Spoiler:

Last Night

Maikeru dodged a punch. And another. And another. Until he didn't, and was hit square in the jaw. His mouth and face wiggled from the impact, and his head rattled. He twirled around, before regaining his footing. Maikeru took a fighting stance, and clenching his fists. When a kick came his way, Maikeru sidestepped, and threw his opponent to the side. Maikeru jumped on him, and started to rain punches down on him. But out of nowhere, not long before the onslaught began, he made one punch and he yelped, and and jumped off of him as a reaction, wiggling his hand to ease the pain. He Cursed himself for not wearing the Smackaroos. . “Dammit!” Maikeru clenched his fist as his opponent got up. He was quite younger than Maikeru, being only 14. It was Asuske Kaguya, a troublemaker that attempted to mug Maikeru. Only accept Maikeru didn't have anything of much value. “You're supposed to be older than me, and you are nothing but a weakling? How pathetic. I feel so stupid, thinking someone like you would have anything worth robbing. But whatever. Now get out of my sight, you useless waste of space.”

Maikeru cracked his neck, moved it from left and right,and rolled his shoulders. “There's nothing that I hate more than a brat who hadn't been taught any manners.” Maikeru reached in his small bag, and grabbed his Smackaroos,placing them on his fists, wiggling around the fingers. “Looks like I gotta teach ya. Maikeru rushed forward and began delivering smart and devastating blows. He feinted, instead of going for the head, like he baited, he kneed him in his stomach, causing him to double over. This gave Maikeru an opportunity, as he wrapped his arm sound his neck, and shifted his weight downward, causing Asuske to slowly lower towards the ground. Maikeru lowered with him, pushing his weight down until he felt his arm touch the ground. Asuske began to trash more and more, trying to breathe. Maikeru smiled. It wouldn't be long before he'd pass out. Until something felt strange. Something felt off. Maikeru felt around his neck, and essentially any part of his body that as touching Asuske’s felt as if small pins were poking at him. Slightly. Maikeru out of reaction relieved his grip from him, and dashed backwards, as Asuske exploded into a ball of sharp and dagger like bones. They all slowly retracted back into his body. “I see you are of the Kaguya clan, here.”
“Yeah. And look behind you.”

Maikeru turned around to find to find a fist flying his way. And it was a strong enough punch to knock him out cold.

Present

Maikeru had woken up on in the alley that he was knocked out in that morning. Not long after he did he had gone to check to see if any of the Kirigakure ninja were in need of a Iwa Ninja. But something caught his attention. Of the missions that the Jounin said needed to be done, one in particular caught his attention. “A Kaguya and an Osada have become rogue ninja…”

“Wait..” He ha dcut him off. The mission had provoked a thought in Maikeru…last night he was attacked by a Kaguya and a mysterious assailant, to which the only thing that he knew about was the Shape of their fist. No wonder they had tried to mug Maikeru. They probably were mugging for goods or anything useful on the long road ahead as fugitives. Maikeru clenched his fist and grit his teeth. “That one! I'll take that mission.”

He raised an eyebrow at Maikeru before handing him the scroll. “There will be a Kiri ninja to assist you with this mission. Go to the gate and they should be able to meet you there.” Maikeru took the scroll, and ran off as quickly as possible to the gate, the only thing that filled his mind was payback. He stopped and saw that the only people who were there were the guards who tended the gate. They looked at him with suspicion. “Who are you? Why are you at the gate”

“I'm on a mission. I'm waiting for a partner.” Maikeru leaned against the wall waiting for said partner as the accepted his answer. Though he looked laxed on the outside, the only thing that was on his mind right now was payback.

751 WC

There was a dry heat working its way through his window, worse than anything he was used too...and that was saying something. When you live in the Village Hidden in the Sands, you were pretty used to dry heat, but this was something extraordinary, and especially for the time of night it simply made no sense. The young man could hear voices in his house as his mother and father spoke, and he tried to go back to sleep, though the heat and the rising screams outside of the window made him shoot awake in seconds. His mother and father were arguing, and he heard the door shut as his mother cried out through it after his father. Takayuri Hitatsu had always been proud that his father was a member of the village’s ANBU corp, but this would be the night that would make him regret that.

