Taking place at the historic Blossoming Pillars Stadium (Jūhi Dōhyō), the final rounds of the Exams forego the tricks and surprises of earlier, making way for an arena that is both iconic and neutral. In spite of a modest 25m radius, this arena is no less grand than those which preceded it, boasting stands that raise high above for observers to watch the anticipated final matches and a fighting zone where legendary heroes and Kage once fought. A dusty circle surrounded by sparse shrubs and a high wall encloses combatants, who enter from opposite ends of the arena, the crowd roars, the Chūnin Exams draw to a close.
POSTING ORDER 1 - Sakamoto 2 - Yoshihiro Joe
24 HOUR POST TIMER BEGINS FOR KASHIKI 24 HOURS AFTER THIS POST
Through the trials and tribulations that had gotten him to the Semi-finals, he had discovered opponents in the ninja world that he thought he would have never managed to defeat without days of preparation in the wild during his bandit days. This accompanied with the fact that his experience in just how diverse the ninja world was when it came to its fighters had expanded beyond his belief. The ninja of many nations bought with them styles that he had never encountered before, from the brutal frontal attacker that he had done battle against from Kirigakure no Sato to the standard balanced ninjutsu ninja from Konohagakure combined with its cult of Taijutsu specialists, there seemed to be no end to the combat diversity that the ninja had to offer. And Sakamoto had become a part of that world. His own skills in fuinjutsu had broadened with the realization of the holes in his learning, close calls a plenty had shaved him a little too close to the skin would push him to improve after this exam was over. Esecially when it came to his physical prowess which was sorely lacking.
Sakamoto had trained his body, for sure, but the amount of ninja that enhanced their speed, strength and lethality with superhuman potential with little more than the power of their own chakra had caused more grief than it had been worth in these fights. Yet, in the end it had all proved to be for naught. As he was introduced to the final battle, Sakamoto's name would be called out over a cheering crowd, female members of the audience cood and screamed holding up banners and placards with images of the feline scrawled expertly around them. Each of them wailing support for the perplexed feline. The ninneko was flattered at the recognition, he couldn't dream of a time that he would have this kind of support from a human audiance, though likely after this exam his celebrity would fade into obscurity. There was no way that in such a public event, a cat, that was also a ninja, wouldn't become a fan favorite immediately... especially one that had gotten to the semi-finals!
The arena that expanded outwards in every direction seemed to be as standard as the one before, if not exactly the same as the one before. It was a plesant sight to behold. Even fighting arenas like this would allow a neutral field, and seeing as that Sakamoto no longer had the kink in his jutsu of needing direct line of sight anymore, albiet the flaw in his technique required additional chakra, it would solve a problem that he had been wrestling with in a number of the arenas that he had fought in over the course of the competition... For now though, he was ready for whatever came his way, making his way towards the center of the arena, ten meters from the middle in the hopes of meeting his opponent face to face. This time however, unlike the last one, he thought a little mentalism might go well with the opponent. Sakamoto, before the horn for combat was sounded, would take a moment to survey the crowd around him, pulling his konoha support from the home crowd to his side.
"You know, if I were you I'd submit now, this is your home too right? There's no honor in being the ninja who overcame a simple housecat in the chunin exams. Everyone here would see it as cheap, if not a cheat. Could you really handle being known as the guy who beat up a meek little cat to get into the finals of the most venerable competition there is? You and I, we may know the truth, but... they don't... So, could you really handle them all hating you..?"
It was a mean thought, though it played into the cerebral nature of the feline before him, playing mind games, tricks, attempting to sew doubt into the mind of his enemy. While another Konoha ninja would surely have his own close group of support. His friends, his family, his squal and perhaps even his classmates. It would likely pale to the support that the feline had accumulated over the course of these battles and it would show within the crowd of thousands of spectators that surrounded them from all nations, yet many would be from the local area... And so the dead serious eyes of Sakamoto would bear down on his enemy.
"I'm only trying to warn you..." he would continue in his same, deep, monotinous tone. "It takes a special kind of sociopath to have the world turn against them and still be able to keep their head held high, to keep self respect, to not buckle under that pressure. Its a terrible burden for those with a good heart, like I can tell you do... to face their ire, their eyes turning on you with steely glares at the ninja who got to the finals by defeating a fragile little kitten... I wouldn't blame you if you left."
With that, Sakamoto would await his answer, his hesitation, hopefully he would give him at least some sort of mental crisis. Human children were often worried about the thoughts of their peers, their parents, their loved ones. If he was self conscious at all there was a chance it would weigh heavy on him, slow his blows, cause him to pull his punches with the doubt that they might bring with them. Unless like the kirigakure ninja, he too was some borderline psycho that would hurl shuriken at a defenceless cat being buckled by gale force winds... He was lucky he wans't just a bystander... But sure enough, after a response, regardless of the words or thoughts that were expressed before the sounding of the bell that would mark the beginning of the semi-finals. Sakamoto would give his opponent an obligatory bow, his opponent was a semi-finalist after all, should they meet up afterwards, Sakamoto might express the reality of his mental tactic... that it was a sign of respect in his ability, requiring Sakamoto to attempt every trick in his arsenal to gain a sliver of an upper hand... and not a cowardly tactic to cheat victory from him.
"JoJo JoJo JoJo JoJo" the crowd chanted in the upper decks of the stadium.
Their booming voices echoed throughout the arena, matching with the chants of the other Finalist in a roaring ovation as the two finalists were announced. After what felt like an eternity to both the audience and those competing, the Chunin Exams were at last nearing their end. Everyone who competed had shown valor and ingenuity, the calling cards of a great ninja. What separated the two winning fighters though, and their counterparts in the loser's bracket, was unclear. They had all come so very, very far while so many others had fallen to the wayside either by being eliminated or by simply dropping out entirely. To be certain, YoJo had thought about dropping out many times now, thinking that with how each math had been harder than the last, he would certainly lose his nerve sooner or later. Even outside of his his fights, he was beginning to break down somewhat. Regular visits to the psych ward, the occasional visit with Kirei, and his almost self-destructive training regiments- they were all causing him to crumble beneath the surface.
And yet, he stood tall. Despite everything that had pulled him down mentally and physically, he had made it further than anyone might've expected. The clanless orphan from Konoha, rising through the bracket and beating foe after foe, round after round. Each match had felt like a war in a way, they all felt so very familiar and yet so very far away. From the cerebral style of Yasubei, to the ruthless aggression of Yosei, the sturdiness and hard-strikes of Ryo, to the cunning and wily wit of Zinan- he had learned so much in such a short amount of time. In a way, he already felt like a Chunin, maybe even something more- though he couldn't quite describe the sensation accurately. No matter what, he felt old as he stood there in the opposing lockers from his opponent, certainly older than he had at the start of these exams. He wondered if Ting felt the same way. They had promised to win if the other should fall, and given that his current opponent had done exactly that, he was determined to keep up his end of their promise. He had come too far to look back now, he had crossed the threshold of boyhood. He had become a man.
YoJo burst from his locker room into the hallway leading to the arena, an intense look to his gaze as the watching proctors gave him a small nod of what seemed like some sort of respect. It was the feeling of acknowledgement by his village, of being accepted, that made him feel energized. As he walked out, he stuck to the first steps of his previous matches. He would grab at the flowing shawl wrapped around his shoulder to hip, infusing it with a trace of his chakra for a substitution whilst loosening its hold on him. With the first burst of speed, it'd fall off and flutter briefly through the air where he'd been, caught by the whiplash effect of the sudden motion. He'd gotten the idea for the trick by watching leaves being tossed about on a windy day whilst training. He hadn't had to use it yet, but he knew it would be better safe than sorry. His gaze was straight ahead, a million thoughts flying through his mind, until at last the light from the end of the tunnel engulfed him all at once as he emerged into the arena.
The arena erupted in sound, the chants growing louder to match the roars of supporters for his feline opponent. YoJo's brown eyes were locked onto the black cat as it walked into the clearing, stopping opposite from him. There was no mocking quip from the shinobi, he knew better than to laugh at an opponent's appearance, least of all one who had made it to the Finals. They were both here for a reason, they were both underdogs in their own right. YoJo had nothing but respect for his opponent for that alone. This silence between enemies was soon broken however by the animal-nin speaking, challenging him in the same way that Yosei had fractured his faith in his village. YoJo had cracked then, he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
"If it were anyone but you. I would believe that" YoJo started, his gaze firm in this brief pre-fight chatter. "The truth is I respect you. You fight for everything in your life because no one sees anything about you save for being a cat. I don't see that, because I've had to endure it all my life as well. I see a shinobi... but if you sincerely think I'm going to give up because of what these people think, then perhaps that respect is being misplaced..." he added, looking away briefly to see the crowd above. His own supporters had begun to cheer, but they weren't as loud as the following the cult cat had caught.
YoJo undid the protector that was around his waist as a belt, moving it up onto his forehead for the sigil of Konoha to be seen, speaking again with resolve. "What you- what none of you ever understand, is that there's no one in this world who hates me... MORE THAN I DO!" he said, softly at first, before blowing up into a full blown shout, his Konohagakure headband shining for all to see. "THAT'S MY CURSE OF HATRED!" he added, remembering the phrase Kirei had described to him about his own kin. It resonated within YoJo now, and he let that be known to all. "If I give up now, I'd be giving up not just on myself- but my friends, my rivals, my village, and most of all, I'd be giving up on you- on us. Because I don't see just a cat, I SEE A SHINOBI WHO I RESPECT AND WILL FIGHT AS AN EQUAL!" the teen shouted proudly, his gaze locked onto the cat even as he assumed a solid power-stance.
As the words began to die down, the proctor body-flickered inbetween the two. There was 20 meters between them, as they had both stopped 10 meters from the center of the arena. With all the theatrics done, it seemed they were ready to start. The gruff proctor, his face hidden by a bandanna wrapped, glanced to the two. "You both know how this goes. Good luck to you both... You've made your village proud" he added on before raising his hand, causing YoJo to assume a ready position.
"BEGIN!" the proctor shouted, slicing his hand through the air.
The match had begun, the black cat was to fight the dark horse.
1156/1156
255/260:
- Substitution prepped!
