[RP Location] Kagane Village

[Oni Archives]

The calming barrier of the medical ward did little to help Eiji with his massive paranoia which clung to him like a tapeworm to an unwashed person's ass. He was haunted by his own dreams, visions of his father, former teammates, mentors, etc all caused Eiji to tremble in his slumber. The dreams of him being scolded for finishing a mission while an ally got injured for their own recklessness or his father telling him to live up to his great-great grandfather's reputation calling him a failure to the Sarutobi name, or even worse the day he was punished severely for a comrade dying simply because they disobeyed his orders during a mission almost causing the whole squad to be endangered. These dreams caused his trembling nature and his unnaturally weak disposition to sleep which made him feel something was off and unnatural about the current situation though he noticed he did not fully wake until Ko was upon the roof.

As the battle went on Eiji's sense of unease truly stirred him awake right at the moment which Ikki seemed to attempt to sneak out the room though judging by the sounds the others had yet to realize it. His hearing was one of the senses he was most proud of after his sense of visual acuity which he trained to gain with the monkey summonings he inherited from Hiruzen Sarutobi. He trained these to senses to inhuman levels though he also trained countermeasures against genjutsu since he trained them to such levels. He could hear Ko talking above and Ikki who came behind him, Eiji sighed a bit as he peeked from under his hood which had fallen over his eyes, "This place is calm as the Fourth Shinobi war was... Everyone here might as well call themselves Madara." He said in a bold tone as he stood up against the door as he heard the explosion which would now have woken Kirinji. He could hear Kirinji's footsteps although he dampened them some it wasn't enough to avoid alerting Eiji who was awake.

Eiji was concerned with the battle up top but apparently something more pressing would soon be the concerns of everyone within the ward. As the footsteps began to approach Eiji and the others who were in the door behind him, he would gently and quietly open the door sneaking into the room waiting for Kirinji to notice his presence and give a hand signal alerting him and hopefully, an awaken Kasami to the approaching footsteps. He'd hide behind the kitchen counter as he prepared to strike whoever was about to come through the door though he would wait to see their face before striking. He would have hidden his chakra as much as humanly possible similar to Kirinji as he looked at the doorknob watching for it to turn.​

 

[Oni Archives]

“Your name means loving child, but there’s nothing loving about you... is there?” She looked up from her bowl of rice across the table. Stark black eyes burrowed into her, a look alone that caused her pain. “I loved you once upon a time.”

“That was your first mistake. Loving a family you don’t fit into.” He leaned forward on an arm against the table, about to lay into her when their father interrupted him.

“Enough! Stop tormenting your sister.” It was as far as his intervention went, his prodigy welcome to get away with as much as he wanted. He only spoke to keep up appearances.

“Whatever.” Aiko threw his chopsticks down on the table and got up, excusing himself less than politely from the dinner table. He was bored with her, she could see it in his eyes. All those spars a waste of time to him. Children her age would have put her in the dirt, and she was still struggling.

———

It’s not your fault.

Kasami opened her eyes, a woman of beauty, of distant familiarity, standing before her as she reached out her hands. Her voice was as kind as her eyes- her jade green eyes. She saw her lips moving, but it was like the voice wasn’t coming from her- it was coming from inside her own head.

It’s not your fault.

———

A loud crash startled her awake, as she sat up so abruptly and violently that a sharp twinge shot through her ribs. She winced and shut her eyes, pressing her hand against it until the throbbing subsided before she moved again. When she opened them again she was face to face with the newest addition to their team, at least she considered him such by this point. His signal to be quiet caused her to nod wordlessly. As she got out of bed carefully, Kasami looked around the room and took everything in. Kirinji was awake, Ikki wasn’t in sight and Ko’s bedroll was empty-

Ko’s bedroll was empty.

Her eyes trained in on the empty space where he was laying before and her heart raced, pumping adrenaline through her body. Kirinji would see the worry in her eyes before she turned, her chakra dying down like a thick blanket being laid over a lantern. Her steps were silent as she moved to the door to the garden and looked through the crack. She could see the rubble that had fallen, and the shadows of people through the opening up to the roof. Eiji came into the room before she turned around, and Ikki was out in the garden. Everyone accounted for.

Kasami moved away from the door and back over to Kirinji, very clearly restless with desire to go aid her lover- but she stayed put... for now. As if she were a cat the moment the footsteps grew close enough for her to hear, her ears shifted. Her attention moved toward the door, and then she went into the kitchen past Eiji who was hiding behind the counter. Quietly she opened all of the drawers until she found a large rounded tipped knife, one commonly known to chefs as a Deba. She wasn’t one to normally use weapons or tools, relying on her herbal concoctions and hollowed senbon with seeds inside of them, her Rinnegan or wood style- but this was close quarters among allies. And it was a temple. She definitely didn’t want to be a big contributor of the damage it would sustain during this attack.

With the knife in hand Kasami walked out into the garden, looking up toward the roof where Ko was with two others. If they were truly going to fight, she didn’t want to be crammed into a room. When she saw Ko, or who she thought was Ko at least, up with two people there she had to make a choice. And she chose him. She had only heard one set of footsteps coming toward their room, so she wanted to at least even the odds up on the roof.

Kasami arrived next to Ko, though a few steps back off to the right, just as he was covering the bowl in chakra to throw it at them. She was bewildered by his appearance, but she managed to keep from getting distracted as she looked across the roof at the two strangers.​

 

[Oni Archives]

[sub]((Listen while reading))[/sub]


The blows were being exchanged fast at this point. The moment that he had launched off towards his opponent he would have been met with a clash of flesh upon flesh. The other male that was up on the roof with them meeting him half way and from the looks of it without so much as a single blink of the eye. His bright red eyes simply stared upon Ko unblinkingly. As they stood there upon each other Ko pushed more aggressively upon the man, only for him to meet him with equal force. *Okay he's strong despite his appearance, but that can only get you so far.* he thought to himself exerting more strength upon him - applying more of his strength that before was hidden away in his mind this time. Their stances shifted and with it so did the expression upon Ko's face as his lips upturned into a smirk - only for the corners of his mouth to get flipped on their rear ends into an expression of shock. Soon the boy started to come back up to his full stance and if Ko did not catch his footing and meet him with the same vigor he would be the one tilted back upon. This was not normal strength - he was obviously an Oni as well. Oni attacking them here? Needless to say anyone with a brain could draw conclusions and know that he must be with the guy that had attacked Kasami and the others back at the shrine. Ko grit his teeth for a moment and even in that moment the other man was able to see the expression upon his face shift - yet his moved not. The two went back to exchanging blows again - swiftly and this time they were not silent; blocks and parries being deflected off each of their arms and legs as they almost seemed to dance across the rooftop while the other woman that had come there with the boy stood on the sidelines in wait. Ko was fighting in restriction - holding back thinking to himself even with Ikki and Kasami right there he shouldnt let his guard down about her - all that it would take is one off the side attack, he didnt know what she was capable of so it was best that he did not chance it in this moment for his own safety. The more he held back and watched her - the more that it started to become obvious to him . . she was paying him no mind at all. Letting the two of them go at it instead of having any intention to interject. Either there was honor there - or she was fully confident that this guy was able to handle him...maybe both - but he doubt it coming from the type of people that work with that man with the book. Regardless, that in mind he would cut loose: "Chidori!" the moment he stopped looking at the woman and fully focused on the boy he would swing his right hand upwards towards his neck - his arm letting off a loud discharging sound a kin to chirping birds - no this was lower then that, more menacing sounding. This was not the song of chirping birds, this was the sound of the bite of crows. His chidori sparked wildly...unstable and bright vermilion as he swung it at the boy who only dodged it by a smidge dodging backwards away from it. Ko swung his hand downwards in retort towards his exposed body to which the boy moved backwards taking his body out of the way in an almost snakeish dance of a maneuver before he started to keep his pace going with Ko. He was astonishingly acrobatic - well, both of them were really. Swift spins and flips, dodges and riposte till finally Ko caught him off guard. He swung high - almost like a right hook aimed for the side of the face with the chidori hand only for the boy to duck, but as he did he spun and swept his leg coming back around to pierce the falling boy with the chidori....his expression was still motionless. He didnt feel anything at all to the situation - still well in control from his appearance but Ko couldnt pinpoint why.....till he looked at the shadow below them. Something was high in the sky above them and it was coming down fast. He redirected his hand upwards and instantly met the bladed claw of....a puppet. This puppet was veiled in a cloak - but its wooden face was perfectly seen underneath as the hood sway to the side and its clawed hand come down between Ko and the boy. Ko's hand grind against the chainsaw like claws and as they struggled against each other the boy slide away behind it, manipulating his thumb and middle fingers together almost as if rubbing a thread between the fingers as the puppet started to bounce and rev its claw more and more. Ko had to back off and quick less it would split his hand - lifting his foot to push kick the puppet and use the momentum to jump back where the other two had met him at. While he went back he made a note of the woman...she had not moved at all (less acted on by the others). It was almost as if she was just keeping guard to make sure that the fight between the two of them remained a fair one - never making motion or even relevance to what was going on around her. Simply looking between Ikki and Kasami. The moment that Kasami had come up her eyes were more on her at that point. Not saying anything or even so much as making a face but the way that she looked..it was more readable then this guy. Her eyes werent as....wild....as wide as his - they were relatively normal...if not a bit cold. It was like she could tell something about Kasami but just wasn't quite wording it...almost like she was looking through her rather. Soon she would have scoffed and spoken to the boy: "You're making friends and all - and thats great...joy. But you know what we came here to do. Where is he? You know its hard to keep track of him." As she inquired to the boy that was with her he would have planted the puppets feet in the ground like an anchor and with that he would envelop himself in chakra much like the body flicker technique but instead he would use the puppet strings coming from his gauntlets to the puppet as a reel of sorts to pull himself in quickly to it - almost appearing quicker then a body flicker. His voice was rough...gaunt - and yet there was something oddly gentle about it: "Its pointless trying to keep up with serpents. They slither and coil every which way till they rear their head again. Knowing him - he'll go right through the front door. He's of simple tastes and most of all....not my concern." The woman scoffed and shook her head - it was apparent that the fact that she was working with him...and apparently one other that was not present at this moment reluctantly - probably due to her own personal dislikes judging by the way that she upturned her lip at his response and gave him a sour look. "You know what we're here for. Don't kill anyone - it'll fly in the face of the entire premise of this operation." she spoke with an authoritative tone - a cold and collected one. Something would be familiar about her, if not vaguely to everyone else then at least more so to Ikki. Her face was all over Naraka...on wanted posters everywhere. She had been spoken of by Kiyoshi even at a point...the two had been close at a point. She was a bit...notorious here - almost like a Naraka version of Itachi Uchiha...this Kunoichi - was none other then Ai Yuki of the demon frost.