The screams only got louder, the smell of burning sand and flesh rising through the air and sickening the young Takayuri to his stomach. It was difficult for him to believe that anyone could want to bring such pain and destruction to anyone, let alone on this scale. The person or persons responsible clearly couldn’t truly understand what such pain was, as if they could they would have never wished it on anyone else. He could taste the fear in the air, nothing having ever compared to it. He heard a voice shouting out that those who fled would be spared, as he wasn’t there for them. That was when Takayuri’s mother came into his room. Her eyes were bloodshot red, tears streaking down her face and body shaking as she placed a hand on Takayuri’s shoulder and told him that they had to run. He grabbed the spears that his father had given him and one or two personal effects before fleeing into the night, seeking the outskirts of town.

When the sun rose and the smoke began to settle, Takayuri’s mother told him that his father had told the two of them to go to Kiri. He had told them that they had family there and would be safe, nobody would harm them in that land. She said that they needed to be brave, and they needed to always stay positive. Sometimes bad people did horrible things, but that didn’t mean that good people had to give up hope. There was goodness in everyone, and it was up to people like us to nurture that goodness. She told Takayuri that if he kept this in mind, one day he would be able to change the world; to make it a better place where tragedies like this didn’t happen. Takayuri only half heard what she said. He had caught a glimpse of the man whom had slain his father, of that he was sure. All he could think of was putting the blade of one of his father’s spears between the man’s eyes to make sure that nothing like this ever happened again...

It hadn’t been long since Takayuri had come to the village of Kirigakure. He was still getting used to the way things worked around here, and he wasn’t entirely sure how safe of a place it was, as it still employed shinobi meaning it would never truly be safe, but he had decided that he would trust his mother and his late father, as there was nothing else that he really could do. He would keep positive and always hold on to hope while he moved on with his life and trained to become strong enough to ensure that nothing like this would happen again. He had enlisted with the village to be put into rotation for missions and the like, having quickly been promoted to Chuunin based on his abilities with the spear, something that he attributed to his hero of a father. He had been handed a scroll letting him know that he had a mission, and that he would be undertaking it with a shinobi from the village of Iwagakure, another person not from Kiri. He thought it an odd choice to pair up the new Kiri shinobi with someone from out of town, but he looked forward to the chance to be able to prove himself.

It appeared that there was a rogue ninja causing some trouble, a member of the Osada clan, who was heading for the village of Kumo. Since the majority of the village of Kiri was in Suna helping with the war effort, this job had been given to some up and comers to test their strength and ability. Takayuri strapped on all of his Kirigakure armour, the helmet of the village on his belt and his three spears strapped to his back. He wore a Sunagakure headband around his neck, and a coat lined with fur to keep him warm in this oddly cool climate, or at least cool to what he was used too. When he made his way out towards the village gates, he saw another man standing there leaning against the wall. This man looked a tad worse for ware, and the guards were keeping an eye on him, though that was fairly subtle. Takayuri assumed this was the man whom he would be working with today.

“Greetings friend,” His voice was calm and kind, warm and welcoming. He loved talking to new people and making friends. “It must be telling about you and I that the village entrusted two people from outside of the village to take this important mission. My name is Takayuri, and I look forward to getting to work with you...” He would smile a crooked half smile, before pulling a cigarette out of his small tin pouch and putting it to his lips, lighting and drawing smoke into his lungs. “What happened to your eye...if you don’t mind me asking?”

(995/3100)

Getting more and more impatient Maikeru started to tap his foot very quickly, a look of frustration masked his face. He wasn’t sure how long it would be before they could get to them, or how far they had gone, as a result Maikeru’s usual assurance of every situation was clouded by his lust for vengeance. “Greetings friend,” Maikeru’s eyes shot open to find a young man standing in front of him. His demeanor was quite friendly, and appreciated, but Maikeru was getting more impeightent by the minute. “It must be telling about you and I that the village entrusted two people from outside of the village to take this important mission. My name is Takayuri, and I look forward to getting to work with you...”