Name: Substitution Technique (変わり身の術 ~ Kawarimi no Jutsu) Canon/Custom: Canon. Rank: E. Type: Supplementary. Element: None. Range: One prepared item in the user's clear line of sight. Speciality: Ninjutsu. Duration: 1 post preparation. Infinite postponement, Instant activation. Cooldown: 6 posts after activation. Description: The Substitution Technique is an age-old skill which enables the user to evade the effects of an attack by switching with an item in the area. (The item---or substantial clone---used for a Substitute must be as large as the user's torso, and must be prepared at least 1 post in advance by infusing it with 5 chakra.) Activating this jutsu for another 5 chakra, the ninja moves at untraceable speed for just a moment, and the item does so as well to take the user's place; the ninja leaves behind a flickering after-image for a second, which, if damaged, releases the chakra which holds it in place in a small smoke cloud, revealing the nature of the technique and the item they have switched with. Higher-rank ninjas' afterimages are able to show some of the signs of natural impact as if it were an actual human, if only for a very short period, before 'poofing'. The user coming out of the technique creates a similar audio and visual cue with a small cloud of translucent smoke and a 'poofing' sound on appearance in the location of the item they Substituted with. This technique causes the user to move at speeds untraceable to human perception, and therefore even the user cannot coordinate attacks during the Kawarimi, or activate any other jutsu. They, however, can maneuver near someone and then attack them after the fast-movement is finished.
Sakamoto couldn't help but feel a boil welling up within him at the ninja before him, though something smelt a little off as soon as he became within range. The scent of the pharimones that the boy was giving off was familiar, although distantly. Sakamoto couldn't recall the distinct power of them, but there was something within his blood that smelt of passionate rage that he couldn't quite put his paw on. It was a deeper, ravenous chemical passion that was radiating from his very being as Sakamoto's jaunt seemed to hit a spot. While he would discount much of Sakamoto's warning with that kneejerk passion, it would do well for him to remember, so Sakamoto, while reeling in revolt at the boy's reaction, he would slip in one final word before the battle would seek to begin, a sliver of something to think about, an iota of doubt hoping to skid between the armor of the genin before him. But it seemed clear now that the self-confidence of his opponent was absolute.
"Have it your way, but don't say i didn't warn you... Defeat me, and claim your title, Cheater of Konoha!"
Sakamoto spoke over the announcer. Chakra welling up in his throat, Sakamoto would let out a loud 'meow' which would echo across the earth. As poofing into existence ten additional felines would take to the arena, each of them colour coded by the scarves that all of them seemed to wear. Sakamoto was ready for a fight, of that there was no doubt, but this wouldn't be like the other ones, he was mad, and he wanted to bring out whatever that curse of hatred was within the ninja he was in the ring with... Who was he? What sparked that flame? But the time for deliberation was over. Sakamoto would take the opportunity of his opponent needing to react to the ten summoned beings within the arena to run backward as fast has his tiny little legs could carry him. His speed, while not eclipsing the natural speed of his opponent, Sakamoto was faster, of that there would be no doubt. He would hope to clear the distance and push his opponent to have to fight through the decem strong squad that stood before him before he had a hope of taking on the head cat of the bunch.
Left to right the cats would pair up, fighting better together in groups than on their own. Each named for the colours of their scarves, Yellow and Orange collected at the leftmost, with Blue and Green taking the inner left flank. Purple and Pink would take the center flanked to the right with White and Grey. Finally to the rightmost, Black and the undeniable anomaly that was known as Tie would appear. Rainbow galaxies sprawled across his scarf as he seemed to wear marching tinted aviators and a backward-facing baseball cap with gold chains hanging around his neck. Though Tie was no less of a ninja, Sakamoto still scowled at his inability to keep complete control of his technique's formation. This was beginning to become a theme, and no matter what he did, when it came to the formation of this technqiue in combat... he couldn't seem to be able to handle that one last clone. Sakamoto himself took on the mantle of Red, so with his small army under his command. The Five squads would begin to make their attack!
It would be Blue, Green White and Grey that would make their attack first. Charging head first for their opponent in hoping to clear the gap in little more than a moment! Though they weren't as strong as Sakamoto, they benefitted from their feline characteristics, pushing them faster as they would use their burst D rank speed to hope to bridge the 15 or so meter gap in little more than a few seconds. Pink and Purple would pull back backtracking while keeping an eye on their opponent to provide a garrison between himself and Sakamoto, acting as a shield to any projectiles that might intend to come his way that might be a problem. Leaving Black, Tie Orange and Yellow at the outer most flanks. Each of them spreading out to the northeast northwest, southeast and southwest in order to surround their opponent with an approximate 10m birth in order to provide a potent second wave out of range of any of the radii techniques that the ninja may have at his disposal. The superiority of the land was Sakamoto's and there was little that any opponents in the exams could do about it!
The attackers would split, Green and White taking the head on approach while Blue and Grey would run up their slick-streams at their highest possible speed. Like less trained Genin in many ways, but by no means, not a non-threat, the clones should they close in on their opponent's sides would begin their path of attack. The two cats at the front would leap, attempting direct attacks at the ninja's left and right sides of his torso just under the shoulder, while those following up behind them would attempt to speed in and around the outside of their enemies legs attempting to strike at the outside of his kneecaps with another swipe, hoping to hook their claws in and spin around like a grapple with the intention of tearing out the lateral collateral ligament with the 1/2 inch deep cutting on the cat's claws. The two leaping for his chest, however, claws also extended would be largely prepared for counter-attack from hand weapons, but, with teeth and claws beared should they hit would hope to deal strikes and grapple to his chest and rake with their back legs, biting at his neck in a savage attempt to hopefully pounce and knock the ninja over with their combined strength and the wounds delivered by their friends' legs which, due to their slickstream maneuver, would be totally simultaneous in effect.
Should everything pan out and their formation takes him by surprise, the cats would be ready to simply deliver as much damage to him as they possibly could clawing and biting as they looked for sensitive locations like wrists and ankles as well as his neck. All the while Sakamoto would retreat to a safe 20m distance in the meantime. Spinning to watch and wait while his series of attacks would hope to be set up in the near future... this battle had begun, and he wasn't going to make it easy for the boy.
[1177]
chakra 235:
Name: Jūfuku Gijutsu: Neko | ネコ重複技術 - Duplicat Technique Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive / Supplementary Element: N/A Range: N/A Specialty: Ninjutsu / Fuinjutsu Duration: 4 Posts Cooldown: 4 Posts Description: Sakamoto prepares his chakra in his throat for a moment before letting out a single meow as the visual effect of an intricate pawprint seal flashes underneath him. After activation Sakamoto forms 10 Duplicats, clones that look similar to Sakamoto save for their varying different colored scarves but have no chakra or chakra natures meaning they can't exist longer than 4 posts, but can travel as far as the user wishes. The Duplicats have -4 tiers in their stats compared to their user and any equipment they would carry and cap at C rank in both rank and damage. Also, although they have access to all the user's jutsu like a shadow clone, they have no chakra in which to use their master's active abilities. Duplicates can be dispersed at any time so long as they can be sensed by the user in some form. Should a Duplicat be dispersed or destroyed, it leaves a 'Pawprint Seal' on either the object that killed it, or a surface it was in contact with or over as it vanished.
Yojo grit his teeth as he heard yet another jeering remark from his opponent. He didn't know close to anything about the feline fatale. Everyone he'd faced though had lost, much in the same vein as himself. That was enough to cause a great deal of apprehension within the Genin as the match begun. For as the proctor signalled the start of the fight, Yojo would instantly kick backwards, forming the bird hand seal as he did so whilst his opponent summoned an array of duplicates... Or were they duplicats in this case?... No, that'd just be silly, wouldn't it? Regardless, it only took a precursory look from the brown-eyed-boy to notice the differing scarf colors from the original creator. He didn't know what kind of tricks that his opponent was trying to pull off, and truth be told, he didn't want to find out right off the bat. Instead, in the almost-second that past, Yojo had carried himself to the opposing end of the arena. He would kick upwards from the ground, jumping into the air up towards the arena wall whilst a hand whipped out a kunai at rapid speeds.
Three cartoonish looking crows would appear circling the air above Yojo, complete with googly-eyes and comical features. They were about the size of a normal bird, but bore the light green color of Futon chakra. For now, they simply hovered in the air above the Genin as he hanged roughly halfway up the top of the arena wall, almost 10 meters above the ground. They were waiting for their commands. Though, at the moment, Yojo didn't have anything to tell them save to remain on standby. He was buying himself some time to evaluate the playing field. The large showl had fluttered off from his torso into the air where he'd been, close to his original position at the start of the fight. Hopefully, Sakamoto would think it was just a stray article of clothing and not think to much on it. No, right now, the thing that was concerning him the most were the quartet of scarf-wearing cats running across the battlefield towards where he'd been... Besides for the one that had a backwards hat on. What was up with that anyways?
He could tell that these creatures weren't meant to obscure the original's identity. Anyone with good enough vision could very clearly see which cat was the real one, the color of the scarves gave the fakes away... Still, that in itself created a rather dire question that he had to solve quickly. If these clones weren't meant to be used for tricking an opponent indirectly, than what were they for? There was something deeper at play here, and he had a hunch that these cats were going to be more impactful than traditional elemental clones. These thoughts of his came to him quickly, fast enough for him to swing up from his perch on the wall another 10 meters upwards, digging his kunai again into the side of the arena. A normal cat couldn't just climb sheer concrete like this, but, as he and his opponent knew, these were no ordinary cats. By the time he'd ascended to his second perch, they'd already be at the bottom of the wall and likely beginning their ascent... Sakamoto had covered all his vulnerabilities, he was feeling safe.
"Time to Stand Proud" he murmured to himself, feeling the words of the feline foe planting seeds of doubt into his mind. There were ten cats in total, not including Sakamoto. Four were on the attack, while six were being kept as layers of defense, waiting to intervene if they saw him launching some sort of ranged attack. It was a clever tactic, it made traditional fighting difficult. This momentary gap Yojo had created was enough to get a lay of the land, but he was still on the opposite side of said land. It was a flashback to fighting Ting atop Hokage rock, dueling her in vertical combat much as he had now. It was something of a second home for him, it took people out of their element and into his. He still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, but for now, he wanted to wait and see what else the cat might have in his arsenal. He wasn't keen to pull the trigger on what he was planning quite yet. For this moment, his birds simply stayed circling above him as he hung from his kunai, eyeing the approaching cats to see how they would respond to the altered terrain.