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((Meanwhile))

=There were footsteps coming down the hallway towards the room that the other two would have been left in by this point. The way that it strolled down the hall was not as if it was sneaking at all no - this was far more of a walk of leisure. The way that the footsteps came across down the hall way it was apparent that the person was not trying to sneak; and if you payed close enough attention you would hear it....whistling - light but very evident in and of itself. Had one looked down the hallway they would find a figure emerging from the shadows. A fine pressed suit, pocket watch in one of the pockets and a businessman's hat upon his head of lime green hair. He smiled wide - like he had not a care in the world and his eyes were squinted - hard to tell that they werent closed at all the way that he looked. Eiji had snuck back in the room, and when he did he had been seen by the male...he had impeccable night vision. But it seemed to puzzle the man as to why he went back into the room the way that he did - so obviously sneaking trying to make his way back inside quietly - it was like watching a teenager sneak back into a bedroom he wasnt supposed to be in at the sleep over. "Well thats odd. I wonder just what kind of foolery is going on in here.". On the inside of the room everything fell quiet after that. The only thing that could be heard would of course be the tussle from outside but as far as what was going on inside all was quiet and well - Tatsumi's barrier was very evidently still up it was almost like nothing had changed - perhaps if the fighting outside had not been going on this would all seem as if it were a big pra - creek...the door started to open. The threshold and seal of the door pierced as it broke alignment from the door frame itself and ever slowly started to open. Bit by bit it became more apparent that the door was opening until finally - far more moments passing then it needed to the door was open and into the hallway there was nothing but a vision of darkness. . . from there, a fine polished shoe - crossed the threshold of the door way and entered the room.=​

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[Oni Archives]

Kirinji acknowledged the hand signals Eiji was dishing out and moved toward the opposite side of him. His position would be horizontal of Eiji and the door between them both. While he moved, his footsteps would be silent and his presence almost completely hidden. Kirinji had found himself in this position a few times - being attacked while asleep. Luckily for him he was a light sleeper - and because he has been attacked so many times he was able to keep his composure. Hopefully, the others would do the same - and from the sound of it so far it would seem as if they were. His passive sensory abilities allowed him to know that there were multiple enemies and also that Kasami and Ikki were outside - alongside Ko, the man who was supposedly unconscious. A thought for a later time. For now, they all had similar priorities. Kirinji put his hand on the wall while listening attentively for the individual approaching them. He'd wait till he heard the door open and then the noises of shoe clicking into the room. Kirinji would not attack immediately, instead opting to let the man take a step or two into the room. A second would pass and the entire room would begin dripping a gooey, sage green slime. In the darkness it would be hard to identify, but the individual would feel his feet starting to become stuck in the ground and his movement becoming restricted - all which was controlled by Kirinji, who was able to control the slime, causing it to expand on contract at will. Furthermore, Kirinji was able to add seals to the slime which would act as a medium. The seal that would activate, had the man been caught in the slime, would a simple paralysis seal that would further restrict the man's movements. The longer the individual waited the more stuck he would become and Kirinji hoped that Eiji would pull out that ice spear again because now was the right time to use it.

​

 

[Oni Archives]

Ikki hadn’t really budged from his spot much until he got a clear look at the woman accompanying the young man with a puppet. He was fairly certain there was something more than simply a means to an end afoot. The blows Ko and her companion traded seemed rather one-sided. Ko of course opting for lethality as any one of them did especially given their potential upbringing. However when Ikki got a clear look at this woman his left brow rose and his tongue rolled around in his mouth passing from cheek to cheek as if tasting a piece of candy. He was savoring the flavor of her arrival as well as something a bit more aggressive as he puckered his lips. Except when he moved to do this what escaped his maw in those moments was none other than the tiniest ember clad in blue heat. The ember itself aimed to strike the woman with haste aimed straight for center mass. Ikki was more so testing the waters when it came to the woman in question as she stood as a point of controversy within Naraka. Her renown alone made her a point of interest, yet he knew there was nothing more interesting than testing the reaction of a potential threat. Had she moved to defend against it she could find it acting in similar fashion to that of a impact grenade the sheer force alone from making contact with a surface or being alone causing it to detonate. Had this small ember detonated upon her she could find herself engulfed in azure flames ready to consume her on the spot. In the end Ikki knew what it meant to be so bold in their attempt to assault a medical facility of all places, nothing was off limits to them if they were willing to come here.

Even if his attempt at testing the waters failed he was more than ready for whatever she had planned. His crimson eyes prior had been darting about watching the interaction between Ko and his new found combatant. It was the first time he had even laid eyes on a puppet user in years, there was something special about the way he handled the whole ordeal. His motions were gentle, subtle and almost mesmerizing to look at for anyone looking in on their collective interaction. Of course this meant for someone like Ikki that he was merely taking in his surroundings as a whole making sure set up a sort of mental chess board to keep things under wraps mentally. In the midst of him observing the entirety of the interaction he even noticed that kasami managed to join the lot of them as they congregated on the rooftop. It was only a matter of time before things truly began to unfold amongst them. Even those who were inside were bound to encounter a merry band of their own int time. Ikki simply stood poised after testing the waters in hopes this woman was exactly what the stories built her up to be.

 

[Oni Archives]

As he noticed Kasami slipping out of what seemed to be a backdoor Eiji sighed a bit hoping she would help them root the possible assailants who would be entering the room. Well, go figure his trust was misplayed though it was not truly her fault Eiji felt that she would abandon them in a heartbeat just to stand next to Ko and this made him unable to trust Kasami fully or develop any sense of kinship with her. He respected Kirinji a bit more, however; instead of leaving the room and heading out to Ikki and Ko for whatever reasons he stayed to help Eiji attempt to detain the one person who was walking towards the room. He noticed that the atmosphere of the room began to change as the intruder opened the door, he saw the purple slime dripping down from the walls and smirked a bit. Had the intrude ignored the slime or tried to attack immediately they would be caught within Kirinji's trap that Eiji would aid him in.

The purple slime would drip further down the walls as it came into contact with the intruder's shoes. Ignoring the purple slime would result in a truly horrible time for the intruder as the slime would be able to creepy further and further up their body until it had captured them completely or at least this was Eiji's hope but regardless once the slime caught the person's feet they would begin to feel a chill in the air, the moisturized room was cold far different from the moment they walked in and it seemed to have twinkling particles floating in the air. This was quite unusual and distracting, it would only occur that the temperature was dropping once the intruder realized what the sparkles were. If they could see the trap Kirinji had laid for them and Eiji had completed.​

 

[Oni Archives]

Kasami stood there next to Ko as he traded blows back and forth with his opponent, much like the woman across from her. While the other regarded her with what seemed to be a transparent stare- she was watching her closely. Not close enough, however, to miss the glimmer floating across the air. As she looked closely at it, she could see that it was clearly an ember, like a campfire had spit it from its flames. There were noticeable differences though, tells- this one hadn't died after floating like a usual ember would, and it was blue. Blue fire was seemingly a trademark of one of her most recent traveling companions.

