought him dead as one of her Hunter ninja had found the blades Kukan and Sozo adrift, passed on and traded from thief to fence and fence to trader, trader to collector only to be seen and seized by her ninja and returned home after the collector had been assassinated. Ayakashi as always kept the summoning scrolls of the weapons on her at all times, it was the duty of the Mizukage to keep the weapons safe, as the scrolls were the only means to gain the weapons without breaking into the Vault of Kirigakure, a feat that even she had difficulty achieving, and was one of the ways in which she got a good work-out training while she was at her current level of ability... The Sight of Yuzu-Ren was something that even the rushing Mizukage could not spend some time to address.

So, wandering through the cemetery, she would approach him

Raising a hand in a solemn hail she would approach closer, the boy had grown, looking a little older than eighteen now, but his youthful look she felt like was something he was never going to truly escape. Ayakashi remembered him as Gin's adopted child though she had some idea of whom had trained him in his many arts, one of which by her memory was the subject of her great Ire in her present state. Opening her mouth as she approached and exhaling one last time in preporation to talk, Ayakashi looked like she was ready for war. Not having her mask placed upon her belt as she normally did in her casual attire, but on her face with the reverse visor pulled down over her mouth. The hood of the Shroud of the Mizukage was up as Tobiramas armour covered her chest and sides, the tails of the Shroud falling down underneath the armoured tasset of the chestplate to look more like a ceremonial armour than a cloak.

Her hands were clad in her platinum gauntlets and the hilts of three blades could be seen on her person, one, the thunder blade named Raijin, the second, the sword of Kusanagi, the third, changeling. The two disembodied hilts of the chakra blades hung at one hip while changeling was sheathed at her side. A leather harness across her back holding her other equipment like her Sheng Biao, arrow quivver and fuma shuriken, items which the world was yet to truly see. The most of all, Ayakashi didn't look like she was a walking armoury, she looked like she was well equipped for a fight, it sat on her nicely, not encumbering her movement, she barely felt the weight of the items on her person in earnest, but so, she spoke; Yuzu Ren, the Youngest Sanin and swordsman of the mist... It's been some time boy. When I received your blades I thought you dead. Didn't expect to find you walking around the cemetery looking glum... Walk with me, I'm on my way to the border, I'm sure we have much to talk about...

She said, motioning with her head towards the exit of the graveyard. Any trial which he would have to go through to regain his blades would be hell. Nothing like what he had to go through before. He had let them go, that was a serious thing that Ayakashi would have to consider in allowing him to regain them, but, the 7 swords were not a privelage, they were a right awarded to the 7 best swordsmen in the country... Aya could not deny him the blades so long as he remained a citizen of the country...

but as Kage...

She could deny him his citizenry.

The moment he saw her, the look in his eyes became cold and calculating. It was something that his training made him do to address someone who was truly powerful as he bowed his head slightly as he was planning to see her himself.

The main reason she was identifiable was her undeniable presence and the clothing she was wearing was clearly the clothing meant for war as he knew that what was just rumors and information being passed around were of a far greater substance to them. She told him to accompany her as she made her way to the border as he followed near to her side as he blushed a bit. He did not realise how beautiful she really was before, but the blushing lasted for half a second since his mind was more interested in something far darker.

He also knew that he would need to regain his blades as he finally opened his mouth in a reply as she told him they should speak while on the way.

"Aya-ne" as he coughed, "Mizukage-sama, is it true that we are going to have to fight that man. Are we really going to war?" as he asked the most serious questions first. They both understood that the man they would have to deal with was on a level that only the Mizukage herself Ayakashi could really be expected to defeat him. If they were going to war he would need his weapons and he would need to finish the technique he had been training before. He did not have any situations in which to use most of his techniques and he also knew the only one he could really train against anymore was Aya and Gin. The reason he could never train with Dameon is because unlike Aya and Gin who were both on the level of Kage, him and Dameon were too evenly matched that a serious fight would either result in one or both of them getting killed. Not to mention they disliked each other for various reasons.

His loyalties were simple though, he did hear a rumor that someone had joined their village mysteriously. It did not sit well with him, but he was not one to pick up fights based on rumors which is why he had not been given much to do. He had no time to slack off, but for now he needed to know the thoughts of the Mizukage herself, he needed her orders and not the rumors that people spread.

"Mizukage-sama, is it true that we are going to have to fight that man. Are we really going to war?"

Ayakashi let out a laugh. "Ha! So that's the rumor is it? It figures... No, there is going to be an exercise and a confrontation with the Raikage, ending in justuce, but I hope to afford any and all hostilities if I can at all afford it. I have a plan... you needn't concern yourself. The last thing I want to do is be the Mizukage who went down in history for killing the Raikage in a time of relative peace. It's that simple. But, at the same time, I'm not stupid, he's opened hostilities so I can't be so unwise as to not take precautions when it comes to saving our people. So for now, that country is considered hostile... Is that why you returned?"

Ayakashi would ask, being somewhat straight forward as she didn't have time to spare on pleasantries. She assumed that if he were still alive he would want the blades returned to him, but there would need to be a trial, no longer having the blades meant that right now, in this moment, that he was not a seven swordsman of the mist. Yet he also had the disadvantage of having lost them in the first place.

"I suppose you would like the twin blades Kukan and Sozo returned to you... Now that you've shown me you're alive, I would assume it would have become a topic this conversation would inevitably lead to... " She spoke, drawing out the summoning scroll of the twin blades, rolling it in her fingers and looking up at Ren with cold hard eyes from underneath her mask, the blue glass which covered the eyes flickering with the blue flame of Aya's replacement.

She seemed to laugh at the notion of rumors as she brushed it off as being an exercise to confront the Raikage Sanosuke with the idea of enforcing justice. However they took no prisoners so any confrontation would either end in death or in a simple agreement as he tried thinking as she continued to speak of the Raikage giving off hostilities. Why would Sanosuke be hostile towards Kirigakure and did mom know about it as he felt he would have to meet with her to figure out what was actually going on as she asked him if that was why he had returned.

Before he could go deeper into his train of thought or reply to what she said, he heard her suggest the reason he had been coming towards this direction. He would have even headed out to her office at this time too if he did not encounter her here. He needed the twin blades in order to complete the new technique he was creating.

He watched as she pulled out the summoning scroll and even rolled her fingers in it and looked up at him with a look that seemed to send a chill down his spine, though she was a member of that clan so maybe it was just a natural reaction. He then answered her.