764/1920
240/260:
- sub still prepped!
Name: Wind Release: Laughing Crows Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive Element: Futon Range: 25m Specialty: Ninjutsu Duration: 3 posts Cooldown: 5 posts Description: The user makes the bird seal, tapping into their Futon. Three normal-sized crows will appear flying above the user, able to soar through the air at speeds of 20 m/s up to 25m away from their master. Over the course of the following three posts, the user may command any of their crows to dive-bomb a target. Upon making physical contact, the wind crow will violently explode, creating a blast of air that deals minor bruising and launches the target 5 meters up into the air in the opposite direction of the explosion. The user can command these crows to attack all at once, one at a time, chain their kamikaze dives together, etc. However, after the duration of this jutsu expires, the crows will fade away and put this ability on cooldown. These crows can also be destroyed prematurely by Katon attacks of D-rank or higher and by C-rank jutsu.
As Sakamoto summoned his own creatures, in turn his opponent seemed to summon a few more of his own which would take to the skies. Though as he did so when the match began it was with a colossal leap backward, sprinting for the wall as Sakamoto's Duplicats would follow as close as they could in hot pursuit. By the time he would reach the top of the wall the cats would have reached the base and Sakamoto with his honor guard would feel more confident in making his way towards the center of the arena. Licking his paw and watching, waiting for his opponent to make a single move with those darn birds. They looked as though they could be pretty handy in the fuuinjutsu user's arsenal, so he would attempt to keep within about 30m of his opponent at any angle. Close enough to be within range for much of his techniques, but far enough away that he could not be taken by surprise should his opponent attempt to launch something in his direction... Like the birds.
"Really now, running? Save for the most exceptional of all Genin, Chakra techniques can't be controlled about thirty meters away... and so the truth unravels and fighting me at your fullest as you declared has already flown out the window... how very disappointing."
Sakamoto's tone would not be that of a stern yell, projected only enough that one could tell he was speaking to the crowd around him as well as the ninja before him. He was attempting to turn the Konoha crowd on his previously named 'Coward of Konoha.' and it seemed for the most part that he had fallen into that trap one way or the other. Know it or not, this battle was one waged on two fronts, the physical battle between two ninja, and the battle of public opinion that Sakamoto was attempting to draw the crowd, and perhaps even the judges into. There was no point in winning this fight if he would recieve no accreditation from it from those who had to mark it as a victory... and Sakamoto was attempting to use that as a strike against the morale of his temporary enemy.
Meanwhile the four cats that would attempt to hunt him down would charge the walls head first, leaping directly upwards as they would find their footing, extending their claws and using them to grapple between the slabs of stone as they would propel themselves to the top, or likewise simply use them to gain purchase in the material itself. Racing up at their movement speed with their lithe bodies, they would not be worlds slower than Yojo himself, falling short only in a stark few tiers. Were it not for the boy's head start they would be biting his heels, though as he scaled upwards they would find themselves in their element chasing him up the wall, literally cornered as Sakamoto would flick his tail happily from side to side as his senses would expand outwards in every direction along the stone that composed the arena as well as the wall connecting it. Feeling the pressure placed on the ground he could feel his opponent's position... but also...
'Gotcha...'
As Sakamoto could feel the world around him, like the caress of a phantom, three of his pawprint seals would appear just behind the heels of his opponent, just shy of half a meter behind him and silent as the grave as his chakra would be projected to that side of the arena as the cats would slow their climb, stalking their enemy like wild-cats, fanning out as the group that had moved to encircle him would form a semi-circle at the base of the wall in the same order they had been summoned from sakamoto's left to right, like hungry sharks waiting for their prey to take the inevitable plunge. Opening his mouth he would continue to feel the location of his own chakra that he had placed, taking in a light breath and focusing as he would let out a low meow, too far away from his enemy to hear as he would symbolically clash his teeth together.
Instantly, and almost without warning, from one of the pawprints a low vibration would have travelled the 20 odd centermeters to be directly under him as Sakamoto would bite down on the air. Simultaniously, as if the concrete of the wall itself mimicked the motion of Sakamoto's own jaws two 1m high teeth of doton chakra would attempt to clap down on his enemy from his left and right with the intention of pulling him into the earth and delivering deep lacerations to the boy at stomache height, a wound that in such a soft location would likely bleed a semi-considerable amount due to the length and bredth of the wounds themselves that is... Following which the ninja would be dragged into the concrete of the wall itself, as the shark struck and dragged its prey deep into the earth, finally allowing the 4 felines within pouncing distance to strike at their enemy. Hoping to clear the distance in an instant and intercept the falling ninja with a flurry of claws aimed at his elbows from the outermost two of the four in hopes of distracting or immobalizing the ninja's limbs, while the inner two a second later would strike at either side of his neck.
So the sabers fell the mamoth.
[994 words]
210 chakra:
Name: Yūreiashi no Neko: Doton | 幽霊足の猫: 土遁 - Phantom Paw: Earth Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: C Type: Supplementary Element: Doton Range: 30m Specialty: Ninjutsu / Fuuinjutsu Duration: Maintainable Cooldown: 2x Maintained Duration Description: Sakamoto forms a 'Pawprint Seal' on his own paw, flowing chakra through it and then through whatever surface he makes contact with, spreading at 15mp/s over it and connecting non-living surfaces. Sakamoto is capable of sensing all pressure and weight upon that surface within range, from footsteps to static pressure. Additionally, through the surfaces Sakamoto is capable of sensing, he's able to create up to three Pawprint seals per post as if he's made physical contact with the area.
Name: Doton: Neko no kōshō | 土遁: 猫の咬傷 - Earth Style: Cat-Nip Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: D Type: Offensive Element: Doton Range: 25m Specialty: Ninjutsu / Fuuinjutsu Duration: Instant Cooldown: 1 Post Description: Sakamoto leans down to the ground and growls, launching a 1m radii vibration through the earth in a chosen direction at 15mp/s. At any given moment, Sakamoto can end the technique by symbolically clamping his teeth together. At that instant, the 1m radii vibration instantly snaps two curved 'jaws' upwards at a chosen height of up to 1m clamp around those in its range and pull them a meter into the earth like a sinkhole before the ground re-hardening. The jaws themselves deal 1/2 an inch of damage and deliver bruising to what they clamp onto, and the sinkhole, although awkward, can be easily broken out of with D rank strength after a post.
Cat Style: Cat Style Techniques can either be activated normally or with a 1/2 hand seal from a placed 'Pawprint seal' within line of sight as a Fuinjutsu technique.
Yojo frowned as he saw the cats scale up the concrete wall after him, encroaching upon his location. They hadn't left much time for him to strategize, instead opting to try and keep the pressure on as much as they could. He was aware of the way they scampered up to challenge him in his own element. His focus however, was still on Sakamoto himself, as well as the array of feline companions who were talking forwards ahead of him towards the base of the wall. The words that the cat would speak would certainly hit a sore spot for the Genin. After all, he prided himself on attempting to exceed his own expectations. For another to criticize him for failing to even do the minimum of that, well, it boiled is blood in a way that caused the shinobi to grow more angry than respectful. Cheater of Konoha, and now the unfiltered sounds of disappointment? It was never a good combo, especially for a silently proud person like Yojo. If it wasn't for the previous matches he'd fought in, he believed that he would've lashed out by now. Instead, his brain was still running a mile a minute, hyperaware of the world around him.
He looked cornered, driven up a wall with no way out. Indeed, the cat was more talkative than Yojo was- seemingly having a greater deal of experience in swaying public opinion than the Genin was. The way the cats were closing in on him, slowing down to a stalking motion instead of their original sprint, it had all the characteristics of a pack of back-alleys cats cornering a clipped sparrow. The crows flying above him were still an adequate warning to keep distance, but that buffer wasn't going to last him too long now. He hanged there from his kunai, watching as Sakamoto moved back towards the center of the arena, and then a bit further than that. The crowd was shouting, seemingly egged on by the black cat with a groundswell of public opinion running against the human. All in all, things were fairly dreadful. His own psyche had begun to fail again somewhat, the gross feeling in his stomach of feeling isolated and alone returning to him. He looked cornered, trapped, and yet, he was a Joe- and if he wanted live up to his namesake as 'Tommorow's Joe' then he couldn't lose heart now.
Yojo grit his teeth as he saw Sakamoto stop, opening his mouth. He looked frustrated, hurt, and struggling to stay cool. His focus would be on what was ahead of him instead of what was behind. When the jaws of earth emerged from the wall behind him, Joe would suddenly shed the mask of a cornered animal, looking down at Sakamoto with a cold but angered gaze.
He had grown too comfortable, he had become too confident.
The jaws of earth would seemingly crunch down on Yojo, only for the sigh of his form disappearing in a poof of smoke to dissuade any pretense of being cornered. The jaws would gnaw and slash at the large flowing shawl that had been brought in with him, tearing it apart with ease whilst its owner swapped places with it. He had activated his substitution jutsu, appearing with his crows right where it had originally fallen at the center of the arena: practically right where Sakamoto had come to a halt.
He had considered how this plan would work carefully in the short time he had to conceptualize it. He knew from his perch and verbal taunts that Sakamoto was a cautious but capable fighter, and that lulling him into a sense of confidence was needed. He had to draw him out of his shell and force him to come to him before he could act. Now, with the black cat having stopped at what he thought would be a safe distance, Yojo hoped to take the black cat completely by surprise, aiming to blitz hard and fast with just about everything he had. He'd likely only have a few precious seconds before his opponent reacted to his appearance, everything that followed next had to move like clockwork.
Yojo would dash forwards with a burst of speed instantly. With a combination of his base D3 speed as well as his jutsu, he would rush at the black cat at almost 40 m/s, likely giving the cat less than a quarter of a second for him to respond before Yojo was upon him. With the painstaking anger of a boy forced into isolation and told be silenced all his life, Yojo would yell, aiming to move with such speed and surprise that the resulting elemental punch would crash into his opponent before he knew what was going on. "Falcon... PUNCH!" he would shout as he would direct his empowered fist to smash down towards the skull of the red-scarfed cat. On its own, the blow would be enough to cause fractures on bone and punch 1 inch into an opponent's flesh. Eager to end the fight quickly, Yojo would also command his crows to finally attack, commanding them to kamikaze onto Sakamoto as he would be knocked airborne, each capable of doing bruising damage that, on top of the powerful blow, should it land, would hopefully be enough to knock the creature out!
