The Fight - [Trial 3 | 5-6]

Ritsu Kasen · 1 The Fight - [Trial 3 | 5-6] Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:35 am

Ritsu Kasen

D-rank

30

Character sheet
Chakra:

(250/250)

5-6. Trial of False Truths

Potentially once again upon Genbu, the ninja is taught by the Raikage himself to meditate under the falls of truth, telling them that the water acts as a mirror to the truth within all that the pool reflects, and that: “A ninja, must come to terms with the truth within themselves”. As they do so, the water will place them under a trance where they will wake up within their own mind, the waterfall still around them. At this moment, Hastur himself will drop a single drop of his own blood into the water, staining the mirror and corrupting the vision. In the reflection world storms will brew, and all that’s dark and twisted within a ninja will emanate as a C rank mirror copy of themselves with C-0 stats that knows every technique the user knows. The copy ‘is’ you, or part of you, it knows your moves before you make them, it knows how you think, feel, and exists only to possess you and enter the real world… and may even succeed… the only way to defeat it, is to find or sense the powerful Raiton aligned ruby gemstone within the lake that represents the drop of blood that maintains the copy and break it.

"So we meet again Genbu. We gotta stop meeting like this."

Ritsu would smile as she was led to what looked like a massive waterfall and a surrounding lake, not helping but thinking why she had not seen it before and where all the water went as there didn't seem to be a river leading from it. It was a curious thought, distracting enough to have her attention pulled away from the Proctors and Jounin that would describe the task and how it had to be completed. And that wasn’t all that crossed her mind. Ritsu didn't like the thought about some magic waterfall trapping her inside her own head so that she had to fight against her inner demons. She didn't have time to think about that kinda stuff... nobody had time for that. But if it was going to be her next trial she would give the proctors a cursory glance before walking across the water to the rock in the middle, sitting down on her knees rather than crossing her legs like some holier than thou sage. The people that were watching seemed to be leery, the tension of the area was almost palpable, like this was an execution rather than a trial... It was enough to put even her on edge, and she didn't like it.

It didn't take long before the sound of the waterfall and her closed eyes, put her under...

Opening her eyes, the ninja and the proctors were gone, it was silent, the colors of the world around her seemed muted and stale and there wasn't a peep out of the forest around her. Like it was a memory of where she was and not as precise as the real world itself. It could have been a jutsu, but for now, she was alone. Standing, she would reach out to the water, seeing fish swimming underneath until she realized, as she reached out to touch the water under the rock, her fingers hit the surface as if it were made of glass. That was when everything clicked. The curtain fell. Swinging her head around to face the waterfall, the genin brought her hands to her ears, not that it helped. It was just, the silence she was hearing was deafening. There was almost no sound, the forest wasn't just silent, it was Silent. Parting her lips to speak, no words escaped her own mouth no matter how hard she cried out... and then there it was: a drip that would echo like a sonic boom. As Ritsu would turn once again to the waterfall, she would spy a spark of ruby just as it would shrink to the bottom. Standing up slowly, the Gugo moved to investigate...

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

The words penetrating the silence like a slick knife between her unprepared and unprotected ribs… See, it wasn’t the choice of the words that had her stomach start to twist, nor was it the breath down the back of her neck and the sense of someone standing over her shoulder. It was because the voice that spoke, the one that whispered to her; was her own.
It got worse. Ritsu spun and found out that not only did this creature have her sound. It also had her reddish brown hair and navy blue skirt covered in dust. Her pale green blouse, woody brown eyes and crimson scarf wrapped about her neck twice. In every way, this creature looked exactly like her… except for one thing. Somehow it appeared stand that little bit taller. Just enough so that it could look down at her, loom over her. Cast a shadow that the young genin couldn’t back away from.
They told her that she was going to face a demon in her mind; If this was the form that her subconscious had decided to take then it was just as cunning as she was.

“What do you think you are doing, Aoritsu?...” the creature asked cooly, it’s stolen gaze following the Jugo as she shifted under the dopplegangers scrutiny. “Pretending to be helpful. Playing these games, participating in the trials. How long do you think you can fool them?
  “What am I doing?” The Jugo laughed. A sound that seemed to linger for a moment before being absorbed into the empty silence that surrounded them.
  “I’m having fun, of course. I’m just playing the game like everyone else. Everyone likes to pretend and be challenged”
“But you’re not like everyone else are you… Aoritsu?”
Her eyes glanced to the cascading waterfall, and the yellow eyes that stared back at her. The echoes of an ear splitting screech quietly travelling with the wind. The ravenous malice creeping over her like a chill. It was so familiar, yet It would be gone and forgotten before she could wonder at where it came from.
  “Of course I am different. Everyone is different. The world is not made of clones” Ritsu would retort after a moment, taking a step back from the muted rushing water.
“Yes. But how many of those ‘different people have the blood of a beast. How many of those can not help but toy with the minds of others”
  “I may have his blood but I am nothing like him…”
  “Do you know what we do with beasts, Aoritsu? What they do with wild creatures?”
  “I won’t be like him. I’m better than that”


“We put them down”