"Mizukage-sama, there have been bandits attempting to poison our waters. If we could hurry so I can deal with this urgent matter as well." as the look in his eyes gave the impression that he did not want them to waste too much time. Knowing how fast she was, the time she took was a bit slow. Was she being cautious of him or thinking of something.

Speed this up... the boy had been gone, thought dead for so long and he had the nerve to ask Ayakashi to speed up the process? Ayakashi had been attempting to pull her nation back together wish whatever string and debris she could manage to scramble to get a hold of as one by one her swordsman seemed to have left the country. Her cousin Strafe , one of the first, Tenmei, the second, Dameon was taken by the accursed Shikyo four who had dared to risk her nation. Then there was the matter of a radical Daimyo who had been attempting to take Ayakashi's life for the past few months. And in all of that time Yuzu Ren had been absent from the nation along with his mother, a previous Kage herself who seemed to be shirking the responsibility of the nation. Now, were the situation life and death, were it the Bijuu having been revived and clawing their way out of hell to stampede across the earth once more. The Mizukage would have felt the distraction merited.

But Bandits... attempting to poison a water supply?

The amount of toxin that a bandit troupe would require in order to deliver any meaningful harm to the village itself would be so astronimical due to the Kirigakure aqueduct system that it would be almost impossible to disguise in any form. A convoy that Ayakashi would swear would be picked up by the ANBU which scoured the nation on patrols with a fine toothed comb. Especially across a water route that was one of the main entrances and exits of the village. Momentarily the thought was so absurd, at the fact that he could not simply appoint other ninja the mission in the mean time while he spoke to the Mizukage of his Nation, made something click in the mind of the Mizukage. She was, moments ago, ready to give him a difficult task, one that would have likely taken him several days of difficult trials in order to regain his blades through an intricate mission that would have required wits, intelligence, skill as well as problem solving and above all, a strong sense of justice.

But now... The mizukage could barely contain herself.

The scroll would drop to the ground as her hand which gripped it tightly at her side would allow it to hit the cold earth, Ayakashi remaining deathly silent as she attempted to process and withhold the rage that consumed her underneath the mask. The piece of equipment altering her voice in the same way an ANBU mask would, removing the shaking of her voice, leaving her to sound cold and calculated with every word that she spoke, in a pure neutral tone. It would be immediately apparent that it was not the Mizukage's voice that was speaking, that she was relying on her mask to give the visage that she was keeping it together right now. But that image was instantly shaken should Yuzu so much as look to the adjacent hand, gripping the hilt of changeling so tightly, that were it stone, she would have crushed the carbon into diamond with the pressure. The air around Ayakashi began to chill as her chakra engaged wildly, activating the 'art of reckless release' by fact that she was no longer worried about the destruction she caused around her.

"Pick it up..."

She spoke, ordering Yuzu Ren to take the scroll, it was the last act of kindness that the Mizukage could afford him before she would lose her mind, and go completely berserk. The least she was able to do, was ensure that Yuzu Ren had 2 weapons which were strong enough to be able to defend him against the assault that was about to come.

"If you think, for a moment, that you have the right to simply appear, and then hasten me feigning concern for the people of the nation that you had been absent from for all this time. You're mistaken. I have, through blood, and sweat, and tears been holding this nation together with my own two hands, taking the weight of the archipelago's woes on my shoulders so that none had to shoulder the hardship. And I did it alone... Not with your help, nor Tenmei, nor Gin, nor Dameon, nor Strafe... not Sero, or Kaguza or Jurrou. Just me! So, if you want your trial so badly, I'll give you your damn trial... Yuzu Ren... as Mizukage of the Hidden Village of the Mist, and Acting Commander of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist... your challenge is...

SURVIVE!"

Ayakashi remembered all the names of the people who had left, and now, that one of them had returned in a manner straying from perfect, all of the anger and hurt that she felt for all of the other's leaving would come streaming back, threatening to explode in one violent mass. Her chakra would run wild as the ground beneath her would flash into an instant expanding snowflake pattern a meter in every direction as she simultaneously activated her sage mode, as well as a basic foundation of abilities which augmented her performance, defense and the performance of her weapons. Her Sage mode would be the first to roar to life, increasing the potency of her jutsu, the lines which normally constituted the blue or red of her sage modes spirit or Body, instead a violent emerald, as she readied her incredible offence skin becoming surrounded by the Hyouton Ice corruption technique which she was known for, as well as her hand whipped for a combination of the dagger at her hip in an ice pick grip microseconds before shimmering out of existence into ephemeral invisibility, as well as drawing changeling in its sword form swinging the blade for Yuzu-Rens' neck, its blade sharpening with a fuuton wind encircling it, much like Aya's own...

It began.

Chakra Breakdown.:

Aya was known to have good composure and a very strong will, even amongst the Kage she was considered one of the strongest people in the world. The idea of her being the absolute strongest amongst the strongest could be taken to be a fact rather easily. Which is why the mood changed as the scroll that was taken out by Ayakashi had fallen to the ground as she let it drop, this was so unlike Aya if it was not for her rather unique aura or presence you would not believe this until you realise that Aya was also known to be merciless when angered. However what could have upset Aya so much as to make her drop something so important as if its natural.

Did something happen to upset her, however the first thing he did notice undeniably was the grip she had on her sword as it was not something he would overlook easily. Then she told him to pick it up, he had been ordered before however the way she gave out the order was way different to what he was used to.
What was so dangerous that she would actually drop the sacred treasure of the twin swords summoning scroll and grip her weapon as he recognised it from a previous encounter, changeling was not really the best weapon in the world but it was rather versatile making it a bit unpredictable at times. However the twin swords may be a far superior weapon in the fact that they come as a pair instead of a single blade like most other high quality weapons. Another thing that bothered Yuzu was that he was the only dual swordsman that he knew as he began to wonder what the purpose of dropping the scroll was. However regardless of the action if he was told to pick it up it meant he needed to take the swords as the two blades appeared as he took hold of the scroll.

She started rambling on, while it sounded normal on the outside in terms of normal it had a voice without feeling, however a neutral voice did not match up to the words that were spoken. As she did mention him being absent which was to be expected as he was doing rather secretive training as well as the fact that he had to clean up a certain mess that occurred. However why was she so upset when he has returned, though she seemed hung up more on his absence then she should have.

She spoke about running everything alone, however this was not something that should have bothered her that much as some strange thought occured to him. Has Aya gotten old, or has she finally reached a point where she said no more. She was upset and seemed she felt rushed as he did not see the point in wasting too much time on a trial when there were more important things to deal with.

However the last few words she said then already made it clear to him as he prepared a technique as her words alone were enough to make it clear. He placed a seal on himself as he now took both swords and began to back away as he needed a better place to fight then a bloody cemetery. Not out of respect for the fallen warriors, but out of needing a much larger area to fight.