As he would materialize from his substitution and blink forwards at blinding speeds, the boy would keep a hard look on Sakamoto. His eyes full of anger, full of restrained passion. Yojo never felt so alive and so dead inside as he did right then and there facing his opponent, and as he would aim to blink in front of the cat faster than he could react, Sakamoto would very well be able to see the fluctuating pulses of red that were conflicting and struggling against an outer-layer of brown. Something deep within the shinobi was surfacing, something that had been locked away by him all his life, and was on the verge of appearing now.
Yojo would be ready to either capitalize on his blow, or to resume is high-speed movement and evade the clones he knew to be turning around to attack him from behind. He prayed that his speed and cunning were enough to get the drop on this cat!
1076/2996
200/260:
- substitution activated, -5 chakra - Laughing Crows kamikaze Sakamoto, begin their cooldown
Name: Wind Release: Breeze Step Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: D Type: Supplementary Element: Futon Range: Self Specialty: Ninjutsu, Chakra Control Duration: Instant, effect lasts the same post it was activated. Cooldown: 3 posts Description: By balancing the active channeling of chakra towards the feet, as well as honing in on their own chakra control, the user is able to create small bursts of wind to 'step' with. This allows them to run up into the air as if climbing stairs, taking three steps before losing the charge in their feet. Alternatively, this ability can be used whilst on the ground to grant a sudden burst of speed in the desired direction, traveling at 15 m/s up to 15 meters away.
Name: Wind Rlease: Slipstream Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: D Type: Supplementary Element: Futon Range: 20m Specialty: Chakra Flow Duration: 2 posts Cooldown: 3 posts Description: The user opens their tenketsu and uses them to create a thin sheen of air that pushes against the air around their bodies. This, in effect, causes the user to move through the air at higher speeds than would otherwise be possible, removing the air friction that their body causes. Able to move at a speed of 15 m/s, the user can dash towards an enemy, move to dodge an incoming attack, or otherwise obtain a short burst-of-speed to close a gap. This jutsu doesn't directly speed up the user's body, rather, the relation between their body and the air around them, easing it to increase the speed at which they can move. They do not generate any unwanted momentum, and are able to turn on a dime or zig-zag with great ease towards an opponent. This slipstream of compressed air that the user moves in is limited in being able to only move a set distance before fading away, up to 2 posts overall, or 20 meters, and can create a burst of movement once per post.
Name:Falcon Punch Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive Element: Futon/Raiton Range: Melee Specialty: Chakra Flow Duration: Instant. Cooldown: 2 posts Description: The user generates a large amount of Raiton and Futon along one of their arms, creating a tumultuous vortex of energy that quickly forms. With this power created, the user lashes out with a furious blow, releasing the built up energy in a single strike. This attack causes the arm used to punch with to deal cutting as well as piercing damage along with the normal blunt, empowered by the dual elements coating it. This punch aims to punch through a target, or a defensive barrier, being delivered at the same speed as the user's basic strikes in exchange for all-out power. On an unprotected enemy, this blow is powerful enough to fracture bones whilst punching an inch into a normal person's flesh due to the hybrid damage of the ability, the sheer force of the blow being enough to knock an enemy back up to 10 meters away, rendering them airborne in the process. The sound of a bird of prey crying out can be heard as the punch makes contact with an enemy, as well as the chakra around the arm taking a shape similar to a bird.
While Sakamoto's opponent had chosen to flee directly back towards the wall that overshadowed the arena the two continued their bout within. Sakamoto has his clones and technique close in to execute the kill, his eyes shimmering with the hope of easy victory and psychological advantage as his prey had been trapped like a field mouse in the corner of a barn with the plethora of feline minions that loyally adhered to his every command. Yet, as the curtain call came and the jaws of stone wrapped around the ninja, they clasped little more than a raggedy shoal which proceeded to be torn to ribbons due to the quartet of cats which descended upon it in a frenzy of claws and teeth, leaving little more than confetti in the wake of their collaborative strike... Any other ninja in Sakamoto's position would have been shocked, surprised, taken back by the sudden setback as their opponent activated a sly substitution technique... though not Sakamoto, no, while he had not prepared expressly for the action that had just taken place, he had prepared enough that his opponent had leaped expertly from the realm of one trap, into the realm of another. Sakamoto's eyes waiting for him as he appeared as if he had stared into the future to discern his location, fur sticking up on end and chakra crackling within his gullet in an alteration of his first hissing meow...
See, as Yojo would make his disappearing act, the sensory technique that surrounded Sakamoto felt pressure being placed on the earth itself. The hanging potential energy off of the conglomerate stone wall, even attached to a single Kunai was still an identifier to his exact weight in that location, simply attached to a very small surface area. As soon as the Kage Bunshin technique had been activated, Sakamoto immediately felt the disappearance of his weight from that location, using it as a prompt to place two of the phantom paws seals directly beneath himself as his opponent would appear in the location that his clothing had been casually discarded, even as the illusionary effect of the Kage Bunshin was still in full effect. No sooner than his reappearance occurred, Sakamoto would, with little more than a stray thought, release the bond on pink and purple as he would swivel his body the short 1/2 meter to face his enemies' new location and keep where Pink and purple once were between the two of them. A simple enough action due to the fact that the shoal was only discarded a poultry few meters from Yojo's entrance, which he more or less retreated directly towards in the beginning. So far Yojo had fought relatively in two dimensions...
An opponent rushing at great speeds, far surpassing Sakamoto's own would have been a daunting sight to behold if he had not spent the better part of his entire night strategizing against such an opponent. Seeing as the last opponent he had fought, had an identical, brutal strategy that focused on precisely the thought pattern of direct frontal assaults with a plethora of reinforcing techniques to enhance their speed. Had that opponent even been from the match before, and not so cleanly in Sakamoto's mind, perhaps he would not have reacted in such a precise manner. It was luck of the draw, and little more, as Sakamoto would see, and feel the incredible pressure placed on the earth within the range of his sensory technique. The equal and opposite force of pressure required to kick off the ground at such a fantastic speed was telling, and it would act as the trigger for Sakamoto's jutsu. Echoing a solitary thought within the felines devious mind;
'Got-em...'
With a single motion, as Yojo would burst forward with incredible speed in a beeline for Sakamoto. The Feline would time his bounds with his jutsu, feeling his pacing to activate his technique in such a manner that he would be airborne, between running steps as the spikes would begin to erect from the earth surrounding the Pawprint left behind by Purple. A distinct mark that would have been near impossible for a Genin to discern at the speed in which they were moving without the aid of chakra enhanced senses, due to its miniscule nature and placement already within the shaded pawmarks of where the felines had already been planted in the slightly sandy arena. At half the ninja's speed, as the spikes would be 1m tall, he would already be within the center of its 5m radii, enough for the spikes to veritably impale his feet as he moved, causing his forward upper body momentum to continue and cause him to slam body first into the flourishing meadow of rugged spines that would attempt to catch him within their deadly grip constituting a head-on collision at a speed of sixty meters per second.
It would be a test of reaction time for the boy, negating the damage would be impossible for the average Genin, mitigation, however, was more than possible. At his speed, using his attack in a forward motion to blow out the spines and continue with the created hole, while probably still leaving him scathed, would probably not result in him being impaled upon them. This was the price a ninja paid for setting up a technique before the battle actually began. Yet alone one that once again would allow him to run away. A fact Sakamoto wasn't about to let him forget. The only threat now came in the form of the much slower birds that would cascade across the sky, whether their course continued or not as the blooming doton lotus had become a sizable obstacle within the arena and Yojo potentially fixed upon it. the likelihood of Sakamoto being launched towards them at this point was minimal.
Though if they continued their course, Sakamoto would simply raise one of his paws towards the three of them as they would attempt to collide with his form. Chakra spinning around him from the prints that had been placed underneath him would unseal, enveloping the technique within its range and sealing it within Sakamoto's pawprint as if they were drawn into a vortex and unwound in much the same manner than they had been created... Pleased with himself, capturing the birds in his copycat technque or not, he would still think to jeer in his direction should his attack be thoroughly foiled, and only should it be so... all the while his feline army that now surrounded him to his left, right and back would be closing in and literally falling upon him any moment now to tear him awart.
"So, the cheater placed a jutsu before the battle even began... typical."
Sakamoto's usually glum and monotonous tone would seem almost harsh now, angered, though not raised, in fact, lowered and even deeper and more serious than normal. Its baritone carried on the wind for the crowd to hear as their match was projected on the big screens around them. Several of Sakamoto's fans would begin to boo and yell as the feline continued to wage this war in the public eye as well as the arena, quip after quip attempting to scathe the honorable Konoha ninja to the core... It was known to Sakamoto now, that especially within the village hidden in the leaves, their ninja were often far more compassionate and prone to emotional sensitivity. Especially considering the focus on teamwork that had been drilled into them throughout the ninja academy. Sakamoto's history as a bandit who had come to blows with enough ninja meant he hadn't experienced that life, but, he figured Yojo had...
But, he had no idea how deeply those passionate emotions could run, especially in Konoha's nobler clans...
[1394]
Chakra 195 /180:
Name: Nekojutsu: Chikyū no kiba | 猫遁: 地球の牙 - Cat Style: Earth's Fangs Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive Element: Doton Range: 25m Specialty: Ninjutsu Duration: 1 Post Cooldown: 2 Posts Description: The user prepares their throat and meows towards the earth in a fearsome row in place of handseals, causing violent vibrations that launches a 1m wide array of rugged 2m high and 20cm wide spines in a chosen direction 20mp/s. By ending the meow, this technique ends, expanding the last of its chakra in a pulse-like explosion, expanding the same spikes upward from a 5m radii centering from the point the jutsu ended. Each of the spikes can penetrate 3cm deep into a ninja.
Cat Style: Cat Style Techniques can either be activated normally or with a 1/2 hand seal from a placed 'Pawprint seal' within line of sight as a Fuinjutsu technique.