Her gaze shifted to the corner of her eye as she looked down into the garden at Ikki, and saw the look of close examination on his face. Kasami's figure shifted slightly, the slightest crack of a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips before she choked the reaction down. Now, she seemed less on defense than before, her posture almost formless like water. It'd been a long time since she had seen Ko, and she had changed so much since then that he would likely be confused by the sudden shift in attitude if he saw her. While it wasn't arrogance there was a confidence that radiated from her as her chakra seemed to spike, her Senju pride practically leaking from her pores. With a flick of her wrist, the Deba flew from her hand as the tip of it became lodged in the roof next to her- the handle and most of the blade sticking straight up in case she wanted to grab it again. Kasami waited for a moment to see this woman's reaction to the ember, but started to realize that perhaps allowing her to dodge it wasn't the best idea.

She looked at Ko, whatever he was doing, with a momentary tenderness in her eyes as she cracked a smile. In that moment she found several things welling up in her chest. Resolve, strength... commitment. This was her commiting to that promise she'd made him. To be his weapon. While she wasn't perfect yet and had a lot to learn there were things she had learned that could still aid him in this moment. Like taking care of this other woman if she could.

She threw up one hand sign, that of the snake, and the events that followed happened in rapid succession. Rather than one at a time it was so quick it was like they all formed at once, five different spikes of wood shooting from beneath the shingles on the room and slicing through the air toward the woman across the roof from her. All of them had an origin point that was before Kasami's feet, the farthest left and right ones appearing at her sides, carrying a shadow beneath them from the moonlight cast above them. They appeared in front of her in a line, and would pass Ko and his opponent without so much as a breeze as these tipped pillars moved for their target. They were angled to aim for the woman's hips, and would likely cut her right in half if they hit her straight on with no defenses.

Even still, it seemed like for a moment Kasami was done, a satisfied gleam in her jade green eye, until her position shifted again. She raised her hand with her palm facing Ai, and such a simple gesture created an upheaval around the Yuki that made all the other times any of her companions had seen her use Universal Pull look like she was playing around. Tiles ripped from the roof and she would feel herself jerk forward with such an intensity that it would more than likely cause her head to snap back and give her whiplash. Kasami wasn't pulling her to pull her to herself- she was pulling her toward the spikes. What was pulled right behind Ai that had gotten swept up in the jutsu? Ikki's ember, moving faster with its lighter mass than Ai herself.​

 

[Oni Archives]

=She stood there, just as cold in composure as the rumors about her would have implied. As she stood there and looked between the two her eyes went from Kasami and over towards Ikki. The way that he rolled his tongue in his mouth, she thought there was something there. Used to the idea kin to how a leaf shinobi would have kept a senbon in the mouth for spitting at an opponent it was that very possibility that was at the forefront of her mind as she watched it. However in the moment that the ember was spat forth she would have been lightly taken off guard - not expecting that to be the particular projectile launched. It would not be to much consequence for her however, her original counter she was thinking up would just need some tweaking. The moment that the ember came for her she would focus her eyes upon it and from that point it would seem to flash freeze there mid air - those with ocular doujutsu noticing that even the chakra flow of the ember itself would have been frozen. The moment that the ember froze - she would have found herself violently pulled and the moment such happened she would glance over and note that there were woodstyle spikes pointed in her direction. From the point that the wood had started to grow towards her she would hold her hand out and from in front of her the air would emit crystals - fluttering and shimmering through the air as the temperature dropped drastically till the tree roots were frozen in place half way before extending towards her path, buying her the time that she needed to throw the frozen ember towards Kasami like a hand grenade. In doing this - coupled with its density and lower weight the ball would travel faster and give her an ultimatum. Cease the pull or continue and be struck with Ikki's attack - assuming when it shattered the ball would burst and continue its previously intended action. After doing this - the cold glaring woman would hold a single handseal to her chest while she was (or wasnt) being pulled and in doing so the ground underneath her would ice over for about ten feet before her - followed by a light shimmer of her body as she stood upon the reflective pane of ice that she had created - ensuring that any close capitalization of her being pulled or the pull being halted would be met with treacherous slippery conditions and then some.

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....Meanwhile, inside....

Soon the door would open, and the moment that it opened there was most certainly a foot that would be caught in this slime miraculously produced by Kirinji while within the room. As this happened there would come a voice - delicate and gentle that would inquire: What kind of mess di- Oh, n-nooo" and as this was said the seemings of Tatsumi would come through the door and nearly slip upon this slime - stuttering and bumbling clumsily into the room across it only to whip his head around and look between the two in the room as if they were crazy. "What in heavens name!?" the Blue clad medic exclaimed as he looked between the two and then out at the back door where the others had left out from. He seemed to be wondering exactly what was going on here. Perhaps the explosion had gotten his attention and he was here to investigate the fighting, the sound of footsteps - which at this moment was still present seeming almost close enough to be in the room itself despite no one moving, and now - this odd and messy trap that these two had been sitting here under while all this transpired. He looked to where Ko had been laying since they were last left here with a raised brow and stern looking expression - his eyes for once since they had met him wide open and scrutinizing the spot with great detail as he mumbled: "Ah - up and about I see." as he stood there between the two he would glance back between each one and then yell unto them: "Well!? What are you both waiting for? Take me to them! If we act now - maybe we can out number them in time to eliminate the threat quickly before the rest of their numbers get the chance to regroup with them." Tatsumi, in simulacrum - shouted unto his would be compatriots in this assault ongoing.​

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[Oni Archives]

Shocking wasn’t it? Or maybe even convenient? Eiji and Kirinji had both assumed that another enemy was coming toward their room, but instead it turned out to be Tatsumi. It was like a saving grace, similar to before, and had Kirinji been foolish he’d fall for the potential trap without question. But this was far from the case. From the very beginning, Kirinji has never been a trusting individual - always keeping everything close to his chest and refusing to rely on anyone, or anything, for help with any hardship he encountered. His reasoning was that when you trust someone - you give them your all - maybe even a small piece of you. In a way it is somewhat poetic to some, but Kirinji he - he sees it as giving ammunition to someone who could potentially hurt you. It seemed foolish. And he refused to partake in such foolishness. It was why he always kept his guard up. Almost to the point of constant paranoia, but this aided him in his shinobi task. This reasoning made him always keep a guard up and always question before falsely believing in someone and falling into a trap. Kirinji observed the individual’s entry into the room. Clumsy. Extremely different from the previous two encounters he just had with Tatsumi - who was far from being characterised as graceful. No, no. Tatsumi was graceful. Tatsumi’s physical characteristic would best be described as elegant. The opposite of what was being portrayed right now. Though, it had been quite some time and Tatsumi could have simply had a few drinks that caused him to become clumsy and even stutter his words. But if that was the case, and he had been drunk to the point of stuttering and clumsiness, how did he have the motor functions to arrive here so quickly? This was only one the the reasons why he hesitated when Tatsumi advised both of them to get him out quickly so they could help the others. It was - no, no. That’s not what he said. He didn’t say “help the others”. No, he instead opted for something more harsh … something more cruel. Not help - but instead to go quickly to eliminate the threat. An interesting choice of words. Kirinji came out of the shadows and looked at the ‘Tatsumi’ stuck in the purple slime, pleading his case. His movements were restricted not only by the slime, but also the paralysis seal that was activated. Kirinji’s optics observed the individual with the utmost scrutiny for a few seconds before he decided to respond to the man in a calm, yet chillingly voice.

”Enough games. I know you aren’t Tatsumi - so why don’t you quit the charades and come on out. Instead, why don’t you tell me who you really are and what you want with us?”

​

 

[Oni Archives]

Had on seen the mental image of Ikki in the moments that Ai was violently dragged through the air this mental image would’ve been hesitant before face palming. Sure trying to catch an opponent by surprise was welcomed but in this case especially when it came to the pair of them in particular. They were unknowns Kasami likely had no clue what this woman’s response would be and neither did she so taking such a rash action without necessarily gathering intel at all could’ve been a very large mistake. However amidst all of this Ikki couldn’t help but think where tatsumi was, he of all people should’ve been aware of the ongoings of everyone here. Perhaps it was some luck of the draw that he hadn’t shown up or maybe even they had found some way to circumvent the entirety of his technique. In particular one of the things that gnawed at the back of his mind was when this all began to unfold. Ko and the puppet user had been trading blows without much issue at all. It didn’t even come to mind back then, but he was pretty positive. This was what his mirror was more interested in when it came to said interaction. Tatsumi was strong in his own right so it's doubtful that he let such an oversight through.