He had made quite a distance as she shouted the words he expected at this point, the words she was about to say that made him feel the danger was not from elsewhere since there was one truth he knew in this world. There is no one more dangerous then Ayakashi, so her holding her weapon preparing for battle could only mean one of two things however when she mentioned the trial he knew for certain. He knew running away was not an option and sadly the lake where it might be best to fight was too far away.

He took a stance in which he raised up his one sword Kukan, however he did a similar style with his other sword Sozo. He knew better then anyone he needed to expect the worst as the snowflake pattern exploded after she told him to Survive with a loud shout. As she made her way towards him a crater like breaking of the ground, this technique was powerful but was rather useless for stealth which is something he was hoping to train in soon as his chakra had gone through his chest activating his seal as a large amount of water burst forth however he did not believe this body of water would stop her assault while it can knockback shinobi and projectiles in general, this was no ordinary shinobi as his blade came down hammering down along with the water as his blade would clash with Ayakashi's Changeling followed by the dropping of his other sword as well hammering down to clash against her jutsu.

He was not going to simply allow her to attack him even if she was stronger then him, faster then him and more powerful then him. He would not shy away from a direct attack as the body of water was here to assist him in fighting back. As even in her strangely rash state she must have seen the look in his eyes as he planned to take her on. Head to head, even though running away was possible with jutsu he did not want to waste his chakra running around and having her destroy the entire village just so he can escape.

He was told to survive, but that was no reason to ignore his duties to also protect the village.

Chakra 390 - 40(2 A-rank Jutsu) -10(1 Item Technique) = 340

Item and Jutsu Technique Usage Breakdown:

Yuzu Ren fled quickly to gain some ground, Ayakashi while in the Sage mode she was in was not able to sense the chakra of the seals within him, but she was able to spot the decorated lines on his body as he created them. Such symbols were not something that she was going to simply ignore. Fuuinjutsu was a powerful ability but it held a single fatal flaw, the chakra laced symbols of the techniques were the catalysts which held their intricate chakra webs together, similar to the funneled web of an ambush spider. These symbols replaced the hand-seals of ninjutsu, allowing them to be cast potentially with little more than a click of a ninja's finger, but, before they were cast, they were vulnerable things. Cutting the symbols, disfiguring the web, made it useless and no longer fit for purpose as the technique would be flawed. Of course, the technique could be botched, explode, fizzle, or any number of other results which could range from catastrophic to underwhelming.

But Ayakashi was on the hunt...

Dashing forward with her initial strike Yuzu was lucky enough to kick off and flee some distance, Ayakashi's lethal attack missing by a hair as he moved beyond the wall of the city into the immediate area beyond it. A small area of tropical forest and otherwise barren ground. Yuzu Ren would arrive moments before Ayakashi would hit him like a freight train, though he would have enough time to raise his two swords in their defensive positions. The demonic ice corruption had flown down her weapons like a toxin infusing her basic strikes, holding changeling in an ice-pick grip and striking again for his neck, moments before Aya would have made impact she would feel the power within his swords surge forward. The pressure that would overcome her forcing her and the blade she was swinging to the ground at his feet would infuriate the mizukage, but, as she saw the advantage in it, she smiled, following through with the strike directly to the ground that Yuzu-ren was standing on as the water would explode from him...

The result would be cataclysmic

The shock-wave of Ayakashi's wide swing would be, aimed at the earth, forced down by the pressure of the defensive techniques like an unnatural gravity well. But the awesome power of the projectile would slam into the earth as the water would meet it, clashing with the shockwave as it was diverted and not annulled. Creating a crater that would be almost fifteen meters deep and wide at its largest point, as well as counteracting the power of the torrenting wave that would threaten to push her away by force, the hole beneath Yuzu-ren would throw his balance off for sure, but Ayakashi was more than prepared for the dead drop. Though, not only was the hole an opportunity to drop Yuzu into a pit with her, it was a sink-hole for his water to fall into, drastically reducing its range as it fell down, coming into contact with Ayakashi's Ice venom and quickly becoming little more than natural ice compared to free moving water...

Kicking off the wall as Yuzu-ren fell, Ayakashi would dash forward with a strike from the blade of changeling, Neck Height, switching her grip on the weapon before-hand so that it was being held normally. Taking another horizontal strike at Yuzu, Ayakashi would spin in middair, aiming a second strike with her invisible blade for the dead center of Yuzu-Ren's fuuinjutsu seal that he had placed upon him, all she needed was little more than a nick in the midst of the confusion to gain the upper hand and make his use of chakra in preparing the symbol have all been for nothing. Ayakashi didn't know anything about the body seal, what it did or how powerful it was going to be when it got there, but what she did know is that he would have lost an advantage and in so much as touching him with the blade she would have done him critical damage with her demonic ice corruption...

something that he may not even be able to recover from...

Chakra Breakdown:

The clash of techniques as the water became ice and shattered to become water in a mix of reactions that left a misty hue in the air while the water was still large enough not to completely leave the area as Ayakashi seemed to react naturally in a free fall that Yuzu was used to having had to have fights in mid air on many occasions, the drop helped him to regain the main portion of his stance as the drop allowed him to relax his arms as they returned to their raised position as Aya seemed to be using the walls of this pit in order to launch her attack with her weapon again, however things were different now and the time had finally come as the chakra was still gathered in his blades.

If Aya had been serious from the start she may have already known how his technique works. As the ability triggered as he released the second drop of the mist which hammered down upon her again as his seal broke forth dispersing chakra in the mess of the display. The Kukan and Sozo combination had definitely increased his defensive capabilities, but once his training on the mountains was done he would have a large offensive advantage as well. The seal that was known as disable was a technique he developed in order to deal with the large variety of techniques that existed, however the only weakness it had was that it generally targeted the strongest of enemy techniques regardless of his will, so it was not the best in a group fight but in a battle of small numbers it was rather useful.

Aya's technique may have been good for breaking through had it not been for the mist drop technique being involved as well as her sage mode was starting to break down in a manner unbecoming of the technique. As well as the fading of the dry ice that made it clear that those two techniques were currently the strongest techniques she had though there was one other thing with this pitfall that Aya already knew, the pitfall itself could be a trap for the both of them, but it was clear that she was not thinking about her tactics as much as she would normally have since this was a simple brute force attack. Though deep down he knew she could use even more power then this if he gave her enough time or if she was thinking straight.