-if birds persist-
Name: Nekojutsu: Moho Neko | 模倣猫遁 - Cat Style: Copycat Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: E-A Type: Defensive / Supplimentary Element: N/A Range: 1m Specialty: Ninjutsu / Fuinjutsu Duration: Maintained Cooldown: Maintained Duration + 1/1/2/3/4 (Based on Rank) Description: The user, raising their paw with a pawprint seal upon it, lets out a soft and seductive meow in place of a half handseal. The sound of the Meow reverbirates from the seal, drawing in the chakra of a single technique of equal rank or lower and sealing it within the pawprint seal.
If the user has the specializations/elements and rank that would allow them to cast the stored technique normally, they may pay an additional amount of chakra, equal to its activation cost to do so as if it was in their jutsu registration, as long as they possess the pawprint seal, applying cooldown effects normally save in the event of ending this technique. (This effect ends at the end of the thread). At any time while this technique is maintained, the user is able to pay -5 chakra (-10 if the sealed tech is B rank or higher) and end this technique to activate the sealed jutsu within the pawprint as if they had activated it themselves.
Yojo grit his teeth as he stepped literally and figuratively into the jaws of his opponent. Even with his intense speed, it seemed that the cat managed to react in time to create a deterrent against any further attempt to close the distance. The Genin only had the opportunity to see the two scarf'd cats disappear in a puff of smoke, instead replaced by what looked like twin fuinjutsu seals in the shape of pawprints. In that moment, everything suddenly became very clear to Yojo. These creature's weren't meant to win via overwhelming odds, they were meant to act as an extension of their own power by functioning as points for jutsu to be unsealed from. It was dangerous stuff, least of all because the boy had walked right into it. He was oblivious to the way that Sakamoto sensed the pressure in the earth, noticing the differences in weight before his substitution had finished fully. The only thing that greeted him right then and there was the feeling of a rocky spike impaling upwards through his foot whilst the other managed to step in-between.
The pain was excruciating, bringing a tightened jaw and wince of pain as he fought through the fresh wound. Instinctively, the Genin lashed out at the spires of raised earth with his empowered fist. "MUDA!" he yelled in conjunction with the blow. The power of the swirling Raiton and Futon lashed out, crashing into the spires in front of him before he could fall forwards onto it. The cracking stone would shatter in a glorious -sounding 'CRACK'. Sharp shrapnel of stone flew backwards like buckshot from a shotgun towards Sakamoto, aiming to catch him off-guard with a rather reckless move. The only way for Yojo now was forward, and that meant pushing through his pain for now. Dodging the point-blank shotgun of shrapnel would certainly be near impossible, but, similar to the Genin's current predicament- it was possible to mitigate the damage and pain as he had. The blast of his Falcon Punch had created a path forwards over the ruins of the original spikes, leaving a clear way for the Genin to resume his blitz, chasing the flying shrapnel to Sakamoto at a speed of almost 30 meters per second.
"Maybe I am a cheater, maybe I'm a lot of thins- I don't know what I am anymore..." the Genin said as he blitzed forwards, his hands already coming up in front of him as he rapidly closed the distance with his intense speed. He was betting a lot on what the cat was about to do next. He formed the Bird hand seal, a stream of futon shooting forwards towards Sakamoto. Should the cat jump backwards or to the side to mitigate the damage, the stream of Futon that would rather easily come in contact with him would suddenly harden as his feet lept up off the ground. With a clenched fist, the Genin would cause the air around Sakamoto to suddenly press inwards, like the cat had been trapped in a hydraulic press that was crushing him from every side with enough raw force to fracture bone... or rather, break in the case of the frail cat. There was a brooding anger in Yojo's voice, escalating as he watched to see if his jutsu would capatilize on his prediction. "-all I know is, YOU'RE GONNA CATCH THESE HANDS" the shinobi shouted, continuing his sprint after Sakamoto even if his Sky Burial had managed to connect.
The crows that had been travelling alongside Yojo would jerk backwards, moving backwards behind the shinobi instead of after the original cat. They would shoot to the three closest cats to him, working to kamikaze against them and ultimately give the boy a few more seconds of uninterrupted 'alone time' between the two. Yojo would capitalize on that intimacy by aiming to exit his dash where Sakamoto would be. With his bad leg, he would kick him up off the ground like a soccer ball, knocking him up into the at what would be his chest height. With him up off the ground for a moment, he would lash out with a flurry of rushing punches, lashing out with everything he had.
"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA" Yojo would shout repeatedly as he would aim to juggle the cat with a relentless barrage of reckless punches, keeping him locked in stunning pain until he relented.
Through it all, that flickering fire in the teen's eyes continued to burn brightly. His brown gaze flickered repeatedly, like the color of his irises were pulsating. "I've fought lonely all my life" the Genin would shout at the cat as he would punch him, the conviction in his voice erupting in full blown passion. "I'll fight for my village, for myself- I'll fight until my last breath. I'd rather die than ever feel that lonely ever again! I'll fight so no one has to feel like that! THAT IS MY SHINOBI WAY!" he yelled, his eyes hyperfocused as he would let the anger and passion of his speech fill him completely, tapping into something deep in his mind that was slowly ripping apart who he had once been. Something had finally snapped inside, something that had been there all his life waiting for him to awaken it...
910/3906
185/260:
- slipstream ending with this post
Name: Wind Release: Burial in the Sky Origin: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive Element: Futon Range: 25m Specialty: Ninjutsu Duration: Instant Cooldown: 3 posts Description: This ability can only be used on an airborne target, one with all its legs/limbs off the ground. The use makes a tiger seal before reaching out with an open hand towards the victim, sending out a fast-moving stream of chakra that travels at the target at 25 m/s up to 25m. Upon making contact, the user 'grabs' the air surrounding the victim before tightly clenching their fist. This command causes the air around the victim to be compressed inwards, crushing the target from every direction with enough sheer pressure and raw power to break bone.
Sakamoto's eyes would widen for a moment as the barrage of sharpened shrapnel would be launched in his direction, peppers of Doton whipping through the skies from the high-speed collision would cause the severed stalagmites to tear through some of his open skin in light wounds that would cover his body. Sakamoto barely had time to hug the ground as four polished pebbles of the arenas' stone whipped past, lacerating the flesh they came into contact with, one just below his eye with another along his side and a third on his back leg and the final one hitting him in the chest, bruising, but causing him to be knocked back off his feet for a moment. The pain would spread through his body like liquid fire causing the feline to grit his teeth and prepare for the next attack, his opponent had fought through the spikes that had impeded him, but not without wounds. His leg had landed on a spike, and several more had scathed him from behind, and while Sakamoto's wounds may seem small to the naked eye, merely fallout from an ensuing attack, the damage that they had dealt with the Panthera by size comparison was potentially nasty.
Sakamoto's felines in the rear, descending from the heavens would almost roar at the three birds that would swerve to come into contact with them, hissing wildly as the crows of his opponent would smash into their frames, strong enough to instantly disperse their forms, planting three seals on the ground directly below them as if the explosion of their detonation scorched it on the earth as they faded from the physical into the ephemeral. Leaving only one of the brave cats from above falling to land upon the ground and race to catch up with the enemy before them. Only five cats remained now, and they would all attempt to hasten their path towards their enemies' back as he would cast his jutsu, but as of now, they were no match for his chakra enhanced speed. Two to their enemies' left flank, two from his right and one in the center that had crashed down from on high would bolt as fast as their legs could carry them with their claws raking into the ground they tread across with such fervent gusto... All the while their master ahead of them would stare down the monster they attempted to engage.
Failure was not an option, though as Sakamoto once again attacked the resolve of the ninja's psyche, something appeared to stick, the mental strikes were working, as rage and passion spread like an inferno throughout the mind and body of Yojo. Sakamoto could smell the cortisol level in the boys' system plummet, while the adrenaline and catecholamines within his system would amplify almost a thousandfold. A sure indicator that, in almost any other case a person would be lost to rage, pushed to the edge of one's emotional limits and prone to making horrific mistakes as well as risks. The only trick now was to hope that none of those risks caught Sakamoto off guard, but in his experiences, such things were simplistic in nature, easy to predict. It was like he knew what his next line was...
Fuuton would fill the air, thrusting forward as Sakamoto would take a direct hit from the Fuuton stream, though not before he had used the phantom paw technique to place his three seals in a line behind him three meters apart from one another, unsure of where he was to land, though not quite fast enough to use his copycat on the technique that had slammed him directly in the chest... Yet, almost no sooner than the Fuuton jutsu surrounded him and lifted him into the sky, something would wrap around his form, the air that broke around him would encircle him, trap him. Sakamoto's eyes would widen for a moment as he would immediately recognize a technique similar indeed to one of his own. The pressure would push down upon his body, one of his lower weaker ribs cracking and breaking under the pressure before he would release the power of the copycat technique he had mentally prepared earlier, though not found a target to cast it upon. The tendrils of the copycat technique would swirl into the seal upon his paw, allowing Sakamoto to take in a breath of air as he did so, only to take a direct punch to the shoulder from his speedy opponent, as a string of Mudas would attempt to begin.
Deft as he could manage, Sakas' tail would flail around himself like a ballast, routing his momentum from the third punch, as the first two hammered his body in order to remove himself from his predicament. Raising a paw, Sakamoto would kick off the fourth of his punches in such a manner that he would thrust himself towards the ground with the added speed, spraining his paw in the process. Though his opponent's movement speed was fast, his combat speed had also been increased by the power of his techniques. Thank Ninetails. Paying a slight amount of chakra on instinct, a pawprint seal from the block would form on his opponent's fist as Sakamoto would land, using his agility and ignoring his broken rib darting in a zigzag pattern from side to side, knowing full well he was not able to avoid his opponent's speed, though his punching strikes would be another story considering his height. Keeping his opponent in his peripherals he would turn, taking in a deep breath and meowing as he would activate the seal upon the ninja's hand, or one of the three nearby, to wrap him a bubble of Fuuton of his own or project three in tight formation towards him to intercept his attack, lifting his opponent off the ground within a vortex that would halt his incredible momentum and drag him off the earth.
It was in this moment, that Sakamoto saw it, his eyes, to the naked eye they would appear bloodshot, crimson cracks running through them in deep trenches that would exemplify his intense rage. 'There's no way...' Sakamoto thought to himself as he focused, seeing that in fact, unlike regular eyes that had been bloodshot, this pattern seemed to be flowing into his iris', his brown eyes breaking for the red, as if they were being torn apart by something beneath them. There was a familiar chakra stemming from them, and finally, within the small break in the combat, Sakamoto could finally understand where all of this rage was coming from. Peering deep into the cracks of his right eye, as if it were sliding past, an ebony black celestial body, a crescent amongst the red, almost impossible to see wafted across them... There was no mistaking a Tomoe of the Sharingan, desperately attempting to tear through from its dormancy.