“Nice to meet you, Takayuri, I’m Maikeru. We don’t have much time to talk, unfortunately, we gotta get going.” Maikeru saw that he had pulled out a cigarette. Definitely not his favorite thing in the world. Then he pointed out something that also caught him off guard: “What happened to your eye...if you don’t mind me asking?” Maikeru put his hand on his eye, and to his surprise it was swollen. He looked around, and saw a window not to far that could clearly show off his reflection. To his surprise, his eye was not only swollen but darkened around it. It was black. “Dammit. It happened last night when I was attacked by the same bastards that did this. Anyway, we gotta get going, we don’t have much time to waste before we lose them, Luckily some people heard Kiro that he was going to steal a boat and head to Lightning Country. Some say they were going to go join Kumogakure some say they are going to start a gang, but that hardly matters. Our objective is kill them. I’ve already talked long enough, so let’s get to it.”

Some Time Later

After the long walk, with a few conversations with Takayuri. Until Maikeru noticed a something. It was a camp. A small one. But he couldn't there were no tents. Just a out out fire. But there wasn't a lot of charred wood around it. “This could only mean…”

Maikeru heard a WOOSH above him, as someone jumped from a branch and tried to get the drop on him. Out of pure reaction, he out his fist into the air, and heard a large explosion, with the light flashing on the ground. Maikeru watched a man fall to Maikeru's right, his body charred and disgusting. Though he was still alive.

“One of the mercenaries that they hired. They were waiting for us.”

“Oh I remember you. The guy's ass I kicked last night.” Maikeru looked up and saw none other than Asusuke Kaguya. Spiked bones slowly grew from his body, to taunt Maikeru. And it certainly worked. Maikeru jumped at him, and began throwing punches and kicks, each one parried with his by his superhard bones. Maikeru flew back. “It's obviously basic Taijutsu isn't going to beat you…but I have something else in mind…”

Maikeru charged his fist with Raiton, a smirk on his face. He was about to have some fun.

1301 WC

The shinobi whom he had been paired with seemed to be a little bit impatient when Takayuri got there, but it seemed to make sense to him as the man whom they were hunting had apparently assaulted him. Takayuri couldn’t imagine why he would want to do such a thing, because who would truly want to harm another human being? But nonetheless he would ensure that the mission was seen through, for these men needed to be brought back to the village, and Takayuri would attempt to ensure they were brought back alive...even if the mission directive said otherwise. He would ensure that these men paid for their crimes, but hopefully they would be able to then return to the village as functioning members of society.

The trip seemed to go by quickly, Takayuri didn’t enjoy the silence so much, but he didn’t want to break the focus of his travelling companion. It appeared that he had vengeance on the mind, and when a person got like that, they were simply impossible to reason with. They chatted a bit but not nearly as much as the socialite Takayuri would have liked. He was quite happy when he found they had arrived at their destination. It was pretty easy to figure it out when someone had dropped on them. Takayuri pulled out Gáe Buidhe and planted the counterweight into the ground before launching himself backwards away from the attacker, before noticing that the individual had crashed into the ground as a charred husk. He had heard that spontaneous combustion was a phenomenon that could happen, but he never thought he would experience it. What a shock to discover that something like that was not only real, but could happen out of the blue. The other, more obvious option was that his travelling companion had been the cause, but he refused to believe that he had so easily taken a life.

Takayuri held Gáe Buidhe in his right hand around half way up the shaft, point towards the camp as he pulled out Gáe Dearg, holding it in his left hand with the counterweight on the ground and the spear extended straight up in a defensive position. He might not instantly resort to violence, but he also wasn’t a fool and he knew enough to defend himself if needed. The man on the ground was alive still, much to the horror of the young Takayuri. Clearly he was suffering and Takayuri couldn’t allow that to happen. While he believed that everyone deserved a chance at life, sometimes the correct and merciful thing to do was to allow someone a peaceful end so they needn’t suffer. He took Gae Buidhe and put the tip of it through the man’s melting skull, ending his suffering instantly. As he pulled it back out he saw that his companion had engaged in a man whos body was covered in bone, having jumped headlong into the fight. Takayuri shook his head, approaching the encampment as a few other of the mercenaries made their way towards him, weapons drawn.