However when his proposed ember was met with an icy chill and it fell to the earth his eyes dialed in like a telescope on it. Such an interaction was intriguing to say the least as it wasn’t often someone could meet his flames with an equal chill and just as rapid too. He was intrigued by this woman so far she hadn’t disappointed him in their brief interaction, yet when that ember was oh so close to touching the ground it was grabbed. The violent pull that came with it was surprising as it would become clear her intention the moment she had done so. Had Kasami not on her own moved to defend herself Ai could find that upon the impact of this frozen ember the flames would be snuffed in a way not completely removing its fiery intent but instead transitioning its state. Much like with ash pile burning being the product of fire release the ember being chilled would change its from allowing it upon impact to be more like ash rather than fire. One of the things that gave it the consistency of napalm was its flow of chakra in those moments of impact. It faltered within those moments and that was what truly made it interesting. In the end even if Kasami had taken the ember upon herself it would be more blunt force or lacerated trauma than anything. Ikki carefully thought out this interaction alone even as Ai moved to coat the rooftop with ice and give her body a shimmer. His crimson eyes spiraled dialing back into a less pinpoint state amidst the pale moonlight before being accompanied by that trademark crimson glow. A shimmer for a shimmer if you will as Ikki’s eyes glazed over with a coat of his own chakra.

 

[Oni Archives]

As soon as the ember was scooped up to be thrown at her, she stopped pulling the woman. Kasami jumped backwards to gain more distance from the traveling projectile, outstretching her hand with enough chakra to have the knife fly toward her hand with enough time to throw it. As she threw it she made sure she did so hard enough to cut straight through the ember, which fell to dust, and toward Ai as her hand seal was up.

The ground started to ice over, and at first Kasami put a hand seal up to try and wood release through it. When she realized she was unable to, she made a soft humming sound in thought for a moment. She pushed her right foot, which pushed her across the ice toward the edge of it where she would catch her footing again and casually walk toward the edge of the roof. Her hands went up, forming a hand seal, and words were muttered from her lips. The ground shook lightly, along with the nearest parts of the building, as a massive tree erected itself before the building. Its branches twisted and curled around themselves creating small pockets of shadows and spots to hide- as well as places to perch. A branch outstretched toward Kasami as she hopped onto it, walking across it to stand closest to the upright girth of the beast of a tree that she had summoned. The tree itself was twenty eight feet wide and its height stretched well beyond the height of the temple.

She hadn’t originally wanted to fight the woman, as they were both merely observers at first. But just like Eiji trying to spear Eien while Ikki was trying to negotiate with them, that Ember could have been taken as an action of hostility. Ikki was meant to be a buffer between what was happening downstairs in the room and what was going on on the roof. If he was preoccupied fighting this woman then he would be unable to help either party, whoever needed it more, and that responsibility to be their last line of defense would fall on her shoulders. She had some confidence, more than she had last time Ko saw her, but she knew that she couldn’t be their last resort, It would get all of them killed.​

 

[Oni Archives]

=There was a constant clashing, the whip and slice of hands going through the air accompanied by that of blades going through the air and being deflected by said hands. It was the sound of Ko and the boy's puppet going back and forth. Ko had started by this point moving forward at a sped up pace towards the puppet and striking blows that knocked it backwards while damaging it a bit on the exterior, the puppet user in question did not bother defending the blows - for unlike a physical person this puppet did not feel pain nor did it cease its primary function, he was stumped as to why it was he was even doing such unless he had planned to damage the exterior to the point that it would break eventually but that would take a long time. Instead - he had focused on striking his own blow each time that Ko struck. But every time that a bladed arm struck to draw blood, thinking during the attack would be the right time to strike his own - blow for blow, Ko would withdraw his previous hand close to his body and deflect the blade - making sure to do this with quick and precise contact rather than a heavy handed parry and leave his flesh the chance to get rend by the chainsaw of the blade. They were moving fast, hellaciously so and Ko's taijutsu at this point had taken on the form of what could be compared to wing chun...where did he learn that? Its not the way that he fought before and it doesnt suit his mentality...but it was very effective. They were sliding backwards towards the puppeteer expediently as he pushed the puppet backwards with each strike....thats it! He was pushing the puppet back. the blows were never meant to damage - they werent even blows. Pushes - thats what they were in their exact nature. He was distracting the user with the illusion of combat while pushing back the puppet till he could get close. The boy realized it late, and at the last moment Ko ducked down and set his hands together against each other - then thrust his body forward with palms fanned out in a blossom to strike the chest of the puppet and as he did such he launched the puppet like a projectile at the boy. The boy jumped to the left and dodged the puppet but the moment that he did so Ko was upon him. Hit hit, hit - hit....hit hit hit. a hellacious combo delivered upon the boy in his opening. Ko palm struck him in the nose immediately, he recoiled to fighting him hand to hand and elbowed towards his face but as he struck at Ko he leaned back out of the way and instead of parrying or blocking, he grabbed the male by his sleeve and pulled him in the direction of his own momentum - creating an opening in his over-extended stance and striking him in the rib-cage. The puppeteer retaliated with a quick straight left punch, to which Ko pulled his sleeve and in effect - upper body forward again and tugged the male clear past him, striking him now in the back of the head with his own elbow. As this happened the boy almost fell forward from the elbow and came in with a right hook towards Ko's abdomen. As he did this Ko stomped his foot and fixated his stance - tightening his stomach to take the blow....hard as brick - his punch landed ineffective and while Ko stanced up upon his opponent he quickly removed his shirt, throwing it over the boy's head like a towel so that it would whip and wrap around him and obscure his vision. While the makeshift turban was over his head - Ko backstepped and came back forward with a vicious snap kick that launched the boy in the air only for Ko to jump up and follow him - now this was a familiar moment. Ko was on top of the boy now with his feet down on him as if he was a skateboard...a callback to how Kasami had first met him when they were running a drill in Konoha in the forest of death. His words would silhouette that moment very well just as it did when he killed the centipede in that forest: "Rapodahn!" And as he said this he leaned down and grabbed the collar of the boy's shirt and leaned into a front flip - spiraling with flares radiating off their bodies till he had spun and turned into a great fireball spiraling towards the roof. They slammed and made impact harshly upon the ground and when the flames splashed out there stood Ko a'top of the boy that lay sprawled out on the floor. His muscles were far more defined - evident now as his shirt was off and his tank top defined the exposed parts more. He looked over at Kasami as things transpired, a grin upon his face as he nod his head a bit. Then things started getting more into the heat of things with the tree sprouting up. "My my, how we've grown. What in the devil jumped her bones while I was out? I like it." was his internal thoughts personified upon his lips in the grin while he watched her the entire time. He licked his teeth and then pointed over at her as she was upon the tree in a kind of way to symbolize: "I see you out there!" kind of manner - then suddenly...it happened. **THWOOM, THWOOM, THWOOM!** three harsh blows....three invisible blows. One launched Ko into the air away from the boy, one back to the ground and the last backwards as he held his guard up and went sliding backwards from blocking the incoming blow. From that point Ko couldnt help but chuckle wiping his mouth with the back of his fist as he grinned and his sharingan rotated as he looked at the boy on the ground

[sub]((Listen while reading))[/sub]
"Well shit - would ya look at that? Seems that I've pissed him off."



=As he said this the boy on the ground had started laughing, hysterically even - seeming that by the moment for each laugh he was trying to calm himself down to reasonable levels as it went by but he just kept slipping and losing it....oddly enough at this moment the one thing that could be taken from this with a great bit of concern was the fact that his puppet was still moving...almost in sentient fashion looking at him on the ground and then at everyone else. as this transpired the boy rose to his feet instantly, it was like an invisible force pulled him by the collar up to his feet and with such he lifted his hand to his face where the short was upon his face and it was unwrapped and slung from his face suddenly. His eyes were bright red - glowing red. As he moved his eyes caused a light trail behind it while he shook off the pain from the onslaught: "Ah...oh yes - fuck me bloody red I like that. I felt something there. If not for a moment but still...it was something...do you know how long its been since I've felt something? He was right about you." In the moment of him saying this he smiled wide, his tongue slipping from his mouth as he coiled it over his glossy lips and licked around them, rubbing his face upwards in a near erotic fashion as he looked at Ko and mouthed silently "make me feel it..make me feel good." as he stumbled forward towards him. In doing such he swung his hand around and the puppet came before him, set as if the puppet itself, was indeed going to weave handsigns: "Satisfaction! Yes - bring me absolute satisfaction! T-that music....that music! Do you hear that - what is that tune!?"