Momentarily awestruck, Sakamoto would break his facade for a moment. "Wait, you're an Uchiha!?" The realization seemed to still the flow of natural time, as the two of them would likely exchange a very real moment... but now was not the time for revelation. Sakamoto had been punched near the face, and almost strangled to death by the jutsu that had almost entangled him... And he was feeling vengeful!
As his opponent had left the ground, Sakamoto would flow chakra into his paw while his opponent was momentarily suspended. 'Lets see how you like it!' Running through his head as he would let out a rough cry, Cat Style! Copycat! "Nekojutsu! Moho-Neko!".
The same hydraulic press that had sought to collapse in upon Sakamoto would now attempt to crush inwards on his opponent within the vortex of Fuuton chakra, released from its seal and activated anew a second time as Sakamoto would hope to enforce its wrath upon his enemy. He was close to awakening a powerful technique, Sakamoto could not afford to allow this battle to go on much longer than this. If the Sharingan awakened itself in the middle of a battle, he would be able to see through almost all of Sakamoto's techniques with relative ease thanks to the chakra sensory ability of the eye. All of Sakamoto's advantages would be for naught! The duplicats, should their opponent be suspended would each try to land a single flying attack on the enemy even though he was in the midst of the press. A single claw mark to his body, superficial at best, though as the crushing force would end their existence in their own suicide attack, they would dissipate and leave more pawprint marks where they fell. Otherwise, they would simply attempt to get as close as they could before the chakra that bound them petered out, the jutsu coming to its conclusion.
[1550]
Chakra 155:
-5 maintained phantom paw -5 pawprint making on contact, if its made. -5 releases copycat if bound
Name: Nekojutsu: Fūatsu Kusari | 猫術: 風圧鎖 Cat Style: Vortex Chain Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: D Type: Offensive Element: Fūton Range: 20m Specialty: Ninjutsu / Fūinjutsu Duration: 2 Posts Cooldown: 1 Post Description: Sakamoto forms a bubble of futon chakra in his mouth then inhales, sucking all the air from within the sphere and holding the pressure in his lungs. With a simple exhale he can propel up to 3 spheres at 15mp/s. On impact the spheres form a 2m diameter bubble that surrounds a target, halting their momentum with the force of impacts and generates an area of weightlessness which draws all that's inside it to the center at 15mp/s, causing them to hover 1/2 a meter off the ground and feel the pressure of the orb; dealing very minor bruising. The bubble decays on its own after 2 posts, or, this trap can easily be escaped by any technique that would project them out of the orb faster than its pulling them in.
Cat Style: Cat Style Techniques can either be activated normally or with a 1/2 hand seal from placed 'Pawprint seals' within line of sight as a Fuinjutsu technique.
Name: Nekojutsu: Moho Neko | 模倣猫遁 - Cat Style: Copycat Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: E-A Type: Defensive / Supplementary Element: N/A Range: 1m Specialty: Ninjutsu / Fuinjutsu Duration: Maintained Cooldown: Maintained Duration + 1/1/2/3/4 (Based on Rank) Description: The user, raising their paw with a pawprint seal upon it, lets out a soft and seductive meow in place of a half handseal. The sound of the Meow reverbirates from the seal, drawing in the chakra of a single technique of equal rank or lower and sealing it within the pawprint seal.
If the user has the specializations/elements and rank that would allow them to cast the stored technique normally, they may pay an additional amount of chakra, equal to its activation cost to do so as if it was in their jutsu registration, as long as they possess the pawprint seal, applying cooldown effects normally save in the event of ending this technique. (This effect ends at the end of the thread). At any time while this technique is maintained, the user is able to pay -5 chakra (-10 if the sealed tech is B rank or higher) and end this technique to activate the sealed jutsu within the pawprint as if they had activated it themselves.
He had seen the way that Sakamoto created a fuinjutsu seal upon his paw, yet another base for him to launch his own jutsu from. It was a setback, but one that had some upsides thankfully. For one, Yojo had certainly felt bone break under the pressure of the hydraulic press that had been used- there had been some solid damage dealt even if the full extent he'd been hoping for was sealed away. The way that said seal remained, however, instead of fading upon absorbing the attack, caused warning bells to go off in the Genin's mind. He focused his mind then on landing as many clean blows as he could on the cat, but he had a sinking feeling that even after being assaulted by numerous injuries- just as the human had, Sakamoto was still scheming. It was unsettling, but spoke volumes to the level of skill that these exams had fostered. As such, Yojo wouldn't give his opponent any room as the feline foe managed to kick off his fist onto the ground. Still having a speed advantage, the human would keep on the creature's heels as it would try and zig zag away to create distance. He'd still be well within punching distance by the time that Sakamoto would hastily spin around and activate the jutsu from Yojo's clenched fist.
He could create seals on his body even when being attacked? KONO POWA!
He was in front of his opponent when an orb of Futon instantly enveloped him, drawing him upwards in a sudden weightlessness. Yojo put 2 and 2 together quickly, realizing what it was that the cat was planning to do. How had he deduced in that time that an opponent had to be airborne to fall prey to this attack? Yojo grit his teeth. Time suddenly stood still though as Sakamoto said those fateful words. Even though things were happening rapidly, the flow of the battle seemed to pause for a moment. "W-What?" the teen stammered out hastily. What was Sakamoto talking about? He couldn't see the silhouette of the sharingan orbiting beneath his brown eyes, instead looking with a confused expression at the momentarily awestruck cat. "I'm no one- so stop lying and get out of my head!" he shouted, as Sakamoto raised his paw. Instantly, a torrent of lighning erupted outwards from all along the teen's body, like his body had suddenly turned into a living tesla coil.
Yojo would drop down to the ground as the stream of Futon would connect, brown eyes of fury glaring down at the cat who had tried to usurp his own special technique! He only needed one foot on the ground to completely negate the ability, something he was betting on Sakamoto not realizing- questioning why Yojo wasn't being crushed by the air around him. Instead, arcs of electricity would zap outwards in a 2 meter area around the Genin, zipping at 15 m/s. The damage itself was more of an afterthought, dealing minor first degree burn damage to Sakamoto and any of the Duplicats that had gotten near him.
The moment that his good foot touched the ground, arcs of electricity still flying every which way, Yojo's injured one would make a small circular motion. Instantly, a powerful gust of wind would erupt to life at a speed of 20 m/s in a 4 meter AoE centered around the Genin in question. With such speed and close proximity, the sudden point-blank tornado of wind would surely be night impossible to escape in time. If it managed to catch Sakamoto and any of his duplicats, it would deal major bruising, battering them with the concussive wind, knocking them upwards 5 meters directly up into the air. He didn't have time to look behind him and see how close the kitty klones were, he was banking on them being right on him though by the time he had zapped himself free of the bubble of weightlessness. The power of the vortex would ideally destroy them all in one fell swoop, as well as catch his opponent with the point blank attack to knock him upwards.
If the sudden updraft of concussive air managed to catch Sakamoto within it. Yojo would instantly form the Bird hand seal, sending out another current of Futon towards the 5-meter-high kitty at a speed of 15 m/s. Upon coming within 3 meters of Sakamoto, an invisible hand of sorts would slap him downwards out of the sky, smacking him directly down to the ground with mild concussive damage. If this technique manage to hit, Yojo would attempt a coup d' grace. He would kick upwards with his wounded foot, fighting through its paina s well as the pain along his back. As Sakamoto wold fall, Yojo would aim to kick right along the underside of the descending cat, aiming to crash his rising leg upon the descending feline with such force that it would aim to knock him out cold from the shock of the blow to his gut.
They were both bleeding and wounding... Though even now, the black cat's words began to sink into the Genin's mind. Why did he call him a Uchiha? Why would he break the pace of their battle just to say that? He was an orphan, he was alone, that was the only world he knew.
914/4820
140/260:
Name: Lightning Release: Thunder Break Origin: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive/Supplementary Element: Raiton Range: 2m AoE centered around the user Specialty: Ninjutsu/Chakra Flow Duration: Instant Cooldown: 4 posts Description: An ability designed to get out of a jam, Thunder Break is meant to act as a disruptor to any jutsu meant to constrict or otherwise lock the user with a crowd control ability. Not requiring any hand seals, this jutsu gathers Raiton chakra before violently expelling it in all directions around the user up to 2 meters away from them at a speed of 15 m/s. Intended to fry any pesky crowd control into submission, such as the Double Suicide technique, the Raiton chakra will damage enemies with violent shocks of electricity, dealing minor 1st degree tissue damage, as well as free the user from 1 C-rank supplementary/crowd-control jutsu, or 2 D ranked ones. This sudden discharge of lightning chakra is not without it's limits however, as opening the body's gates all at once to release their innate Raiton destabilizes their control over it for a short period. As such, the user is unable to perform any Raiton techniques for one post following the activation of this jutsu.
Name: Wind Release: Playful Trickster Origin: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive Element: Futon Range: 4m AoE around user Specialty: Ninjutsu/Chakra flow Duration: Instant Cooldown: 3 posts Description: The user channels a great deal of Futon through one of their legs, sweeping it a tad to release a powerful gust of wind. This gust travels at 20 m/s, encompassing a full circle around the user up to a 4m AoE. The blast of wind travels upwards, dealing major external bruising and knocking those caught in the AoE up to 5 meters straight up into the air. Additionally, this updraft will disrupt the air within this AoE, cancelling out up to a single C-rank air-based weather jutsu such as fog or mist creation.
Name: Wind Release: Aerial Prison Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive Element: Futon Range: 10m Specialty: Ninjutsu/Chakra Control Duration: Instant Cooldown: 3 posts Description: This ability can only be used on an airborne target, one with both its feet/limbs off the ground. The user makes the Bird hand sign, focusing on an airborne enemy within 10 meters of them. A thin stream of Futon shoots out from the user at 15 m/s towards the airborne target, reaching up to 10m. Upon coming within 2m of the user a powerful gust of wind will knock the target back the direction they are moving within the air. If the target is unmoving or otherwise jumping straight up, the jutsu will slam them down to the ground. The blast wind will knock the target back 5 meters, dealing mild concussive damage in the process.