Takayuri wouldn’t harm any of them, his training with his spears having taught him how to properly incapacitate someone with relative ease. He would spin the spears as they approached, the counterweights hitting each in the side of the head in turn, keeping them out of range of their shorter weapons and allowing them to more or less safely hit the ground before moving along. He saw a man at the centre of the camp who appeared to be giving orders, clearly the older of the two shinobi, as they clearly were shinobi where as the others were simply men. He could see the brass knuckles on the man’s fist, and Takayuri knew that there was no way he would be able to get close enough to use them.

“You must be Kiro friend...My name is Takayuri. I’ve been sent to remove you, though I see no reason that you can’t be brought back to the village peacefully. Death doesn’t have to be the answer. The Mizukage will welcome you back, as she is a fair woman. If you repent and make up for your wrong deeds there is no doubt in my mind that you would be welcomed back into the village with opened arms.” The man laughed at Takayuri’s words, something that puzzled him. Did he think that Takayuri was joking? Sure sometimes he would tell a joke to lighten the mood, but in this case he was being extremely serious.

“You must not know Ayakashi, boy.” He was clearly trying to make himself sound scarier by making his voice more gravely, but it wasn’t intimidating to Takayuri. “She destroyed the prison and killed everyone inside of it. She has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to crime and criminals. I have a better chance of living in this fight than if I go back home and repent...she would flense me where I stood.” The man made a hand sign and a gaseous substance made its way towards Takayuri, who twirled the spear in his left hand to dissipate the gas. Behind the cloud came a liquid and Takayuri used his other spear to springboard out of the way, off to the left of where he had been standing. He would flow chakra into the ground around him, an invisible zone forming in order to protect him from any offensive techniques the man would send at him, and held his ground, taking a more offensive stance with the tips of both spears pointed forwards towards the man. Intimidation was another tactic that could be useful.

“There is know way that the beautiful Lady Ayakashi would do such a thing, and even if she did I’m sure she had a perfectly good reason. She would never turn away a repentant soul. If you come with us there will be a place for you within the village ranks once more.”

“You’re a fool boy...But you’ll learn.” A stream of liquid made its way towards Takayuri, cutting off at the edge of his protective zone. Where it touched the ground it began to burn, as Takayuri quickly realized this man was of the Osada clan. If he insisted on fighting he would be a dangerous opponent indeed, but as long as Takayuri could stay inside of his nullzone, he would be protected...

(2082/3100)

Chakra 280/300:

Maikeru had charged up the cackling Raiton in his hand, feeling the volts shake his hand, orange lightning sputtering off it, and charged forward. Asuske smirked at Maikeru, and on his arm bones slowly formed off it. Multiple bones kept forming, until it became a shield,made of bone. The two stood on the branch, smirking at each other, standing on their branch, with malintent in their eyes. Maikeru finally made the frost move and charged forward, and clocked his fist back, sure enough, the strike hit the shield. He parried by shoving Maikeru forward, and went for a hit to the head with the makeshift bone shield. Maikeru jumped backwards, smirking at him. “What's so funny?”

“This!” Maikeru made a half tiger seal, causing an explosion on the shield, throwing him off the branch and into the tree. Maikeru smiled. “Detonator Jutsu. If I hit you with that lightning attack, then it implants an explosive Jutsu. I can detonate it at any time.”

The look of anger on Asusuke’s face welled up more and more on his face the more mocking Maikeru's smirk was. “You wouldn't have been hit with it if you weren't such a cocky little brat!” Maikeru chuckled, adding into the mocking tone. Asusuke’s smirk became twisted and forced, conveying a sick amount of anger, coupled with an attempt to look confident.