((Meanwhile...Ai's perspective))

=As all of this transpired with Ko on the sidelines she was finally released from the universal pull. She came to a quick and notable abrupt stop while on the ice once released and soon the knife that was thrown at the frozen ember would be coming across towards her after disrupting it. The moment that the knife came towards her it would thunk inside of her head and as it did such her body would become still, and then become ice - now standing there as an ice sculpture with the knife in head as the reflection of her down in the ice on the ground stood there normally just watching. The reflection looked at Ikki then at Kasami with her hands upon her hips as she observed the ice clone get hit with the knife. She had frozen the ground for this very purpose - the shine that came over her body being symbolic of the moment that she had created an ice clone and did a replacement jutsu with it as she herself slipped into the reflection of her ice. Once it was said and done her body rose out of the ice and she was standing there upon it - about to comment and say something to Kasami when all of a sudden she heard it....he was laughing. That was never good. She turned quickly - now her concern was no longer either of them but the puppet using boy behind her and the fact that his puppet was moving almost independent of him by this point; also not a good sign for anyone involved. As she turned and saw him on the ground she looked over at Ko, seeming to be surprised that he was able to put the boy in such a position and get him like this - it was apparent that she had thought he would be too much for Ko; when he pulled the puppet in front of him and started initiated a jutsu - she was left with no other choice. She glared at the puppet intensely and in doing so it's hands started to freeze, from the hands going up to the shoulders and had one taken their eyes off her they would find that she was gone. Only thing in her place would be a cloud of frost and now from behind the boy she would reappear as if ice crystals formed together to create her body again: "Thats enough - we've done our part. It'll be over by the time we get out of here now. We are leaving - I'am telling, not asking. So we're clear on that.". In the moment as she said this the boy was still smiling, but he set his hands down and so did the puppet despite the fact that his arms were still chilled. Ai stepped away from him and looked side to side at Ikki, Ko, and kasami - and as she did such a great shadow cast over them all before swooping down to them. What landed was a monstrous puppet of devilish proportions looking kin to a giant hawk of sorts with bright glowing gold eyes festering around looking between everyone. It's breast would open up and a compartment was revealed inside as the boy would step back inside of it while never taking his eyes off Ko: "My name, is Iori. And it has been a pleasure to meet yo - Kogaijii of the Uchiha clan. I look forward to killing you and your friends. So do me a favor. . . don't die.". There was ominous intent to those words as the doors of the puppets chassis slammed closed cutting off the visual between the two of them. Once that happened the hawk flew off and the puppet that was previously left - simply stood there inactive. Ai on the other hand was stepping her way across the rooftop still looking at everyone around, eyes calm and cold as they had been in the beginning. She would make her way back to the part of the roof that she had frozen previously and simply stand there, looking between the three of them in silence...it was as if she was waiting for something.

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((meanwhile, inside.))

The man was right. Tatsumi was a being that was graceful beyond all accounts. Not only that but he was a pacifist down to his heart so the idea of telling someone something as dire and confrontational as eliminate the threat was completely out of character for the man. As they stood there in this room with what seemed to have been Tatsumi the main question would have been strumming through the mind of everyone here. If this was not Tatsumi then who was it? The tension was heavy in the air and while all of this transpired little did they know - there was something else a'foot before them in this very ward - an answer to the question that may have been plaguing the mind of some of those among them...where was Tatsumi...

[sub]((listen while reading))[/sub]


A loud crash broke off in the room, choked sounds and violent retching and the sound of bone snapping as another fell...this was the sixth of Tatsumi's barrier shinobi that guarded him while he kept the seals maintenanced and working inside....he too - was fighting even through the barrier around the ward without being effected by it. What was it that allowed this to happen? Was what it that made these so resistant to its effects. Ko and the puppet user were very...unique cases however this man there was one blatant answer to the question. He was simply too strong to effect.. The man was cloaked and only a bit of his face was visible through the shadows. As he broke the neck of the last shinobi simply with the efforts of a single hand he approached Tatsumi. Whom had been attempting to keep him suppressed and initiate a jutsu to neutralize what was about happen. Lots of the fighting had spilled over outside and one could easily say that coming to join the fight would have been more important. But Tatsumi knew what was going on. He glanced over to his left as he sat upon the floor and looked at an artifact - it seemed to be that of a budda statue sitting on a pedestal carved of jade. His gaze focused back on the male in the cloak. "So the stories are true then? Maybe. Mikaboshi? You certainly wear his visage well - but I'm not sure I'm convinced. Heh... I did not want to have to do this.I know what you're here for and I will not let you do it. I will not let you open up the paths." there was a long stare down between the two in silence until finally there came the time that Tatsumi came to cope with the options that he had before them...he could sense two other beings inside of the ward that were of a power he never wanted to unleash upon them...but he had special guests tonight - a blessing that he would have to put his hope in for the time being. He dropped his meditative stance on the floor and with it dropping so did the positive influence aura around the ward. He came to stand and as he did such he would place his hands together in a prayer like form: "I wont take any chances. I'll erase you here and now - quickly so I can assist the others. Hmph - Sanzou Mode, Open Path." And in the moment that Tatsumi said these words a bright eruption of what seemed to be light exploded from his vicinity at the rear of the ward. There seemed to be a ray of light that blew the roof off the building in this area and illuminated the night sky as it was initiated. The moment that this happened those inside the ward would be able to feel the aura drop from inside and their original feelings and intentions return back to them. The moment that this happened the Tatsumi that the other two were in the building with would slowly smile - a smile that was...frightening to say the least. The smile of someone completely unhinged as it spread ear to ear as if to slice the face in half were it to grow any further. "Touchy touchy, we're all just so very hostile now aren't we?" as he said this the skin of "Tatsumi" would turn sick green....darker and darker by the moment until finally his skin was a ventablack with a green outline around it - his face shaped and molded until it was that of a cobra and the serpents mouth would shoot wide and spit acid in a mist at Kirinji's eyes. Had he not closed them and broke focus on his vision or jumped back well enough he would find that his eyes would be coated with venom and an indescribable burning sensation would overtake his body. However if he did jump directly back he would find he would only bump into the chest of another person in the room with him. Had he turned he would see the image of a very nice looking man - smiling curtly and almost genuinely with his hands in his pockets and a formal cap upon his head. His eyes were squinted almost closed as he watched them all while the snake slithered into its true form and would be about to go across the ground to shoot over towards Kirinji and coil around his body were he too taken a'back by the mist that was spit at him. The suited male stood there quietly and calmly - he seemed way too casual. Way too....in control. Watching as all these things transpired not even a full eight feet in front of him.=

​

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[Oni Archives]

As the man walked into the room taking on the appearance of Tatsumi, Eiji was a bit surprised but was not fooled as he did not know Tatsumi well but from the way the barrier was set up to the way he treated his guest, he was anything but a killer. If anyone within the world embodied the principals of the Buddha it was Tatsumi or at least this is what Eiji thought in the deepest farthest but brightest corner of his darkened mind. The corner which was created by Tatsumi's barrier and would hopefully one day grow to encompass Eiji's personality making him a better person. At this time listening to the man telling them to let him free so they could go help to kill the enemies showed true that this wasn't Tatsumi and Kirinji was the first to respond and question him.

As Eiji looked at the man a sudden feeling washed over him almost like a storm raging within the ocean attempting to swallow all life that was above the waters; boats, birds, men, women, children, even gods. This feeling was his negativity returning to him, his distrusting nature caused Eiji to begin to look upon the fake Tatsumi who began to change and Kirinji who was in front of him. At the moment the fake Tatsumi changed into a serpent the cold temperature within the room got colder within almost an instant. The poisonous mist which was launched at Kirinji if effected by the shift in temperature to freezing temperatures would turn into a block of ice dropping a couple of feet away from Kirinji as Eiji would turn to look at the other man with a feeling of unease. Where'd he come from, why couldn't he hear him, smell him or even sense him in general. And finally what was this man who appeared before them going to do.