Also she used a technique that would have been more powerful had she used it in a more open area as her blade seemed to be or at least one of her weapons seemed invisible as a clash of water and minor left over shards was seen appearing from Aya's other arm as his technique was the only thing that kept her from closing that gap like she normally would. The clash was intense, but he knew now was not the time to relax, now was his only opening to attack.

She would probably know very well what this technique would entail, but he rarely used it under normal circumstances and he knew very well she would not simply stay in this pit and take the technique or would she as he spat water out as it swarmed within the short size of this pit she would have little time to react to the swarm of water and it was also one of the few jutsu that were not dependant on hand seals which is why it was so suited to him. She knew this technique well as the strongest water technique one could learn in the library, the s-rank water technique that demanded ones respect as the water gushed forth with tremendous force as water gushed out of the pit and across the land creating a small lake with water that far exceeded that of his previous seal while having a destructive force that mainly knocked out opponents, though would it knock some sense into Aya and she had some other techniques up her sleeve didn't she, however upon the water pushing forth he would be using this water for something far greater then launching an attack as he backed out of his own pit in order to prepare a large scale attack. In order for him to attack he would need to secure that she was disabled and if she was he would attack her on his next chance and disable her. The option of running away from Aya was something only foolish shinobi would try, you either disable her, hold her back long enough for her to let you go, or you kill her. There were no other options when dealing with Ayakashi the Ice Witch.

Chakra 340 - 40 = 300

10 for maintaining kukan and sozo effect
30 for activating S-rank jutsu

S-Rank Jutsu Used:

NB - Please message me for any questions or issues with post, I had been sick for a while so recapping has left me a bit drained anyways sorry for delay will also pm you to let you know I replied

Yuzu understood that she could deal with this technique and he had hoped this would put an end to the battle since as powerful as she was a direct hit from this range would be enough to settle things peacefully. However it was a lost cause as from the time he had first trained to get his twin swords, to the times he allied with her in battle against the monster that threatened to destroy their village which for as powerful a nation as it was seemed to be targeted by quite a large number of wars. This made you wonder if it was because of the political standings or if someone from the inside had been leaking information. He thought of his mother at times, but felt she could do no wrong even though his instincts told him that the situation was far more complicated then he could ever dream of understanding.

The wave was moving perfectly behind him, but the front had some massive resistance as the sound of waves crashing against each other told him that things were not looking good. What was she using, was she using a water jutsu of her own, even though he felt confident he was the strongest suiton user in the village as a member of the Aisu clan could she not have used the same jutsu to cause them to clash, however the amount of water did not seem to increase at all or to the best of his knowledge it did not seem anymore then usual.

The waters that were crashing from a dark blue to a mix of white and then all of a sudden the waters seemed to be turning black and not wanting to take any chances Yuzu used his technique. He was not sure what the technique was, but at the very least he knew he had no time to think about it as he used the fastest defence he had.

A small sphere like lightning shield barrier formed around him as there was a massive icy explosion to the front as some water settled on the back and shattered ice fell in front of Yuzu. Had it been anyone else they probably would have been dead right then and there as this was no ordinary ice technique. To the best of his knowledge he knew she could not use any other elements and if she had used a form of high ranking wind technique in her offense he would have probably suffered though the waters would have given him time to react to that though all he could do was react. He knew she had weaknesses, but he never expected her to use something this powerful as his lightning barrier seemed to be cracking from the impact, though it was more his imagination as the barrier was rather powerful especially against her ice techniques.

Shards of ice seemed to fall down as it occurred to him he took the correct choice of action as he had no time to think on that any further. The remaining water gathered towards him as he focused to do what he needed to do from the start, and that was to not let her play around with him since this might be more dangerous then bringing the fight to her. He had sheathed his blades during that mess and formed the jin seal before clapping his hands. While it was good to apply his ultimate defence, what good was it without unleashing another powerful attack of his own. Water gushed forth again as the rocks were burst apart as he sent the waves towards her, two separate waves with one straight at her as he focused on swirling the other wave to her left flank.

He had a strange hue about him and his clothes looked rather damp as well. He also was known for having some absurd ninjutsu techniques. He had performed not one, but two first class techniques as if the library did not have good enough jutsu as it is. The speed of the waves were faster then any normal shinobi could ever dream of avoiding not counting that he could redirect both waves towards Ayakashi as right now having his weapons out would simply be a waste of time. That and their weapons were too evenly matched for it to be useful in deciding anything. If he attacked with twin blades she could counter with two weapons of her own. It also seemed their weapons were more for distraction or ending battles then being used to actually win a fight. At least until he trained his new techniques.

Chakra = 300 - 30(S-rank Jutsu) - 25(A-rank Jutsu) = 245

Jutsu Used:

NB - if we need to discuss how I dealt with the interaction please pm me as I was busy taking note of how the wind defence works and seems you described it already. You reflect the jutsu on itself to cancel it out in other words. Anyways please PM if you have any questions, he currently has his Offensive jutsu homing in on Ayakashi and his defensive jutsu is up to defend himself ofcourse

Theme:

Ayakashi after unleashing the wave of void black chakra through the roof of his waves, she would charge through the glacier that she had created, ice like dust raining down around her as the pale black comet that was the mizukage would leap through the hole that was left behind, not a single drop of water from his techniques had hit the ground after the wave she had launched, all frozen into permafrost instantly by the cataclismic power of her techniques. Ayakashi, would flow some chakra into her fuuma shuriken, preparing her susbstitutuion with the last amount of blindness that she could be afforded by her veritable white out. Though, it had seemed that Yuzu himself had the time he had needed to prepare also, Ayakashi could feel the chakra radiating from him as something was about to sprout forth, he made the jin hand-sign, and immediately a list of techniques would come to ayakashi's mind. She was the leader of a nation of suiton masters, and a member of a clan famed for their use of suiton as ice release...

There was little that began with this hand-sign that would surprise her.

Yuzu ren had quickly proven to her with his abilities that he had mastered the basics of suiton to such a level that he was able to accomplish these techniques. Though she thought it perhaps important that he move onto something a touch more formidable. It was time for the Demon ice witch to show her student the power that could stem from ones techniques should they prepare them right... And so, she created the singularity in her right fist... Such an obsurd amount of chakra she would well within it, that the ground at her feet would continue to spread its frost as she attempted to close the gap between them. Coming out of the mouth of the cave she had made through his former tidal-wave, Ayakashi would watch as the watercyclone would explode from around himself, Launching two waves for Ayakashi at such speeds that they tore up the landscape, threatening to overwhelm everything in her path. One of them came head on, while the other arced for her side to hit her simultaneously.

Something here had to give...