“ATTACK!!” Maikeru saw that a bunch of Shinobi came out of the bushes, not unlike the one that he had Landmine Punched. He was reminded that Kiro had an abundance of income to buy mercenaries. But obviously not enough to be quality mercenaries. He created a drill out of bones covering his arms and jumped forward. Maikeru saw that a man was running at him. He looked at him and back at Asusuke. He grabbed his wrist and pulled him pulled him forward, putting him into the range of Asusuke’s attack, having him being impaled. It caught Asusuke off Guard, having a body on his drill, and then Maikeru kicked him in the face, and falling off the branch again . When he came at him, Maikeru grabbed him by the shoulders and and kneed him in the stomach. Maikeru created some hands seals, and raised his hand, aiming it at Asuske who was removing the corpse off his drill covered arm, being helped by some of the mercenaries. Maikeru shot of Cone of lighting at him from his palm and finger tips. He looked up to and saw that it was coming, and jumped out of the way while the remaining mercenaries were burnt to am electric crisp. “You are really pissing me ooooooooofffffff!!!!” As he screamed, he shoved his drill arm into the grown, and spiked bones erupted from the earth into a straight line, aiming at the tree and cutting it in half vertically from the trunk, killing more mercenaries in its path. Maikeru jumped off the branch, and landed cleanly. He made the snake hand seal and a giant arm erupted from the ground, made of solid rock. Maikeru controlled its movements with his own arm and hand, and opened the hand. He slammed his hand down on the air, as the much larger hand did to the ground, cursing mercenaries in the process. Asusuke didn't make a move as he was focused on getting ready to defend against the giant hand, rather than make another attack. “You couldn't pay to get any good mercenaries? How pathetic. You must be poor.” With a crazed look, Asuske created another drill arm, and bony spikes on his body. Maikeru noticed that he was still just a dumb kid with an inflated ego. Easy to exploit. Maikeru smiled and gave a hand waving gesture. “Come on cry, baby. Let's dance.”

1937 WC

“No matter what you believe about Ayakashi, there are always alternatives to death. Nobody needs to kill anybody today. We could take you to the authorities in Kumogakure if you don’t wish to go to Kiri. I imagine they would take you in as well. A good shinobi is welcome anywhere, and in this world any wasted life is a grave tragedy.” Acid, water, and fire continued to disintegrate across the shield that Takayuri had created as he simply waited. The Osada would occasionally try to test the waters to get closer so he could attempt to use his blade, but Takayuri was an expert at judging the subtle movements of the chess game that was a weapon duel. This, of course, was like playing with 15 queens on your side. A pair of trench knives vs a pair of spears was a ridiculously unfair fight, and there was no way that the Osada would ever get close enough to lay a hit on Takayuri. He knew that he was perfectly safe, and had he wanted to, the Osada would have been dead by now. Fortunately like him, Takayuri wasn’t like his companion on this mission.

It was impossible for him not to realize what was happening around him, the smell of burning flesh and hair filled the entire camp, but Takayuri was intently focused on the leader of these holigans. He figured if he could get this man to give in, the rest would follow suit and he could save more than one life on this day. “Think of your men, Kiro. They are all counting on you to lead them towards the best possible future that you can. They have put their trust in you, and you have led them into the mouth of the beast. These are your men, your friends even. Does the bond of friendship mean nothing to you?” Kiro pulled out a Kunai and threw it towards Takayuri, causing him to spin one of his spears to deflect it as Kiro closed the gap, using his dagger to push away the tip on the other spear and moving towards Tak. Takayuri moved the spear back into a vertical position as Kiro closed on him, placing it on the ground and springing over him, using the other spear to thrust down into Kiro’s shoulder as Kiri thrusted up at Takayuri. Tak managed to keep out of his range, the tip of his spear deeply piercing into Kiro’s shoulder, who grunted and dropped to a knee as Takayuri landed at his back.

“Bastard! You think you can lecture me? I am no idiot. I know Kiri wants me dead, and if you’re here I know you’ve been hired to kill me. I’m not an idiot.” He threw a blast of in Takayuri’s direction, the young Hanataka clan member using his reflexes and some quick thinking to flow chakra into his feet, allowing him to walk on the air. He ran up and over once more to avoid the attack, thrusting down once more, which the Osada clan member dodged this time, his shoulder now soaked in the blood from his wound. He would continue to make his way up, trying to get to a point where he could use one of the techniques known by all Hanataka clan members. He continued to run up into the air until he was several dozen meters above the ground, the Osada stringing hand signs together. Takayuri would briefly allow the winds to takw him down, creating a bubble of high pressure futon as he descended down to the ground behind Kiro. When he hit the ground, the intense pressure of the winds and the tremendous speed that he had achieved in his descent created a pseudo explosion, causing Kiro to be knocked off of his feet, a clear crack audible as the extremely close proximity of the blast had clearly fractured something inside of the man.