Sakamoto was rightly stunned at the realization and the denial of his opponent, though none the less, Sakamoto was inside his had now, there was no denying the scent of the Uchiha's pheromonal passion that coursed through his veins like a tide of anger and wrath. Being from the cat clans that once served beside the Uchiha in times of old, though such times were now behind them, the Ninneko had split between those that served and those that ruled. This boy wasn't fighting at his true potential, he wasn't a combatant that was respectable to beat, then all of a sudden a wave of empathy would come crashing over the feline... Whoever this kid was, he was a stray, some orphan kid who, even if they grew up with their parents, had likely grown up feeling like they were lost within themselves. With this realization, Sakamoto came to a conclusion that would make his world, clear. His eyes would become serious and his mind would sharpen. He knew how this battle had to end...
Sakamoto hadn't stopped running from when he put his opponent up into the air, before routing himself to face his opponent a few meters away. As the raiton blast exploded, Sakamoto didn't so much as hesitate as the expanding blast would fall short at his paws as his opponent dropped to the ground to face him... The next attack was coming, and this was going to be a hard one, but the release of the technique that Sakamoto had attempted in return seemed to have no effect on a grounded target. It was a good thing he had a backup plan in this case. The crushing force that would have attempted to catch him in the air, though ineffective, simply showed sakamoto he was a technical fighter, many of his techniques seemed to have tricks about them that Sakamoto could not know at the time, triggers, setups. It wasn't too different from himself, though Yojo had a long way to go if he were to boarder his skill as a sapper.
Two more seals at Sakamoto's feet would appear, and a wave of fuuton would be launched with a Kick in Sakamoto's direction. In turn, activating one of Sakamoto's pawprints and slapping his paw down upon it as he would activate the broken lock. Drawing the technique in he would seal the fuuton technique within the seal. Tendrils of fractured chakra splitting the sky in cthonic energy pulling at the strings of the fuuton wave as it too was called into the seal... but something was wrong about the pawprint, it looked cracked, fissured and unstable. The feline wasn't done there... With a low grumble and a stern face, for the first time he would reveal one of his more potent techniques. Drawing the seal from the ground via contact onto his own body, he would place the third seal from the phantom paw technique, but, rather than a simple pawprint appear beneath his opponent, it would be the fractured and nasty looking seal that he had only just moments ago been seen on the ground.
In an instant the seal would burt open, letting out a blast of raw Fuuton chakra over 2m, not enough to deliver anything more than superficial damage, but enough to knock his opponent around a little as Sakamoto would focus on the Fuuton chakra in the air. Smiling as he would convert it, turning it into a whirlpool of crushing force, that, unlike the prison which had broken sakamoto's rib, and the one he had attempted to seal him within, it wasn't restricted to those on the ground. It would crush inwards attempting to trap him within it, but this was simply a means of stilling him long enough for the feline to narrate his final thoughts to the boy, he wanted him to get angrier, angry enough that he could awaken that damn eye and see that he wasn't just a nobody. He was on the brink of doing it...
'lets see how this plays out.'
"You're absolutely correct, you are noone, but unlike you... I, am not. My name is Sakamoto, I am a Ninja of the hidden leaf village, born in the village of heaven. This battle had been decided from its inception. You claim you've had to fight your whole life because no-one sees anything in you? Have you ever thought for a moment that you're the problem... you're the common denominator. Just a ninja who achieved this far in the exams on a cocktail of luck and weak opponents... Nothing but mediocre... a pitiful ninja like you, could never defeat a ninja like me... "
And with that comment, tactically, Sakamoto would simply turn his back on his enemy and begin to walk away, hopefully, this would give him the rage, and potentially the despair he needed to awaken those eyes. Sakamoto may take a hit in the process, but it was a price he was willing to take for it. He could cure him of his loneliness, and that would be victory enough. The world had enough damn strays clotting up the streets. Why he'd do this? He couldn't really tell, perhaps it was an ancestral connection to the uchiha that bade him to assist, perhaps it really was seeing some of himself in him. The kid was an underdog, and Sakamoto liked that about him maybe. He could trim some of the angst, but who wouldn't have some shade in his position? Though, if it came to it, and those eyes came to full fruition, Sakamoto knew that his entire strategy for winning the fight would have been totally usurped, there was no way he would be able to outfox an uchiha with his seals in his current state... so. Should those blazing red eyes penetrate through the near black brown they were, and light up the arena with their ferocity. And should he charge down Sakamoto one last time in that fit of passion.
Sakamoto would sit, stare directly into the eyes of his opponent, regardless of their condition. Uttering two simple words lowly that would cut through the roar of the crowd like a heated blade.
"I surrender..."
120 chakra:
-5 maintaining phantom paw
Name: Nekojutsu: Kowareta jō | 猫遁: 壊れた錠 - Cat Style: Broken Lock Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: E-D Type: Defensive Element: N/A Range: Self Specialty: Ninjutsu / Fuinjutsu Duration: Instant (2 Posts) Cooldown: 2 Posts Description: The user forms a rapid pawprint seal rapidly without the need for handseals, too quickly for it to be without imperfections. This seal, extends a low frequency purr which sucks in the chakra from a single technique of the user's choice of up to 1 rank higher than the use of this technique or 1 item. However, the flaws in the design of the seal are immediately apparent as it begins to break down. At the user's leisure, the seal completely breaks down, letting out a raw outburst of the chakra it sealed (if any) in a 2m radii detonation at 15mp/s which knocks anyone within its radii back 4m dealing no damage. However, if the sealed technique was offensive, the detonation delivers damage equal to the rank and type of the technique it sealed reduced by -1 rank in strength.
Cat Style: Cat Style Techniques can either be activated normally or with a 1/2 hand seal from a placed 'Pawprint seal' within line of sight as a Fuinjutsu technique.
Name: Nekojutsu: Bakeneko no Kitte | 猫遁: 化け猫の切手 - Cat Style: Mark of the Ghostly Cat Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: E Type: Supplementary Element: N/A Range: Touch Specialty: Ninjutsu / Fuinjutsu Duration: Maintained Cooldown: Double Maintained Duration Description: As long as this technique is maintained, the user is capable of touching one of their own placed Pawprint Seals and placing it on their body. Whenever the user would place a pawprint seal on contact or with a technique that would be able to do so, they are able to use pawprint seals that are on their own body instead.
Name: Nekojutsu: Shinku Bakudan | 猫遁:真空爆弾 - Cat Style: Wind Bomb Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive Element: N/A Range: 25m Specialty: Ninjutsu Duration: 1 Post Cooldown: 2 Posts Description: The user generates an orb in their mouth to fire a small wind bullet projectile at 20mp/s, able to curve once at a 90 degree angle at the user's discretion, or may be activated from another Fuuton chakra source / pawprint seal the user controls within range. On impact / activation, the source becomes a powerful vacuum, sucking everything from 4m around the source towards it with crushing force enough to cause light stress fractures to bones and 1" deep lacerations interspersed across skin not protected by armor.
Cat Style: Cat Style Techniques can either be activated normally or with a 1/2 hand seal from a placed 'Pawprint seal' within line of sight as a Fuinjutsu technique.
It was official now, Yojo really hated Fuinjutsu masters. He had kept on his opponent's tail, literally and figuratively, as the cat zipped and zagged away from him. Who had who on the ropes? It wasn't entirely clear anymore, even as the crowd had fully turned against the brown-eyed Genin. They didn't matter to him though, nothing mattered to him right now. The only thing that he felt inside was a fiery anger tearing him apart as he focused on Sakamoto's mobile form. This single fight might actually make him a dog person out of sheer spite. The powerful current of wind had managed to connect, but sadly with the wrong target. The Genin's eyes widened. How many seals did his opponent have? Every one of the boy's plans had been frustratingly stunted by the reactive and trap-oriented nature of his opponent. He was a perfect counter for the boy's entire fighting style. It was only through sheer recklessness and endurance that he'd managed to remain relatively equal in blow for blow. Even then, he found that the longer this fight dragged on, the more desperate the two of them were becoming. It was a bloody, ugly, angry affair.
The sweeping leg that Yojo had tossed out was suddenly redirected by an unstable looking seal. A sudden explosion of green Futon of his own making bursting brilliantly in a rush of wind that knocked him up and back into the air. There was barely any damage he could feel, it was largely negligible in the wider numb pain from his backside and wounded foot. Instead, there was a sudden sense of dread as he accepted that the hasty seal was instead intended to set up a more powerful attack much as in the same vein of his own abilities. While he had used his greater knowledge of his own techniques to escape the former, this latter one would not be so easily mitigated. Instead of manipulating the air around the target to use the natural air around for a whole-body attack, the latter would use a more direct approach that did not carry the same prerequisites as his own. The boy raised his arms in front of him as a guard of sorts. The bullet of air that the cat hit him point blank, the familiar feeling of a great weight pressing inwards at him from all directions overwhelming him.
He grit his teeth, feeling the light stress hairline fractures that were appearing along his major bones. Cutting lacerations nicked and cut at his arms and torso a great deal. He could fight through the pain for now, but at this rate he was being set back more and more. It was like a battle of attrition, one in which Sakamoto seemed prepared to win with all of his numerous seals. It was only when the cat in question would speak though, seemingly taunting the suspended teen, that the fire burning within Yojo would come forth. He could not remember being so angry in all of his life then. This cat would question everything he'd done? He'd question the opponents he'd faced and the struggles that they'd gone through? He would belittle the days upon agonizing days of ungratefully hard work and chalk up his success to luck? Everything that Yojo had done, he'd clawed tooth and nail for in ways that his feline foe couldn't understand. It was as if he had disregarded all the pain, those pangs of misery and loneliness, and taunted him for having them at all. "I..." the shinobi croaked, feeling the vacuum force of the wind pull at him.