Ayakashi dashed forward for the epicenter of the two waves as they would begin to collide with one another, her fist coiled as at the final moment she would launch it forward for the oncoming technique. Letting out a roar as the epicenter of her punch would create a five meter crater from the shockwave of the blow into the mouth of the tsunami that threatened to crush every bone in her body, but rather than the waves crashing down on the Mizukage, the shockwave of her punch washed over the waves, flash freezing them in motion as they would shatter from the shock-wave of her 'art of the reckless.' The mizukage, in a feat of strength and chakra control literally tearing through a tidal wave with her fist without losing momentum while the second tsunami that had been thrust in her direction would be little more than a crumbling sculpture of its former self. Ayakashi's eyes were now locked on Yuzu-ren, the show of jutsu power at this point the Mizukage felt was over, it was time to see if he could hold his own in a bout of blades against the demon he was standing against. Yuzu-Ren, talented as he was, had always been the child of the 7 Swordsman...

Aya needed to know if he'd grown.

The wedding band still in one hand with her loyal blade changeling in the other she would charge down her adversary with deadly precision. Twenty five meters from her opponent Ayakashi would vanish unless Yuzu would have the capacity to track her insane burst of movement as she would apply the basic tennants of the body flicker technique to appear little more than a few meters away from the body, still in motion and bringing changeling diagonally down for the bridge between his shoulder and the base of his neck, using the length of her arms as an advantage to cut with only the end quarter of her over meter long blade. Ayakashi had the range advantage, and she wanted Yuzu ren to know it in this instance, she wanted him to know each and every move that she made was deliberate, though it seemed that now that they were in close combat to one another, the 'art of reckless release' that Ayakashi had been holding up until now, seemed to have ceased. She didn't want every one of her swings having the potential of blowing away the earth they were standing on after all...

After the first blow, it was all on Yuzu... would he counter, or would he avoid yet again?

chakra:

He was preparing his assault as he then saw something he did not expect so soon until he realised it was something else as he thought she had an absurd and insane amount of chakra to throw so many bombs as he would call them in his mind. Even though he pretty much was doing the same thing as a battle of ice, mist, thunder and raging oceans seemed to rage across the battle field as they had already changed much of the landscape.

Meanwhile on one of the outposts watching over the battle three shinobi were fearing for their lives just being out of range of this monumental battle. "Sensei, I thought you said this outpost was okay for chuunin to work at" as the old man was sweating as the other chuunin was cradling himself as he was mumbling that they were all going to die and that the world was going to end as the man sighed. "Seriously, get used to this already. If you ever seen that kid in the training grounds and wondered why we have so many lakes there you can see that right there, as for the ice... you are a bit too young to be seeing so much devastation I can not clearly tell but there could be three maybe four or more jounin level members of the Aisu clan battling there so it might be a good idea we just sit here and do our job and report to the Mizukage that a bunch of members from the Aisu clan are fighting one of our swordsman probably. I am getting too old for this, what happened to the other jounin of the past seriously I want to retire already but kids like you keep wetting themselves just cause a few high ranking shinobi start making a few attacks to change the shape of the world."

Ayakashi dashed to the epicentre of the two waves location as if she had planned for them to crash but he had control he was going to side wind the waves and change their direction at the last second, but then Aya went and did something rather annoying as if she did not even respect giving time for people to really form tactics. This brute force style was similar to his mother in certain aspects that it was not as much an exercise of tactic as it was a display of her superior prowess.

What was it with woman and just breaking jutsu apart with such finess as he was really annoyed more then shocked at what she did as he was sweating since he just used two of his strongest offensive techniques and wondered if she was a bottomless mountain of chakra. He could not lose his resolve here as his eyes finally switched to a cold look in them as he was annoyed as he drew his strongest weapon. A long blade he held with both hands as the water around him also expanded as he raised it up in a stance as a portion of the water on him had formed a giant electric eel along with a second one hidden in it as it rotated around him. Though there appeared to be more to this eel as he knew one thing. With swords alone he would not be able to take her on since his strong point was not physical strength as far as fighting the mizukage was concerned.

New Yuzu Theme

His technique rotated above him as some water seemed to also be moving inside of the large electric eel. It almost seemed like she would vanish at the speed she dashed towards him as the giant electric eel was above him as he slashed forwards towards her blade having seen her destination and movement, however it was not a simple attack as the electric eel seemed to cover the area as well as two smaller eels breaking from the larger eel with an eel of water reaching out and gripping for her left arm and an eel of water gripping for her right arm, while the larger eel seemed to be rotating ferociously in order to prevent Aya from launching any attacks on him while the truth was a bit clear as electricity flowed through both water eels, as he had this strange glaring gleam in his eye of defiance as if to say to the Mizukage she shall not pass as he would strike straight down on her mask as well as preventing any further jutsu as he used the first secret art, the true form of the mist drop sword technique.

How would she react to this combination of techniques as he had hoped not to be revealing the Dai Denki Unagi but from a distance no one could tell what was happening as people had already been told to evacuate the outskirts of that area which left multiple animals and a few stray bandits dead in the crossfire as was expected of a battle that was on the level of Kage and Sannin. As if it were a battle of the Gods.

Chakra 245 - 25(A-rank defensive) - 30(B-rank defensive and supplementary offensive) - 30(B-rank defensive and supplementary offensive) = 160

Jutsu Used:

OOC Comment - Please PM if there are any problems and sorry for long delay

The veritable Tsunamis that Ayakashi had lashed out at with her chakra crumbled as little more than hail under the force of her blow, each of them had been powerful bone crushing techniques, and it would seem to those watching that the power of the ice users here seemed to be absolute. Water was not something that Ayakashi was going to get forced back by... With her target in sight, she would make a mad dash for him, weapon in hand as she would continue her rampage to finish off what she had started. The emotion from her attacks had run dry as the frozen shoals around them, cracking and splintering under the sheer pressure of the battle that continued to wage. Many would think Ayakashi as weakening, but little could be further from the truth, while this was a match that was going to end with her loss, Ayakashi had trained in the sage arts for too long to simply run out of chakra... But this was a test, to see if Yuzu ren was worthy of returning to his station, and for that matter, Ayakashi could not fight this fight smartly. She needed to put him under as much pressure as possible in a small amount of time under the guise of her being berserk. She knew that should he have up-kept his training that Yuzu Ren of all people should be able to keep up with her movements better than most...

And she had been right so far.