Takayuri brought his spears to bare once more, the point of one at the man’s heart, and the other at his throat. Kiro was fighting back gasps and grunts of pain as he lay on the ground, defeated before the opponent in front of him, prepared for the final strike. Takayuri, of course however, refused to deliver that blow, instead electing to continue to speak...

“Even a man who believes he has lost everything is not beyond redemption. It is at our lowest point that we are truly able to learn what it is to be repentant and to experience change and growth. You are defeated, brought low by one whom you thought weak, but take this as a chance to become a better person. You will not die on this day if you do not wish too, Kiro Osada. All lives deserve a second chance, and this could be the start of yours if you so choose to take it.” Kiro grunted, moving a hand to his left arm, the arm that was already soaked in blood. Takayuri heard a sickening pop noise as Kiro reset the bone in his own arm, looking up towards the young Hanataka.

“Maybe you’re right kid...maybe this is my chance...” Takayuri eased up his spears, bringing them back, but Kiro took the opportunity as quickly as it was presented. He swept at Takayuri’s legs, causing the Hanataka to jump back into the air once more. “But it’s more likely that you’re too weak to take advantage of a situation when it presents itself, and you will talk yourself out of this victory. You should have killed me when you had the chance!”

(3032/3100)

Maikeru smirked. He found provoking the young Asuske to be satisfying. He was really enjoying taunting him. Goating him. Maikeru was playing a sick game with the boy, and he was winning. Maikeru created a snake hand seal, causing earth to stand up in front of Maikeru, in the shape of a wall with large spikes all over the front of it. Maikeru kicked the wall, and it started to rapidly move forward, causing it to head straight for Asuske. But the dodged out of the way. He made a break for Maikeru. But he was on guard. When Maikeru saw him coming, he sidestepped his attack, allowing the long drill to pass to the side. However Maikeru would not let him pass with his failure of hitting him. Instead, he reached out his arm, completely and safely stopping him. Asuske stopped, dumbfounded. He slowly turned to Maikeru with a look of suris world. prise. Maikeru returned an arrogant gaze. “You worthless trash.” The hand that Maikeru had on his stomach would begin to discharge an absurd amount of electricity, electrifying the boy. Maikeru stopped the charge, and then sidekicked him away. Another mercenary came to interrupt Maikeru’s fun. Maikeru grabbed him by the back of the neck, and shoved his face down on his knee. He tossed him aside, and stared at Asuske. “Its little brats like you who are better off dead than to be in this world. It's not like you would have possibly lasted much longer anyway. Considering how much of a week insect you are.” His face grew red. Maikeru started to laugh. And when he saw how tears were flowing down Asuske’s face he laughed louder. “Oh wow, you actually ARE a crybaby.”

“SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!!!” The drill on his arm quickly retracted back into his body. Asuske started to sprout spikes all over. Spikes grew everywhere out of his body. Especially on his face. Bones appeared enough to wrap around his face, and become a mask. “Well this is gonig to be interesting.” Maikeru powered up his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and the two went at it. The were trading blows with each other left and right. Asuske hit harder, but Maikeru hit more often. All mercenaries that were in their path were obliterated. Maikeru dodged an angrier than normal punch that toppled a tree. He jumped backward, and then he begin to rapidly rub his hands together. Maikeru’s body began to charge more and more, creating an intense amount of Raiton. The light was flashing really bright with the amounts of it, and it was charging really hard. The power was coursing through him, and it felt like it would burst at any moment. When Asuske got close, Maikeru discharged everything, causing a brilliant burst of lightning that even destroyed the boy’s armor. He flew into a tree with a loud thud. As powerful as he was, Asuske was still far to quick to drain his chakra. He was out of stamina and defeated. Maikeru walked over and looked at him. “Wait...don’t…” Maikeru pointed a finger at him, and shocked a yellow stream of lightning onto him. With that he walked away from his body, with him still lying there. Maikeru made the half tiger seal, and then there was a large explosion. “Good riddance.”