All these questions floated around in Eiji's mind as he had defended Kirinji and began to think up plans to fight this man while also trying to get to Ko and the rest to aid in their battle. He knew nothing of the situation outside, where Tatsumi was, or who these people were but he knew very well they were in danger and working as a unit would be safer in this instance due to the enemies being a full group similar to their own. Thus the reason he defend Kirinji without hesitation or regret.​

 

[Oni Archives]

Kirinji could feel some sort of pressure being lifted off of his mind. From the very beginning when they entered the temple, he had felt as if he was in some sort of weird trance as if he mind was 'fogged' up and it caused him to not think clearly. But it felt different now. He could sense it now. The danger. "Touchy touchy, we're all just so very hostile now aren't we?", 'Tatsumi' spoke — midway through his sentence, around the point where he said 'touchy' the second time, Kirinji's honey pool optics shifted into the three-tomeo sharingan observing the individual. He noticed his skin turning green and becoming darker by the moment until becoming a pure black while radiating a green outline. By the time the face shaped and molded until it was a cobra, the whole room would be covered by the slime Kirinji had summoned forth - similar to Jiraiya's toad mouth technique. The cobra immediately launched into an attack and Kirinji went into a defensive stance, but noticed how the mist turned the mist turned into a block of ice. It was helpful as it gave Kirinji more time to react - not that he would have had a problem before, but it was helpful nonetheless. However, even though it had turned into a block of ice, upon impact with the ground it would shatter and release the fumes again. Kirinji opted to move near Eiji the moment the cobra had released the mist. The slime, where the ice block would land, would become softer and 'catch' the ice block so it would not shatter. And the cobra that felt would also do the same - in a way 'devouring' the cobra holding it hostage, and also becoming subject of the aforementioned seal. Kirinji swiftly looked over to where Eiji was and he immediately vanished through the use of body flickering technique, his fists reinforced with yang to imitate the strength of steel, as he relocated himself behind the individual sending a vicious right hook to the side of the man's head. The strike would send him crashing into the wall, but not through it and instead become stuck to the wall. "You still haven't answered the question." Kirinji asked once again. Kirinji made sure to pay attention to what was going on outside through use of his passive sensory technique. ​

 

[Oni Archives]

Ikki hadn’t for a moment taken his eyes off of her even in the moments that kasami and her both began to interact. The glimmer that danced over his eyes was merely a precaution just the same as her ice clone was reactionary. It was merely the lay of the land in those moments Kasami had given this woman something to work with, while still providing Ikki with more information in the process. It was very clear that she was quick to say the least moving to separate Ko and his combatant. Who very well could be a threat in his own right to Ko seemed to be getting his rocks off at the idea of interacting with the former. It was quite the point of interest for anyone with remote ties to him. However as things began to unfold one could find their bout coming to an abrupt end. Ai intervening without a moment of hesitation as her image was upon them quicker than the untrained eye could keep up with. When she arrived upon the two of them with that icy glare and began to freeze the boys puppet on the spot Ikki’s eyes were filled with intent. Yet no matter how hard he wanted to act upon it that ember from his mouth before was no more than a prepared version of ash pile burning of course in this instance he only hoped such a technique even worked to begin with. Even amidst Tatsumi’s barrier at the time it was truly fishing with a baitless hook and yet it all panned out his lack of ill intent in those moments must’ve paid off even as Ai stopped that ember mid air. In the end of it once things began to pan out and the puppet using gentleman was affixed within the chest cavity of his feathered friend and took his leave. His words rang through with every last drop of his intentions, they may have rattled some ill trained child to the bone but he was effectively standing in the stead of people who likely wouldn’t blink an eye at the thought. It became clear to Ikki in the moments leading up to this puppeteers departure that Ai had some sort of sway over him as a leader merely adding another piece to the puzzle for what he was drawing up in his head.

Amidst this ice cold interaction between the four of them as Ai stood there in her patch of ice it became clear that things had gotten quite eventful inside even in tatsumi’s quarters. As what transpired in Tatsumi’s quarters broke into the open air and the barrier that kept Ikki’s more aggressive thoughts at bay dwindled his lips parted and with it he bore those fangs that his father imparted unto him. Something about it all reminded him of when he first arrived in naraka when he and Izanagi ventured into the zetsubou-teki and Ikki was faced with the first of his trials. Even without the blood of an Oni truly flowing through him all these years down the line he managed to become quite the shinobi. In his sea of thoughts came one thing in particular.
Kiln of Seiryu: Breath of the beast.

"And if your mind and heart burden you and a man is simply not enough - the cast of the man; and be that of a beast."-Izanagi

The air around his form vibrated ever so slightly much like he was calling upon kumogakure’s Raiton no Yoroi. His chest bellowed as if providing a gust of wind to a flame and with that the cool night air around his form was now hot to the touch as he took in a deep breath. Everything about Ikki in those moments signalled that for once in his life he was going to take Izanagi words to heart. Had Ko or even Kasami been looking upon him in those moments they could find he was back in that same state from when they first met. Ko in particular would likely denote the similarity in his presence when it came to the way his body began to heat up. His skin now red and a portion of his own azure flames welled up at his feet. Much like when he stood toe to toe with Eien this was going to be no different, a blow for a blow or so it would likely come to a contest of hot and cold. His feet dug into the earth with little hesitation as the earth became molten beneath his feet and within mere moments his image would seemingly fade from view.

This of course meant that when he came to join the three of them on the roof he would come from Ai’s rear as if to give his compatriots time to either converge on her position or very well depart from the location. Albeit the latter of which was highly unlikely seeing as they were going to need each other to handle the woman in question as a whole. Ikki’s form was seemingly covered in a steamy haze as his image poured into view behind this woman with a breath of azure flames to accompany his arrival. He was testing a theory much like before, perhaps this woman had come to play a game of mental chess as she stood upon her icy patch on the roof. Had she not moved or of course met Ikki with her icy glare he seemingly wouldn’t even falter at the thought. Whatever had overtaken him in the moments that Tatsumi initiated his open path it was like a completely different person. Had Ai ever even caught word of Ikki in the years that she had been in naraka or elsewhere for that matter in the shinobi world she likely knew he wasn’t one for animosity on the spot, even back then in the Zetsubo-teki Ikki was hardly confident in his own abilities. He had only become humbled from that cocky 15 year old kid he was back than becoming slow and calculated as the years went on. Yet when his image came upon Ai in those moments it seemed like he had become a seemingly unrefined version of the adult shinobi he had become today. The flames that came with his arrival were controlled in nature aimed to blanket her and only her within those moments. He had done this to see what she would offer and had she offered that same chilled slowdown from before he had quite the treat in mind for her. Perhaps Kasami and Ko could find a way to assist Ikki in these moments but even he knew not to put all his eggs in one basket. He could only imagine what prompted Tatsumi to pull out the stops of his own.

 

[Oni Archives]

Kasami was silent and had a watchful eye on the events that occurred on the roof after she had moved to her tree- a tree she apparently summoned for no reason she’d find. It was hard, even in the heat of battle, not to affix her attention to Ko’s shirtless torso with greedy eyes. She was of course vigilant of her surroundings but she had a hard time never watching and crushing on him when he was around, and now he was exposed to her. She’d seen him with his shirt off before and this was a much more mature and undeniably delicious sight for her eyes. Everything about him seemed different. As he looked over at her and pointed with that grin on his face she couldn’t help but get a little bit huffy, casting her eyes away from him as... was that a blush on her cheeks? That was different. Not when it came to Ko- but the people she had met today had never seen her vulnerable, and everything about her was such with him around. But he also made her stronger, more resolved. He was the reason she was here. He transformed her.

In that moment she had a few thoughts. Some of them were a bit too adult for expression, all revolving around Ko. The others were obviously more focused on the situation, as much as she was capable- they really needed some help. Ko could handle himself, that was obvious, but could he handle himself if she fell and he became Ai’s focus as well? If the others failed in the room and whoever was with them decided to join his comrades.. they needed to stop this. They needed someone stronger.

Where the hell is Tatsumi... or even Eien would be better than nothing.

Coincidental timing, because as she wondered where Tatsumi was, and the boy on the ground that Ko had laid out started laughing, she heard the explosion of the roof being blown off on the Southern side of the temple. She saw the light from the corner of her eye before she even looked toward it, her brows furrowing upon seeing the beam cast into the sky. When her attention moved back to the rooftop, Ai was intervening in the fight, which gave Kasami a little leeway. If she was going to stop them from fighting then it meant she could leave in confidence that he wasn’t about to get ganged up on, and if he did she knew Ikki was nearby at least.

Tatsumi was somewhere around there fighting, probably at the point of origin of this light. In order for him to help them, he had to take care of what was happening with him- and if he had help that would go along faster. Or maybe she’d get in the way, who knows. She had to try though. With another glance toward Ko, one of confidence that he could take care of things if needed, she hopped back onto the roof in the opposite direction of everyone else and took off toward the light as the puppet user was leaving. She was gone before Ikki joined them on the roof and initiated an attack on Ai.

Kasami was saddened to see all of the fallen on her run toward the light, having moved from the roof into the building and was quite shocked to find the barrier dismantled. Had that been their attackers doing, or did Tatsumi put it down himself? He truly was fighting then if that was the case...

Quickening her pace, she was a blur to untrained eyes as she moved among the hall after slipping back inside, taking advantage of those fighting already to slip past them. She finally made it to Tatsumi, her breath steadied by timed breaths. The man he was facing’s back was to her, and for some reason she could feel this dread rising in her chest, before she even saw his face. Something wasn’t sitting right with her... Uncertainty wavered in her gaze, though the Rinnegan lacked the reflection of this emotion.

​

 

[Oni Archives]

[[To Kasami - ]]

=The moment that she had gotten there to the point that tatsumi had been upon she would find herself met with a sight of horror. The moment that she got there - a horrifying feeling of dread would be upon her, in addition to the one that she was already having, there would be sounds that were kin to that of groans and hellish moans of pain all around her and the moment she would look through the rooftop down into the crater that was once Tatsumi's meditation quarters she would find the sight of what could only be described as spirits....but they werent truly spirits but some kind of black, inky manifestation of humanoid figures floating around the area. It was hard to make it out at first - it was like they werent truly there, at least not solid. Like they were made of flakes and small materials that seemed to be jamming up chakra and sensory ability around the entire area. In the midst of it all were beautiful flowers, bright....and fresh bloomed? Whatever it was that Tatsumi had done when it exploded it radiated a chakra that almost literally gave off life, causing lush vegetation and floral life to bloom and sprout around the area. But despite this clashing of horror and beauty in one location something truly disheveling was happening right there before her. Tatsumi's body was barely holding on struggling there in the grasp of the man - being held off the ground quite easily by a hand clad in a black obsidian like material. The moment that she arrived his head turned a bit - and he tossed Tatsumi towards a wall behind him - the way that he did so was with great ease, it was as if he didnt even really try to throw him - but even with that whimsical toss, Tatsumi seemed to fly back with great impact - implanting in the wall and quickly being seized by the black entities around the area till they lost their form and collected on his body - turning into a black obsidian like rock keeping him ensnared in the wall. Tatsumi was...in a panic. Something hardly anyone has ever been able to say that they had seen in any point of their lives. His lips shook and quivered as he struggled to lift his head with wide eyes:

[sub]((Listen While Reading Critical: An entire level beyond this.))[/sub]



"Ah yes....there it is....my power."

=The voice spoke as it turned fully around towards her. The moment that he had fully turned towards her it would feel as if there was a gravitational pull - guiding her body towards him as if she would slide across the floor to his being. It was like that kind of feeling you get in a nightmare - when you try and run from something and it feels as if the floor just slides backwards bringing you closer to it, but nothing of the sort was happening there in that instance. If she stayed still then she would remain as she were - it was simply a feeling. "You have to run! The only way you get out of this is if you r-" Tatsumi's voice cut off by the rock formation seeming to come to life and covering his mouth, bracing his head back against the wall as he was mid way through talking. As this happened the cloaked man seemed to have the jade budda in his hand looking it over and then looking upon Kasami: "Originally - I had come for this...to alleviate the cardinal temples of the oppressive barrier of Huang Long's chakra. But this development? This may give me just the edge that I need to see through my mission." As he said this he would hold his hand out and then motion to himself at the girl - no...at the rinnegan in her skull and as he did such she would start to feel a very intense feeling in her chest, it was as if her body was trying to be influenced by an outside force...a strong outside force - an overpowering force calling the very eye in her skull towards him. It was like the eye was rejecting her body - like her body was panicking to this foreign feeling influencing part of her. Had she been too distracted by this she would not notice that some of the floating entities around her had dissipated towards the floor and now there was a thick black, oil slick like liquid crawling towards her feet. Had she not moved it would form around her feet and sweep her to the floor - carrying her body as if on a wave in the sea towards the man.

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[[Mean while on the rooftops]]

=She started to walk away and as she had planted there Ai was keeping watch of Ko and Ikki. This was as long as they had needed - more in fact and if the mission had not been carried out by the time that she was gone then it was not her responsibility, she had played her part to the letter. Just as this was happening and Ikki started to bolster his chest and amp up to the coming attack - Ai looked over in his direction...that cold stare - not in weaponized form but in a manner of simply being void of feeling turned in a way that made Ko's stomach turn but he wasn't quite sure what to make of it, his brow raised in question as he saw the way that her face changed...it was...almost sympathetic. She was about to do something that she did not want to - or something that she did not wish upon someone. When Ikki was about to appear behind her there was a golden chakra that started to radiate around her - it made Ko's sharingan widen a moment before snapping closed as he grasped his face and grunted in pain, at the same time he would notice that he just caught glimpse that Kasami had went off in the direction of the explosion which had an almost identical glow. Ko fell back holding his face trying to shake the blinding chakra that was just before him - and when he did such she looked over her shoulder at where the man would be appearing...it was extremely odd - she looked before he even moved into that position as if in some way she could preconceive what was about to happen before it actually happened. When he appeared there she would already be in the midst of taking advantage of the Yuki's special talent of being able to utilize a single handseal for jutsu - both hands making seals...but both set of seals for two separate ninjutsu. There was a very particular reason as to why Ai was wanted in almost all civilized provinces of Naraka...she wasn't just a shinobi that went rogue from Naraka. She was one of the most talented Sanzou priestesses of her time. The moment that he appeared and blew the fire at her she would have already stopped her right hand, left hand still weaving seals as she looked. The ground where Ikki stood would glow gold only briefly - and with the same chakra that had blinded Ko to look upon and it would happen: Sanzou Art - Yin Release: Manipulation Of The Impure World. It was a Sanzou technique that was extremely arduous to utilize but extremely effective. It essentially used yin - to project the mind's eye of the user to a specific focal point of choice, then inflicted an extreme amount of yin to influence the non chakra based parts of reality to the users whim. The moment that this happened the shingles that he stood upon - as well as his own footwear, would blend and meld and it would seem like in a circle - the spot he stood upon would spin him around like a display mannequin. By this point with his footwear melded to what now looked like melted rubber where the shingles were it would not only make it hard for Ikki to get going and move from that spot - as if his feet (though unharmed) were caked in paste, but it would also have him blowing his flames completely off in a different direction. Then she would stop her opposing hand and complete her jutsu: Diamond Dust: Frozen Hell Viewing As she finished this jutsu she would hold both her hands towards Ikki - in the same manner that a sand user would manipulate their sand towards an opponent and the water particles in the air around him would start top be manipulated. In the normal world - it was harder to do this, there was very little to no chakra in the air to make it happen so quick - but here in Naraka, she was in her element. He would have to think fast - Ko was indisposed at the moment, and he only had a second - the area immediately around Ikki's body - would flash a bright light. Why was it you may ask, that a hyper advanced derivative of ice release like Ai's Diamond Dust, would emit light? Something associated with heat? This was because her diamond dust was used in conjunction with her Sanzou techniques - which she focused strictly on the use of good Hadou to focus it on a molecular level and make things hyper cold by focusing chakra to laser precision within a space so that it takes energy away from the molecules in an area to cease their vibration faster. The light that you see - is the mass inconceivable number of chakra beams constricting the vibration of molecules around an area to create a hyper cold flash freeze. The temperature she hit with this was -199.73°C, just a short near hundred away from absolute zero. But with this jutsu she could only achieve it for a very short burst at her normal chakra levels and only through focusing - unable to do so mid combat. That was all she needed though, this was not meant to kill - but simply disable the male for the moment that she did this if he was within he would find that his breath would be cut off from freezing for that flash instance and his organs would shut down for a moment after his body almost thought it was dead from hitting such a cold temperature, enough to knock him near unconscious, restrict his movements, and cause him to have to get himself together before he could even think about attacking her again. That being said and done - had it gone along that way she would slide down inside of her reflection in the ice, that same cold - unshaken expression upon her face and soon after she would disappear from the reflective surface.

---

[[Meanwhile, Inside with Kirinji and Eiji]]

=During the moment that the male froze the acid from the snake mid way the man with the cap upon his head would chuckle. He was amused by that. The moment that the male froze the acid - the cobra - whom was hardly effected by the slime for a very particular reason hissed, hating the cold that was being brought up around it but not being effected enough to be frozen by it. The creature arched through the air and came down towards Eiji like a viper - striking down to bite at him. Meanwhile as Kirinji bodyflickered the man with the hat tucked one hand in his pocket and his eye darted over to follow the movements of Kirinji. Nothing that he was doing was going without notice to him - this slime, it was futile and his body flicker - did nothing for him except extend the length of time that the man had to watch his motions and plan for a counter attack...but he did not really need a plan.The moment that Kirinji came out of his body flicker to punch the man his free hand would strike up and grab his wrist - catching it before his punch was able to land - and the split second after that something - as well as everything going on, horrific - would happen. The man, this prim and proper, well dressed man....was hellaciously strong He was so physically strong that Kirinji, the only person besides Ikki among them that had the experience to know - would only be able to compare his strength to that of Izanagi himself...but he wasnt even exerting the effort in fact it was almost as if it was accidental - seeing the way that he fluidly continued on talking despite the fact that his grip could very well shatter the man's wrist. "Oh - shut up. You dont need to know my name. What you need to know is that I came bearing gifts." And as soon as he said this it was like something was slammed into the door of the room.....it was the front of a coffin....it was the coffin - the one that Eien had lost previously. The moment that this had happened if he had grip of Kirinji's (possibly) limp wrist, he would kick him back and through the back door out into the garden for the others to see. Then he would walk over towards the casket door and rub his hand along the front of it: "And now we begin the clean up portion of the mission. I'd been itching to see this in action - it'll be a good control environment to run field testing...heh" What was in that casket, were they about to find out? Was that a good thing - or were they in for a grand cataclysm of things. So much was going on - and there was so many bad elements to the situation that they were in. A battle tooth and nail - to the death...and it was only about to get worse. Things were looking grim - perhaps, there was more strength in numbers at this point. Some of the ones here were here for very particular things and they seemed to have had a plan formulated before they even got here. A lost battle does not entail a lost war. But if there are no soldiers to fight it....well thats a different story. They would need a plan of action - and they would need one fast. Their futures...depended on it.=​

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[Oni Archives]

“If you aren’t going to pay the price then you can get some B-rated shinobi to carry it out for you. Good luck with that! Like I said, I’m not interested if you plan on paying me with crumbs” clearly he was agitated and his voice progressively became louder, “Do you know what it takes to plan something like this -an assassination?! You think they are easy!?” The anger became clearer the more he spoke and was only augmented by the elders awkwardly laughing - but they were simply trying to ease the tension; something Kirinji misread at the time. “Okay, okay! We’ll pay, but we want a guarantee that it won't come back on us.” At a time like this, Kirinji was thankful for his fuinjutsu abilities. The Uzumaki Clan needed him, but Kirinji needed them just as equally. It was a mutual agreement - of course one they did not know existed. This helped him decipher their techniques, their seals, and in return only added to his repertoire. After some time the seals seemed simple to him, but complicated to others.

Combat - combat is like art to Kirinji. He sees everything brushstroke by brushstroke, frame by frame, in the most utmost vivid detail possible. Nothing goes unnoticed before his crimson three tomeo optics. For example, the way the opponent attempted to counter Kirinji would not go unobserved as well: his opponent bringing up his free hand in order to grab his wrist. This clarity came from him perceiving the enemies muscle fluctuations and strains in his skin from his neck. His Sharingan granted him the ability to see foreseeable actions and his counter was something Kirinji saw through with ease - and he would have needed to resort to his own counter had it not been for his previous setup. The slime was not simply slime, it was an extension of his chakra and it was used as a medium for a ‘simple’ paralysis seal that Kirinji had employed alongside another. When the man had decided to move his free hand upward he’d find that his body would not answer to his will - similar to someone being caught by the shadow paralysis technique. And now the man would become a victim of Kirinji’s vicious right hook.

The right hook would send the individual flying toward the temple wall and had it not been for the durable slime he would have struck through a few walls before coming to a stop. Instead, the individual would become stuck to the slime wall and become ‘devoured’ by it - the slime contracts to Kirinji’s will and pulled the man more and more into the slime - sucking the very ‘life’ out of him as if something was absorbing his chakra. However, Kirinji was far from done and it was because of some odd reason in his gut he could tell that it would not be enough to take him down. Kirinji raised his right palm toward the man, his fingertips lazily pointed at him, while he jumped backwards to create a distance of roughly seventy feet. A cackling sound originated from him and upon look could feel sparks of lightning all over his body. It was the roar of lightning. His extended hand became encased by lightning and instantly manipulated it into a form of a lightning bolt - a lightning bolt with a claw upon the tip of it. Kirinji’s cold eyes glared at the man the whole time,

”Oni Genbu: Smithing Bolt of Punishment”

Could he feel it? The corrupted Oni chakra? This wasn’t just manipulation of the lightning element, but something far more powerful. Without a moment of hesitation Kirinji stepped forward violently throwing the bolt toward the man at an alarming rate. He didn’t want the man to rest even slightly and aimed to quickly end this battle as soon as possible. The lightning bolt would pierce the stomach resulting in a paralyzed state as well as constant electrocution, but that was not all. Whence thrown the entire path after a three foot distance would scatter electrical particles - which would cause an atmospheric destabilization in the air and cause explosions in form of a tunnel branching off toward the man. A grand explosion would follow causing the building on that side to crumble. The damage to the man would be catastrophic - almost to the point of death, and irreversible if not for an experienced medical ninjutsu.

 

[Oni Archives]

As the mist became ice effectively aiding Kirinji in avoiding being blinded by the snake's attack upon him, Eiji would have noticed that the snake's attention was then shifted to the one causing the cold front which was himself. Eiji had no intention of playing around with the serpent nor did he intend to give the other man time to contend with Kirinji, "Well this is annoying..." He would have said as the viper sprung into action lunging at him from above attempting to what would seem to be him trying to bite Eiji. As the snake jumped into action Eiji noticed Kirinji had already been in action disappearing with the action of a body flicker. Eiji was hoping to have him help deal with the viper first but obviously Kirinji had other plans, teamwork at least without Eiji working as a support to Kirinji's dps status.

He sighed again as the snake would attempt to bite him and seemingly slip through his body, it wasn't as if Eiji wasn't there. It was more so as if his body lacked a physical component to it. It was almost as if he slipped through vapor. Had the snake actually allowed himself to slip through Eiji's body he would come to find that the cold within the room not only increased but his body temperature and mental functions would seem to slow greatly, "Well then I guess I should help him out; though it will be difficult." He said as he looked at the now light blue slime which was dripping from the room before walking away from the snake which would if he had continued his strike be freezing and being covered in ice with every second that passed. The ice would inhibit not only chakra flow but mental function as well as draining chakra to spread faster over the serpent's entire being.

As Eiji moved away from the serpent towards Kirinj the man who would be holding the coffin he would look for a chance to come into the fight. His once non-physical form now back to a solidified mass and his senses on high as he focused upon the situation around him and everything he could sense with all of his senses. Hearing the battle above, listening to Kasami who was moving away from them and faintly hearing Tatsumi. Eiji was scared, terrified even but he knows this battle would be something that would change him not just tactically but it would either be a confidence builder or something that broken him both literally and figuratively. He refused to let the latter happen to him.​

 

[Oni Archives]

She may have turned her Icy glare upon Ko as well as Ikki in the moments that he was coming to terms with that light hearted nature he often bolstered in comparison to some of his compatriots. It was truly unlike him but amidst that when that steamy gust escaped his lips allowing his chest to bellow as he came to about to breath that wreath of flame upon his counterpart it was thwarted. An auspicious technique to say the least as the tables were turned. His arrival calculated just the same as her response. He was far from beside himself yet he lacked his usual clarity in those moments. The easiest way to describe it as she rooted him in place she had gone so far as to resort to a sanzou technique which was more than she offered that ember moments ago. She had come to Tatsumi’s abode for something but her arrival was untimely to say the least. Ikki had his own things to wade through with his own internal conflict but her arrival was something that only fate could provide. It was as if she was a perfect counterpart to his own unbearable heat at times. When everything was said and done with their collective clash of a desert’s scorch and a wintery chill it all came to a stand still. A lapse in his bodies function for only that moment alone as he effectively came inches away from her. It was no different in the days of old where a young man was left standing unconscious in the center of Konoha’s own chunin exam hall. However in this case Ikki’s eyes didn’t glaze over to the point that he alone had fallen. This was no different than his bout with his father before arriving at Mikaboshi’s shrine.

In this case that beast within Ikki had been quelled even if only for a moment. The slight stutter of his heart beat upon the activation of her technique led to his body prematurely ending his breathing technique. It was more akin to having achieved a high altitude while climbing but all at once without the gradual climb. The shutdown she’d hoped for was more akin to the superstition that sneezing stops the heart yet in a far more aggressive manner. This was only in part due to the fact that his internal body temperature was in fact raging. If there was one objective upside to this situation in particular it was that his body was already actively working to keep him much hotter than the normal human body. This margin of course didn’t provide him an immediate out but instead kept him from merely losing consciousness ina crucial moment like this. Even the shingles that had effectively glued him in place would be victim to the extreme heat being met with extreme cold in those moments, they in turn would crack in response while still acting as restraints in those moments. In the end she would’ve gotten away with a look of aggression cast in her direction.

Meanwhile behind that gaze of aggression There it was again that same mirror of Ikki with his hood up covering that snowy hair atop his head. His lips curled up into a smile as it placed a hand upon his shoulder. “You’ll get her next time just like the brat from the shrine.” His mirror chuckled at the thought as he was more content teasing the original Ikki more than being of use in a moment like this. He had plenty of things he needed to hash out within and this mirror in particular was more of what Ikki was bottling up. A machination of his mind full of good intentions with the road to his own personal hell already paved. In the perspective of going against someone like Ai, ikki was nothing more than a candle being snuffed out by simply placing a lid over it. He was frustrated to point he could hardly chalk it up as a loss considering he merely wanted to reach out and touch her. His mirror still standing next to him with his face perched just over his shoulder and with a whisper he spoke “I’ll be seeing you again…” It was haunting even if it was merely a mental manifestation of his own internal turmoils. In the end he and Ko would be there on the roof coming to terms with their relative circumstances. Whatever was happening around the temple was likely coming to an end consider Ai had taken her leave