Though the techniques that he had used to this point had been largely standard water techniques of the highest caliber as well as a few impressive pressure techniques... Yuzu had yet to show off anything particularly flashy using his ninjutsu. To Aya, this put not only his skill, but his creativity into question. Yuzu ren was fighting like his techniques alone would be able to stop her, there had been no trap, no afterthought, no combination that had really surprised the Mizukage enough to allow her to so much as take damage yet alone be in a position of threat. It was like fighting a child, warding a bandit off with a sword... The sword may be sharp, but he was just swinging wildly hoping that the sword would do all of the work for him. This was not the way of the ninja, it was the way of a mystic. Were it any other scenario Ayakashi would show him the error of his ways, employing a sure-fire strategy to show him his folly... but there was no lesson to be taught here today, only the cold fire burning in Ayakashi's eye would see that what justice that needed to be done, would be done.

Then they came.

Electricity and water expanded from Yuzu in the form of several long eels that would lurch forward in an attempt to grab at Ayakashi's arms and restrain her from attack, all the while Yuzu-ren would raise his weapon up in an attempt to bring it down once again with the mist drop technique, the same one which had been used to pull Ayakashi's basic strike into the ground at his feet before. But it wasn't going to happen a second time. Ayakashi would take another step inwards, feeling the chakra building up in her core as she would barely need to prepare this technique. Yuzu's arm would be extended above his head to bring the blade down on his opponent and push her into the ground as the snakes would be a meter from her when she acted. The fact of the matter was, that at their speed of twenty five meters per second, they only had just over two thirds of Ayakashi's speed. The Mizukage was a blitz in comparison to the eels and with the reaction time to keep up with herself and operate at maximum capacity yet alone this technique. As soon as they were upon her, aiming for her arms at either side of her body... Ayakashi would spring into action.

Beginning to twist, Ayakashi would side-step the two eels entering a spin as she would move to slip in between them with enough speed that they would not be able to intercept unless they had already planned to. However, the game didn't end there, Ayakashi had seen the technique that was about to come down on her before, and was not blind to the third eel protecting its master, so, instead, her spin between the eels was simply a matter to get as close as she feasibly could before performing a technique that was usually only seen in the lands of Konoha... The chakra in Ayakashi's core reached its zenith, creating a chain reaction as Zero degrees Calvin would exist in the natural world for but a fraction of a second. Physics would buckle at the reaction and particles would cease moving as the electrons within them would be frozen in place for but a moment. The fallout would be a black pulse as even light would be unable to penetrate the expanding dome of ensuing cold as Ayakashi would then use her control, releasing chakra from her tenketsu and turning, pulling what could potentially be an ever-expanding reaction into a confined rotation of black chakra. The force of which would guard against the Eels and strike Yuzu back fifteen meters, aimed in such a manner that he would be thrown into a tree behind him. The water eel of his techniques, should it have come into contact with the wave, rendered frozen and unusable.

But such was only the beginning.

Using the intense spin force of her rotation, she would reach behind her, gripping the Fuma-Shuriken that lay there tightly with her gauntleted hand flowing even more chakra into the fuuton aligned weapon. As soon as her rotation crumbled and the fallout expelled in every direction, she would let the weapon fly as a discuss horizontally for the center of Yuzu-rens' stomach. The weapon folding out as it would begin to fly, spinning with all the strength and force of Ayakashi's rotating technique, allowing it to be spun and thrown as hard and fast as humanly possible for a ninja of Ayakashi's rank, timing the blow to intercept him bouncing back off the tree should he hit it. The force of the throw would have ayakashi fall to one knee to stabilize herself and prevent her cycle as she would watch for the impact of the weapon, waiting to see what Yuzu Ren would do should the blade hope to find its mark. The hand that she had thrown the weapon with, poised behind her back, hidden from view as even the Mizukage, never-known to use ninjutsu prepared one of the few hand-signs that she knew in order for what was to come...

[1123 words]

Spoiler:

***Yuzu Recap***
Long ago there was a small young diligent, yet foolish boy. Considered a genius within the academy and having done well in his attempts to become a true shinobi of the hidden mist, he had underwent many trials. Not long after it began, the war had drawn close and there was no time for further training as all shinobi had to gear up for the tides of war. In the beginning he had only done basic missions to help with basic academy training and collecting resources, little did he know how important this would be in the time to come.

He had been talented with the mastery of the hidden mist jutsu as well as the water clone technique. This was nothing new, even later when he trained his trump card the water prison technique it was clear he was nowhere near to a level where he would be useful.

The war began and his first mission was to assist in rooting out spies, he met with Keiko and Dameon two future elites within the village itself. They were both chuunin and along with Rinao they had set out on the mission, while useful Yuzu had been rash having no real offense of his own he simply became a distraction. Keiko having some level of cold experience dealt with it easily, however Dameon showed off his lightning which inspired Yuzu to also master the art. At the time Keiko so him as simply a nuisance and never wanted children of her own for this reason and Dameon who naturally hated kids would continue to carry a grudge against this wild child. Whether it mattered much, Ren came to realise that nearly everyone he met would disappear. As Rinao who had planned to go on another mission together with him some time, simply vanished and is either presumed missing or dead. Was this the fate of all shinobi and after being shown such cruel emotions from those two he had turned a bit colder himself. This short lecture and scolding by the two made him put more thought into his battles, but at the same time drove him to be more ambitious.

He later met the infamous Sora who was armed with so many throwing knives and had this crazy habit of just charging in even more then he did, it was then that Yuzu became certain of it, he would never again charge in without being better prepared for the counter attack.

Yuzu was really confident in his ability to use water jutsu and learn them for that matter, until the day he met a member of the Hozuki clan, and when he noticed all his water jutsu were being countered by a similar water user he began to realise his skills in water jutsu were at best just basic and ordinary.

He was struggling to get stronger and found it hard to train. He just had no idea what to do, even reading the books was not good enough as he ventured into the monument grounds one day and was approached by a strange girl with mysterious eyes. Kamikira Shiru, a girl who trained and helped to look after the small boy in his battle for survival in the war. Training him to use unusual weapons as well as teaching him the cold doctrine that she bared. Her role was one he did not understand then and would only come to learn later. She had trained him to better use his weapons. She one day got this really cool looking cloak as she helped him survive a really tough mission in which he nearly died, however when he awoke from the hospital he never found her again. Later he got the news of her death and received her cloak as a memento of his first sensei outside of the academy.

Yuzu then encountered something he never could have imagined, entering a mission he unexpectedly was in danger once again and that was when he saw the true power of a shinobi. The Super Soldier was no match for the Super Shinobi the boy later came to know as Nanashi, a shinobi from the hidden village of the rock. He had not really known much about them but for a moment thought that man might be their Kage, he was so overpowered it was unbelievable as he had never seen such a lightning display that made Dameon look like a little child.