It happened so fast. So unexpected. So brutally did the hand come forward, that Ritsu didn’t have a chance to react. It slammed into her chest, hard. Sending her toppling backwards onto the ground until she came to land sitting and looking up at the approaching copy. Who then raised her foot to kick out at the downed jugo…. But Ritsu wasn’t going to let that happen. Getting to her feet, she ran crouched, straight for the other before, connecting in a vicious tackle that sent the copy stumbling backwards into a tree, where the genin promptly stepped back and swung a fist straight in to the fake’s rib cage. Attempting to cripple this being whoever it was by cracking a rib or two. But she was faster still, and stronger. She grabbed Ritsu’s fist just before it made impact, pushed it aside and ducked skillfully within her reach to land a vicious uppercut to her jaw. Stunning the jugo long enough to push her back, shift her weight to her other leg and plant a solid side kick to her diaphragm.
This time though, the fake would be the one too slow. Ritsu had been stunned, yes, but not for long. The moment the kick came for her, Ritsu would side step out of the way just as her foot was about to land, before coming in to the doppelganger's exposed flank for a quick one, two, three, jabs to her side before jumping back to a safe distance.
They were good solid hits, each one connecting with her kidney area… but it made no difference. If anything it hurt the young ninja’s hands. It was almost like she had tensed in anticipation of the impact. Like she knew it was going to happen before it happened.

‘Its because, Aoritsu. I know you. I know you better than you know yourself. Just give in now before you get hurt. Before you hurt others”

And she rushed her once more. This time, she went straight for the kunoichi’s throat. A swift side of the hand to her jugular which Ritsu blocked with both hands. But this was only a distraction for the follow through step and punch with her free fist. An attack that caught her in the gut. An attack that caused the true kunoichi to lose her breath, but not lessen the strength of the foot that came down hard on the clone’s instep. A move that she used to trip her over by using her caught arm as leverage to pull her over her leg. Send her face first in the dirt. At least, that’s what Ritsu hoped would happen. No, instead, the copy broke her fall by placing her hands in the dirt and shifting her weight so she could spin and sweep a leg towards the jugo’s. This in turn knocked her over to land in the same manner, except for when she attempted the same maneuver, Ritsu was awarded with a downwards punch to between her shoulders. All she could do was roll on to her back before the heel of the false one’s foot was pressing down on to her sternum.

“Stay down!” the other had commanded, applying enough pressure to cause the young female to cry out in pain. “Give in. You can’t win. You can’t defeat me, like you can’t defeat the monster inside you. If you truly want to help them. Be like them. Be better than father; then let it end right now. While your mind is still your own. Give in. And I will make it painless”
  “NO! ”. The heel pressed down harder, causing the young woman to cough and claw at the creature’s ankle. Trying to lessen the pressure on her chest. “I dont… I am not my father. You’re right about one thing though. I may not be able to defeat my monster… but I can control it….Because….It’s a part of me. And so are YOU!”

With those last words, Ritsu grabbed a handful of dirt from beneath her and threw it up in an arc towards the copy’s eyes, which provided the opening she needed. With a sudden burst of energy, she grabbed the foot from her chest and twisted.. hard... causing the fake to fall backwards with a yelp of pain. But this jugo was not yet done. Not even flat on the ground, Ritsu got on top of the clone and swung a punch right for her temple. Again and again and again, until the doppelganger grabbed the young girl’s hand, arm, and flung her to the side. Rolling them both so she was on top….but Ritsu kept going, flipping them again, making sure to land a punch for the nose before they were rolled again and again once more…. Right into the water at the base of the waterfall. Where they then slowly sunk towards the mud and rock at the bottom of the lake

Down. Down. Down.

She was never bothered by the water. Ritsu grew up on it, spent days in it, traveled by its side for as long as she could remember. And as much as she tried nowadays, to keep away; she could never stray from the ever changing elemental for long. So perhaps, that was why, even now, even as she plummeted down through the murky depths, it’s cold pressure growing stronger with each passing second; Ritsu Kasen kept hold. Even as the false shinobi struck out at her, even as she tried to pull them both back to the world of just oxygen, the true kunoichi kept hold and forced them further down.
But then, just as they were about to hit bottom, the other broke free and tried to swim back up on her own, but Ritsu was quick to predict her actions.After all, she too was feeling the burning in her lungs. The need to inhale. To be free of the pressure. But she knew she could last longer. The jugo would hold on. So, grabbing hold of some weeds with one hand and reaching up with the other, she grabbed the clone’s leg and pulled her back down, before diving at her, what little weight she had, driving her to the rocks below. And she didn’t stop there. Fighting through the pull of the heavier atmosphere she swung again at the fake while straddling her, for a second and third time. It wasn’t enough though. Ritsu leaned down and grabbed a rock, and just as she raised it to bring it down on the false ninja’s head she froze. It wasn’t a rock.

It was a ruby.

Pure horror crossed the doppelgangers features and the jugo smiled. Just as she felt her mind go foggy, she held the jewel in her palm and slammed it against the rocky ground.

-----

Ritsu Kasen opened her eyes and took a deep breath in, but coughed again, realising that she had just inhaled a lung full of water spray. It seemed she was back. And soaking wet for that matter. A mix of bitter winds and icy water had left her shivering and her legs had long since gone to sleep. On top of that, she was aching all over. Whether that was from the mental beating or from the constant hammering of hundreds of upon thousands droplets, she had no idea. Either way as soon as she was able to stand and stretch out the stiffness in her legs, the young genin made her way to the banks where the proctor was kindly waiting for her with, (bless his soul), a blanket. One, that he wrapped about her shoulders upon her reaching him. She had done it. Completed all three trials all on her own. But for now, all she cared about was cocooning herself in warmth and having a nap.

Tomorrow, the next round would start. And Aoritsu needed to be ready.

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1 The Fight - [Trial 3 | 5-6] Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:35 am

Ritsu Kasen

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