He could see all of his life flash before him all at once. Years of loneliness, of not knowing who he was, of fear and anxiety- they all flashed before him. He could see himself through these exams, growing and learning with each fight, finding friends and people to trust. For the first time in his life, he hadn't felt as lonely anymore, he didn't feel like a stray. Was all of that for nothing? Was he really just a mediocre ninja? A pitiful boy? The doubt crept into the deep places of his mind, biting and gnawing at something deep in a way that eclipsed the power of the wind bullet crashing into him. He thought on Ting, on N'Jobu, on Xiao, on Ryo, on Yokari, even on Yasubei and Zinan, his fellow competitors. He thought on the words of Izumi, of Takao, of Kirei. They all felt so close to him, so important to him in ways he couldn't explain. His spiral into anxiety and depression during these exams had consumed him, even now it was on full display. That sense of constantly running out of time, it was all too familiar to him. He didn't understand what Sakamoto meant by Uchiha, but right then, right there, one thought finally reached him in a way that no other one did: He didn't have the time to be a mediocre ninja.
There was a flash of red, at last, the boy became the man.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU" the teen growled, staring down at the cat that had turned around from him.
Red light filled the arena as the teen yelled in anger, causing the spectators to end their jeering laughter in favor of a more nervous commotion from up above. Like the infinite cycle of the moon, the single red tomoe of a sharingan at last burst to ecstatic life. His eyes glowed violently, brightly, boring into his opponent with an unhinged rage now fueling him. He didn't fully understand what was happening truthfully, it would only be after this match whilst recovering that he'd be told of what occured. He could see so much now, so many secrets of the world somehow slipped away then, least of all being the seals of his opponent. In the heat of his anger, the boy didn't think much on it, instead rushing forwards with great speed over the short distance to the black cat sitting there with contempt in his eyes. Those crimson eyes of burning rage shined bright as he grew closer and closer, a torrent of wind swirling around his right arm. He had his second wind, and he was going to fight until all turned red!
He lashed out with the swirling vortex of Futon, punching down at the cat, only to freeze up at hearing the simple words that it said. His bones felt locked in place in a way unlike any Fuinjutsu technique. "W-What did you say?" Yojo asked, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and frustration as his one-tomoe sharingan met the feline eyes of his opponent. He couldnt've heard that right, this was just another mind game that he was trying to use to get at him now. "You don't get just to surrender damn it! You can't, not after all this! You don't get to just walk away. Fight me damn you! Fight me!" he said, his anger mixing with something close to a deep and sobbing sound of sadness and pain as his sharingan swirled hypnotically. Why was this happening, w-why would Sakamoto just quit? Why would he rob Yojo of the chance to prove himself? That's all he ever wanted, that's all he ever craved to get out of these exams- to prove himself to his village, to be accepted by them. Nobody could understand that pain, and now that his opponent had denied him that, there was a great despair filling his throat, choking his voice from speaking any more as tears began to appear in his eyes.
A suden blur placed a body between the two badly injured competitors. It was the same proctor from the start of the match. He looked at Sakamoto and then to Yojo, sighing a tad. "You two are a nightmare" he bemoaned, looking back to the human, "-congrats kid, you're going to the finals not as some made-up clan, but as a Uchiha" he said, looking up as the shocked and confused expression on Yojo's face returned. That's what had been that red light? What had caused him to see beyond normal sight? H-He had activated the legendary sharingan? The thought terrified him, but not as much as the booming sound of the Proctor as he announced the results. "Sakamoto has forfeited the fight! The winner is Yoshihiro Uchiha!" he announced, causing a mixed response from the largely anti-Yojo crowd. To be fair, a number cheered our shouted at the underdog coming out on top, but to many others, as well as the Genin himself, this felt like a hollow victory. As the doors at the opposite ends of the arena would open, the Genin would look to the injured cat, thinking to say something but instead keeping silent, watching it as it walked away. He didn't know how to feel about the creature anymore.
The Genin looked back up at the crowd, somehow standing tall, letting the red of his eyes glisten agains the midday sun.
1565/6385
120/260:
Name:Falcon Punch Canon/Custom: Custom Rank: C Type: Offensive Element: Futon/Raiton Range: Melee Specialty: Chakra Flow Duration: Instant. Cooldown: 2 posts Description: The user generates a large amount of Raiton and Futon along one of their arms, creating a tumultuous vortex of energy that quickly forms. With this power created, the user lashes out with a furious blow, releasing the built up energy in a single strike. This attack causes the arm used to punch with to deal cutting as well as piercing damage along with the normal blunt, empowered by the dual elements coating it. This punch aims to punch through a target, or a defensive barrier, being delivered at the same speed as the user's basic strikes in exchange for all-out power. On an unprotected enemy, this blow is powerful enough to fracture bones whilst punching an inch into a normal person's flesh due to the hybrid damage of the ability, the sheer force of the blow being enough to knock an enemy back up to 10 meters away, rendering them airborne in the process. The sound of a bird of prey crying out can be heard as the punch makes contact with an enemy, as well as the chakra around the arm taking a shape similar to a bird.
Total WC: 6385
Undiscovered into Uchiha
One Tomoe Sharingan: 2000/2000
Other WC for jutsu and stuffs
Last edited by Yoshihiro on Tue Jan 29, 2019 4:07 pm; edited 2 times in total
Sakamoto would turn to look at the ninja, his brilliant red eyes burning like hot coals on the cloudy summers day in the land of Fire, Sakamoto could not help but smile a second, a flickering moment of his guard dropping before his emotional walls rose once again, his self-consciousness about doing such a good deed having finally registered with his ego and embarrassment. After confronting the boy as such, and having pushed him to an emotional edge, someone was going to need to have a talk with him, but it wouldn't be Sakamoto. As Yojo would stare out in disbelief, and the announcer would declare the winner to some of the crowd's surprise, Sakamoto licking his paw and cleaning some of the blood from behind his ear as he would look up to them, striking a single pose that would seem to usher in a series of 'awhs' which would seem to instantaneously crush any ire that the crowd had built up. After all, it would be hard for the crowd to hold a grudge if their mascot seemed to be ok with the result...
It'd take a hop skip and a jump to be out of the arena, even with his wounds the feline would seem sprightly as he would move with some deftness. While he had taken more damage than any of his other matches had hoped to afflict directly to his form, he was far beyond immobile. The direct blows of the ninja's punches had bent Sakamoto around them with his flexible structure and launched him around a little, but his rib was the worst of it all. Sure enough, Sakamoto would disappear into the shadows of the arena, likely not to be seen again by many of the people present here today... The feline had a lot to think on, he just risked everything, a massive prize and so much more by functionally throwing a match in the Chunin exams... in a bizarre way, he actually just made his opponent the cheater of Konoha without intending to... if they'd meet again Sakamoto would have to remind him of that in a not-so-subtle way.
'But it seemed this was it.'
It took five minutes and a check up with some of the nations' medical ninja for the feline to be dusted up and on his way. With his minor wounds, he would look to the Jonin that was taking care of him, thinking about his plight as the female ninja would speak up about the match.
"So, that was some bout, out of interest, why was it that you decided to throw it? The Jonin council know a lot about your training, especially thanks to callsign songbird... " Sakamoto would turn for a moment, the woman would smile, revealing a tattoo of the ANBU black ops hidden just above her breast... But in truth, the conspiracy ran deeper. Sakamoto, now in the presence of a superior, one of his trainers, would be allowed to be honest. Here he wasn't vulnerable, there wasn't anyone around for him to feel inferior to or have a sense that his emotional responses to things or inner reasoning could pose some kind of a disadvantage to someone. But even so, he would take a long introspective moment to compile those many thoughts, decompartmentalize them into sections and alphabetize them internally. He would place each one of them into a chronologically sequential box before presenting his final thoughts, having truly understood them through intense reflection.
"Odd, you seem to be under the impression I lost... ... ..." Sakamoto replied in kind, and with that one sentence, the woman seemed to understand everything there was to know about it. Like a single domino that finally allowed the sequence to complete and fall to create a mosaic of reasoning that would span out over the course of their fight. She would think about it for a while, and nod to herself in her own introspective thought. finally, Sakamoto would leap from her lap, looking back to her and without a word uttering a semblance of thanks with his eyes as he would exit the medical ward, happening to move past the bedside of his opponent whom had just bested him in combat in the arena. The room here was somewhat full of participants and those who had been fighting in the exhibition matches. Sakamoto walking past as the finalist was being treated only moments after their fight would call silence to the room as eyes would fall upon the feline in the center of the floor just as the Feline's eyes would focus on the child before him, searching him from head to toe cautionary. In his own way, Sakamoto was making sure he was ok, but was far too proud to vocalize his thoughts at this time. So without a word he would move on, yet, inwardly, should he have had a moment, Sakamoto would have spoken clearly to the boy:
"You're not pathetic, I saw a lot of myself in you and could feel the passion that radiates from your true namesake. So, I took it upon myself to try and haul that out of you. But doing so is a painful process. Once that power awakened however, my strategy was undone, your new eyes would have seen through my current strategies I'd prepared for the exams, so, forfeit was pragmatic for me. Some things are more important than winning i guess... "
But, in its stead, an anxious silence filled the room, as the last sight of the ebony feline would be his tail flicking nonchalantly into the air as he swaggered on by, face turned ahead, but his eyes glancing to his flank, taking in one last look of Yoshihiro Jo, concreting his features as Saka would make his exit of the exams compound. His time here was done, he had training to do, he had places to go and people to see. These exams had given him so many concepts to delve into, people to think about and ultimately, the mystery of his quest only seemed to expand outwards. But, out of it all, he found a couple of ninja, though only one or two, that he seemed to respect. That was more than Sakamoto could have ever thought possible as little as two years ago. But there was work to be done, he couldn't think of why he had given up so much to help a total stranger, it simply seemed to be something he was compelled to do, but to Sakamoto's worst judgment he would chalk it up to guilt, and a selfish desire to avoid it... but such an answer was hollow when it came to the selflessness of sacrificing ones own life for a stranger... such tolls were incongruent.
If he was going to find those answers, they wouldn't be found here, he would need to use the connections he had made, outstretch his relationships and learn more about the ninja of this nation. One thing that he thought was certain was that he had learned a lot from his short time of intense exposure with many ninja in the exams. There was a lot to learn from these people, of that there was no doubt, and as much as it would be... spiritually taxing to have to deal with these people on a regular basis. He was here for a mission, for a reason, and he was not about to allow himself to fail the quest that he had been sent on...
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Winners' Bracket Finals: Sakamoto vs. Yoshihiro Joe Thu Jan 03, 2019 12:57 am
Hokage: 
Kazekage: 
Raikage: 
Tsuchikage: 
Mizukage: 