He met many genin during the war and most of them would disappear, die or run away in the bloodthirsty battle field. The new coldness Yuzu learned also led to him using his own team mates as human shields in order to survive, it was not heartless or cold, it was either him or them. He then met the shinobi of Kumogakure. A really strong genjutsu user Kenji Chikara who faced him in an underground battle that was never spoken of, however faint rumors of a small boy leaving with the genjutsu master were seen and the boy was wounded as some began to wonder what kind of training it was, or whether the other village was abusing the young genin at the time.

After a short while in the war Yuzu had been promoted to Chuunin due to circumstance, the war had taken its toll, with the large drop in numbers for Chuunin they had to get replacements, they had no other choice then to make the young boy step up to the challenge.

He survived, he became acknowledged in ways that many would have never achieved in the same situation. All history serves is to let us know that the one truth is certain and that was those who survived were the strongest of all.

The Battle

It was the defining moment as she seemed to be eager to get him as his eels were ready to grasp at her, she may be fast but the eels were large so she either had to break through them or break away from them. However knowing Aya to not be one to back down at any point he expected her to find a way to break through. She was definitely using her speed a bit better now as if to not allow him an opening even when there was one she could close it as she saw fit. Sidestepping the eels would not be enough, as he had a feeling she did not understand his technique though she did react with something that showed she was not simply going to make light of it completely.

That twisting motion looked familiar, but he could not quite figure out what she was planning as the eels were in her way, was she planning to try to hit at them and fall into his trap. There was no way it would be that easy. The air chilled for a moment in time as the water eel protecting his technique had shattered as his eels had her within in range, however there was one thing they could not account for.

As he flew backwards he understood that she had used some kind of technique to break through as the one eel before her shattered and fell to the ground breaking the shards as she seemed to be making this land a mix of barren and wet lands. He crashed into a nearby tree, but he had his other water eel and his water armor to rely on so he was not out of it as something flew towards him only to be hit down hard by his mist drop technique. The technique like the previous version had more then one strike, but was this the end. He raised his sword having not completed it as she seemed to have used no offensive ability yet.

He was sweating, but for some reason that was natural when you stood before a monster. That was the truth of Ayakashi, she had long since become a monster and no one dared to tell her so to her face. Even if she wished to, she had no time to argue this matter since that was not something that meant anything to her. He raised his blade again but a bit lower then previously to shorten the time it would take for the final wave of the mist drop. His electric eels were now rotating around him in case she came close to snare her, while his water eel stayed. If it was not for his eels weakness of remaining near to him he may have managed to get her.

Yuzu Ren

The air was static and the ground was damp, a mix of water and ice as he focused on his technique, he had to stretch his mind a bit more then usual. He had his defences up, he had his technique ready, all he had to do was hope she would take his challenge. He whispered softly as the electricity sparked from his hands through the wet blade and along the surface of the water, it was a technique to break her techniques, would she face it head on or avoid it. How would the strongest deal with her weakness, how would she face a technique made to break her. She could stop it easily, but did she still have it in her to stop it as the lightning burst forth towards her along the ground spreading itself everywhere.

"aya" as he said her name softly as it vibrated with the air would she understand what it was he wanted to say, what it was that he wanted to tell her. Would she face him or run away, would she show her strength or walk away. Was the one before him the ruler of this land and the strongest there is, the attack was slow but the thing that he was telling her was simple. He was telling her to back off, for her to take a single step back was all he wanted, she may have dodged his attacks before, but now he was goading her. He knew very well it was slow, but he also knew that if she left the ground it would be the moment he needed and the moment he was waiting for, even if she was fast if she jumped through the air he would finally have his opening. The opening he had been waiting for to strike her down and bring her back, if she was leaving for the sake of the village one would understand. However Aya was never this rash, she was never this lost before. What happened while he was away, what could have hurt someone as strong as her so badly that she would resort to this.

He would lower his blade as well to prevent any techniques that she planned to use and ending his mist drop technique. However this was not the end, this was where he wanted to know if she understood and if she knew who he was. Did she remember him for his strength or for his weakness, did she embrace everything that is him or did she lose her time as well.

Chakra = 160 - 20 = 140
[b]
The technique basically disables techniques by interrupting you and causes you to drop all weapons you holding when hit, as well as a bit of damage as well...

Mist Drop technique being finished off soon, and other techniques are still active with one of the water eels being down but the other one is still there and his lightning ones are still okay. If you need more details just pm me please....

Water Armor still active, Water Eel(1), Electric Eels(2), Mist Drop second strike prepared and used to counter follow up, Electromagnetic Murder/Jibashi explained above has been activated,

Raiton Jibashi:

as something flew towards him only to be hit down hard by his mist drop technique

waited close to a month for a reply and this refers to the shuriken that was flying towards him, technique also uses sword so weapon vs weapon and technique to counter technique that may be on weapon...

After the most recent review of this conflict the previous death ruling has been voided. A more thorough reading of the thread revealed that Yuzu Ren had indeed responded to the shuriken toss in his last post. This thread will resume at post 15. It is Ayakashi's turn to respond.

Her shot to his chest would have rattled him, the absolute lack of kinetic energy allowed within the field would have completely nullified any shock absorption that was granted from his barrier as he was launched at full speed towards the tree, Ayakashi hurling the Fuuma Shuriken moments afterwards in a terrifying display of strength and skill. However, it seemed that Yuzu Ren had managed to recover some-what midair, gripping his blade and raising it over his head as he bought the weapon down with the final iteration of his mist-drop technique, slamming the fuma shuriken down into the dirt below his feet little more than half a meter away... and once again, he had fallen into the trap laid by Ayakashi.




No sooner had his momentum turned to touch down to the ground, Ayakashi wore her devilish grin, the battle was hers now and she knew it, Yuzu Rens' eels were likely beginning to attempt to move into a defensive position at this point, but Ayakashi already had her next attack well within his range. Making a single half hand-seal she would activate the stored power within the Vortex Fuuma shuriken as she would draw Changeling form her back, unclipping the clasp which held the wire string in place with the pole releasing it with a subtle hiss against the wind.  Simultaneously, Ayakashi's hand which had thrown the Fuma Shuriken had reached behind her, gripping tightly 5 of her Aisu Family arrows, all within the time of her completing her final spin after throwing the blade and knocking the first of her fistful against her horizontally aligned bow held at shoulder height.