567/2504 WC

The man’s dedication and persistence was something that Takayuri would have considered admirable, had it not been something that simultaneously saddened him so deeply. He had greatly hoped that he would be able to convince the man to turn himself in, but it didn’t seem that would be the case. He was fighting with venom in his strikes as he tried to murder the young shinobi so he could flee, and Takayuri was being forced to play defensive. He hadn’t thought that so early into his career in Kiri he would have to kill, but it seemed that he would be left no choice.

The skies above him seemed to understand the gravity of the situation as thunder rolled across the sky and lightning lit up the falling rain. The man continued coming at Takayuri, throwing strike after strike as Takayuri began to use the Skip Catch technique, turning away each strike with relative ease. “What’s wrong, boy? You have become so silent. Have you given up? Are you finally seeing the futility of your words and prepared to succumb to death? I will grant you that.” Takayuri continued to turn away attacks as they became more furious, a serious and solemn look crossing his face.

“I am sorry, Kiro Osada. I tried to save you. I tried to bring you back safely.” Kiro threw another strike with his dagger as Takayuri brought his weapon down at his wrist, cutting deeply into it and causing a burst of dark blood to come forth from it as the Osada dropped his dagger and clutched his bleeding wrist with his free hand. “Unfortunately I can only attack so hard while trying to save you. I will no longer hold back.” He smashed the pommel of one of his spears into the man’s stomach, causing him to double over from shortage of breath, his knees buckling below as the other spear struck him in the right knee, collapsing the weight that it was supporting.

With the silence he began to flow chakra both into himself and into his spear, causing a time dilation effect that would make him appear to be moving slightly after he truly was. The Osada seemed confused as the distortion around him made him more difficult to track. The tip of one of his spears was coated in wind chakra, which began to spin like a drill. He would ensure this would be quick and painless, he decided that Kiro Osada deserved at least that from him. He had no interest in causing suffering to the man. He threw a feint low with the spear that wasn’t active, causing Kiro to slowly move to block down a half second later than he should have as Takayuri’s Lancer Wind Drill technique hit its mark. He drove the tip of his spear deep into the man’s eye socket, destroying the eye and piercing his brain, killing him instantly. As soon as this was completed, Takayuri withdrew his weapon, taking a second to examine his handiwork.

“I’m sorry, friend. I tried to offer you a second chance. I hope that in death you have found the peace you could never find in your life. You were lost, and I tried to find you...” He cleaned the tip of his spear by super heating it with lightning chakra before looking around to see what had happened to the others. The scene around him made him feel sicked to his core. Everything had been scorched and there were many mutilated bodies. Takayuri collapsed to his knees.

“Gods no...all of these wasted lives...they could have become productive members of society, they had families and friends...and that has all been ripped from them...this is madness...”

{Exit Thread}

3664

Mission - 3100
Endurance D-> D1 325

Maikeru noticed that more mercenaries were still coming, even after their two wild cards kept coming. He didn’t need to kill them. The situation wasn’t as dire. One came close him, waving around a sword he clearly didn’t know how to use. Maikeru grabbed his wrist and twisted, and then his face, and smashed it on his knee. Another was coming. He went for a kick, and Maikeru pulled up a shin, blocking it, and then redirecting his foot to make friends with his face. Maikeru looked at the rest of them. The two injured ones picked themself up, and ran away with the rest of them.

Maikeru didn’t need to catch them. Their weakness would be punishment enough. Maikeru may have had a few killed when he couldn’t have any annoyances while he was battling Asuske, but since he was dispatched, they could go. They were just mercenaries. And Maikeru didn’t think anything that Kirigakure would have done to them would be quite necessary.  He turned to see that Takayuri had killed Kiro. Maikeru looked at the body for a second and walked over to it. He spat on the corpse. “That’s for the black eye, you prick.” Maikeru then turned around and walked away, heading to hand in the mission. His job was done here.

[EXIT]

224/2728

2728-1700=1028
Endurance D->C

1028-725=303
Perception D->D~2

303 Discarded