The vortex that would swell up from the fuuma shuriken below Yuzu-Rens' feet well before he would have the chance to speak, channel his raiton or even touch down on the ground would whip up in a frenzy and rip him from the air. The ninja was already caught well within its radii as the tree that he had slammed into would begin to loose its branches which would hurtle back towards him as the vortex would, within a fortieth of a second intend to rip Yuzu into its gaping maw and no footing for him to brace or stand on. The earth around and Under Yuzu ren would be drawn into the vortex and ground into sand as there was no solid hefty stone to stand or get a grip on in the vast forest Jungles of Kirigakure. What was more, Ayakashi would launch her arrows at such an angle that they would work with and curve through the Vortex in a slight orbit towards Yuzu Ren, speeding up as they came within range and loosing none of their potency. One after another they would be let fly at such a rate, that before the first one would enter the area of the vortex, the final of the 5 arrows would have left her hand.




A light while line at the end of each of the arrows that Curved for Yuzu in the vortex would betray yet another of Ayakashi's plans within plans. Should he attempt to dodge the arrows, so distracted that he would be, it would almost be impossible for Ren to sight the chakra strings that were attached to each of the ends of the arrows in flight. Each of them would be like a Harpoon. The circular wind force of the Vortex should they miss would pull the strings in on him from every angle within the vortex, Tangling him and making it difficult to move as they would tangle within the spinning blade and draw him in like a pulley... In Ayas' eyes, this was over.




From this point, Ayakashi would keep a Keen eye on Yuzu-ren, she knew he didn't have the sheer strength to fight against the pull of the wind force, had he been clever enough to set up an escape in advance? Or was he too focused on his defense that he had allowed it to cloud his senses to alternative means of attack. Ayakashi was sly, and crafty, always attacking head on, yet also from a side simultaneously. A truly relentless foe who, in her mind, had won battles before having ever marched to war. Yuzu Ren had discarded his several advantages in this fight, but, that was not for Ayakashi to evaluate. He was an experienced ninja who was supposed to be strong enough to be considered one of the legendary seven swordsmen, although Ayakashi had slipped in the beginning of the fight, loosing herself to her anger and expending far too much chakra too quickly against attacks which she could have and would have avoided. Yuzu ren was close to the finish line now...




Ayakashi in this fight had not had time to think, the split second reprieve after the activation of her Vortex Fuma shuriken was the first time her mind had been at reast for a moment, she was thinking about how Yuzu-ren would get out of this particular mess, her rope dart slipping into her wrist, yet, as she did so, as her conscious mind cleared, she could not help but ask herself... why was she doing this? Why had she blamed him for all of this? Was it because of his mother? Was it because of his absense? Or was she just projecting her own pain and abandonment and lashing out at Yuzu because he was the only one of them all who had come back... When she began to think about it...




So she would wait for the boys' action, ready to step in at a moments' notice.

chakra:

As Yuzu was preparing to launch his offense something that he probably should have expected from someone of Ayakashi's level. As the shuriken that was knocked down simply began spinning again as the force began pulling his water eel resisting some monstrous attack as the shuriken seemed to be boring a hole into the ground. Had he been without his defence it might have actually been easier to move and at this point he could not understand why she was even going this far to begin with. His mind was focused on the battle, but deep down in the furthest reaches of his psyche he could not understand why she did not simply go all out and kill him, or hold back more and get back to her important business with Sanosuke.

What was it with people and trying to break his defences, he had not even completed his training since he required Kukan and Sozo for this. Their combination was not important now, but it would be important then. He sometimes felt like he should have made his defensive technique with less limitations, but perfecting or mastering techniques took time which he did not always have. He had faced many people in the past and only once had he truly gained a victory that was satisfactory, while other victories were simply from his opponents lacking the strength or the skill to compete. Ayakashi had him beat on strength and skill, though it could be said her temper made her sometimes forget her better judgement. Had she been in a truly calm mood from the start things would not have even gotten this far at all.

His main focus was still Ayakashi and he did not understand why she would think using this technique would buy her enough time to draw out her changeling. He had seen it once before during his first trial to become one of the seven swordsmen. While his eel was delaying or stopping whatever this technique seemed to be trying to do as the ground itself began to form a crater. Even if it could by pass the physical defences of the eel, he also had his water armor as well to prevent him from having to worry about this being some unique jutsu of hers. Though the idea of having his movement sealed in such a way was annoying to say the least.

She was not taking out any ordinary arrows though, she was using arrows he had not seen before as he thought to himself. The thought that instantly struck him at that moment was that he did not want to be trapped and he did not like the idea of being used as target practice. As he focused his chakra into yet another technique he had hoped to not be using at all, since he was hoping to keep it as a surprise for Aya even if it would not be full proof, he felt like it was too weak to be hidden as a trump card.

The image of Yuzu before Aya was there, as it appeared as if his defences had slipped away as his body seemed to come apart in a splash. He had timed this technique to simply avoid being in the line of fire for her arrows to begin with as she may have found it suspicious that the water eel would simply back away. Though that was the techniques strength and weakness, it lacked range from always pulling itself towards the user, but was reliable in that it would always be with the original. He witnessed as the image was destroyed, though the fact that her arrows were set to strike him dead in the centre was disturbing to say the least. If he did not have his water eel would he have suffered a hit from at least one or two of those, he also knew he could not drag this fight out too long since his defences had a major flaw which Aya may have picked up on already given her level of skill.

As the vortex seemed to clear as the feint sign of strings made him even more suspicious as he was confused as to why his slash seemed to have passed through something at the time but what he wanted to know now was why Ayakashi was so different, what had caused her so much pain. Was the weight of the world really becoming too much for her to bare. The range was a bit short only able to travel about twenty meters there was no way it would reach her but just cutting down some of the ice on the battlefield would be enough to get his point across at least is what he hoped for.

He also had to finish his training to get back at Dameon, the former leader of the Seven Swordsman for looking down at him. The water eel was still there, it was easy to keep it going, but it was a pain to have to rely on it so much as his water armor would also begin to cause problems if this dragged on any further.

Chakra = 160 - 15(c-rank jutsu) - 5(s-rank item ability) = 140

Post Summary for reference
The ignition of the vortex is like a flash bang making him feel suspicious as well as the pulling force made him use his After Image technique to propel himself away from the vortex and outside of its range.
The water eel follows him according to how the technique works and his water armor still remains intact.
The image gets hit by the vortex and arrows and splashes onto the ground like a wet after image.
He launches a single slash from his Masamune with its ability that is out of range as he is now really far back now and simply has it cut down some ice debris on the battle field, though they have high perception so they can see each other pretty well from the distance which is probably pretty far at this point.

Listing weapon ability:

Listing All Currently Active and Recently Used Jutsu: